TWICE’s Sana Profile –  A Sunshine Singer and Energetic Dancer (2024 Update)

Who is Sana? 

Sana was born on December 29, 1996 with the birth name Sana Minatozaki. However, she legally changed her name to Park Sana when she reached 18. 

Sana is a member of the famous K-pop girl group TWICE, and serves as the leader and main vocalist of the group. 

Sana’s Biography

• Birth Name: Sana Minatozaki
• Stage Name: Sana (사나)
• Date of Birth: December 29, 1996
• Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
• Nationality: Japanese
• Instagram: @m.by__sana

Sana’s Basic Information

Sana was born in Tennoji-ku, Osaka, Japan. She first became interested in K-pop due to the popularity of Girls’ Generation and KARA in Japan. 

She was scouted by JYP Entertainment at age 14, and moved to South Korea to start training in 2012 alongside TWICE member Momo. 

She was set to debut in the girl group 6MIX along with Jihyo, Nayeon, and Jeongyeon, but the project was canceled, leading to her participation in “SIXTEEN”. 

Sana’s Career 

Before TWICE, Sana appeared in the music video of Got7’s “A” and Junho’s “Feel”.  

In 2015, she appeared on the survival program “SIXTEEN”and finished in 6th place, officially joining the debut line-up of TWICE. 

Sana officially debuted as a member of TWICE on October 20, 2015 with the group’s 1st mini-album “The Story Begins”. You can read more about Sana’s achievements under the profile of TWICE.

In 2023, Sana, alongside fellow Japanese members Mina and Momo, formed the sub-unit MiSaMo and released the mini album “Masterpiece”. 

Alongside her music career, Sana is also active in the fashion world with various endorsements. In particular, in 2023, she was announced as the muse for cosmetic brand Missha, the ambassador for high-end jewelry brand Graff, and the ambassador for luxury designer house Prada. 

Controversies

Back in 2019, Japan celebrates the beginning of a new era – the Reiwa era. As a Japanese person, Sana published an SNS post about this event, which included a caption in Japanese. However, this SNS post led to Sana being heavily criticized in Korea due to the anti-Japanese sentiment in the country. At the time, many people defended Sana, explaining that she simply revealed her thoughts about an important event. However, some still accused the female idol of being a Japanese “ultranationalist”.

Additional facts about Sana 

Sana is an only child. She is scared of thunder and lightning and is well known for being quite clumsy. In fact, Sana once slipped out of her seat during a baseball game, bumped her right leg into a chair during a fan meeting, among various other instances. While eating meat with Momo and Mina, she even burned herself to the point of having a scar.

Compared to fellow Japanese members of TWICE, Sana has the stronger Japanese accent, mainly because she was from Osaka. 

Sana cannot eat spicy food and is known for her optimistic and energetic personality. Before TWICE became a top girl group, Sana went viral for her “Shy Shy Shy” part in “Cheer Up” and greatly assisted the popularity of the group.