Flower

Flower promoting F (2019)

**Flower** was a Japanese dance & vocal girl group formed and managed by LDH JAPAN, signed to the label Sony Music Associated Records and part of the *E.G.family*.

Originally a four member dance unit serving as backup dancers for EXILE, Flower added two more dancers and three vocalists. The new members were selected through a nationwide talent search by LDH titled *EXILE Presents VOCAL BATTLE AUDITION 3 ~For Girls~*. They made their debut on October 12, 2011 with the single "Still".

The group disbanded on September 30, 2019.

## Members

***Main article:** Flower/Members*
* Final Line-up
* Former

Line-up at Time of Disbandment

Leader**Shigetome Manami**Performer

**Nakajima Mio**Performer

**Bando Nozomi**Performer

Former Members

* Mizuno Elina (2010-2013)
* Fujii Shuuka (2010-2017)
* Muto Chiharu (2011-2015)
* Ichiki Kyoka (2011-2016)

## History

### Pre-Debut

On April 1, 2010, EXPG (EXILE Professional Gym) recruited four girls to form a new dance unit. The four members, Mizuno Erina (leader), Fujii Shuuka, Shigetome Manami and Nakajima Mio became known as FLOWER, and they participated in EXILE music videos in addition to doing modeling work. Most notably, they served as backup dancers during *EXILE LIVE TOUR 2010 FANTASY*, alongside groups like Happiness and Dream who are also under the LDH agency. Little was actually known about the group when they mysteriously appeared on the LDH website under the category of "Artist".

On April 21, 2011, E-Girls was formed as a joint project featuring Dream, Happiness, and FLOWER. While the other two groups had vocalists, FLOWER only performed as a dance act at E-girls' shows.

In February of 2011, it was announced that EXILE would be sponsoring a nationwide talent search, titled *EXILE Presents VOCAL BATTLE AUDITION 3 ~For Girls~*, specifically aimed at young girls, aged 12 to 25. Ultimately, a final live screening of the vocal division was held at SHIBUYA-AX on May 14.

On July 26, 2011, it was announced at the event *E-Girls SHOW* held at SHIBUYA-AX in Tokyo that the winners of the *EXILE Presents VOCAL BATTLE AUDITION 3 ~For Girls~* Washio Reina, Muto Chiharu and Ichiki Kyoka would join FLOWER as vocalists while Bando Nozomi and Sato Harumi would join the group as performers, with them becoming members of E-Girls as well. Additionally, it was revealed that FLOWER would debut on October 12 with the 9-member lineup.

### 2011

On October 12, FLOWER made their major debut with their first single "Still", the title track being the audition song from the *EXILE Presents VOCAL BATTLE AUDITION 3 ~For Girls~*.

### 2012

On February 29, the group released their second single "SAKURA Regret".

On August 22, FLOWER released their third single "forget-me-not ~Wasurenagusa~".

On November 28, the group released their fourth single "Koibito ga Santa Claus".

### 2013

In June 2013, LDH announced a competition between the group and their E-girls' sister group Happiness, with them releasing a single on August 7. On the same day, it was revealed the song's name, "Taiyou to Himawari". Two weeks later after the release, it was revealed via EXILE's TV show *Shuukan EXILE*, that Flower won the battle by 3 points against 2 of Happiness. As a "reward", their song "Hatsukoi" was included on E-girls' single "Gomennasai no Kissing You".

On October 18, with the announcement of E-girls' seventh single "Kurukuru", it was also announced that Mizuno Erina would leave the group (and E-girls) but would continue on LDH as an actress.

on December 25, FLOWER released their sixth single "Shirayukihime". It is their first release as an 8-member group.

On December 26, LDH announced Shigetome Manami as new leader of the group.

### 2014

On January 22, the group released their first studio album, *Flower*.

On October 12, Muto Chiharu announced her departure from both Flower and E-girls to study abroad. The group is scheduled to release their eighth single "Akikaze no Answer", last single to include Muto, in November 12.

On December LDH announced that Flower would be releasing their 9th single, "Sayonara, Alice / TOMORROW ~Shiawase no Housoku~" on February 18, 2015. This will be Flower's first double A-side single, and also their first single without Chiharu, as seven members.

### 2015

On January, LDH announced that Flower's 2nd album, *Hanadokei*, would be released on March 4.

On February 14, during the first day of E-girls' second tour *COLORFUL WORLD*, it was announced Flower's first live tour *Flower LIVE TOUR 2015 "Hanadokei"*, to be held in 5 cities starting in June.

