Artist Profile
- Full Name: Kasahara Momona
- Native Name: 笠原桃奈
- Nicknames: MOMONA
- Birthday: Oct 22, 2003 (22 years old)
- Blood type: A
- Height/Weight: 163 cm (5'4") / N/A
- Gender: Female
- Zodiac Sign: Libra ♎
- MBTI: ENTJ
- Birthplace: Kanagawa, Japan
- Nationality: Japanese
- Profession: Singer, Idol, Actress
- Language Skills: Japanese (Native)
- Current Agency: LAPONE Entertainment, LAPONE GIRLS
- Debut: Apr 17, 2024
- Years Active: 2015–present (11 years)
- Group: ME:I
MOMONA (born Kasahara Momona, 笠原桃奈; October 22, 2003) is a Japanese singer and actress active in J-pop. She is the leader and center of ME:I, a group formed through Produce 101 Japan The Girls in 2023. Prior to this, she was a 5th-generation member of Angerme under Hello! Project from 2016 to 2021.
Early life
Kasahara Momona grew up in Kanagawa, Japan, in a family with a musical background. She began studying ballet at age three and continued for nine years. A longtime fan of Morning Musume, she applied for the group’s 12th-generation audition in 2013 but was rejected for being under the minimum age. She applied again in 2014 for the Morning Musume ’14 Golden Audition but was not selected.
In April 2015, she joined Hello Pro Kenshusei and was officially introduced on April 27 of that year at age 11. She was the youngest member of her trainee class.
In July 2016, she was announced as the sole 5th-generation member of Angerme, becoming the group’s youngest member at 12 years old. After completing middle school in March 2019, she enrolled in high school the following April.
In June 2021, she announced her plan to graduate from Angerme and Hello! Project to study singing and dancing abroad, saying she had thought long and hard about whether it was too reckless a choice. After leaving Angerme, she continued training through the KPOP ART SCHOOL program in South Korea and Japan.
Career
2016
On July 16, 2016, Kasahara was announced as a new member of Angerme on the opening day of Hello! Project’s summer concert tour at Nihon Tokushu Tōgyō Civic Center. On October 19, 2016, she appeared on Angerme’s 22nd single, marking her first appearance on an official Angerme release.
2019
In October 2019, Kasahara released her first solo photobook, Momona, photographed in the Atami and Shimoda areas of Shizuoka Prefecture, released around her 16th birthday.
2020
In November 2020, she appeared in the television drama Hobonichi no Kaidan: Takawarai Suru Onna (broadcast on Television Kanagawa) in the lead role of Suzuka Sasaki.
2021
On June 21, 2021, Kasahara announced her graduation from Angerme and Hello! Project before the end of the year.
On November 15, 2021, her graduation concert Angerme Concert 2021 “Tōgenkyō” Kasahara Momona Graduation Special was held at Nippon Budokan. On the same day, she released her second photobook, Dear Sister, with contributions from actresses Yū Aoi and Akiko Kikuchi, who reportedly suggested the project to Up-Front Promotion upon learning of her graduation.
2023
On September 3, 2023, Kasahara was announced as one of 101 contestants on Produce 101 Japan The Girls on TBS. She ranked 1st in the first public vote, 3rd in the second, and returned to 1st in the third. On December 16, 2023, at the live finale, she placed 1st with 1,116,716 votes and debuted as a member of ME:I.
2024
On February 26, 2024, Kasahara was appointed leader of ME:I. On April 17, 2024, she debuted with ME:I through their first single MIRAI. She was the center for the title track Click. Her member color in ME:I is black.
On July 21, 2024, Kasahara appeared as a guest on Fashion Numa, broadcast on NHK E TV.
2025
From March 3, 2025, Kasahara served as Host of the Month on Fuji TV’s Mezamashi TV, appearing on March 3, 10, 17, and 24.
In April 2025, it was announced that Kasahara would voice the character Nani Pelekai in the Japanese dub of Disney’s live-action film Lilo & Stitch, released on June 6, 2025. She earned the role through an audition held in the United States.
Awards
- On May 5, 2016, Kasahara received the Best Performance Award at the Hello! Project Trainee Recital 2016 Spring, held at Nakano Sunplaza.
- In 2024, Kasahara received the J-Music Rookie Idol Award in the group category at Billboard Japan as a member of ME:I.
Fun facts
- Her parents chose the name “Momona” because of their love for Hawaii; the word means “cute” or “sweet” in Hawaiian.
- A longtime fan of Morning Musume, she auditioned for the group in 2013 but was rejected for being under the minimum age.
- She studied ballet for nine years starting at age three. Acrobatics is one of her known skills.
- She dislikes meat and enjoys peaches and other fruits.
- She keeps a parakeet as a pet and enjoys shooting with a film camera.
- Fellow members often call her the group’s “papa” because she often organizes chores and group discussions among the members.
- The members have joked about her heavily slanted handwriting.
- She traveled abroad for the first time in January 2020, when she visited South Korea with her mother.
- Her member color in ME:I is black. Her previous color in Angerme was hot pink.
- At the encore concert in late 2025, she broke down in tears during her closing remarks, opening with the words “I can finally say this now.”