Ikuta Erina

"I want to polish my singing, dancing, and performing even more. Recently, I’ve been paying attention to girl K-pop artists' dancing; I think that the sex appeal they can put out as women is nice. Also, in order to find out how to be good at these dances I don’t do, I want to study various genres."

- Ikuta Erina, September 2016

Ikuta Erina (生田衣梨奈) is a Japanese pop singer under Hello! Project. She is a ninth generation member and sub-leader of Morning Musume and former member of units Harvest and HI-FIN.

Early Life
Ikuta Erina was born on July 7, 1997 in Fukuoka, Japan.

At a young age, Ikuta expressed her desire to become an idol.

Prior to auditioning for Morning Musume she was a model under Elegant Promotion for a short period of time.

2011
On January 2, at the first Hello! Project 2011 Winter ~Kangei Shinsen Matsuri~ A gana Live concert, Tsunku announced Ikuta as one of the new members of Morning Musume's 9th generation, alongside Fukumura Mizuki, Sayashi Riho, and Suzuki Kanon. The 9th generation made their concert debut the same day, participating in the songs "Tomo" and "Aozora ga Itsumademo Tsuzuku You na Mirai de Are!"

On April 6, Ikuta's debut single in Morning Musume, "Maji Desu ka Ska!", was released.

On June 12, Ikuta's first e-Hello DVD was announced, Greeting ~Ikuta Erina~, and was released on July 2.

On August 25, it was announced that Ikuta replaced Ogawa Saki from S/mileage on the children's morning program, Oha Suta, as a member of the show's idol unit Oha Girl Maple.

Ikuta starred in a new stage play titled Reborn ~Inochi no Audition~ along with Niigaki Risa, Tanaka Reina, the other 9th generation members, and Kudo Haruka.

2012
On January 13, the Morning Musume 9th generation and 10th generation members began a web talk show exclusive to fanclub members, titled Honki DE Hichou!. They also began a radio show on April 7, titled Morning Musume no Morning Jogakuin ~Houkago Meeting~, on Radio Nippon.

On March 27, Ikuta, along with the other Oha Girl Maple members, graduated from Oha Suta.

On April 18, it was announced that Morning Musume's Tanaka Reina and the 9th and 10th generation members would star in a new stage play titled Stacies Shoujo Saisatsu Kageki. The musical ran from June 6 to June 12.

On April 21 and 22, Ikuta surprised fanclub members by attending Niigaki Risa's last fanclub tour as Morning Musume member, Morning Days Happy Holiday ~ Tokubetsuhen Risa Niigaki Fanclub Tour In Shizuoka. The tour from her perspective was released as a fanclub-exclusive DVD, titled Ikuta Erina ga 5 Gousha ni Niigaki Risa Fanclub Tour in Shizuoka.

From June 15 to June 28, a series of fanclub events titled Mosuma FC Event ~Gachi☆Kira~ featuring the 9th and 10th generation members of Morning Musume and the 2nd generation members of S/mileage took place at Yokohama Blitz. Ikuta finished with the fourth most points and was awarded a solo performance on July 1 for placing in the top six.

On July 4, with Niigaki Risa as a guest, Ikuta announced on IkuMatsuri, a special Ustream show, that she would change her official member color from purple to yellow-green in the fall.

On November 20, Ikuta held her first Niigaki-san wo Ouen Suru Kai to celebrate Niigaki Risa's 24th birthday, titled Ikuta Erina no "Niigaki-san wo Ouen Suru Kai Dai Ikkai Kaigou ~Niigaki-san no Tanjoubi wo Katte ni Iwau Kai~". Niigaki made a surprise appearance during the third event.

On October 10, it was announced that Ikuta would be a member of the new SATOYAMA movement unit Harvest alongside Ishida Ayumi, Sato Masaki, and Takeuchi Akari.

2013
Ikuta was featured in a special gravure mook titled Graduation -Chuugaku Sotsugyou-. The mook had various photos and interviews about going from middle school to high school, and was released on February 27.

On March 2, it was announced that Ikuta would be a member of new SATOUMI movement unit Plumeria (later renamed HI-FIN), alongside Nakajima Saki, Fukuda Kanon, Hagiwara Mai, and Ishida Ayumi.