On October 7, Ichiki Kyoka announced her departure from both Flower and E-girls. In her graduation message, she wrote she wants to follow different paths. For the moment, Flower would continue as a 6-member group. The group released their eleventh single "Hitomi no Oku no Milky Way", first single as a 6-member group, on December 16.

### 2016

On June 1, the group released their twelfth single "Yasashisa de Afureru You ni", with its title track being a cover of singer JUJU and used for the movie *Shokubutsu Zukan ~Unmei no Koi, Hiroimashita~*.

On July 6, it was announced during E-girls' third tour *E-girls LIVE TOUR 2016 "E.G. SMILE"* in Aichi, that the group would be releasing their first best album *THIS IS Flower THIS IS BEST* on September 14.

On August 8, the group announced, during the encore of E-girls' last day of the *E.G. SMILE* tour, their second tour *Flower Theater 2016 ~THIS IS Flower~*. The tour started on October 21 and ended on December 21.

### 2017

On October 18, 2016, it was revealed on Shuukan EXILE that the group will be releasing their thirteenth single "Monochro / Colorful" on January 11, 2017. It woulf be the group's second double A-side single.

On March 8, the group announced that the group would be releasing their 14th single "MOON JELLYFISH" on April 26.

On June 3, they performed at *Viral Fest Asia 2017* in Bangkok, Thailand, as their first overseas performance.

On August 23, the group released their 15th single "Taiyou no Elegy".

On October 22, Fujii Shuuka posted a message on E.G.family mobile reporting that she got diagnosed with cervical spinal disc herniation and that she will be halting her activities for a while to recover.

On December 31, Fujii has decided to leave the group and retire from the entertainment industry.

### 2019: Disbandment

On January 23, the group released the digital single "Kurenai no Dress".

From February 22 to May 25, the group participated of E.G.family's first tour *E.G.POWER 2019 ~POWER to the DOME~*, which was also their last live activity.

On March 27, the group released their third and last album *F*.

On September 20, it was announced that Nakajima Mio was engaged to FC Machida Zelvia football player Togashi Cayman and would be expecting their first child to be born in 2020. Nakajima then announced her decision to retire from entertainment industry in order to start a new life. With the announcement from Nakajima, the group went through repeated discussions about the group's future and it was decided that the group would disband at the end of the month with the members staying on entertainment industry.

*We would like to make an important announcement regarding the future group activities of our company's artist "Flower" to all of you who have always supported them.*
*We are pleased to announce that one of the members, Nakajima Mio, is getting married and expecting a new life at the same time.*
*As a result of many discussions with the members regarding the future of Flower, each member has decided to move on to a new path, and as of this month, Flower will be disbanding.*
*We, the staff of Flower, would like to express our sincere gratitude to the members of Flower for their continuous efforts in performing at their best for the past eight years since their debut up to this day, and we will continue to do our utmost to support each member, so that they can pursue the path they desire and make plans for their development in the future.*
*We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the many people who have sent their love and support to Flower since the group's formation. We hope that you will continue to support the members as they prepare for a new start.*

September 20, 2019
LDH JAPAN

*To all the people who support E.G.family and Flower.*
*I am pleased to announce that I have entered into a marriage with my long-time boyfriend, Cayman Togashi, a soccer player from FC Machida Zelvia.*
*At the same time, I am also expecting a baby, who is finally in a stable phase and is expected to be born next year.*
*Since I started thinking about my own future as well as Flower's, I have been thinking daily about what my unique brilliance as a woman should be, and I have made the decision to leave the (entertainment) world at the end of this year and move on to a new path.*
*And although we, Flower, have been changing in many ways so far, each of us decided to take this opportunity to move on to our own path.*
*I apologize for surprising you all with this sudden announcement of so many things.*
*Flower started with four performers in 2010, and debuted with nine members after welcoming three vocalists and two performers from the EXILE Presents VOCAL BATTLE AUDITION 3 ~For Girls~. Since then, each member has lived out their life as Flower while changing the form of the group.*
*In the nine years since Flower was formed in 2010, I have had many wonderful experiences that I could not have imagined when I was 16 years old.*
*At the same time, Flower has grown little by little, transforming various emotions into expressions, and as a part of that, I have received various stimuli and hints to live by.*
*I am strongly aware that many of them are made possible by the passion and kindness of the staff of the office and record company who have always supported me, including HIRO, all the people who are involved in the creation of songs and works and live performances, and above all, everyone who loves and supports Flower.*
*Your presence has always been my number one driving force at all times. Thank you very much.*
*Flower has been discussing, hesitating, clashing, and acknowledging each other at various junctures.*
*As if to represent this, Reina, the vocalist, expressed the real feelings of Flower in the song "F" in a straightforward manner.*
*I felt as if her words were my own words, and as I continued to listen to her voice, my vague feelings gradually began to take on a clearer outline.*
*In the midst of all this, a small life in my belly gave me a great deal of courage.*
*When I talked to the members about it, everyone expressed their feelings in their own way and pushed me forward. It was also the moment when I realized once again that I was really happy to be a Flower member.*
*The group Flower may have seemed unstable from the perspective of those around us, but I am proud to say that each member has a strong will and it is the one and only group that can properly demonstrate their individuality.*
*Because of Flower, because of my friends, I was able to become something I could never have been on my own! I can't find any other words to express my gratitude for the time I was able to live as part of Flower.*
*Ma(nami), Reina, Harumi and Non(oka), thank you so much!!!*
*The rest of the members, Shigetome Manami, Washio Reina, Sato Harumi, and Bando Nozomi, will start a new path in their own way. I hope you will support us with your passion and kindness as you have in the past.*
*Flower has always been and will always be everything to Nakajima Mio.*
*Thank you very much for your support.*

