Before we get to our End of Year recap for 2NE1 as a whole, we couldn't let you forget the maknae (youngest), Minzy. Literally growing up before our eyes, Minzy showed just how much she's grow-up both vocally & stylistically in the past year. And with her becoming an official adult in 2013, we can only wait to see what she has to offer in the coming year.

2012 year of real metamorphosis year for our growing butterfly Minzy. From the many different hairstyles, the development of her personal style, to showcasing of both her rapping (Scream video anyone?) and singing skills, to her various hobbies and interests, to the evolution of the more mature side of Minzy, and even marvel at her strength and faith, we watched as a flower named Gong Minzy bloomed.

Minzy showed us that she really is coming into her own and has shown us just how much her talents have grown! Her vocals have become strong, soulful and smooth, her dancing has become more and more hip-hop based offering us all a chance to cheer even louder for her and faint with its sexiness, and her art has become the center of a lot of positive attention. Even with all that under her "Reason's why Minzy Is the Best" list all the Blackjacks still have more to add! Minzy is increasingly active in many fields and in fact we shouldn't be surprised if 2013 brings more awesome Minzy talents!

We have much to look forward to as well as our beloved maknae turns 20 (Korean Age) this year! So let's take a look back at our Butterfly Minzy's 2012 and wipe our tears of pride for the wonderful woman she is becoming!

Featured Star

One of the most exciting things to happen to Minzy this year was that she finally had her first ever solo vocal featuring with Big Bang's G-Dragon. Although she unfortunately didn't get to sing on the official track, she and G-Dragon took the stage at Sketchbook to perform one of the songs off his latest album, Missing You.

Standing off to the side on a platform with an old fashioned microphone, Minzy showed a different side of herself that we hadn't seen much before. There was no dancing or the fierce I-Am-The-Best attitude that we're used to seeing; it was just her singing as if it was her own song.

Minzy was a last minute addition to the line-up as KBS prevented G-Dragon from performing the songs he had intended, so Minzy had a limited time to prepare and still managed to make the song her own.

Let's also not forget that in 2012, 2NE1 had her first solo event in Japan.

Minzy was given the opportunity to share her love affair with Gundams. Minzy's hand-crafted Gundam was featured as part of the 2012 Gundam Supporters Corner, of the "Gunpla Expo World Tour Japan 2012". Minzy has been an avid collector of Gundam models that she painstakingly puts together.

Minzy's Gundam Collection is infamous!

Showing Her Vocals & Moves via Minzy TV & Solo Stages

Minzy TV has been a joyous supplement for the lack of 2NE1 TV this year. Although not as many episodes were released this year, what we did get was nothing short of amazing.

In her only full release this year (Episode #5) Minzy showed she's 2NE1's main dancer for a reason. With nothing but a camera, a heavy beat, and an empty room, Minzy took her popping and locking to a new level and free styled to a handful of songs such as "Announcement" by Common & "My Chick Bad" Remix by Ludacris. And let's not forget her adorable English captions in the beginning of the video where she asked fans to cheer louder and chant her name before she dove into dancing like a machine.

The other taste we got of Minzy TV came late in the year after a teaser she dropped for episode #6 back in May. From the more professional setting with the lighting and multiple camera angles to the microphone standing in the middle of the room, it was obvious this video was going to be different from any of the rest, but for some unknown reason, Minzy has yet to release the rest of the footage. Minzy, you haven't forgotten about it, have you? Blackjacks are still waiting!

Even though the original Episode 6 of Minzy TV is still a mystery for Blackjacks, we were given an end of the year present when Minzy uploaded a Christmas Present Special, complete with a live band! Her covers of "Hosanna" and "Don't You Remember" showcased her vocal growth, and the change from colored to black and white only emphasized the emotions of the songs. It was especially adorable to see that her sister was the official "VJ" while her mother gave Minzy the wonderful styling. Hopefully we will get more presents from the maknae soon!

English subbed version courtesy of theEromaknae

Blackjacks also got a peek of Minzy singing to "If I Aint Got You" by Alicia Keys. As usual, her English pronunciation was impressive and this is definitely a genre of music that works for Minzy's voice because she sounded amazing.

Minzy TV wasn't the only place where Minzy showed what she's capable of. She also brought her signature moves to the stage for 2NE1's New Evolution Concert and performed a self-choreographed dance routine to Missy Elliot's "I'm Really Hot" & Common's "Universal Mind Control" (which she also danced to in Minzy TV E5).

The Colorful Maknae

Spoiler 

Usually when it comes to 2NE1 hairstyles, Dara tends to have the eye-popping dos. However, this year Minzy appears to have joined the club. At the start of the year, the maknae had a rather tame cut with a standard shoulder length cut complete with a slightly purple hue during the YGE Family concerts & photo shoot with the rest of the girls in the Philippines.

As her hair started to grow out, her hair color went into a "weave" of blue-purple that faded at the tips, which Minzy herself seemed rather fond of.

However, all reverted back brown (what has seen previously) with 2NE1's "I Love You" promotions - standard yet still classy.

To spice up things a little, a layer of darker colors was laid on top of the brown, creating a highlighting effect. While it did add some interest, reception of the hair change was slightly reserved.

