ShuuKaRen was a Japanese Dance-pop and EDM duo formed and managed by LDH since 2016. They were a sub-unit of supergroup

E-girls E-girls (sometimes stylized as E-Girls or e-girls; stands for Exile Girls) was a Japanese collective girl group created and managed by LDH while signed to music label Rhythm Zone from Avex. As of 2017, the band consisted of 11 members; 8 of wh ...

and signed to the record label

Sony Music Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...

. The duo was composed of sisters Shuuka and

Karen Fujii is a Japanese singer, dancer, model and actress. She is a member of J-Pop group Happiness, and a former member E-girls, and ShuuKaRen, and an exclusive model for the magazines '' JJ'' and '' Nicola''. Karen is represented by LDH. Biography Ka ...

(hence the sub-unit's name), making them the first joint unit of members from the groups

Flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

and

Happiness Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...

. This was also the first time Shuuka provided vocals to a musical project besides being a performer.

History

2016: Group formation and debut

On August 11, 2016, during the last concert of E-girls' third tour ''E-girls LIVE TOUR 2016 "E.G. SMILE"'' at

Saitama Super Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Chūō-ku, Saitama, Chūō-ku, Saitama (city), Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It opened preliminarily on May 5, 2000, and then was officially opened on September 1 of the same year. Its maximum capa ...

, Shuuka and

Karen Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding white woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand * House of Karen, a historic ...

announced the formation of their sub-unit "ShuuKaRen" during the encore. The sisters would promote with this sub-unit whilst carrying on activities with their corresponding groups

(Shuuka) and

(Karen). It was also revealed that both girls would be singing, making this the first time Shuuka would be providing vocals for an official project since her debut (as a performer) in 2011. Their debut single titled "

Universe The universe is all of space and time and their contents. It comprises all of existence, any fundamental interaction, physical process and physical constant, and therefore all forms of matter and energy, and the structures they form, from s ...

" was announced to be released on October 5, 2016. Though it was the sisters' first musical release, they did work together prior to the formation with a fashion book, titled ''Antithese'', which garnered critical success and sold over 100,000 units in Japan. On September 7, it was announced that the unit's second song "Take-A-Shot! feat. PKCZ®" was chosen as the opening theme song for ''B.LEAGUE 2016-17 SEASON''. On September 9, "Universe" was released as a digital single prior to the physical release of their single album. On September 22, their second digital single "Take-a-Shot!" featuring PKCZ® was released. It was later on included as b-side alongside "Tricky" on their debut single. The duo also held their first performance of the song "Take-A-Shot! feat. PKCZ®" during the opening ceremony of the B.League on September 22. On September 24, the duo starred in their first TV commercial for a new candy product from UHA called ''e-maのど飴モーフィング'' together. Their song "Tricky" was chosen as the title song for the CM.

2017-2018: Third digital single and Shuuka's retirement

On October 22, 2017, Shuuka announced the third digital single of the duo titled "LOVE YOUR LIFE / Parallel Synchronicity" while also announcing her temporary hiatus due to health problems. The single was released on November 10, 2017. “LOVE YOUR LIFE” was used as a TV commercial song for a ''KOSÉ FASIO'' TV CM in which both Shuuka and Karen appeared. "Parallel Synchronization" produced by

m-flo is a Japanese hip hop group consisting of Taku Takahashi, Verbal and Lisa. Lisa left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career and the remaining members then started the M-Flo Loves... project working different vocalists for each song over t ...

was also chosen as the theme song for ''B.LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP 2016-17''. On December 31, Shuuka announced to have graduated from the unit and retired from entertainment industry due to worsening symptoms of cervical

spinal disc herniation A disc herniation or spinal disc herniation is an injury to the intervertebral disc between two vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, ...

. As result of her leaving, and with only Karen staying, the unit disbanded. On January 15, 2018, ShuuKaRen's website, the group's section on E.G.family mobile and accounts on

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

and

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

were closed, along with Shuuka's personal blog on E.G.family mobile being also closed and removed.

Members

Discography

Single

Digital Singles

Tie-up

References

External links

{{LDH (company) Japanese girl groups LDH (company) artists Japanese musical duos Musical groups established in 2016 2016 establishments in Japan