Takane no Nadeshiko (高嶺のなでしこ) has consisted of ten members since its formation. Seven of them were selected through the JDOL audition, a competition supported by the Tokyo Idol Festival (TIF) and organized in partnership with the SHOWROOM platform, which broadcast the performances live and and enabled public voting. The group is managed by Twin Planet, an agency known for launching or supporting major idol projects such as Akishibu Project and the now-disbanded Last Idol. Matsumoto Momona, Momiyama Himeri and Hashimoto Momoko are former members of Last Idol. Quickly nicknamed “Takane-ko” (たかねこ) by fans, the group made its official debut on August 7, 2022, during TIF2022. The group’s name reflects a refined contrast: Takane (高嶺) means “high peak,” while Nadeshiko refers both to a flower (Dianthus superbus, also known as the fringed pink) and to the traditional ideal of Japanese femininity, the Yamato Nadeshiko, embodying qualities like gentleness, grace, modesty, inner strength, and purity. In short, a rare and beautiful flower, perched high above, admired, yet out of reach.
Born in Nagoya in 2020, the group HATE and TEARS has made a name for itself in the Japanese pop scene. On the eve of their first appearance in Europe at Japan Expo 2025, here’s a portrait of a trio determined to shake up the conventions of the modern idol world.
The Japanese group Jiemei has been announced for exclusive performances at Japan Expo this year. Why not get to know them with us and make the most of their show? We’ll tell you everything you need to know.
As part of their 2025 European Tour ‘SCREAMING INFERNO’, Broken By The Scream is back in France for a double dose of chaos, hitting Japan Expo Paris on July 4 and La Marquise in Lyon on July 6! Before screaming and cheering for them on stage, let’s take a moment trying to know more about this colorful and shouty quartet. Formed in 2016 in Tokyo, Broken By The Scream (or BBTS) is born from Katsuya Kumamoto’s imagination, alias Electro Sonar, guitarist, producer and composer. The ambition? To fuse the aesthetics and “kawaii” voices of Japanese idols with the brutality of extreme metal. A bold gamble… but a successful one.
On January 26, 2025, we had the chance to meet the idol group Fragrant Drive during their 30-minute performance at the Uchisaiwaicho Hall in Shimbashi! Fragrant Drive (フラグラント ドライブ) is an idol group that debuted in 2018 as a result of the merger between two groups, seeDream and Clef Leaf.
As Bonjour Idol’s producer ‘Nato’ is back in Japan this January, we made the most of this month to find new idol groups to introduce to you. And here is one of them: we are pleased to introduce the adorable idol group Kimi to Serendipity! After a debut in October 2022 at Sanrio Puroland, and they are also known as ‘KimiSere’. Their name means 『この出会いが、幸せな未来になりますように。』, which translates to "May this encounter lead to a happy future."
On September 7th, 2020 was held the first edition of the collaborative concert MAD SHAKE exclusively broadcast online, in Shibuya Quattro in Tokyo. This hour and a half brought together 4 artists including the electro group NIKO NIKO TAN TAN, the idols rock group SOMOSOMO, the pop/rock group MINAMIS as well as the widely known solo idol Terashima Yufu. For this occasion, Bonjour Idol wishes to highlight the rock idol group of the evening, SOMOSOMO!
The sun is shining, the cicadas are waking up, Tokyo Idol Festival is getting closer… summer is not only about come to Japan but also everywhere else around the world of idol fans! It is the perfect opportunity for us to put up this little list of idol (and j-pop) songs that are perfect to enjoy your summer time with friends. The songs listed below are chronologically sorted and the list is, of course, non-exhaustive (and probably subjective as well). We will welcome more suggestions from you guys on our social networks to update the list for next year!
With a name like FES☆TIVE, you can already picture what kind of direction and sound such a group might have… and you would be right. Deriving from words such as “festival”, “positive” and “active”, the songs of FES☆TIVE describe these terms perfectly thanks to their colorful melodies. Add to this a stylish aesthetic drawn from carnival and traditional Japanese culture, the 6 members are self-proclaimed ambassadors of Japan overseas! They have so far had many opportunities performing in the United States for J-POP Summit, but also in Hong Kong, Indonesia, and more recently South Korea and Thailand. But their main activities are of course based in Japan, and are regular performers of big idol festivals like Tokyo Idol Festival or @JAM EXPO. In March 2019, the group will already celebrate its 7th anniversary! With a steadily growing popularity since their creation in late March 2013, they have released seven singles in total -six under a major label and one as an indie act- as well as one album. The line-up is composed of 6 members: their leader Aoba Hinari, Shiraishi Piano, Mano Saria, Doko Ruriko, Minami Marika and Kondo Saeko. Fun fact: Aoba Hinari and Doko Ruriko are real-life cousins! The group went through, like many young idol groups, a few graduations and withdrawals, some being quite sudden. In their first year, the group had already seen three departures and recruited two new members.
Necronomidol, under their label VELOCITRON, is an idol group based in Tokyo created in June 2014, with a rock-like musical style with a big metal inspiration. It is currently composed of 5 members: Risaki Kakizaki, Sari, Hina Yotsuyu, Rei Imaizumi and Himari Tsukishiro, while they were only 4 at their debut. Only Risaki and Sari are only original members left, and the latter is probably the most recognizable of them five, with her light blue hair and an “shironuri”-type immaculate white face. To this date, they have in their discography 7 singles, 2 albums and a third one is scheduled for the end of September this year. The producer, manager and man behind the band is Ricky Walson, an American aficionados of the Japanese underground idol scene. Thanks to the democratization of less traditional idol groups, Ricky wanted to create a group that follows this trend and wanted the group, as he explained in the interview below, surrounded by “darkness”. Their Patreon page labelled their style as “ultra dark japanese idol music”, which sets the tone.