Morning Musume
Encyclopedia
, sometimes referred to as is a Japanese idol girl group
, whose act generally revolves around singing and dancing to upbeat melodies. They are the lead group of Hello! Project
, which is managed and produced by Tsunku
, who composes nearly all the lyrics and melodies of their songs. Currently, they hold the record of having the highest overall single sales (of a female group) on the Oricon charts
.
The group's name can be translated as Good Morning Girls or Morning Girls. Morning Musume is known for its ever fluctuating line-up, with "graduations" and auditions held nearly every year. 2008 was the only year so far when no changes in the line-up occurred. Over the years, the group produced several splinter groups, and often worked with other Hello! Project
acts, including Country Musume
, Berryz Kobo, Melon Kinenbi
, and v-u-den
.
Since their expansion into the Chinese-speaking market in 2007, the group officially adopted the name Jou An Sao Nu Jou (Zǎo Ān Shào Nǚ Zǔ, Traditional Chinese: , meaning, "good morning girl's group"). In recent years the group have been making a concerted attempt to break into new markets in Asia, Europe and the US, performing at EXPOs worldwide.
started the group in 1997 through an audition for a female rock vocalist for his band Sharan Q
. The audition was held on the Japanese TV show Asayan
. The winner was Michiyo Heike
, later to become a soloist under what would eventually become known as Hello! Project
. Tsunku decided to form a girl group consisting of five of the runners-up: Natsumi Abe
, Yuko Nakazawa
, Kaori Iida
, Asuka Fukuda
, and Aya Ishiguro
. They were issued a challenge to sell 50,000 copies of their demo single, "Ai no Tane
", with just five days of promotion events. They managed the feat in four promotion days (spread out over November, 1997) in a very grassroots manner, and Tsunku began his mission to create the most famous all-girl group in Japan.
, Mari Yaguchi
, and Sayaka Ichii
, bringing the total member count to eight. The second single, Summer Night Town
, was the first single of the new lineup—a mature pop tune about unsuccessfully attempting to hide one's true feelings. Their third single, "Daite Hold on Me!", continued in the same vein musically as Summer Night Town, and managed to hit number one on the charts. Leader Nakazawa also started her solo career.
First Time
was released in July 1998, featuring the singles "Ai no Tane
", "Morning Coffee" and "Summer Night Town
".
That year, Tsunku also formed Tanpopo
, the first subgroup of Morning Musume, with Kaori Iida
, Aya Ishiguro
, and Mari Yaguchi
. Tanpopo touted slower, more mature songs.
", failing to hit number one but managing to snag number two on Oricon
(Glay
's "Winter, Again" was number one for the week, with 1st week sales of 955,780 copies, while Morning Musume's Memory Seishun no Hikari's was 195,720). The song contained a rap section and intense vocal harmonization on the girls parts. This was Asuka Fukuda
's last single with Morning Musume, making her currently the shortest-lived member at 2 years. Asuka claimed that she was leaving in order to focus on her studies, only to drop out of school soon after.
"Manatsu no Kōsen" was released in May and was a summer tune. It went to number three on the charts, and the sales dropped by half from Memory Seishun no Hikari. Morning Musume's chart position was visibly lagging at the time: their sixth single, "Furusato
", only sealed the fact. Natsumi Abe was the only one who sang the melody on "Furusato"; the other members just harmonized discreetly. This was their fifth single, and the sales once again decreased by half.
Second Morning
was released in July 1999, and contained the singles "Daite Hold on Me!", "Memory Seishun no Hikari", "Manatsu no Kōsen", and "Furusato". "Daite Hold on Me!" and "Manatsu no Kōsen" were remixed.
Eager to add new life to the group, Tsunku held auditions for the third generation of Morning Musume. Two girls were expected to be admitted, but ultimately only Maki Goto
was added. Goto was 13, the youngest member of Morning Musume at the time. The group's seventh single, "Love Machine
", sold 1,760,000 copies, making it a major hit; it is still their highest-selling single to date. The song touted an image of Japan as the future "envy of the world" and cheered the masses during a period of economic recession. It was Maki Goto's first single and Aya Ishiguro's last. Its wild success dramatically increased the popularity of the group.
Soon Goto was paired with Kei Yasuda
and Sayaka Ichii
to form the subgroup Petitmoni
(also known as Pucchi Moni). Petitmoni's first single, "Chokotto Love
", rivaled the success of "Love Machine", selling over 1,123,610 copies.
", which hit number two and sold over a million—400,000 copies away from reaching Love Machine's success. The single had the highest 1st week sales than any other Morning Musume's singles, an enormous amount of 600,860 copies. Even with this large number, the single did not reach number one because Southern All Stars
's biggest hit single, Tsunami
, which sold total of 2.93 million copies, was released at the same date as Koi no Dance Site. Aya Ishiguro left the group before the single was released in order to marry Shinya
, drummer of rock band Luna Sea
, leaving the group with seven members.
The second event of 2000 was the creation of "shuffle units", in which all members of Tsunku's then 16-member family, Hello! Project
, were shuffled around to form three one-time groups: Akagumi 4, Kiiro 5, and Aoiro 7. The idea was to battle for the highest single sales. This was achieved by Akagumi 4 which, to no surprise, boasted Maki Goto
as the lead vocals.
In March, their third studio album, 3rd: Love Paradise was released. Despite having "Love Machine
" and "Koi no Dance Site
" on its track list, it did not manage to claim the number one spot, but did sell more than 800,000 copies, making it Morning Musume's highest-selling studio album to date.
This year also brought a new generation search. The fourth generation consisted of Rika Ishikawa
, Hitomi Yoshizawa
, Nozomi Tsuji
, and Ai Kago
, lending a completely different feel to the group by adding the 12-year-old duo of Tsuji and Kago. After their debut single, "Happy Summer Wedding
", (continuing the legacy of number one hits with 1,370,000 copies sold,) Sayaka Ichii graduated to pursue her own music career. She became the vocalist of Japanese group Cubic Cross and later married fellow member Naoki Yoshizawa (no relation to Hitomi Yoshizawa).
With Ishiguro and Ichii gone, both Tanpopo and Petitmoni revised their lineups—Hitomi Yoshizawa joined Petitmoni, and Ai Kago and Rika Ishikawa were added to Tanpopo. Meanwhile, Mari Yaguchi had started performing informally with Ai Kago and Nozomi Tsuji in concerts as Mini Moni
, a group tailored towards younger audiences with all the members being less than 150 cm (about 5 ft) tall. Mika Todd of Coconuts Musume
was later added into the group and Tsunku made them official. Their debut single, "Minimoni Jankenpyon!
", was a number one hit on the Oricon.
As an idol group, they were extremely successful, drawing comparisons to the popularity of former girl idol group Speed
. "I Wish
" and "Renai Revolution 21
" (Yuko Nakazawa's last single) continued the trend of happy pop songs becoming staple hits for the group. Morning Musume also began their tradition of performing in musicals each year, breaking new ground as idols with their hit musical, Love Century: Yume wa Minakerya Hajimaranai.
. She did not officially join, but she sang with them for a short period of time.
By July 2001 the string of number one hits had yet to be broken with the release of the single "The Peace!
". The Peace! was another somewhat bizarre pop tune, beginning with an almost fight song-like call and response, and featuring Rika Ishikawa as the lead. She had a dialog in the middle of the song, many solo lines, and took center in the dance and the cover shot. The promotional video echoed the song's strangeness by placing the group in the middle of what appeared to be a gigantic public bathroom, displaying the girls dancing amongst the urinals and posing for photographs in the stalls; supposedly as a response to hidden camera footage of the members that had recently surfaced, filmed from a toilet in their production offices.
At the end of January 2001, the best selling Hello! Project album to date was released: Best! Morning Musume 1
. It sold 2,259,510 copies. It featured 15 tracks, the only original song being "Say Yeah! -Motto Miracle Night-".
At the end of 2001, four new members joined the group as the fifth generation through the audition "Love Audition 21:" Ai Takahashi
, Asami Konno
, Makoto Ogawa
, and Risa Niigaki
, bringing the roster to 13 girls. Their first single "Mr. Moonlight: Ai no Big Band", (done in the style of big band
) featured fourth generation member Hitomi Yoshizawa as the central focus and main vocalist of the song.
In July 2002, "Do It! Now
" was released. This single finally broke the line of number one hits and came in at number three—a surprising fact to many, considering it was Maki Goto's last single.
Morning Musume's fourth studio album, 4th Ikimasshoi! was released in March 2002 after a two year wait. It is the first studio album from the group to reach number one on Oricon
. It featured the singles "Renai Revolution 21
", (rerecorded with the current 13-person formation,) "The Peace!
", (in a 'full', longer version,) "Mr. Moonlight: Ai no Big Band", (with added dialog at the beginning,) and "Sōda! We're Alive".
Late 2002 was marked by the graduation of Maki Goto and a mass re-shuffle of the sub-units. Tsunku removed Kaori Iida, Mari Yaguchi, and Ai Kago from Tanpopo, adding in Asami Konno, Risa Niigaki, and Ayumi Shibata
of Melon Kinenbi
to join Rika Ishikawa. Tanpopo only released one single with this lineup before the group was put on an indefinite hiatus status. Makoto Ogawa and Ayaka Kimura
of Coconuts Musume joined Hitomi Yoshizawa in Petitmoni to replace Kei Yasuda and Maki Goto, but the group did not even release a single, only performing in concerts. Their song "Wow Wow Wow" was later released on the Hello! Project's compilation CD Petit Best 4. In Mini Moni, Mari Yaguchi was replaced by Ai Takahashi and the new lineup went on to put out several singles and a second album until member Mika Todd graduated in May 2004, adding Mini Moni to the list of "indefinite hiatus" subgroups.
In October "Koko ni Iruzee!
" was released, a fast-paced, feel-good song about making the most of life and music's ability to unite the world. It was number one on Oricon
.
did not write a single's lyrics.
April brought the notably successful single "As for One Day
"—a synthesizer-driven song about lost love—which sold 129,893 copies and hit number one in Oricon
charts, and was the last time a Morning Musume single hit number one until "Aruiteru
" (released late 2006). This single was the last for Kei Yasuda.
Before the auditions for the sixth generation were held, the group released the album No.5. It was unique in a few ways. It was the last studio album to feature Kei Yasuda and Natsumi Abe as full members of the group. It was also the first Morning Musume studio album to feature a former member, as Maki Goto guests on "Megami (Mousse na Yasashisa)" and "Ganbacchae!". It only featured two singles: "Do It! Now
" and "Koko ni Iruzee!
".
In mid-2003, four new girls were added as the sixth generation: Miki Fujimoto
, Eri Kamei
, Sayumi Michishige
, and Reina Tanaka
. Eri Kamei, Sayumi Michishige, and Reina Tanaka successfully passed the traditional auditions; however, Miki Fujimoto was a solo singer in Hello!Project at the time. After she pulled off a successful appearance on the New Year's music program "Kōhaku Uta Gassen" with several Morning Musume members dancing as backup, Tsunku added her as part of the sixth generation. Their debut concert was also Kei Yasuda's graduation concert, and Tsunku has said that this one-time 16-member group is the largest Morning Musume will ever be.
The sixth generation's first single was "Shabondama
", which featured "break-up" lyrics, a seemingly spontaneous dance routine, and rolled "r"
s.
Mari Yaguchi became Morning Musume's sub-leader after Kei's graduation and was also put in charge of training and assisting the trainee group of Hello! Project Kids
, eventually forming a group with 5 of them, known as ZYX
.
Later in 2003, Morning Musume was split into two subgroups so that it could tour more cities (especially smaller cities that could not support a 15-member troupe). Morning Musume Sakuragumi
, which focused on slower and more traditional love songs, included Natsumi Abe, Mari Yaguchi, Hitomi Yoshizawa, Ai Kago, Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki, Asami Konno and Eri Kamei. Morning Musume Otomegumi
, which had more upbeat pop songs with a slight rock flavor, featured Kaori Iida, Rika Ishikawa, Nozomi Tsuji, Makoto Ogawa, Miki Fujimoto, Sayumi Michishige, and Reina Tanaka. Sakuragumi released two singles: "Hare Ame Nochi Suki
" and "Sakura Mankai
", and Otomegumi released two singles as well: "Ai no Sono: Touch My Heart!" and "Yūjō: Kokoro no Busu ni wa Naranee!".
The last single of Morning Musume in 2003 to feature the entire group was "Go Girl: Koi no Victory", which had the members girlishly proclaiming the victory of their love.
The group soon released another single, "Roman: My Dear Boy". The song showcased an almost rock flavor and centered its lyrics around offering "a dance" to a boy. This was followed by their twenty-third single, "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari
", which is unique in that it was actually about the Morning Musume girls themselves—each member got a verse about their personality. This song would later be remade several times as "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari 2" and "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari 3", included in their sixth and seventh album respectively. This single also marked the graduation of fourth generation members Nozomi Tsuji and Ai Kago in August, to focus on "W", their new duo group.
In April 2004, Rika Ishikawa was caught in a rare scandal, as an audio recording revealed her saying of the groups fans at a show, "look at them. Grownups screaming like that! I can't believe it. So stupid!"
In mid-2004, Morning Musume's second best-of album, Best! Morning Musume 2
was released and featured "Yah! Aishitai" as the only new track. It had a lukewarm reception at best, compared to their first best-of compilation.
Auditions for the seventh generation (named "Lucky 7" to commemorate the seventh generation, the seventh year of Morning Musume, and seven audition sites across Japan) were held in various Japan cities in late 2004, resulting in six finalists. However, on January 9, 2005, Tsunku surprised everyone by announcing that no one in the Lucky 7 audition would be added to Morning Musume, citing that he had set his expectations extra-high this year in hopes of finding an "ace". This was the first time an audition had ended with no new members.
In November 2004, Morning Musume released "Namida ga Tomaranai Hōkago", a ballad that featured Asami Konno, Sayumi Michishige, and Rika Ishikawa.
Following this single Morning Musume Early Single Box
was released. It was a 9-CD set containing their first eight singles with a bonus track on each one, as well as a karaoke CD of some of their more popular tunes from the early years.
Finally, at the end of 2004, the group's yearly album was released. Their sixth studio album, named Ai no Dai 6 Kan
, hit stores in December. It contained three singles: "Roman: My Dear Boy", "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari
", and "Namida ga Tomaranai Hōkago". This was Ai Kago, Nozomi Tsuji, Kaori Iida, Mari Yaguchi, and Rika Ishikawa's last credited studio album.
", which sung about the abilities of the human race and was also the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
theme song. The beginning of 2005 also saw the beginning of Musume Document 2005, which covered behind-the-scenes material, historical footage, and interviews.
In February 2005, Tsunku started another audition for Morning Musume's seventh generation. He noted that he was still intent on finding an "ace". This audition resulted with Koharu Kusumi
finally being chosen as the sole "miracle" member of the new generation.
On April 10, 2005, photos were taken of Mari Yaguchi
with Shun Oguri
(scheduled to be published in a gossip
magazine Friday! on the 15th). On April 14, 2005, Yaguchi announced that she would "retire" from Morning Musume and would continue on with solo activities. In her public statement, Yaguchi said that due to the scandal and its publicity, she could no longer sustain an "idol" image befitting of Morning Musume. Because of the nature of her departure (resignation rather than graduation), Yaguchi did not receive a graduation concert. Sub-leader Hitomi Yoshizawa took over as the leader of Morning Musume, and Miki Fujimoto became sub-leader as of July 15, 2005.
Just days after Yaguchi resigned, on April 27, 2005, the group's twenty-sixth single, "Osaka Koi no Uta
" was released. The final version featured Yaguchi still, presumably because they did not have enough time to rerecord and remix it. The lyrics are in an Osaka dialect. This single was also Rika Ishikawa's last. She graduated on May 7, 2005 to assume full-time leadership of the Hello! Project trio known as v-u-den
.
Kusumi's first single with Morning Musume was July's "Iroppoi Jirettai
", a flamenco styled song, which was considered to be the biggest hit of the year—selling around 20,000 more copies than anything else. A 3 city handshake event was organized for the promotion of this single.
Morning Musume's last single of 2005 was "Chokkan 2: Nogashita Sakana wa Ōkiizo!", which was a remake of a previous album-only song about the importance of using your intuition and not taking good things for granted. "Koi wa Hassō Do The Hustle!" was going to be the title track for the single, but due to poor preview results, became the coupling track instead.
On December 31, 2005, graduated Morning Musume members Mari Yaguchi, Kaori Iida, Natsumi Abe, Yuko Nakazawa, Ai Kago, Nozomi Tsuji, Rika Ishikawa, Maki Goto, and Kei Yasuda joined the current lineup of Morning Musume to perform the group's signature hit "Love Machine" on the 2005/2006 edition of Kōhaku Uta Gassen
. The performance was Yaguchi's first since leaving Morning Musume eight and a half months earlier.
In February, the group released their seventh studio album, Rainbow 7
. It was the first album for Kusumi and the last for Konno and Ogawa. The album features "The Manpower!!!
", "Osaka Koi no Uta
", "Iroppoi Jirettai
", and "Chokkan 2: Nogashita Sakana wa Ōkiizo!" (in a remixed form). Kaori Iida, Rika Ishikawa and Mari Yaguchi are not credited anywhere in the liner notes although their vocals appear. Three of the songs on the album are performed by smaller clusters of several group members, and are credited in the liner notes to the featured members involved, rather than to the entire group.
