Happiness is a Japanese pop

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

formed and managed by LDH since 2008 and signed to the record label

Rhythm Zone (RZN) is a record label in the Avex Group that releases urban contemporary Japanese music. History The label was founded in 1999 by Max Matsuura with a focus on urban music, signing M-Flo as its first artist, then followed by Exile. In 2000, ...

. They are a dance and vocal unit of collective girl group

E-girls E-girls (sometimes stylized as E-Girls or e-girls; stands for Exile Girls) was a Japanese collective girl group created and managed by LDH while signed to music label Rhythm Zone from Avex. As of 2017, the band consisted of 11 members; 8 of wh ...

alongside

Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

and

Flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

. The group consists of two vocalists and three performers.

History

Pre-debut and indie debut

Happiness first appeared during

Exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

's 2008 Live Tour as backup dancers, at the time being a five-member unit consisting of Miyuu, Mimu,

Karen Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand ** Karen languages or Karenic l ...

, Sayaka, and Kaede. On April 10, 2009, it was announced that LDH would hold auditions to recruit vocalists for the new girlgroup, specifically aiming at girls aged 12–14. Yurino was then added to the group after an LDH Audition before the group was set to debut. They released their debut DVD single, "Happy Talk", on October 21, 2009. It was also used as the theme song for Japanese brand Mister Donuts.

2009-2012: Major label, first album ''Happy Time'' and E-girls formation

Mayu Sugieda was added to the group and announced on December 25, 2009, before the group made their major debut on February 9, 2011 with the release of their first major label single, "Kiss Me". Four days before their debut, the group held a live event to promote the upcoming release of their first single that attracted about 1000 spectators. The group released their 2nd single "Friends" on April 27 in the same year. Two days later, they held their first solo show at SHIBUYA-AX in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. For the release of their 3rd single "Wish" on August 17, Happiness held their first surprise live event in front of SHIBUYA 109 in Tokyo, proving their popularity among teenage girls. Mimu was absent from the group's promotions after going on hiatus in December 2011, including their 4th single "We Can Fly", before leaving the group in October 2012, citing she wanted to focus on her studies. In November 2011, Happiness was confirmed to be joining sister groups

and

in the collective group

. Member Mayu also went on a hiatus in August 2012 to undergo medical treatment after being diagnosed with

infectious mononucleosis Infectious mononucleosis (IM, mono), also known as glandular fever, is an infection usually caused by the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV). Most people are infected by the virus as children, when the disease produces few or no symptoms. In young adult ...

. On June 6, 2012, it was announced that Happiness would release their first album titled ''Happy Time'' on June 20. The track-list of the album included a cover of

SPEED In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quanti ...

's "Body & Soul".

2013-2014: Addition of Anna and Ruri, competition with Flower and Mayu's departure

E-girls members

Anna Suda , better known by her nickname Sudanna, is a Japanese dancer, rapper, model, actress and fashion designer. She is a former member of the J-Pop groups E-girls, Happiness and SudannaYuzuYully. As an actress, she appeared in several dramas such as t ...

and Ruri Kawamoto joined the group in May 2013 as a dancer and vocalist respectively, and the group released their 5th single, "Sunshine Dream: Ichido Kiri no Natsu". It was released on the same day as

's 5th single ""Taiyou to Himawari" (太陽と向日葵; ''Sun and Sunflower'') to initiate a competition between the two groups. The winner of the competition would have one of their songs feature as a B-side on a future

' single. Two weeks after the release, it was revealed via Exile's TV show ''Shuukan EXILE'', that Happiness lost the battle by 2 points against 3 of Flower. As a reward, Flower's song "Hatsukoi" (初恋; ''First Love'') was included in E-girls' single "Gomennasai no Kissing You". Miyuu was announced as the new leader of the group, replacing Mimu on January 30, 2014. Mayu Sugieda, after months of hiatus, left both Happiness and

on April 7, 2014. Happiness continued to promote with

, releasing their 6th single, "Juicy Love", on May 28, 2014 and their 7th single, "Seek A Light", on November 19, 2014, between E-girls singles. These singles were also the first ones after Happiness' label transfer from Nayutawave to

Avex is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi Hamasaki and internet sensation PikoTaro. It has also shifted into other busi ...

2015-2016: Second studio album ''GIRLZ N' EFFECT'' and first tour

Happiness announced the release of their 8th single, "Holiday" on August 28, 2015, set to be released on October 14. It served as a turning point in Happiness' sound and concept, marking the start of a more mature, energetic and colorful image of the group. The title track was produced by T.Kura, who had worked with artists such as

and

Namie Amuro Namie Amuro ( ; ja, 安室奈美恵, Amuro Namie, label=none; born September 20, 1977) is a Japanese former recording artist, producer, songwriter, dancer, model, actress and entrepreneur who was active between 1992 and 2018. A leading figure of ...

before. Furthermore, NIGO, creator of fashion brands ''Bathing Ape'' and ''Human Made'', was in charge of the art and visual direction for the promotional photo shoots for this single. The T-shirts worn by the Happiness members in their artist photos and in the music video were also co-designed by NIGO and Naoto, member of

Sandaime J Soul Brothers , formerly simply J Soul Brothers and stylized as Sandaime J Soul Brothers from Exile Tribe, are a J-pop vocal and dance group formed by Exile ex-leader and producer Hiroyuki Igarashi in Japan in 1991. Sandaime J Soul Brothers are managed by Hiroy ...

Honest Boyz Honest Boyz (stylized in all caps)also HONEST BOYZ®, is a 5-member hip hop group consisting of four MC's and one Disc jockey, DJ: Naoto (dancer), Naoto (Exile (Japanese band), Exile member & Sandaime J Soul Brothers leader), Verbal (rapper), Ver ...

