No Min-woo (Korean: 노민우; born May 29, 1986) is a Japanese-born South Korean actor, musician, rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is also known under the stage names ICON and MINUE. He debuted as a drummer in TRAX in 2004, and left the band two years later. In 2008, he began acting in various television series and movies, such as Pasta, My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox and Full House Take 2, and he regularly contributes to movie and drama soundtracks. In 2013, No made a comeback as a singer under the stage name ICON. In 2016 he enlisted in the military, and returned in 2018. In 2020, he made a comeback as the lead singer and leader of the newly formed band The Midnight Romance.[3][4]
Early life
No Min-woo in 2014
No Min-woo was born in Japan. His mother, then 20 years old, was aspiring to become an enka singer in Japan.[1]
He moved back and forth between Korea and Japan for a long time, and started playing the piano at age 7.[2]
He has a younger brother, No Jeong-hun, who is a singer under the pseudonym I'll (아일).[5]
Career
No Min-woo made his debut as the drummer (with the stage name Rose) in the rock band TraxX in 2004.[6] Prior to debut, No appeared in "2002 Survival Audition HeeJun vs. KangTa Battle of the Century" with bandmates Typhoon and Attack, as well as Kim Junsu, Super Junior's Sungmin and Eunhyuk.
No left TraxX in 2006, and briefly became a guitarist for The Romantist before it disbanded.
In 2009 he returned to the music scene as the leader of the project group 24/7, with Lee Jang-woo and Hyun Woo. They released the single 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week.
No began pursuing an acting career in 2008 and gained notice with his supporting roles in the 2010 South Korean television series Pasta and My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox. He landed his first leading role in the four-episode drama specialRock Rock Rock, a biographical film about the life of Boohwal lead guitarist Kim Tae-won.[7]
His long-delayed television series Full House Take 2 (a loose sequel to the 2004 hit) secured air dates on Japan's TBS and Korean cable channel SBS Plus in 2012.[9][10] No was cast as the male lead in the Chinese television series Love Expiration Date, for which he will also serve as OST music director, composing and writing songs for the soundtrack.[11][12][13]
In 2012 his contract with Core Contents Media came to an end, and he established his own management company, MJ Dreamsys.[14]
In 2013, on July 1, No released his MV, ROCKSTAR, under his newly opened YouTube channel, officialminewTV.[15]
In 2014, No appeared in a minor role in Roaring Currents (released July 30, 2014),[16] which became the highest-grossing film of all time in South Korea. Later in 2014, No played one of the main characters in The Greatest Marriage.[17]
In 2019, No played a lead role in the MBC television series Partners for Justice 2 as Jang Chul, a talented but mysterious ER doctor.[19][20]
On May 17, 2020, his newly formed band The Midnight Romance (stylized in all caps) released their self-titled debut single of the same name which consisted of three songs.[21][4]
On January 19, 2022 it was confirmed that No signed an exclusive contract with n.CH Entertainment.[22]
Lawsuit
In April 2015, No filed a lawsuit against his former agency, S.M. Entertainment, as well as reported the agency to the South Korea Fair Trade Commission. Documents from the lawsuit reveal that No originally signed a 17-year exclusive contract with S.M. No sought 100 million KRW for damages resulting from the agency's interference in his career.[23]
On July 21, 2016 No lost his damage suit against S.M as a result of insufficient evidence and the court ruled out the contract between S.M and No invalid.[24]
In June 2018, it was reported No had lost the appeal in his lawsuit against S.M. Entertainment due to the insufficient evidence to the above stated claims.[25]
^Lee Seung-gil (January 19, 2022). "노민우, n.CH엔터테인먼트 전속계약…'국민가수' TOP10과 한솥밥" [Minwoo Noh signed an exclusive contract with n.CH Entertainment... 'National Singer' TOP 10 and Hansotbap] (in Korean). My Daily. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022 – via Naver.
^Yoo Jung-min (January 5, 2023). "노민우, '금혼령' 특별출연…공냥총 단주 반란탄役 변신" [No Min-woo, special appearance in 'The Forbidden Marriage'... Transformation into the role of Banju Banju, the shooting gun] (in Korean). iMBC. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2023 – via Naver.
^Lee Da-gyeom (June 3, 2022). "적재→권은비 멘토...차세대 밴드 발굴 '그레이트 서울 인베이전'" [Jaejae → Mentor Kwon Eun-bi... Discovering the next-generation band 'Great Seoul Invasion'] (in Korean). Star Today, Maeil Economic Daily. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022 – via Naver.
^Kwak Hyun-su (June 8, 2022). "노민우 데뷔 후 첫 뮤지컬 도전…'엘리자벳' 캐스팅 (공식)" [Minwoo Noh's first musical challenge after debut... Casting of 'Elisabeth' (Official)] (in Korean). YTN. Archived from the original on June 8, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022 – via Naver.
^Kim Na-yeon (June 13, 2022). "엘리자벳' 10주년, 옥주현·이지혜→신성록·김준수 초호화 캐스팅[공식]" ['Elisabeth' 10th anniversary, Ock Joo-hyun, Ji-hye → Shin Seong-rok, Kim Jun-su super luxurious casting [Official]] (in Korean). MT Star News. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022 – via Naver.
