Chanmina, born Mina Otomonai on October 14, 1998, is a South Korean-Japanese rapper and pop musician. She was born in South Korea to a Japanese father and a South Korean mother, a professional ballerina, and lived in South Korea until she was three years old. Growing up, she traveled frequently between South Korea, Japan, and the United States. Influenced by her mother's artistic background, Chanmina learned ballet, piano, and violin from a young age. Chanmina's music journey began as a rapper inspired by the Korean band Big Bang's song "Day by Day." She gained early fame in 2016 through a Japanese high school rap competition and independently released her debut single "Miseinen," which topped iTunes Japan's hip-hop charts. She debuted majorly in 2017 with the single "Fxxker" and her album "Miseinen." Over the years, Chanmina has released multiple albums and extended plays blending hip-hop and J-pop, often addressing social issues such as conformity and racism in her lyrics. Notably, her song "I'm a Pop" was featured in the Netflix film Kate, gaining international recognition. Fluent in Japanese, Korean, and English, Chanmina continues to expand her career across Japan and Korea, recently founding her own label and forming a girl group named Hana. She is recognized for her unique style and strong presence in Japanese hip-hop.