However, it has been the latest cut and shading that has generated the most buzz and Minzy joined the "crayon color" craze with a dazzling shade of purple coupled with a cute pixie cut, first fully showcased in Singapore at the Singtel Hologram Event. Responses to her new hair have been mixed, with some loving it while others preferring her previous styles.

Reaching Out To Fans

Spoiler 

While Dara may be the "official" PR manager for 2NE1, Minzy gave Blackjacks some much-needed outreach. Since opening her Twitter, the maknae has continually uploaded with pictures, sayings, song snippets, even Minzy TV! Self taken photos were prevalent throughout the year, whether it be a behind the scene for a photo shoot, with other members or just a candid photo to connect with her fans - all of which showed her adorable and cool styles.

This year she was also especially proud of her artwork as several posts were dedicated to her pictures. Images showcasing fashion, lips, and dedicated to her faith a well as lips were particularly popular inspiration items. Do you have any favorites?

Her more sentimental posts brought back memories for both Minzy and fans, such as when she posted a letter she wrote CL during their trainee years.

And of course, one cannot forget to mention her beloved puppy. The images the maknae took with Dougie were especially endearing, as who else has seen as happy dog as the one below?

Sending Love to Fans

Just like her fellow members, Minzy got wind that her fan club was having a get together. Though she couldn't go herself, she did send a cake, some presents, and a handwritten letter to the attendees to thank them for their support.

And who did she send in her stead? The much loved Dougie herself!

Fans thanked Minzy for reaching out to them by reaching out to her in Minzy's time of need.

The year did not come without its low points, within a week of their "I Love You" promotions, but even in the mist of grieving Minzy still smiled and received all of the love Blackjacks sent to her with an open heart. Early on the morning of July 9th (KST), Minzy lost her beloved grandmother, Gong Okjin.

Minzy often talked about her grandmother because they both shared a passion for dance. While Minzy performed modern hip hop styles, her grandmother performed traditional and cultural Korean dances. Without Minzy's grandmother to pass on her love for dancing, we might not have the same dancing machine maknae we have today. Her grandmother often gave Minzy tips and helped monitor her performances. The two had a very close bond. Fans, both international and Korean, joined together to send her wreaths of condolences with our prayers for the mourning maknae.

Upon returning from her time of grief, Minzy still smiled brightly and gave us all chills and a wave of feels with her comeback "I Love You" performance.

Minzy through her Interviews:

[spoiler]

On Her Surprising Side:

Fill in the blank "surprisingly, I'm ____"?

"Surprisingly, I'm feminine (laughs). My hobbies are cooking and knitting. I also gave mufflers that I knitted to the members and staff."

Ultimately, what kind of artist do you aim to become?

"I want be an entertainer that doesn't just work in one specific field, but a variety of things. If I become an artist that influences people in many different directions and aspects, I think I would be satisfied for having achieved my biggest goal. I will not be picky about any genre. I want to become an artist that only receives love and credit though music and not through art, movies, or acting." (First Look: Reasonable Artist)

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"If you were allowed to do anything, what would you do?"

I'd like to date a boy. But we have a love prohibition (laughs) I debuted when I was 16 so I never got to date a boy. If I had the opportunity...!

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What is the dream that you'd soon like to achieve in the near future?

I like to make clothes so if I had the chance, I'd like to try making clothes. (T/N: So basically, she wants to design clothes)

(In May, Minzy tweeted this jacket, it is the second jacket she has made herself!)

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Recently, what are moments where you've thought "I AM THE BEST"?

"When I'm working out. I exercise while thinking "I can do it!" There is a gym at the company so I make sure to exercise for 2 hours daily."

On Music/Art/Fashion

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Art. The word art. You can freely express yourself without saying it with your mouth. Sometimes, I try to express myself by drawing or taking pictures of what I think is difficult to express through talking.

Music from the beginning of the day to the end of it; music is my life, disasters and triumphs. If my everything is to be in contact with something, it is of course music.

Fashion. Fashion is like personality. It shows one self's everything in detail and delicately. The person's values. I sometimes dress tom boyishly and sometimes I dress womanly/femininely. My character is easy-going and abrupt but inside I'm actually womanly/feminine and I have a lot of aegyo. Fashion lets me express myself as I explore it however I want.

Q: When people think of 2NE1, the first thing that pops into their mind is a hip-hop genre based group. But surprisingly, you have more of a rock-spirit than the others. Are there any musicians you are inspired by on a daily basis?

A: I love hip-hop, of course. But I have recently been focusing on rock sounds more. I like the Rolling Stones, Nirvana, and Guns N' Roses a lot. I'm sad because I wasn't able to go to a Lenny Kravitz concert when he visited Korea not long ago because I had other schedules to attend. I also want to go see Radiohead at the upcoming 2012 Jisan Valley Rock Festival, but I'm disappointed that I'm not going to be able to go because it overlaps with our concert.

While it's clear that our lovable maknae has stunned us with her growth & maturity over the year, we can't help but wonder what 2013 will bring for Minzy. Can we expect more art? A solo song? Another awesome dance solo? We can only be sure that we can expect to be blown away!

What are you hoping to see Minzy do in 2013? What is your ultimate wish for Minzy in 2013?

Just one more retrospective to go...our look back at 2NE1 in 2012!

Article by staff@ygladies.com  | Written for KpopStarz January 2013