On May 16, the Morning Musume 9th generation and 10th generation members' fanclub-exclusive web talk show Honki DE Hichou! ended with a total of 70 episodes.

On May 22, it was announced that Ikuta would hold a second Niigaki-san wo Ouen Suru Kai, titled Niigaki-san wo Ouen Suru Kai Dai Nikai Kaigou ~Ikuta no Tanjoubi dakedo, Yappari Kyou mo Niigaki-san wo Ouen Suru Kai~. It took place on July 7, Ikuta's 16th birthday, with Iikubo Haruna and Oda Sakura as guests.

2014
On July 7, Ikuta celebrated her 17th birthday called Morning Musume '14 ~Ikuta Erina Birthday Event 2014~, featuring one performance at Yamano Hall.

On October 31, Ikuta released her second solo e-Hello! DVD, It's a lovely day.

On November 12, Ikuta participated in the 2014 Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Pacific Ocean Masters Pro-Am Charity Tournament as a celebrity guest alongside AKB48 and SKE48 member and rival Yamauchi Suzuran.

On November 23, Ikuta was appointed sub-leader of Morning Musume by Michishige Sayumi. It was officially announced during Michishige's graduation concert on November 26. Ikuta would share the position with Iikubo Haruna, who had been a sub-leader since May 2013.

2015
On March 5, Ikuta announced that she would be a regular on the NHK Education channel show Karada wo Ugokasu TV. She made her first appearance in the show on March 25.

On July 7, Ikuta celebrated her 18th birthday at a special event called Morning Musume '15 Ikuta Erina Birthday Event, featuring one performance at Yamano Hall.

On October 20, Ikuta was a guest at Niigaki Risa's birthday event, Niigaki Risa Birthday Event 27.

On October 26, Ikuta was invited to play at the Takano Yuri CUP 38th Hirao Masaaki Charity Golf alongside OG member Yoshizawa Hitomi.

On November 11, Ikuta participated in the 2015 Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Pacific Ocean Masters Pro-Am Charity Tournament as a celebrity guest for the second consecutive year.

2016
On July 7, Ikuta celebrated her 19th birthday at a special event called Morning Musume '16 Ikuta Erina Birthday Event, featuring one performance at Yamano Hall.

On October 2, Ikuta announced she would release her first solo photobook, titled Erina, on October 22.

On November 9, Ikuta participated in the 2016 Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Pacific Ocean Masters Pro-Am Charity Tournament as a celebrity guest for the third consecutive year.

In December, Ikuta was added as member of the Hello! Project Station Dance Club.

2017
On February 22, it was announced that Ikuta would guest star in the first episode of TV Tokyo's 14th "Friend-Ship Project" and semi-documentary drama Konnichiwa, Joyuu no Sagara Itsuki Desu. which would air on March 6. She appeared alongside Momoiro Clover Z's Sasaki Ayaka and NMB48's Fujie Reina.

On May 23, Ikuta participated in the 18th Jojoen Cup Celebrity Golf Champion Tournament.

On July 21, Ikuta celebrated her 20th birthday at a fanclub event titled Morning Musume '17 Ikuta Erina Birthday Event. The event had two performances at Yamano Hall.

On November 8, Ikuta made her fourth consecutive appearance at the 2017 Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Pacific Ocean Masters Pro-Am Charity Tournament.

2018
On January 20, Ikuta released her second solo photobook, titled if.

On March 31, Ikuta began a golf challenge project with the magazine and website GOLF LESSON COMIC to beat her personal best score of 89 in three months with the help of professional Yachi Shuya, which will also be documented in a YouTube series.

Personal Life
Family=
 * Main: 

Ikuta has a younger brother. She is first cousins with former gravure idol Takigawa Aya.

When she auditioned for Morning Musume, Ikuta was a 2nd year middle school student. She graduated from middle school on March 2013.
 * -|Education=

On March 12, 2016, Ikuta announced that she had graduated from high school. She attended Hinode High School, a private academy known for its alumni in the entertainment industry, and graduated with Nakanishi Kana and AKB48 member Mukaichi Mion.

