Yui Hiwatashi (樋渡結依, Hiwatashi Yui, born 30 April 2000 in Saitama Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese idol and former member of the groups AKB48 and Karat. She is represented by the talent agency AKS.
Yui Hiwatashi
樋渡結依
| |
|---|---|
| Born | (2000-04-30) April 30, 2000 (age 24) Saitama Prefecture, Japan |
| Genres | J-pop |
| Occupation(s) | Japanese idol |
| Years active | 2006–present |
Multiples of her singles with AKB48 have reached No. 1 on Oricon and Billboard Japan charts, and Sustainable was the number one selling single in Japan in 2019. The album Bokutachi wa, Ano Hi no Yoake o Shitteiru was certified double platinum by the RIAJ.
Hiwatashi was born on 30 April 2000 in Saitama Prefecture, Japan.[1]
Hiwatashi's first professional works were two "Kids' Challenge English" commercials—in November 2006 and April 2007—for the correspondence education company Benesse.[2] She has appeared in commercials since 2006 for a variety of products from companies such as Lion, Varsan, the Bank of Kyoto, Lotte, Johnson & Johnson (for Band-Aid), Gaitame.com, McDonald's, Fujicco, Mynavi, and Akashi School Uniform Company, as well as commercials for the television anime series Smile PreCure!, DokiDoki! PreCure, and HappinessCharge PreCure!.[2]
Hiwatashi joined the idol group Karat in December 2013,[3] leaving the group seven months later in July 2014.[4] She joined AKB48 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 leaving AKB48 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 weekly Oricon singles chart.[7] In May 2017, Negaigoto no Mochigusare debuted at No. 1 on both the Oricon and Billboard 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 album Bokutachi 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 the RIAJ.[13]