Recently, Morning Musume。'16 was able to come to Houston, Texas to participate in the popular Anime Matsuri convention as the guest of honor. The last time they were able to make it over to the United States for a convention (Anime Expo) was back in 2009 in LA. Since then, the lineup has completely changed and the direction of the group has evolved greatly. Lucky attendees of the convention were able to experience Morning Musume。'16 in all their glory throughout the weekend via a multitude of events. Their adventures at the convention began on the first day (February 26th, Friday). They attended the Opening Ceremonies, where they were introduced to a standing ovation. Miki Nonaka presented the group to the attendees using her English skills, which she acquired from her 8 year stay in Alabama as a young child. Before they were sent off-stage, a couple of hard-working fans were able to present a special welcome banner to the girls. This banner contained messages from various fans hailing from a multitude of locations. This gesture moved the girls and they were ecstatic to receive such a welcoming gift from their overseas fans. As they left the stage, they walked around the seats on the floor waving to everybody and proudly displaying the banner, before finally heading back to their seats. Directly following the Opening Ceremonies, there was a Q&A Panel with the group. The girls specifically requested that the fans be allowed to sit as close to the stage as possible, in order to afford a more personal interaction. As soon as the attendees were seated on the ground surrounding the stage, the session began immediately in order to not waste a minute. Keep in mind that the following transcript provided contains rough translations of the answers. Fan: Now that she’s (Riho Sayashi) gone, she has opened the position of center ace that is unfilled in the group. So I was wondering which one of you plans to take that spot and how do you plan to do it? -EVERYONE RAISES THEIR HAND- Haruna Iikubo: Everybody wants to be the ace! Fan: Hi. ALL: Hi! Fan: Um, when members graduate, how do you guys go about deciding lines? Does the management decide or is it between you guys? Maa-chan got lots of Reina’s lines. Is it because she likes her or is it because management decides to give it to them? Masaki Sato: The management actually decides it. They listen to the voices and find the one that fits the line the most. Fan: Maa-chan, do you have any funny episodes about your new hamster? Masaki Sato: My hamster only listens to my father. So when my father is not around it won’t listen to anyone, but when my dad is there it will actually listen and sit down. Fan: Ayumi-san, now that Sayashi Riho is gone, do you have a favorite person you like to dance with? Ayumi Ishida: We’re in the middle of rehearsal for our spring tour. I MIGHT be pairing up with one of them. I really loved dancing with Riho but after she graduated I had more of a chance to dance with other people. It’s a different experience but I really enjoy it too! Fan: For the girls that have been to America before, how are you finding Houston and for the girls who have not been to America before what are your favorite things about America so far? Haruna Ogata: I’m Ogata Haruna! It’s my first time coming here in America and I really enjoyed the bagel from the lunch buffet. It was really yummy. Kanon Suzuki: I’ve been to New York back in 2014 but I feel like it’s really different. When I landed in the airport I thought the air was really different. I really wish, even for one month, I really wish I can live here then I’ll feel better. Haruna Iikubo: When we did the New York concert Kanon’s cheer was the loudest back then. Even in Houston she gets the loudest cheer, I’m impressed! Fan: Zukki, I know you’re going to be leaving soon and of course your fans are sad, but I want to know what are some of your happiest memories being part of Morning Musume。? Kanon Suzuki: I have a really great memory from when I was 14. For my birthday I received a book with a lot of messages from fans all over the world. It is really surreal that people know me through the internet and through people and relationships people got to know me and I feel really surreal. It’s my most precious treasure in my life. Fan: I’ve been waiting 7 years to meet Morning Musume。