In March 2006, "Sexy Boy: Soyokaze ni Yorisotte" was released. It featured an easy-to-learn dance and a parapara
style. It was considered to be a relative success.
On April 28, 2006, it was announced by Tsunku from his official website that fifth generation members Asami Konno and Makoto Ogawa were going to graduate. Konno graduated on July 23, 2006 to attend University and Ogawa graduated on August 27, 2006 to study English abroad. Both left Morning Musume, but only Konno left Hello! Project entirely; Ogawa intended to return after completing her studies. However, as of 2007, Konno returned to Hello! Project to join the new group Ongaku Gatas
, making it the first time ever that a girl who left Hello! Project actually returned. Ogawa, on the other hand, returned in June 2008 by appearing on an episode of Morning Musume's television show Haromoni@
.
Konno and Ogawa's last single was "Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii Jan
", which, yet again, featured a parapara
type arrangement, with a rock 'n' roll flair. It was the group's 30th single, and a limited-edition CD of all past 30 singles mixed into a thirteen-minute track was included on the first pressing. Unfortunately, sales did not meet the hype, and Ambitious! clocked in as Morning Musume's lowest-selling single yet.
In mid-2006, the group performed the musical Ribbon no Kishi. Ai Takahashi took the main role; the secondary role was played by alternating members. There was also a mini-concert at the end of each performance, which served as Ogawa's real "graduation concert"—the Wonderful Hearts 2006 concert was initially intended for Konno's graduation only, although Ogawa wore a special outfit and read her graduation comments as well. (A last minute decision that fans were unaware of before the concert began). As for Ribbon no Kishi, an album with a selection of songs was released: Ribbon no Kishi The Musical Song Selection.
In mid-2006, Tsunku announced the audition for the eighth generation, called Morning Musume Happy 8 Audition. The audition started on August 27, 2006 and ended in Tokyo on October 22, 2006. On December 10, 2006's Hello! Morning
, it was announced that the only new member was Aika Mitsui
. The show had a piece of audition footage each week leading up to December 10, 2006.
The last single release in 2006 was "Aruiteru
", which was a huge hit. It was the first single at the number one spot after 3½ years (their last number one hit being "As for One Day
".) The song's lyrics were credited for its success, with lines like "walking, you're not alone because everyone's here with you, praying for peace". It was a bit of a turn from the hyperactive singles the group had been releasing. Tsunku's group, Sharan Q
, also made a rock cover of this song.
Their first mini-album, 7.5 Fuyu Fuyu Morning Musume Mini!
, was released in December. It featured five tracks by solo and/or smaller combinations of group members. It also featured the single "Aruiteru
".
, a unit consisting of Kaori Iida, Natsumi Abe, Maki Goto, Risa Niigaki, and Koharu Kusumi, was created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Morning Musume. They released a commemorative single called "Bokura ga Ikiru My Asia". The members chosen symbolize the beginning of the group; how they had five members ranging in age from 14–24. Additionally, each member was from an odd-numbered generation (Kaori Iida and Natsumi Abe from the first generation, Maki Goto from the third, Risa Niigaki from the fifth, and Koharu Kusumi from the seventh).
On January 2, 2007, an announcement was made during Hello! Project's 2007 Winter concert that the group's leader at the time Hitomi Yoshizawa
would graduate from Morning Musume on May 6, 2007, the last day of Morning Musume's 2007 spring tour. The concert would take place at the Saitama Super Arena
in Yoshizawa's hometown.
In February, the first single with the eighth generation member Aika Mitsui was released, "Egao Yes Nude
". This was the first PV of Morning Musume to appear on the Dohhh!Up site (a streaming website of Hello! Project media). The single went up against tougher competition than "Aruiteru" had, only landing them a number four spot, although it sold relatively the same number of copies. The song has a funky, disco feel, and is highly-reminiscent of some of the older songs of Morning Musume, most notably Summer Night Town
.
On the March 11, 2007 edition of the weekly TV show Hello! Morning
, producer Tsunku
revealed he would make an important announcement in the following episode. Several days later, on March 15, he announced that two other eighth generation members would be joining the group—Li Chun and Qian Lin
, both Chinese
nationals, were to join as "exchange students". Tsunku stated the two new members would be an important key for their group's planned expansion into Asia and gave them the stage names "Junjun" and "Linlin" respectively. The two made their stage debut on May 6, at Saitama Super Arena
, during current leader Yoshizawa's graduation. This is notable, as they are the first non-Japanese members of the group.
On March 21, 2007, the group's eighth studio album, Sexy 8 Beat
was released. It was the first album for Aika Mitsui and the last album for Hitomi Yoshizawa and Miki Fujimoto. It featured the singles "Aruiteru
", "Egao Yes Nude
", "Sexy Boy: Soyokaze ni Yorisotte", and "Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii Jan
".
On April 25, 2007, Morning Musume released their 33rd single, "Kanashimi Twilight
". The song style was a huge departure from almost anything Morning Musume had released prior to it, displaying a loud, rock arrangement and the angriest lyrics since Shabondama
. This would be the group's last single with members Hitomi Yoshizawa and Miki Fujimoto.
With the success of Kanashimi Twilight, on May 1, 2007, Morning Musume became the "best single selling female group in Japan" with 11,085,000 copies sold—their fifth Oricon record. The achievement surpasses the previous record set by Pink Lady
of 11,037,000 copies sold.
On May 6, 2007, Hitomi Yoshizawa graduated. Miki Fujimoto took her place as leader and Ai Takahashi replaced Fujimoto as sub-leader.
As of June 1, 2007, Miki Fujimoto resigned from Morning Musume, due to the tabloid magazine Friday running an article depicting Fujimoto and comedian Tomoharu Shoji in a relationship. Ai Takahashi replaced Fujimoto as leader (a position the latter occupied for the briefest period in the group's history—26 days), and Risa Niigaki became subleader.
Morning Musume's 34th single Onna ni Sachi Are
was released on July 25, 2007. It features the debut of new eighth generation members from China, Junjun and Linlin
. The single reached number two on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart, with sales of 43,364 copies.
On October 26, 2007, Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki, and Koharu Kusumi visited Korea to promote their singles collection album Morning Musume All Singles Complete: 10th Anniversary, which was released on October 24, 2007. Also, Takahashi and Niigaki appeared as special guests in a Korean radio show called Maybee's Turn Up the Volume (메이비의 볼륨을 높여요). Later that same month, on October 29, 2007, all nine members traveled to Taiwan
for three days to promote the album. This was the first time Morning Musume held a non-Fan Club promotional event as a group outside of Japan. During their visit, they attended press conferences, appeared for radio and TV show recordings, and held the first-ever public handshaking event outside of Japan.
November 21, 2007 marked the release of Morning Musume's 35th single, "Mikan
". Initial sales were poor for the song. It became the group's lowest-selling single (even lower than the initial indies release of "Ai no Tane
", which sold 50,000 copies), both in terms of first week sales and absolute sales figures. As a result, unlike all previous singles, Mikan failed to appear on Oricon's Top 5 Chart, breaking the group's previously held record.
On December 31, 2007, Morning Musume performed in the 58th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen
with a remixed version of their song "Love Machine
" along with °C-ute and Berryz Kobo. Similar to the previous Kōhaku, the red team (females) lost to the white team (males) after attaining votes from the viewers and judges.
, Eri Kamei
, Sayumi Michishige
, and Reina Tanaka
participated in the musical Ojigi 30 Degrees at the Shinjuku Theater from February 26 to March 2. Morning Musume's 36th music single, "Resonant Blue
", had been announced for release on March 5, 2008 but was postponed until April 16, 2008 because of the busy schedule in the winter/early spring season. Multiple promotional videos were released. With the original, another version, a studio dance shot version, a night scene version, and a one-cut dance version, it makes the most PVs ever released for one single. Also notable is the smoky eye make-up used on the members, a daring new look for Morning Musume as they attempt to expand into Asia.
The management of Morning Musume revealed in an interview in March that they were going to take a new approach to promoting the group, pushing the individual members so that they could do more personal work and become more well known, as was the case in the first line-up of the group.
On April 5, 2008, Morning Musume’s Aika Mitsui complained of a stomach ache after a concert at Hachiōji Citizen Hall. She was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and was ordered to rest for two weeks. Mitsui subsequently missed the concerts on April 12 and 13.
"Resonant Blue", the 36th single, was released on April 16, 2008, after being delayed due to hectic schedules. The single debuted at number two and finished third in the Oricon Weekly ranking. Overall, the single marked a rebound from poor sales of the previous single, "Mikan
". In its first week, it sold 48,086 copies, 20,004 copies more than "Mikan" and around 5,000 more copies than Onna ni Sachi Are
.
The group held a concert at Taipei Nankang Exhibition Hall, Taiwan, on May 24, 2008. the first time ever for Morning Musume to have a concert outside Japan.
From August 6 to August 25, 2008, Morning Musume performed with several members of the all-female Takarazuka
theater troupe in a version of Rodgers and Hammerstein
's Cinderella
. Ai Takahashi starred in the main role of Cinderella, with Risa Niigaki as the Prince, and Eri Kamei and Reina Tanaka as the stepsisters. The other members performed in minor roles as fairies and guards.
Morning Musume's 37th single, "Pepper Keibu
", was released on September 24, 2008. Unlike past singles (with the exception of Morning Musume no Hyokkori Hyōtanjima), this song is a cover. It is originally known as Pink Lady
's debut single, released in 1976. In the first week of the release, it sold approximately 10,000 copies less than Resonant Blue and 10,000 copies more than Mikan.
Berikyū! and Haromoni@
finished their run and were replaced with ., which began on October 6, 2008. The show starred Morning Musume, Berryz Kobo, and °C-ute.
2008 was the first year in which there were no changes in Morning Musume's lineup.
". The title translates to "I Might Cry" and was released in two limited versions, A and B, each including a DVD. On March 18, 2009 they released their ninth studio album, called Platinum 9 Disc
.
Morning Musume released their 39th single, "Shōganai Yume Oibito
", on May 13, 2009, attaining a rank of number one on the Oricon
weekly chart for the first time since their "Aruiteru" single in late 2006. It also became the group's first number one single to feature eighth generation members Aika Mitsui, Junjun, and Linlin.
Following the success of Shōganai Yume Oibito, the group released their 40th single "Nanchatte Ren'ai
" on August 12. Because 'Nanchatte Ren'ai' was the group's 40th single, a commemorative edition was released along with the usual regular edition plus two limited editions. The commemorative edition has a different c/w track on it than the regular and limited editions. The group hadn't had two different c/ws since their 4th single, "Memory Seishun no Hikari" in 1999, which has two c/w tracks in one edition. The single came in at number two on the Oricon chart, only behind the new single of powerhouse Ayumi Hamasaki
, Sunrise/Sunset ~Love is All~. This single marked their best opening week since Iroppoi Jirettai in 2005.
Their latest Greatest Hits Album (B-side collection album) was released featuring all B-side songs from their debut single to 40th single on 3 discs.
Morning Musume released their 41st single "Kimagure Princess
" on October 28, 2009. There are four versions of the single (Regular, Limited A, B, and C). This marked the first time a Morning Musume single released a C version. The C version contained 10 interchangeable covers, much like 30th single "Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii Jan
", which came with 10 different coverse.
The announcement was made that 7th Generation member Koharu Kusumi would graduate from Morning Musume and Hello! Project on December 6, after the first performance of Morning Musume's Fall Concert Tour 2009 ~Nine Smile~, in order to pursue a modelling career. This was the first graduation since 4th Generation member Hitomi Yoshizawa's graduation in 2007, ending the longest stable line-up for Morning Musume.
", on February 10, 2010 It was released in four versions: Regular, and Limited A, B, and C. This was the group's first single released with the new eight-member lineup, following the graduation of seventh generation member Koharu Kusumi. Their tenth album, 10 My Me
, was released on March 17. Their forty-third single, "Seishun Collection
", was released on June 9.
On August 8, producer Tsunku announced at that day's concert, and later on his blog, that sixth generation member Eri Kamei and eighth generation members Junjun and Linlin would be graduating from Morning Musume at the end of the autumn tour, and that the 9th generation audition would be held later in the year. The triple graduation left Morning Musume temporarily at five members for the first time since its creation. Kamei stated that the reason for her graduation was to spend more time on the treatment of her atopic dermatitis
, a chronic form of eczema
, while Junjun and Linlin graduated to pursue careers in China. JunJun and LinLin's graduation would make them the first Morning Musume members to graduate during the same generation they joined in. An official site was opened shortly after the announcement. One of the few conditions of the audition stated was that girls auditioning must be between the ages of 10 and 17. There were over 9,000 applicants.
Morning Musume's 44th single "Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game
" was released on November 24 and Morning Musume's eleventh studio album, Fantasy! Jūichi
, was released on December 1. These are the last single and album to feature Kamei, Junjun and Linlin and the album contains only two singles. On December 15, the last day of the autumn tour, Eri Kamei, Junjun and Linlin graduated from Morning Musume and Hello! Project.
In 2010, It was announced that a new group has been created, "Dream Morning Musume" which will consist of former-Morning Musume members:
Yuko Nakazawa
, Kaori Iida
, Natsumi Abe
, Kei Yasuda
, Mari Yaguchi
, Rika Ishikawa
, Hitomi Yoshizawa
, Makoto Ogawa
, Miki Fujimoto
, Koharu Kusumi
.
They will release an album titled "DoriMusu 1" which will consist of two new songs, as well as remakes of older Morning Musume songs.
, Kanon Suzuki
and Erina Ikuta
, were announced on stage by Tsunku
at the Hello! Project 2011 Winter: Kangei Shinsen Matsuri concert on January 2, 2011. He then announced that Mizuki Fukumura
, a Hello! Pro Egg
, would also be joining Morning Musume.
On January 9, also at the Winter concert, it was announced that leader Ai Takahashi would be graduating from Morning Musume and Hello! Project at the group's Autumn 2011 concert. The decision came after Tsunku suggested that Takahashi should consider her own graduation soon. After Takahashi's graduation, Risa Niigaki will take over her role as leader, and Sayumi Michishige will take over as sub-leader. Takahashi will continue her musical and theatre careers after her graduation.
On February 3, 2011, Morning Musume's 45th single, Maji Desu ka Ska!
, was announced. The single was set to be released on March 23, 2011; however, due to the earthquake and tsunami
in Japan, the single was postponed until April 6. The new single reached number 5 on the Oricon weekly charts.
Morning Musume 46th single, "Only You
", was released on June 15, 2011. There were five versions to the single: Regular, Limited A, Limited B, Limited C, and Limited D. The single reached number 4 on the Oricon Weekly charts.
On April 13, Morning Musume launched a weekly 1 hour Ustream show called UstreaMusume. On their official website, there is an e-mail provided, so fans can submit questions, messages and requests.
It was announced May 8, that 10th Generation Audition "Genkijirushi" submissions were starting until June 13. This surprised many fans as it had only been four months since the 9th generation had joined.
During the summer, Morning Musume did a Fanclub Tour in Hawaii from July 20–26.
On September 14th, Morning Musume released their 47th single. This was the previous leader, Ai Takahashi's last single with Morning Musume after a tenure of 10 years with the group. In order to celebrate Ai Takahashi's long career with Morning Musume, their 47th single was released as a double A sides. This is the first time in history that Morning Musume has purposely done a double A side single. There will be five versions of the single: Regular, Limited A, Limited B, Limited C and Limited D. Furthermore, in the Limited B version of the single, the B side will be a Ai Takhashi solo, which has also never been done before. The single names are as follows: "Kono Chikyū no Heiwa o Honki de Negatterun da yo!/Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai!
" as the double A side and Takahashi's solo song has been revealed to be called "Jishin Motte Yume wo Motte Tobitatsu Kara". The 47th single reached number 2 on the Oricon daily and weekly charts.
Morning Musume's fall tour was revealed to be called "Ai Believe ~Takahashi Ai Graduation Memory Special~". It has also been revealed that Ai Takahashi would graduate on the final day of the tour, September 30, at the Nippon Budokan
.
On September 29, the second last day of the fall tour and the day before Ai Takahashi's graduation, Tsunku announced the four winners of the tenth generation audition, Haruna Iikubo, Ayumi Ishida, Masaki Satou, and Haruka Kudou from Hello! Pro Egg
. This brings the group to 12 members, excluding Ai Takahashi, which is the highest number of group members since late-2004 and early-2005 before Iida Kaori's graduation. On September 30, Takahashi graduated, handing over her position as leader of Morning Musume and Hello! Project to Risa Niigaki.
It was announced that Morning Musume 48th Single will be called Pyoko Pyoko Ultra , this will be the first single feature the 10th generation and Niigaki Risa as leader of the group. The set release date is January 25, 2012.
The girls are afforded three holidays a year of five days each, in winter, summer and for New Year's.
In the past, the group has always had a leader and sub-leader, though neither comes with any responsibility. Takahashi has said that the role merely includes encouraging other to do their best, while Niigaki has said that as sub-leader, "there is nothing I have to do, but I want to support [the leader]". Michishige said on her radio show that there isn't a sub-leader this time.
