Sunmyu
Sunmyu was a Japanese idol girl group. The group had two singles reach the top ten on the weekly Oricon Singles Chart, with "Togetoge" being their best-charting single, reaching the fifth place on the chart.
Sunmyu disbanded on March 1, 2020. The Sunmyu project was launched in 2011, with member selection taking place from 2011 to 2012. Initially, the group consisted of 10 members selected from approximately 1,000 applicants. The group was originally known as Sun-μ before officially becoming Sunmyu. The name "Sunmyu" was derived from their agency name, Sun Music, and was coined by Hideyoshi Aizawa, who was chairman of the Sun Music Group at the time. Aizawa passed away shortly before the group's first major solo concert after their debut.
Sunmyu made their major label debut on January 23, 2013, with the single "Kuchibiru Network" under the Pony Canyon label. The debut single was a cover of Yukiko Okada's 1986 hit song, originally composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto with lyrics by Seiko Matsuda. The group had previously released two indie singles as Sun-μ in 2012: "Kuchibiru Network" on August 4, 2012, and "First Kiss" on November 3, 2012. Sunmyu was particularly notable as Sun Music Production's first idol group project in approximately 21 years, marking the agency's return to idol management since Michiyo Nakajima. Sun Music had previously produced legendary 1980s idols including Seiko Matsuda, Yu Hayami, Yukiko Okada, and Noriko Sakai. The group's catchphrase was "Bright, energetic, and refreshing! The first pure white idols of the 21st century". The phrase "Bright, energetic, and refreshing" was derived from Sun Music's founding principles. Their concept centered on reviving the "1980s orthodox idol style," distinguishing them from contemporary idol groups that emphasized intense choreography and stylish costumes. Initially, the group focused on performing covers of classic 1980s idol songs, though they gradually incorporated more original compositions. Beginning with their fourth single "Kore ga ai Nanda" released in November 2013, they started featuring original songs as lead tracks.
From April 2016, Sunmyu began hosting regular concerts featuring guest appearances by legendary 1980s idols such as Miyuki Kosaka, Minayo Watanabe, and Yu Hayami. Starting in September 2014, Sunmyu became known as "Disaster Prevention Idols" following their participation in a disaster prevention campaign event. They collaborated with the Tokyo Fire Department on a disaster prevention song called "Sonae areba Urei Nancy", based on Yu Hayami's hit song "Natsuiro no Nancy". In 2015, they were appointed as image characters for the Tokyo Fire Department's Disaster Prevention Week poster.