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Biography
Tomomi Itano (板野 友美, Itano Tomomi, born July 3, 1991 in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture) is a Japanese actress and singer. She is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. Her talent agent is Horipro. In 2011 she debuted solo with a single titled "Dear J", which was followed the same year by "Fui ni" (number 1 in Japan), and later by "10nen Go no Kimi e" (2012) and "1%" (2013).
Life and career
2005-2013: Early career beginnings and AKB48
In 2005, Itano joined the Japanese idol girl group AKB48 as part of the first team, Team A. She also modeled for the women's fashion magazine Cawaii!, and released her first photo book titled T.O.M.O.row in April 2009. In early 2010, she played Shibuya in AKB48's TV Tokyo drama Majisuka Gakuen. She had a recurring role on Kamen Rider W as Queen, alongside fellow AKB48 performer Tomomi Kasai, until the show ended in late 2010. Together, they made up the sub-unit Queen & Elizabeth. In AKB48's 2010 general election, she placed fourth overall.
Itano released her first single, "Dear J", on January 26, 2011. It reached number 1 on the Oricon daily ranking and number 2 on the Oricon weekly ranking, selling 204,981 copies. In April, she reprised her role as Shibuya in Majisuka Gakuen 2. Her first digital single "Wanna Be Now" reached number 2 on Recochoku's daily charts and number 6 on the weekly charts. She placed eighth overall in AKB48's 2011 general election held in June. Her second single, "Fui ni", was released on July 13 and sold 90,103 copies, and reached number one on the Oricon weekly chart.
In 2012, Itano was cited as the "Queen of TV commercials" for having more contracts with companies than any other female tarento (although her count of 20 was technically a tie with those of fellow AKB48 member Mariko Shinoda).
2013: Graduation from AKB48 and new beginnings
On February 1, 2013, during an AKB48 stage greeting, Itano announced she was leaving the group. She released her fourth solo single, "1%", on June 12. The title track was used in television commercials for Samantha Vega. The music video was shot in New York, and includes an appearance by the American actress and model Taylor Momsen. Itano had her farewell "graduation" ceremony at the Tokyo Dome on August 25, and a follow-up performance on August 27 at the AKB48 Theater; the performance was streamed live by Nico Nico Namahousou. Her graduation song is "Saigo no Door", which was released as a B-side on one of the editions of AKB48's single "Koisuru Fortune Cookie".
2014 - present: Solo Career Success
In an interview with Japanese entertainment website Nihongogo, Itano shared her thoughts on transitioning to a solo artist "In a group you perform as a unit with each member playing a certain character role, however as a solo artist you have to be able to play all the roles at once. You have to take on the roles of being cool, sexy, and cute and although it’s definitely a challenge, it’s something I have to strive for achieving."
In July 2014, Tomomi Itano made her U.S. performance debut at Union Square in San Francisco for J-POP Summit Festival 2014.
Tomomi Itano has been cast the lead role of a Japanese foreign student based in China alongside Taiwanese singer-actor Dino Lee in the Chinese romance movie Raincoat (雨衣), as revealed in a press conference the duo appeared in on 29 September 2015. The projected 2-month filming period for the movie that takes in Shanghai and Tokyo is ongoing. The film is expected for a release in Spring 2016 in three countries.
Discography
Solo albums
- S×W×A×G (July 2, 2014)
- Get Ready (November 2, 2016)
Solo singles
| Title | Release date | Chart positions | Sales (Oricon) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oricon Weekly Singles Chart | Billboard Japan Hot 100 | RIAJ Digital Track Chart * | First week | Total | ||
| "Dear J" | January 26, 2011 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 162,871 | 216,781 |
| "Fui ni" (ふいに, "Unexpectedly") | July 13, 2011 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 90,103 | 115,497 |
| "10nen Go no Kimi e" (10年後の君へ Jūnen Go no Kimi e, "To You, After 10 Years") | April 26, 2012 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 72,911 | 94,059 |
| "1%" (Ichi Pāsento, "One Percent") | June 12, 2013 | 4 | 4 | 44,630 | 56,094 | |
| "Little" | February 5, 2014 | 3 | 34,037 | 42,497 | ||
| "COME PARTY!" | December 17, 2014 | 6 | 15,058 | 19,500 | ||
| "Gimme Gimme Luv" | July 1, 2015 | 6 | 14,803 | |||
| "HIDE & SEEK" | April 20, 2016 | 11 | 9,019 | |||
* RIAJ Digital Track Chart was cancelled in July 2012.