The girls tend to spend their social time together as well as their work time, and have said that they are encouraged to discuss problems if any in-fighting occurs.
and South Korea, Hello! Project and Morning Musume began actively extending its fanbase outside of Japan and primarily into the rest of Asia starting from the middle of 2007 and into 2008.
In March 2007, Morning Musume inducted its first two non-Japanese members from China, Li Chun (Junjun) of Hunan
and Qian Lin
(Linlin) of Hangzhou
. The duo left in 2010 after the group failed to break into China due to piracy levels, leading to the group focusing on European and American fans and performing at anime EXPOs.
In addition to the unveiling of Hello! Project's Taiwanese website in 2007, Hello! Project has also launched the Taiwan H.P. New Star Audition as well; an audition aimed at recruiting new members to join Hello! Project as Hello Pro Egg members. At this audition, Morning Musume also performed as well.
The TV show Morning Musume New Star aired on Taiwan's TTV
network every Saturday and Sunday at 6:30 pm with re-runs Monday to Thursday at 10:15 pm. It ended in mid-August 2008 for re-runs.
Morning Musume also held their 10th Anniversary Live Tour in Korea in June 2008.
In France, Morning Musume music videos are aired on a television channel called Nolife, a channel that features video games and Japanese music.
On February 12, 2009, it was announced that Morning Musume would be performing in the United States at the 2009 Anime Expo
, the nation's largest anime convention, as one of the first official guests of honor. Niigaki stated that "The movies that Disney makes are full of dreams, but when I have children, I'd like them to know about war, the pain of death and such things, so I hope they will watch [anime]."
It was also announced that "3, 2, 1 Breakin' Out!", the coupling track of their upcoming single "Shōganai Yume Oibito", would be the official theme song for Anime Expo 2009. The convention was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center
in Los Angeles, California
on July 2 to July 5. Their concert was on Friday July 3 with a packed audience of American fans, as well as many foreign fans who traveled for the chance to see them.
On Friday, July 1, 2010, Morning Musume made their first appearance at the Japan Expo
2010 in Paris, France as guest of honor. "Tomo", the coupling track to the group's 43rd single, "Seishun Collection
", was the event's theme song.
(51st Kōhaku) from December 31, 2000 until December 31, 2007, when Mai Hagiwara
of °C-ute at age 11, broke that 7-year record.
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
, whose act generally revolves around singing and dancing to upbeat melodies. They are the lead group of Hello! Project
Hello! Project
is the umbrella name for all female idol Japanese pop recording artists collective that are under contract with the Up-Front Group. The "mothership" group of Hello! Project is the super-group Morning Musume. Hello! Project's current leader is Risa Niigaki, the leader of Morning Musume...
, which is managed and produced by Tsunku
Tsunku
, better known professionally as , is a prolific Japanese record producer, songwriter, and vocalist.He is best known for having two major roles in the Japanese music landscape: first as the lead singer of the popular rock group Sharam Q, and now as the producer, primary composer, lyricist and main...
, who composes nearly all the lyrics and melodies of their songs. Currently, they hold the record of having the highest overall single sales (of a female group) on the Oricon charts
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
.
The group's name can be translated as Good Morning Girls or Morning Girls. Morning Musume is known for its ever fluctuating line-up, with "graduations" and auditions held nearly every year. 2008 was the only year so far when no changes in the line-up occurred. Over the years, the group produced several splinter groups, and often worked with other Hello! Project
Hello! Project
is the umbrella name for all female idol Japanese pop recording artists collective that are under contract with the Up-Front Group. The "mothership" group of Hello! Project is the super-group Morning Musume. Hello! Project's current leader is Risa Niigaki, the leader of Morning Musume...
acts, including Country Musume
Country musume
is an all-female Japanese pop group within Hello! Project.- History :Country Musume was formed in 1999 and was billed as "Country Girls from Hokkaidō". The initial group consisted of members and Hokkaidō natives Rinne Toda, Azusa Kobayashi, and Hiromi Yanagihara....
, Berryz Kobo, Melon Kinenbi
Melon Kinenbi
was an all-girl Japanese pop group within Hello! Project. They were formed after they successfully passed the 2nd Morning Musume & Michiyo Heike Imotobun Audition. Melon Kinenbi is the oldest group in the history of Hello! Project not to have changed any of its members since its formation...
, and v-u-den
V-u-den
is a Japanese pop group within Hello! Project. The group was formed in August 2004 and consists of members Rika Ishikawa , Erika Miyoshi, and Yui Okada, with Ishikawa being the leader. The name means: , , and...
.
Since their expansion into the Chinese-speaking market in 2007, the group officially adopted the name Jou An Sao Nu Jou (Zǎo Ān Shào Nǚ Zǔ, Traditional Chinese: , meaning, "good morning girl's group"). In recent years the group have been making a concerted attempt to break into new markets in Asia, Europe and the US, performing at EXPOs worldwide.
History
Japanese producer TsunkuTsunku
, better known professionally as , is a prolific Japanese record producer, songwriter, and vocalist.He is best known for having two major roles in the Japanese music landscape: first as the lead singer of the popular rock group Sharam Q, and now as the producer, primary composer, lyricist and main...
started the group in 1997 through an audition for a female rock vocalist for his band Sharan Q
Sharan Q
is a Japanese pop rock band composed of lead singer , on guitar, on drums and on keyboards.- Biography :They debuted with in 1992. They were not an instant hit initially, but their fourth single broke the top 50 of the Oricon charts. Eventually, the single got a lot of attention since it...
. The audition was held on the Japanese TV show Asayan
Asayan
Asayan, originally known as , was a talent search variety show that aired on TV Tokyo from 1995 to 2002. Many Hello! Project artists and groups were discovered through Asayan auditions produced by Tsunku....
. The winner was Michiyo Heike
Michiyo Heike
, is a Japanese singer-songwriter from Mie, Osaka. She first become known after her appearance on the show Asayan in the late 1990s, becoming the first member of the future "Hello! Project"...
, later to become a soloist under what would eventually become known as Hello! Project
Hello! Project
is the umbrella name for all female idol Japanese pop recording artists collective that are under contract with the Up-Front Group. The "mothership" group of Hello! Project is the super-group Morning Musume. Hello! Project's current leader is Risa Niigaki, the leader of Morning Musume...
. Tsunku decided to form a girl group consisting of five of the runners-up: Natsumi Abe
Natsumi Abe
is a Japanese singer and actress, a former member of Morning Musume, and currently a member of Dream Morning Musume.-Career:On August 13, 2003, she released her first single, "22 Sai no Watashi," which means "Me, 22 years old," just a few days after her 22nd birthday...
, Yuko Nakazawa
Yuko Nakazawa
is a Japanese pop and enka singer, and actress, best known as one of the original members of the all-female J-pop group Morning Musume. She is currently a member of Dream Morning Musume.- Biography :...
, Kaori Iida
Kaori Iida
is a Japanese pop singer and actress, associated with Hello! Project and best known as a founding member of the girl band Morning Musume. She has also recorded with the Morning Musume side project band Tanpopo and is currently a solo artist...
, Asuka Fukuda
Asuka Fukuda
is a Japanese pop singer, and she was a member of Morning Musume from 1997 until April 18, 1999.In 1997, Fukuda joined Morning Musume along with Yuko Nakazawa, Aya Ishiguro, Natsumi Abe, and Kaori Iida. Although she was the youngest member at that time, she was the first to graduate in April 1999...
, and Aya Ishiguro
Aya Ishiguro
is a singer, writer, TV personality and fashion designer in Japan, most famous for her participation in pop group Morning Musume. She was born in Hokkaidō, Japan on May 12, 1978.Aya Ishiguro was a runner-up in a 1997 contest to find a new female rock idol...
. They were issued a challenge to sell 50,000 copies of their demo single, "Ai no Tane
Ai no Tane
is the unofficial debut single of Japanese pop idol group Morning Musume, released under a defunct independent sub-label of Zetima Records on November 3, 1997...
", with just five days of promotion events. They managed the feat in four promotion days (spread out over November, 1997) in a very grassroots manner, and Tsunku began his mission to create the most famous all-girl group in Japan.
1998
In early 1998, the girls were ready with their first official single, "Morning Coffee". The success of this single (hitting number six on the Japanese pop charts) brought them three new members known as the second generation: Kei YasudaKei Yasuda
is a Japanese singer, musician and actress under the Up Front Agency's Hello! Project. She was a member and co-leader of the pop group Morning Musume. Yasuda, along with Mari Yaguchi and Sayaka Ichii, were the second generation of singers to be recruited into Morning Musume...
, Mari Yaguchi
Mari Yaguchi
, known professionally by her birth name of is a Japanese pop artist and former member of Hello! Project. She is a former member of Morning Musume and Tanpopo, one of its first sub groups, and also founded Minimoni...
, and Sayaka Ichii
Sayaka Ichii
joined the girl group Morning Musume in 1998. She, along with Mari Yaguchi and Kei Yasuda, formed the second generation of members. While in Morning Musume, Sayaka Ichii was put into the spin-off group, Petitmoni. Ichii was also part of the Hello Project! Summer Shuffles 2000 group Aoiro 7...
, bringing the total member count to eight. The second single, Summer Night Town
Summer Night Town
is a song by J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released as their second single on May 27, 1998 as an 8 cm CD. It sold a total of 417,330 copies. In 2004 It was re-released as part of the Early Single Box and again in 2005 as a 12 cm CD. Lead vocals of this single was Natsumi Abe...
, was the first single of the new lineup—a mature pop tune about unsuccessfully attempting to hide one's true feelings. Their third single, "Daite Hold on Me!", continued in the same vein musically as Summer Night Town, and managed to hit number one on the charts. Leader Nakazawa also started her solo career.
First Time
First Time (Morning Musume album)
is the first album from the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, consisting of only the 1st and 2nd generation members. It was released on July 8, 1998 and sold 310,290 copies...
was released in July 1998, featuring the singles "Ai no Tane
Ai no Tane
is the unofficial debut single of Japanese pop idol group Morning Musume, released under a defunct independent sub-label of Zetima Records on November 3, 1997...
", "Morning Coffee" and "Summer Night Town
Summer Night Town
is a song by J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released as their second single on May 27, 1998 as an 8 cm CD. It sold a total of 417,330 copies. In 2004 It was re-released as part of the Early Single Box and again in 2005 as a 12 cm CD. Lead vocals of this single was Natsumi Abe...
".
That year, Tsunku also formed Tanpopo
Tanpopo
was the first official subgroup of Japanese pop girl group Morning Musume formed in November 1998. They specialized in singing slow and mature songs, which morphed to an old-fashioned and upbeat style—a genre somewhat similar to that of the band from which it originated.-History: The group...
, the first subgroup of Morning Musume, with Kaori Iida
Kaori Iida
is a Japanese pop singer and actress, associated with Hello! Project and best known as a founding member of the girl band Morning Musume. She has also recorded with the Morning Musume side project band Tanpopo and is currently a solo artist...
, Aya Ishiguro
Aya Ishiguro
is a singer, writer, TV personality and fashion designer in Japan, most famous for her participation in pop group Morning Musume. She was born in Hokkaidō, Japan on May 12, 1978.Aya Ishiguro was a runner-up in a 1997 contest to find a new female rock idol...
, and Mari Yaguchi
Mari Yaguchi
, known professionally by her birth name of is a Japanese pop artist and former member of Hello! Project. She is a former member of Morning Musume and Tanpopo, one of its first sub groups, and also founded Minimoni...
. Tanpopo touted slower, more mature songs.
1999
1999 kicked off with the group's fourth single "Memory Seishun no HikariMemory Seishun no Hikari
is the fourth single from the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on February 10, 1999 as an 8 cm CD. It sold a total of 410,850 copies, and reached number two on the Oricon Charts. In 2004, it was re-released as part of the Early Single Box and again in 2005 as a 12 cm CD. Lead vocals of...
", failing to hit number one but managing to snag number two on Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
(Glay
Glay
Glay is a rock/pop band from Hakodate, Hokkaidō, Japan formed by guitarist Takuro and vocalist Teru in high school in 1988. Glay primarily composes songs in the rock and pop genres, but they have also composed songs using elements of different styles such as reggae and gospel...
's "Winter, Again" was number one for the week, with 1st week sales of 955,780 copies, while Morning Musume's Memory Seishun no Hikari's was 195,720). The song contained a rap section and intense vocal harmonization on the girls parts. This was Asuka Fukuda
Asuka Fukuda
is a Japanese pop singer, and she was a member of Morning Musume from 1997 until April 18, 1999.In 1997, Fukuda joined Morning Musume along with Yuko Nakazawa, Aya Ishiguro, Natsumi Abe, and Kaori Iida. Although she was the youngest member at that time, she was the first to graduate in April 1999...
's last single with Morning Musume, making her currently the shortest-lived member at 2 years. Asuka claimed that she was leaving in order to focus on her studies, only to drop out of school soon after.
"Manatsu no Kōsen" was released in May and was a summer tune. It went to number three on the charts, and the sales dropped by half from Memory Seishun no Hikari. Morning Musume's chart position was visibly lagging at the time: their sixth single, "Furusato
Furusato
is the sixth single of the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on July 14, 1999 as an 8 cm CD. It has sold over 170,670 copies and reached number five on the Oricon Charts. In 2004 it was re-released as part of the Early Single Box and again in 2005 as a 12 cm CD...
", only sealed the fact. Natsumi Abe was the only one who sang the melody on "Furusato"; the other members just harmonized discreetly. This was their fifth single, and the sales once again decreased by half.
Second Morning
Second Morning
is the second album from the J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released on July 28, 1999 and sold a total of 428,990 copies. It was released both on CD with the catalogue number EPCE-5025 and MiniDisc with the catalogue number EPYE-5025. It includes Morning Musume's first #1 single, Daite...
was released in July 1999, and contained the singles "Daite Hold on Me!", "Memory Seishun no Hikari", "Manatsu no Kōsen", and "Furusato". "Daite Hold on Me!" and "Manatsu no Kōsen" were remixed.
Eager to add new life to the group, Tsunku held auditions for the third generation of Morning Musume. Two girls were expected to be admitted, but ultimately only Maki Goto
Maki Goto
is a Japanese singer, lyricist and former actress. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, Goto began her musical career in 1999 when she joined Morning Musume as the only third generation member. Her first single with the group, "Love Machine", topped the Oricon singles charts and sold over a million...
was added. Goto was 13, the youngest member of Morning Musume at the time. The group's seventh single, "Love Machine
Love Machine (Morning Musume song)
is the seventh single of the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on September 9, 1999 as an 8 cm CD. It sold a total of 1,760,000 copies, making it a massive hit and their highest selling single. In 2004, it was re-released as part of the Early Single Box and again in 2005 as a 12 cm CD...
", sold 1,760,000 copies, making it a major hit; it is still their highest-selling single to date. The song touted an image of Japan as the future "envy of the world" and cheered the masses during a period of economic recession. It was Maki Goto's first single and Aya Ishiguro's last. Its wild success dramatically increased the popularity of the group.
Soon Goto was paired with Kei Yasuda
Kei Yasuda
is a Japanese singer, musician and actress under the Up Front Agency's Hello! Project. She was a member and co-leader of the pop group Morning Musume. Yasuda, along with Mari Yaguchi and Sayaka Ichii, were the second generation of singers to be recruited into Morning Musume...
and Sayaka Ichii
Sayaka Ichii
joined the girl group Morning Musume in 1998. She, along with Mari Yaguchi and Kei Yasuda, formed the second generation of members. While in Morning Musume, Sayaka Ichii was put into the spin-off group, Petitmoni. Ichii was also part of the Hello Project! Summer Shuffles 2000 group Aoiro 7...
to form the subgroup Petitmoni
Petitmoni
, also known as Pucchi Moni, was the second official subgroup of the Japanese pop idol group Morning Musume.- History :Founded November 1999, the group initially consisted of Morning Musume members Kei Yasuda, Sayaka Ichii, and Maki Goto...
(also known as Pucchi Moni). Petitmoni's first single, "Chokotto Love
Chokotto Love
is the first single of the subgroup Petitmoni. It was released on November 25, 1999 and sold 1,123,610 copies, peaking at number one on the Oricon charts in Japan....
", rivaled the success of "Love Machine", selling over 1,123,610 copies.
2000
2000 first saw the release of "Koi no Dance SiteKoi no Dance Site
is the eighth single of the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on January 26, 2000 as an 8 cm CD. It sold a total of 1,229,970 copies making it their second highest selling single and a number-two hit on the Oricon Charts. In 2004, it was re-released as part of the Early Single Box and again...
", which hit number two and sold over a million—400,000 copies away from reaching Love Machine's success. The single had the highest 1st week sales than any other Morning Musume's singles, an enormous amount of 600,860 copies. Even with this large number, the single did not reach number one because Southern All Stars
Southern All Stars
, also known by the abbreviations or SAS, is a Japanese pop/rock band that formed in the mid 1970s.The band is composed of Keisuke Kuwata , Yuko Hara , Kazuyuki Sekiguchi , Hiroshi Matsuda and Hideyuki "Kegani" Nozawa...
's biggest hit single, Tsunami
Tsunami (Southern All Stars song)
"Tsunami" is a song by the Southern All Stars, released as their forty-fourth single on January 26, 2000.-Overview:The song was the first number-one single for Southern All Stars since the 1996 single Ai no Kotodama on the Oricon weekly charts. The band used the style of hard rock on the previous...
