Rena Matsui

is a Japanese actress, novelist and YouTuber. Matsui is a former member of the Japanese idol girl groups SKE48 and Nogizaka46. As a member of the former, she also participated in the main lineup of AKB48's singles. As an actress, she has played roles in numerous films and television series, including Kamen Rider Build the Movie: Be the One and the 99th NHK asadora Manpuku.

Early life

Matsui was born in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture on July 27, 1991. She participated in the first SKE48 audition, held in July 2008, and was selected to join the group.

Career

SKE48 and Nogizaka46

Team S made its debut on October 5, 2008. She was also chosen to be in the main lineup for AKB48's single "10nen Zakura". Her first photobook, titled Kingyo, was published on March 1, 2012. In April 2013, SKE48 reorganized the teams, and Matsui was appointed the captain of Team E. In AKB48's 2013 General Election, she placed seventh overall with 73,173 votes. She made her debut as a member of Nogizaka46 during the group's handshake event for their single "Kizuitara Katamoi" at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba on April 13, 2014. For her first performance with Nogizaka46, Rena Matsui performed "Kizuitara Kataomoi" with the other members of the group. She published her second photobook, titled Hemeretto, on April 1, 2014. In AKB48's 2014 General Election, she placed fifth overall with 69,790 votes. On March 26, 2015, during a concert at Saitama Super Arena, it was announced that her concurrent position in Nogizaka46 would be cancelled.

On June 11, 2015, she announced that she would graduate from SKE48 at the end of August. Her graduation concert, titled "Matsui Rena SKE48 Graduation Concert in Toyota Stadium: 2588 Days" was held on August 30, 2015, at Toyota Stadium. Her last performance with SKE48 occurred the following day.

Acting

Since graduating from SKE48, Matsui has worked as an actress in several TV series and films, including Kamen Rider Build the Movie: Be the One and the ninety-ninth NHK asadora Manpuku. Matsui opened her YouTube channel in 2021.

Writing

Matsui made her debut as a fiction writer in 2018, publishing the short story "Nugutte mo, nugutte mo" in the literary journal Subaru. The story was included in her first short story collection, titled Camouflage, which was published by Shueisha in 2019. Her second book of fiction, titled Ruirui and consisting of five connected stories, was published by Shueisha in 2021. That same year a collection of previously published and new essays about her experiences with food, titled Secret Food, was published by Magazine House.

Personal life On January 3, 2024, Matsui and singer-songwriter Akihisa Kondo jointly announced through their respective social media accounts that they had officially married.