The Untold Truth of ‘AOA’ Member – Shin Ji-min
• Shin Ji-min is a singer and rapper, leader of K-pop girl group AOA, with the stage name Jimin
• Has a net worth estimated to be over $500,000
• Moved to China to study Chinese language and music at a music school
• Made debut with AOA in 2012, and group has released many successful singles since
• Currently single, and has worked on numerous solo projects and collaborations
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Who is Shin Ji-min?
Shin Ji-min was born on 8 January 1991, in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, South Korea, and is a singer as well as a rapper, best known for being the leader of the K-pop girl group AOA – she performs under the name Jimin, and is the main rapper of the group. She also participated in the inaugural season of “Unpretty Rapstar” competition, reaching the semi-finals before being eliminated.
The Net Worth of Shin Ji-min
As of early-2020, Shin Ji-min has a net worth estimated to be over $500,000, earned through a successful career in the music industry.
Apart from her work with AOA, she’s released several collaborative singles working with other popular artists, and’s embarked on numerous solo projects during her career.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Shin grew up in Seongnam and at a young age showcased a strong inclination towards the field of music. She learned to play numerous instruments over the years, including the harmonica, piano and guitar. Right around middle school, she moved to China where she studied at a Chinese language school, also developing her musical capabilities by enrolling at a music school
After moving back to her home country, she began auditioning for various entertainment companies. She was hired by Fish and Cake Entertainment – or FNC – which is a reference to the five loaves and two fish miracle. The label is home to various popular artists, including SF9, Cherry Bullet, N.Flying, and CNBLUE. She trained with the company for some years until 2012, when she made her debut, introduced as a member of the girl band called AOA; she joined seven other members, including Yuna, Hyejeong, Chanmi, Seolhyun, Choa, Mina, and Youkyung.
Success with AOA
AOA – or Ace of Angels – was one of the more unique groups of its time, as they promoted themselves both as a dance troup as well as a band. They made their debut through the music show “M!” Countdown”, and shortly afterwards released the extended play (EP) called “Angel’s Story”. The band unit comprised five members, and all of them except for Youkyung were involved with in dance too. The band unit called AOA Black released the single “MOYA” which had a bit of success, leading to an EP the following year.
The group then started making waves in Japan, signing with Universal Music Japan for all their endeavors in the country.
2014 was their breakthrough year, as they continuously released hit songs that helped establish them as one of the top girl groups – one of their most popular and most downloaded songs is “Heart Attack”. In 2016, the group then created a second unit called AOA Cream, and worked on their first studio album in 2017, leading to their first Korean headlining concert.
Some of their biggest hits to date include “Bingle Bangle”, “Give Me the Love”, “Like a Cat”, and “Miniskirt”. The group now consists of just five members, with Youkyung being the first member to leave in 2016. Choa left in 2017, and Mina in 2019.
Solo Activities
While working with AOA, Ji-min had other projects. One of her earliest solo endeavors was in 2015 when she became a contestant in the show “Unpretty Rapstar”, a spin-off from the popular rap competition “Show Me the Money”.
The show features numerous female rappers going through a single-elimination competition, with their performances deciding whether they should stay or go. The show lead to the collaboration of several artists, with Ji-min working on the singles “Good Start” with Seulong, and “Puss” with Iron.
She also became a cast member of the show “Off to School” – the premise of the show is for celebrities to attend a high school as students for around three days. She also worked on the FNC Entertainment N Project releasing the collaborative single “God” alongside J.Don.
La real è una cosina preziosa e va protetta. pic.twitter.com/5RUpj8nqOO
— Shin {Lee} Jimin (@_Jiminbaby_18) January 26, 2018
In 2016, she made her debut as a solo act releasing “Call You Bae”, which saw her work alongside Xiumin from Exo. She also released the dance track “Hallelujah” in collaboration with W Korea. One of her latest projects as a solo artist is the song called “If You Were Me”, which was for the theme song of the show “A Korean Odyssey”.
Personal Life
Jimin is single, and like many other artists, she does not disclose any information about any romantic relationships; this is due to entertainment companies being strict about what their talents reveal publicly, as any wrong information could affect their public image significantly.
In recent years, fans grew worried about her health condition. She posted photos revealing how she had lost a significant amount of weight, and was looking malnourished. This caused concern for a lot of her fans though FNC iterated that she didn’t have any health problems. She even works out regularly. Her weight later normalized as seen in her recent photos.
