Momo Hirai
Momo 平井もも | |||||
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Background information | |||||
Birth name | Momo Hirai | ||||
Born | Kyōtanabe, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan | November 9, 1996||||
Genres | |||||
Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) | Vocals | ||||
Years active | 2015–present | ||||
Labels | |||||
Japanese name | |||||
Kanji | 平井もも | ||||
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Korean stage name | |||||
Hangul | 모모 | ||||
Revised Romanization | Momo | ||||
McCune–Reischauer | Momo |
Momo Hirai (平井もも, Hirai Momo, born November 9, 1996), commonly known mononymously as Momo (Korean: 모모; Japanese: モモ), is a Japanese singer and dancer currently based in South Korea. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Twice formed by JYP Entertainment.[1][2]
Early life
Momo Hirai was born in Kyōtanabe, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan.[3][4] She began dancing at the age of three, together with her elder sister.[4]
Career
Pre-debut
Momo had some early exposure to the South Korean music industry, appearing in a music video for Lexy in 2008 and on the talent show Superstar K in 2011.[5] Momo and her sister were originally spotted by JYP Entertainment in an online video in 2012.[4][5][6] They were both asked to audition, and only Momo was successful, prompting her to move to South Korea in April 2012.[5][7] Before joining Twice, Momo danced in a number of music videos as a "K-Pop trainee".[4][6] In 2015 Momo participated in the South Korean reality television show Sixteen, hosted by JYP Entertainment and co-produced by Mnet.[8] Though she was initially eliminated in the competition, she was brought back at the end of the competition and was allowed to join the newly-formed girl group Twice.[1][4][9]
Career with Twice
In October 2015, Momo officially debuted as a member of Twice with their first extended play, The Story Begins.[10] The lead single "Like Ooh-Ahh" was the first K-pop debut song to reach 100 million views on YouTube.[11]
Recognition
In Gallup Korea's annual music poll for 2018, Momo was voted the 20th most popular idol in South Korea.[12] She is one of the most popular non-Korean K-pop stars,[4] and her popularity has even been credited with improving relations between South Korea and Japan by the Chosun Ilbo.[7] Known for her physical fitness and body movements, she is nicknamed the "dance machine".[13][14] In this regard, Momo has been described before as being Twice's best dancer.[1][4][14] In 2019 Momo received coverage for trending on Twitter after a video trailer of her was released.[1]
Personal life
On January 2, 2020, Label SJ and JYP Entertainment confirmed that Momo is currently dating Kim Hee-chul from the group Super Junior.[15]
Discography
Songwriting credits
Year | Song | Album | Artist | With | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | "Shot Thru the Heart" | Summer Nights | Twice | Sana, Mina | [16] |
2019 | "Hot" | Fancy You | Kang Eun-jeong | [17] | |
"Love Foolish" | Feel Special | Shim Eunji | [18] | ||
"21:29" | All Twice members |
Filmography
Television shows
Year | Title | Network | Role | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Sixteen | Mnet | Contestant | |
2016 | Hit the Stage | Contestant (episode 1–4) | [19] |
Event hosting
Year | Title | Partner(s) | Network | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Suwon K-pop Super Concert | Kim Hee-chul, Zhou Mi, Chaeyoung | SBS MTV | [20] |
References
- ^ a b c d Moon, Kat (September 20, 2019). "Everything to Know About K-Pop Group Twice". Time. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ "트와이스 "뽑힐 때 아무 생각이 없었다" ①". Star News (in Korean). Retrieved February 16, 2016.
- ^ "K-POPの最注目新人「TWICE」の日本人メンバーが可愛くて美しい<プロフィール>" (in Japanese). Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Momo from Twice, K-pop's biggest Japanese star – her story so far". South China Morning Post. April 21, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
- ^ a b c Jung, Chul-hwan (February 21, 2018). "3 Japanese Girls at the Top of K-Pop: Taking off to K-Pop Land". The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition). Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ a b "8 things you didn't know about TWICE birthday girl, Momo!". SBS. March 9, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ a b Jung, Chul-hwan (February 23, 2018). "3 Japanese Girls at the Top of K-Pop: The 1st of Their Kind". The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition). Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ Won, Ho-jung (April 29, 2015). "'Sixteen' compete for spot in JYP's next girl group". The Korea Herald. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ Jung, Chul-hwan (February 20, 2018). "3 Japanese Girls at the Top of K-Pop: The Story Begins". The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition). Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ Kim, Yu-jin (October 20, 2015). "TWICE unveils debut album 'The Story Begins'". The Korea Herald. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ Moon, Kat (October 9, 2019). "K-Pop Powerhouse TWICE Opens Up About How Their New Album Is More Personal Than Ever". Time. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ "2018년 올해를 빛낸 가수와 가요 - 최근 12년간 추이 포함" (in Korean). Gallup Korea. November 30, 2018.
- ^ Ko, Dong-hwan (March 4, 2019). "Momo super-fit to be a star". Korea Times. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
- ^ a b Mendez, Michele (November 28, 2019). "Who Is Momo? TWICE's "Dance Machine"s Story Is An Emotional Rollercoaster". Elite Daily. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ "슈퍼주니어 김희철♥트와이스 모모, 열애 인정 "친한 선후배에서 최근 호감"[공식입장]". Naver (in Korean). January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ "TWICE THE 2ND SPECIAL ALBUM Summer Nights TRACK LIST". TWICE JYPE. June 30, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ "TWICE THE 7TH MINI ALBUM 'FANCY YOU'". TWICE JYPE. April 11, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ "TWICE THE 8TH MINI ALBUM Feel Special Track List". TWICE JYPE. September 12, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ Choi, Na-young. "태민·효연·보라·호야·유권 등, 엠넷 '힛더스테이지' 출연[공식발표]". OSEN (in Korean). TV Report. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
- ^ "I.O.I·트와이스·여자친구 등 출격…수원 K팝 슈퍼콘서트, 걸그룹 대축제". SBS Entertainment News (in Korean). June 14, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2019.