Pre-debut Fairies was formed by talent agency
Vision Factory (now Rising Production), famous for successful artists such as
Namie Amuro,
MAX and
Speed. Their concept was "a world class talented group that is able to compete overseas." Members were chosen from 100 candidates who were attending dance schools affiliated with Vision Factory, coming from 13 regions of Japan. The group name was open for suggestions from the public through a special corner in
Nippon TV programme
Sukkiri!!, and "Fairies" was chosen with the explanation that their dancing form resembled a group of fairies fluttering.
2011–2013: Debut and Kiyomura’s departure The group debuted with the double A-side single "
More Kiss / Song for You" on September 21, 2011. At the
53rd Japan Record Awards, held on December 30, 2011, Fairies were named the best newcomer of the year, receiving the Best New Artist award. Although the group had been using the name "Fairies" in Latin script until then, from February onwards it was changed to Japanese on all their official sites and single jacket covers. However, no announcement was ever made about which was the official notation. On February 1, 2013, the subunit with Hayashida Mahiro, Fujita Miria, and Shimomura Miki as members was announced. The name was due to "M" being the initial of all three girls' given names. Their debut single "Yumemiru Dancing Doll" was released on March 27.
2014–present: Subsequent releases, Fujita’s departure and group hiatus Fairies released their
eponymous first album on March 26, 2014. Included as a new song on the album was Ito's solo song "Poker Face", which later became the title song on Ito's solo debut single, released July 23. From August 9 to August 14, the group held their first live tour "Fairies LIVE TOUR 2014: Summer Party," which was released on DVD that December. In January 2017, Fujita Miria announced that she would be withdrawing from the group in order to focus on her studies. On June 17, 2020, it was announced by Rising Production that after several discussions with the members, Rikako Inoue, Sora Nomoto and Mahiro Hayashida decided to end their contract with the agency, with Rikako also retiring from show business. Momoka Ito and
Miki Shimomura will remain in the agency working individually. Although the activities ended as a group, the agency revealed that the group have not disbanded and their future activities are "undecided". After working at a beauty company for two years, Rikako Inoue began a career as an adult actress under the name Yotsuha Kominato. ==Members==