Hello! Project News
Morning Musume to appear in Los Angeles
2009-02-13 07:08 AM
Morning Musume are to perform in America for the first time in their 10 year history. They will appear at the Anime Expo 2009, which will be held from July 2 to July 5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Southern California.
Travel and ticket information can be found at: http://www.anime-expo.org/
Press Release
Official Announcement
Elder Club Graduation Concerts Take Place
2009-02-02 12:14 PM
The past weekend, Jan 31st to Feb 1st, saw the final joint Hello! Project concerts and the official graduation ceremonies for the 22 Elder Club members.
While their contracts and Hello! Project commitments run until the 31st of March, this was a chance for everyone to say goodbye, and for one last huge concert with all of the members.
The concerts saw a return to action for both Iida Kaori and Tsuji Nozomi, while former member Ishiguro Aya was present to watch the concert. A reported 72 members and 21 groups took part in the concert, making it the biggest Hello! Project concert ever.
The title of Hello! Project leader was officially passed from Nakazawa Yuko to Takahashi Ai, who is now the most senior member.
Also, the Morning Musume song "Love Machine", the Hello! Project's highest selling single, was performed for the last time. The current Morning Musume were joined for one last performance by all of the former Morning Musume members still with the company, and the song will now be retired.
Entire Elder Club to graduate from the Hello! Project
2008-10-19 03:45 PM
In a shocking announcement, all 22 members of the Elder Club will be graduating from the Hello! Project on March 31st 2009. They will have their final graduation concerts on the 31st of January and 1st of February at Yokohama Arena.
The people leaving includes all of the graduated Morning Musume members currently left in the Hello! Project: Nakazawa Yuko, Iida Kaori (currently on maternity leave), Abe Natsumi, Yasuda Kei, Yaguchi Mari, Ishikawa Rika, Yoshizawa Hitomi, Tsuji Nozomi (also on maternity leave), Konno Asami, Ogawa Makoto, and Fujimoto Miki.
Also to leave are Inaba Atsuko, Satoda Mai (Country Musume), Maeda Yuki, Matsuura Aya, Miyoshi Erika, and Okada Yui, plus the groups Melon Kinenbi and the non-H!P egg members of Ongaku Gatas (who have all already listed except for Korenaga Miki).
Presumably this also spells the end for groups such as EcoMoni, and the futsal team Gatas Brilhantes (including the four other Gatas-only members).
As it is today, this would leave 47 full members in the Hello! Project, with Takahashi Ai as the oldest and most experienced member.
The fate of the graduating members is unclear, however many are likely to stay with Up Front, such as Melon Kinenbi who have already announced that they will continue on as a group.
Announcement
Yoshizawa & Ishikawa are HANGRY & ANGRY
2008-10-12 10:16 AM
Yoshizawa Hitomi and Ishikawa Rika have formed a duo HANGRY and ANGRY for the fashion label HANGRY&ANGRY, and they will release a mini-album on November the 19th.
The label comes from fashion designer h.NAOTO, who has stores in Harajuku, and is based around the "grotesque cute world" of its two cats mascots: Hangry who loves punk fashion, and Angry who loves "sweet gothic and lolita fashion" and is "very savage" towards Hangry. They appear on clothing, stuffed animals and a whole range of other items.
Rika recently cosplayed Angry during a h.NAOTO fashion show along with several other Hello! Project members, and she will take that role again with Yossie appearing as Hangry.
Official Myspace site
Hello! Project News Update 2008-09-28
2008-09-28 10:48 AM
The Taiwan audition winners were announced on the 20th of September. The six chosen girls are Zhao Guo Rong (趙國蓉), Zeng De Ping (曾德萍), Wu Si Xuan (吳思璇), Gu Jun (古筠), Qiu Cui Ling (邱翠玲), and Zhong An Qi (鍾安琪). They will travel to Japan in November to start training, and will make their debut as Hello! Project members at a concert in January, releasing a mini album in Taiwan and Japan.