The following list are notable friendships Ikuta Erina has acquired:
 * -|Friendships=
 * Niigaki Risa: She also gets along well with former Morning Musume member Niigaki Risa.
 * Fukumura Mizuki: Ikuta met Fukumura Mizuki when she joined the 9th generation and became close friends since.
 * Ishida Ayumi: She also gets along well with Ishida Ayumi.
 * Motomura Aoi: She was friends and middle school classmates with HKT48 member Motomura Aoi from before they became idols.

Pairing names
 * PonPon (ぽんぽん): Her and Fukumura Mizuki's pairing name is "PonPon" and their catchphrase is "Mizupon desu, Eripon desu. Futari Awase PonPon desu!".
 * HoneyPon (ハニーぽん): Her and Iikubo Haruna's pairing name is "HoneyPon"; however, it is also used as Iikubo's pairing name with Fukumura Mizuki.
 * Suberi Combi (スベリコンビ): Her and Ishida Ayumi's pairing name was the "Suberi Combi" which translates to "bomber combi", but is now more commonly referred to as "Suberizu" or "Suberies" (スベリーズ). It comes from the word "suberi-gei" which is a style of comedy with failing jokes. They both have bad jokes, so they were given this pairing name.

Ikuta's grandmother gave her the name Erina so she would not have to worry about life's necessities. 衣 (e) was taken from "clothing" (衣類); 梨 (ri), which means "pear", represents food and water; and 奈 (na) was taken from Nara Prefecture (奈良), where it is airy and seems to be a peaceful place to live.
 * -|Name Meaning=

Here is a list of nicknames that was used to refer to Ikuta Erina:
 * -|Nicknames=
 * Eripon (えりぽん): Her official nickname originated by Tsunku.
 * KY Ikuta (KY生田): She is known to be a KY (kuuki yomenai), an expression meaning one "can't read the air/atmosphere; clueless of the situation".

Profile
Stats=
 * Name: Ikuta Erina (生田衣梨奈)
 * Nicknames: Eripon (えりぽん), KY Ikuta (KY生田), Eri-chan (えりちゃん), Namata (なまた) , Eri (えり)
 * Birthdate: 
 * Birthplace: Fukuoka, Japan
 * Height: 159cm
 * Blood Type: A
 * Hello! Project Status:
 * 2011-01-02: Morning Musume member
 *  Status:
 * 2011-01-02: Joined
 * 2012-10-01: Transferred to (as part of Morning Musume)
 * Years in Morning Musume: 7 Years
 * Official Kaomoji: |||9|‘_ゝ‘)
 * Morning Musume Color:
 * Purple (2011–2012)
 * Yellow-Green (2012–present)
 * Oha Girl Maple Color:  Red (2011–2012)
 * Audition Song: "Little♡Princess☆Pri!" by Lilpri
 * Hello! Project Groups:
 * Morning Musume (2011–present)
 * Hello! Project Mobekimasu (2011–2013)
 * Harvest (2012–2016)
 * HI-FIN (2013–2016)
 * Hello! Project Station Dance Club (2016–2017)
 * Shimadagawa (2017)
 * Other Groups:
 * Oha Girl Maple (2011–2012)
 * Reborn Eleven (2011)
 * Ganbarou Nippon Ai wa Katsu Singers (2011)
 * -|Q&A=
 * Special Skills: Can "sleep anywhere", fast at texting on her cellphone, handsprings, golf
 * Hobbies: Dancing, to drive really far in golf!! (up to 239 yards)
 * Favorite Music Genre: J-pop, reggae, Western music
 * Favorite Sports: Golf, gymnastics
 * Favorite Foods: Strawberries, ham
 * Favorite Drink: Strawberry juice
 * Least Favorite Food: Vegetables
 * Favorite Colors: White, black, red and yellow
 * Motto: Medatanai koto ni wa hajimaranai (目立たない事には始まらない; It's no use if you can't stand out)
 * Favorite Word: Daisuki (I love you)
 * Favorite English Phrase: "No thank you"
 * Favorite Manga: Love★Com (Lovely Complex)
 * Quality that she won’t lose to anyone: Being in high spirits
 * Things that she want to do in her life: Grow her hair long, go to the Vatican city, sing a solo song
 * Favorite Morning Musume Song: "Ookii Hitomi", "Kono Ai wo Kasanete", "Shouganai Yume Oibito", "Mukidashi de Mukiatte", "Kowarenai Ai ga Hoshii no"
 * Other Favorite Song: "Entenka" by Shonan no Kaze, "CLASSIC" by Shonan no Kaze, "Naseba Naru no Sa Nanairo Tamago" by T-Pistonz+KMC
 * Looks Up To:  Niigaki Risa, Takahashi Ai, Kamei Eri, Michishige Sayumi, Tanaka Reina, Maeda Yuuka, Maeda Atsuko, Takahashi Minami, Kojima Haruna

