Artist Profile
- Full Name: Ebihara Tsuzumi
- Native Name: 海老原鼓
- Nicknames: Tsuzumin, Tsuzu, TSUZUMI
- Birthday: Jan 22, 2007 (19 years old)
- Blood type: N/A
- Height/Weight: 158 cm (5'2") / N/A
- Gender: Female
- Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
- MBTI: ENFP
- Birthplace: Kanagawa, Japan
- Nationality: Japanese
- Profession: Singer, Idol
- Language Skills: Japanese
- Current Agency: LAPONE GIRLS
- Debut: Apr 17, 2024
- Fandom: YOU:ME (ME:I Fandom)
- Years Active: 2023–present (3 years)
- Group: ME:I
TSUZUMI, born Ebihara Tsuzumi (海老原鼓) on January 22, 2007, is a Japanese singer active in J-pop under LAPONE Girls. She is a member of the girl group ME:I and the youngest member of the lineup.
Early Life
Ebihara Tsuzumi was born in Kanagawa, Japan, and grew up in a coastal area of the prefecture. She had no professional dance experience before joining the competition. In middle school, she served as soprano section leader in her school choir and later won a gold medal at a choir competition. She began teaching herself guitar during her second year of middle school. She also worked part-time at a café.
In September 2023, she joined Produce 101 Japan The Girls as a contestant. During the first evaluation, she sang while playing guitar, received a Grade A from the trainers, and was ranked 1st by her fellow trainees.
Career
2023
On September 3, 2023, Ebihara Tsuzumi was announced as a contestant on Produce 101 Japan The Girls, which began airing on Lemino on October 5. In the first episode, she was ranked 1st by her fellow trainees and received a Grade A evaluation from the trainers, which she maintained through the re-evaluation round. She was selected to sing one of four solo parts in the show’s theme song, LEAP HIGH! ~Asu e, Meippai~. In episode 6, she showcased ad-libs during the position battle stage for Hero by Namie Amuro.
On December 16, 2023, Ebihara finished the show in 10th place with 1,599,394 votes and debuted as a member of ME:I.
2024
On April 17, 2024, she debuted with ME:I through the group’s first single, MIRAI.
On July 1, 2024, LAPONE Girls announced she would be suspending her activities due to health-related issues. On July 27, 2024, she returned to perform at KCON LA 2024 M COUNTDOWN in Los Angeles. On August 3, 2024, following additional medical examinations after returning to Japan, LAPONE Girls announced she had been diagnosed with adjustment disorder and would be taking a long-term hiatus to focus on her recovery.
2025
On March 17, 2025, Ebihara Tsuzumi, along with fellow members Sakurai Miu and Takami Ayane, released a cover video of Golden (Japanese Ver.) on ME:I’s official YouTube channel. The song was featured in the animated film KPOP Girls! Demon Hunters and later won Best Original Song at the 98th Academy Awards.
On August 31, 2025, LAPONE Girls announced she had recovered and was officially resuming activities. She resumed activities at the Hiroshima stop of the 2025 ME:I 1ST ARENA LIVE TOUR “THIS IS ME:I”.
Awards
- In 2024, Ebihara Tsuzumi and ME:I received the J-Music Rookie Idol Award in the group category at Billboard Japan.
Fun Facts
- She had no dance experience before auditioning, but was still voted 1st by her fellow trainees in the very first episode.
- During her one-minute PR video, she sang while playing guitar, prompting one of the trainers to react, “She’s so good…”
- She can recognize her idol Jo Yuri just from a photo taken from behind.
- After learning she had debuted, she had yakiniku with her family and went to sleep, waking up the next morning to thousands of unread messages on Line.
- She is the only ME:I member who calls leader Kasahara Momona “Popo,”.
- Her given name, “Tsuzumi,” means “drum” in Japanese.
- Her 18th birthday took place during her hiatus, so LAPONE delivered fan messages directly to her instead of holding a birthday event.