, I’ve been a fan since I was 11 years old. My question is, would you support overseas idols? Erina Ikuta: Because I am an idol fan as well, I would really like to see and support foreign idols as well. Miki Nonaka: I can speak English too so…. I really want to talk with idols overseas. Yeah I want to do a lot of things with idols overseas. I want to see a combination of our group and other idol groups. Fan: Hi Zukki. I wanted to tell you that you are one of my favorites. My sons introduced me to Morning Musume。 music. We went to New York in 2014 to see you in Manhattan and we had a blast. We had so much fun and my question for you is, what are you going to do after you graduate? Are you going to school or what’s your future look like? Kanon Suzuki: After graduation I would like to be a social worker, like a counselor and helper. I really enjoyed helping people through singing and dancing and after I graduate I won’t be able to do that in front of people but in another way I’d still like to help people out. Fan: I’m a big fan of video games. I love Final Fantasy, it’s one of my favorite series. I was wondering, are any of you fans of Final Fantasy? Which one is your favorite? If not, what is your favorite video game if any of you play video games? -THEY ALL INDICATE THEY DON’T PLAY FINAL FANTASY- Haruna Iikubo: Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest Online, Monster Hunter, Biohazard (Resident Evil). Oh and also Zelda! Ayumi Ishida: I like dance…dance appear please. -FAN DANCES AND IS NOTICED- Fan: HI ODA! I have a question. So my question is, you have a lot of songs. I was wondering if there was one that you really liked to perform that means a lot to you. Sakura Oda: It’s a song that I’m not originally in, but I love ‘Roman My Dear Boy.’ Ayumi Ishida: I AM SHOCK! (In response to the fan asking Sakura the question instead of Ayumi, since she’s the one who picked him.) Masaki Sato: Rock, scissor, paper! –FANS PLAY AGAINST HER- -LAST MATCH IS TWO FANS AGAINST EACH OTHER TO BE ABLE TO ASK THE QUESTION- Fan: I wanted to thank you guys for coming here since I didn’t get to see you in New York. I honestly didn’t think I would have another chance to see you. So I wanted to ask Mizuki what you find the hardest part of being leader. Mizuki Fukumura: The hardest thing to do…because there’s so many of them, is to get all 12 of them in one place! Fan: Some of you already have been to America. Where are some other places you’d like to travel in the world? Haruka Kudo: I want to go to Brazil and see the real soccer there. Fan (Same person who asked the previous question.): Sakura I love you! Haruka Kudo: I AM SHOCK! I am shock. Fan: First of all I got introduced to the play ‘LILIUM’ last year. My favorite play! What was your best memory of doing that? Sakura Oda: I played Sylvatica. One of my last scenes is me jumping off from the tower. I actually really jumped off from the top tower. It was really scary for me! Fan: Obviously you guys are my favorite female Jpop group. My favorite male Jpop group is Arashi. So I was wondering if you also like Arashi and who’s your favorite member from Arashi? Haruna Ogata: A little while back we were doing a fitting and someone told me that if you put Morning Musume。 in Arashi I’m like the Ohno position. So I’d really like to see him and meet him one day. -IT’S MIKI’S TURN TO PICK AND SHE NOTICES A SIGN AND PICKS THAT PERSON- Miki Nonaka: Welcome home Miki. Fan: First I would like to welcome you back home. –FANS CLAP- Now, being able to speak both English and Japanese, what was your initial feeling when you were chosen to be in Morning Musume。? Where do you want to take it in the future? Miki Nonaka: Yeah I can speak Japanese and English, both of them. So I really can speak Japanese more than English so I thought I had to study English too, but I really like doing concerts in my country Japan too. But I really really love to do concerts overseas, this time in Houston. I’m so excited so I couldn’t hardly wait for this event. So yeah I’m very happy to come overseas. Thank you very much! Maria Makino: I am Maria. Nice to meet you! I love baseball, and you? –NOTICES SOMEONE WEARING A FIGHTERS CAP- Fighters! I love Fighters! Fan: Are the Fighters going to win the Japanese series this year? Maria Makino: Of course! Number one! -FAN YELLS ‘ERIPON SMILE’ BECAUSE SHE HAD A SERIOUS FACE FOR A MOMENT. SHE SMILES WIDELY- Fan: My question is to the newest members. What’s been your favorite experience since joining the group? Akane Haga: I was in the play ‘Triangle’ last year and I was in drama club. So it was a really good experience for me to be in an actual musical. Maria Makino: Because I love Michishige Sayumi. For me to be able to be a member of Morning Musume。 