Biography of Mino

Song Min-ho is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, music producer, artist and actor popularly known by the stage name Mino. Initially, for two years he was in the ballad group ‘BoM’ from 2011 to 2013. Later, he joined YG Entertainment and made his first debut in 2014 with the boy band winner, which was formed through the Mnet survival program ‘WIN: Who Is Next’. He is also part of the hip hop duo ‘MOBB’ along with label-mate Bobby, which was formed in September 2016.

Mino, as a solo artist, gained recognition through the rap-survival program ‘Show Me the Money 4′ and ended up as the series’ runner-up. He was recognised as the best selling artist in the show’s history with his single ‘Fear’ from the album ‘2016 Winner Exit Tour in Seoul Live CD’.

He made his official debut with the studio album ‘XX’ by YG Entertainment. The album consists of twelve tracks including the hit lead single ‘Fiancé’. The lead single became his first top hit in South Korea and was ranked number one on Gaon’s digital chart for the month of December.

The Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) certified platinum certificate for the single, and around 2.5 million digital copies were sold. Mino is a series regular in tvN variety programs titled ‘New Journey to the West’ and ‘Kang’s Kitchen’. Mino has also appeared as a judge for the ‘Sing Again’ variety show.

Early Life

Mino was born on 30 March 1993 in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. He has a sister named Song Dan-ah, who was a former member of the defunct girl group, ‘New F.O’. He has a cousin named Song Gun-hee, a rapper who was under Starship Entertainment known by her stage name #Gun. He graduated from Halin Multi Art School in 2011.

Career

During the primary days of his music career, Mino was an active participant performing under the name Mino or Hugeboy for the Korean underground rap scenes. He performed with underground rappers-turned-idols like Block B’s Zico, P.O and Phantom’s Hanhae. Before getting his line up for the boy band Block B, Mino was auditioned and trained under Stardom Entertainment for several years. As he was not of legal age at the time, he had to leave to pursue his career elsewhere.

Before making his debut on 27 July 2011 under the stage name Tagoon in the ballad boy band ‘BoM’, he joined and trained under Y2Y Contents Company for nearly two years. ‘BoM’ disbanded within two years of their debut in March 2013.

In 2013, after discovering Mino’s talent through the Channel A cable drama ‘The Strongest K-POP Survival’ , YG Entertainment reached out and Mino had a successful audition. He was accepted by the agency and joined as a trainee. He appeared in the Mnet survival program ‘WIN: Who Is Next’ as a contestant under Team A. During the final episode of the survival program, the winners of the show were Team A and they made their debut under the name ‘Winner’.

On 17 August 2014, ‘Winner’ officially made their debut with the studio album ‘2014 S/S’ and the double A-side singles, ‘Empty’ and ‘Colour Ring’. The album contained ten tracks with Mino’s first solo release titled ‘I’m Him’ and it was ranked number 15 on the Gaon Digital Chart. The single ‘Empty’ topped all the South Korean charts and it earned the title Monster Rookies. Their instant success earned them multiple awards, like ‘Top 10 Artist Award’ at the ‘Melon Music Awards’ and ‘Most Popular Korean Group’ at the ‘Tudou Young Choice Awards’.

Mino was featured in the labelmate senior Epik High’s lead single ‘Born Hater’ from the album ‘Shoebox’ in 2014. The single topped number 3 on the Gaon Digital Chart and sold over 1.5 million digital copies. The song was performed for the first time at the 2014 ‘Mnet Asian Music Awards’. In 2014, December Mino co-hosted the 2014 SBS Gayo Daejeon alongside Song Ji-hyo (South Korean actress) and singers like 2PM’s Nichkhun, CNBLUE’S Yonghwa, Infinite’s L and B1A4’s Baro.

Mino appeared in the Mnet rap survival program Show Me the Money 4 in April 2015 as a member of Team Zipal competing under Zico and Paloalto. Mino’s numerous singles credits include ‘Fear’, ‘Turtle Ship’, ‘Moneyflow’ and ‘Okey Dokey’. The single ‘Fear’ became a megahit and was the best-selling single ever in any Show Me the Money series. The single ‘Fear’ earned Mino the ‘Discovery of the Year Award’ at the ‘Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards’.

Mino, along with labemate Bobby of Ikon, was formed as the project sub-unit MOBB in 2016. Together they released a four-track single album titled ‘The Mobb’ along with double A-side singles ‘Full House’ and ‘Hit Me’. His singles were a great success and earned them the ‘Best Hip-Hop/Rap Artist’ at the ‘Seoul Music Awards’. He released the digital single ‘Body’ and it ranked number 13 on the Gaon Digital Chart and topped number 4 on the Billboard World Digital Songs Chart. He was part of the cast members of the show’s Hip hop & History Special of the variety program Infinite Challenge.

Mino collaborated with the comedian Haha to create a single that amalgamates the genre hip hop and the history of South Korea. The collaborative single was titled ‘Shoot’, which ranked number 3 on the Gaon Digital chart. In January 2017 he joined New Journey to the West , the tvN variety program from season 2.5 onwards. On 5 December 2017, Mino appeared in Kang’s Kitchen, the tvN cooking variety program.

