Now, when she no longer with 2NE1, Minzy decided to open other paths as she debuted as a soloist and even opened up her own agency! In 2022, Minzy reunited with 2NE1 members on a Coachella stage. So, are you curious to know her full profile and what she’s up to? Check out this article to find out all about it!
Full Profile of Minzy
Stage Name: Minzy Birth Name: Gong Min-ji (공민지) Birth Date: January 18, 1994 Nationality: Korean Zodiac Sign: Capricorn Height: 162 cm (5 ft 3¾) Weight: 49 kg (108 lbs) Blood Type: O Twitter: @mingkki21 Instagram: @_minzy_mz
Minzy’s Trivia
Seoul is her birthplace but Gwangju is her hometown (she moved when she was a child) The name Gong came from the surname of his mother before marriage and his father’s surname is Lee She is the grandson of a famous traditional dancer, Gong Ok-jin She once dreamed to become a photographer She is a Gundam collector She likes Black Eyed Peas, especially Fergie She doesn’t like horror movies She liked all musical genres, but Reggaeton was the one she liked the most Purple is her favorite color She experienced mental health problems when she was 16 or 17 years old (at that time she felt stress in her debut with 2NE1) Among all 2NE1’s members, she is the closest to Park Bom She is proficient in several languages such as Korean, English, Japanese, and Mandarin Her fan club name is ‘POS’ which means ‘light’ in Greek Her ideal man is one who is older than her Throughout her career, she has released 3 singles, such as “Please Don’t Go”, “Ninano” and “All of You Say” She likes puppies but is afraid of big dogs She owns a pet dog named Dougie Her favorite international artists are Michael Jackson and Usher She was nicknamed ‘Ero Minzy’ because of her provocative dance performance She was also nicknamed ’42’ because of her mature personality. She likes watching anime like Naruto, Cowboy Bebop, Slam Dunk, and One Piece At the age of 15, he collaborated with Big Bang and G-Dragon At the age of 19, she bought a house for her parents “Countryside Girl” is what G-Dragon calls her Prior to her debut, she won several dance awards at various dance competitions After someone uploaded a dance audition clip of her on the internet, she was approached by YG Entertainment It was also revealed that she had passed the audition for SM Entertainment before and could have become a member of f(x) She became a trainee at YG Entertainment since she was in 6th grade Her training period is 5 years On July 16, 2009, it was revealed that she dropped out of school and focused on her music career with 2NE1 She entered Baekseok University’s Theology Department in 14th grade through the GED and even received a scholarship She graduated from Baekseok University on August 17, 2018 She was the cast of KBS2’s Sister’s Slam Dunk Season 2 Cartoonist Young-soon-yang is a fan of her and he even drew her in episode 48 of the Naver webtoon Plutarch Hero She went to the same dance school (Millyohrae Joy Dance Academy & Plug-in Music Academy) with Goo Hara, Big Bang’s Seungri, and DBSK‘s Yunho It is said that she opened a dance academy in October 2015 and strives to mentor younger students She is friends with several other idols, such as f(x)’s Amber and Luna; Girls Generation‘s Yoona, Tiffany, Sooyoung, and Hyoyeon; Super Junior‘s Siwon; IU; and Jeon Somi She can knit Her hobbies are listening to music and writing lyrics She suffered from rhinitis because of her crooked nose, but she admitted that she had corrective plastic surgery to correct her nose She is a Christian On April 6, 2016, she left 2NE1 after debuting with the group since 2009 She terminated her contract with Music Works in early 2020 and then opened up her own agency, MZ Entertainment
Minzy’s Official Debut and Career with 2NE1
Minzy is strongly known for her dancing ability. Her dancing ability has existed ever since she was a child. She often won dance competitions prior to her debut and she even studied at the special dance school Millyohrae Joy Dance Academy & Plug in Music Academy. The beginning of her career began with YG Entertainment when she was still in 6th grade after the video of her dancing became viral and was seen by YG Entertainment. After 5 years of training with YG Entertainment, she then debuted as a member of 2NE1 with 4 other members: CL, Sandara Park, and Park Bom. 2NE1 is initially a girl group that YG Entertainment has planned to become the female version of Big Bang. And true to that, they became one of the biggest girl groups in K-pop history. Minzy made her debut with 2NE1 at the age of 15 on May 6, 2009, through a successful single titled “Fire”. Within 24 hours, both videos were successfully watched more than 1 million times.
The group caught attention for their quirky style and strong beat. Minzy herself was known for her iconic straight hair and short bangs.
After a successful debut, the group continued to release their second single, “I Don’t Care” on July 1, 2019. The single was included in their first mini-album titled 2NE1 which was released on July 8, 2009. In the song “I Don’t Care”, 2NE1 used a more feminine and gentle concept, different from their first single. The song then topped the charts in South Korea and became the most downloaded song that month.
Through the release of “Fire” and “I Don’t Care” that year, 2NE1 won the best new girl group at various Korean award events such as the Asia Song Festival and the Mnet Asian Music Awards. Since then 2NE1 has continued to release several singles in the near future and won various music shows.
The year 2010-2011 then become the peak year of 2NE1‘s career. The group released the full album To Anyone in 2010. Their flagship songs such as “Clap Your Hand”, “Go Away” and “Can’t Nobody” have become very popular both domestically and abroad. Thanks to this success, they won the Artist of the Year and Album of the Year at the Mnet Asian Music Awards.
