# Sakura Miyawaki (宮脇咲良)
**Sakura Miyawaki** (宮脇咲良, born 1998) is a Japanese singer from [Kagoshima Prefecture](https://www.edgepedia.org/kagoshima-prefecture) who has debuted three times as an idol: as a first-generation member of the Fukuoka-based group HKT48 in 2011, as a member of the Korean-Japanese group IZ*ONE in 2018, and as SAKURA in the South Korean girl group LE SSERAFIM in 2022.[1](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2233560/full/) • [2](https://www.akb48.co.jp/sousenkyo_45th/member_detail.php?key=miyawaki_sakura) She is currently under HYBE's label SOURCE MUSIC.[3](https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/604819/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1998, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan; blood type A; nickname "Sakura"[2](https://www.akb48.co.jp/sousenkyo_45th/member_detail.php?key=miyawaki_sakura) |
| HKT48 | Passed the 1st-generation audition in July 2011; major debut March 2013 with "Suki! Suki! Skip!"; graduated 19 June 2021[1](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2233560/full/) • [4](https://www.hkt48.jp/news/2021/05/7386) |
| AKB48 positions | First senbatsu on "UZA" (October 2012); W-center of "Kibouteki Refrain" (November 2014) with Watanabe Mayu; solo center of "Kimi wa Melody" (March 2016)[3](https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/604819/) |
| General elections | 47th in 2012, 26th in 2013, 11th in 2014, 7th in 2015[2](https://www.akb48.co.jp/sousenkyo_45th/member_detail.php?key=miyawaki_sakura) |
| Produce 48 / IZ*ONE | Placed 2nd in the 2018 audition show; IZ*ONE member from October 2018 to 29 April 2021[1](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2233560/full/) |
| LE SSERAFIM | Debuted 2 May 2022 with the EP *FEARLESS* as a member of HYBE's first girl group[1](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2233560/full/) • [5](https://www.le-sserafim.jp/profile) |
| Songwriting | Co-wrote IZ*ONE's "Yummy Summer" and LE SSERAFIM's "Blue Flame", "No Celestial", "Impurities", and "Good Parts (when the quality is bad but I am)"[6](https://www.elle.com/jp/culture/music-art-book/g34365065/izone-sakura-miyawaki-interview-201021/) • [7](https://www.tmrwmagazine.com/storage/articles/1880/index.html) |
## HKT48 and AKB48 career
Miyawaki passed HKT48's first-generation audition in July 2011 and made her major debut on the single "Suki! Suki! Skip!" in March 2013.[1](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2233560/full/) Her first appearance in AKB48's senbatsu, the selected lineup for a single, came in October 2012 on "UZA".[3](https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/604819/) In 2014 a concurrent position in AKB48 was announced, and in November of that year she served as the double center, alongside Watanabe Mayu, on AKB48's single "Kibouteki Refrain".[3](https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/604819/) In March 2016 she was chosen as the solo center of "Kimi wa Melody", the single marking AKB48's tenth anniversary.[1](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2233560/full/)
The AKB48 general election, an annual fan-vote ranking that determines single lineups, tracked her rise: 47th place in 2012, 26th in 2013, 11th in 2014, and 7th in 2015.[2](https://www.akb48.co.jp/sousenkyo_45th/member_detail.php?key=miyawaki_sakura) Outside music she starred in the drama *Majisuka Gakuen 4* in January 2015, co-starring with Shimazaki Haruka, and released her first photobook, *Sakura*, in July 2015; it reached number 1 on Oricon's weekly photobook chart.[3](https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/604819/)
## Produce 48 and IZ*ONE
In 2018 Miyawaki joined *Produce 48*, a collaboration between the Korean channel Mnet and the AKB48 group that combined the two countries' idol systems. She finished second in the viewer vote and was selected for IZ*ONE, a 12-member group of nine Korean and three Japanese members formed through the show.[1](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2233560/full/) • [6](https://www.elle.com/jp/culture/music-art-book/g34365065/izone-sakura-miyawaki-interview-201021/) The group debuted in Korea on 29 October 2018 with the album *COLOR*IZ*, which set a record for a Korean girl group debut album and reached number 1 on download charts in ten countries.[8](https://s.mxtv.jp/company/press/press2019_70001.pdf)
IZ*ONE was a temporary group with a fixed 2.5-year term. Its activities ended on 29 April 2021 as originally planned.[1](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2233560/full/) During this period Miyawaki also began songwriting: "Yummy Summer", on IZ*ONE's first Japanese album, had lyrics she wrote herself, and she described the song as showing a side of herself as a writer rather than only a performer.[6](https://www.elle.com/jp/culture/music-art-book/g34365065/izone-sakura-miyawaki-interview-201021/)