‘Winner’ released their second studio album titled ‘Everyday’ on 4 April 2018. He released his solo B-side single ‘Turn Off the Light’, which ranked number 74 on the Gaon Digital Chart. He featured and co-wrote the sub-title track ‘Where R U From’, the studio album ‘The Great Seungri’.

On 26 November 2018, Mino made his official solo debut with the lead single ‘Fiancé ‘ from his first album ‘XX’. The single was a mega-hit with high audience reception and topped several charts. Mino earned several awards and many nominations including ‘Song of the Year’ at the ‘Gaon Disc Awards’.

Through Mnet’s M Countdown Mino achieved his first solo win in a music show. He released his second solo album ‘Take on’ 30 October 2020 with the lead single ‘Run Away’ and it topped number 55 on the Gaon Digital Chart. It contains Mino’s self composed first track titled ‘Love and a Boy’.

On 16 July 2021, Mino along with AOMG producer Gray officially announced they would be judges and producers for the tenth season of the Show Me the Money, the popular hip-hop survival show. He initially was a contestant but later became a producer in the tenth season. Gray and Mino’s team was named Team Graynoma and the song credits include ‘Breathe’, ‘Limousine’, ‘Mudd The Student’s Dissonance’. He held his first solo concert titled ‘Maniac’ on 19 November 2021. He shared the stage with Bobby (Ikon) and Kang Seungyoon (Winner).

He released his third studio album ‘To Infinity’ and its lead single ‘Tang!’ on 7 December 2021. The album surpassed the other hits and topped the iTunes Album charts in 14 countries. Artists like ILLBOI, GAEKO, Bobby, Sogumm and Sunwoojunga were all a part of the album. He attended the Start Art Fair Seoul 2022 on 21 July 2022, at the Seoul Lightium, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. His big screen debut was through the Netflix film ‘Seoul Vibe’.

Achievements

• He won the Best Producer award at the 2020 Asian Pop Music awards.
• He achieved the Best Male Artist and (2022) and Top 20 Albums of the year at the 2022 Asian Pop Music Awards.
• He won the Discovery of the Year (Hip Hop) at the 2016 Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards.
• At the 2019 Golden Disc Awards, he won the Best Hip-Hop Award.
• He won the 2020 Issue Trend Award at the Korea Fashion Awards.
• At the 2022 Korea Youth Hope Award he won the Most Influential Young Korean-Cultural Category.
• At the 2018 Soripada Best K-Music Awards, he won the New Hallyu Hip Hop Artist.

He has endorsed multiple brands both domestically and internationally. He along with Block B’s Zico were selected as the models for the South Korean mobile game ‘Penta Storm: The Strike Of Kings’ on 15 March 2017. He, along with Block B’s P.O, were chosen as the advertising models for the ‘Lotte Chilsung’, the largest beverage manufacturers in South Korea.

The German personal care brand ‘Nivea’ collaborated with Mino on the limited edition of their lip balms. His other endorsements include ‘d’Alba’ (the premium vegan brand), Scotch Whiskey brand ‘Glenfiddich’, Italian suit brand ‘Kitson’, Danish brand ‘Bang & Olufsen’ etc. He was the first Korean artist to walk down the runaway of ‘Louis Vuitton’s’ Spring 2020 menswear show held in Paris, France on 20 June 2019. He was the first-ever ambassador for ‘SONGZIO’ since its creation in 1993.

Military Service

Personal Life

Net Worth and Lifestyle

Awards

• Asian Pop Music Awards 2022
  Best Male Artist (2022)
  Top 20 Albums of the year (To Infinity) (2022)
• Korea Fashion Awards 2022
  Korea Youth Hope Award (2022)
  Most Influential Young Korean – Cultural Category (2022)
• Global Eye Awards 2021
  Visual Culture Global Eye Award (2021)
• Asian Pop Music awards 2020
  Best Producer (2020)
• Korea Fashion Awards 2020
  Issue Trend Award (2020)
• Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards 2019
  Golden Disc Awards (2019)
  Best Hip-Hop Award (2019)
• Soribada Best K-Music Awards 2018
  New Hallyu Hip Hop Artist (2018)
• Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards 2016
  Discovery of the Year (Hip Hop 2016)

Interesting Facts about Mino

1. Mino’s younger sister is Danah from the girl group New F.O.
2. He owns a Munchkin cat, named Johnny.
3. Mino and Block B‘s P.O are childhood friends.
4. He used to be a member of B.o.M.
5. His all-time favourite movie is Fight Club.
6. His nicknames are Song Mojiri and SWAG.

FAQs

1. How old is Mino?
   As of 2023, he is 30 years old.
2. When is Mino’s birthday?
   He celebrates his birthday on 30 March.
3. Is Mino dating anyone?
   He is focused on his career and is single.
4. What is Mino’s Instagram ID?
   ‘realllllmino’ is his Instagram ID with 6.2 million followers.