and to be able to meet Sayumi was the biggest and nicest experience for me. Miki Nonaka: So the biggest…the biggest is right now!!! Haruna Ogata: If I wasn’t a member of Morning Musume。 I wouldn’t have been able to come abroad, so just being here is the biggest experience for me. Mizuki Fukumura: Thank you so much everyone for all the questions you asked us. So tomorrow we’re going to have a live concert and we have practiced the MC in English, so look forward to it…come and enjoy. -Q&A ENDS- Much later in the evening, A-To-J Connections hosted our Hello! Project panel (with a heavier focus on Morning Musume。, of course) which was a major success. We even had the pleasure of having Aika Mitsui (former 8th Generation member of Morning Musume。) attend a portion of our panel. There was also a fan-held party called Hello! Disco that was held partially during (and after) our panel. At this party, fans gathered together to have a great time celebrating their common interests in Morning Musume。'16 and Hello! Project as a whole. Aika actually made a surprise appearance at this party as well, much to the delight of all attending fans.
The next day of the convention was also quite busy for the group (February 27th, Saturday). The day kicked off with a Press Conference, where various news outlets were able to interview Morning Musume。'16. Following this was a special autograph session that was held specifically for Super Pass holders of the convention. Attendees were allowed to get any official Anime Matsuri or Morning Musume。'16 merchandise signed by the girls. This session was especially loved by fans because it granted time for some very fun and personal interactions with the members. At the end of the autograph session, the girls took a group photo with the fans in the back. This photo, we were told, would be featured on the official site for a time. The final event of the day, which was the event most people were waiting for, was the concert itself. The concert was an absolute success, with an extremely high attendance rate (of fans and newly interested attendees alike). A link to our full concert report will be provided below. On the final day of the convention (February 28th, Sunday), there was a final autograph session held specifically for general attendees. Like the Super Pass session, this provided fans with a wonderful opportunity to interact and have fun with the girls as everyone was able to get their beloved autographs. From here, Morning Musume。‘16 left the convention after an extremely exciting and eventful weekend. Fans were able to share in a special kind of experience with Morning Musume。'16 at Anime Matsuri, the kind of which you don't see normally even in Japan. There is no doubt that this will be long remembered as one of the most exciting Hello! Project events in the USA, and all fans who were able to attend will forever cherish it. For more coverage of Morning Musume。'16, check out our official concert report and our exciting interview (links provided below)! - Teepu Morning Musume。’16 Is: - Fukumura Mizuki (譜久村聖; 9th Generation) Leader - Ikuta Erina (生田衣梨奈; 9th Generation) Sub-Leader - Suzuki Kanon (鈴木香音; 9th Generation) - Iikubo Haruna (飯窪春奈; 10th Generation) Sub-Leader - Ishida Ayumi (石田亜佑美; 10th Generation) - Sato Masaki (佐藤優樹; 10th Generation) - Kudo Haruka (工藤遥; 10th Generation) - Oda Sakura (小田さくら; 11th Generation) - Ogata Haruna (尾形春水; 12th Generation) - Nonaka Miki (野中美希; 12th Generation) - Makino Maria (牧野真莉愛; 12th Generation) - Haga Akane (羽賀朱音; 12th Generation) A-To-J Concert Report: http://a-to-jconnections.com/idols/-take-off-is-now-morning-musume16-in-houston A-To-J Interview: Official Morning Musume。’