Artist Profile
- Full Name: Yamamoto Suzu
- Native Name: 山本すず
- Nicknames: SUZU, Suzu-tan
- Birthday: Dec 16, 2006 (19 years old)
- Blood type: A
- Height/Weight: 164 cm / N/A
- Gender: Female
- Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
- MBTI: INFP
- Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
- Nationality: Japanese
- Profession: Singer, Idol
- Language Skills: Japanese, Korean
- Current Agency: LAPONE GIRLS, LAPONE Entertainment
- Debut: April 17, 2024
- Fandom: YOU:ME
- Years Active: 2023–present (3 years)
- Special Skill: Karate (Black Belt Holder)
SUZU, born Yamamoto Suzu (山本すず) on December 16, 2006, is a Japanese singer active in J-pop under LAPONE Girls. She is a member and vocalist of the girl group ME:I.
Early Life
Yamamoto Suzu was born in Tokyo, Japan, and was reportedly raised in Saitama Prefecture. She began practicing karate at age four and eventually earned a black belt after nearly a decade of training. Her younger sister, Hana, born in 2009, also studies karate. Her mother previously worked as a backup dancer for Pink Lady.
During middle school, she became interested in dance after a BTS fan friend introduced her to K-pop cover performances. She later trained at K-POP STUDIO FANCY before joining Source Music as a trainee in 2022.
In September 2023, she joined the competition show Produce 101 Japan The Girls, later describing the program as her last chance to debut as an idol.
Career
2023
On September 3, 2023, Yamamoto Suzu was announced as a contestant on Produce 101 Japan The Girls, which began airing on Lemino on October 5. In the first episode, as part of the team Wing Bell Moon, a group of trainees who had previously trained at Korean agencies, she was ranked 15th by her fellow trainees, while the trainers awarded her a Grade A evaluation. In episode 6, she included karate-inspired choreography in her position battle performance, performing Rocketeer by INI.
On December 16, 2023, on her 17th birthday, she finished the show in 5th place with 631,708 votes and officially became a member of ME:I.
2024
On April 17, 2024, Yamamoto Suzu debuted with ME:I through the group’s first single, MIRAI. On December 31, 2024, she performed with ME:I at NHK’s 75th Kōhaku Uta Gassen, marking the group’s first appearance at the event.
2025
In September 2025, ME:I released their debut album WHO I AM, with Suzu contributing as one of the group’s main vocalists.
Awards
- In 2024, Yamamoto Suzu and ME:I received the J-Music Rookie Idol Award in the group category at Billboard Japan.
Fun Facts
- She officially debuted on her 17th birthday, with the results announced during the live finale on December 16, 2023.
- After learning she had made her debut, she went home, had sushi with her family, and went to sleep.
- She began practicing karate at age four and later earned a black belt after years of training.
- Her mother was a backup dancer for Pink Lady, the legendary Japanese girl group of the 1970s.
- She quit karate after friends who were BTS fans invited her to shoot a cover dance, which led her to pursue a career in performance.
- She was a trainee at Source Music in South Korea for about six months in 2022, the agency known for LE SSERAFIM.
- She refers to herself by her own name, “Suzu,” rather than using the standard first-person pronoun.
- She has trouble waking up early, and fellow member Murakami Rinon usually wakes her up.
- During the filming of Produce 101 Japan The Girls, she shared a room with Murakami Rinon.
- She is a fan of the Takarazuka Revue, an all-female Japanese musical theater troupe
- Her role model is Mina of TWICE.
- During the show, former AKB48 member Kashiwagi Yuki named Suzu as her personal pick.