Yui Hiwatashi 樋渡結依 | |
|---|---|
| Born | (2000-04-30)April 30, 2000 (age 24) Saitama Prefecture, Japan |
| Genres | J-pop |
| Occupation | Japanese idol |
| Years active | 2006–present |
Yui Hiwatashi (樋渡結依,Hiwatashi Yui, born 30 April 2000 inSaitama Prefecture, Japan) is aJapanese idol and former member of the groupsAKB48 andKarat. She is represented by the talent agencyAKS.
Multiples of her singles with AKB48 have reached No. 1 onOricon andBillboard Japan charts, andSustainable was the number one selling single in Japan in 2019. The albumBokutachi wa, Ano Hi no Yoake o Shitteiru was certified double platinum by theRIAJ.
Hiwatashi was born on 30 April 2000 inSaitama Prefecture, Japan.[1]
Hiwatashi's first professional works were two "Kids' Challenge English" commercials—in November 2006 and April 2007—for the correspondence education companyBenesse.[2] She has appeared in commercials since 2006 for a variety of products from companies such asLion, Varsan, theBank of Kyoto,Lotte,Johnson & Johnson (forBand-Aid), Gaitame.com,McDonald's, Fujicco, Mynavi, and Akashi School Uniform Company, as well as commercials for the televisionanime seriesSmile PreCure!,DokiDoki! PreCure, andHappinessCharge PreCure!.[2]
Hiwatashi joined the idol groupKarat in December 2013,[3] leaving the group seven months later in July 2014.[4] She joinedAKB48 in May 2015 as part of the second AKB48 Group Draft.[5][6] She used the nickname "Hīwatan" (ひーわたん) while a member of AKB48. She announced on 8 November 2019 she was leavingAKB48 Team B, with her final official public appearance being at a graduation performance on 28 November 2019.[5] At that time, she stated she wanted have a career in the television industry.[5]
The March 2016 single,Kimi wa Melody, debuted at No. 1 on the weeklyOricon singles chart.[7] In May 2017,Negaigoto no Mochigusare debuted at No. 1 on both the Oricon andBillboard Japan Hot 100 weekly singles charts.[8][9] The September 2019,Sustainable, single debuted at No. 1 on both Oricon and Billboard Japan weekly singles charts,[10][11] and was the best selling single for 2019 in Japan.[12]
The albumBokutachi wa, Ano Hi no Yoake o Shitteiru was No. 1 on both Oricon and Billboard Japan weekly album charts. It was also certified double platinum by theRIAJ.[13]
