What to know about (G)I-dle’s Minnie: the Thai-born K-pop idol is best friends with Blackpink’s Lisa, starred in Netflix’s So Not Worth It and has links to the Thai royal family
Although the K in K-pop stands for “Korean”, K-pop idols actually hail from all over the world. One such star is Thai-born idol Minnie, who rocked the recent hit song Tomboy as (G)I-dle’s main vocalist.
From being besties with Blackpink’s Lisa to being multilingual and even having a royal link in Thailand, there’s lots to learn about this multifaceted star.
She comes from an affluent background
Nicha Yontararak – better known by her stage name Minnie – originally hails from Thailand, and as the lines she sings in the song My Bag imply, she was “born rich, not interested in money”. It’s true that her family is certainly well-off, making their money from hospitality and banking.
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Her grandparents run a resort in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. In an appearance on V Live in May 2020, she said she hoped she could bring her fellow (G)I-dle members to the beautiful spot and perhaps even shoot a reality show there, adding that it has a dreamy surrounding landscape with a waterfall, river and mountain.
Meanwhile, her father previously worked in a senior role at Siam Commercial Bank and now serves as president of the Bangkok YMCA, according to Mnet’s TMI News.
The royal link
Minnie is sometimes called “Princess Yontararak” by her fans, but it turns out that she does have a royal link within the family. Her aunt, Pawongduen “Sugar” Yontararak, was a popular Thai actress in the 1970s, and also happens to be the great granddaughter of the last king of Lanna, a northern kingdom of Thailand.
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She married Minnie’s uncle Nat Yontararak, a famous Thai pianist and composer. As Minnie also writes songs for the group, musical talent clearly runs in the family.
She speaks five languages
Knowing a second language is already pretty impressive, but Minnie speaks five: Thai, Korean, English, Japanese and Mandarin. On episode 53 of TMI News in 2020, Minnie even introduced herself in the five languages she was fluent in.
She makes use of her linguistic skills to connect with her global fans. When her group was awarded the Best of Next Award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards 2018, she gave her acceptance speech in English.
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Minnie often surprises and delights her fans with her grasp of Korean too, which appears to be totally fluent. For international K-pop fans hoping to learn Korean, she’s even compiled her own language learning tips into a YouTube video, explaining how note-taking, practising and reviewing previously learned vocabulary has been the key to her success.
She’s acted in a Netflix show
Not just limiting herself to music, Minnie has also tried her hand at acting. She made her on screen debut last year in Netflix’s Korean sitcom So Not Worth It.
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Blackpink’s Lisa is one of her besties
Fans have also been given an insight into their friendship via social media, where the pair shared that they have spent Christmases and birthdays together. In October 2019, they were photographed wearing matching butterfly friendship necklaces as they headed to Winner’s concert together.
Minnie has said previously that Lisa was there for her during her gruelling trainee days, encouraging her by saying “Just try your best and everything will turn out all right!” according to Kbizoom.
- Minnie’s uncle is famous pianist Nat Yontararak while her aunt Pawongduen ‘Sugar’ Yontararak is related to the last king of Lanna in northern Thailand
- The Tomboy singer also played a K-pop-obsessed student in Netflix’s So Not Worth It – just like real life since she’s been a Super Junior fan since childhood