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Kum Min-Ah (Korean: 금민아; born June 27, 1990), known mononymously as Ashley, is a South Korean dancer, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She debuted as a member of the girl group XOXO in 2005.
Biography[]
Early life[]
- Kum Min-Ah was born on June 27, 1990, in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang, South Korea.
- Shortly after birth, she was immediately given up for adoption by her biological parents.
- Kum Joo-Won (Father) and Kum Sun-Ja (Mother) adopted her in 1991, and the pair relocated to Saint-Michel-sur-Orge, a commune in France's Essonne département.
- Jean-Philippe Kum, her younger brother, was adopted in 1993, two years after she was.
- Her parents home schooled her for Nursery School and Kindergarten from 1991 to 1996 (Age: 1 - 6 (2 - 7 SK.), in order for them to settle in.
- In 1997 they sent her to Loïc Inès Elementary School from 1997 to mid 2000 (Age: 7 - 10 (8 - 11 SK.).
- In May 1998, the school had a field day and a professional dance crew had come to perform.
- Soon after that, she told her parents that she wanted to start taking dancing lessons. So they scheduled her for lessons every weekend in a park half a mile away from their house.
- In May 1998, the school had a field day and a professional dance crew had come to perform.
- In August 1999, when she was practicing with her instructor, someone had recorded her and showed it to their employer, who happened to be the CEO of a well-known entertainment firm in France at the time.
- That person was reportedly then told by their boss to locate Ashley and her parents so that Ashley may be included in commercials and prospective music videos if interested.
- However, plans were later altered when the CEO learned about tryouts for an entertainment company (Brisco Entertainment) in South Korea managed by a mutual acquaintance.
- The CEO subsequently videotaped Ashley dancing to Savoir Aimer by Florent Pagny and submitted it online.
- Staff at Brisco Entertainment showed immediate interested in Ashley upon watching the tape. They showed T'ae Hyejin and she sent an offer asking Ashley and her family to move to South Korea by December 10, 2000, if they were interested.
- Ashley's parents ultimately consented after some persuasion, and the family were on a one-way flight to South Korea. (paid for by T'ae Hyejin)
- The CEO subsequently videotaped Ashley dancing to Savoir Aimer by Florent Pagny and submitted it online.
Trainee Life[]
| “ |
It was hard for me to mesh with the other girls in those first few months because I could only speak French and understood little Korean. I secretly picked up extra hours for classes at the language learning center, along with some extra hours for dancing classes. I ended up growing homesick about 2 years into training. Memories would hit me at random hours of the day, and I would become incredibly depressed. I ended up drowning those feelings away with my practicing. |
” |
| —MinMin's Dance (2009) | ||
Personal Life & Facts[]
- She calls her brother her "little twin" because of how much they think alike.
- She got the idea to have Ashley as her stage name because she thought that the Ah in Min-Ah sounded similar to Ashley.
- Before moving to France, Ashley's parents renounced her citizenship with South Korea due to the old dual citizenship laws.
- As a result, she only has citizenship with France and does all of her work under a visa that is managed by Brisco Entertainment.
- Her brother would buy Gougère from a shop near their house and they would eat them together everyday. (revealed in MinMin's Dance - 2009)
- She announced in February 2024 that she intends to return to France after completing XOXO activities to focus on her solo career.
- She signed an exclusive contract with the French agency Méduse Musique in March 2024.
Impact and Influence[]
- Since her debut, Ashley has grown to be one of the most influential idols in South Korea and in France.
- Data collected by a French research company revealed that tourists in France from South Korea had seen a 50.31% increase between 2005 and 2022.
- Since 2010, Kum Min-Ah and XOXO's Ashley are annually the highest searched topics in France for the month of June.
- This has resulted in the creation of a popular slang amongst French teens, Ashley's Mois (Ashley's Month).
- She ranked 1st as the singer who shined the most for the year 2016 in a survey conducted by Gallup Korea.
- She was featured by Forbes France in their 30 under 30 'Celebrities: Turning fame into a force for change' list of 2018.
- In 2009, her debut solo single Dance For Two, peaked at number 7 on the French SNEP Physical and Digital Singles chart for the week of June 28th, before rising to number 1 on July 5th and remaining in that spot for 5 weeks.
- After mentioning the snack Gougère in her documentary series MiniMin's Dance, locals bought the pastry so often that it was put on sale for a limited time offer.
- Gougère also became a popular snack amongst South Koreans. Online French cuisine shops saw an influx of orders for the snack from people in South Korea.
- Her solo comeback Tender Protest was number one for the week of July 7 on the French SNEP Singles and Albums chart.