16 Links Website: http://www.helloproject.com/morningmusume/ Google+: https://plus.google.com/+morningmusume/posts Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Morningmusume.Official/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorningMusumeMg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/morningmusumechannel UP-FRONT LINK Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upfrontlink/ UP-FRONT LINK Twitter: https://twitter.com/UpFrontLink Anime Matsuri Link: http://www.animematsuri.com/ All pictures ©UP-FRONT PROMOTION Co., Ltd. Used with permission. Yes, you read that title correctly. The lovely JPop idol group callme recently released a brand-new music video for their upcoming song ‘Can not change nothing’. The video opens with the three of them surrounding a floating cube, with them randomly switching spots as they deliver their lines. It then transitions into a scene of them walking in place, reminiscent of something similar to stop-motion animation. The next scene has them all lying down only to transition to some squares on screen. Throughout all this we see the girls strike various poses. Wait! There’s a catch! The whole video cleverly plays off of the idea of the song’s title. As all these still or stop-motion sections proceed, you see the shadows move around the members and objects to indicate that time is passing, but everything remains the same. I really liked this simple yet extremely effective way of expressing the meaning of the song. The song itself follows a similar theme and style to their first album. It’s cool, relaxing and enticing. It manages to feel impactful and tickle your senses without overloading you. This is a main reason that I love their music so much. Thankfully, this song does not fail to disappoint in that regard. My one complaint is that I feel like they should try to evolve their music a little beyond what’s in their first album. This song feels like it should be in that album, not as a new single leading to a new album. This is merely how I’d prefer it though, and I know many others will be happy with the consistency. Ultimately though, the biggest bummer is that the video is so short. Being spoiled by other groups who post complete music videos, it’s really demoralizing to get into a song then be cut off halfway through, which is generally when songs tend to shift slightly or throw something exciting at you. Still, this is an awesome new song from an already amazing group. You should definitely check it out, and I can’t wait until it releases on April 6th! - Teepu callme is:
Can not change nothing Product Information: http://avex.jp/callme/discography/
callme’s Official Site: http://avex.jp/callme/ callme’s Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/callme_official callme’s Official Instagram: https://instagram.com/callme_official/ callme on mumo Shop: http://shop.mu-mo.net/avx/sv/list1?jsiteid=MSW&artist_id=CALLM callme on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/callme/id968272102 callme on cdjapan: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/person/700706365 Walking through the doors to the concert hall, the first thing we all saw was the various Hello! Project music videos being shown on the main screen on stage. As we all shuffled into our optimal positions the reality of the situation started to sink in: Morning Musume。'16 was in Houston! As we waited patiently for the hall to fill and for the girls to come out, people pumped up some balloons and started throwing them around the crowd. Meanwhile, some small clusters of fans rocked out to whatever song happened to be playing on the screen. The people behind the convention came up for a short message and to welcome Morning Musume。’16 with some cheers. Before long, the lights dimmed, the screen turned off, and the girls came out to thunderous cheering wearing their modified ‘One and Only’ outfits (with cute Sheriff Badges to boot). They jumped right into their brand-new all-English song 'One and Only'. The crowd went wild and most of the people around me burst into song along with the girls. It was rather touching. They then lead right into 'Oh my wish!’ kicking off the concert with an unimaginable amount of energy. Miki Nonaka was in a chair of course, due to her injury, but put forth just as much energy and excitement as the rest of the group! The girls took a moment to introduce themselves, and they even did so in English. It was clear that they worked incredibly hard to learn the English for their introductions, and they all did a fantastic job. They then jumped into another of their brand new songs: ‘ENDLESS SKY’. After that they jumped into high-energy songs like ‘Renai Hunter’ and ‘Sukatto My Heart’. They were doing an absolutely fantastic job of mixing in both old and new songs in order to keep the crowd interested. Their formation dancing, singing skills and coordination were particularly impressive throughout the show. 'Love & Peace! HERO ga Yattekita' was performed to close out this section of the show. Half the group went backstage to change into new outfits while the rest stayed up in order to have another MC section. Aika Mitsui, former 8th Generation Morning Musume。