, which sold total of 2.93 million copies, was released at the same date as Koi no Dance Site. Aya Ishiguro left the group before the single was released in order to marry Shinya
Shinya Yamada
, referred to as simply , is a Japanese musician. He is best known as drummer of the rock band Luna Sea.- History :Before joining Luna Sea in 1989, high school friends Shinya and Sugizo were in the band Pinoccio....
, drummer of rock band Luna Sea
Luna Sea
Luna Sea is a rock band from Kanagawa, Japan, formed in 1989. The band was initially founded by bassist J and rhythm guitarist Inoran, when they were in high school. They soon recruited lead guitarist and violinist Sugizo, drummer Shinya and vocalist Ryuichi, a lineup that has remained the same...
, leaving the group with seven members.
The second event of 2000 was the creation of "shuffle units", in which all members of Tsunku's then 16-member family, Hello! Project
Hello! Project
is the umbrella name for all female idol Japanese pop recording artists collective that are under contract with the Up-Front Group. The "mothership" group of Hello! Project is the super-group Morning Musume. Hello! Project's current leader is Risa Niigaki, the leader of Morning Musume...
, were shuffled around to form three one-time groups: Akagumi 4, Kiiro 5, and Aoiro 7. The idea was to battle for the highest single sales. This was achieved by Akagumi 4 which, to no surprise, boasted Maki Goto
Maki Goto
is a Japanese singer, lyricist and former actress. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, Goto began her musical career in 1999 when she joined Morning Musume as the only third generation member. Her first single with the group, "Love Machine", topped the Oricon singles charts and sold over a million...
as the lead vocals.
In March, their third studio album, 3rd: Love Paradise was released. Despite having "Love Machine
Love Machine (Morning Musume song)
is the seventh single of the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on September 9, 1999 as an 8 cm CD. It sold a total of 1,760,000 copies, making it a massive hit and their highest selling single. In 2004, it was re-released as part of the Early Single Box and again in 2005 as a 12 cm CD...
" and "Koi no Dance Site
Koi no Dance Site
is the eighth single of the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on January 26, 2000 as an 8 cm CD. It sold a total of 1,229,970 copies making it their second highest selling single and a number-two hit on the Oricon Charts. In 2004, it was re-released as part of the Early Single Box and again...
" on its track list, it did not manage to claim the number one spot, but did sell more than 800,000 copies, making it Morning Musume's highest-selling studio album to date.
This year also brought a new generation search. The fourth generation consisted of Rika Ishikawa
Rika Ishikawa
, is a Japanese pop singer and TV/radio hostess, associated with the Hello! Project banner and best known as a former member of the pop group Morning Musume. She was the leader of the trio v-u-den until June 2008...
, Hitomi Yoshizawa
Hitomi Yoshizawa
is a former leader of the pop group Morning Musume and current member of the duo Hangry & Angry as Hangry. She is the current leader of the Hello! Project futsal team Gatas Brilhantes H.P...
, Nozomi Tsuji
Nozomi Tsuji
, known professionally by her birth name of is a Japanese tarento and a former member of the pop idol group Morning Musume, its subgroup Mini Moni, and the duo W. She has participated in the shuffle groups 10-nin Matsuri, Odoru 11, and 11Water, H.P...
, and Ai Kago
Ai Kago
is a Japanese singer, actress, author and former Guinness World Record holder.At age 12, Kago won the 4th National Audition of Morning Musume held by Up-Front Works Agency in 2000, which led to her admission into the extremely popular idol group as a 4th generation member. In the same year, she...
, lending a completely different feel to the group by adding the 12-year-old duo of Tsuji and Kago. After their debut single, "Happy Summer Wedding
Happy Summer Wedding
is the ninth single of the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on May 17, 2000. It sold a total of 1,370,000 copies, becoming a number-one hit in Japan...
", (continuing the legacy of number one hits with 1,370,000 copies sold,) Sayaka Ichii graduated to pursue her own music career. She became the vocalist of Japanese group Cubic Cross and later married fellow member Naoki Yoshizawa (no relation to Hitomi Yoshizawa).
With Ishiguro and Ichii gone, both Tanpopo and Petitmoni revised their lineups—Hitomi Yoshizawa joined Petitmoni, and Ai Kago and Rika Ishikawa were added to Tanpopo. Meanwhile, Mari Yaguchi had started performing informally with Ai Kago and Nozomi Tsuji in concerts as Mini Moni
Mini Moni
is a former subgroup of Japanese pop girl group Morning Musume, and a current group within Hello! Project. They were one of Morning Musume's most popular subgroups for their entire existence, because of the combination of their outrageous music videos and live performances, and their widely varied...
, a group tailored towards younger audiences with all the members being less than 150 cm (about 5 ft) tall. Mika Todd of Coconuts Musume
Coconuts Musume
is a group from Hello! Project that was formed and promoted as the "girls from Hawaii". After nine years, the group officially disbanded when Ayaka Kimura graduated from Hello! Project.- Members :* 1998–2008 –...
was later added into the group and Tsunku made them official. Their debut single, "Minimoni Jankenpyon!
Minimoni Jankenpyon!
is the first single by Morning Musume subgroup Minimoni. It was released on January 17, 2001 and sold 930,000 copies. It peaked at number one in Japan on the weekly Oricon chart, charting for seventeen weeks.- Track listing :- External links :...
", was a number one hit on the Oricon.
As an idol group, they were extremely successful, drawing comparisons to the popularity of former girl idol group Speed
Speed (band)
Speed is an Okinawan female vocal/dance group comprising Hiroko Shimabukuro, Eriko Imai, Takako Uehara and Hitoe Arakaki. All four members are former students of Okinawa Actors School which also trained popular artists Namie Amuro and MAX.Speed made their major label debut on August 5, 1996 and...
. "I Wish
I Wish (Morning Musume song)
"I Wish" is a song by J-pop idol group Morning Musume and was released September 6, 2000 as their tenth single. It sold a total of 654,640 copies. "I Wish" was the song used in Japanese commercials for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, which also featured the girls in the commercials. Lead vocals in...
" and "Renai Revolution 21
Renai Revolution 21
is the eleventh single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume and was released December 13, 2000. It sold a total of 1,113,000 copies and peaked at number two on the Oricon Charts. The lead vocals of this single are Natsumi Abe and Maki Goto...
" (Yuko Nakazawa's last single) continued the trend of happy pop songs becoming staple hits for the group. Morning Musume also began their tradition of performing in musicals each year, breaking new ground as idols with their hit musical, Love Century: Yume wa Minakerya Hajimaranai.
2001
In April 2001, group leader Yuko Nakazawa graduated to concentrate more on her solo career (stating her age as a factor as well—she felt it was limiting her ability to meet the physical demands of the group's activities) making Kaori Iida and Kei Yasuda Morning Musume's co-leaders. During this time, the Rika Ishikawa was "lent" out to the rather inactive group, Country MusumeCountry musume
is an all-female Japanese pop group within Hello! Project.- History :Country Musume was formed in 1999 and was billed as "Country Girls from Hokkaidō". The initial group consisted of members and Hokkaidō natives Rinne Toda, Azusa Kobayashi, and Hiromi Yanagihara....
. She did not officially join, but she sang with them for a short period of time.
By July 2001 the string of number one hits had yet to be broken with the release of the single "The Peace!
The Peace!
is the twelfth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume and was released July 25, 2001. It sold a total of 682,320 copies and reached number one on the Oricon Charts...
". The Peace! was another somewhat bizarre pop tune, beginning with an almost fight song-like call and response, and featuring Rika Ishikawa as the lead. She had a dialog in the middle of the song, many solo lines, and took center in the dance and the cover shot. The promotional video echoed the song's strangeness by placing the group in the middle of what appeared to be a gigantic public bathroom, displaying the girls dancing amongst the urinals and posing for photographs in the stalls; supposedly as a response to hidden camera footage of the members that had recently surfaced, filmed from a toilet in their production offices.
At the end of January 2001, the best selling Hello! Project album to date was released: Best! Morning Musume 1
Best! Morning Musume 1
is the first "best of" compilation from the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, and was released January 31, 2001. It is currently the largest selling album of their career and sold a total of 2,259,510 copies...
. It sold 2,259,510 copies. It featured 15 tracks, the only original song being "Say Yeah! -Motto Miracle Night-".
At the end of 2001, four new members joined the group as the fifth generation through the audition "Love Audition 21:" Ai Takahashi
Ai Takahashi
is a Japanese pop singer formerly associated with Hello! Project, and best known as leader of Morning Musume and Hello!Project until 2011, and former member of its popular subgroup, Mini Moni...
, Asami Konno
Asami Konno
, born May 7, 1987, is a Japanese pop singer, best known as former fifth generation member of the all-girl Japanese pop group Morning Musume. She joined the group in the August 2001, along with fellow fifth generation members Ai Takahashi, Makoto Ogawa, and Risa Niigaki.- Biography :Konno joined...
, Makoto Ogawa
Makoto Ogawa
is a Japanese pop singer and actress best known as a former member of Morning Musume. She joined the group in August 2001 along with fellow fifth generation members Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki, and Asami Konno.Ogawa is currently a member of Dream Morning Musume....
, and Risa Niigaki
Risa Niigaki
is a fifth generation member and current leader of the Japanese pop group Morning Musume. She joined Morning Musume in 2001 along with Ai Takahashi, Asami Konno and Makoto Ogawa. She grew up in Yokohama after moving there at age six. As of 2009, she was the longest-serving sub-leader of Morning...
, bringing the roster to 13 girls. Their first single "Mr. Moonlight: Ai no Big Band", (done in the style of big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
) featured fourth generation member Hitomi Yoshizawa as the central focus and main vocalist of the song.
2002
In February, "Sōda! We're Alive", another hit, was released. It featured many different styles combined into one song, centered on Mari Yaguchi.In July 2002, "Do It! Now
Do it! Now
"Do It! Now" is the 15th single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume and was released July 24, 2002,. It sold a total of 310,600 copies. This single also marked the last appearance of Maki Goto before she graduated from Morning Musume and pursued a solo career within Hello! Project...
" was released. This single finally broke the line of number one hits and came in at number three—a surprising fact to many, considering it was Maki Goto's last single.
Morning Musume's fourth studio album, 4th Ikimasshoi! was released in March 2002 after a two year wait. It is the first studio album from the group to reach number one on Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
. It featured the singles "Renai Revolution 21
Renai Revolution 21
is the eleventh single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume and was released December 13, 2000. It sold a total of 1,113,000 copies and peaked at number two on the Oricon Charts. The lead vocals of this single are Natsumi Abe and Maki Goto...
", (rerecorded with the current 13-person formation,) "The Peace!
The Peace!
is the twelfth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume and was released July 25, 2001. It sold a total of 682,320 copies and reached number one on the Oricon Charts...
", (in a 'full', longer version,) "Mr. Moonlight: Ai no Big Band", (with added dialog at the beginning,) and "Sōda! We're Alive".
Late 2002 was marked by the graduation of Maki Goto and a mass re-shuffle of the sub-units. Tsunku removed Kaori Iida, Mari Yaguchi, and Ai Kago from Tanpopo, adding in Asami Konno, Risa Niigaki, and Ayumi Shibata
Ayumi Shibata
is a member of Melon Kinenbi, an all-girl J-pop group which is part of the Hello! Project. She joined the group Tanpopo in 2002 until the group went into an indefinite hiatus after releasing one single...
of Melon Kinenbi
Melon Kinenbi
was an all-girl Japanese pop group within Hello! Project. They were formed after they successfully passed the 2nd Morning Musume & Michiyo Heike Imotobun Audition. Melon Kinenbi is the oldest group in the history of Hello! Project not to have changed any of its members since its formation...
to join Rika Ishikawa. Tanpopo only released one single with this lineup before the group was put on an indefinite hiatus status. Makoto Ogawa and Ayaka Kimura
Ayaka Kimura
, currently known by her stage name as Ayaka Nagate , is an actress currently signed to Tristone Entertainment...
of Coconuts Musume joined Hitomi Yoshizawa in Petitmoni to replace Kei Yasuda and Maki Goto, but the group did not even release a single, only performing in concerts. Their song "Wow Wow Wow" was later released on the Hello! Project's compilation CD Petit Best 4. In Mini Moni, Mari Yaguchi was replaced by Ai Takahashi and the new lineup went on to put out several singles and a second album until member Mika Todd graduated in May 2004, adding Mini Moni to the list of "indefinite hiatus" subgroups.
In October "Koko ni Iruzee!
Koko ni Iruzee!
is the sixteenth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume and was released October 30, 2002 under Zetima Records with the catalog number EPCE-5182.- Track listing :# – 4:28#* Lyrics and composition by Tsunku; Arrangement by .# – 4:40...
" was released, a fast-paced, feel-good song about making the most of life and music's ability to unite the world. It was number one on Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
.
2003
The unique child-like tune "Morning Musume no Hyokkori Hyōtanjima" was released in February 2003 as the group's seventeenth single. It is significant because it was a cover song, marking the first time TsunkuTsunku
, better known professionally as , is a prolific Japanese record producer, songwriter, and vocalist.He is best known for having two major roles in the Japanese music landscape: first as the lead singer of the popular rock group Sharam Q, and now as the producer, primary composer, lyricist and main...
did not write a single's lyrics.
April brought the notably successful single "As for One Day
As for One Day
"As for One Day" is the eighteenth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume and was released April 23, 2003. It sold a total of 129,893 copies. This single also marked the graduation of second generation member Kei Yasuda...
"—a synthesizer-driven song about lost love—which sold 129,893 copies and hit number one in Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
charts, and was the last time a Morning Musume single hit number one until "Aruiteru
Aruiteru
is the thirty-first single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on November 8, 2006. "Aruiteru" sold approximately 55,694 copies and reached number one in both the daily and weekly Oricon charts....
" (released late 2006). This single was the last for Kei Yasuda.
Before the auditions for the sixth generation were held, the group released the album No.5. It was unique in a few ways. It was the last studio album to feature Kei Yasuda and Natsumi Abe as full members of the group. It was also the first Morning Musume studio album to feature a former member, as Maki Goto guests on "Megami (Mousse na Yasashisa)" and "Ganbacchae!". It only featured two singles: "Do It! Now
Do it! Now
"Do It! Now" is the 15th single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume and was released July 24, 2002,. It sold a total of 310,600 copies. This single also marked the last appearance of Maki Goto before she graduated from Morning Musume and pursued a solo career within Hello! Project...
" and "Koko ni Iruzee!
Koko ni Iruzee!
is the sixteenth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume and was released October 30, 2002 under Zetima Records with the catalog number EPCE-5182.- Track listing :# – 4:28#* Lyrics and composition by Tsunku; Arrangement by .# – 4:40...
".
In mid-2003, four new girls were added as the sixth generation: Miki Fujimoto
Miki Fujimoto
, professionally known by her birth name , is a Japanese pop singer and television actress. After failing the audition to join girl group Morning Musume with the fourth generation members, Fujimoto debuted as solo artist within Hello! Project in 2002 with the single "Aenai Nagai Nichiyōbi"...
, Eri Kamei
Eri Kamei
was a member of the Japanese pop group Morning Musume. She joined in late 2003 as a sixth generation member along with Miki Fujimoto, Sayumi Michishige, and Reina Tanaka. She graduated on December 15, 2010 in Yokohama Arena along with Junjun and Linlin....
, Sayumi Michishige
Sayumi Michishige
is a sixth generation member of the J-pop group Morning Musume and has the third longest tenure of any member in the group ....
, and Reina Tanaka
Reina Tanaka
is one of the sixth generation members of the J-pop group Morning Musume. Her professional first name is spelled in hiragana to distinguish her from the Japanese actress Rena Tanaka, whose name is spelled using the same kanji , who is similarly from Fukuoka Prefecture.- Biography :Tanaka auditioned...
. Eri Kamei, Sayumi Michishige, and Reina Tanaka successfully passed the traditional auditions; however, Miki Fujimoto was a solo singer in Hello!Project at the time. After she pulled off a successful appearance on the New Year's music program "Kōhaku Uta Gassen" with several Morning Musume members dancing as backup, Tsunku added her as part of the sixth generation. Their debut concert was also Kei Yasuda's graduation concert, and Tsunku has said that this one-time 16-member group is the largest Morning Musume will ever be.
The sixth generation's first single was "Shabondama
Shabondama
is the nineteenth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released July 30, 2003 and sold a total of 151,104 copies. It peaked at number two on the Oricon Charts....
", which featured "break-up" lyrics, a seemingly spontaneous dance routine, and rolled "r"
Alveolar trill
The alveolar trill is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents dental, alveolar, and postalveolar trills is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is r. It is commonly called the rolled R, rolling R, or trilled R...
s.
Mari Yaguchi became Morning Musume's sub-leader after Kei's graduation and was also put in charge of training and assisting the trainee group of Hello! Project Kids
Hello! Project Kids
is a Japanese music group of fifteen young girls chosen out of 27,958 applicants in 2002. The group was formed as a part of the Hello! Project. The group has so far published a number of records under both group names and the Hello! Project Kids title....
