Hello! Project News
Kamei, Junjun and Linlin to Graduate; 9th gen auditions
2010-08-08 03:53 AM
It was announced today that Morning Musume members Kamei Eri, Junjun and Linlin will all graduate at the end of the groups Autumn concert tour.
As the group will be down to just 5 members for the first time since it formed, new auditions will be held to find a 9th generation. These will be the first public auditions since 2006.
Kamei is leaving the Hello! Project to take the time to treat her atopic dermatitis, a chronic form of eczema that causes her irritation and slight skin colour changes.
Junjun and Linlin are graduating from the group, and will pursue music/entertainment careers in China. It is possible that they will remain a part of the Hello! Project, under the Taiwan arm of the company.
Graduation announcement on official MySpace page (with english translation)
Audition site: http://www.musume-audition.com/
Tsuji Nozomi pregnant with her second child
2010-05-27 06:42 AM
Tsuji Nozomi and her husband have announced that they are expecting their second child. Tsuji is seven weeks pregnant, and is due to give birth in January 2011. Their first child Noa was born in November 2007.
Since graduating from the Hello! Project Tsuji has continued to work on television and appear in adverts, plus she has released several books, a range of clothing and jewellery.
Morning Musume to appear in France
2010-05-05 10:06 AM
It was announced today that Morning Musume will appear at France's Japan Expo, where they will stage their first ever European concert. The event will be held at the Parc d'Expositions in Paris from the 1st to the 4th of July; the concert will take place during the evening on the 2nd.
In addition to being the musical guests of honour, Morning Musume will also provide the theme song for the event: "Tomo", the c/w for their upcoming single "Seishun Collection".
Japan Expo is a large convention covering the spectrum of Japanese culture: manga, anime, music, martial arts, video games and more. In 2009 it was attended by approximately 164,000 people.
Japan Expo
Announcement (auto-translated)
Melon Kinenbi to Disband
2010-02-19 10:33 AM
Former Hello! Project group Melon Kinenbi are to officially disband. The announcement comes with the release of their final album "MELON'S NOT DEAD", and will happen on May 3rd at the end of their tour to promote the album.
Over the last year they have released a string of rock collaborations as indie singles, with groups such as BEAT CRUSADERS and GOING UNDER GROUND.
While never achieving huge success, the group have been together for over 10 years with an unchanged line up.
Official Announcement (translated)
S/mileage to graduate Eggs and debut
2009-11-27 05:31 AM
Hello! Project Eggs group S_mileage are to graduate from the Eggs to become full Hello! Project members. The announcement was made in a video message from Tsunku during the H!P Eggs Yokohama FIRE! concert on the 23rd of November, surprising the group with the news.
S/mileage - Wada Ayaka, Maeda Yuuka, Fukuda Kanon, and Ogawa Saki - were formed in April, and have just released their third indie single. They will graduate during the Egg concert in the Spring and make their major debut with a full single some time afterwards.
Kusumi Koharu graduation announced
2009-09-19 11:24 AM
Morning Musume's sole 7th generation member Kusumi Koharu will leave the Hello! Project on December 6th 2009, at the end of the current Morning Musume concert tour. The news was announced today at the start of the tour by Hello! Project and group leader Takahashi Ai.
Koharu achieved great success as the voice actor for Tsukishima Kirari, the main character in the anime Kirarin Revolution. Through the show she released six singles and several albums. Her biggest hit "Balalaika" was the highest selling Hello! Project release of 2006, with over 72k of sales. When the show finished in March 2009 Koharu continued to appear on TV shows under her own name.
After graduation, Koharu hopes to move into modelling, while training for a possible future solo career.
New Shugo Chara Egg!
2009-08-26 10:20 AM
Shugo Chara Egg! are to return, and will host segments in a new TV show built around the Shugo Chara!!! Dokki Doki anime, as well as singing its theme song.
With the other three members having left to form S_mileage, Saho Akari is the only remaining original member. She will be joined by Maeda Irori and Fukumura Mizuki.
A fourth member will be chosen from an audition open to any unsigned school girl.
Umeda Erika to Graduate
2009-08-01 05:10 AM
C-ute member, and eldest of the Hello! Project Kids, Umeda Erika, 18, is to leave the Hello! Project.
She will graduate on the 25th of October, at the end of the ~Cutie JUMP~ concert tour. After leaving, Erika aims to study to become a fashion model.
With the recent official departure of Arihara Kanna, C-ute will be down to five members.
Official Announcement (Auto-translated)
Arihara Kanna leaves the Hello! Project
2009-07-10 10:32 AM
After five months away for surgery, Arihara Kanna has decided not to return to the Hello! Project.
Kanna joined through the original Hello! Project Eggs audition in 2004. She was promoted to a full member in 2006 when she joined the group C-ute, the only member not to have been a part of the Hello! Project Kids.
In February 2009, Kanna went on leave to undergo bunion surgery. Since that time, she has missed out on two singles and was not to feature an upcoming Hello! Project shuffles album.
Official Announcement (Auto-translated)
The New Minimoni
2009-06-03 05:35 AM
It was revealed last week that Tsunku will be reviving the popular "little girls" group Minimoni with a whole new group of girls. Minimoni was one of the most popular and recognisable brands in the Hello! Project, and has been inactive since May 2009.
The news first leaked out after Yaguchi Mari, the original leader and creator of the group blogged about Tsunku running the idea past her. Tsunku then revealed on his blog that the group will once again consist of four girls, and named Fukuda Kanon as the first member.
Linlin has now been revealed as the leader of the group.
They will appear together for the first time in the upcoming album "Hello! Project Chanpuru ~Happy Marriage Song Shuu~".