Artist Profile
- Full Name: Sakurai Miu
- Native Name: 櫻井美羽
- Nicknames: MIU, Miu-chan, Lee Miu, Umi-chan
- Birthday: Jan 11, 2002 (24 years old)
- Blood type: O
- Height/Weight: 162.5 cm (5’4”) / N/A
- Gender: Female
- Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
- MBTI: ISTP
- Birthplace: Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
- Nationality: Japanese
- Profession: Singer
- Language Skills: Japanese, Korean, English
- Current Agency: LAPONE GIRLS
- Debut: Apr 17, 2024
- Fandom: YOU:ME
- Years Active: 2020–present (6 years)
- Group: ME:I
Miu (born Sakurai Miu, 櫻井 美羽) is a Japanese singer born in 2002, active in J-pop. She is a vocalist in the Japanese girl group ME:I under LAPONE Girls.
Early life
Sakurai Miu was born on January 11, 2002, in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. She graduated from high school and worked part-time at a tutoring center, teaching English, math, and science. She also helped her younger brother with his studies.
Before debuting, Sakurai trained for about four and a half years under several companies in Japan and South Korea. In 2019, she passed the preliminary round of Nizi Project and appeared on the show in early 2020 before being eliminated during Part 1. She later joined Source Music around 2020 and trained with the pre-debut group NTeam for about a year. Due to a delayed debut plan, she left Source Music in early 2021 and continued as a trainee at BEATS Entertainment from 2022 until mid-2023.
Career
2021
On July 7, 2021, Sakurai was announced as a contestant on Mnet’s survival show Girls Planet 999. She was eliminated in episode 8, which aired on September 24, ranking J-11 among Japanese contestants.
2023
Sakurai joined Produce 101 Japan The Girls in 2023, with the show premiering on Lemino on October 5. In episode 1, she was ranked 51st by fellow contestants but received an A grade from the trainers. By episode 3, she was voted center for the theme song performed by all 101 trainees. On December 16, 2023, Sakurai finished in 4th place and debuted as a member of ME:I.
2024
On March 2, 2024, Sakurai performed alongside ME:I at the 38th Tokyo Girls Collection 2024 Spring/Summer, their first performance before debut. On April 17, 2024, she officially debuted with ME:I through their first single MIRAI. In May of the same year, she appeared with the group at KCON JAPAN, less than a month after debut.
2025
In March 2025, Sakurai appeared with ME:I on THE TIME, broadcast on TBS. In April 2025, she released ME:I’s third single MUSE with the group, their first double A-side single featuring two title tracks, MUSE and Ready Go. During promotions in South Korea, Sakurai met her longtime idol Kwon Eunbi for the first time and became emotional. In September 2025, she released ME:I’s debut album WHO I AM with the group.
Awards
- December 2024: Sakurai received the Newcomer Award at the Japan Record Awards as a member of ME:I.
- 2025: Sakurai received the Best 5 New Artists Japan award at the Japan Gold Disc Award as a member of ME:I.
Fun facts
- She later mentioned during a livestream that she had trained at Source Music around the same period several future NewJeans members were there.
- She once used a photo of Kwon Eunbi as her Instagram profile picture, and has described Eunbi as her only role model.
- She can play both piano and trumpet.
- She is known among the members for her cooking skills, including home baking such as cheesecake and gateau chocolate. According to fellow member Tsuzumi, she rarely refuses requests when cooking for the members.
- She has described iced Americanos as her go-to drink.
- Her personal motto is “Effort never betrays you” (努力は裏切らない), shared in a Popteen magazine interview.
- In high school, she was known for eating her lunch early at the school canteen before class.
- She owns the complete Harry Potter book series and is a fan of the film franchise.
- She can communicate in Japanese, Korean, and basic English.
- She is fond of autumn for its cool but not yet cold nights.