, eventually forming a group with 5 of them, known as ZYX
ZYX
was a short-lived Japanese pop group made up of five Hello! Project Kids members led by Mari Yaguchi of Morning Musume. Yaguchi acted as a mentor and the group released two singles. ZYX is important in that it is the first unit that Hello! Project Kids officially joined with the second being Aa!...
.
Later in 2003, Morning Musume was split into two subgroups so that it could tour more cities (especially smaller cities that could not support a 15-member troupe). Morning Musume Sakuragumi
Morning Musume Sakuragumi
, meaning "Sakura Group", was one of the subgroups derived from the Japanese pop group Morning Musume in 2003. Its equivalent was Morning Musume Otomegumi. Like its counterpart, the sole purpose of Sakuragumi was to accommodate towns with smaller concert venues. The group was meant to embody the...
, which focused on slower and more traditional love songs, included Natsumi Abe, Mari Yaguchi, Hitomi Yoshizawa, Ai Kago, Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki, Asami Konno and Eri Kamei. Morning Musume Otomegumi
Morning Musume Otomegumi
was one of the subgroups that the Japanese pop group Morning Musume was divided into in 2003. Its counterpart was Morning Musume Sakuragumi. The group's name is made up of and , meaning "Young Girls' Group". Like Sakuragumi, purpose of Morning Musume Otomegumi was to perform in small towns with...
, which had more upbeat pop songs with a slight rock flavor, featured Kaori Iida, Rika Ishikawa, Nozomi Tsuji, Makoto Ogawa, Miki Fujimoto, Sayumi Michishige, and Reina Tanaka. Sakuragumi released two singles: "Hare Ame Nochi Suki
Hare Ame Nochi Suki
- Single V DVD:-Members at time of single:*1st generation: Natsumi Abe*2nd generation: Mari Yaguchi*4th generation: Hitomi Yoshizawa, Ai Kago*5th generation: Ai Takahashi, Asami Konno, Risa Niigaki*6th generation: Eri Kamei-External links:...
" and "Sakura Mankai
Sakura Mankai
is the second single of the J-pop idol group Morning Musume sub-group Morning Musume Sakuragumi. In addition to the title song and its karaoke version, the also single contains Morning Musume Sakuragumi versions of the earlier Morning Musume songs "Say Yeah!: Motto Miracle Night" and "Daite Hold on...
", and Otomegumi released two singles as well: "Ai no Sono: Touch My Heart!" and "Yūjō: Kokoro no Busu ni wa Naranee!".
The last single of Morning Musume in 2003 to feature the entire group was "Go Girl: Koi no Victory", which had the members girlishly proclaiming the victory of their love.
2004
In January 2004, Natsumi Abe (known as "the face of Morning Musume" to the general public) graduated to pursue a soloist career. Her last single was "Ai Araba It's All Right", Morning Musume's last song to sell more than 100,000 copies. "Ai Araba It's All Right" had uplifting lyrics (as would be expected, with the title), and a cheery dance sequence.The group soon released another single, "Roman: My Dear Boy". The song showcased an almost rock flavor and centered its lyrics around offering "a dance" to a boy. This was followed by their twenty-third single, "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari
Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari
is the 23rd single by the J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released on July 22, 2004. It sold a total of 91,789 copies in the music stores that report to Oricon and peaked at number three on the Oricon Charts....
", which is unique in that it was actually about the Morning Musume girls themselves—each member got a verse about their personality. This song would later be remade several times as "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari 2" and "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari 3", included in their sixth and seventh album respectively. This single also marked the graduation of fourth generation members Nozomi Tsuji and Ai Kago in August, to focus on "W", their new duo group.
In April 2004, Rika Ishikawa was caught in a rare scandal, as an audio recording revealed her saying of the groups fans at a show, "look at them. Grownups screaming like that! I can't believe it. So stupid!"
In mid-2004, Morning Musume's second best-of album, Best! Morning Musume 2
Best! Morning Musume 2
is the second "best of" compilation from the Japanese Pop idol group Morning Musume and it was released March 31, 2004, selling a total of 180,897 copies...
was released and featured "Yah! Aishitai" as the only new track. It had a lukewarm reception at best, compared to their first best-of compilation.
Auditions for the seventh generation (named "Lucky 7" to commemorate the seventh generation, the seventh year of Morning Musume, and seven audition sites across Japan) were held in various Japan cities in late 2004, resulting in six finalists. However, on January 9, 2005, Tsunku surprised everyone by announcing that no one in the Lucky 7 audition would be added to Morning Musume, citing that he had set his expectations extra-high this year in hopes of finding an "ace". This was the first time an audition had ended with no new members.
In November 2004, Morning Musume released "Namida ga Tomaranai Hōkago", a ballad that featured Asami Konno, Sayumi Michishige, and Rika Ishikawa.
Following this single Morning Musume Early Single Box
Early Single Box
Early Single Box is the first box set compilation from J-pop idol group Morning Musume, and was released December 15, 2004. It contains their first eight singles in their entirety, each on a separate disc with an additional bonus track each...
was released. It was a 9-CD set containing their first eight singles with a bonus track on each one, as well as a karaoke CD of some of their more popular tunes from the early years.
Finally, at the end of 2004, the group's yearly album was released. Their sixth studio album, named Ai no Dai 6 Kan
Ai no Dai 6 Kan
is the sixth album from the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on December 8, 2004.Ai no Dai 6 Kan contains three hit singles, all released prior to the album between April and December 2004: "Roman: My Dear Boy", "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari", and "Namida ga Tomaranai Hōkago"...
, hit stores in December. It contained three singles: "Roman: My Dear Boy", "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari
Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari
is the 23rd single by the J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released on July 22, 2004. It sold a total of 91,789 copies in the music stores that report to Oricon and peaked at number three on the Oricon Charts....
", and "Namida ga Tomaranai Hōkago". This was Ai Kago, Nozomi Tsuji, Kaori Iida, Mari Yaguchi, and Rika Ishikawa's last credited studio album.
2005
On January 30, 2005 - then-leader and the last member from the first generation Kaori Iida graduated to pursue a solo singer/artist career, with Mari Yaguchi taking on leadership role with Hitomi Yoshizawa as subleader. Her last single was "The Manpower!!!The Manpower!!!
is the twenty-fifth single of Japanese pop idol group Morning Musume. It also served as the last single of the last founding member of the group Kaori Iida....
", which sung about the abilities of the human race and was also the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
The is a baseball team founded in 2004; it played its first season in the Japanese Pacific League in 2005. It is simply called Rakuten . The team was created to fill the void left by the merger of the Orix Blue Wave and the Kintetsu Buffaloes, after the 2004 season due to financial difficulties,...
theme song. The beginning of 2005 also saw the beginning of Musume Document 2005, which covered behind-the-scenes material, historical footage, and interviews.
In February 2005, Tsunku started another audition for Morning Musume's seventh generation. He noted that he was still intent on finding an "ace". This audition resulted with Koharu Kusumi
Koharu Kusumi
, is a former J-pop singer and voice actress, and currently a model. She joined Morning Musume as the only seventh generation member and as the youngest soloist to debut in Hello! Project, being only twelve years old when she joined. Before she joined Morning Musume, she was the captain of her...
finally being chosen as the sole "miracle" member of the new generation.
On April 10, 2005, photos were taken of Mari Yaguchi
Mari Yaguchi
, known professionally by her birth name of is a Japanese pop artist and former member of Hello! Project. She is a former member of Morning Musume and Tanpopo, one of its first sub groups, and also founded Minimoni...
with Shun Oguri
Shun Oguri
is a Japanese actor, director and voice actor.-Career:Born to a theater director father, Tetsuya Oguri, and having an actor brother, Ryo Oguri, Shun Oguri started his acting career quite early in his life...
(scheduled to be published in a gossip
Gossip
Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others, It is one of the oldest and most common means of sharing facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and variations into the information transmitted...
magazine Friday! on the 15th). On April 14, 2005, Yaguchi announced that she would "retire" from Morning Musume and would continue on with solo activities. In her public statement, Yaguchi said that due to the scandal and its publicity, she could no longer sustain an "idol" image befitting of Morning Musume. Because of the nature of her departure (resignation rather than graduation), Yaguchi did not receive a graduation concert. Sub-leader Hitomi Yoshizawa took over as the leader of Morning Musume, and Miki Fujimoto became sub-leader as of July 15, 2005.
Just days after Yaguchi resigned, on April 27, 2005, the group's twenty-sixth single, "Osaka Koi no Uta
Osaka Koi no Uta
was the twenty-sixth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume, from the group's seventh album Rainbow 7. It was released on April 27, 2005 under the Zetima label, and went on to sell a total of 59,287 copies. The single reached a peak of #2 on the weekly Oricon chart, charting for five weeks. The...
" was released. The final version featured Yaguchi still, presumably because they did not have enough time to rerecord and remix it. The lyrics are in an Osaka dialect. This single was also Rika Ishikawa's last. She graduated on May 7, 2005 to assume full-time leadership of the Hello! Project trio known as v-u-den
V-u-den
is a Japanese pop group within Hello! Project. The group was formed in August 2004 and consists of members Rika Ishikawa , Erika Miyoshi, and Yui Okada, with Ishikawa being the leader. The name means: , , and...
.
Kusumi's first single with Morning Musume was July's "Iroppoi Jirettai
Iroppoi Jirettai
was the twenty-seventh single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume, and was the debut of seventh generation member Koharu Kusumi.The first pressing of this single came with special packaging and also contained five photocards. The Single V was released on August 3, 2005, and sold a total of 22,606...
", a flamenco styled song, which was considered to be the biggest hit of the year—selling around 20,000 more copies than anything else. A 3 city handshake event was organized for the promotion of this single.
Morning Musume's last single of 2005 was "Chokkan 2: Nogashita Sakana wa Ōkiizo!", which was a remake of a previous album-only song about the importance of using your intuition and not taking good things for granted. "Koi wa Hassō Do The Hustle!" was going to be the title track for the single, but due to poor preview results, became the coupling track instead.
On December 31, 2005, graduated Morning Musume members Mari Yaguchi, Kaori Iida, Natsumi Abe, Yuko Nakazawa, Ai Kago, Nozomi Tsuji, Rika Ishikawa, Maki Goto, and Kei Yasuda joined the current lineup of Morning Musume to perform the group's signature hit "Love Machine" on the 2005/2006 edition of Kōhaku Uta Gassen
Kohaku Uta Gassen
, more commonly known as simply Kōhaku, is an annual music show on New Year's Eve produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK and broadcast on both television and radio, nationally and internationally by NHK's networks and some overseas broadcasters which bought the program...
. The performance was Yaguchi's first since leaving Morning Musume eight and a half months earlier.
2006
On January 16, 2006, it was announced that Morning Musume had won a Kanagawa Image Up Award in recognition of Hello! Project's support of an anti-pollution campaign. Yoshizawa, Fujimoto, and Takahashi represented the group to accept the award.In February, the group released their seventh studio album, Rainbow 7
Rainbow 7
is the seventh album by the J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It is the first album to feature 7th generation member Koharu Kusumi, and was released on February 15, 2006....
. It was the first album for Kusumi and the last for Konno and Ogawa. The album features "The Manpower!!!
The Manpower!!!
is the twenty-fifth single of Japanese pop idol group Morning Musume. It also served as the last single of the last founding member of the group Kaori Iida....
", "Osaka Koi no Uta
Osaka Koi no Uta
was the twenty-sixth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume, from the group's seventh album Rainbow 7. It was released on April 27, 2005 under the Zetima label, and went on to sell a total of 59,287 copies. The single reached a peak of #2 on the weekly Oricon chart, charting for five weeks. The...
", "Iroppoi Jirettai
Iroppoi Jirettai
was the twenty-seventh single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume, and was the debut of seventh generation member Koharu Kusumi.The first pressing of this single came with special packaging and also contained five photocards. The Single V was released on August 3, 2005, and sold a total of 22,606...
", and "Chokkan 2: Nogashita Sakana wa Ōkiizo!" (in a remixed form). Kaori Iida, Rika Ishikawa and Mari Yaguchi are not credited anywhere in the liner notes although their vocals appear. Three of the songs on the album are performed by smaller clusters of several group members, and are credited in the liner notes to the featured members involved, rather than to the entire group.
In March 2006, "Sexy Boy: Soyokaze ni Yorisotte" was released. It featured an easy-to-learn dance and a parapara
Para Para
is a synchronized group dance that originated in Japan. Unlike most club dancing and rave dancing there are specific synchronized movements for each song much like line dancing...
style. It was considered to be a relative success.
On April 28, 2006, it was announced by Tsunku from his official website that fifth generation members Asami Konno and Makoto Ogawa were going to graduate. Konno graduated on July 23, 2006 to attend University and Ogawa graduated on August 27, 2006 to study English abroad. Both left Morning Musume, but only Konno left Hello! Project entirely; Ogawa intended to return after completing her studies. However, as of 2007, Konno returned to Hello! Project to join the new group Ongaku Gatas
Ongaku Gatas
is a Japanese girl group consisted of select members from Hello! Project's futsal club Gatas Brilhantes H.P. and Hello Pro Egg.-History:The group was formed in 2007. The group's name combines the Japanese word ongaku with the Portuguese word gatas, taken from the name of the Hello! Project futsal...
, making it the first time ever that a girl who left Hello! Project actually returned. Ogawa, on the other hand, returned in June 2008 by appearing on an episode of Morning Musume's television show Haromoni@
Haromoni@
is the title of the sequel to the long-running Japanese variety show Hello! Morning, which it replaced starting April 8, 2007, on TV Tokyo and later throughout the country on several other television networks, in High Definition...
.
Konno and Ogawa's last single was "Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii Jan
Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii Jan
is the thirtieth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released on June 21, 2006. The Single V was released on June 28, 2006.There are regular and limited edition versions of this single. The regular version comes with a photocard in a poker card design...
", which, yet again, featured a parapara
Para Para
is a synchronized group dance that originated in Japan. Unlike most club dancing and rave dancing there are specific synchronized movements for each song much like line dancing...
type arrangement, with a rock 'n' roll flair. It was the group's 30th single, and a limited-edition CD of all past 30 singles mixed into a thirteen-minute track was included on the first pressing. Unfortunately, sales did not meet the hype, and Ambitious! clocked in as Morning Musume's lowest-selling single yet.
In mid-2006, the group performed the musical Ribbon no Kishi. Ai Takahashi took the main role; the secondary role was played by alternating members. There was also a mini-concert at the end of each performance, which served as Ogawa's real "graduation concert"—the Wonderful Hearts 2006 concert was initially intended for Konno's graduation only, although Ogawa wore a special outfit and read her graduation comments as well. (A last minute decision that fans were unaware of before the concert began). As for Ribbon no Kishi, an album with a selection of songs was released: Ribbon no Kishi The Musical Song Selection.
In mid-2006, Tsunku announced the audition for the eighth generation, called Morning Musume Happy 8 Audition. The audition started on August 27, 2006 and ended in Tokyo on October 22, 2006. On December 10, 2006's Hello! Morning
Hello! Morning
was a weekly Japanese TV show featuring members of Morning Musume, and sometimes other Hello! Project members on TV Tokyo. It is also known by the shorter name of . On April 1, 2007, the show ended after seven years of broadcast and a new show, featuring the same people, , took its place...
, it was announced that the only new member was Aika Mitsui
Aika Mitsui
is a member of the J-pop group Morning Musume, joining as a member of the eighth generation from the audition in Japan during December 2006. Mitsui's audition process was documented during the late 2006 episodes of Hello! Morning...
. The show had a piece of audition footage each week leading up to December 10, 2006.
The last single release in 2006 was "Aruiteru
Aruiteru
is the thirty-first single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on November 8, 2006. "Aruiteru" sold approximately 55,694 copies and reached number one in both the daily and weekly Oricon charts....
", which was a huge hit. It was the first single at the number one spot after 3½ years (their last number one hit being "As for One Day
As for One Day
"As for One Day" is the eighteenth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume and was released April 23, 2003. It sold a total of 129,893 copies. This single also marked the graduation of second generation member Kei Yasuda...
".) The song's lyrics were credited for its success, with lines like "walking, you're not alone because everyone's here with you, praying for peace". It was a bit of a turn from the hyperactive singles the group had been releasing. Tsunku's group, Sharan Q
Sharan Q
is a Japanese pop rock band composed of lead singer , on guitar, on drums and on keyboards.- Biography :They debuted with in 1992. They were not an instant hit initially, but their fourth single broke the top 50 of the Oricon charts. Eventually, the single got a lot of attention since it...
, also made a rock cover of this song.
Their first mini-album, 7.5 Fuyu Fuyu Morning Musume Mini!
7.5 Fuyu Fuyu Morning Musume Mini!
is the first mini-album to be released by the J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released on December 13, 2006. The album was released in two versions– a standard edition, containing only the CD , and a limited edition containing a bonus DVD.This mini-album is considered to be their...
, was released in December. It featured five tracks by solo and/or smaller combinations of group members. It also featured the single "Aruiteru
Aruiteru
is the thirty-first single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on November 8, 2006. "Aruiteru" sold approximately 55,694 copies and reached number one in both the daily and weekly Oricon charts....
".
