The Dazzling MINIMANI

I talked to this lovely new girl group about their debut single, their backstory, and their unique role in the world of K-trot.

Photo courtesy of CMG Stars

For those who have never heard of MINIMANI, please introduce yourselves and summarize who MINIMANI is. How do you finish the sentence “MINIMANI is ___”? 
“MINI” means “small and tiny” (the members of MINIMANI are not tall). “MANI” means “many” success[es] in the future. It [means] “small but strong.” MINIMANI is the only retro-style female vocal trio in Korea.

What special charms does each individual member add to MINIMANI?
Soohyun has good talents for playing and dancing on variety shows. SongE is the main vocalist. Rin has a nice physical shape and good voice.

How did MINIMANI get started? Have each of you always dreamed of being in a band, or were you pursuing different careers before this?
[The company] CMG Stars started to plan to make a girl group in 2019 and casted Soohyun first. In 2020, the company held an official audition, in which SongE and Rin were picked up from [a group of] competitive trainees. SongE and Rin were trying to become musical actresses before this.

What has it been like to debut during a pandemic? Have you found ways to have fun despite not being able to perform in front of an audience?
We never expected a pandemic to continue for a long time like this. We are performing non-contact concerts, such as “K-Stage,” through YouTube, and [we] communicate with fans via video calls after the concerts. Further, [the idol-fan communication website and app] Stari is providing opportunities for fans to contact MINIMANI. We have a YouTube channel as well, where we upload video footage every Wednesday.
 
What makes MINIMANI different from other trot groups?
Among other trot groups, MINIMANI is pretty much like a K-pop idol girl group with K-pop-style, powerful dances. On the other hand, MINIMANI is a [vocal-focused] girl group, which is different from other idol [dance-focused] groups. 

Do you plan to explore different genres in the future, or will you stick to releasing trot music?
We are preparing to [release] a ballad song. We are not only a trot group, but we also want to be considered a vocal group with retro music. 

What is your new song “STOP” about?
“STOP” means “Stop violence!”  This song has good messages for our society.

Do you have any “TMI” stories from making the “STOP” music video or from recording the song?
At the time of recording, we were so excited but recognized that this song is so hard to sing in 
detail well. We practiced over and over again. When we made the music video, Rin cried at the
[beginning], because the director pushed her hard to perform better, and Rin was so nervous.

What are your signature colors and fandom name? 
The signature color of MINIMANI is pastel pink. The fandom name is “MANIA.” 

What is next for MINIMANI? Are there any hints at future projects that you can give?
We have plans to make a second album, [and it will] probably [be released] in October 2021. This song will also have good messages for our global society.

What are your short-term and long-term goals for MINIMANI?
[Our] short-term goals are to become more popular and enter Korean music charts. [Our] long-term goals are to make many people happy with our music and to be remembered as a talented group for a long time.

Click the links below to follow MINIMANI on social media!

YouTube

TikTok
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Fan Cafe

Group Instagram 

Soohyun’s Instagram

SongE’s Instagram

Rin’s Instagram

Answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.