Yes, Anna Sawai Was in a J-Pop Girl Group Before She Got Into Acting: 'That Was My Way Into the Industry'

The 32-year-old actress was part of J-Pop girl group Faky before landing her breakout role in the FX series 'Shōgun'

Before Anna Sawai’s acclaimed role in the FX series Shōgun, she had a prominent role in the music industry.

The actress, 32, was the leader of Faky, the five-person J-Pop girl group known for their single, "Better Without You."

Sawai joined Faky in 2013 — alongside bandmates Diane, Tina, Mikako and Lil'Fang — when the group was formed under Avex's Rhythm Zone record label.

Their name was both an acronym for "Five Ass-Kicking Youngers," as well as a play on the phrase, "FAntastic toKYo." They band said they came up with the name as a derivative of the word "fake," so that they could "challenge themselves to bring something real to the Japanese music scene."

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Faky's first album, The One, was released on July 2, 2014. Sawai left the group in 2018 to pursue acting. New members stepped in and the group continued to make music, before disbanding after their final performance on Jan. 13, 2024.

In recent weeks, fans have discovered Sawai's pop music past.

The actress addressed the newfound attention in an interview with Entertainment Tonight on June 11, saying it was “strange” to see people talking about her time with the band, but thanked fans for the support nonetheless. When asked whether she would consider reuniting with her old bandmates, she said, "I don't think so. I mean, I'm so happy doing what I'm doing right now."

"I'm glad that I had that experience, but I left for a reason," Sawai said.

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Sawai spoke more about Faky in Variety’s Actors on Actors interview with Tom Hiddleston published June 12, saying that she felt called to acting despite wanting to be a singer when she was younger.

She joined the band, she said, after having a small acting role in the film Ninja Assassin because the agency she was a part of "was very focused on music [and] I knew that was kind of my way into the industry."

But acting stayed in the back of her mind. “From 16 I wanted to act, but… I couldn't get into it as smoothly as I wanted to,” she explained. “So I had to quit the J-pop group in order to actually start [acting]."

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While Sawai said she "loved" her time in Faky, she ultimately felt “very trapped” when she was a part of the girl group.

“I loved the girls, but I was not in control of my own career,” she said. “So having experienced that and being able to audition for whatever I wanted to audition for [felt freeing]. It was just so refreshing and I felt so supported by my team, and to be able to go on set and work with these actors that you were always watching, it was just a dream come true.” 

After leaving Faky, Sawai booked her role in F9. 

Now, Sawai is earning praise for her role as Toda Mariko, a translator for Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) in the mini-series Shōgun.

Related: Anna Sawai Admits to 'Tearing Up' When She Talks About Her 'Shōgun' Character Long After Filming (Exclusive)

Chatting with PEOPLE in 10 back in April, the actress spoke about not being able to let go of her character, despite working on other projects.

“When we started doing press for Shōgun before its release, I saw how much I was still carrying because I couldn't talk about certain scenes or the character without tearing up," Sawai said. "It's also such a special time because the cherry blossom petals are now falling, and people probably know the quote that she says, which is 'Flowers are only flowers because they fall,' and I think it's such a Mariko thing for her to kind of be released now."

Shōgun is now streaming on Hulu.

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