You Kikkawa (吉川 友, Kikkawa Yū, born May 1, 1992 in Ibaraki Prefecture)[1] is a Japanese singer and actress. Kikkawa achieved early fame portraying Kobeni Hanasaki from Kirarin Revolution Stage 3 and later debuted as a solo singer with the song, "Kikkake wa You!"
Career
2006–2010: Pre-debut, Kirarin Revolution
Kikkawa auditioned for Morning Musume's 8th generation in 2006 and was one of six finalists out of 6,883 applicants.[2] Despite not making the group, she was accepted into Hello! Project's trainee group, Hello Pro Egg, in 2007.[3][4] Prior to joining, she had done minor theatre work.
In 2008, Kikkawa provided the voice to Kobeni Hanasaki in Kirarin Revolution Stage 3.[5] She became part of the in-show subgroup MilkyWay with Koharu Kusumi from Morning Musume and Sayaka Kitahara from Hello Pro Egg. Kikkawa also released songs for the soundtrack under the name "Kobeni Hanasaki starring You Kikkawa."[6] She also made televised and concert appearances portraying Kobeni in real life.
2011–present: Solo debut
Kikkawa at the 2016 Kaohsiung Pier 2 Animation Festival
In 2011, Kikkawa debuted as a solo singer with the song "Kikkake wa You!"
In 2013, she played the role of Chava in the Japanese production of Fiddler on the Roof.
On May 6, 2015, Kikkawa releases her 9th single, "Hana", which is the longest single among idol artists in Japan, with about 17 and a half minutes in length, with strong influences of Takarazuka.