Discography

 * See also: List:Ikuta Erina Discography Featured In

Solo DVDs

 * [2011.08.13] Greeting ~Ikuta Erina~  (e-Hello! DVD)
 * [2014.10.24] It's a lovely day (e-Hello! DVD)

Solo Fanclub DVDs

 * [2012.09.xx] Ikuta Erina ga 5 Gousha ni Niigaki Risa Fanclub Tour in Shizuoka
 * [2013.xx.xx] Ikuta Erina no "Niigaki-san wo Ouen Suru Kai Dai Ikkai Kaigou ~Niigaki-san no Tanjoubi wo Katte ni Iwau Kai~"
 * [2016.11.26] Morning Musume '16 Ikuta Erina Birthday Event
 * [2017.11.xx] Morning Musume '17 Ikuta Erina Birthday Event

Publications

 * See also: List:Ikuta Erina Publications Featured In

Solo Photobooks

 * [2016.10.22] Erina
 * [2018.01.20] if

Digital Photobooks

 * [2011.10.28] Alo-Hello! Morning Musume 2011 (アロハロ！モーニング娘. 2011)
 * [2012.12.27] Alo-Hello! Morning Musume 2012 (アロハロ！モーニング娘. 2012)
 * [2013.02.28] Alo-Hello! Morning Musume Qki (アロハロ！モーニング娘. Q期)
 * [2013.04.09] Morning Musume Alo-Hello Qki (モーニング娘. アロハロ！モーニング娘. Q期)

Film

 * [2011] Sharehouse (シェアハウス)

Theater

 * [2011] Reborn ~Inochi no Audition~
 * [2012] Stacies Shoujo Saisatsu Kageki
 * [2015] TRIANGLE (VTR role)
 * [2016] Zoku 11nin Iru! Higashi no Chihei, Nishi no Towa
 * [2017] Pharaoh no Haka
 * [2018] Pharaoh no Haka ~Hebi Ou Sneferu~

TV Programs

 * [2011] Bijo Gaku (美女学)
 * [2011–2012] Hello Pro! TIME (ハロプロ！ＴＩＭＥ)
 * [2011–2012] Oha Suta (as an Oha Girl)
 * [2012–2013] Hello! SATOYAMA Life (ハロー! SATOYAMA ライフ)
 * [2014–] The Girls Live
 * [2015] Karada wo Ugokasu TV (体を動かすTV)

TV Dramas

 * [2012] Suugaku♥Joshi Gakuen (数学♥女子学園) (as Nakano Riko)
 * [2017] Konnichiwa, Joyuu no Sagara Itsuki Desu. (こんにちは、女優の相楽樹です. ) (one episode)

Internet

 * [2011] UstreaMusume
 * [2011] Michishige Sayumi no "Mobekimasutte Nani??" (道重さゆみの『モベキマスってなに？？』)
 * [2011] IkuMatsuri (生祭り) (special one-day Ustream)
 * [2013–] Hello! Project Station (ハロ！ステ)

Radio

 * [2012–2013] Morning Musume 9ki・10ki Member WEB Talk Maji DE Pyoko! (モーニング娘. 9・10期メンバー WEBトーク 本気DE飛跳！) (fanclub exclusive)
 * [2012–] Morning Musume no Morning Jogakuin ~Houkago Meeting~ (モーニング娘. のモーニング女学院～放課後ミーティング～)

Commercials

 * [2011] Nestle Milo (as an Oha Girl)

Music Videos

 * [2017] ℃-ute - To Tomorrow (as a backdancer)

Rankings

 * She was voted 8th favorite member in the 2012 "Hello! Project Music Awards" event.

