[This Week’s Cover Girl] Mizuki Kirihara: “I want you to see my figure—the curves that are usually hidden by my everyday outfits!”

Her dedication to her physique

—This is your first appearance in FRIDAY.

“Thank you. It had been quite a while since my last solo gravure shoot, so the night before the shoot, I looked back at my old photos. I was surprised to realize it had been about two years since the last one. Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of shoots in idol costumes with makeup to match—the ‘polished idol look.’ With gravure, the outfits and makeup are different, and it feels like I can let myself go. It was a fun shoot.”

——I’ve heard you’ve been interested in gravure for a long time—what sparked that interest?

“It was a shonen manga magazine I read when I was in elementary school. I’ve loved books since I was little, and one day I was searching around the house for something to read. I found a manga magazine my dad subscribed to sitting on the stairs, and when I picked it up, there was a girl in a swimsuit on the cover. She was so cute that I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
Back then, music videos featuring idols in swimsuits were becoming more common, and I still remember a music video by Niji no Conquistador that I saw when I was in middle school. I wanted to be like them, so I had no reservations about doing a swimsuit gravure shoot.”

——What are the highlights of this photo shoot?

“I’d be incredibly happy if you could see my waistline and body contours—the parts that are hidden when I’m in idol costumes. I consider myself quite particular about my body shape. I work out at the gym and follow the routines my trainer taught me at home—I do strength training every day.”

——That’s impressive—every day! When did you start strength training?

“Ever since I can remember. My dad loves sports and used to work out himself. So, from a young age, he had me play soccer, box, and do strength training—and that’s how it became part of my daily routine.”

——In your idol career, “BaiBai FIGHT!” went viral last year. You also made your debut on the Kohaku Uta Gassen, and your popularity skyrocketed. How did you feel at the time?

“I was most surprised. We do release some songs with the intention of making them go viral. But with ‘BaiBai FIGHT!’, I didn’t think for even a second about trying to make it go viral. I just wanted to sing it happily at live shows and hoped it would become a staple in our set.”

——How did it feel when it actually went viral?

“To seize the opportunity that had fallen into our laps, we were holding ‘Let’s Take First Place’ meetings almost every day back then.We researched social media algorithms, worked together as a group to keep posting daily—basically, we went through a lot of trial and error to build hype for ‘BaiBai FIGHT!’. Whether that paid off or not, it ended up staying at number one on TikTok’s popular songs chart for 10 consecutive weeks.At some point, it got to the point where people were dancing to it even without us doing anything. It was a completely new feeling—like our song had left our hands and was taking on a life of its own.
I was incredibly happy that we were able to go viral with an upbeat, cheerful cheer song that’s so typical of CANDY TUNE. I also felt a sense of relief, thinking, “I’m really glad it went viral.” Things hadn’t exactly been smooth sailing up until then… So, I’m really happy right now!”

I like spending time alone

——How did you enjoy the Kohaku?

“Since I was the opening act, I got to perform in front of a lineup of performers. Perfume, whom I’ve loved since I was little, and Chanmina also sang and danced to ‘Bai Bai FIGHT!’, and it felt just like I was in a dream. I’m also grateful to everyone in Junretsu.”

——Did you have any prior connection with Junretsu?

“We appeared together on a TV show before the Kohaku. There, Kazuki Sakai gave me some advice: ‘Your first Kohaku will be a blur, so do your best to remember it.’ So all of us went into the show with the mindset of ‘Let’s make sure this stays in our memories.’ Thanks to that, we were able to create some wonderful memories.”

——About your personal life. What do you do on your days off?

“Lately, I only have about one completely free day a month, so I use that time for self-care. I go to the hair salon or get a massage.”

——Are there any celebrities you hang out with or go out to eat with?

“I like my alone time, so I’m usually by myself even on my days off.”

——Do you watch movies or streaming shows?

“I do. I recently watched *Love Is Great* on Netflix, and it was fun. It’s a dating reality show featuring a boy and a girl from the ‘yankee’ subculture—people I’ve never met before. Many of them have ways of thinking I’d never considered and act in unexpected ways, so I couldn’t predict how things would unfold, which made it a lot of fun to watch.”

——You’re currently in the middle of the CANDY TUNE tour. How do you feel right now?

“Our first tour in ’24 started with just four shows, but it’s doubled and doubled again—this time, we’re doing a whopping 23 shows. I’m so happy we get to go out and meet our fans in the regions. I’m especially looking forward to Shikoku, since it’s the first time CANDY TUNE has toured there.All the members absolutely love food, so we’re looking forward to eating our fill of all the delicious dishes from all over Japan.”

Mizuki Kirihara, 23
Born in Ibaraki Prefecture in 2003. She began her entertainment career in 2019 and became a member of “CANDY TUNE” in 2023.
At last year’s Kohaku Uta Gassen, she performed the smash hit “BaiBai FIGHT!”
Her latest digital photo book, “sweet girl,” is now on sale

My Recent Favorite “FOOD”
“Homemade Stew”

I’ve finally had a bit more free time lately, so I decided to make omurice on a whim. It was so much fun that I’ve started cooking for myself again. Even when I get home late from work, I cook almost every day. When I cook and clear my mind, I feel better the next day. My latest masterpiece is stew. I was actually so impressed with myself that I thought, “Maybe I should open a restaurant!”

From the October 16, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*