12 Facts About Momo Hirai

Momo Hirai known mononymously as Momo, is a Japanese singer, dancer, and rapper based in South Korea.

Momo Hirai is a member of South Korean girl group Twice under JYP Entertainment and its subunit MiSaMo.

Momo Hirai began dancing at the age of three, together with her elder sister, Hana.

In 2015, Momo Hirai participated in the South Korean reality television show Sixteen, created by JYP Entertainment and co-produced by Mnet.

Momo Hirai was initially eliminated from the show but was brought back by Park Jin-young at the end to become part of the final lineup of girl group Twice, due to her performance abilities.

In October 2015, Momo Hirai officially debuted as a member of Twice with the release of their first extended play, The Story Begins, and its lead single "Like Ooh-Ahh".

Momo Hirai revealed that she was influenced by her older sister Hana from an early age; where she began dancing with her at the age of three.

In 2022, Momo Hirai was appointed as the brand muse of Wonjungyo, a cosmetic brand supervised by Won Jung-yo, Twice's makeup artist.

In June 2023, Momo Hirai was selected as Japanese ambassador for the Italian fashion brand Miu Miu.

In Gallup Korea's annual music poll for 2018, Momo Hirai was voted the 20th most popular idol in South Korea, the second highest-ranked Japanese individual in the poll, behind Twice bandmate Sana.

Momo Hirai has been one of the most popular non-Korean K-pop stars since her debut, and The Chosun Ilbo credits her popularity with helping improve relations between South Korea and Japan.

In 2019, Momo Hirai received attention on Twitter after a video trailer of her was released for Feel Special and ranked as the tenth most popular female K-pop idol in a survey of soldiers completing mandatory military service in South Korea.