Where Are They Now? The K-Pop Group Made Up Of Adult Video Stars

Over the years, many K-Pop groups have debuted with interesting concepts, but in the years since their debut, there has not been another like Honey Popcorn.

In 2018, a former member of the Japanese girl group SKE48, Yua Mikami, announced that she planned to debut in Korea as a K-Pop idol alongside two other former J-Idols, Miko Matsuda and Moko Sakura.

While this announcement is not surprising, as many Japanese idols have transitioned to K-Pop, there was one difference between other idols and the members of Honey Popcorn — the three women all worked as adult video actresses or pornstars.

As you can imagine, this drew quite a bit of controversy, with many assuming that the group would debut with an overly sexual image. Netizens petitioned against the group’s debut and were almost successful, getting the group’s debut showcase canceled before the decision was reversed.

Honey Popcorn officially debuted on March 21, 2018, with “Bibidi Babidi Boo,” which featured a very cute concept, reminiscent of other magical girl concepts around the same time.

In December 2018, Miko Matsuda announced she would be graduating from the group, and in June 2019, three new members joined — Nako Miyase, Ruka Tajima, and Sara Izumi. Their next album, De-aeseohsta, was released a month later.

Since then, the group has not released any new music or updated their official YouTube account. Similarly, not much is known about Ruka Tajima’s activities, as the star deleted all her social media accounts.

Member Nako Miyase left the group in December 2020 and is active on Instagram. In addition to modeling, the star will act in a film released later this year.

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Sara Izumi (also known as Kaede Hashimoto) has remained active on Instagram, sharing bits of her daily life. According to her Twitter account, the star also occasionally appears at festivals in Japan.

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Miko Matsuda was once active on YouTube sharing vacation and lifestyle vlogs, but has since only used her Instagram account. It also appears she has continued appearing in adult content.

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Moko Sakura is another group member who has continued her adult career, sharing updates about her work on Twitter and cute selfies!

やほやほ👼🤍 pic.twitter.com/CoqSIIjkfO

— 桜もこ (@moko_sakura3) May 13, 2023

Group founder Yua Mikami continued her musical endeavors, joining Ebisu Musicats 2 for their most recent releases. The star has diversified her businesses, launching her clothing brand, a contact lens company, and, most recently, lash serum in January 2023.