Shut Down! (Fifth Member of Blackpink)

Introduction/Information

Stage Name: Hikari

Birth Name: Hikari Park

Position: Main Vocalist, Lead Dancer, Sub-Rapper, Center, Maknae 

Date Of Birth:  June 14, 1999 (23 years old)

Nationality: Korean-American

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Chinese Zodiac: Rabbit

Years Active: 2016-Present (Blackpink)
2019-Present (Solo Artist)

Height: 5'6 

Blood Type: A 

Status: Married

Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok:  moonstar

YouTube: kari_park

Occupation: Singer, Rapper, Actress, Songwriter, Model, Producer, Choreographer

Fun Facts:

She was born in Houston, Texas 

She lived in Texas for five years then moved to Seoul, South Korea two months after her birthday

Her mom is American and her dad is Korean, both working as fashion designers

She has a older sister and two older brothers

The name Hikari means Light 

Was a trainee for 5 years and 4 months

She had cancer when she was four years old and had overcame it when she turned eight years old

Started singing at the age of five, dancing at nine years old and songwriting at 13

Has anxiety and minor trust issues when meeting people 

She's bisexual

Loves coffee and ice cream

She plays guitar and the drums while currently learning piano and violin

She made her solo debut in 2019 with her debut EP Luna Star

Is known for hitting the high notes

Is scared of being left behind by her bandmates 

Loves to draw her bandmates on her iPad

Loves going out for walks in the Fall

Other members treat her like a baby at times

Has wrote songs for Twice, Red Velvet, BTS, TxT, etc

Languages:

English: 100%
Korean: 100%
Japanese/Chinese: 85%
Thai: 55% (Learning from Lisa) 

Skills:

Singing: 100%
Dancing: 97%
Rapping: 74%

Short Bio:

Early Life and Career Beginnings:

Hikari Park was born in Houston, Texas on June 17, 1999 as the youngest out of four kids. Raised by her Korean father and American mother, she first dreamed of being a writer and a actress. After going to her first concert, she decided to become a singer. After she turned five years, she and her family had moved to Seoul, South Korea after her parents had gotten a job offer their.

At the same time, she started singing. She mostly singed songs from North America since she was born their and started singing K-pop a year later. She took dance lessons at the age of nine, becoming a professional at the age of 14. In 2011, a 12 year old Hikari auditioned for a spot as a trainee for YG Entertainment with the song Halo by Beyonce and got in. 

2016-Present: Debut with Blackpink and Solo Ventures 

After five years and four months as trainee, she was revealed to be the fifth and final member of girl group Blackpink, which debuted on August 8, 2016 with their single album Square One with double A-side singles Boombayah and Whistle. The girl group has became the most successful Korean girl group intentionally, being a success worldwide. She had wrote five songs for the group which were Kill This Love, Ice Cream, Lovesick Girls, Shut Down and Ready For Love. 

The singer started her own YouTube channel kari_park in 2017 and reached 2.7 million subscribers in less then 5 months and as of 2022, she gained 17.7 million subscribers and over 4.8 billion views and has released 5,000+ videos which consists of vlogs, behind the scenes, music videos, makeup tutorials, covers, gaming and DIYS.

In May 2018, rumors had started that Hikari would be the second member to debut as a solo artist after a Instagram post showed her in the studio without her bandmates. Two months later in July, a official statement from YG Entertainment was announced confirming the rumors saying that she would release her debut single in early 2019 followed by a debut EP in late 2019. Her EP, Luna Star was released on October 17, 2019 with 7 tracks. This has broke records for a Korean-American solo artist, debuting at number 7 on Billboard 200. Her debut single, Lunar Girl was released in February 14 and has peaked at number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video earned 2 Guinness World Records for most viewed YouTube music video by a solo artist in 24 hours and most viewed YouTube music video in 24 hours by a solo K-pop artist in 2019 with 170.4 million views.

Personal Life:

In 2021, she revealed that had cancer as a kid for four years and overcame it. She is bisexual and is currently in a relationship with Little Mix member Jesy Nelson since 2016. The girls announced their relationship in February 2017 along with Nelson's bandmate Perrie Edwards and her boyfriend the same day. In March of 2021, they announced their engagement and got married that same year in July. A month later, they announced they were having a kid via IVF. They have gotten a healthy baby girl named Lily born in May of 2022. 

Controversy: 

In 2017, she was criticized for her relationship with Jesy Nelson because of their age with Nelson being 26 at the time and her being 18. Nelson's bandmate and LGBTQ+ ally Jade Thrilwall defended them saying, "Jesy might be older then her, but it's not illegal. Hikari is a legal adult and they love each other very much. If you can't accept it then you're not a real fan of us." 

In 2021, she was criticized again for her debut solo EP while her other members released a single album. She defended herself on a Instagram live by saying, "I released a EP. So what? We had a decision to release what we wanted. A full album, EP or a single album. We had a choice. I chose mine. Deal with it."  

Mental Health:

Her mental health started out as clean but started going down after the controversy about her relationship in 2017. Her lowest point was in 2019 after she saw comments on her first solo music video, causing herself to overwork herself that sent her to the hospital at one point. At the advice of her family, friends and bandmates, she was forced to attend therapy sessions twice a week for over two years.