後藤真希 (Goto Maki), born September 23, 1985 in Tokyo, Japan, joined Hello! Project in 1999 as the sole 3rd generation member of Morning Musume. Her debut single with the group, Love Machine, sold over a million copies. In 2001 she released her first solo single, 愛のバカやろう, which hit the #1 spot on the Oricon charts. Maki graduated from Morning Musume on her 17th birthday in 2002, and went on to become the second best-selling solo artist in H!P behind super-idol Aya Matsuura. Throughout her career, Maki has been placed in various H!P groups, released photobooks, and starred in movies, dramas, and theatre productions.

At the last show of her fall 2007 tour on October 28, Maki announced that she was graduatingHello!Project. She transferred labels from Up Front Group to Avex in June 2008.