Honor[]
- In 2021, Ashley was bestowed with the Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government for her significant contributions to Korean-French musical and cultural collaborations through her songs and films.
Discography[]
See also: XOXO Discography
Singles[]
- Dance For Two (2009)
Single Albums[]
- Tender Protest (2013)
Mini-Albums[]
- Bright Storms (2020)
Songwriting Credits[]
(*) = She is the only one credited
(without *) = She is not the only one credited
| Year | Artist | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | XOXO | "Fluke" | Fluke |
| "Troubles Of My Own Way" | |||
| "More And Fever" | |||
| "When You're Smiling" | |||
| "She Said He Loves You" | |||
| "She Heard He's A Troublemaker" | |||
| * "Rhythm of tomorrow" | Highest Difficulty | ||
| * "Tears of nightmares" | |||
| * "End" | |||
| "I love to love" | |||
| "Drop it" | |||
| "Awezome" | |||
| 2006 | "Finding my door" | Atmosphere | |
| "Talk about their sunshine" | |||
| "Whisper my power" | |||
| "Dark Jungle" | Committee Of Despair | ||
| "Slow Limits" | |||
| 2007 | "Warmth" | Cherry | |
| "Matter of passion" | |||
| "Autumn of my memories" | |||
| "Bittersweet Kiss" | |||
| "Babe, you hurt me" | |||
| "Hot Secrets" | |||
| "Sweet Feelings" | |||
| "You're Perfect" | |||
| "Numb Dreams" | |||
| "Broken Fate" | |||
| "Free Fools" | |||
| "Morning Fires" | |||
| "Matter of mine" | Beyond Infinity | ||
| "Tune of the night" | |||
| "Last Feeling" | |||
| 2008 | "愛してる" | 愛してる | |
| "強力な" | |||
| 2009 | Ashley | * "Dance For Two" | N/A |
| 2010 | XOXO | "Golden Kaws" | The Memories |
| "Compete for my Gray" | |||
| "Love Pink" | |||
| "Magic Family" | |||
| "Five" | |||
| 2011 | "Jewel" | N/A | |
| 2012 | "My Queen's Panic" | My Queen's Panic | |
| "Better Off Obsessed" | |||
| "出身" | N/A | ||
| 2013 | Ashley | * "Tender Protest" | Tender Protest |
| * "Honey, I Need My Time" | |||
| 2015 | XOXO | "4EVER" | Time Flies |
| "KAWS" | |||
| "Out of My Obsession" | |||
| "Think About Your Desire" | |||
| "Last and Circus" | |||
| "I Know We Can Do This" | |||
| "You Can't Leave" | |||
| "Master Mind" | |||
| "Dear Shadows" | |||
| "Let's Ride" | |||
| 2018 | "Mirror City" | Mirror City | |
| "Home Crazy" | |||
| "Gift" | |||
| "Stranger's Diamond" | |||
| "Not Easy" | |||
| "Stairway To Another Chance" | |||
| "That Luxury" | That Luxury | ||
| "Thrill" | |||
| 2019 | XOXO | * "Heart of The City" | Doll |
| * "Imagination" | |||
| * "Sweet Honey" | |||
| * "The Future" | |||
| * "Trouble" | |||
| * "Beautiful Time" | 637 | ||
| * "Hard Money" | |||
| 2020 & 2021 | Ashley | * "Bright Storms" | Bright Storms |
| * "Joli Spectacle" | |||
| * "Cirque Courageux" | |||
| * "Le Goût des Étoiles" | |||
| * "Voyage" | |||
| * "Chante Avec Moi" | |||
| * "Je N'Arrêterai Pas" | |||
| 2022 -TBA- |
Filmography[]
Variety Shows[]
- XӨXӨ MΛGIᄃ (2006-2008)
- 𝔄𝔯𝔱𝔣𝔲𝔩 𝔛𝔒𝔛𝔒 (2010-2015)
Movies[]
- Brisco Bash (2019)
- XOXO World Tour 'The Trilogy' (2020)
Documentaries[]
- MinMin's Dance (2009)
- The Making Of Tender Protest (2013)
- Facing Your Storm With Ashley (2020)
- Bright Storms: Le Documentaire (2020)
Awards and Nominations[]
Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination
| Award Ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyworld Digital Music Awards | 2009 | Song of the Month - June | "Dance For Two" | Won |
| Rookie of The Month - June | ||||
| Gaon Chart Music Awards | 2019 | Composer/Lyricist of The Year - Lyricist | Kum Min-Ah | Won |
Gallery[]
Young Ashley
Mungyeong: Where she was born
Saint-Michel-sur-Orge: Where she grew up and lived from 1991 to 2000
Her family