Camellia Factory

On April 29, the group was announced by Japanese media as a new Hello Pro Kenshusei unit with six members,[1][2][3][4] and confirmed through Hello! Project Station. The initial members were Ogata Risa, Yamagishi Riko, Niinuma Kisora, Tanimoto Ami, Kishimoto Yumeno, and Asakura Kiki.

The name Tsubaki Factory (つばきファクトリー) literally means "Camellia Factory". Hello! Project advisor Shimizu Saki (formerly of Berryz Koubou) assisted in picking the group's name. The camellia (tsubaki) was chosen when thinking about "noble and cold beauty and wanting the group to be fresh and strong like the evergreen". The word "factory", also used in the name of their sister group Kobushi Factory, is a reference Berryz Koubou (koubou meaning "workshop"), so that the group may carry on Berryz Koubou's spirit.[5]

The group first performed at the Hello Pro Kenshuusei Happyoukai 2015 ~Haru no Koukai Jitsuryoku Shindan Fest~ on May 4.[6] On May 16, Tsubaki Factory held a joint concert with sister group Kobushi Factory, and label mate Country Girls, during the Hello! Project New Fest! 2015. This was the first time the Factory groups had performed together. On May 26, the group participated as an opening act at Angerme STARTING LIVE TOUR SPECIAL @ Nippon Budokan Taiki Bansei.

On August 8, during the Hello! Project 2015 SUMMER concert, Yamagishi Riko was announced as the leader of Tsubaki Factory, while Ogata Risa was announced as the group's sub-leader.[7]

On September 6, 2015, Tsubaki Factory released their first indie single "Seishun Manmannaka!" at the Hello Pro Kenshuusei Happyoukai 2015 ~9gatsu no Nama Tamago Show!~ concert venue.

From October 8 to October 18, Tsubaki Factory starred in the Engeki Joshibu musical remake of Thank You Very Berry, which also featured and was directed by former Berryz Koubou member Sudo Maasa, who starred in the original stage play.

On December 31, Tsubaki Factory released their second indies single "Kedakaku Sakihokore!" at the Hello! Project COUNTDOWN PARTY 2015 ~GOOD BYE & HELLO!~ concert venue.

On March 19, 2016, Tsubaki Factory released their first mini-album titled Tsubaki Factory SOUND + VISION Vol.1 at the Asobu, Kurasu, Sodateru, SATOYAMA & SATOUMI e Ikou 2016, venue as a limited pre-sale. The mini-album was released for general sale on May 18.

On June 20, Tsubaki Factory participated as an opening act for their senior labelmate ℃-ute's Concert Tour Haru ~℃ONCERTO~, where the group performed the song "Watashi ga Obasan ni Natte mo", It is a cover of the 1992 single by Chisato Moritaka. On August 6, Tsubaki Factory released their third indie single "Hitorijime / Watashi ga Obasan ni Natte mo" at the Hello! Project 2016 SUMMER venue. On August 13, it was announced at Tsubaki Factory's fan club event that Hello Pro Kenshuusei members Ono Mizuho, Onoda Saori, and Akiyama Mao had joined the group as new members. The new nine-member line-up debuted on September 4 at Hello! Project Kenshuusei Happyoukai 2016 9gatsu ~SINGING!~, where it was announced by Hello! Project advisor Shimizu Saki that Tsubaki Factory would finally make their major debut in January 2017.

On October 22, they announced during the Tsubaki Factory Ouen Kikaku ~Camellia Fights! Vol.2~ event that their major debut single would be released on February 22, 2017

On January 3, 2017 all of the members graduated from Hello Project Kenshuusei.

Tsubaki Factory released their major debut single, "Hatsukoi Sunrise / Just Try! / Uruwashi no Camellia" on February 22. On January 24, it was announced that "Hatsukoi Sunrise" would be the opening theme for the television show Music-ru TV for the month of February. On February 24, it was announced that "Hatsukoi Sunrise" would also be the ending theme for the Ehime Asahi TV show Love Chu Chu for the month of March. The single sold 35,241 copies (according to Oricon) in its first week, beating their sister group Kobushi Factory's major debut single, "Dosukoi! kenkyo ni daitan / Ramen daisuki koizumi-san no uta / Nen ni wa nen" sales by 600 copies. The single-ended up selling a total of 40,000+ copies overall.[8]

It was revealed on March 25, during the Hello! Project Hina Fest 2017, that Tsubaki leader Yamagishi Riko would be releasing her first Photobook titled Riko on April 27, published by Wani Books. She is the first Tsubaki Factory member to release a photobook.[9]

On April 17, it was announced that Tsubaki Factory and their sister group Kobushi Factory would be performing at "@JAM 2017" as part of the May 27, 2017, lineup.[10] Tsubaki Factory also made an appearance on BS-ASAHI's Idol Otakarakuji LIVE on May 21.[11] On May 24, Tsubaki Factory performed at GIRLS ROCKS. On June 12, the group performed as one of the opening acts of C-ute's final concert, ℃ – ute Last Concert in Saitama Super Arena ~ Thank you team ℃ – ute ~.[12]

