2005–2013: Early career beginnings and AKB48 Born in
Yokohama,
Kanagawa Prefecture, Itano joined the
Japanese idol girl group AKB48 as part of their original generation in 2005. In early 2010, she played Shibuya in
AKB48's TV Tokyo drama
Majisuka Gakuen. She had a recurring role on
Kamen Rider W as Queen, alongside fellow AKB48 performer
Tomomi Kasai, until the show ended in late 2010. Together, they made up the sub-unit
Queen & Elizabeth. In AKB48's 2010 general election, she placed fourth overall.
2010-2013: Solo Singles and Majisuka Gakuen 2 Itano released her first single, "
Dear J", on January 26, 2011. It reached number 1 on the
Oricon daily ranking and number 2 on the Oricon weekly ranking, selling 204,981 copies. In April, she reprised her role as Shibuya in
Majisuka Gakuen 2. Her first digital single "Wanna Be Now" reached number 2 on Recochoku's daily charts and number 6 on the weekly charts. She placed eighth overall in AKB48's 2011 general election held in June. Her second single, "
Fui ni", was released on July 13 and sold 90,103 copies, and reached number one on the
Oricon weekly chart. In 2012, Itano was cited as the "Queen of TV commercials" for having more contracts with companies than any other female
tarento (although her count of 20 was technically a tie with those of fellow AKB48 member
Mariko Shinoda).
2013: Graduation from AKB48 and new beginnings On February 1, 2013, during an AKB48 stage greeting, Itano announced she was leaving the group. She released her fourth solo single, "
1%", on June 12. The title track was used in television commercials for
Samantha Vega. The music video was shot in New York, and includes an appearance by the American actress and model
Taylor Momsen. Itano had her farewell "graduation" ceremony at the Tokyo Dome on August 25, and a follow-up performance on August 27 at the AKB48 Theater; the performance was streamed live by Nico Nico Namahousou. Her graduation song is "Saigo no Door", which was released as a B-side on one of the editions of AKB48's single "
Koisuru Fortune Cookie". In July 2014, Tomomi Itano made her U.S. performance debut at
Union Square in
San Francisco for J-POP Summit Festival 2014. Tomomi Itano has been cast the lead role of a Japanese foreign student based in
China alongside Taiwanese singer-actor Dino Lee in the Chinese romance movie Raincoat (雨衣), as revealed in a press conference the duo appeared in on 29 September 2015. The projected 2-month filming period for the movie that takes place in
Shanghai and
Tokyo is ongoing. The film is expected for a release in Spring 2016 in three countries. ==Discography==