Lisenne's Minami retires her "Yaho" character on Radio Star as solo variety debut
Minami appears solo on MBC Radio Star's Asian Games special on Sept. 16, announcing the end of her signature "Yaho" gal character after 100+ ad offers and a chart-topping reverse run.
Minami goes solo — and says goodbye to "Yaho"
Minami of Lisenne (리센느) made her first solo variety show appearance without her groupmates on MBC Radio Star, airing September 16 at 10:30 PM. The episode was a special edition titled "Nagoya-ho! Asian Games," also featuring Lee Hyung-taek, Lee Hye-jung, and Jo Jun-ho.
The appearance came on the back of Love Attack ("러브어택") reverse-charting on music platforms and winning first place on music broadcasts — a run that brought Minami more than 100 advertisement offers. Her Lisenne members marked the moment in their own way: they told her, "You've really become a celebrity" and "Congratulations."
The headline moment of the episode was Minami retiring her signature "Yaho" catchphrase and gal character. She said she started it with a simple motivation: "I started it thinking I had to do 'Yaho' just to stand out." On air, she declared "Today is the last" — drawing audible disappointment from the studio. Her position going forward: "If you ask me to do it, I absolutely have to, but I'm going to stop doing it on my own first."
From a dance studio in Japan to a chart comeback
Minami has dreamed of becoming a K-pop idol since the third grade of elementary school. She wrote her future aspiration in her graduation album and spent hours practicing at a dance academy, even when people around her did not take the dream seriously.
The episode also revealed that Lisenne is serving as MBC's promotional ambassador for the Asian Games — which happen to be held in Minami's hometown of Japan. She previously filmed an Asian Games promotional video alongside fellow guest Jo Jun-ho, a connection the two discussed on air.
Beyond the "Yaho" farewell, Minami showed a side of herself that rarely surfaces: calligraphy skills described as quite different from her usual image. She also performed "그런 일은," a song she practiced frequently during her trainee days, to demonstrate her vocal range.
(The "Yaho" era ending does not mean she disappears — just that she's done initiating it herself.)
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