*Flower has a report for everyone.*
*After many discussions with all the members, including the staff, Flower has decided to put an end to our activities as a group and go our separate ways.*
*I am sorry to have surprised you with this sudden announcement.*
*Nakajima Mio's marriage report came at a time when all the members were rethinking the shape and form of Flower's future and their individual lives, and with this happy news, we were given the opportunity to start moving forward on our respective paths.*
*In light of my own vision, I will continue to do my best mainly as a vocalist of E-girls, and at the same time, I will try my best to achieve my new goal as a solo artist to express myself differently from me in E-girls by utilizing my expressive power cultivated in Flower.*
*I am sure that everything that we have expressed as Flower has become an asset to each member's life, and that it has become an experience that will give them energy and courage in the future, and will surely lead them in the right direction.*
*I was really happy to be able to express the songs and worldview that we created in Flower to the best of my ability without regret.*
*I am proud to have started my life as an artist with such a wonderful group as Flower, to have met all the members of Flower, and to have been blessed with so many fans.*
*We have overcome many crises, and with the support of all the staff and fans, Flower has been able to come this far, but from now on, we would like to do our best to make our dreams come true and return the favor in our own ways, so please continue to support us.*
*Congratulations again, Mio-chin.*
*I wish you all the happiness in the world.*
*I'm sure someday I'll write another song with the members in mind, and when I do, I want them to be the first to hear it.*

*With Mio Nakajima's marriage and pregnancy, each of us in Flower has decided to move on to a new path.*
*I would like to take this opportunity to share my feelings with you.*

*We, Flower, debuted in 2011, and we have worked really hard until now. I really love the performances and worldview that only Flower can offer, and we had many goals that we were able to envision because we are Flower, and I want our thoughts to reach many people, so no matter what happens, we have been running with all our might.*
*The bonds and memories that we have made with our fans have pushed us forward, and this has given us the confidence that has allowed us to make it this far. I was impressed and learned a lot by spending time with the Flower members and fans, and I grew up and received many treasures in my life from Flower. It may be only eight years in a long and long life, but it was a very rich time and I am so glad that I was able to meet Flower.*
*However, I think it is natural that not everyone walks in the same future, and that each of us has our own individuality and our own future. We have come to see the goal of Flower by gathering many times over the past few months to share our dreams and goals and discuss our thoughts.*
*It was during this time that I received the news of Mio's marriage and pregnancy.*
*As a member of the group, I was very happy to hear this news, but when I thought about the group, I felt that we should move on to our own future at this time, and decided to put an end to our activities as Flower.*
*Although this is a sudden announcement to our fans, I hope that you will warmly watch over Nakajima Mio, and I will do my best to support each of them in the future.*
*Above all, I hope that you will continue to love Flower's songs.*
*Thank you very much to everyone who has come to love and support Flower.*

