Tanpopo
Encyclopedia
was the first official subgroup of Japan
ese 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.
The group was founded in November 1998, consisting of three Morning Musume members: Aya Ishiguro
, Kaori Iida
, and Mari Yaguchi
. After the formation, the group immediately released their first single, "Last Kiss
," which was used on the anime Sorcerous Stabber Orphen
. The single has a "sexy" vibe that they used on their second single and first album. However, they created a fresh image when they released "Tanpopo
". This new image did not become as popular as the first image they had created.
After the release of the group's fourth single, Aya Ishiguro graduated from Morning Musume and left the group. The remaining members continued performing their songs in concerts as Generation 1.5 Tanpopo.
On June 2000, Morning Musume 4th Generation members Rika Ishikawa
and Ai Kago
joined Tanpopo, making the two-member group a four-member group. The style of their songs changed also when the four released "Otome Pasta ni Kandō
." The style of this song became analogous to the songs Morning Musume had released. They also used this style on their next singles, which became popular and reached the number one spot on Oricon
, and their second (and last) album.
On July 31, 2002, it was announced that Tanpopo was going to be completely reformed. Kaori Iida, Mari Yaguchi, and Ai Kago graduated from the group and were replaced by Morning Musume 5th Generation members Asami Konno
and Risa Niigaki
, with Ayumi Shibata
of Melon Kinenbi
. This newly-formed group only released one single before they went on indefinite hiatus. All members except Niigaki graduated from Hello! Project as part of the Elder Club graduation concert in early 2009, rendering the group completely inactive.
In 2009, the Tanpopo name was revived as Tanpopo# (read "Tanpopo Sharp"), with the new group consisting of Eri Kamei
and Aika Mitsui
of Morning Musume, Yurina Kumai
of Berryz Kobo, and Chisato Okai
of C-ute. The sharp symbol was chosen to represent the kanji "井", read "i", which is the second character in each of the new members' surnames. Their first song was a cover of Seiko Matsuda
's "Akai Sweet Pea", released on the Champloo 1: Happy Marriage Song Cover Shū album. Their next song, "Umbrella", was released on the Petit Best 10 album.
) (Left in 2010) (Morning Musume
) (Berryz Kobo) (C-ute)
} ||align="right"| 2002-09-26
|}
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...
girl 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...
formed in November 1998. They specialized in singing slow and mature songs, which morphed to an old-fashioned
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
and upbeat style—a genre somewhat similar to that of the band from which it originated.
History
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...
, 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...
, 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...
. After the formation, the group immediately released their first single, "Last Kiss
Last Kiss (Tanpopo song)
is the debut single of Morning Musume's first subgroup, Tanpopo. It was released on November 18, 1998, as an 8 cm CD under the Zetima Records with a catalog number, EPDE-1014. The song was later featured in the group's first album Tanpopo 1 and in their second album All of Tanpopo...
," which was used on the anime Sorcerous Stabber Orphen
Sorcerous Stabber Orphen
is a series of Japanese fantasy adventure novels and manga, two anime television series , and a video game.-Synopsis:...
. The single has a "sexy" vibe that they used on their second single and first album. However, they created a fresh image when they released "Tanpopo
Tanpopo (song)
is the third single of Hello! Project subgroup Tanpopo. It was released on June 16, 1999 as a 8cm CD. It reached number ten on the Japan Oricon charts. Unlike other Tanpopo singles, the song was first featured in Tanpopo 1 before it was released as a single....
". This new image did not become as popular as the first image they had created.
After the release of the group's fourth single, Aya Ishiguro graduated from Morning Musume and left the group. The remaining members continued performing their songs in concerts as Generation 1.5 Tanpopo.
On June 2000, Morning Musume 4th Generation members 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...
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...
joined Tanpopo, making the two-member group a four-member group. The style of their songs changed also when the four released "Otome Pasta ni Kandō
Otome Pasta ni Kandō
is the 5th single by the Hello! Project girl group Tanpopo. It was released on July 5, 2000 under the Zetima label with the catalog number EPCE-5060. "Otome Pasta ni Kandō" is also featured on the album All of Tanpopo as the opening track...
." The style of this song became analogous to the songs Morning Musume had released. They also used this style on their next singles, which became popular and reached the number one spot 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...
, and their second (and last) album.
On July 31, 2002, it was announced that Tanpopo was going to be completely reformed. Kaori Iida, Mari Yaguchi, and Ai Kago graduated from the group and were replaced by Morning Musume 5th Generation members 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...
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...
, with 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...
. This newly-formed group only released one single before they went on indefinite hiatus. All members except Niigaki graduated from Hello! Project as part of the Elder Club graduation concert in early 2009, rendering the group completely inactive.
In 2009, the Tanpopo name was revived as Tanpopo# (read "Tanpopo Sharp"), with the new group consisting of 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....
and 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...
of Morning Musume, Yurina Kumai
Yurina Kumai
is a Japanese pop singer currently performing in the all-girl group Berryz Kobo, under Hello! Project. Kumai joined Hello! Project in 2002 after passing the Hello! Project Kids audition...
of Berryz Kobo, and Chisato Okai
Chisato Okai
is a member of the J-pop group C-ute, under Hello! Project.Okai passed the "Hello! Project Kids" audition in 2002. In 2004 Berryz Kobo was formed, with the intention of rotating the kids throughout the unit. Okai didn't make the original pick, and the idea was eventually dropped...
of C-ute. The sharp symbol was chosen to represent the kanji "井", read "i", which is the second character in each of the new members' surnames. Their first song was a cover of Seiko Matsuda
Seiko Matsuda
is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter. Due to her popularity in the 1980s and her long career, she has been dubbed the "Eternal idol" by the Japanese media.- Biography :...
's "Akai Sweet Pea", released on the Champloo 1: Happy Marriage Song Cover Shū album. Their next song, "Umbrella", was released on the Petit Best 10 album.
Members
Revival (Tanpopo#)
(Morning MusumeMorning 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...
) (Left in 2010) (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...
) (Berryz Kobo) (C-ute)
Albums
| # | Title | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tanpopo 1 Tanpopo 1 Tanpopo 1 is the first album from the Japanese pop idol group Tanpopo. It was released March 31, 1999 with the catalog number EPCE-5017.It contains at least one version of three A-sides, and six new songs.-Track listing:# # # # "Motto "#... |
1999-03-31 |
| 2 | 2002-09-04 | |
| 3 | 2008-12-10 |
Singles
| # | Title | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1998-11-18 | |
| 2 | 1999-03-10 | |
| 3 | 1999-06-16 | |
| 4 | 1999-10-20 | |
| 5 | 2000-07-05 | |
| 6 | 2001-02-21 | |
| 7 | 2001-11-21 | |
| 8 |
|}
Photobooks
| Title | Release date | Company | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-07-05 | Wani Books | ISBN 4-8470-2654-3 |
Radio
| Program | Radio station | Start date | End date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nippon Hōsō | 1999-10-09 | 2000-03-25 | |
| 2000-03-30 | 2001-04-12 | ||
| TBS Tokyo Broadcasting System , TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named .... |
2000-10-03 | 2003-09-23 |