single, , was released on April 11, 2007. On September 19, 2007, Goto's fourth original album How to Use Sexy was released. Shortly after her brother's arrest, on October 28, 2007, during the final show of her G-Emotion II: How to Use Sexy tour, Goto suddenly announced to fans that she would be graduating from Hello! Project and leaving Up-Front Agency. Because of her graduation, she would not be able to participate in the Hello! Project 2008 Winter concert tour, previously said to be because of scheduling conflicts. In 2018, Goto revealed that Up-Front Agency had suddenly asked her to leave the company despite already booking her for work, and at the time, she felt that she was unable to say anything. She had originally planned on retiring from the entertainment industry, but reconsidered upon her mother's advice. 2007–2011: Label change to Avex, Sweet Black Project Late in 2007, after her sudden Hello! Project graduation, rumors arose the very next day stating that Avex's CEO, Max Matsuura, had shown interest in signing Goto in for Avex. During Goto's brother trial, she disappeared from the media-eye. Goto's official blog reopened on March 25, 2008. Over the course of several entries, she revealed that she was in Los Angeles, California, taking singing and dancing lessons. On June 19, 2008, Goto had signed with the record label Rhythm Zone under Avex. Maki debuted with Avex when she participated in the company's shareholders' meeting on June 22, 2008, singing a cover of Whitney Houston's "Saving All My Love for You." She also participated in A-nation'08. At A-nation, she performed the self-written song "Hear Me", drawing media attention for the first time since her graduation. She also sang "Saving All My Love for You", and a cover of Diana King's "Shy Guy". In 2008, Goto became involved with The Sweet Black Project, a cross-media collaboration between J-Wave, Avex and Mixi. Goto herself chose the logo and the name, which is meant to reflect the "positive and negative" side of the life of today's women. On January 5, 2009, J-Wave premiered Sweet Black Girls, a 15-minute segment hosted by Goto and Ryū as part of the popular radio show "PLATOn". The show airs from Monday to Friday and focuses on the life of women in their twenties. 30,000 messages were received during the first week alone. To complete the project, Mixi opened a special space for