member, joined them as the surprise guest and interpreter for this. Aika mentioned that she had been interviewing fans before the concert and that she was going to ask the members questions that the fans had asked. Unlike their previous times in the USA, this MC section felt a lot more like the ones in Japan, which was really neat and fun. Aika even decided to teach us a Japanese phrase: 'Ganbatte ikimasshoi'. She explained that backstage, before a concert, all the girls say this to each other as they place their hands on top of each other's while gathered in a circle. She said that this was a great way to get hyped or to lift somebody's spirit. The girls on stage then demonstrated how they do it. At this time, Miki (who was still in her chair) got up excitedly to join the group and they all said 'Ganbatte ikimasshoi!' Miki later jokingly said that she probably shouldn't have gotten up but she got so excited and wanted to do it with everyone. It was extremely adorable. After this, the girls from backstage were changed and switched spots with the ones who were not. The new outfits were black with puffy skirts and some frills as well. They were pretty. Aika then continued by asking the next set of girls questions from the fans. One of the most standout questions was when she asked the girls which graduated Morning Musume。 members they looked up to. Maria Makino was first to answer, and immediately said that Sayumi Michishige (who graduated in 2014) was her favorite. Each of the other members said that Aika was their favorite, as a joke. Even Erina Ikuta said this, despite Aika pointing out that everyone knows that Risa Niigaki is her favorite (who graduated in 2013). All of the girls were asked to give Aika hugs, except Maria since she said Sayumi was her favorite. They all ran to Aika and gave her a huge hug while Maria sat down and pouted. Eventually Aika invited Maria for a hug too which she happily complied to. Aika also taught the crowd another Japanese term: 'Ichiban suki' (meaning you love something the most). After a good time, the rest of the group came out, ready to continue the performance. As Aika left, everyone cheered for her. The next section was kicked off with a medley consisting of the classics 'Souda! WE'RE ALIVE', 'LOVE Machine' and 'Renai Revolution 21'. These are some very beloved songs, especially for overseas fans, so the amount of energy and love that the crowd threw at Morning Musume。'16 was to be expected. There was a very clever outfit change in the middle of ‘Renai Revolution 21’. They folded a layer of their outfit over the black to create a new white outfit. This one had the American flag on the skirt and an outline of a rocket on the upper portion (referring to the NASA center in Houston), with variations for each member. It was an extremely cute and clever way to express a theme that screams Houston and America. Once the superb medley was over, the group took a picture with the whole crowd, which we were told would appear on the official site. From there, they jumped right back into the performance with ‘Tsumetai Kaze-to Kataomoi’, a personal favorite of mine. This song originally had Riho Sayashi (who graduated on the last day of 2015) doing some graceful solo dances during the song. With her not in the group anymore, Ayumi Ishida took over the spot with extreme finesse and amazing control. It made for a very touching performance that I’m sure would have made Riho proud. They then continued with some more favorites. The two that stood out to me the most were ‘Wagamama Kinomama Aino Joke’ and ‘What is LOVE?’ These songs got an extremely powerful crowd response and I felt like they did some of their best dancing during these songs. They left after that, and shortly after the crowd exploded into a chant to bring the girls out again for a song or two more. Eventually most of the crowd who had glow sticks that could change color changed to green, which is the color for Kanon Suzuki. Kanon will be graduating from the group at the end of their spring tour, so this was her last performance overseas within the group. The fans had all agreed beforehand to do this in her honor and everyone broke into a call for her using her nickname ‘Zukki’. It was quite touching to see, and we could all see that Kanon felt the same way when they all came out for the encore. They jumped into ‘HOW DO YOU LIKE JAPAN? ~Nihon wa Dona Kanji Dekka?