Hanni

Who Hanni is

Hanni is a member of NewJeans. On 16 February 2023 SBS’s Korean-language program introduced her as “a Vietnamese Australian member from Melbourne, Victoria”. The Vietnamese outlet VnExpress reported on 4 August 2022 that before her debut she had been part of Aemina Dance Crew, a Melbourne team that covers K-pop choreography, and that after passing the 2019 global audition ‘Plus Global Audition’ she was picked for the group and spent two and a half years as a trainee. The same article noted that she speaks Vietnamese, English and Korean. In July 2021, while still a trainee, she appeared in the music video for BTS’s ‘Permission to Dance’.

The lyrics of ‘Hype Boy’ and ‘OMG’

‘Hype Boy’, a track on the debut album New Jeans, lists Hanni among its lyricists. Newsis pointed this out on 23 July 2022, the day after the debut. She also co-wrote the lyrics of ‘OMG’, the title track of the single OMG released on 2 January the following year, and Xportsnews described the song as one that had already been conceived while the debut album was being made.

‘Aoi Sangoshō’ at Tokyo Dome

The Kookmin Ilbo reported on 4 July 2024 that at the Tokyo Dome fan meeting on 26–27 June, Hanni sang ‘Aoi Sangoshō’ (青い珊瑚礁, ‘Blue Coral Reef’), released by Seiko Matsuda in 1980. According to the same article, after the show the record carrying the original sold in shops in Tokyo, and the song climbed the international chart of a Korean music platform. On 6 July she sang it again on Nippon TV’s live broadcast THE MUSIC DAY. The Japanese music outlet THE FIRST TIMES wrote that her ‘Aoi Sangoshō’ drew enough of a response to reach number one on a Korean karaoke chart (22 August 2024).

Hosting an awards show, and the brands

On 16 November 2024 Hanni hosted Artist Day, the first day of the inaugural Korea Grand Music Awards (KGMA) at Inspire Arena in Incheon, together with the actor Nam Ji-hyun. The KGMA organising committee had announced the pairing on 28 August (MK Sports, Ilgan Sports).

Gucci announced on 28 October 2022 that it had named Hanni a brand ambassador, and gave its reason: “Hanni’s firm philosophy on style draws attention to the pop culture woven through our everyday lives, and resembles Gucci’s vision of embracing diversity and valuing self-expression” (Seoul Shinmun). She went on to appear in the global advertising campaign for the brand’s flagship ‘Gucci Horsebit 1955’, and on 29 March 2024 she was also named global ambassador for Gucci’s beauty division (Newsis, Hankyung). She attended the Gucci Cruise 2024 show at Geunjeongjeon in Gyeongbokgung Palace on 16 May 2023 (Aju Business Daily) and Gucci’s Fall-Winter 2024 women’s show in Milan in February 2024 (Hankyung).

On 9 February 2023 she became a global ambassador for Giorgio Armani Beauty. Newsis wrote that she was the first K-pop artist in the role, and Hanni said: “Since debuting I’ve become even more interested in make-up. As a beauty ambassador I think I’ll be able to experience and learn much more about make-up, so I’m really looking forward to it.” In ‘D Edition’, the digital cover project Elle revealed on 4 August that year, she took the cover on her own and said she “had wanted to try a chic concept” (Xportsnews).

The photo on this page was taken at the Gucci Cultural Month photocall on 22 October 2024.