=LOVE


=LOVE is a Japanese idol group composed of voice actors from the Yoyogi Animation Academy. The twelve-person group is produced by former AKB48 and HKT48 member Rino Sashihara and is signed under Sacra Music.

History

On 28 January 2017, Rino Sashihara announced during a press conference that she plans to creating an idol group with voice actors from Yoyogi Animation Academy with the goal of "surpassing Yasushi Akimoto", the creator of established idol groups such as AKB48 and Nogizaka46. Auditions for the group began two days later. On 29 April 2017, it was announced that thirteen people passed the auditions and the group would be named "=LOVE". One member, Mai Chōnan, dropped out after the announcement, bringing the final number of members to twelve.
The group's first live performance came at the 2017 Tokyo Idol Festival, a venue they would continue to visit for the next two years. During their performatnce, =LOVE debuted their upcoming self-titled single, "=LOVE". The single was released on 6 September 2017, where it reached 8th on the Oricon Singles Chart and 14th on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.
Between 15–18 February 2018, =LOVE appeared in their first stage play, a 2.5D musical based on the media franchise Kemono Friends. They also held their first overseas performances in Taiwan, first on 18 March at the Megaport Music Festival in Kaohsiung, then a solo live on 25 March at the Syntrend Creative Park in Taipei. They also performed at the Japan Expo in Paris on 6 July.
On 24 February 2019, Sashihara unveiled =LOVE's sister group, ≠ME. The sister group also has twelve members from Yoyogi Animation Academy and is produced by Sashihara. The two groups performed together at the 2019 Tokyo Idol Festival, where ≠ME unveiled their own self-titled debut single. For =LOVE's sixth single, "Zurui yo Zurui ne", ≠ME also sang one of the B-sides, "Kimi no Oto Dattanda"; the single was =LOVE's first single to top the Oricon Singles Chart and Billboard Japan Hot 100.

Members

Discography