≒Joy (ニアリーイコールジョイ; pronounced "Nearly Equal Joy", stylized as ≒JOY), is a
Japanese idol
An is a type of entertainer marketed for image, attractiveness, and personality in Japanese popular culture, Japanese pop culture. Idols are primarily singers with training in other performance skills such as acting, dancing, and modeling. Idol ...
girl group
A girl group is a music act featuring two or more women in music, female singers who generally vocal harmony, harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female p ...
that formed in 2022. The twelve-person group is produced by former
AKB48
AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol musical girl group named after the Akihabara area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48 has sold more records than any other female musical act in Japanese history. AK ...
and
HKT48
HKT48 (read "H.K.T. Forty-eight") is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. HKT48 is named after the Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Hakata-ku ward of Fukuoka, where Akimoto originally intended to base the group. The group currently performs at ...
member
Rino Sashihara
is a Japanese tarento, singer, producer and actress. She is best known as a former member of idol groups HKT48, AKB48 and STU48, and was the theater manager for HKT48 and STU48. She was also a member of AKB48's unit Not Yet and is the produc ...
and is the second sister group of
=Love.
History
2021–present: Formation and debut
In October 2021, it was announced that
Rino Sashihara
is a Japanese tarento, singer, producer and actress. She is best known as a former member of idol groups HKT48, AKB48 and STU48, and was the theater manager for HKT48 and STU48. She was also a member of AKB48's unit Not Yet and is the produc ...
would produce a third girl group.
On March 29, 2022, the group's name, ≒Joy, and the initial twelve member line-up were unveiled. On June 25, Aimi Ozawa joined the group as the thirteenth and final member. On July 2, their eponymous debut song was released on
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
. On December 4, Moeka Fukuyama suspended her activities with the group to focus on her studies.
On March 29, 2023, Moeka Fukuyama left the group to continue her studies. On December 16, Aoi Onishi went on hiatus due to poor physical health.
On January 17, 2024, they released their debut
EP, ''Kitto, Zettai, Zettai''.
Members
Current
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Former
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Discography
Extended plays
Singles
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nearly Equal Joy
Japanese girl groups
Japanese idol groups
Japanese pop music groups
Musical groups from Tokyo
Musical groups established in 2022
2022 establishments in Japan