Up Up Girls (Kari) and Yoshikawa Mayu held a joint release event at Tower Records Kinshicho Parco in Tokyo on Wednesday, March 3th.
On March 3th, Up Up Girls (Kari) announced that Furuya Yurika, Suzuki Meina, Koyama Seiryu, and Sumita Yuuka had graduated, and that they would continue their activities with a new lineup that included Aoyagi Yume and a new member. On March 24th, the day of the event, solo artist Yoshikawa Mayu released her 3th single, "Sakura no Shiori". Yoshikawa is a former member of Up Up Girls (26), and her relationship with Up Up Girls (Kari) is that of senior and junior in the Up Up Girls group (Yoshikawa is the senior). This event will be Up Up Girls (Kari)'s first stage after announcing the graduation of its members, and Yoshikawa's first opportunity to perform her new single, "Sakura no Shiori".
Amidst a large audience, Up Up Girls (Kari) appeared on stage. Furuya spoke on behalf of the graduating members, saying, "It was announced the other day that Furuya Yurika, Suzuki Meina, Koyama Seiryu, and Sumita Yuuka will be graduating from Up Up Girls (Kari) in May. There's only a little over a month left, but we really surprised everyone with this sudden announcement. In the time we have left, we want to do our best to entertain you all, take your feelings to heart, and give back more than twice as much. We want to keep making Up Up Girls (Kari)'s live shows exciting, so please support us until the very end!"
Aoyagi, who has decided to remain in the group and create a new group, Up Up Girls (Kari), said, "Up Up Girls (Kari) will continue to work with Aoyagi Yume and a new member...I wonder if it's okay?", drawing laughter from the audience. "I do feel like I might be okay, but I have no choice but to do it. I'm someone who can do it, so leave it to me everyone!" she said, adding, "Even if I can't graduate from university, Up Up Girls (Kari) won't graduate yet!" and "Aoyagi Yume and Up Up Girls (Kari) will continue to work hard from now on, so please support us!" She joked about being in her sixth year of university, and spoke of her enthusiasm for the future, which drew thunderous applause from the audience.
Upaga (Kari) started the live with "Again!", a rap about getting back up again and again. The audience watched the members singing with raw emotion. The next song, "SAKURA DRIVE", was a song about graduation. The lyrics, which were written about the loneliness of parting and positive thoughts that seemed to sync with the current members' feelings, were delivered by the girls with a refreshing melody, and the venue was filled with a tearful atmosphere. However, Aoyagi shouted, "Isn't it a bit too sad? Let's shout more!", and the girls hit "Uppercut!" with hot tension. They performed the emotional rock number "Alstroemeria", and in "Idol Road Be Dash!!", the performance mixed with the group gymnastics that is synonymous with the five-member lineup, and excited the audience.
Four years and three months have passed since the current five members joined Up Up Girls (Kari). The combination of the five members and their individual appeal to the audience are at their peak. Up Up Girls (Kari) will hold their 5th anniversary live "Up Up Girls (Kari) 4th Anniversary LIVE ~ It's Up To Me With Love From the Heart ~" at RUIDO in Harajuku on May 3rd, and their last one-man live with the current lineup "Up Up Girls (Kari) Anniversary LIVE FOREVER YOUNG ~ Each Life is the Right Answer! ~" at the Airship Theater on May 5th. In order to bring the current lineup to a beautiful end, the five members are full of energy to further polish the passionate, intense and fun performance of Up Up Girls (Kari). Finally, they sang the ska number "FOREVER YOUNG" that conveys their desire to keep working hard, and closed the live by creating a passionate sense of unity with the audience.
Next, Yoshikawa appeared on stage and entertained the audience with the rap tune "BABAHERA" that represents Akita. Here, she debuted her new song "Sakura no Shiori". "Sakura no Shiori" is a number full of spring emotion, produced by Karappo Peperoncino. Yoshikawa said, "Sakura no Shiori is a song with the theme of separation and starting anew. Today, everyone in Upaga (Kari) is graduating, so it may be a song that resonates with everyone. But, like everyone in Upaga (Kari), I think it's a song that can push the backs of those who are trying to take a new step with their memories in their hearts." Yoshikawa sang the sad and fleeting lyrics where the past and the future intersect with emotion, and captured the hearts of the audience.
Furthermore, Yoshikawa performed the graduation song "End Roll" provided by Karappo Peperoncino during her time as a member of Up Up Girls (2). After conveying the emotion and emotion, Yoshikawa sang the up-tempo numbers "Love Rescue" and "Overwhelming Star", heating up the venue.
The event was a live performance that conveyed the current power of Up Up Girls (Kari), Yoshikawa's singing expression, and each member's charm. Currently, Up Up Girls (Kari) is holding the "Up Up Girls (Kari) New Member Audition 2025", and auditions for the Up Up Girls group's new project "UP UP NEW AGE Neo Age" are also being held at the same time. Please keep an eye on the future activities of Up Up Girls (Kari) and Mayu Yoshikawa, who continue to change and evolve.
After the event, Aoyagi and Yoshikawa from Up Up Girls (Kari) made comments.
Regarding directly informing the fans of the four members' graduation, Aoyagi said, "I feel like I've finally been able to tell everyone directly. It may sound strange, but personally, I feel like if I hadn't said anything, I might have been able to turn back, but I'm really worried that I've reached a point where I can't turn back. But today, a fan of another member said to me, "As long as Yume-chan is staying, I'll keep going to Up Up Girls (Kari)'s concerts!" and I felt like that was a big support for me. So I thought that I won't be alone from now on. I think that all the fans will carry the feelings of the graduating members on their shoulders, so I thought that from now on, we should all work hard together as an Up Up Girls family." He spoke frankly about his worries and positive thoughts.
When asked how they will feel about working in the period leading up to their final one-man concert as a five-member group on May 5th, Aoyagi said, "We are truly the strongest five members, so in the remaining time of just over a month, I want to let the Up-Front Girls spirit explode even more. The lyrics of "Again!" say, "Laugh until the very last second," so I definitely want to end with a smile. I want the next month or so to be a time to tell future generations that "we five were the strongest and the best!" And I think that at our final one-man concert, all of the members will shine brighter than ever before. So please come and see us!" she said, enthusiastically about her future aspirations.
Next, Yoshikawa was asked about her impressions of performing her new song "Sakura no Shiori" for the first time. She said, "The first performance is really nerve-wracking. This song is by Karappo Peperoncino, who has been writing songs for me since I was in Up Up Girls (3). This time, they wrote a song about spring meetings and partings in a fleeting and sad way. But it's also a very positive song. It's been almost three years since I graduated from Up Up Girls (XNUMX) and went solo. So I sang the song with the image of someone who has become more positive as described in the lyrics." She revealed that she sang the song from her current perspective.
When asked about the graduation of the members of Up Up Girls (Kari), Yoshikawa said, "I often talk with Hime (Furuya), but I was surprised that she decided to graduate, and even more so when I heard that it was four people at the same time. However, everyone has been working hard with the name Up Up Girls (Kari) on their backs, so I hope they will use that as fuel and work hard with the Up Up Girls spirit on the road ahead." To Aoyagi, who will continue to work hard as Up Up Girls (Kari), Yoshikawa cheered her on, saying, "I want Yume-chan to work really hard, but I think it's going to be really hard. So I want to tell her not to work too hard and rely on a lot of people. I think that Up Up Girls (4), myself, and many other people around you will support you. So I want you to work hard at your own pace without rushing, and rebuild a new Up Up Girls (Kari) and make it into a big group."
YU-M Entertainment Official Site https://yum-e.jp/
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