Additional digital singles
- "Wanna Be Now" (May 11, 2011)
- "Ai ni Pierce" (愛にピアス Ai ni Piasu, "Pierced in Love") (June 1, 2011)
- "Clone" (March 28, 2012)
Singles with AKB48
AKB48
| Year | No. | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Ind-1 | "Sakura no Hanabiratachi" | A-side | Debut with Team A. |
| Ind-2 | "Skirt, Hirari" | A-side | ||
| 1 | "Aitakatta" | A-side | ||
| 2007 | 2 | "Seifuku ga Jama o Suru" | A-side | |
| 3 | "Keibetsu Shiteita Aijō" | A-side | ||
| 4 | "Bingo!" | A-side | ||
| 5 | "Boku no Taiyō" | A-side | ||
| 6 | "Yūhi o Miteiru ka?" | A-side | ||
| 2008 | 7 | "Romance, Irane" | A-side | |
| 8 | "Sakura no Hanabiratachi 2008" | A-side | ||
| 9 | "Baby! Baby! Baby!" | A-side | ||
| 10 | "Ōgoe Diamond" | A-side | ||
| 2009 | 11 | "10nen Sakura" | A-side | |
| 12 | "Namida Surprise!" | A-side | ||
| 13 | "Iiwake Maybe" | A-side | Ranked 7th in 2009 General Election. | |
| 14 | "River" | A-side | ||
| 2010 | 15 | "Sakura no Shiori" | A-side | Debut with Team K. Also sang on "Majisuka Rock 'n' Roll". |
| 16 | "Ponytail to Shushu" | A-side | Also sang on "Majijo Teppen Blues" | |
| 17 | "Heavy Rotation" | A-side | Ranked 4th in 2010 General Election. Also sang on "Yasai Sisters" and "Lucky Seven". | |
| 18 | "Beginner" | A-side | ||
| 19 | "Chance no Junban" | B-side | Did not sing on title track; lineup was determined by rock-paper-scissors tournament. Sang on "Yoyakushita Christmas"; and "Alive" with Team K. | |
| 2011 | 20 | "Sakura no Ki ni Narō" | A-side | |
| – | "Dareka no Tame ni – What can I do for someone?" | – | charity single | |
| 21 | "Everyday, Katyusha" | A-side | Also sang on "Korekara Wonderland" and "Yankee Soul". | |
| 22 | "Flying Get" | A-side, Yasai Sisters 2011 | Ranked 8th in 2011 General Election. Also sang on "Seishun to Kizukanai Mama"; "Yasai Uranai" as Yasai Sisters 2011; and "Ice no Kuchizuke". | |
| 23 | "Kaze wa Fuiteiru" | A-side | ||
| 24 | "Ue kara Mariko" | B-side | Did not sing on title track; lineup was determined by rock-paper-scissors tournament; She sang on "Noël no Yoru"; and on "Zero-sum Taiyō" as Team K. | |
| 2012 | 25 | "Give Me Five!" | A-side (Baby Blossom), Selection 6 | Played shaker in Baby Blossom; She also sang on "Sweet & Bitter" as Selection 6. |
| 26 | "Manatsu no Sounds Good!" | A-side | Also sang on "Choudai, Darling!" | |
| 27 | "Gingham Check" | A-side | Ranked 8th in 2012 General Election. Also sang on "Yume no Kawa". | |
| 28 | "Uza" | A-side, New Team K | Also sang on "Scrap & Build" as New Team K. | |
| 29 | "Eien Pressure" | A-side | Placed 13th in rock-paper-scissors tournament. Sang on "Totteoki Christmas" | |
| 2013 | 30 | "So Long!" | A-side | Also sang on "Yuuhi Marie" as Team K. |
| 31 | "Sayonara Crawl" | A-side, Center | Also sang on "How Come?" as Team K. | |
| 32 | "Koisuru Fortune Cookie" | A-side | Ranked 11th in 2013 General Election. Also sang on "Namida no Sei Janai" and "Saigo no Door", the latter of which was her graduation song. | |
| 2016 | 43 | "Kimi wa Melody" | A-side | Marked as the 10th Anniversary Single. Participated as graduated member. |
Theater performances
With AKB48
- Team A 1st Stage "Party ga Hajimaruyo" (Partyが始まるよ)
- Skirt, Hirari (2nd Unit) (スカートひらり)
- Hoshi no Ondo (1st Unit) (星の温度)
- Team A 2nd Stage "Aitakatta" (会いたかった)
- Nageki no Figure (嘆きのフィギュア)
- Garasu no I Love You (ガラスのI Love You)
- Senaka Kara Dakishimete (背中から抱きしめて)
- Rio no Kakumei (リオの革命)
- Team A 3rd Stage "Dareka no Tameni" (誰かのために)
- Nage Kissu de Uchiotose! (投げキッスで撃ち落とせ！)
- Seifuku ga Jama osuru (制服が邪魔をする)
- Team A 4th Stage "Tadaima Rennai Chū" (ただいま恋愛中)
- Faint
- Himawarigumi 1st Stage "Boku no Taiyō" (僕の太陽)
- Itoshisa no defence (愛しさのdefence)
- Idol Nante Yobanaide (アイドルなんて呼ばないで)
- Himawarigumi 2nd Stage "Yumewo Shinaseru Wakeni Ikanai" (夢を死なせるわけにいかない)
- Confession
- Team A 5th Stage "Rennai Kinshi Jōrei" (恋愛禁止条例)
- Tsundere! (ツンデレ！)
- Team K 6th Stage "Reset"
- Seifuku Resistance (制服レジスタンス)
As AKB48 subunits
- Honegumi from AKB48
- Natto Angels
- Queen & Elizabeth
- Team Dragon from AKB48
- AKB Idoling !! !
Filmography
Movies
- Densen Uta (2007)
- Ai Ryutsu Centre (2008)
- Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider W & Decade: Movie War 2010 (2009) as Queen
- Kamen Rider W Forever: A to Z/The Gaia Memories of Fate (2010) as Queen
- Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider OOO & W Featuring Skull: Movie War Core (2010) as Queen
- All Esper Dayo! / Eiga Minna! Esupa Dayo! / The Virgin Psychics (2015) as Eri
- The Stare (2016)
- Raincoat (2016)
Dramas
- Kamen Rider W (TV Asahi, 2009) (as Queen)
- Majisuka Gakuen (TV Tokyo, 2010) (as Shibuya)
- Sakura kara no Tegami (NTV, 2011) (as herself)
- Majisuka Gakuen 2 (TV Tokyo, 2011) (as Shibuya)
- Bad Boys J (NTV, 2013) (as Nakai Kaori)
Radio
- AKB48 Ashita made Mou Chotto (明日までもうちょっと。) (2007-10-15, JOQR-AM)
- TomoTomo no Yagi-san, Oide (ともとものヤギさん、おいで～♪) (2008-04-07 – present, JOKR-AM)
- AKB48 no All Night Nippon (AKB48のオールナイトニッポン7) (2010-04-09 –, JOLF-AM)