Sakura Miyawaki (born March 19,1998),also known mononymously as Sakura,is a Japanese singer and actress based in South Korea. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Le Sserafim,and a former member of South Korean-Japanese girl group Iz*One and Japanese girl groups AKB48 and its sister group HKT48.
Miyawaki began her music career with the girl group HKT48 in 2011 and was a concurrent member of their sister group AKB48 from 2014 to 2018. During her tenure,she held center positions for the singles "Kimi wa Melody" and "No Way Man". Miyawaki took a hiatus from HKT48 in 2018 after placing second in the reality competition show Produce 48,joining the girl group Iz*One until 2021,then leaving HKT48 a few months later to pursue her idol career in South Korea by joining Le Sserafim,which debuted in May 2022.
Career
Early life
Sakura Miyawaki was born on March 19,1998,in Kagoshima City,Kagoshima Prefecture,Japan,where she was raised.[2] Her parents divorced when she was a year old.[3] She has a younger half-brother,twelve years her junior,from her mother's second marriage.[4] Influenced by her mother,she began attending a local musical school at a young age,and at the age of 10,she appeared as Young Nala in the Shiki Theatre Company's musical The Lion King.[2] In 2010,she participated in "The Broadway Experience" in New York,where she received intensive dance,singing,and acting lessons from Broadway musical actors and choreographers for a week.[5] She later graduated from the Maria Musical Academy in her hometown of Kagoshima.[6]
Miyawaki joined HKT48 as a first-generation trainee in July 2011.[7] She made her first official appearance as an HKT48 member on October 23 at a national handshake event for the song "Flying Get". She made her theater debut on November 26 with a revival of SKE48 Team S stage "Te wo Tsunaginagara".[8][9][10]
Miyawaki was officially promoted to full member status of HKT48 Team H on March 4,2012,along with 15 other trainees.[11][12] That year,Miyawaki became the first HKT48 member to have ranked in the AKB48 general election. She received 6,635 votes,placing her at the 47th position.[13] In October,she landed her first A-side participation on AKB48's 28th single "Uza". Although she did not make the A-side for the 29th and 30th singles,she appeared on the A-side for the 31st single,"Sayonara Crawl",released on May 22,2013,and placed 26th overall in AKB48's 2013 general election with 25,760 votes.[14] In the same year,Miyawaki made her first A-side participation with HKT48 on their first single "Suki! Suki! Skip!"[15] (Like! Like! Skip!) and Melon Juice.[16]
On January 11,2014,it was announced during the first day of HKT48's Kyushu 7 Prefecture Tour at Oita,that Miyawaki would be transferred to the newly formed Team KIV.[17] Later,at AKB48's Group Grand Reformation Festival,she was promoted to vice captain of Team KIV and given a concurrent position in AKB48 Team A.[18]
Miyawaki participated in the 2014 AKB48 general election and placed 11th overall with 45,538 votes,landing her a position on the A-side for "Kokoro no Placard".[19] In that year's rock-paper-scissors tournament,Miyawaki lost in the 3rd round of the preliminary competition. However,management decided she would share the lead position with winner Mayu Watanabe for AKB48's 38th single,"Kiboteki Refrain",and became the first local HKT48 member to have lead position on an A-side single.[20][21][22]
In 2015,Miyawaki was given a lead role in AKB48's drama Majisuka Gakuen 4 along with Haruka Shimazaki. The season premiered on January 19.[23] She placed 7th overall in the general election the same year with 81,422 votes.[24] In July,she released her first photobook,Sakura,which peaked at number 1 on the weekly Oricon photobook chart and number 3 on the general book chart.[25]
She achieved her first solo lead position on AKB's 43rd single with "Kimi wa Melody",released on March 9,2016.[26]
In 2018,Miyawaki participated and placed second in reality girl group survival show Produce 48,and became a member of Korean-Japanese idol group Iz*One that debuted in October of the same year. She and the other two Japanese members of the group took a hiatus from their respective Japanese groups until their contracts with Iz*One expired in April 2021.[27] She also launched her own video gaming channel on YouTube in 2018,which had over 717,000 subscribers and 25 million video views by March 16,2025.[28][29]
