HANA are not here to play it safe. The buzzed-about seven-member girl group — born from the breakout audition show No No Girls — made their major-label debut earlier this April with ‘ROSE’, a genre-blurring anthem of boldness, beauty, and blooming through adversity.
Since then, they've followed up their considerable momentum with hit singles such as 'Blue Jeans' and 'BAD LOVE'. We caught up with the members of HANA to talk about their journey from rejection to resilience.
From 'No' to now
Formed through the CHANMINA and BMSG-powered reality series No No Girls, HANA bring together seven fierce voices — CHIKA, NAOKO, JISOO, YURI, MOMOKA, KOHARU, and MAHINA — from diverse cultural backgrounds. The group exists as a response to the rejections its members once faced in the industry, and they’re flipping every “no” into a loud, genre-defying “yes.”
For MAHINA, one moment during the show changed everything. “Round 3.5 was when I truly discovered rap,” she shares. “That’s when HANA’s bratty rap style really started.”
Finding the feeling
Before ‘ROSE’, there was ‘Blue Jeans’ — a bright pop track that struck a chord with fans and gave the group their first taste of success.
“Up until then, I didn’t think I’d ever had a "coming-of-age" experience,” says JISOO. “But singing and dancing to that song made me realize, this is what youth feels like.”
Culture and compassion
With members from Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Filipino backgrounds, HANA’s diversity isn't just surface-level — it’s core to how they create and connect.
“Everyone’s actions and words come from a place of wanting to understand each other,” says MOMOKA. NAOKO adds, “It’s rare for everyone’s definition of kindness to be the same, but we try — and that’s what HANA is about.”
Describing HANA in three words?
“Diversity. Humanness. One-of-a-kind,” says MAHINA.
“Our voices are all unique, our experiences different. But each of us has our own way of healing others — that’s what makes HANA great.”
What’s next?
The group just wrapped their first fan meeting tour and are already looking ahead.
“We announced our first nationwide hall tour in Japan!” shares KOHARU. “We’re working hard to prepare an amazing show — we hope you’ll come see us.”
View this post on Instagram
For fans just discovering HANA
“To everyone in Southeast Asia and around the world — even if you don’t know us yet, we think you’ll be blown away,” says YURI. “We’ll keep working hard to reach you all.”
Like what you read? Show our writer some love!
1