2007
In early 2007, Morning Musume Tanjō 10nen KinentaiMorning Musume Tanjō 10nen Kinentai
was a group made up of five past and present members of the Japanese all-girl pop group Morning Musume created to celebrate Morning Musume's 10th anniversary.- Members :*Kaori Iida – first generation *Natsumi Abe – first generation...
, a unit consisting of Kaori Iida, Natsumi Abe, Maki Goto, Risa Niigaki, and Koharu Kusumi, was created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Morning Musume. They released a commemorative single called "Bokura ga Ikiru My Asia". The members chosen symbolize the beginning of the group; how they had five members ranging in age from 14–24. Additionally, each member was from an odd-numbered generation (Kaori Iida and Natsumi Abe from the first generation, Maki Goto from the third, Risa Niigaki from the fifth, and Koharu Kusumi from the seventh).
On January 2, 2007, an announcement was made during Hello! Project's 2007 Winter concert that the group's leader at the time Hitomi Yoshizawa
Hitomi Yoshizawa
is a former leader of the pop group Morning Musume and current member of the duo Hangry & Angry as Hangry. She is the current leader of the Hello! Project futsal team Gatas Brilhantes H.P...
would graduate from Morning Musume on May 6, 2007, the last day of Morning Musume's 2007 spring tour. The concert would take place at the Saitama Super Arena
Saitama Super Arena
is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Chūō-ku, Saitama City, Saitama, Japan. Its spectator capacity is 37,000 at maximum settings.This main arena capacity is between 19,000-22,500 when events such as basketball, volleyball, tennis, ice hockey, gymnastics, boxing, mixed martial arts and...
in Yoshizawa's hometown.
In February, the first single with the eighth generation member Aika Mitsui was released, "Egao Yes Nude
Egao Yes Nude
is the thirty-second single of the J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released on February 14, 2007. It was at first rumored to be the last single to feature Hitomi Yoshizawa but this was disproved. It is the first for the eighth generation Aika Mitsui.There are three different versions of...
". This was the first PV of Morning Musume to appear on the Dohhh!Up site (a streaming website of Hello! Project media). The single went up against tougher competition than "Aruiteru" had, only landing them a number four spot, although it sold relatively the same number of copies. The song has a funky, disco feel, and is highly-reminiscent of some of the older songs of Morning Musume, most notably Summer Night Town
Summer Night Town
is a song by J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released as their second single on May 27, 1998 as an 8 cm CD. It sold a total of 417,330 copies. In 2004 It was re-released as part of the Early Single Box and again in 2005 as a 12 cm CD. Lead vocals of this single was Natsumi Abe...
.
On the March 11, 2007 edition of the weekly TV show Hello! Morning
Hello! Morning
was a weekly Japanese TV show featuring members of Morning Musume, and sometimes other Hello! Project members on TV Tokyo. It is also known by the shorter name of . On April 1, 2007, the show ended after seven years of broadcast and a new show, featuring the same people, , took its place...
, producer Tsunku
Tsunku
, better known professionally as , is a prolific Japanese record producer, songwriter, and vocalist.He is best known for having two major roles in the Japanese music landscape: first as the lead singer of the popular rock group Sharam Q, and now as the producer, primary composer, lyricist and main...
revealed he would make an important announcement in the following episode. Several days later, on March 15, he announced that two other eighth generation members would be joining the group—Li Chun and Qian Lin
Qian Lin
Qian Lin , better known in Japan as , is a former Morning Musume member, as well as a former member of Minimoni which she was the leader of. She was announced to be joining as the eighth generation of Morning Musume on March 15, 2007...
, both Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
nationals, were to join as "exchange students". Tsunku stated the two new members would be an important key for their group's planned expansion into Asia and gave them the stage names "Junjun" and "Linlin" respectively. The two made their stage debut on May 6, at Saitama Super Arena
Saitama Super Arena
is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Chūō-ku, Saitama City, Saitama, Japan. Its spectator capacity is 37,000 at maximum settings.This main arena capacity is between 19,000-22,500 when events such as basketball, volleyball, tennis, ice hockey, gymnastics, boxing, mixed martial arts and...
, during current leader Yoshizawa's graduation. This is notable, as they are the first non-Japanese members of the group.
On March 21, 2007, the group's eighth studio album, Sexy 8 Beat
Sexy 8 Beat
- Bonus DVD :Tracks 2 and 3 on the DVD were recorded live at Hello! Project's 2007 Winter Wonderful Hearts Otome Gokoro concert.- Vocals :* Hitomi Yoshizawa – except tracks 5, 9 and 10* Ai Takahashi – except tracks 5 and 10...
was released. It was the first album for Aika Mitsui and the last album for Hitomi Yoshizawa and Miki Fujimoto. It featured the singles "Aruiteru
Aruiteru
is the thirty-first single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on November 8, 2006. "Aruiteru" sold approximately 55,694 copies and reached number one in both the daily and weekly Oricon charts....
", "Egao Yes Nude
Egao Yes Nude
is the thirty-second single of the J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released on February 14, 2007. It was at first rumored to be the last single to feature Hitomi Yoshizawa but this was disproved. It is the first for the eighth generation Aika Mitsui.There are three different versions of...
", "Sexy Boy: Soyokaze ni Yorisotte", and "Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii Jan
Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii Jan
is the thirtieth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released on June 21, 2006. The Single V was released on June 28, 2006.There are regular and limited edition versions of this single. The regular version comes with a photocard in a poker card design...
".
On April 25, 2007, Morning Musume released their 33rd single, "Kanashimi Twilight
Kanashimi Twilight
is the thirty-third single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released on April 25, 2007 and was the last single for Hitomi Yoshizawa as well as Miki Fujimoto.There are three different versions of the single...
". The song style was a huge departure from almost anything Morning Musume had released prior to it, displaying a loud, rock arrangement and the angriest lyrics since Shabondama
Shabondama
is the nineteenth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released July 30, 2003 and sold a total of 151,104 copies. It peaked at number two on the Oricon Charts....
. This would be the group's last single with members Hitomi Yoshizawa and Miki Fujimoto.
With the success of Kanashimi Twilight, on May 1, 2007, Morning Musume became the "best single selling female group in Japan" with 11,085,000 copies sold—their fifth Oricon record. The achievement surpasses the previous record set by Pink Lady
Pink Lady (band)
is a Japanese female pop music duo of the late 1970s and early 1980s, featuring Mitsuyo Nemoto and Keiko Masuda...
of 11,037,000 copies sold.
On May 6, 2007, Hitomi Yoshizawa graduated. Miki Fujimoto took her place as leader and Ai Takahashi replaced Fujimoto as sub-leader.
As of June 1, 2007, Miki Fujimoto resigned from Morning Musume, due to the tabloid magazine Friday running an article depicting Fujimoto and comedian Tomoharu Shoji in a relationship. Ai Takahashi replaced Fujimoto as leader (a position the latter occupied for the briefest period in the group's history—26 days), and Risa Niigaki became subleader.
Morning Musume's 34th single Onna ni Sachi Are
Onna ni Sachi Are
is the thirty-fourth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume and the first to feature eighth generation members Junjun and Linlin. It was released on July 25, 2007 and its accompanying Single V on August 1....
was released on July 25, 2007. It features the debut of new eighth generation members from China, Junjun and Linlin
Qian Lin
Qian Lin , better known in Japan as , is a former Morning Musume member, as well as a former member of Minimoni which she was the leader of. She was announced to be joining as the eighth generation of Morning Musume on March 15, 2007...
. The single reached number two on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart, with sales of 43,364 copies.
On October 26, 2007, Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki, and Koharu Kusumi visited Korea to promote their singles collection album Morning Musume All Singles Complete: 10th Anniversary, which was released on October 24, 2007. Also, Takahashi and Niigaki appeared as special guests in a Korean radio show called Maybee's Turn Up the Volume (메이비의 볼륨을 높여요). Later that same month, on October 29, 2007, all nine members traveled to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
for three days to promote the album. This was the first time Morning Musume held a non-Fan Club promotional event as a group outside of Japan. During their visit, they attended press conferences, appeared for radio and TV show recordings, and held the first-ever public handshaking event outside of Japan.
November 21, 2007 marked the release of Morning Musume's 35th single, "Mikan
Mikan (song)
is the thirty-fifth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume. The song's title was chosen in accordance to the habit of eating mandarin oranges while sitting by a kotatsu, as a representation of each member's childhood memories. Mikan's Promotional video extends this concept further, by showing...
". Initial sales were poor for the song. It became the group's lowest-selling single (even lower than the initial indies release of "Ai no Tane
Ai no Tane
is the unofficial debut single of Japanese pop idol group Morning Musume, released under a defunct independent sub-label of Zetima Records on November 3, 1997...
", which sold 50,000 copies), both in terms of first week sales and absolute sales figures. As a result, unlike all previous singles, Mikan failed to appear on Oricon's Top 5 Chart, breaking the group's previously held record.
On December 31, 2007, Morning Musume performed in the 58th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen
58th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen
The , referred to from hereon as "Kōhaku," aired on December 31, 2007. on NHK Hall in Japan. Air time was from 19:20 to 23:45...
with a remixed version of their song "Love Machine
Love Machine (Morning Musume song)
is the seventh single of the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on September 9, 1999 as an 8 cm CD. It sold a total of 1,760,000 copies, making it a massive hit and their highest selling single. In 2004, it was re-released as part of the Early Single Box and again in 2005 as a 12 cm CD...
" along with °C-ute and Berryz Kobo. Similar to the previous Kōhaku, the red team (females) lost to the white team (males) after attaining votes from the viewers and judges.
2008
Ai TakahashiAi Takahashi
is a Japanese pop singer formerly associated with Hello! Project, and best known as leader of Morning Musume and Hello!Project until 2011, and former member of its popular subgroup, Mini Moni...
, Eri Kamei
Eri Kamei
was a member of the Japanese pop group Morning Musume. She joined in late 2003 as a sixth generation member along with Miki Fujimoto, Sayumi Michishige, and Reina Tanaka. She graduated on December 15, 2010 in Yokohama Arena along with Junjun and Linlin....
, Sayumi Michishige
Sayumi Michishige
is a sixth generation member of the J-pop group Morning Musume and has the third longest tenure of any member in the group ....
, and Reina Tanaka
Reina Tanaka
is one of the sixth generation members of the J-pop group Morning Musume. Her professional first name is spelled in hiragana to distinguish her from the Japanese actress Rena Tanaka, whose name is spelled using the same kanji , who is similarly from Fukuoka Prefecture.- Biography :Tanaka auditioned...
participated in the musical Ojigi 30 Degrees at the Shinjuku Theater from February 26 to March 2. Morning Musume's 36th music single, "Resonant Blue
Resonant Blue
is the thirty-sixth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released under the Zetima label on April 16, 2008. The Single V DVD of the single was released on April 23, 2008....
", had been announced for release on March 5, 2008 but was postponed until April 16, 2008 because of the busy schedule in the winter/early spring season. Multiple promotional videos were released. With the original, another version, a studio dance shot version, a night scene version, and a one-cut dance version, it makes the most PVs ever released for one single. Also notable is the smoky eye make-up used on the members, a daring new look for Morning Musume as they attempt to expand into Asia.
The management of Morning Musume revealed in an interview in March that they were going to take a new approach to promoting the group, pushing the individual members so that they could do more personal work and become more well known, as was the case in the first line-up of the group.
On April 5, 2008, Morning Musume’s Aika Mitsui complained of a stomach ache after a concert at Hachiōji Citizen Hall. She was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and was ordered to rest for two weeks. Mitsui subsequently missed the concerts on April 12 and 13.
"Resonant Blue", the 36th single, was released on April 16, 2008, after being delayed due to hectic schedules. The single debuted at number two and finished third in the Oricon Weekly ranking. Overall, the single marked a rebound from poor sales of the previous single, "Mikan
Mikan (song)
is the thirty-fifth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume. The song's title was chosen in accordance to the habit of eating mandarin oranges while sitting by a kotatsu, as a representation of each member's childhood memories. Mikan's Promotional video extends this concept further, by showing...
". In its first week, it sold 48,086 copies, 20,004 copies more than "Mikan" and around 5,000 more copies than Onna ni Sachi Are
Onna ni Sachi Are
is the thirty-fourth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume and the first to feature eighth generation members Junjun and Linlin. It was released on July 25, 2007 and its accompanying Single V on August 1....
.
The group held a concert at Taipei Nankang Exhibition Hall, Taiwan, on May 24, 2008. the first time ever for Morning Musume to have a concert outside Japan.
From August 6 to August 25, 2008, Morning Musume performed with several members of the all-female Takarazuka
Takarazuka Revue
The Takarazuka Revue is a Japanese all-female musical theater troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway-style productions of Western-style musicals, and sometimes stories adapted from shōjo manga and Japanese folktales. The troupe takes its name...
theater troupe in a version of Rodgers and Hammerstein
Rodgers and Hammerstein
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were a well-known American songwriting duo, usually referred to as Rodgers and Hammerstein. They created a string of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s during what is considered the golden age of the medium...
's Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
. Ai Takahashi starred in the main role of Cinderella, with Risa Niigaki as the Prince, and Eri Kamei and Reina Tanaka as the stepsisters. The other members performed in minor roles as fairies and guards.
Morning Musume's 37th single, "Pepper Keibu
Pepper Keibu
- Morning Musume version :A cover of "Pepper Keibu" was released by the idol pop group Morning Musume as a single on September 24, 2008 under the Zetima label to promote their upcoming ninth album, Cover You, a tribute to producer Yū Aku. The Single V DVD of the single was released on October 22,...
", was released on September 24, 2008. Unlike past singles (with the exception of Morning Musume no Hyokkori Hyōtanjima), this song is a cover. It is originally known as Pink Lady
Pink Lady (band)
is a Japanese female pop music duo of the late 1970s and early 1980s, featuring Mitsuyo Nemoto and Keiko Masuda...
's debut single, released in 1976. In the first week of the release, it sold approximately 10,000 copies less than Resonant Blue and 10,000 copies more than Mikan.
Berikyū! and Haromoni@
Haromoni@
is the title of the sequel to the long-running Japanese variety show Hello! Morning, which it replaced starting April 8, 2007, on TV Tokyo and later throughout the country on several other television networks, in High Definition...
finished their run and were replaced with ., which began on October 6, 2008. The show starred Morning Musume, Berryz Kobo, and °C-ute.
2008 was the first year in which there were no changes in Morning Musume's lineup.
2009
Morning Musume released their 38th single on February 18, 2009. This was their first single of 2009, titled "Naichau KamoNaichau Kamo
is the thirty-eighth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released under the Zetima label on February 16, 2009, achieving a weekly rank of 3 on the Oricon singles chart. The Single V DVD of the single was released on February 25, 2009. This was the 26th single to feature Ai Takahashi...
". The title translates to "I Might Cry" and was released in two limited versions, A and B, each including a DVD. On March 18, 2009 they released their ninth studio album, called Platinum 9 Disc
Platinum 9 Disc
- Featured lineup :* 4th generation: Hitomi Yoshizawa * 5th generation: Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki* 6th generation: Eri Kamei, Sayumi Michishige, Reina Tanaka, Miki Fujimoto...
.
Morning Musume released their 39th single, "Shōganai Yume Oibito
Shōganai Yume Oibito
- Featured lineup :* 5th generation: Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki* 6th generation: Eri Kamei, Sayumi Michishige, Reina Tanaka* 7th generation: Koharu Kusumi* 8th generation: Aika Mitsui, Junjun, LinlinShōganai Yume Oibito Vocalists...
", on May 13, 2009, attaining a rank of number one on the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
weekly chart for the first time since their "Aruiteru" single in late 2006. It also became the group's first number one single to feature eighth generation members Aika Mitsui, Junjun, and Linlin.
Following the success of Shōganai Yume Oibito, the group released their 40th single "Nanchatte Ren'ai
Nanchatte Renai
is the 40th single release by the Japanese pop girl group Morning Musume. It was released on August 12, 2009 in four versions: regular edition, a 40th single commemorative, and two limited edition versions. The limited editions each contain a different DVD with one of the PVs on it — as well...
" on August 12. Because 'Nanchatte Ren'ai' was the group's 40th single, a commemorative edition was released along with the usual regular edition plus two limited editions. The commemorative edition has a different c/w track on it than the regular and limited editions. The group hadn't had two different c/ws since their 4th single, "Memory Seishun no Hikari" in 1999, which has two c/w tracks in one edition. The single came in at number two on the Oricon chart, only behind the new single of powerhouse Ayumi Hamasaki
Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. Also called "Ayu" by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to...
, Sunrise/Sunset ~Love is All~. This single marked their best opening week since Iroppoi Jirettai in 2005.
Their latest Greatest Hits Album (B-side collection album) was released featuring all B-side songs from their debut single to 40th single on 3 discs.
Morning Musume released their 41st single "Kimagure Princess
Kimagure Princess
is the 41st single by Hello! Project unit Morning Musume. The single was released on October 28, 2009 and will be used as the ending theme for TV Tokyo's show, "The Gyakuryū Researchers". It will also be the last single featuring Morning Musume's seventh generation member Koharu Kusumi. The Single...
