| Minzy 민지 |
|
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Born | January 18, 1994 Seoul, South Korea |
| Genres | R&B, pop, hip hop |
| Occupations | Singer, rapper, dancer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | YG Entertainment |
| Associated acts | 2NE1, Big Bang |
| Website | www.yg-2ne1.com |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 공민지 |
| Hanja | 孔敏知 |
| Revised Romanization | Gong Minji |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kong Minji |
| Stage name | |
| Hangul | 민지 |
| Revised Romanization | Minji |
| McCune–Reischauer | Minji |
Gong Minji (born January 18, 1994), more commonly known as Minzy (Korean: 민지; Japanese: ミンジ), is a South Korean idol singer, rapper and dancer. She was born in Seoul.[1] She is currently the main dancer, lead singer and maknae of the Korean girl group 2NE1 which is signed to YG Entertainment.[2]
Gong Minji debuted in 2009 with group 2NE1. Their first extended play, 2NE1 would go on to sell 100,000 copies in 2009. The follow-up studio album, To Anyone, sold 150,000 copies.
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Gong Minji was born in Seoul, South Korea, but moved to the countryside shortly thereafter. Minji is the granddaughter of Gong Okjin, a legendary folk dancer.[1]
Gong Minji was discovered by YG Entertainment. There was a video of her dancing that was uploaded onto the internet, and got many hits and praises for her ability to dance. Because of her rising popularity through the internet, YG contacted her and recruited her. She was placed into girl group 2NE1 along with three other members. They debuted in 2009 with "Lollipop," a collaboration with label mates Big Bang, when Minji was fifteen years old.[1] The song reached number one on the Gaon Charts, but questions were raised about whether the group could survive on its own.[3] In May the same year, the group had their official debut with the single "Fire," that reached number one again along with follow-up promotional single "I Don't Care."[4] The mini-album 2NE1 went on to sell over 100,000 copies.[5]
After initial success with 2NE1, the group went on a temporary year-long hiatus with each member releasing their own singles. Dara released "Kiss," Bom released "You and I," and CL and Minzy released "Please Don't Go." The song was the lowest performing of the three solo singles but still managed to chart at number six on the monthly charts.[6] After all the members released individual singles, the band released "Follow Me" which landed at number one for the week of February 13.[4] In September, the group had their comeback with album To Anyone with a triple hit title tracks namely "Go Away", "Clap Your Hands", and "Can't Nobody" wherein it also included "Please Don't Go." The album went on to sell 150,000 copies.
Minzy is known to be friends with several idols, such as F(x)'s Amber and Luna, Girls' Generation's Yoona, Tiffany, Sooyoung and Hyoyeon, Super Junior's Siwon as well as soloist IU. She is also close to Koda Kumi. G-Dragon of Big Bang has also stated Minzy as his favorite junior(dongsaeng).
| Year | Song | Peak position | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [6] |
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| 2009 | "Please Don't Go" (with CL) | 6 | To Anyone |
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