*I'm sorry to have surprised you with this sudden announcement.*
*As announced, we have decided to put an end to Flower's activities at the same time as member Nakajima Mio's pregnancy and marriage.*
*For some time now, each member has been thinking about the future and life. While we have had time to face the existence of the group and our individual activities, the members have talked many times with each other as well as the staff and came up with this answer.*
*We formed Flower on April 1, 2010, debuted on October 12, 2011, and have spent about 9 years as Flower.*
*Since I was a little girl, I had always wanted to be a girl version of EXILE! This was a vague dream that I had, and I continued to pursue it by attending EXPG, and upon graduating from junior high school, I moved to Tokyo, where I met Flower and started my activities.*
*My dream as an artist was to release a CD, go on a solo tour, and participate in the Kohaku Uta Gassen, and I was able to experience an unbelievable number of sights at an unbelievable speed. Looking back now, it all seems like a mirage.*
*The time so far is not easy to describe in words, but the only thing I can say with all my heart is that it's been a wonderful life as an artist!*
*The time I have spent living as an artist is an asset to my life and a memory I will never forget.*
*The group has had many encounters and farewells, but I am proud to have met such important members who have spent more time with me than my family, and who have experienced hardships and happiness with me. If I hadn't met these members, I wouldn't be where I am today, nor would I be in the future.*
*I love the members.*
*From now on, the five of us will walk toward our own future, not as a group. I know the future that each of us envisions will not be an easy one, but we will make good use of the experiences and encounters we have had so far as we move forward.*
*I, too, will do my best to provide you with the entertainment that I can as an expressive artist.*
*Thank you very much for your support and love over the past nine years. Meeting Flower and all the fans is a treasure that I will cherish forever.*
*And although the form will change, please continue to support the five of us.*
*I hope that the songs and works of Flower that we have loved will continue to be loved by everyone...*

*I'm really sorry to have surprised you all with this sudden report.*
*I debuted at the age of 13 and have been active as (a member of) Flower for about 8 years, and with the support of many people, I have been working with a strong feeling of not letting myself down.*
*As I got older, I began to think about what I wanted to accomplish in my future life and what kind of person I could become.*
*Also, as I have been working for a team called Flower, I have felt that everyone, the many staff members and members, have a great power, but I also began to wonder if there was anything I could do on my own.*
*I confided my worries to everyone, and when we were discussing the future together, there was a report of Mio's marriage and pregnancy. I was very surprised and didn't know what to say to her, but when I heard from her that she was happy, I realized that there is such a thing as being happy as if it were me. At the same time, I was convinced that it was time for us to move on to the next step.*
*I am really sorry to the fans for the way things turned out, but without Flower, I wouldn't be where I am today, so I think Flower will always live on in me.*
*The fact that I have been able to be a part of Flower is truly an asset.*
*To all the fans who have continued to support us no matter what, the five of us will do our best to make the people around us happy based on the experience we have gained in Flower.*
*Thank you very much for your support until now.*
*Please keep an eye on our future activities!*

On September 30, the group officially disbanded.

On December 9, it was revealed that Flower's website would be closed on December 31 except for the discography section.

## Post-Flower Careers

As of July 2023:

* Mizuno Elina: After leaving Flower in 2013, Mizuno remained on LDH as an actress. She went to study in New York during 2015 and 2016, and as of November 2017, she was working as a choreographer, teacher and performer on freestyle workshops.
* Fujii Shuuka: After leaving the group in 2017, Fujii retired from the entertainment business and she would be focusing on studying art, photography, and fashion following her retirement. In December 2019, she opened her own jewelry brand named *ROLE MODEL*. On January 27, 2021, she had married singer and actor Imamura Leo.
* Shigetome Manami: After leaving the group with their disbandment, Shigetome remained in LDH working as a model and actress as part of the *E.G.family*. In 2021, after E.G.family's discontinuation, her profile in LDH's website was moved to the actor section. On March 31, 2023, she left LDH JAPAN and is currently working as a freelancer.
* Nakajima Mio: After leaving the group with their disbandment, Nakajima remained signed to LDH until December 31, 2019, when her contract with the agency expired. She had then retired from the entertainment industry. On January 28, 2020, she gave birth to her first child with the football player Togashi Cayman.
* Washio Reina: After leaving the group with their disbandment, Washio remained as a member of E-girls up until their disbandment on December 31, 2020. On October 2, 2020, she made solo debut under the stage name Rei.
* Muto Chiharu: After leaving the group in November 2014, Muto established the fashion brand *BLIXZY* in February 2015 and is currently active as the brand's creative director and also as model. She released a single in August 2017 named "Nobody Like You", which is a cover of the song of same title by the singer EMI MARIA, but revealed that she does not plans to work as a singer in the future. Although, in 2022, she restarted her activities as a singer by releasing her first solo album *why not?* on September 7.
* Ichiki Kyoka: After leaving the group in October 2015, Ichiki had retired from the entertainment industry. In January 2019, she resumed activities by releasing her first solo digital single "Toki".
* Bando Nozomi: After leaving the group with their disbandment, Bando remained as a member of E-girls up until their disbandment on December 31, 2020. After E-girls disbanded, she remained under LDH's management as an actress. On December 31, 2022, she left LDH JAPAN. In February 2023 she signed with a new agency, Sticker Inc., as an actress.
* Sato Harumi: After leaving the group with their disbandment, Sato remained as a member and leader of E-girls up until their disbandment on December 31, 2020. After E-girls disbanded, she remained under LDH's management as a model.

