It was reported in December that HYBE JAPAN’s newly established global label NAECO had recruited Yurina Hirate to be their first artist. If you had to define Yurina Hirate in a short phrase, it would be “monster rookie.” She’s been the center of attention in the Japanese entertainment industry since she debuted in 2016. The unexpected move to NAECO was therefore bound to cause quite the stir.

Yurina Hirate used to be a part of a girl group produced by Yasushi Akimoto that operated under the name Keyakizaka46 from 2015 to 2020. Unlike other Japanese girl groups, the group emphasized deep vocals, socially conscious lyrics and dance routines that they put on like stage plays. The strategy was far more successful than anticipated, being very well-received by listeners.

Their debut single, “Silent Majority,” sold an astounding 191,203 copies on the first day alone and was later certified double platinum (500,000 copies) by the Recording Industry Association of Japan. With “Fukyouwaon” and “Kazenifukaretemo” each going triple platinum (750,000) and “Garasu Wo Ware!,” “Ambivalent” and “Kuroi Hitsuji,” all released in 2018 and 2019 and all going on to sell over a million copies each, Keyakizaka46 was an enormously popular group.

And at the very middle of all this success was Yurina Hirate. From the time she debuted at age 15 until she left the group in 2020, Yurina Hirate was always in the center and was the face of Keyakizaka46. Although she’s excellent at dancing, it was her unique aura, with the piercing look in her eyes staring out from her dark expressionless face, that captured so many hearts. The Korean Japanese writer Yu Miri hailed Yurina Hirate as the “reincarnation of Momoe Yamaguchi,” a legendary idol, and tweeted, “I can definitely say that she’s had the most impact of any girl of the past 30 years.” The words “that girl in the center” were trending on Twitter in Japan when she made her first appearance on the country’s famous pop music show Music Station, proving she was indeed the group’s center star.

Not surprisingly, Yurina Hirate had unparalleled star power. But it wasn’t necessarily a good thing. As the undisputed center of Keyakizaka46, the group’s image leaned too heavily on just one person. Consequently, she had no choice but to maintain a tightly packed schedule, appearing by herself as radio host and TV drama character alongside pursuing her music career. Eventually, she fainted on stage on the first day of the group’s nationwide tour and collapsed on live television during the Red & White Year-End Song Festival. Later, in January 2020, she announced her departure from the group.

Around a year later, Yurina Hirate suddenly announced she would be going solo. What had she been thinking up to that point? In “Dance no Riyuu,” her first solo song, she sang, “I’ll dance as many times as I can / Don’t mind even if I fall / If I can heal someone’s sorrow / I’ll make a dream turn just for that one moment.” She released her second single, “Kakegaenonaisekai,” in September 2021. Smiling, she sings, “No matter what they say / So what? So what? / I wanna say, so what? / I don’t mind,” and the choreography shows off her fantastic dance abilities. Where she had once stood darkly on stage trapped within the impenetrable confines of a group, Yurina Hirate now looked liberated, finally able to reveal her true self.

These days she’s also proving to be a very capable actress. Though she already proved herself in Keyakizaka46’s dramas Who Killed Diagoro Tokuyama?  and Cruel Crowd, she’s since been progressively expanding her range through a number of different shows. Most recently she found a second wind in Roppongi Class, a remake of the 2022 Korean series Itaewon Class, where she does a spectacular job playing Aoi Asamiya (Jo Yi-seo in the original, portrayed by Kim Da Mi). The show had a viewership rating of 9.3%, even reaching 10.7% at its peak, making it the eighth-most watched TV drama of the year (tvkansou.info, 2022 Drama Ratings).

Yurina Hirate had been in a position to represent all the group’s members when she spent those four years with them. But now she’s really starting to soar, determined to stand on her own as a solo artist—not so much one of them, but simply one of one. And that’s exactly what led NAECO to choose Yurina Hirate as their first artist. Though she debuted young and had troubles to contend with, she still came out the other end undeterred. She chose a better path for herself and just kept on going. And clearly, she made the right choice.

HYBE is already comfortable with being home to idols who become actors, including NANA and HWANG MIN HYUN. Just imagine what sort of synergy we can expect between Yurina Hirate and HYBE. That’s why there’s even more excitement around what to expect from Yurina Hirate’s move to NAECO.