Rio (NiziU) Profile, Bio, & Facts 

Rio (梨緒/リオ/리오) is a Japanese singer and a member of the Korean-Japanese girl group “NiziU” under JYP Entertainment. 

Rio (NiziU) Profile

Rio (NiziU) Facts:

Early Life

– Rio’s hometown is Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
– She graduated from Nisshin City Nisshin Higashi Middle School.
– She started to learn dance in her second year of elementary school.
– She also worked part-time at a Korean restaurant in Japan.

Personal Life

– She has an older brother.
– Her nickname is Hanario.
– Dancing holds immense significance in her life, as she has been dancing for more than half of her life, considering it an integral part of her identity.
– The first time Rio learned K-pop choreographies was through the “NiziU Project”. (Complaint Manager HUR)
– Under EXPGLab, she was known as HanaRio and was associated with the KIZZY/BUNNIES group.
– She is good at freestyling. (Source)
– Even after leaving EXPGLab, she remained committed to her dream of becoming an idol and sharing the skills she had acquired, which led her to audition for NiziU.
– The first K-pop song she got interested in was 2NE1’s “I Am The Best”.
– When asked about her dreams, she expressed her desire to become someone who radiates brightness.
– Mako’s first impression of Rio was that she thought she was older than her because she had a grown-up vibe until she found out that they were the same age. (To NiziU Ep2)
– She participated in the Nagoya auditions as part of her journey.
– JYP Entertainment observed that she has a resemblance to an actress.
– Her personality changed and she became more considerate of others after the “NiziU Project”. (Oricon Interview Pt1)
– Her hobby is fashion, and she was also a member of the track and field club during her school days.
– The artist she wants to collaborate with is Twice. (Oricon Interview Pt2)
– Her hidden talent is doing a handstand in the posture of a frog.
– Looking at pictures of her dogs soothes her. (Korean Debut Introduction Video)
– Her specialties include freestyle dancing and the impressive ability to consume a substantial amount of eggs.
– She is actively learning Korean.
– Within NiziU, she is recognized as the source of energy and enthusiasm.
– She has 3 dogs named Mario, Mariko, and Marita.
– According to Rima, Rio says sentences like “What did you say?” in her sleep. (Oricon Interview Pt2)
– The best advice she received from JYP was “Singers should not look like dancers” and it made her focus more on expressing emotion while performing. (Oricon Interview Pt1)
– She wants NiziU to be a group that has good teamwork above all else.
 Mako’s initial perception of Rio underwent a significant change as she initially thought of Mako as a serious and studious student, but was pleasantly surprised by her playful side.
– She tends to get nervous very easily. (To NiziU Ep1)
– Her biggest motivation is her parents who have always believed in her and supported her. (Vogue Japan)
– Shopping is her lifetime hobby.
– Mako’s favorite performance of Rio’s is her dance team solo in Tokyo Dome. (To NiziU Ep2)
– She took classes at the EXPG which is the same dance academy that Twice’s Sana attended. (Source)
– She has tried acting.

Career

– She was part of the comprehensive contemporary acrobatic dance and vocal performance crew called EXILE.
– She became a member of EXILE in her second year of junior high school in 2015 but later left to join EXPGLab.
– On March 4th, 2019, she decided to depart from EXPGLab to pursue acting.
– In the music video for Stray Kids’ “God’s Menu,” you can spot Rio along with fellow members Mako, Maya, Ayaka, Rima, and Miihi.
– Additionally, in Stray Kids‘ “Back Door” music video, you’ll find Riku, Nina, Mako, Rio, Maya, Ayaka, Mayuka, and Rima making appearances.
– She debuted as a main dancer in “NiziU” on December 2nd, 2020.

Likes & Dislikes

– Her favorite dish is omurice and churros.
– She loves clean.
– She likes all seasons but winter is her favorite.
– She loves fashion and styling herself.
– Rio likes sharp and narrow eyes so she is jealous of Maya’s eyes. (To NiziU Ep7)

Personality & Habits

– Her hobbies are fashion and eating.
– Rio doesn’t like being woken up by the sound of alarms so she tells herself she has to wake up at a certain time multiple times and then she is able to wake up at that time without the alarm.
– According to her fellow members, she is very talkative.
– She is bad at time management outside of work schedules. (Complaint Manager HUR)
– Whenever she is on her phone, she is always scrolling to look at clothes, not even to buy them.
– She needs to prepare herself to watch a movie or a drama or she won’t be able to finish it.
– She looks up the plot of a movie or drama before she watches to check if she’ll like it or not.
– If there’s a heartbreaking scene in a movie, it’s really tough on her so she likes to look up in advance if such a scene will be included in the movies she watches. 

Streaming Platform Links
Genie | Bugs | Melon 

Rio (NiziU) Photos

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