Fairies

Biography

Fairies (フェアリーズ) was a Japanese idol girl group, formed in 2011 and on an indefinite hiatus since 2020. They were managed by the talent agency Rising Production and produced by the Avex record label Sonic Groove.

Pre-debut

Fairies was formed by talent agency Vision Factory (now Rising Production), famous for successful artists such as Namie Amuro, MAX and Speed. Their concept was "a world class talented group that is able to compete overseas." Members were chosen from 100 candidates who were attending dance schools affiliated with Vision Factory, coming from 13 regions of Japan. The group name was open for suggestions from the public through a special corner in Nippon TV programme Sukkiri!!, and "Fairies" was chosen with the explanation that their dancing form resembled a group of fairies fluttering.

2011–2013: Debut and Kiyomura’s departure

The group debuted with the double A-side single "More Kiss / Song for You×More Kiss / Song for You21 September 2011 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1More Kiss4:242Song for You4:073More Kiss (Instrumental)4:244Song for You (Instrumental)4:04" on September 21, 2011. At the 53rd Japan Record Awards, held on December 30, 2011, Fairies were named the best newcomer of the year, receiving the Best New Artist award. Among other nominees, they beat 2NE1 and Super Girls. At the time of receiving the award, Fairies' average age of 13.6 was the lowest for this award, a record shared with °C-ute that won in 2007.
On January 17, 2013, the group's youngest member Kiyomura announced that she would be "restraining" from activities with Fairies due to educational issues, leaving the remaining six to continue. Although the group had been using the name "Fairies" in Latin script until then, from February onwards it was changed to Japanese on all their official sites and single jacket covers. However, no announcement was ever made about which was the official notation. On February 1, 2013, the subunit "M Three" (Mスリー) with Hayashida Mahiro, Fujita Miria, and Shimomura Miki as members was announced. The name was due to "M" being the initial of all three girls' given names. Their debut single "Yumemiru Dancing Doll" was released on March 27.

2014–present: Subsequent releases, Fujita’s departure and group hiatus

Fairies released their eponymous first album on March 26, 2014. Included as a new song on the album was Ito's solo song "Poker Face", which later became the title song on Ito's solo debut single, released July 23. From August 9 to August 14, the group held their first live tour "Fairies LIVE TOUR 2014: Summer Party," which was released on DVD that December.
In January 2017, Fujita Miria announced that she would be withdrawing from the group in order to focus on her studies.
On June 17, 2020, it was announced by Rising Production that after several discussions with the members, Rikako Inoue, Sora Nomoto and Mahiro Hayashida decided to end their contract with the agency, with Rikako also retiring from show business. Momoka Ito and Miki Shimomura will remain in the agency working individually. Although the activities ended as a group, the agency revealed that the group have not disbanded and their future activities are "undecided". After working at a beauty company for two years, Rikako Inoue began a career as an adult actress under the name Yotsuha Kominato.

Former Members

Rikako Inoue (井上理香子) (2011–2020)
Sora Nomoto (野元空) (2011–2020)
Momoka Ito (伊藤萌々香) (2011–2020)
Mahiro Hayashida (林田真尋) (2011–2020)
Miria Fujita (藤田みりあ) (2011–2017)
Miki Shimomura (下村実生) (2011–2020)
Kawane Kiyomura (清村川音) (2011–2013)