Tsubaki Factory performed at the 2017 Girls Idol Festa on June 17.[13] On June 16, Hello!Project announced that member Asakura Kiki had been diagnosed with a lumbar herniated disc, and therefore would cease activities with the group until June 30.[14] She is the second member in Hello!Project to have been diagnosed with this condition, the first being Morning Musume member Sato Masaki. On June 23, Tsubaki Factory performed as the opening act for senior label mate Morning Musume's concert, on June 23, Morning Musume '17 Concert Tour Haru ~THE INSPIRATION!~. Asakura Kiki was not present during this performance.[15] On July 15, Ogata Risa, Niinuma Kisora, Tanimoto Ami, Kishimoto Yumeno, and Ono Mizuho appeared on TBS's Ongaku no Hi 2017 in a pre-recorded performance. They were part of a special Hello! Project unit with Morning Musume '17 and a selection of members from Angerme and Kobushi Factory.[16][17] Tsubaki Factory released their second major single, "Shuukatsu Sensation / Waratte / Hana Moyou" on July 26. It has three title songs and seven editions. The group performed "Shuukatsu Sensation" for the first time during the concert Hello! Project Kenshuusei Happyoukai 2017 6gatsu ~June Tripper!~. "Waratte" was the July 2017 ending theme for RKB radio show High Touch!,[18] and "Shuukatsu Sensation" was the August 2017 opening theme for Music-ru TV.[19] While Asakura Kiki was not present in the dance scenes of the three songs music videos,[20] she participated in the talk segments of the singles' release events from July 25 to July 28.

Tsubaki Factory performed on TV ASAHI's Roppongi Hills Summer Festival SUMMER STATION on August 7.[21][22]

On November 9, it was announced that Tsubaki Factory had won a Newcomer Award from the 50th Japan Cable Awards; they were presented their award at the ceremony on December 4.[23][24] Hello!Project announced on November 13 their YouTube show The Girls Live, that Tsubaki Factory would be releasing their third single "Teion Yakedo / Shunrenka / I Need You ~Yozora no Kanransha~" on February 21, 2018. "Teion Yakedo" was pre-released digitally on December 2 to promote the single. The song is described as a melancholic winter song which is perfect for the cold season. The composer of the song Riko Ohashi had done previous works with Japanese Idol group Nogizaka46.[25][26] It was also announced on November 16 that Tsubaki Factory won a Newcomer Award from the 59th Japan Record Awards.[27] At the ceremony on December 30, they were presented their award and were later announced as the winners of the Best Newcomer Award out of three other artists.[28]

Tsubaki Factory began their first late-night radio show on Tokai Radio, titled Tsubaki Factory no Camellia Night on January 5, 2018. A 10-minute segment hosted by Niinuma alongside a different member every week, this radio show is expected to run for three months.

On February 21, Tsubaki Factory released their third single, "Teion Yakedo / Shunrenka / I Need You ~Yozora no Kanransha~". It debuted at number two on the Oricon daily charts with 54,000 copies sold, a huge feat for a Hello!Project group not tied to Morning Musume. With over 81,000 copies sold it became the group's highest-selling single to date. The release was considered a huge success for the rookie group.[29] "Teion Yakedo" was selected as the February 2018 opening theme for Music-ru TV[30] and as one of the songs for FM-FUJI's SOUND LEAF weekly power play in the same month.[31] On March 14, they performed in the second part of the SKY PerfecTV! Ongakusai 2018 alongside Morning Musume '18, where they promoted the single.[32]

The group digitally released the cover single "Hyokkori Hyoutanjima" on July 17 alongside sister group Kobushi Factory, which was used as the official compulsory song for the Aidorusai 2018 ~Idol Matsuri~ contest. Label mate Morning Musume released a cover of the same song in 2003 for their 17th single "Morning Musume no Hyokkori Hyoutanjima". Kobushi Factory and Tsubaki Factory's music video is a tribute to Morning Musume's done by the same director, Kawatani Hideo.[33] On July 18, Tsubaki Factory released their fourth single, "Date no Hi wa Nido Kurai Shower Shite Dekaketai / Junjou cm / Kon'ya Dake Ukaretakatta", debuting at number two on the Oricon daily chart.[34] The music video for "Kon'ya Dake Ukaretakatta" was uploaded on YouTube at midnight between July 6 and July 7, 2018 in time for Tanabata, also known as the Star Festival, which is celebrated every July 7 in most of Japan.[35]