Trivia

 * She wants to be the "Number 1 Idol."
 * She'd like to go to fujikyu with Ishida Ayumi.
 * Sayashi Riho, Makino Maria and Aikawa Maho think Erina is the coolest member of Hello! Project.
 * She is learning English.
 * She goes to karaoke to reduce stress.
 * She said that she’s not very good at cooking, but she likes it and can make delicious gratin.
 * When asked what aspect of her makeup she is most particular about, she replied "no eyeshadow!"
 * Before joining Morning Musume, she had an Ameblo blog and a Twitter account.
 * She is the second member of Morning Musume to be from Fukuoka (the other being Tanaka Reina).
 * Her 9th generation audition number was #244.
 * She was the first Morning Musume member to change her color in 2012. The second was Iikubo Haruna.
 * She and her fellow member Ishida Ayumi are the only current Morning Musume members both to be the members of the same units Harvest and HI-FIN of SATOYAMA and SATOUMI movements respectively.
 * On the day of her middle school graduation ceremony, Ikuta dyed her hair brown. She was the second ninth generation member to dye their hair, with the first one being Fukumura Mizuki.
 * She is one of only three current Morning Musume members to have dyed hair.
 * She became a fan of Morning Musume after hearing their single "Mr.Moonlight ~Ai no Big Band~."
 * She began liking Hello! Project starting with Minimoni.
 * When she first joined the Hello! Project, Ikuta said that Maeda Yuuka was her favorite Hello! Project member.
 * She said that if she could become another Hello! Project member, she would be Niigaki Risa, because she admires her very much.
 * She is a fan of AKB48 and was in 17 Ameblo fangroups for them.
 * She has said that she would like to try flamenco dancing.
 * She said she'd like to try dyeing her hair blonde.
 * She, along with Ishida Ayumi, are the only members in Morning Musume to be born in the same year the group was formed in 1997.
 * In August 2014, Tsunku commented on her: "In both good and bad ways she's the one to stand out. But in the end that's a good thing. In showbiz one has to stand out no matter what, after all. She's still not happy with various things about herself, but compared to how she was 4 years ago she's improved greatly. Her dancing really stands out."
 * Tsunku wrote on his blog about the dad mentioned in "Otome no Timing" being inspired by Ikuta's real dad. When Ikuta had just passed the Morning Musume audition, she was going to cut her hair a bit. So she said she wanted to call her parents first and tell them that she would cut it. She didn't call her mom, she called her dad and was all "Dad? Erina's gonna cut her hair now, okay?" Tsunku saw that and was all, "she must be close with her dad, he must be a nice guy," and thus he had the line in "Otome no Timing," Erina got to sing it, too.
 * She is in the most sub-units out of the 9th generation, being in three: Harvest, HI-FIN, and Stelladrop.
 * She shares the same last name with Nogizaka46 member Ikuta Erika, as well as the kanji for "ri" (梨) in their given names. They took a two-shot photo together when Morning Musume '15 and Nogizaka46 participated in the 2015 FNS Kayousai THE LIVE, and both girls commented that it must have been fate, that with their similar names they both became idols.
 * Ikuta began golfing in the third grade. Her dad started golfing due to his work (company golf outings), and in Fukuoka, golf courses are often next to tennis courts. At the time, she wanted to learn tennis because she was obsessed with The Prince of Tennis. However, her dad suggested she try golfing instead.
 * Her favorite professional golfer is Moromizato Shinobu.
 * She listens to K-pop artists BLACKPINK, CLC, and TWICE.
 * If she could be reborn as someone else, she would be Niigaki Risa because she has a lot of respect or Suzuki Airi because she has a lot of admiration.
 * She thinks she is the Hello! Project member with the best athletic reflexes because she does acrobatics and golf. She likes powerful dances than graceful dances.
 * She wants to challenge herself with work as an action actress because she loves watching sword fights on stage and in dramas. She had also been told by the sword fighting teacher for a musical that she was good at it.
 * If she did not become an idol, she would like to be a hairdresser.