" on October 28, 2009. There are four versions of the single (Regular, Limited A, B, and C). This marked the first time a Morning Musume single released a C version. The C version contained 10 interchangeable covers, much like 30th single "Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii Jan
Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii Jan
is the thirtieth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released on June 21, 2006. The Single V was released on June 28, 2006.There are regular and limited edition versions of this single. The regular version comes with a photocard in a poker card design...
", which came with 10 different coverse.
The announcement was made that 7th Generation member Koharu Kusumi would graduate from Morning Musume and Hello! Project on December 6, after the first performance of Morning Musume's Fall Concert Tour 2009 ~Nine Smile~, in order to pursue a modelling career. This was the first graduation since 4th Generation member Hitomi Yoshizawa's graduation in 2007, ending the longest stable line-up for Morning Musume.
2010
Morning Musume released their 42nd single, "Onna ga Medatte Naze IkenaiOnna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai
is the 42nd single by Hello! Project unit Morning Musume. The single was released on February 10, 2010 with three limited edition releases as well as the normal edition– "A", "B" and "C"– all of which contained a different DVD. All four editions also contained a special card with a...
", on February 10, 2010 It was released in four versions: Regular, and Limited A, B, and C. This was the group's first single released with the new eight-member lineup, following the graduation of seventh generation member Koharu Kusumi. Their tenth album, 10 My Me
10 My Me
is Japanese pop girl group Morning Musume's tenth studio album. It was released March 17, 2010 in both a regular and limited edition. The normal edition came with a photocard, depicting a similar picture to the limited edition cover. The limited edition was packaged with a bonus DVD and had a...
, was released on March 17. Their forty-third single, "Seishun Collection
Seishun Collection
-Charts:-Members:* 5th generation: Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki* 6th generation: Eri Kamei, Sayumi Michishige, Reina Tanaka* 8th generation: Aika Mitsui, Junjun, Linlin-External links:* entry on the Hello! Project website...
", was released on June 9.
On August 8, producer Tsunku announced at that day's concert, and later on his blog, that sixth generation member Eri Kamei and eighth generation members Junjun and Linlin would be graduating from Morning Musume at the end of the autumn tour, and that the 9th generation audition would be held later in the year. The triple graduation left Morning Musume temporarily at five members for the first time since its creation. Kamei stated that the reason for her graduation was to spend more time on the treatment of her atopic dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis is an inflammatory, chronically relapsing, non-contagious and pruritic skin disorder...
, a chronic form of eczema
Eczema
Eczema is a form of dermatitis, or inflammation of the epidermis . In England, an estimated 5.7 million or about one in every nine people have been diagnosed with the disease by a clinician at some point in their lives.The term eczema is broadly applied to a range of persistent skin conditions...
, while Junjun and Linlin graduated to pursue careers in China. JunJun and LinLin's graduation would make them the first Morning Musume members to graduate during the same generation they joined in. An official site was opened shortly after the announcement. One of the few conditions of the audition stated was that girls auditioning must be between the ages of 10 and 17. There were over 9,000 applicants.
Morning Musume's 44th single "Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game
Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game
-Members:* 5th generation: Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki* 6th generation: Eri Kamei , Sayumi Michishige, Reina Tanaka* 8th generation: Aika Mitsui, Junjun , Linlin...
" was released on November 24 and Morning Musume's eleventh studio album, Fantasy! Jūichi
Fantasy! Jūichi
-Chart performance:The album peaked at #16 on the weekly Oricon music charts and charted for three weeks, selling 10,554 copies in its first week.-Personnel:*Kazuyoshi Araki - A&R coordination*Yutaka Asahina - produced assistant...
, was released on December 1. These are the last single and album to feature Kamei, Junjun and Linlin and the album contains only two singles. On December 15, the last day of the autumn tour, Eri Kamei, Junjun and Linlin graduated from Morning Musume and Hello! Project.
In 2010, It was announced that a new group has been created, "Dream Morning Musume" which will consist of former-Morning Musume members:
Yuko Nakazawa
Yuko Nakazawa
is a Japanese pop and enka singer, and actress, best known as one of the original members of the all-female J-pop group Morning Musume. She is currently a member of Dream Morning Musume.- Biography :...
, Kaori Iida
Kaori Iida
is a Japanese pop singer and actress, associated with Hello! Project and best known as a founding member of the girl band Morning Musume. She has also recorded with the Morning Musume side project band Tanpopo and is currently a solo artist...
, Natsumi Abe
Natsumi Abe
is a Japanese singer and actress, a former member of Morning Musume, and currently a member of Dream Morning Musume.-Career:On August 13, 2003, she released her first single, "22 Sai no Watashi," which means "Me, 22 years old," just a few days after her 22nd birthday...
, Kei Yasuda
Kei Yasuda
is a Japanese singer, musician and actress under the Up Front Agency's Hello! Project. She was a member and co-leader of the pop group Morning Musume. Yasuda, along with Mari Yaguchi and Sayaka Ichii, were the second generation of singers to be recruited into Morning Musume...
, Mari Yaguchi
Mari Yaguchi
, known professionally by her birth name of is a Japanese pop artist and former member of Hello! Project. She is a former member of Morning Musume and Tanpopo, one of its first sub groups, and also founded Minimoni...
, Rika Ishikawa
Rika Ishikawa
, is a Japanese pop singer and TV/radio hostess, associated with the Hello! Project banner and best known as a former member of the pop group Morning Musume. She was the leader of the trio v-u-den until June 2008...
, Hitomi Yoshizawa
Hitomi Yoshizawa
is a former leader of the pop group Morning Musume and current member of the duo Hangry & Angry as Hangry. She is the current leader of the Hello! Project futsal team Gatas Brilhantes H.P...
, Makoto Ogawa
Makoto Ogawa
is a Japanese pop singer and actress best known as a former member of Morning Musume. She joined the group in August 2001 along with fellow fifth generation members Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki, and Asami Konno.Ogawa is currently a member of Dream Morning Musume....
, Miki Fujimoto
Miki Fujimoto
, professionally known by her birth name , is a Japanese pop singer and television actress. After failing the audition to join girl group Morning Musume with the fourth generation members, Fujimoto debuted as solo artist within Hello! Project in 2002 with the single "Aenai Nagai Nichiyōbi"...
, Koharu Kusumi
Koharu Kusumi
, is a former J-pop singer and voice actress, and currently a model. She joined Morning Musume as the only seventh generation member and as the youngest soloist to debut in Hello! Project, being only twelve years old when she joined. Before she joined Morning Musume, she was the captain of her...
.
They will release an album titled "DoriMusu 1" which will consist of two new songs, as well as remakes of older Morning Musume songs.
2011
The three audition winners, Riho SayashiRiho Sayashi
Riho Sayashi is a Japanese pop singer under Hello! Project. She is a ninth generation member of the Japanese pop group Morning Musume, along with Mizuki Fukumura, Erina Ikuta, and Kanon Suzuki....
, Kanon Suzuki
Kanon Suzuki
is a Japanese pop singer. She is a ninth-generation member of the Japanese girl idol group Morning Musume.- Biography :In 2010, Kanon Suzuki participated in the Morning Musume ninth-generation auditions....
and Erina Ikuta
Erina Ikuta
is a ninth generation member of the Japanese pop group Morning Musume. She joined Morning Musume in 2011 along with Riho Sayashi, Kanon Suzuki and Mizuki Fukumura.- Biography :...
, were announced on stage by Tsunku
Tsunku
, better known professionally as , is a prolific Japanese record producer, songwriter, and vocalist.He is best known for having two major roles in the Japanese music landscape: first as the lead singer of the popular rock group Sharam Q, and now as the producer, primary composer, lyricist and main...
at the Hello! Project 2011 Winter: Kangei Shinsen Matsuri concert on January 2, 2011. He then announced that Mizuki Fukumura
Mizuki Fukumura
is a Japanese pop singer. She is a ninth-generation member of Morning Musume. Prior to becoming part of Morning Musume, Fukumura was known as a member of the second generation Shugo Chara Egg!, and for her role of Amulet Heart in the live action segment of the highly acclaimed television series...
, a Hello! Pro Egg
Hello! Pro Egg
are a group of female singers under the Hello! Project banner. They are girls chosen when Tsunku and other audition administrators see talent in them that can be developed further, in the hope of one day turning them into successful musicians, and possibly integrating them into other Hello!...
, would also be joining Morning Musume.
On January 9, also at the Winter concert, it was announced that leader Ai Takahashi would be graduating from Morning Musume and Hello! Project at the group's Autumn 2011 concert. The decision came after Tsunku suggested that Takahashi should consider her own graduation soon. After Takahashi's graduation, Risa Niigaki will take over her role as leader, and Sayumi Michishige will take over as sub-leader. Takahashi will continue her musical and theatre careers after her graduation.
On February 3, 2011, Morning Musume's 45th single, Maji Desu ka Ska!
Maji Desu ka Ska!
-Personnel:Track 1*Chorus: Ai Takahashi, Tsunku*Guitar: Koji Kamada*Programming, guitar, bass: Masanori TakumiTrack 2*Chorus: Ai Takahashi*Keyboard, programming: Kaoru Okubo*Guitar: Koji Kamada-External links:* * * *...
, was announced. The single was set to be released on March 23, 2011; however, due to the earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
in Japan, the single was postponed until April 6. The new single reached number 5 on the Oricon weekly charts.
Morning Musume 46th single, "Only You
Only You (Morning Musume song)
- Charts :- External links :* * * * * *...
", was released on June 15, 2011. There were five versions to the single: Regular, Limited A, Limited B, Limited C, and Limited D. The single reached number 4 on the Oricon Weekly charts.
On April 13, Morning Musume launched a weekly 1 hour Ustream show called UstreaMusume. On their official website, there is an e-mail provided, so fans can submit questions, messages and requests.
It was announced May 8, that 10th Generation Audition "Genkijirushi" submissions were starting until June 13. This surprised many fans as it had only been four months since the 9th generation had joined.
During the summer, Morning Musume did a Fanclub Tour in Hawaii from July 20–26.
On September 14th, Morning Musume released their 47th single. This was the previous leader, Ai Takahashi's last single with Morning Musume after a tenure of 10 years with the group. In order to celebrate Ai Takahashi's long career with Morning Musume, their 47th single was released as a double A sides. This is the first time in history that Morning Musume has purposely done a double A side single. There will be five versions of the single: Regular, Limited A, Limited B, Limited C and Limited D. Furthermore, in the Limited B version of the single, the B side will be a Ai Takhashi solo, which has also never been done before. The single names are as follows: "Kono Chikyū no Heiwa o Honki de Negatterun da yo!/Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai!
Kono Chikyū no Heiwa o Honki de Negatterun da yo!/Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai!
- Ai Takahashi Graduation Commemoration Edition :All songs written and composed by Tsunku."Kono Chikyū no Heiwa o Honki de Negatterun da yo!" arranged by Shōichirō Hirata."Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai!" arranged by Yūsuke Itagaki....
" as the double A side and Takahashi's solo song has been revealed to be called "Jishin Motte Yume wo Motte Tobitatsu Kara". The 47th single reached number 2 on the Oricon daily and weekly charts.
Morning Musume's fall tour was revealed to be called "Ai Believe ~Takahashi Ai Graduation Memory Special~". It has also been revealed that Ai Takahashi would graduate on the final day of the tour, September 30, at the Nippon Budokan
Nippon Budokan
The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena in central Tokyo, Japan.This is the location where many "Live at the Budokan" albums were recorded...
.
On September 29, the second last day of the fall tour and the day before Ai Takahashi's graduation, Tsunku announced the four winners of the tenth generation audition, Haruna Iikubo, Ayumi Ishida, Masaki Satou, and Haruka Kudou from Hello! Pro Egg
Hello! Pro Egg
are a group of female singers under the Hello! Project banner. They are girls chosen when Tsunku and other audition administrators see talent in them that can be developed further, in the hope of one day turning them into successful musicians, and possibly integrating them into other Hello!...
. This brings the group to 12 members, excluding Ai Takahashi, which is the highest number of group members since late-2004 and early-2005 before Iida Kaori's graduation. On September 30, Takahashi graduated, handing over her position as leader of Morning Musume and Hello! Project to Risa Niigaki.
It was announced that Morning Musume 48th Single will be called Pyoko Pyoko Ultra , this will be the first single feature the 10th generation and Niigaki Risa as leader of the group. The set release date is January 25, 2012.
Life in the Group
The audition process has been described by Ai Takahashi as involving a training camp of three days and two nights, in which participants were expected to learn a new song, a dance routine and a script.The girls are afforded three holidays a year of five days each, in winter, summer and for New Year's.
In the past, the group has always had a leader and sub-leader, though neither comes with any responsibility. Takahashi has said that the role merely includes encouraging other to do their best, while Niigaki has said that as sub-leader, "there is nothing I have to do, but I want to support [the leader]". Michishige said on her radio show that there isn't a sub-leader this time.
The girls tend to spend their social time together as well as their work time, and have said that they are encouraged to discuss problems if any in-fighting occurs.
Activities outside Japan
In addition to already having official fan clubs in TaiwanTaiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and South Korea, Hello! Project and Morning Musume began actively extending its fanbase outside of Japan and primarily into the rest of Asia starting from the middle of 2007 and into 2008.
In March 2007, Morning Musume inducted its first two non-Japanese members from China, Li Chun (Junjun) of Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
and Qian Lin
Qian Lin
Qian Lin , better known in Japan as , is a former Morning Musume member, as well as a former member of Minimoni which she was the leader of. She was announced to be joining as the eighth generation of Morning Musume on March 15, 2007...
(Linlin) of Hangzhou
Hangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
. The duo left in 2010 after the group failed to break into China due to piracy levels, leading to the group focusing on European and American fans and performing at anime EXPOs.
In addition to the unveiling of Hello! Project's Taiwanese website in 2007, Hello! Project has also launched the Taiwan H.P. New Star Audition as well; an audition aimed at recruiting new members to join Hello! Project as Hello Pro Egg members. At this audition, Morning Musume also performed as well.
The TV show Morning Musume New Star aired on Taiwan's TTV
Taiwan Television
Taiwan Television Enterprise, Ltd. , commonly known as TTV is launched), is the first television broadcast station in Taiwan...
network every Saturday and Sunday at 6:30 pm with re-runs Monday to Thursday at 10:15 pm. It ended in mid-August 2008 for re-runs.
Morning Musume also held their 10th Anniversary Live Tour in Korea in June 2008.
In France, Morning Musume music videos are aired on a television channel called Nolife, a channel that features video games and Japanese music.
On February 12, 2009, it was announced that Morning Musume would be performing in the United States at the 2009 Anime Expo
Anime Expo
Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation . With rare exceptions, the convention is traditionally held on the July 4th weekend and lasts for four days...
, the nation's largest anime convention, as one of the first official guests of honor. Niigaki stated that "The movies that Disney makes are full of dreams, but when I have children, I'd like them to know about war, the pain of death and such things, so I hope they will watch [anime]."
It was also announced that "3, 2, 1 Breakin' Out!", the coupling track of their upcoming single "Shōganai Yume Oibito", would be the official theme song for Anime Expo 2009. The convention was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center
Los Angeles Convention Center
The Los Angeles Convention Center is a convention center in the southwest portion of downtown Los Angeles. The LACC hosts annual events such as the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show and Anime Expo, and is best known to video games fans as host to E3...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
on July 2 to July 5. Their concert was on Friday July 3 with a packed audience of American fans, as well as many foreign fans who traveled for the chance to see them.
On Friday, July 1, 2010, Morning Musume made their first appearance at the Japan Expo
Japan Expo
Japan Expo is a convention on Japanese popular culture, taking place in Paris, France, although it has branched out into a partnership festival Kultima and expanded to include some European and US pop culture as well...
2010 in Paris, France as guest of honor. "Tomo", the coupling track to the group's 43rd single, "Seishun Collection
Seishun Collection
-Charts:-Members:* 5th generation: Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki* 6th generation: Eri Kamei, Sayumi Michishige, Reina Tanaka* 8th generation: Aika Mitsui, Junjun, Linlin-External links:* entry on the Hello! Project website...
", was the event's theme song.
Singles
-
- "Ai no TaneAi no Taneis the unofficial debut single of Japanese pop idol group Morning Musume, released under a defunct independent sub-label of Zetima Records on November 3, 1997...
"- "Morning Coffee"
- "Summer Night TownSummer Night Townis a song by J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released as their second single on May 27, 1998 as an 8 cm CD. It sold a total of 417,330 copies. In 2004 It was re-released as part of the Early Single Box and again in 2005 as a 12 cm CD. Lead vocals of this single was Natsumi Abe...
" - "Daite Hold on Me!"
- "Memory Seishun no HikariMemory Seishun no Hikariis the fourth single from the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on February 10, 1999 as an 8 cm CD. It sold a total of 410,850 copies, and reached number two on the Oricon Charts. In 2004, it was re-released as part of the Early Single Box and again in 2005 as a 12 cm CD. Lead vocals of...
" - "Manatsu no Kōsen"
- "FurusatoFurusatois the sixth single of the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on July 14, 1999 as an 8 cm CD. It has sold over 170,670 copies and reached number five on the Oricon Charts. In 2004 it was re-released as part of the Early Single Box and again in 2005 as a 12 cm CD...
" - "Love MachineLove Machine (Morning Musume song)is the seventh single of the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on September 9, 1999 as an 8 cm CD. It sold a total of 1,760,000 copies, making it a massive hit and their highest selling single. In 2004, it was re-released as part of the Early Single Box and again in 2005 as a 12 cm CD...
