Karen Iwata
| Karen Iwata | |
|---|---|
| Native name | 岩田 華怜 |
| Born |
May 13, 1998 Sendai, Miyagi, Japan |
| Origin | Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan |
| Genres | J-pop |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Associated acts | AKB48 |
Karen Iwata (岩田 華怜 Iwata Karen?, born May 13, 1998 in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture) is a singer and former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48 under Team A.
Iwata grew up in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. She auditioned for AKB48 and was selected to join as a kenkyusei (trainee) in April 2011. In December 2011, Iwata auditioned for a role in the TV animated series AKB0048 and was selected to play the main character, Nagisa Motomiya. As part of the anime project, she sang with eight other AKB48 members in the subunit No Name on the show's theme songs.
In March 2012, during the Saitama Super Arena concert, Iwata was one of the trainee members who were promoted to full AKB48 members in the new Team 4. She also participated on her first A-side, on the AKB48 single Manatsu no Sounds Good!. In July 2012, Iwata was selected to host a TV program on NHK as part of a series to support the areas affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which included Sendai. She mentioned that she had lived in a shelter for a while before auditioning for AKB48. On August 24, 2012, AKB48 had a major restructuring, in which Team 4 was dissolved, and Iwata was moved to Team A. On January 5, 2016, Iwata announced she would be leaving the group. AKB48 held her graduation events for Iwata in March 2016.
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