Artist Profile
- Full Name: Rio Hanabashi
- Native Name: 花橋 梨緒
- Nicknames: Ri-chan
- Birthday: Feb 04, 2002 (23 years old)
- Blood type: B
- Height/Weight: 159 cm (5'3") / N/A
- Gender: Female
- Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
- Debut: Dec 2, 2020
- MBTI: ENFP (The Campaigner)
- Birthplace: Aichi Prefecture, Japan
- Nationality: Japanese
- Profession: Singer, Dancer
- Languages: Japanese, Korean
- Group: NiziU
- Years Active: 2020–present (6 years)
Rio, full name Hanabashi Rio, was born on February 4, 2002, in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. She is a singer, dancer, and rapper currently under the management of JYP Entertainment.
Rio is a member of the girl group NiziU, where she serves as main dancer, rapper, and vocalist. She placed fourth in the audition program Nizi Project and officially debuted with the group on December 2, 2020, with the single “Step and a Step.”
Early Life
Rio began learning dance in the second grade of elementary school and joined the dance group Bunnies, affiliated with the EXILE system, in 2015. After the group disbanded in 2017, she joined EXPG Lab and became a member of the music and dance group KIZZY in December 2017. She has devoted more than half of her life to dance and considers it a central part of her daily life.
Career
Rio began her artistic activities in 2015 when she joined EXPG STUDIO Nagoya and became a member of the group Bunnies. She later continued her activities with KIZZY under EXPG Lab, using the stage name HanaRio.
In 2018, she participated in LDH’s THE GIRLS AUDITION but did not pass. In March 2019, she left EXPG STUDIO to pursue a career in acting.
From July 2019, Rio took part in Nizi Project, a joint audition program organized by JYP Entertainment and Sony Music.
In June 2020, she placed fourth overall and officially became a member of NiziU. In December 2020, she debuted with the group through the single “Step and a Step,” which topped the Oricon Singles Chart with first-week sales of 312,000 copies.
In 2021, she participated in the release of the single “Take a picture / Poppin’ Shakin’” in April and the group’s debut album “U” in November.
In 2022, Rio was actively involved in group activities through the singles “Asobo,” “Clap Clap,” and “Blue Moon.” In May 2022, she was absent from NiziU’s first performance at KCON Seoul due to a sudden health issue that occurred during rehearsals.
In 2023, she and the group released the single “Paradise” in March and their second studio album “Coconut” in July. In October 2023, she debuted in the Korean market with the single album “Press Play.”
In 2024, Rio participated in the release of several digital singles, including “Memories” in February, “Sweet Nonfiction” in March, and “Rise Up” in July.
In November 2024, she launched the concert tour “NiziU Live With U 2024–2025 Awake” at Sun Dome Fukui.
In 2025, she continued the “Awake” tour in Osaka in January and Rifu in February. In February 2025, she released the EP “Awake,” followed by her second Korean single album “LOVE LINE” in March. In November 2025, Rio took part in the release of NiziU’s third studio album “New Emotion.”
Fun Facts
- She used the nickname HanaRio during her time with the dance groups KIZZY and Bunnies under EXPG.
- She is known for talking in her sleep, often mumbling “What is it?” which makes the other members laugh.
- Although she is afraid of heights, she prefers sleeping on the top bunk and chooses the front-row seats on double-decker buses.
- She has three pet dogs named Mario, Mariko, and Marita.
- She loves eating churros and finds it hard to stop once she starts.
- She can perform a frog-style handstand and often shows it to entertain fans.
- She appeared in the music video “God’s Menu” by Stray Kids along with other NiziU members.
- She describes dance as half of her life, having started training at a very young age.
- The most influential advice she received from J.Y. Park was: “A singer should not look like just a dancer.”
- She dreams of collaborating with her role model group TWICE.
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