" - "Koi no Dance SiteKoi no Dance Siteis the eighth single of the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on January 26, 2000 as an 8 cm CD. It sold a total of 1,229,970 copies making it their second highest selling single and a number-two hit on the Oricon Charts. In 2004, it was re-released as part of the Early Single Box and again...
" - "Happy Summer WeddingHappy Summer Weddingis the ninth single of the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on May 17, 2000. It sold a total of 1,370,000 copies, becoming a number-one hit in Japan...
" - "I WishI Wish (Morning Musume song)"I Wish" is a song by J-pop idol group Morning Musume and was released September 6, 2000 as their tenth single. It sold a total of 654,640 copies. "I Wish" was the song used in Japanese commercials for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, which also featured the girls in the commercials. Lead vocals in...
" - "Ren'ai Revolution 21"
- "The Peace!The Peace!is the twelfth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume and was released July 25, 2001. It sold a total of 682,320 copies and reached number one on the Oricon Charts...
" - "Mr. Moonlight (Ai no Big Band)"
- "Sōda! We're Alive"
- "Do It! NowDo it! Now"Do It! Now" is the 15th single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume and was released July 24, 2002,. It sold a total of 310,600 copies. This single also marked the last appearance of Maki Goto before she graduated from Morning Musume and pursued a solo career within Hello! Project...
" - "Koko ni Iruzee!Koko ni Iruzee!is the sixteenth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume and was released October 30, 2002 under Zetima Records with the catalog number EPCE-5182.- Track listing :# – 4:28#* Lyrics and composition by Tsunku; Arrangement by .# – 4:40...
" - "Morning Musume no Hyokkori Hyōtanjima"
- "As for One DayAs for One Day"As for One Day" is the eighteenth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume and was released April 23, 2003. It sold a total of 129,893 copies. This single also marked the graduation of second generation member Kei Yasuda...
" - "ShabondamaShabondamais the nineteenth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released July 30, 2003 and sold a total of 151,104 copies. It peaked at number two on the Oricon Charts....
" - "Go Girl (Koi no Victory)"
- "Ai Araba It's All Right"
- "Roman (My Dear Boy)"
- "Joshi Kashimashi MonogatariJoshi Kashimashi Monogatariis the 23rd single by the J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released on July 22, 2004. It sold a total of 91,789 copies in the music stores that report to Oricon and peaked at number three on the Oricon Charts....
" - "Namida ga Tomaranai Hōkago"
- "The Manpower!!!The Manpower!!!is the twenty-fifth single of Japanese pop idol group Morning Musume. It also served as the last single of the last founding member of the group Kaori Iida....
" - "Osaka Koi no UtaOsaka Koi no Utawas the twenty-sixth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume, from the group's seventh album Rainbow 7. It was released on April 27, 2005 under the Zetima label, and went on to sell a total of 59,287 copies. The single reached a peak of #2 on the weekly Oricon chart, charting for five weeks. The...
" - "Iroppoi JirettaiIroppoi Jirettaiwas the twenty-seventh single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume, and was the debut of seventh generation member Koharu Kusumi.The first pressing of this single came with special packaging and also contained five photocards. The Single V was released on August 3, 2005, and sold a total of 22,606...
" - "Chokkan 2 (Nogashita Sakana wa Ōkiizo!)"
- "Sexy Boy (Soyokaze ni Yorisotte)"
- "Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii JanAmbitious! Yashinteki de Ii Janis the thirtieth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released on June 21, 2006. The Single V was released on June 28, 2006.There are regular and limited edition versions of this single. The regular version comes with a photocard in a poker card design...
" - "AruiteruAruiteruis the thirty-first single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on November 8, 2006. "Aruiteru" sold approximately 55,694 copies and reached number one in both the daily and weekly Oricon charts....
" - "Egao Yes NudeEgao Yes Nudeis the thirty-second single of the J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released on February 14, 2007. It was at first rumored to be the last single to feature Hitomi Yoshizawa but this was disproved. It is the first for the eighth generation Aika Mitsui.There are three different versions of...
" - "Kanashimi TwilightKanashimi Twilightis the thirty-third single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released on April 25, 2007 and was the last single for Hitomi Yoshizawa as well as Miki Fujimoto.There are three different versions of the single...
" - "Onna ni Sachi AreOnna ni Sachi Areis the thirty-fourth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume and the first to feature eighth generation members Junjun and Linlin. It was released on July 25, 2007 and its accompanying Single V on August 1....
" - "MikanMikan (song)is the thirty-fifth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume. The song's title was chosen in accordance to the habit of eating mandarin oranges while sitting by a kotatsu, as a representation of each member's childhood memories. Mikan's Promotional video extends this concept further, by showing...
" - "Resonant BlueResonant Blueis the thirty-sixth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released under the Zetima label on April 16, 2008. The Single V DVD of the single was released on April 23, 2008....
" - "Pepper KeibuPepper Keibu- Morning Musume version :A cover of "Pepper Keibu" was released by the idol pop group Morning Musume as a single on September 24, 2008 under the Zetima label to promote their upcoming ninth album, Cover You, a tribute to producer Yū Aku. The Single V DVD of the single was released on October 22,...
" - "Naichau KamoNaichau Kamois the thirty-eighth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released under the Zetima label on February 16, 2009, achieving a weekly rank of 3 on the Oricon singles chart. The Single V DVD of the single was released on February 25, 2009. This was the 26th single to feature Ai Takahashi...
" - "Shōganai Yume OibitoShōganai Yume Oibito- Featured lineup :* 5th generation: Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki* 6th generation: Eri Kamei, Sayumi Michishige, Reina Tanaka* 7th generation: Koharu Kusumi* 8th generation: Aika Mitsui, Junjun, LinlinShōganai Yume Oibito Vocalists...
" - "Nanchatte Ren'ai"
- "Kimagure PrincessKimagure Princessis the 41st single by Hello! Project unit Morning Musume. The single was released on October 28, 2009 and will be used as the ending theme for TV Tokyo's show, "The Gyakuryū Researchers". It will also be the last single featuring Morning Musume's seventh generation member Koharu Kusumi. The Single...
" - "Onna ga Medatte Naze IkenaiOnna ga Medatte Naze Ikenaiis the 42nd single by Hello! Project unit Morning Musume. The single was released on February 10, 2010 with three limited edition releases as well as the normal edition– "A", "B" and "C"– all of which contained a different DVD. All four editions also contained a special card with a...
" - "Seishun CollectionSeishun Collection-Charts:-Members:* 5th generation: Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki* 6th generation: Eri Kamei, Sayumi Michishige, Reina Tanaka* 8th generation: Aika Mitsui, Junjun, Linlin-External links:* entry on the Hello! Project website...
" - "Onna to Otoko no Lullaby GameOnna to Otoko no Lullaby Game-Members:* 5th generation: Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki* 6th generation: Eri Kamei , Sayumi Michishige, Reina Tanaka* 8th generation: Aika Mitsui, Junjun , Linlin...
" - "Maji Desu ka Ska!Maji Desu ka Ska!-Personnel:Track 1*Chorus: Ai Takahashi, Tsunku*Guitar: Koji Kamada*Programming, guitar, bass: Masanori TakumiTrack 2*Chorus: Ai Takahashi*Keyboard, programming: Kaoru Okubo*Guitar: Koji Kamada-External links:* * * *...
" - "Only YouOnly You (Morning Musume song)- Charts :- External links :* * * * * *...
" - "Kono Chikyū no Heiwa o Honki de Negatterun da yo!/Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai!Kono Chikyū no Heiwa o Honki de Negatterun da yo!/Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai!- Ai Takahashi Graduation Commemoration Edition :All songs written and composed by Tsunku."Kono Chikyū no Heiwa o Honki de Negatterun da yo!" arranged by Shōichirō Hirata."Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai!" arranged by Yūsuke Itagaki....
" - "Pyoko Pyoko Ultra"
- "Ai no Tane
Studio albums
- 1998: First TimeFirst Time (Morning Musume album)is the first album from the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, consisting of only the 1st and 2nd generation members. It was released on July 8, 1998 and sold 310,290 copies...
- 1999: Second MorningSecond Morningis the second album from the J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released on July 28, 1999 and sold a total of 428,990 copies. It was released both on CD with the catalogue number EPCE-5025 and MiniDisc with the catalogue number EPYE-5025. It includes Morning Musume's first #1 single, Daite...
- 2000: 3rd-Love Paradise
- 2002: 4th Ikimasshoi!
- 2003: No.5
- 2004: Ai no Dai 6 KanAi no Dai 6 Kanis the sixth album from the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on December 8, 2004.Ai no Dai 6 Kan contains three hit singles, all released prior to the album between April and December 2004: "Roman: My Dear Boy", "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari", and "Namida ga Tomaranai Hōkago"...
- 2006: Rainbow 7Rainbow 7is the seventh album by the J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It is the first album to feature 7th generation member Koharu Kusumi, and was released on February 15, 2006....
- 2006: 7.5 Fuyu Fuyu Morning Musume Mini!7.5 Fuyu Fuyu Morning Musume Mini!is the first mini-album to be released by the J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released on December 13, 2006. The album was released in two versions– a standard edition, containing only the CD , and a limited edition containing a bonus DVD.This mini-album is considered to be their...
(mini-album) - 2007: Sexy 8 BeatSexy 8 Beat- Bonus DVD :Tracks 2 and 3 on the DVD were recorded live at Hello! Project's 2007 Winter Wonderful Hearts Otome Gokoro concert.- Vocals :* Hitomi Yoshizawa – except tracks 5, 9 and 10* Ai Takahashi – except tracks 5 and 10...
- 2008: Cover YouCover You- Oricon ranks and sales :- External links :* entry at Up-Front Works official website * entry on Oricon Style...
(cover albumCover Album-Tracklisting:#Misono to Utaou! Animedley I # #...
) - 2009: Platinum 9 DiscPlatinum 9 Disc- Featured lineup :* 4th generation: Hitomi Yoshizawa * 5th generation: Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki* 6th generation: Eri Kamei, Sayumi Michishige, Reina Tanaka, Miki Fujimoto...
- 2010: 10 My Me10 My Meis Japanese pop girl group Morning Musume's tenth studio album. It was released March 17, 2010 in both a regular and limited edition. The normal edition came with a photocard, depicting a similar picture to the limited edition cover. The limited edition was packaged with a bonus DVD and had a...
- 2010: Fantasy! JūichiFantasy! Jūichi-Chart performance:The album peaked at #16 on the weekly Oricon music charts and charted for three weeks, selling 10,554 copies in its first week.-Personnel:*Kazuyoshi Araki - A&R coordination*Yutaka Asahina - produced assistant...
- 2011: 12, Smart12, Smart-Personnel:*Kaoru Okubo - Keyboard and Programming *Ai Takahashi - Chorus *Risa Niigaki - Chorus *Koji Kamada - Guitar , Electric Guitar and Air Guitar *U.M.E.D.Y - Rap...
Compilation albums
- 2001: Best! Morning Musume 1Best! Morning Musume 1is the first "best of" compilation from the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, and was released January 31, 2001. It is currently the largest selling album of their career and sold a total of 2,259,510 copies...
- 2004: Best! Morning Musume 2Best! Morning Musume 2is the second "best of" compilation from the Japanese Pop idol group Morning Musume and it was released March 31, 2004, selling a total of 180,897 copies...
- 2004: Early Single BoxEarly Single BoxEarly Single Box is the first box set compilation from J-pop idol group Morning Musume, and was released December 15, 2004. It contains their first eight singles in their entirety, each on a separate disc with an additional bonus track each...
- 2007: Morning Musume All Singles Complete: 10th Anniversary
- 2009: Morning Musume Zen Singles Coupling CollectionMorning Musume Zen Singles Coupling Collectionis the 5th greatest hits collection released by Morning Musume. It features every b-side the group has released thus far on their singles in a set of three discs. It was released on October 7, 2009 in both limited and regular editions...
Milestones
youngest participant – 12 year old Ai KagoAi Kago
is a Japanese singer, actress, author and former Guinness World Record holder.At age 12, Kago won the 4th National Audition of Morning Musume held by Up-Front Works Agency in 2000, which led to her admission into the extremely popular idol group as a 4th generation member. In the same year, she...
(51st Kōhaku) from December 31, 2000 until December 31, 2007, when Mai Hagiwara
Mai Hagiwara
is a Japanese pop singer, currently a member of C-ute and Hello! Project Kids.Hagiwara joined Hello! Project after passing the 2002 Hello! Project Kids audition. She is the youngest out of the fifteen Hello! Project Kids and is also the youngest member in C-ute. As a member of Hello! Project, she...
of °C-ute at age 11, broke that 7-year record.
- Two of the ninth generation members, Riho Sayashi and Kanon Suzuki, are the first members to have been born after the group's formation in 1997.
- All of their singles except for the first, "Morning Coffee", the 35th, "MikanMikan (song)is the thirty-fifth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume. The song's title was chosen in accordance to the habit of eating mandarin oranges while sitting by a kotatsu, as a representation of each member's childhood memories. Mikan's Promotional video extends this concept further, by showing...
", and the 44th," Onna to Otoko no Lullaby GameOnna to Otoko no Lullaby Game-Members:* 5th generation: Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki* 6th generation: Eri Kamei , Sayumi Michishige, Reina Tanaka* 8th generation: Aika Mitsui, Junjun , Linlin...
" have ranked in the Oricon Weekly Singles Top 5. - Oricon – Most Top 10 singles by a female group in Japan
- Oricon – Most number one singles by a female group in Japan, beating the previous record set by Pink LadyPink Lady (band)is a Japanese female pop music duo of the late 1970s and early 1980s, featuring Mitsuyo Nemoto and Keiko Masuda...
. - Oricon – Most consecutive Top 10 singles by a female group in Japan.
- Oricon – Best single selling female group in Japan—18,067,949 copies sold, becoming their fifth Oricon record.
Subgroups
Not to be mistaken with shuffles units or other separate groups of Hello! Project.- TanpopoTanpopowas the first official subgroup of Japanese pop girl group Morning Musume formed in November 1998. They specialized in singing slow and mature songs, which morphed to an old-fashioned and upbeat style—a genre somewhat similar to that of the band from which it originated.-History: The group...
- PetitmoniPetitmoni, also known as Pucchi Moni, was the second official subgroup of the Japanese pop idol group Morning Musume.- History :Founded November 1999, the group initially consisted of Morning Musume members Kei Yasuda, Sayaka Ichii, and Maki Goto...
- Mini MoniMini Moniis a former subgroup of Japanese pop girl group Morning Musume, and a current group within Hello! Project. They were one of Morning Musume's most popular subgroups for their entire existence, because of the combination of their outrageous music videos and live performances, and their widely varied...
- Morning Musume Tanjō 10nen KinentaiMorning Musume Tanjō 10nen Kinentaiwas a group made up of five past and present members of the Japanese all-girl pop group Morning Musume created to celebrate Morning Musume's 10th anniversary.- Members :*Kaori Iida – first generation *Natsumi Abe – first generation...
See also
- List of 50 Best Selling Artists of All-Time in Japan
- Members of Morning MusumeMembers of Morning MusumeThis page consists of all current and former members of the J-pop group Morning Musume.-Current :* Risa Niigaki * Sayumi Michishige * Reina Tanaka * Aika Mitsui * Mizuki Fukumura...
- Morning Musume discographyMorning Musume discographyThe discography of the Japanese girl group Morning Musume consists of twelve studio albums, five compilation albums, and forty-seven singles. Ever since its establishment in 1997, the group has experienced frequent line-up changes, and currently consists of twelve members: Risa Niigaki , Sayumi...
- Morning Musume appearancesMorning Musume appearancesThis is a list of appearances for J-pop group Morning Musume.- Television :- Radio :-Commercials:* i-zone Hit Parade * Tokyo Walker...
- Morning Musume auditionsMorning Musume auditionsThis is a list of auditions held for the J-pop group Morning Musume.- Tsuika Audition :* Application requirements: Not specified* Total applicants: 5,000* Broadcast on ASAYAN in 1998* No training camp and theme song...
- Gatas Brilhantes H.P.Gatas Brilhantes H.P.is the Hello! Project futsal club.- History :On April 23, 2007, nine new members from Mix Gatas were added to the team mainly from Berryz Kobo and °C-ute with one member from Hello! Project Eggs....
External links
- Official Hello! Project profile (Japan)
- Official Hello! Project profile (Taiwan)
- Official Morning Musume USA Label
Miscellaneous resources
- NHK紅白歌合戦 (Kōhaku Uta GassenKohaku Uta Gassen, more commonly known as simply Kōhaku, is an annual music show on New Year's Eve produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK and broadcast on both television and radio, nationally and internationally by NHK's networks and some overseas broadcasters which bought the program...
) entry at Japanese WikipediaJapanese Wikipediais the Japanese-language edition of Wikipedia, a free, open-content encyclopedia. It has over articles, making it the ninth largest language edition of Wikipedia after the English, German, French, Dutch, Italian, Polish, Spanish and Russian editions. Started in September 2002, the edition attained... - オリコン (OriconOricon, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
) entry at Japanese Wikipedia