After Iz*One's disbandment in April 2021,a preview of her interview with the July issue of Vivi leaked that she was leaving HKT48. On May 15,2021,Miyawaki confirmed her departure,with a graduation concert scheduled to be held on June 19.[30] At the concert,held in Fukuoka,Miyawaki was joined by other former AKB48 and HKT48 members including Nako Yabuki,Rino Sashihara,and Haruka Kodama to perform their groups' songs;she also sang several of her solo songs including "Yume de Kiss Me".[31] A short version for the music video of her graduation song,"Omoide ni Suru ni wa Mada Hayasugiru" (思い出にするにはまだ早すぎる;lit. "It's Too Early to Turn it Into a Memory Yet"),was uploaded to YouTube on June 14,while the official audio was released on June 20.[32] Her final performance with HKT48 was on June 27.[33] In May 2021,Miyawaki became the face of the hair care brand Kérastase and the Chinese cosmetics brand Flower Knows.[34][35] On November 1,2021,Vernalossom announced that Miyawaki's contract with them had concluded.[36]
On March 14,2022,Miyawaki,alongside former Iz*One member Kim Chaewon and former Produce 48 contestant Huh Yunjin,signed exclusive contracts with Source Music,and were confirmed to debut as members of Le Sserafim in May.[37][38] On March 21,2022,she joined Japanese talent agency A.M. Entertainment for individual activities in Japan.[39][40] On May 2,2022,Le Sserafim made their debut with the extended play,Fearless.[41]
AKB48 General Election placements
Miyawaki's placements in AKB48's annual general elections:
On November 14,2015,Miyawaki was chosen as the model for the "Kagoshima Roman Theater" campaign,aimed at promoting a new event and attracting tourists to the region,showcasing various attractions in Kagoshima and serving as an introduction to the event.[49] In September 2016,Miyawaki collaborated with Erika Kenko Dojo to promote the champagne drink "Yukousen," alongside four of her HKT48 bandmates.[50] The following month,she secured another deal to promote a "World Cultural Heritage" site.[51]
Since 2019,Miyawaki has been the main model for the Japanese color contact lens brand Molak.[52][53] In 2021,she expanded her portfolio,becoming the Asian brand ambassador for the makeup brand Flower Knows and the muse for Kérastase Japan,representing its "Blond Absolu" line.[54][55][56] In 2022,she was selected as the main model for the Japanese clothing brand Lily Brown,collaborating on its seasonal collections.[57][58] In 2023,South Korean skincare brand Primera appointed her as its global ambassador.[59]
Business
Miyawaki launched her cosmetic brand Cran by Molak in 2021,as a partnership with the brand Molak,which she modeled for.[53] The brand ceased operations on November 30,2022.[60]
12Lisa, Takayama (March 19, 2024). "【祝26歳】LE SSERAFIM サクラ（宮脇咲良）のアイドル人生をプレイバック"[[Celebrating 26 years old] A look back at the idol life of LE SSERAFIM Sakura (Miyawaki Sakura)]. 25ans (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 20, 2024. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
↑"LE SSERAFIM宮脇咲良、"顔も分からなかった"父親との再会エピソードに反響「感動した」「ドラマみたい」 - モデルプレス"[LE SSERAFIM Miyawaki Sakura's reunion with her father, whom she "didn't even recognize," sparks reactions: "I was moved" and "It's like a TV drama]. モデルプレス - ライフスタイル・ファッションエンタメニュース (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
↑Mami, Tomotani (September 10, 2010). "「ブロードウェイ エクスペリエンス」 に初めて７人の日本人生徒さんたちが参加しました！！｜チャコット"[Seven Japanese students participated in the "Broadway Experience" for the first time!]. チャコット株式会社 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 19, 2024. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
↑編集部 (December 9, 2016). "宮脇咲良、幼馴染の上白石萌音との再会に感激"[Miyawaki Sakura is thrilled to be reunited with childhood friend Kamishiraishi Mone]. MusicVoice (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 19, 2024. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
↑"HKT48、地元博多で「手をつなぎながら」公演スタート". Natalie Music (in Japanese). November 11, 2011. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019– via Niconico.
↑"AKB48 32ndシングル 選抜総選挙"[32nd single selection elections]. AKB48 Official Site (in Japanese). June 8, 2013. Archived from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
↑"AKB48 37thシングル 選抜総選挙"[37th single selection elections]. AKB48 Official Site (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
↑AKB新曲センター宮脇咲良、インフルでダウン[AKB new song center Sakura Miyawaki comes down with the flu.]. Oricon News. March 3, 2016. Archived from the original on June 5, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
↑"宮脇咲良、10年間の感謝を胸にHKT48卒業「誰かの元気の源になれた」指原莉乃＆兒玉遥も駆けつける"[Miyawaki Sakura graduates from HKT48 with gratitude for the past 10 years, saying, "I was able to become a source of energy for someone."]. Natalie.mu (in Japanese). June 20, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
↑Yoon, Sang-geun (March 14, 2022). 미야와키 사쿠라·김채원 하이브 합류 "쏘스뮤직 걸그룹 데뷔"[전문][Miyawaki Sakura and Kim Chaewon join Hybe "Source Music girl group debut" [Full text]] (in Korean). Star News. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2022– via Naver.
