| Tomomi Itano | |||
| Native Name: | 板野 友美 | ||
| Native Name Lang: | ja | ||
| Birth Date: | 3 July 1991[1] | ||
| Birth Place: | Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture | ||
| Alias: | Tomochin (ともちん)[2] | ||
| Years Active: | 2005–present | ||
| Module: |
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| Signature: | Signature Tomomi Itano.png | ||
| Family: | Narumi Itano (younger sister) | ||
| Children: | 1 | ||
is a Japanese recording artist, songwriter, dancer, model, and actress. She is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. 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).
In 2005, Itano joined the Japanese idol girl group AKB48[3] 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.[4] In early 2010, she played Shibuya in AKB48's TV Tokyo drama Majisuka Gakuen.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7] 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).[8]
On February 1, 2013, during an AKB48 stage greeting, Itano announced she was leaving the group.[9] She released her fourth solo single, "1%", on June 12.[10] 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.[11] Itano had her farewell "graduation" ceremony at the Tokyo Dome on August 25,[12] [13] [14] and a follow-up performance on August 27 at the AKB48 Theater;[15] [16] the performance was streamed live by Nico Nico Namahousou.[17] 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".
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."[18]
In July 2014, Tomomi Itano made her U.S. performance debut at Union Square in San Francisco for J-POP Summit Festival 2014.[19]
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 place in Shanghai and Tokyo is ongoing. The film is expected for a release in Spring 2016 in three countries.
| Title | Release date | Chart positions | Sales (Oricon) | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oricon Weekly Singles Chart | Billboard Japan Hot 100 [20] | RIAJ Digital Track Chart *[21] | First week | Total | |||
| "Dear J"[22] | January 26, 2011 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 162,871 | 216,781 | Swag |
| [23] [24] | July 13, 2011 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 90,103 | 115,497 | |
| April 26, 2012 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 72,911 | 94,059 | ||
| June 12, 2013 | 4 | 4 | 44,630 | 56,094 < | --- * "1%[Dance Trial Edit]" (2013.05.15) ---> | ||
| "Little"[25] | February 5, 2014 | 3 | 14 | 34,037 | 42,497 | ||
| "COME PARTY!" | December 17, 2014 | 6 | 12 | 15,058 | 19,500 | Get Ready | |
| "Gimme Gimme Luv" | July 1, 2015 | 6 | 17 | 14,803 | |||
| "HIDE & SEEK" | April 20, 2016 | 11 | 38 | 9,019 | |||
| [26] | May 17, 2017 | 11 | Non-album singles | ||||
| "Just As I Am" | February 28, 2018 | 17 | |||||
| February 13, 2019 | 29 | ||||||
| Year | data-sort-type="number" | No. | Title < | --- title of A-side single ----> | Role[27] | Notes < | --- add other tracks that she participated in, references ----> |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.[28] 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;[29] [30] 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;[31] 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.[32] [33] 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[34] | Also sang on "How Come?" as Team K. | ||||
| 32 | "Koisuru Fortune Cookie" | A-side | Ranked 11th in 2013 General Election.[35] 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. |