Morning Musume Otomegumi
Encyclopedia
was one of the subgroups that the Japan
ese 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 low-capacity venues. The group represented modern young women. Like their counterpart, they released two singles before entering indefinite hiatus.
decided to split Morning Musume into two groups. Due to the large number of girls, meaning performances could only take place in large venues, and high demand for performances, the girls were split in half to allow the group to perform in more arenas and in smaller towns. Out of the fifteen girls, seven were put into Otomegumi, the other eight into Sakuragumi. The girls' theme was representing "modern Japanese youth". Kaori Iida, the oldest of the girls and a founding member of Morning Musume, was chosen to be leader. Otomegumi's first single, "Ai no Sono (Touch My Heart!)" was released on September 18, 2003, the same day as Sakuragumi's debut single. The single reached a peak of #3 on the weekly Oricon
chart, losing out to Sakuragumi by a single place. The girls' first tour, "Morning Musume Otomegumi Hatsukōen: Otome Chick" began on November 24.
The group's second and final single, "Yūjō (Kokoro no Busu ni wa Naranee!)", was released on February 25, 2004. While Sakuragumi again claimed second place in the charts, Otomegumi sank to fifth. Their first tour DVD was released in June. After the releases the group became dormant, and the two groups were effectively dissolved when Morning Musume reformed as a whole once again in March 2004. During the remainder of the decade all members but Sayumi Michishige
and Reina Tanaka
graduated from Morning Musume. The group remained in hiatus until February 2009, when all seven original members reformed for a performance of their debut single at the Elder Club's graduation concert. In December of the same year, their second single was performed by a temporary unit composed of Michishige, Tanaka, Koharu Kusumi
and Junjun at Kusumi's graduation concert. Michishige and Tanaka are the only members left within Hello! Project, and after the performance the group went back into indefinite hiatus.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group Morning Musume
Morning Musume
, 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...
was divided into in 2003. Its counterpart was 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...
. 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 low-capacity venues. The group represented modern young women. Like their counterpart, they released two singles before entering indefinite hiatus.
History
Otomegumi was originally announced in January 2003, when 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...
decided to split Morning Musume into two groups. Due to the large number of girls, meaning performances could only take place in large venues, and high demand for performances, the girls were split in half to allow the group to perform in more arenas and in smaller towns. Out of the fifteen girls, seven were put into Otomegumi, the other eight into Sakuragumi. The girls' theme was representing "modern Japanese youth". Kaori Iida, the oldest of the girls and a founding member of Morning Musume, was chosen to be leader. Otomegumi's first single, "Ai no Sono (Touch My Heart!)" was released on September 18, 2003, the same day as Sakuragumi's debut single. The single reached a peak of #3 on the weekly 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...
chart, losing out to Sakuragumi by a single place. The girls' first tour, "Morning Musume Otomegumi Hatsukōen: Otome Chick" began on November 24.
The group's second and final single, "Yūjō (Kokoro no Busu ni wa Naranee!)", was released on February 25, 2004. While Sakuragumi again claimed second place in the charts, Otomegumi sank to fifth. Their first tour DVD was released in June. After the releases the group became dormant, and the two groups were effectively dissolved when Morning Musume reformed as a whole once again in March 2004. During the remainder of the decade all members but 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...
graduated from Morning Musume. The group remained in hiatus until February 2009, when all seven original members reformed for a performance of their debut single at the Elder Club's graduation concert. In December of the same year, their second single was performed by a temporary unit composed of Michishige, Tanaka, 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...
and Junjun at Kusumi's graduation concert. Michishige and Tanaka are the only members left within Hello! Project, and after the performance the group went back into indefinite hiatus.
Members
- 1st generation: Kaori IidaKaori Iidais 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...
(Leader) - 4th generation: Rika IshikawaRika 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...
, Nozomi TsujiNozomi 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... - 5th generation: Makoto OgawaMakoto Ogawais 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....
- 6th generation: Miki FujimotoMiki 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"...
, Sayumi MichishigeSayumi Michishigeis a sixth generation member of the J-pop group Morning Musume and has the third longest tenure of any member in the group ....
, Reina TanakaReina Tanakais 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...
Singles
| # | Title | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Ai no Sono (Touch My Heart!)" | 2003-09-18 |
| 2 | "Yūjō (Kokoro no Busu ni wa Naranee!)" | 2004-02-25 |
DVDs
| # | Title | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2003-10-16 | |
| 2 | 2004-03-24 | |
| 3 | 2004-06-06 |
External links
- Discography at the official Up-Front Works site