Meet The Japanese K-pop Girl Group Honey Popcorn!
Throughout the years, we have seen how much K-pop’s popularity has grown all over the world. So, it is no wonder that the definition of a K-pop group became not limited to the ‘all-Korean-members’ only. Honey Popcorn is certainly a K-pop girl group from South Korea. But what makes this group unique is that there are five members who all come from Japan (yes, not just two or three, but all members are Japanese). Honey Popcorn consists of five members, which are Yua Mikami, Moko Sakura, Nako Miyase, Ruka Tajima, and Sara Izumi.
Interesting, right? So are you ready to dive deep into the sea of information we have prepared for you about this Japanese K-pop group? If so, scroll down this article below to find out!
Honey Popcorn’s Profile
Group Name: Honey Popcorn
Current status: active
Debut date: March 21st, 2018
Debut track: Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo
Current members: Yua Mikami, Moko Sakura, Nako Miyase, Ruka Tajima, and Sara Izumi
Former member: Miko Matsuda
Label: Kyun Create
Official Accounts:
Twitter: @HONEYPOPCORN1
Instagram: @honey_popcorn314
YouTube: Honey Popcorn
Yua Mikami
Profile
Stage Name: Yua (유아)
Birth Name: Momona Kitō, known as Yua Mikami (三上悠亜)
Position: Leader, Main Vocalist, Visual, Lead Dancer
Date of Birth: August 16th, 1993
Zodiac: Leo
Height: 159 cm (5’3″)
Weight: –
Blood Type: A
Nationality: Japanese
Twitter: @yua_mikami
Instagram: @yua_mikami
YouTube: Mikami Yua
Facts
- Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan is her place of birth
- Yua-chan and Yuanya are her nicknames
- Before joining Honey Popcorn, she used to be a member of a Japanese supergroup
- After becoming an adult artist, she joined as a member of Gravure idol group Ebisu Muscats
Moko Sakura
Profile
Stage Name: Moko (모코)
Birth Name: Ito Yuu, known as Moko Sakura (桜もこ)
Position: Vocalist
Date of Birth: March 19th, 1991
Zodiac: Pisces
Height: 153 cm (5’0″)
Weight: –
Blood Type: B
Nationality: Japanese
Instagram: @mokochan319
Twitter: @moko_sakura3
Facts
- Saitama, Japan, is her place of birth
- She used to be a member of the Japanese group Bakusute Sotokanda Icchome
Sara
Profile
Stage Name: Sara
Position: Lead Vocalist, Visual, Rapper
Twitter: @sara_izumi_
Instagram: @sara_izumi
Facts
- She joined the group in June 2019
Ruka
Profile
Stage Name: Ruka
Name: Ruka Tajima
Position: Vocalist
Date of Birth: 1996
Blood Type: A
Facts
- She joined the group in June 2019
- Doing yoga is her hobby
- She is really good at swimming
- She found about Honey Popcorn’s audition because she had been following Yua’s Twitter account beforehand
Nako Miyase
Profile
Stage Name: Nako
Birth Name: Nako Miyase
Position: Lead Vocalist, Rapper, Main Dancer, Maknae
Date of Birth: 1997
Blood Type: 0
Instagram: @nakorin_official
Twitter: @nakomiyase
Facts
- She joined the group in June 2019
- Before joining the group, she was a member of a Japanese underground idol group called Sherbet
- She is a gravure model
- Taking shrine tours all over Japan is her hobby
- She has been taking classical ballet classes since she was 10 years old
Miko Matsuda (Graduated)
Profile
Stage Name: Miko (미코)
Birth Name: Okada Risako, known as Miko Matsuda ( 松田美子)
Position: Main Dancer, Lead Vocalist, Maknae
Date of Birth: October 28th, 1995
Zodiac: Scorpio
Height: 157 cm (5’2″)
Weight: –
Blood Type: B
Nationality: Japanese
Instagram: @miko_m1028
Twitter: @miko__m1028
Facts
- Osaka, Japan, is her hometown
- She used to be a member of the Japanese supergroup NMB48, using the name Yoshiko Matsuda
- She is also a Gravure idol in Japan
- When asked about a K-pop singer she’d like to meet, she mentioned that she’d like to meet TWICE members
- She announced her graduation from the group on December 22nd, 2018
- It was reported that her health was the main reason for her ‘graduation’ as she talked about the harsh environment of being a K-pop idol and her poor physical condition
Honey Popcorn’s Debut Era
Honey Popcorn debuted with three members only (Yua Mikami, Moko Sakura, and a former member, Miko Matsuda) on March 21st, 2018, with the release of the album Bibidi Babidi Boo. Prior to their debut, the three members had already been known as members of Japanese idol groups with Mikami Yua being a member of SKE48, Matsuda Miko being a member of NMB48, and Moto Sakura being a former member of Bakusute Sotokanda Icchome.
Not only that, but the three members have also been known as former adult videos (AV) stars in Japan. Thus, when the news of their debut was first released, it drew a lot of controversies in Korea.
Previously, the group was scheduled to debut on March 14th, 2018; however, it had to be postponed because of the strong rejection from South Korean netizens who sent petitions to the Blue House. The petition contains a rejection of Honey Popcorn’s debut in Korea, mainly because of the members’ previous backgrounds.
Because this is the first time an AV idol has debuted in a K-pop country, it has made some Korean music lovers furious. Even when Yua Mikami posted a picture of their upcoming debut showcase, her Instagram was immediately attacked by K-pop music fans. Their comments on average contained a negative tone, satire, even name-calling the idol.
But, despite all the hate and rejection, the group managed to debut on March 21st, 2018, with the release of a mini-album and track titled Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo.
Not only that, but Honey Popcorn also held a debut showcase on the same day. Reporting from Soompi, on March 22nd, 2018, the three young girls expressed their gratitude and joy to debut as K-pop idols in their showcase.
“It feels like I haven’t debuted yet. I’m very happy. The teaser was released at midnight yesterday and I was very nervous. I couldn’t sleep and I watched it many times,” Yua said.
They also addressed their controversial background in South Korea.
“It’s true that we are adult film actresses in Japan, and it is a job that we are doing in earnest. But, now, we want to focus on our activities as Honey Popcorn,” added Yua.
“While preparing for our debut, I had expected that there would be pros and cons due to the difference in Japanese and Korean culture. But because many people supported us, I wanted to work harder to meet the public’s expectations,” Miko added.
Even until they debuted, the pros and cons were still happening, especially among South Korean netizens. Korean netizens fear that Honey Popcorn will damage the image of the K-pop world in the eyes of the world.
Here are some responses from Korean netizens to Honey Popcorn’s debut, which have been quoted from Netizenbuzz:
“Why should we accept adult film actresses who can’t even debut in their own country? Are they trying to ruin the K-pop image? Go back to your country.”
“Do they really think we don’t know that this is just a means of getting the K-pop group title so they can go back to exploiting the adult film industry in Japan?”
“The Japanese music market is bigger, why do you want to work in Korea?”
