[★TIME WARP] ‘Charisma’ MINO→Song Garak in ‘New Journey to the West’… ‘WINNER’ MINO’s Rise from Bottom to the Top
[엑스포츠뉴스=이덕행 기자] WINNER became a top-class idol group after surviving a fierce audition program. MINO is WINNER’s ex-leader and mood maker who has committed himself in putting the team in its current place. He proved his potential as a rapper through Mnet ‘Show Me The Money’, while establishing the new character ‘Song Mojiri’ through variety programs such as tvN’s ‘New Journey to the West’. Let’s take a glimpse of MINO’s history.
Before making debut as WINNER, MINO was preparing to make debut as a member of Block B. However, he could not make it due to various circumstances, leading him to move into YG Entertainment to start preparing to make debut again.
While preparing for debut, MINO followed the path of group BIGBANG and made debut through the reality program ‘WIN : Who is Next?’ on August 2013. He received positive reviews as team A along with members including YOON, HOONY, JINU, and NAM TAEHYUN, while presenting songs written by himself.
After a year of preparation, MINO and WINNER finally made debut with the song ‘EMPTY’. The group established a large fandom and was acknowledged by the public despite being a rookie group, while setting milestones in the K-Pop scene.
MINO was also acknowledged as a rapper by making appearance on Mnet’s ‘Show Me The Money 4’. The fact that iKON’s BOBBY, who he competed with to make debut, topped the show in the previous season pressured MINO. Some of the participants exclaimed the slogan, ‘MINO is the winner anyway’, pressuring him even more. However, MINO proved his talent and eventually won 2nd place.
Songs released back then including ‘Turtle Ship’, ‘Fear’, and ‘Okey Dokey’ are still being listened to by many fans through their playlists. The phrase, “Father tell me the answer if you’re watching me” from the song ‘Fear’ is still being utilized in various TV programs, and MINO overcame the modifier ‘idol rapper’, that underestimated his talent. He is still active in the Hip-Hop scene by participating in Ja Mezz’s official album as a featuring artist, with his connection established during the show.
After establishing himself as a real rapper through ‘Show Me The Money’, MINO started being active in variety programs. MINO shocked the viewers by presenting a different side of himself after becoming a cast of tvN’s ‘New Journey to the West Season 3’ along with Kyuhyun. He eventually built the character known as ‘Song Mojiri’ through the program, as he appeared to be imbecile even during the preliminary meetings.
In Season 4, MINO played a crucial role in collecting Dragon Balls. He also earned the new nickname ‘Song Garak’ with his accurate aim on the targets set by the production crew after an elephant spin game. After collecting all Dragon Balls, MINO’s wish of shooting ‘Youth Over Flowers’ with members of WINNER was granted.
MINO did not forget his job as a musician while he actively participated in variety programs. After setting milestones with the song ‘REALLY REALLY’ back in 2017, MINO and WINNER released their official album this year on April and proved their strong influence on music charts with the song ‘EVERYDAY’, becoming the front runners of K-Pop.
MINO is currently back on ‘New Journey to the West’, presenting his honest and candid aspects to the viewers. Also, YG’s representative producer YANG HYUN SUK has recently announced MINO’s solo album. After starting from the intense bottom, MINO finally made it to the top. Let’s support MINO’s future path, in both music and variety programs!
2018. 10. 21.
