ZYX
Encyclopedia
was a short-lived Japan
ese 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!
formed in 2003, the third being Berryz Kobo in 2004, and the fourth being C-ute in 2005. As Saki Shimizu
and Momoko Tsugunaga
were selected to become members of Berryz Kobo in 2004, the activity of ZYX virtually ended.
The name ZYX is a kind of acronym using a somewhat intricate play in notation. "Z" and "Y" are taken from the phrase "Bai ni", meaning "[to accomplish] double in size", is represented not as "B" but as a multiplication mark "×" which was then identified with letter "X" in its formal resemblance. Also, it is strongly conscious that the letters ZYX are the last letters of the English alphabet in reverse order. In Hello! Project
, this inverted order naming is followed by the groups "W
" created in 2004, "v-u-den
" in 2005, "The Possible" in 2006 and SI☆NA in 2008. This line-up of groups continues the reverse alphabetical naming (ZYX-W-VU-T-S).
In 2009, the unit was revived as ZYX-α (ZYX Alpha). Of all the original members, only Momoko Tsugunaga remains (Mari Yaguchi, Megumi Murakami and Erika Umeda are no longer a part of Hello! Project and Saki Shimizu and Maimi Yajima are a part of High-King
).
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 made up of five 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....
members led by 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...
of 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...
. 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!
Aa!
is a Japanese pop group in Hello! Project, formerly made up of leader and Morning Musume member Reina Tanaka, Miyabi Natsuyaki and Airi Suzuki, two Hello! Project Kids...
formed in 2003, the third being Berryz Kobo in 2004, and the fourth being C-ute in 2005. As Saki Shimizu
Saki Shimizu
is a J-pop singer. Her career began in 2002 when she successfully passed the audition for Hello! Project Kids, an all-female teen pop group within Hello! Project. Since then, she has continued to sing in that group and has become a part of two smaller groups composed of Hello! Project Kids members,...
and Momoko Tsugunaga
Momoko Tsugunaga
is a J-pop singer. Her career began in 2002 when she successfully auditioned for the Hello! Project Kids followed by 15 other girls, and was selected as one of the eight members of Berryz Kobo. Since then, she has continued to sing in that group and has become a part of three smaller groups...
were selected to become members of Berryz Kobo in 2004, the activity of ZYX virtually ended.
The name ZYX is a kind of acronym using a somewhat intricate play in notation. "Z" and "Y" are taken from the phrase "Bai ni", meaning "[to accomplish] double in size", is represented not as "B" but as a multiplication mark "×" which was then identified with letter "X" in its formal resemblance. Also, it is strongly conscious that the letters ZYX are the last letters of the English alphabet in reverse order. In 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...
, this inverted order naming is followed by the groups "W
W (Double You)
, also written as Double You or Double U, was a Japanese pop duo associated with Hello! Project. Nozomi Tsuji and Ai Kago, former fourth generation members of Morning Musume, were in the group.- 2004 :...
" created in 2004, "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...
" in 2005, "The Possible" in 2006 and SI☆NA in 2008. This line-up of groups continues the reverse alphabetical naming (ZYX-W-VU-T-S).
In 2009, the unit was revived as ZYX-α (ZYX Alpha). Of all the original members, only Momoko Tsugunaga remains (Mari Yaguchi, Megumi Murakami and Erika Umeda are no longer a part of Hello! Project and Saki Shimizu and Maimi Yajima are a part of High-King
High-King
is a Japanese idol group within Hello! Project. The group was created to promote Morning Musume's production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, titled . Their sound is said to have an R&B feel....
).
ZYX
- Mari YaguchiMari 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...
(Leader) - Erika UmedaErika Umedawas a member of the J-pop group C-ute, under Hello! Project. She was also a member of ZYX along with Momoko Tsugunaga, Mari Yaguchi, Maimi Yajima, Megumi Murakami, and Saki Shimizu.-Musical career:...
- Saki ShimizuSaki Shimizuis a J-pop singer. Her career began in 2002 when she successfully passed the audition for Hello! Project Kids, an all-female teen pop group within Hello! Project. Since then, she has continued to sing in that group and has become a part of two smaller groups composed of Hello! Project Kids members,...
- Maimi YajimaMaimi Yajimais a member and the leader of C-ute, a J-pop group within Hello! Project. Her younger cousin, Akari Takeuchi, is also a member of Hello! Project, currently a "Hello Pro Egg"...
- Momoko TsugunagaMomoko Tsugunagais a J-pop singer. Her career began in 2002 when she successfully auditioned for the Hello! Project Kids followed by 15 other girls, and was selected as one of the eight members of Berryz Kobo. Since then, she has continued to sing in that group and has become a part of three smaller groups...
- Megumi MurakamiMegumi Murakami, born June 6, 1992 in Saitama Prefecture, Japan is a former Japanese pop singer. She is best known as a former member of Hello! Project unit C-ute. Her "official" nickname is "Meguru".- Career :...
ZYX-α
- Risa NiigakiRisa Niigakiis 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...
(Leader) - Momoko TsugunagaMomoko Tsugunagais a J-pop singer. Her career began in 2002 when she successfully auditioned for the Hello! Project Kids followed by 15 other girls, and was selected as one of the eight members of Berryz Kobo. Since then, she has continued to sing in that group and has become a part of three smaller groups...
- Chinami TokunagaChinami Tokunagais a member of the J-pop idol group Berryz Kobo.In 2002, Chinami successfully passed the Hello! Project Kids Audition and became a member of Hello! Project.- Movies :* Koinu Dan no Monogatari...
- Maasa Sudo
- Ayaka WadaAyaka Wadais a Japanese pop singer signed to Hello! Project. She joined the project in 2004 as a member of Hello! Pro Egg and is currently a member of S/mileage and was a former member of Shugo Chara Egg!.-2004-2005:...
Singles
| # | Title | Release date | Coupling |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2003-08-06 | ||
| 2 | 2003-12-10 |
DVDs
| # | Title | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2003-09-10 | |
| 2 | 2003-12-26 |