↑Lee, Jae-eun (March 21, 2022). 쏘스뮤직 측 "김채원·사쿠라 그룹, 5월 데뷔 목표로 준비중"[공식][Source Music side "Kim Chaewon and Sakura group are preparing to debut in May" [Official]] (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022– via Naver.
↑Jin, Sato (October 9, 2019). "IZ*ONE宮脇咲良イメージモデルの新カラコンブランド『MOLAK（モラク）』登場！"[A new color contact brand "MOLAK" with the image model of IZ*ONE Sakura Miyawaki is launched!]. OKMusic (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
12"Cran by Molak". Cran by Molak (in Japanese). September 15, 2021. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2023. Producer: Miyawaki Sakura; 2011年から日本にて活動。2018年〜2021年まで韓国にて活動し、2年6カ月の活動を経て日本へ凱旋帰国。日本だけでなくグローバルな活動を展開。カラーコンタクトレンズ『MOLAK』のイメージモデルを務めている。[Producer: Miyawaki Sakura; Active in Japan since 2011, she worked in Korea from 2018 to 2021, returning triumphantly to Japan after 2 years and 6 months of activity. She has been active not only in Japan but also globally. She is the image model for the colour contact lens "MOLAK".]
↑"宮脇咲良が「フラワーノーズ」アジアブランド大使に就任"[Sakura Miyawaki appointed the Asian Brand Ambassador for "Flower Knows".]. PR Times (in Japanese). June 21, 2021. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2021. SNSで話題のファッションコスメブランドFlowerKnows(フラワーノーズ)は、若い層に絶大な人気を誇る「宮脇咲良」をアジアブランド大使として、アンバサダーに起用。[Flower Knows, a trendy cosmetics brand popular on SNS, has appointed Sakura Miyawaki, who is extremely popular among the younger generation, as its Asian brand ambassador.]
↑"宮脇咲良×LILY BROWNコラボ第3弾は「フリルミニワンピース」"今着たい"を凝縮"[The third collaboration between Sakura Miyawaki and Lily Brown is the "Frilled Mini Dress", a condensed version of "what I want to wear now".]. Oricon News. July 7, 2022. Archived from the original on July 8, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
↑"【LILY BROWN×宮脇咲良】年間プロジェクトの最新スペシャルコンテンツ『宮脇咲良が誘うSpring Mood』を3月3日(金)12:00より公開！"[[LILY BROWN x Sakura Miyawaki] The latest special content of the annual project "Spring Mood by Sakura Miyawaki" will be released on March 3 (Fri.) at 12:00!]. PR Times (in Japanese). March 2, 2023. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
↑宮脇咲良. allcinema (in Japanese). Stingray. Archived from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
↑"HKT48ドラマスペシャル「秘密」" (in Japanese). Entertainment Mabui. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
↑"HKT宮脇咲良が『マジすか学園』で連ドラ初主演 島崎遥香とW主人公に！"[HKT's Miyawaki Sakura will be starring in her first drama series "Majisuka Gakuen" alongside Shimazaki Haruka as the co-protagonist!]. Oricon News. January 3, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
↑"「マジすか学園５」抗争激しすぎ第３話～地上波ムリ - ＡＫＢ４８: 日刊スポーツ"["Majisuka Gakuen 5" Episode 3: The conflict is too intense - impossible to broadcast on terrestrial TV]. nikkansports.com (in Japanese). July 17, 2015. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
↑"HKT48×氣志團「マジすか学園」番外編、11月に放送決定"[HKT48 x Kishidan "Majisuka Gakuen" special edition to air in November]. Natalie (in Japanese). Natalie Music Editorial Department. October 25, 2015. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
↑"『マジすか』新シリーズ、舞台はキャバクラ 主演はHKT48・宮脇咲良"[New series of "Majisuka" to be set in a cabaret club, starring HKT48's Sakura Miyawaki]. Oricon News. October 10, 2016. Archived from the original on December 13, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
↑"ＡＫＢプロレス 宮脇咲良ら女子プロ弟子入りで特訓中/デイリースポーツ online"[AKB Pro Wrestling: Sakura Miyawaki and others undergo intensive training as female pro]. daily sport online (in Japanese). December 15, 2017. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
↑Lee, Tae-soo (November 24, 2022). [가요소식] 르세라핌 사쿠라 첫 단독 예능...김장 100kg 도전[[Music] Le Sserafim Sakura's first solo entertainment... Kimjang 100kg Challenge] (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2022– via Naver.
↑Lee, Soo-jin (January 15, 2025). 조나단→민니 '아는 외고' 출연... 2월 11일 첫방 [공식][Jonathan→Minnie participate in 'Knowing International High School'... First broadcast on February 11 [Official]]. Ilgan Sports (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 21, 2025. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
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