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Lucy Jeong

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.


The series is about a group of international students who come together in a university dormitory in Seoul, with Minnie playing a character very similar to herself – a Thai student who’s a big Hallyu fan. Her name is even Minnie in the show, too. In an interview with the website Hashtag Legend, Minnie said she was able to relate to her character as she’d been a K-pop lover as a child too: “I’ve been a very big fan of all of the members of Super Junior since I was young. I wanted to be like them and I wondered how they could become such legends in the K-pop industry.”
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Blackpink’s Lisa is one of her besties

Minnie’s friendship with Blackpink’s Lisa is no secret since the pair often support each other in public. When Minnie made her acting debut, Lisa congratulated her by sending a coffee truck to the production site of So Not Worth It.

[#WeLoveFriendship~!] BLACKPINK Lisa showing her support for (G)I-DLE Minnie with a food truck 💘https://t.co/nQyV40czrp pic.twitter.com/tLPyTGQD86
— The Seoul Story (@theseoulstory) December 10, 2020

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.

📷 Lisa and Minnie were wearing a very similar butterfly necklace at the Winner concert in Seoul. #LISA #BLACKPINK @ygofficialblink pic.twitter.com/idiw8Vd0Sx
— BLACKPINK BLINK UNION 🌷 (@BLACKPINK_BBU) October 27, 2019

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.
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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

(G)I-dle’s Minnie has star quality – and superstar K-pop friends. Photo: @min.nicha/Instagram

While she doesn’t technically have royal blood, Minnie can be pretty regal. Photo: @min.nicha/Instagram

Minnie grew up in a well-off family in Thailand. Photo: @_min_nicha/Instagram

Minnie’s grandparents run a luxury hotel in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Photo: @G-I-dle • Neverland International/Facebook

Minnie with her parents in a post she titled “quality time; family time”. Photo: @min.nicha/Instagram

Minnie appears to be carrying on the family tradition of being talented at music and acting. Photo: @min.nicha/Instagram

Minnie’s uncle Nat Yontararak is a famous pianist and he also married a famous actress with royal blood. Photo: Pinnaree Yontararak

How did she learn all those languages? Minnie’s given fans tips on YouTube. Photo: @min.nicha/Instagram

Minnie with co-star Shin Hyun-seung in a scene from So Not Worth It. Photo: @sonotworthitnetflix.618/Instagram 

Fellow Thais Lalisa Manobal and Minnie have helped each other through tough times. Photo: @min.nicha/Instagram

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Son Ye-jin getting dolled up. Photo: @yejinhand/Instagram

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Son Ye-jin about to enjoy some fruit. Photo: @yejinhand/Instagram

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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



Blackpink’s Lisa and fellow Thai star Minnie have known each other since their trainee days and even wear matching necklaces – so what else do we know about the Tomboy singer?
