K-pop is winning the hearts of millions of people all over the world. Today, its influence is not hidden from anybody. Most people worldwide have at least some information about K-pop. It is also evident that K-pop idols are not only from South Korea. Some idols are of different ethnicity – Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and many more.
An example of a K-pop group consisting of Japanese members is “Honey Popcorn.” Honey Popcorn entirely consists of Japanese members. The group is very talented but had to encounter some controversies even before their debut. Before the debut of Honey Popcorn, a controversy sparked against the members for working in the Japanese adult film industry.
The members also accepted the allegations, and the group was almost banned but ended up debuting somehow. Some people were against this group, but there were people who were supporting them too.
Honey Popcorn: Debut
Honey Popcorn debuted on 21st March 2018 under the agency “Kyun Create” with three girl members – Yua Mikami, Mako Sakura, and Miko Matsuda. They debuted with a mini album, “Bibidi Babidi Boo.” All the members were former members of J-pop groups.
But just 9 months after the debut, the agency informed via Twitter about graduating of one of the members- ‘Miko Matsuda’ from the group. Then, in June 2019, three new members were added to the group, making it a group of five.
After that, another one of the members, ‘Nake Miyase,’ left the group in December 2020.
Honey Popcorn: Members
At the time of its debut, Honey Popcorn had a total of three members- Yua Mikami, Miko Matsuda, and Moko Sakura. The group was formed as a passion project by ‘Mikami.’ All three members were former J-pop idols.
After 9 months of their debut, Miko Matsuda graduated from the group, leaving only two members in Honey Popcorn. Then three new members- Nako Miyase, Ruka Tajima, and Sara Izumi were recruited into the group in June 2019. Nako Miyase left the group in December 2020. Currently, the total members of Honey Popcorn are four- Yua Mikami, Mako Sakura, Ruka Tajima, and Sara Izumi.
YUA
Yua’s birth name is ‘Yua Mikami.’ Yua was born in Nagoya, Japan, on 16th August 1993. She is the leader, main vocalist, visual and lead dancer of the group. Before Honey Popcorn, she was a member of the J-pop group “SKE48”.
MOKO
Moko’s birth name is ‘Moko Sakura.’ She was born in Saitama, Japan, on 19th March 1991. She is the vocalist of the group. Before Honey Popcorn, she was a member of the J-pop group “Bakusute Sotokanda Icchome.”
Ruka
Ruka’s birth name is ‘Tajima Ruka.’ She was born in Tokyo, Japan, on 19th September 1995. She is the vocalist of the group. She auditioned for Honey Popcorn after learning about it from Yua’s Twitter post.
Sara
Sara’s birth name is ‘Izumi Sara.’ She was born in Kanagawa, Japan, on 24th January 1997. She is the lead vocalist, visual, and rapper of the group. She is also the youngest member of the group. Before Honey Popcorn, she was a member of ‘Chocole and Idoling.’
Songs and Albums
Honey Popcorn debuted on 21st March 2018 with their first mini album, “Bibidi Babidi Boo,” under ‘Kyun Create.’ The album consisted of a total of four tracks – ‘Bibidi Babidi Boo,’ ‘First Kiss,’ ‘Pretty Lie’ and ‘Peanut Butter Jelly Time.’ The album received praise and amazing reviews. It was a very new approach towards K-pop as they used a bold theme to debut.
On 20th December 2018, Honey Popcorn made its Chinese debut with its first digital single ‘Pretty Lie.’ In 2020, their second mini album, “De-aeseohsta” was released. The album consisted of three tracks- ‘De-aeseohsta, ‘You Fool’ and ‘Violet.’ Honey Popcorn won the “Rising Star Award” at the ‘Asia Model Awards’ in 2019. They also won the “Global Fan Choice Award” at ‘The Mnet Asian Music Award’ in 2020.
Honey Popcorn is a very special group. It has broken the stereotypes of the K-pop industry and proved that anybody can pursue a career in K-pop with hard work and determination without being scared about their background. Because, in the end, skills and talent are the most important things.
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