Entering the year 2011, 2NE1′s name became increasingly popular with the release of the single “I’m the Best”. The song has topped the South Korean charts and won various music shows. 2NE1 itself also managed to hold a concert for three consecutive days in South Korea. The video clip itself has won more than 150 million views on YouTube. This song was one of the most legendary K-pop songs in history.
The group then came back with a single titled “I Love U”, which was officially released on July 5, 2012. After the promotion of the song, they then held their first world tour titled New Evolution World Tour which started in Seoul on July 28, 2012. The group then released a few other hit songs in 2013 such as “Do You Love Me” and “Missing You”.
In 2014, 2NE1 finally released their second studio album, Crush, which was officially released on February 27, 2014, with the single “Come Back Home” and “Happy”.
At the end of 2014, 2NE1 decided to go on hiatus because one of its members, Park Bom, was suspected of being hit by a drug case. Since then, the other members chose to go solo. CL with her international career, Dara with her acting, and Minzy opened a dance school. A year of hiatus made many fans worried about 2NE1‘s future.
Finally, fans were given a new hope when 2NE1 appeared in the 2015 Mnet Music Asian Awards’ performance. They perform their iconic song “Fire” and “I’m The Best”. Many fans are happy because this is a sign that 2NE1 will be back soon. Sadly, it did not happen because, in 2016, YG Entertainment announced that Minzy would not continue to renew the contract with 2NE1. Minzy opted out and looked for another agency to become a solo singer. Thus, she became the first member to depart from 2NE1. Not long after her departure, YG Entertainment confirmed that 2NE1 officially disbanded on November 25, 2016. Only CL and Dara decided to extend their contract with YG Entertainment, while Park Bom left YG Entertainment.
2NE1 then released its last single titled “Goodbye” on January 5, 2017. The lyrics, written by CL, were supposed to be a letter to Minzy. Although the group has disbanded, the bond and friendship between them are still strong up to this day.
Minzy’s Departure from 2NE1
Minzy became the first member of 2NE1 who left the group after her contract expires on May 5, 2016. YG Entertainment said in their official statement, “ Having to say goodbye to a colleague who has been with us since she was a trainee for 11 years is really difficult. However, we fully understand and respect Gong Minzy’s position as the group had to suddenly halt promotions two years ago. Thus, it is true that we feel more sorry rather than feeling unsatisfied.” Minzy also shared a handwritten letter to fans following her departure announcement. In her letter, she thanked the fans who stayed with her and apologize for her decision. At first, fans were only speculating about the mistreatment of YG Entertainment to Minzy and 2NE1 pushed Minzy to took a departure. It was only 4 years later in 2020 when Minzy stood face-to-face with Sandara Park on the broadcast of MBC’s Video Star that the truth comes to light. It is with a sincere heart that I write to you all. First, I would like to apologize to all those who expressed shock at the news of my departure.� It is after careful consideration and much deliberation that I have decided to pursue a new journey as an artist named Minzy Kong. Ever since debuting with 2NE1 at the young age of 16, I have been grateful for the wonderful memories I shared with incredible fans worldwide. These experiences were undeniably precious and I take none of them for granted. Thank you all for helping me grow as an artist. I promise to work even harder to return before you all with an improved and more honest version of myself. Through a renewed vision and hard work, I hope to reciprocate the love, dedication, and support that you have shown me.� Thank you to all the fans, family, and friends who have shown me their love and concern. I promise to return soon. love, Minzy”
Minzy shared that she often got hate comments that made her wanted to leave. “People always said I was ugly, so it was one of the comments that hurt me. Some would even say things like, ‘how are you a singer? Look at that face,’ and I would answer silently, ‘why can’t I?’ I thought that you just had to have a beautiful voice to be a singer. Those comments have gotten the best of me. I would often stare at the mirror and ask myself, ‘am I really that ugly?’ I was sensitive back then, maybe because I was young too.”, she said. After that, Minzy also explained the reason behind her departure. “I had to leave; we were on hiatus for such a long time. If I’d be honest, we had only released two full albums during the entire time I was with 2NE1.”, she said. She went on, ” The long break took a toll on me. I always felt bad. Later on, I developed anxiety and depression. It’s like I was drowning, and I had to save myself, that’s why I needed to leave. But after I left, it only got worse. People started to call me a traitor. Rumors and false reports started showing up, and I didn’t know how to handle everything. I decided to stop going online and reading newspapers, and I just stopped reading the comments altogether. I was only 22 then, but I was already devastated.” Minzy then said honestly to Sandara, “When I was still with the group, I’d always look up to Dara. As a groupmate and friend, I saw how she tackled everyday problems and took on new challenges without being affected. I admired her since then.” in which Sandara responded with crying. “You gave me a lot of strength, especially during 2NE1’s hiatus,” Minzy went on. Sandara, who just heard all about it now, responded to Minzy tearfully. ” I feel like I couldn’t protect you and take good care of our youngest member. I’m sorry, Minzy. I couldn’t imagine what you must’ve endured at such a young age. I’m sorry,” she said. It was such a tender and candor moment between the two ex-groupmates.