The members of the new unit tied to the "Shugo Chara!" anime were announced at an event on the 20th of September. The group will be called "Shugo Chara Egg!", and consists of Wada Ayaka, Maeda Yuuka, Fukuda Kanon, and Saho Akari. Their debut single "Minna no Tamago" will be released on December 10th, and will be the opening theme for the newly retitled "Shugo Chara!! Doki". Buono! are also to remain active, and will provide the ending theme. Official Site
Ayaka's husband Tanihara Hideto, 29, has just won the 2008 Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open with a 16-under-par. This is his second title of the year, and the eighth win of his career. He takes home the 40,000,000 yen first prize, which makes him the current highest earner in the Japan Golf Tour for this year.
Today saw the final episode of "Haromoni@". The show, which was a low budget and shorter replacement for "Hello! Morning", started on April 8th 2007 and ran for 77 episodes.
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Morning Musume to Cover Pink Lady
2008-09-08 07:26 AM
The 37th single from Morning Musume has finally been announced. "Pepper Keibu" will be a cover of the legendary jpop duo Pink Lady's debut single, and it will be released on September 24th.
This follows Takahashi Ai and Niigaki Risa's recent appearance as Pink Lady on the drama "Hitmaker Aku Yuu Monogatari", which was a retrospective of the life of the late songwriter Aku Yuu. The c/w will be "Romance", another Aku Yuu song originally performed by the singer Iwasaki Hiromi.
In addition, on the 26th of November Morning Musume will release "COVER YOU", an album featuring songs all written by Aku Yuu. It will include a cover of "Izakaya", a duet between Takahashi and the original singer Hiroshi Itsuki.
Ayaka's Surprise Marriage Announcement
2008-07-14 05:22 PM
Former Hello! Project member Ayaka and professional golfer Tanihara Hideto have announced that they have married. Tanihara, 29, is currently ranked 79th in the world golf rankings.
They had been dating for six months, and registered the marriage on July 8th. A ceremony and reception are planned for a later date.
The couple will shortly be in the UK, where Hideto will take part in this years Open championship.
v-u-den Disband
2008-06-29 05:21 PM
After three years and nine months together, v-u-den disbanded today at the end of their concert tour "Shoka Biyudensetsu V ~Saishuu Densetsu~".
Leader Ishikawa Rika will concentrate on her music career as a part of Ongaku Gatas. Miyoshi Erika will focus on an acting career, and Okada Yui will continue with her variety television appearances and gravure modelling work.
Hello! Project News Update 2008-06-19
2008-06-19 04:52 PM
Former Hello! Project member Goto Maki has signed for Avex Trax. She will be under the Rhythm Zone record label, alongside artists such as Koda Kumi, EXILE, and m-flo. Official Site
Mano Erina will release her debut indie single at her fan-club event on June 29th. It will be called "Mano Piano", and Erina will both sing and play the piano part on the record.
Tsuji Nozomi made her first public appearance since falling pregnant and announcing her marriage. Tsuji, who turned 21 a few days earlier, came on stage during Nakazawa Yuko's 35th birthday concert to present her with a cake.
In a similar vein, Iida Kaori is scheduled to make her first appearance since giving birth as a "Cool Earth Ambassador" at an environmental summit in Hokkaido on July 7th.
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Ogawa Makoto Returns
2008-06-07 05:50 AM
5th generation Morning Musume member Ogawa Makoto has finished her studies, and has returned to the Hello! Project after 18 months away.
Ogawa graduated from the group at the end of the "Ribbon no Kishi" musical in November 2006, and went to study English for a year in New Zealand. She returned to Japan in December 2007 after obtaining a TECSOL, a qualification for teaching children English. She left again in February 2008, and obtained a "Test of English for International Communication" (TOEIC), achieving a 730, which is in the second highest rank.
Ogawa will first appear on Morning Musume's show "Haromoni@" on June 8th, and will be part of the Elder Club. She hopes to become a "Maruchi (multi) talent", which can be described as an all-round entertainer.
Official Announcement: Japanese, Auto-translated