## Graduation from HKT48 and move to HYBE
On 15 May 2021, shortly after IZ*ONE's disbandment, Miyawaki announced her graduation from HKT48 during a streamed program. Her graduation concert was held on 19 June 2021, ending roughly ten years with the group.[4](https://www.hkt48.jp/news/2021/05/7386) • [1](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2233560/full/) In March 2022 she announced on Instagram that she had signed an exclusive contract with SOURCE MUSIC, a label under the Korean entertainment company HYBE.[1](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2233560/full/)
## LE SSERAFIM
LE SSERAFIM debuted on 2 May 2022 with the EP *FEARLESS*, making Miyawaki's third idol debut, this time as a rookie in Korea rather than an established star.[1](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2233560/full/) The group was the first girl group launched by HYBE, and its name is an anagram of "I'M FEARLESS".[5](https://www.le-sserafim.jp/profile) The lineup of five members, SAKURA, KIM CHAEWON, HUH YUNJIN, KAZUHA, and HONG EUNCHAE, is multinational.[5](https://www.le-sserafim.jp/profile) For her activities in Japan as an individual, she signed a management contract with A.M.Entertainment.[1](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2233560/full/)
Within LE SSERAFIM she has continued writing, co-writing songs including "Blue Flame", "No Celestial", "Impurities", and "Good Parts (when the quality is bad but I am)".[7](https://www.tmrwmagazine.com/storage/articles/1880/index.html) In April 2024 the group performed at Coachella less than two years after debut, the shortest interval from debut to that festival for a K-pop artist at the time, though the performance drew criticism of the group's live vocals in Korean media commentary.[9](https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/70432)
## Crossing the Japanese and Korean idol systems
Miyawaki's career is a documented case of an idol moving from the Japanese 48-group system, where members grow in public with fan-voted lineups, into the Korean trainee system, where debut follows an intensive training period. In a Weverse Magazine interview after joining HYBE she described her first experience of trainee life, relearning choreography and vocals from the basics before the third debut.[10](https://encount.press/archives/309073/) In interviews during her IZ*ONE years she said that watching K-pop groups such as BLACKPINK, Red Velvet, and TWICE while active in Japan, particularly their emphasis on individuality and concept-driven music, motivated her move to Korea.[6](https://www.elle.com/jp/culture/music-art-book/g34365065/izone-sakura-miyawaki-interview-201021/)
Her trajectory through three debuts, at ages 13, 20, and 24, has made her a recurring subject of commentary on the two systems in both Japanese and Korean media.[1](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2233560/full/) • [11](https://note.com/johoyama/n/n96ec03452f10?hl=en)
## References
1. [宮脇咲良、3度目のデビュー「プレッシャーを感じています」 LE SSERAFIMが初ステージ, Oricon News (2022)](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2233560/full/)
2. [AKB48 45thシングル 選抜総選挙 立候補メンバー: 宮脇咲良, AKB48 official site](https://www.akb48.co.jp/sousenkyo_45th/member_detail.php?key=miyawaki_sakura)
3. [SAKURAのプロフィール, ORICON NEWS](https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/604819/)
4. [HKT48チームKIV 宮脇咲良 卒業発表のご報告, HKT48 official site (2021)](https://www.hkt48.jp/news/2021/05/7386)
5. [PROFILE, LE SSERAFIM OFFICIAL SITE](https://www.le-sserafim.jp/profile)
6. [宮脇咲良がIZ*ONEの活動を通して好きになれた「ありのままの自分」, ELLE Japan (2020)](https://www.elle.com/jp/culture/music-art-book/g34365065/izone-sakura-miyawaki-interview-201021/)
7. [Le Sserafim: In Conversation, TMRW Magazine](https://www.tmrwmagazine.com/storage/articles/1880/index.html)
8. [IZ*ONE press material, MXTV (2019)](https://s.mxtv.jp/company/press/press2019_70001.pdf)
9. [宮脇咲良に「プロではない」…なぜLE SSERAFIMは韓国で批判されているのか, Bungeishunju (2024)](https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/70432)
10. [3度目デビューの宮脇咲良が大変身を遂げたワケ, ENCOUNT (2022)](https://encount.press/archives/309073/)
11. [Why is Sakura Miyawaki being 'talked about' again?, note.com (Joho Yama)](https://note.com/johoyama/n/n96ec03452f10?hl=en)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › East and Southeast Asian pop scenes › K-pop and the Korean popular music scene › Artists, groups, and people: K-pop and the Korean popular music scene › Fourth- and fifth-generation idol groups › Titles P to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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