Tsubaki Factory performed on all three days of Tokyo Idol Festival 2018, from August 3 through August 5, where they promoted the two singles released that year.[36] On September 21, it was announced that Tsubaki Factory would sing Japanese covers of the opening and ending themes for the DreamWorks animated TV series Trolls: Sing, Dance, Hug! which began airing on TV Tokyo on October 3.[37][38] The opening theme is titled "Hair up Sora e!" (originally "Hair in the Air"), and ending theme is titled "Mou Saikou!" (originally "Best Day Ever").[39][40] The group released their first studio album, titled First Bloom'; on November 14. It came in three editions: Limited Edition A includes a Blu-ray featuring all versions of their major single MVs, all indies single MVs, footage of the CD jacket photo shoots, and TV spots; Limited Edition B includes a bonus CD featuring songs released in their indies period and Hello! Project song covers. "Hyoumenchouryoku ~Surface Tension~", written by Team Tobimatsu (Tobimatsu Koyu, Kamosori Makoto, Moribe Taiyo), was the runner-up song from Co-Write Battle held by Music-ru TV in spring 2018.[41]

2019

On February 22, 2019, the second anniversary of their major debut, Tsubaki Factory published the Tsubaki Factory 1st Official Book.[42] It includes their latest photos from Up to Boy magazine such as their first swimsuit photos and the "Camellia Girlfriend" series, round-table discussions, their discography, and more.[43] Also as part of the celebration, the group opened a pop-up café in collaboration with AREA-Q ANNEX in Harajuku named Kissa Camellia on the same day and ending on March 31.[44] On February 27, the group released their fifth single, "Sankaime no Date Shinwa / Fuwari, Koi Dokei". The ending theme for the DreamWorks animated TV series Trolls: Sing, Dance, Hug!, "Mou Saikou!", was included as a b-side track on the single. The single marks their third consecutive number two ranking on the daily and weekly Oricon chart, with over 69,000 copies sold.[45] On April 19, it was announced that Tsubaki Factory and Beyooooonds were appointed as the official supporters for the Aidorusai 2019 ~Idol Matsuri~ contest, joining Angerme, Juice=Juice, Up Up Girls (Kari), The World Standard, and Chuning Candy who were all appointed in March. Tanimoto and Kishimoto were appointed as the ambassadors in charge of hosting the show for the Hokkaido region.[46]

It was announced on May 8 that Asakura would take a break from activities until further notice due to back pain a doctor suspects could be symptoms of a lumbar disc herniation, which she had previously suffered from in 2017, despite doing ongoing rehabilitation and treatments. As a result, she missed the rest of the Tsubaki Factory Live Tour 2019 Haru・Ranman shows, the entirety of Hello! Project 2019 SUMMER and Tsubaki Factory Fanclub tour Camellian Journey in Nagano, as well as Tsubaki Factory's appearances at TV Asahi's Roppongi Hills Natsu Matsuri SUMMER STATION in July, and TOKYO IDOL FESTIVAL 2019 in August 2.[47]

In the summer Tsubaki Factory starred in their first Engeki Joshibu musical Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 6 Gaiden ~Tasogare no Kamen~ that ran from June 6 to June 23, 2019, at Ikebukuro Sunshine Theater in Tokyo and Hotel Mielparque in Osaka. It is an adaptation of the sixth installment in the Harukanaru Toki no Naka de otome adventure game series which was released for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita in 2015. Asakura Kiki was originally cast as the lead character Takatsuka Azusa, but due to her announcement on May 8, she was unable to participate in the musical.[48] Later, on May 16, it was announced that Niinuma Kisora who was originally cast as Kohaku could also no longer participate due to a tailbone fracture and buttock contusion.[49] As a result, Ogata Risa was cast for the lead role replacing Asakura, and Engeki Joshibu member Onoda Ayasa was cast in Niinuma's role.

On August 2, Tsubaki Factory performed at TOKYO IDOL FESTIVAL 2019. On August 24, Tsubaki Factory released the digital song "Nineteen no Shinkirou ('19 Summer Ver.)". Asakura Kiki, who had been on hiatus, is absent from the recording.[50]

September 7 marked the start of the group's Fall tour, Tsubaki Factory Live Tour 2019 Aki: Gekkou (Fall: Moonlight). Doing 40 shows in 20 prefectures, the group completed the tour on December 8. This is their first tour to not feature Asakura.[51]

On October 9, it was announced that Asakura Kiki would gradually resume activities as she recovers from her injury, but would not dance or participate in their fall tour. It was also announced that their next single would be released on January 15, 2020.[52] During the single's promotion period, Asakura would not participate in lives or release events with the rest of the group, and would instead hold separate talk events.[53]

On January 15, Tsubaki Factory released their sixth single, "Ishiki Takai Otome no Dilemma / Dakishimerarete Mitai". The single was heavily promoted on social media, and across the country with music stores such as Tower Records and HMV.[54] The single made over 75,000 sales in its first week, with over 85,000 copies sold overall, making this the groups new highest-selling single.[55] The next day, during the 6th single release mini live & handshake event in Ikebukuro Sunshine City, it was announced by Shimizu Saki that the group would be holding their first hall concert tour in May. Unfortunately, On April 14 it was announced that their first hall concert tour, alongside all their appearances at Hello!Projects spring concert tours, would be cancelled due to the government's declaration of emergency following the spread of the coronavirus getting worse.[56]

• Black (vertical) = Indie singles
• Red (vertical) = Major singles

The Japan Record Awards is a major music awards show held annually in Japan by the Japan Composer's Association.