## Discography

***Main article:** Flower/Discography*
* Albums
* Singles
* Other

Studio Albums
1. [2014.01.22] Flower
2. [2015.03.04] Hanadokei
3. [2019.03.27] F

Best Albums
1. [2016.09.14] THIS IS Flower THIS IS BEST

Singles
1. [2011.10.12] Still
2. [2012.02.29] SAKURA Regret
3. [2012.08.22] forget-me-not ~Wasurenagusa~
4. [2012.11.28] Koibito ga Santa Claus
5. [2013.08.07] Taiyou to Himawari
6. [2013.12.25] Shirayukihime
7. [2014.06.11] Nettaigyo no Namida
8. [2014.11.12] Akikaze no Answer
9. [2015.02.18] Sayonara, Alice / TOMORROW ~Shiawase no Housoku~
10. [2015.04.29] Blue Sky Blue
11. [2015.12.16] Hitomi no Oku no Milky Way
12. [2016.06.01] Yasashisa de Afureru You ni
13. [2017.01.11] Monochro / Colorful
14. [2017.04.26] MOON JELLYFISH
15. [2017.08.23] Taiyou no Elegy

Digital Singles
1. [2013.10.02] Hatsukoi
2. [2014.12.16] TOMORROW ~Shiawase no Housoku~
3. [2019.01.23] Kurenai no Dress

Pre-release Digital Singles
1. [2013.07.31] Taiyou to Himawari
2. [2013.12.04] Shirayukihime
3. [2013.12.11] Hatsukoi acoustic version
4. [2014.01.08] let go again feat. VERBAL (m-flo)
5. [2015.11.28] Hitomi no Oku no Milky Way Anime version
6. [2015.12.05] Hitomi no Oku no Milky Way
7. [2016.05.25] Yasashisa de Afureru You ni
8. [2016.05.25] Taiyou to Himawari (version 2016)
9. [2016.08.31] Hoka no Dareka Yori Kanashii Koi wo Shita dake

Compilations / Others
1. [2014.03.26] Various Artists - *Watashi to Drecom -DREAMS COME TRUE 25th ANNIVERSARY BEST COVERS-* (#9 "Nando Demo")

## Concerts/Tours

Tours
1. [2015.06.05-2015.07.10] Flower LIVE TOUR 2015 "Hanadokei"
2. [2016.10.21-2017.01.16] Flower Theater 2016 ~THIS IS Flower~

Tours/Concerts Featured In
* [2014] E-girls LIVE TOUR 2014 "COLORFUL LAND"
* [2015] E-girls LIVE TOUR 2015 "COLORFUL WORLD"
* [2016] E-girls LIVE TOUR 2016 "E.G. SMILE"
* [2017] E-girls LIVE 2017 ~E.G.EVOLUTION~
* [2019] E.G.POWER 2019 ~POWER to the DOME~

## Filmography

Music Videos
1. [2011] EXILE - "24karats STAY GOLD (KIDS & GIRLS version)"
2. [2011] EXILE - "Rising Sun"

## See Also

* Flower/Gallery
* Flower/Trivia

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Flowerより大切なお知らせ
2. ↑ Important announcement from Flower
3. ↑ https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/87385/full/
4. ↑ https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2000168/full/
5. ↑ https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/1691380
6. ↑ https://mdpr.jp/music/detail/1691467
7. ↑ https://spice.eplus.jp/articles/127819
8. ↑ いつも応援してくださっている皆様へ
9. ↑ Flower藤井萩花、芸能界引退を発表＜コメント全文＞
10. ↑ Message From 中島美央
11. ↑ https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/1873971
12. ↑ Important announcement from Flower
13. ↑ https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2144947/full/
14. ↑ https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2144949/full/
15. ↑ https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/1873978
16. ↑ https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/1873979
17. ↑ Flowerオフィシャルウェブサイトに関するお知らせ

## External Links

* Sony Music Official Profile
* Agency Profile*(archived)*