Itakura Kana

Kana Itakura (板倉可奈) is a Japanese idol, dancer, model, and content creator who is a member of CUTIE STREET, where she represents the color mint green. Known within the group for her strong dance ability and cool-yet-cute performance style, she has built a career that combines years of dance experience, modeling, and entertainment work from an early age.

From childhood, Kana was known for being laid-back and deeply focused on the things she loved. One of her earliest passions was dance. Although her parents initially hoped she would take lessons in something traditionally elegant such as piano or ballet, she became fascinated with a hip-hop dance class she saw as a child. According to her family, she showed interest in no other lessons and focused entirely on watching the dancers practicing hip-hop. What attracted her most was not necessarily the genre itself, but the fun atmosphere and the older girls who looked like they were genuinely enjoying themselves.

She began dancing at the age of five, and dance quickly became the center of her life. By elementary school, she was balancing school, intensive dance training, and work as a kids’ model. Her schedule was extremely demanding, with weekdays spent attending school and dance lessons, while weekends were dedicated to dance contests or modeling work. Kana participated in many dance competitions and often practiced late into the night, sometimes until three in the morning, before waking up again for school a few hours later. She later described those years as even busier than her current idol life.

As a child model, she also became involved in entertainment activities that were similar to idol work. During this time, she encountered one of the biggest struggles that would continue to shape her career: learning how to balance “cool” and “cute.” Because she had trained heavily in hardcore hip-hop, her dance style naturally appeared powerful and cool rather than soft or traditionally idol-like. Teachers often told her she looked “too cool,” and she struggled to understand how to perform in a cuter style. She also trained physically like a dancer, developing a muscular physique that contrasted strongly with the slimmer idol and model image around her. At one point, she even stopped strength training in order to gradually shift toward a more model-like appearance.

Despite these challenges, those experiences became an important foundation for her later identity as a performer. While participating in dance shows wearing frilly costumes and performing cute choreography, she gradually learned how to combine different styles instead of abandoning one side of herself completely. This later evolved into the “cool-cute” image she is now known for within CUTIE STREET.

During middle school, Kana also became active on YouTube as part of a group channel aimed at younger audiences. The group produced dance videos, fashion content, and various entertainment projects, with members participating in everything from brainstorming ideas to filming and editing. After the original group channel ended, she launched the “kana_noa Channel” together with a longtime friend she had known since her kids’ modeling days. The two independently handled planning, filming, editing, and uploading videos themselves, giving Kana practical experience in content creation and media production from a young age.

Before joining CUTIE STREET, Kana experienced what she later described as a “dark period” in her life. She felt lost, uncertain about her future, and struggled with feelings that she had no place where she truly belonged. Around this time, her manager introduced her to the audition opportunity for CUTIE STREET. Although she lacked confidence in her singing ability, she felt emotionally cornered enough to take the challenge seriously.

Another factor that inspired her was attending live performances by friends who were idols. Watching those concerts became a source of emotional comfort for her, and the lingering feeling after the performances deeply affected her. Although she had not originally imagined becoming an idol herself, those experiences helped influence her decision to audition.

The audition camp was physically and mentally exhausting. Kana later recalled how drained she looked by the end of it, with visible exhaustion from the intense pressure and lack of rest. She was especially intimidated because many of the other participants already seemed naturally “idol-like” to her, while she worried that she herself did not fit the image of an idol at all. However, instead of simply copying others, she gradually realized that becoming an idol required balancing inspiration from others with her own individuality.

Believing that her personal strength was her coolness and dance background, she intentionally leaned into that identity during the audition process. Rather than trying to fully transform herself into a stereotypically cute idol, she focused on incorporating coolness into cuteness, helping her establish a unique position within the future group.

When she was selected as one of the founding members of CUTIE STREET, Kana initially struggled to believe she truly belonged in the lineup. However, after meeting the members, she quickly felt a sense of trust and emotional safety. More than success or popularity, what mattered most to her was whether the group could build genuine relationships and support one another honestly. She believed strongly that having trustworthy teammates was the most important thing in group activities, and the intense experiences of the audition camp helped create those bonds early on.

Since debuting with CUTIE STREET at TOKYO IDOL FESTIVAL in 2024, Kana has become one of the group’s leading performance members, particularly in dance. Because of her long dance background, she often naturally helps guide the synchronization and cohesion of group choreography. She has spoken about consciously adjusting her movements to match nearby members in order to create a stronger sense of unity on stage.

Over the course of her first year as an idol, Kana feels she has grown most noticeably in singing. Since she originally had no vocal experience, she initially struggled to understand even the basics of what sounded good or bad. Through vocal training and repeated performances, however, she gradually developed a stronger instinctive understanding of her own singing and performance quality. Her vocal instructors also noted that she became faster at applying feedback and adapting during lessons.

Kana’s position within CUTIE STREET is often described as the group’s “cool” member, something she herself found surprising because she had previously been seen as more “cute” in earlier environments. Rather than forcing herself to act cool, she naturally incorporates mature and calm elements into her performances while still embracing the group’s overall cute aesthetic. This balance eventually helped define her signature “cool-cute” image.

Outside of dance and performance, Kana’s previous experience in video editing and content creation still influences her work today. She has mentioned that even during filmed interviews or comment recordings, she instinctively thinks about how scenes will be edited together, such as maintaining hand positions for smoother cuts or rephrasing lines in ways that make editing easier.

One of the most meaningful moments of her idol career so far was appearing at the MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN ceremony with CUTIE STREET. Although she initially struggled to believe the nomination was real, attending the event surrounded by major artists became an emotional milestone that strengthened her determination to grow into a group worthy of such recognition.

Looking toward the future, Kana hopes to continue helping CUTIE STREET grow while also challenging herself in television appearances, modeling work, and dance-focused programs. Although she admits she still becomes nervous during TV appearances and struggles to fully show her natural personality, she wants to overcome that weakness. She also hopes to use her dance skills as a way to further promote the group and contribute wherever she can.

Above all, Kana values trust, teamwork, and authenticity. Through years of balancing coolness and cuteness, individuality and teamwork, she has gradually developed confidence in her own identity as a performer. Rather than abandoning any side of herself, she continues striving to express both strength and softness together, creating the unique style that defines her within CUTIE STREET.