Early Life and Family Background 👪
Momo was born on November 9, 1996 in Kyōtanabe, Kyoto, Japan. Her full name is Hirai Momo. She has one older sister.
Momo’s family owns a dance studio called the Step Out Dance Studio, where Momo practiced dancing from a young age. She started taking jazz dance and ballet lessons when she was 3 years old. Her parents were very supportive of her dream to become a performer.
Becoming a JYP Trainee 💃
In 2012, at the age of 15, Momo joined JYP Entertainment as a trainee. She was talented in dance but needed to improve her singing skills. She trained for 2 years before making her debut with Twice.
Momo almost didn’t make it into Twice because she was struggling with the monthly evaluations. She considered giving up, but fellow JYP trainee Sana encouraged her to keep pushing. This motivated Momo to train even harder.
Debut with Twice 🎤
Momo made her debut in 2015 as a member of JYP’s new girl group Twice. The group quickly rose to fame with their hit songs “Like Ooh-Ahh” and “Cheer Up”.
Momo stood out for her powerful dancing skills. She is considered one of the best dancers in Twice. While she struggled with singing at first, Momo improved steadily over the years.
Dancing Queen 💃
Momo is undoubtedly one of the top dancers in K-pop today. She has executed difficult choreography flawlessly and adds her own flavor.
Momo’s specialty dance styles include Urban Dance, Hip Hop, Waacking, Krump, and more. She can groove to any music genre.
Fans love Momo’s smooth and feminine dance moves contrasted with her powerful energy. Her facial expressions are also top-notch. Momo’s dancing continues to improve with every comeback.
Variety Show Appearances 📺
While Momo is a bit shy and introverted, she has shown her fun personality through variety show appearances.
She made regular appearances on the show “Weekly Idol” where she competed in random dance battles. Fans got glimpses of her silly side too.
Momo also appeared on “Hit the Stage” and “Idol Room” where her dancing charisma was on full display. She continues to surprise fans with new talents like video editing.
Close Bonds with Members 👭
Momo shares a very close friendship with the other Twice members. Her closest friend since trainee days is Sana. Fans love their intimate interactions and dubbed them “SaMo”.
Momo is also very close to Mina, who has a similar reserved personality. She confessed Mina helped her through difficult times.
Despite some personality differences, Momo gets along well with all the Twice members. They share a strong bond after training and debuting together.
Passion for Food 🍟
A fun fact about Momo is her enormous appetite! She is well known for loving to eat and enjoying all kinds of foods.
Momo has admitted to following her stomach over her brain sometimes. She loves dining out and trying different cuisines.
While Momo can put away a lot of food, she balances it out with intensive dance practices. Fans find her foodie tendencies charming!
Future Goals 🎯
Momo has accomplished a lot already at a young age. In the future, she hopes to continue improving as a dancer and performer.
She has mentioned wanting to become a dance teacher and open her own studio one day. Momo plans to share her skills with aspiring dancers.
For now, Momo is focused on promoting with Twice and connecting with fans. There is surely much more in store for this talented artist!