. On February 3, 2016, Happiness released their 9th single, "Sexy Young Beautiful". The release is a unique one meant to display the group's singing, rapping, and dancing ability. The covers for the single were designed by NIGO too. On May 28 in the same year, it was announced that Happiness would release the song "Always" as the theme song for the live action adaptation of the manga ''

Itazura na Kiss is a Japanese '' shōjo'' manga series written and illustrated by Kaoru Tada. ''Itazura na Kiss'' was first serialized and published in 1990 by Shueisha through ''Bessatsu Margaret'' magazine. It became successful very quickly and beca ...

~ THE MOVIE ~ Part 1 Highschool-hen'' (イタズラなKiss～THE MOVIE～ Part1ハイスクール編; ''Mischievous Kiss~ THE MOVIE ~ Part 1 High School Edition'') that would be released in November. On August 11, 2016, it was revealed on E-girls' last day of their third tour ''E-girls LIVE TOUR 2016 "E.G. SMILE"'', that Happiness will be releasing their second album ''GIRLZ N' EFFECT'' on October 12, 2016. They also announced the group's first solo tour ''Happiness LIVE TOUR 2016 GIRLZ N' EFFECT'' that would go from November 9 until December 20, 2016.

2017-present: Single albums and E.G.family's first tour

The group released their 10th single "REWIND" on February 8, 2017, the day before the 6th anniversary of their debut. On March 10, 2017, it was announced that Miyuu would undergo surgery on her left knee due to a

lateral meniscus The lateral meniscus (external semilunar fibrocartilage) is a fibrocartilaginous band that spans the lateral side of the interior of the knee joint. It is one of two meniscus (anatomy), menisci of the knee, the other being the medial meniscus. It ...

injury and halt her activities until she was fully rehabilitated. On August 27 in the same year, the group participated on the annual festival a-nation, being their first time participating in it. The group released their 11th single "GOLD" on September 10, 2017. The single ranked #1 on Oricon's weekly singles chart on the following week, being their first #1 single. After over a year of hiatus, the group released their first digital single "POWER GIRLS" On January 16, 2019. The group participated in E.G.family's first tour ''E.G.POWER 2019 ~POWER to the DOME~'' that went from February 22 to May 25, 2019. On March 1, it was announced that Ruri, Kaede and Sayaka were appointed as ambassadors for

DeNA Dena (in Luri and fa, ) is the name for a sub-range within the Zagros Mountains, Iran. Mount Dena, with length and average width, is situated on the boundary of the Isfahan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Provin ...

's ''YOKOHAMA GIRLS☆FESTIVAL 2019 Supported by ありあけ横濱ハーバー'' from May 31 to June 2. For this occasion, Ruri sang the national anthem of Japan and Kaede threw the opening pitch for the baseball game on the first day of the festival. On June 12, 2019, the group released "POWER GIRLS" as their twelfth single. On September 11 in the same year, Happiness released their 13th single "Chao Chao". The music video for the title track was shot at

Pacific Park Pacific Park is an oceanfront amusement park located in Santa Monica, California. The park, located on the Santa Monica Pier, looks directly out on the Pacific Ocean, in the direction of Catalina Island. It is the only amusement park directly l ...

on the

Santa Monica Pier The Santa Monica Pier is a large double-jointed pier at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California, United States. It contains a small amusement park, concession stands, and areas for views and fishing. Attractions Pacific Park Th ...

and in the

Bradbury Building The Bradbury Building is an architectural landmark in downtown Los Angeles, California, United States. Built in 1893, the five-story office building is best known for its extraordinary skylit atrium of access walkways, stairs and elevators, an ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. The release of the new single was accompanied by a row of promotional live-events across Japan. During the announcement of

' plan to dissolve at the end of 2020 on December 22, 2019, it was revealed that Happiness would stay as they are and will work with

88rising 88rising (stylized as 88⬆), formerly known as CXSHXNLY (pronounced “cash only”), is an American music company that founder Sean Miyashiro describes as a "hybrid management, record label, video production, and marketing company". The compa ...

for global expansion in the future. On December 15, 2020, members Yurino and Anna Suda announced they would be leaving LDH, therefore also graduating from Happiness. In 2022 members Sayaka, Ruri, Miyuu, and Kaede announced that they were forming the group SG5, or Sailor Guardians 5, with iScream's Rui. They have not announced whether they would graduate from Happiness or perform in both groups.

Members

Current members

Former members

Timeline

ImageSize = width:1000 height:300 PlotArea = width:800 height:175 left:100 bottom:75 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:2008 till:04/30/2021 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1 start:2008 gridcolor:black PlotData = color:red width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from bar:Sayaka_Nagatomo from:start till:end bar:Kaede_Dobashi from:start till:end bar:Karen_Fujii from:start till:end bar:Miyuu_Ariiso from:start till:end bar:Mimu_Hioki from:start till:01/26/2012 color:orange width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from bar:Yurino_Suzuki from:07/01/2009 till:12/15/2020 bar:Mayu_Sugieda from:12/01/2009 till:07/31/2012 bar:Mayu_Sugieda from:08/02/2013 till:04/07/2014 color:yellow width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from bar:Anna_Suda from:05/31/2013 till:12/15/2020 bar:Ruri_Kawamoto from:05/31/2013 till:end

Discography

Albums

Singles

Other charted songs

Participating works

Tie-up

Tours

As a lead artist

As a participating group

Filmography

Music videos

Commercials

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control Japanese girl groups Musical groups established in 2008 2009 establishments in Japan LDH (company) artists