~’ which was also a crowd pleaser. They were wearing their outfits from their previous tour (Gradation) which displayed each of their member colors prominently. With the concert clearly reaching a close, Mizuki read a letter to the crowd. During this time, the crowd gave Kanon a ‘Zukki’ call again, which brought her to tears on stage. With that, she caught her breath, and told the whole crowd “Thank you, I LOVE YOU!” with that huge contagious smile that nobody could hate. Following that, they jumped into the final song: ‘One Two Three’. They put their all into this final song, as did the audience. Before we knew it, it was over. The members all thanked the crowd and went off-stage. We were promised a set list of upbeat and fun songs, and they delivered in full force. Slowly, we all shuffled out of the concert hall. Without a doubt, we knew that this had been the best performance we’ve seen out of Morning Musume。’16 in America so far. Concerts like this not only bring Morning Musume。’16 to new places, but they bring fans from all walks of life together via a special unbreakable bond. We can only hope that the girls will have the opportunity to come back to the USA again in the near future. GANBATTE IKIMASSHOI! - Teepu (Official UP-FRONT pictures used with permission. All other copyright A-To-J Connections) CONCERT SETLIST 1. One and Only 2. Oh my wish! -MC- 3. ENDLESS SKY 4. Renai Hunter 5. Sukatto My Heart 6. Love & Peace! HERO ga Yattekita -MC- (Aika Mitsui as Surprise Guest) 7. -MEDLEY- Souda! WE’RE ALIVE LOVE Machine Renai Revolution 21 -MC- (Photo Session) 8. Tsumetai Kaze-to Kataomoi 9. The Matenrou Show 10. Aino Gundan 11. Wagamama Ki-nomama Ai-no Joke 12. What is LOVE? -ENCORE- (Zukki Call) 13. HOW DO YOU LIKE JAPAN? ~Nihon wa Donna Kanji Dekka?~ -MC- 14. One Two Three Morning Musume。’16 Is: - Fukumura Mizuki (譜久村聖; 9th Generation) Leader - Ikuta Erina (生田衣梨奈; 9th Generation) Sub-Leader - Suzuki Kanon (鈴木香音; 9th Generation) - Iikubo Haruna (飯窪春奈; 10th Generation) Sub-Leader - Ishida Ayumi (石田亜佑美; 10th Generation) - Sato Masaki (佐藤優樹; 10th Generation) - Kudo Haruka (工藤遥; 10th Generation) - Oda Sakura (小田さくら; 11th Generation) - Ogata Haruna (尾形春水; 12th Generation) - Nonaka Miki (野中美希; 12th Generation) - Makino Maria (牧野真莉愛; 12th Generation) - Haga Akane (羽賀朱音; 12th Generation) A-To-J Event Report: http://a-to-jconnections.com/idols/morning-musume-16s-landing-in-houston A-To-J Interview: Official Morning Musume。 ’16 Links Website: http://www.helloproject.com/morningmusume/ Google+: https://plus.google.com/+morningmusume/posts Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Morningmusume.Official/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorningMusumeMg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/morningmusumechannel UP-FRONT LINK Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upfrontlink/ UP-FRONT LINK Twitter: https://twitter.com/UpFrontLink North American based group 4TE (pronounced ‘for-tay’) recently released their second single ‘Leave a Message’. To begin with, the music video is a very mesmerizing piece that focuses on a flashy, eye-catching club-like atmosphere. There is a fairly heavy focus on geometry and filtered colors that exude a sense of surreal reality. To round out the well-done package, the ladies perform a wonderfully choreographed dance that really accentuates the feature of each individual member. I especially liked that the dance follows a steady tempo to keep with the beat, which is something that seems to be lacking in modern music a bit more than I’d like. The video, helps to tell the story of the song, with scenes that flash to their bedrooms mixed between the dancing and close-ups at the club setting. With good choreography, fun outfits and a very mesmerizing theme, the video is outstanding. Ultimately, the video wouldn’t work without an awesome song. ‘Leave a Message’ is most definitely an awesome song. It opens up with some ringing and an answering machine to set the mood. It then has a steady flow into a poppin’ electronic beat. There’s just enough of a mix of synth and natural talent in the singing to help propel the electronic tone of the song while still showing off the 4TE’s singing abilities. To help break up the flow and keep things exciting, there are a couple of really cool and cute rap sections too. I’d have to say that my favorite thing about this song isn’t how catchy it is, or how balanced it is or even how much fun it is. My favorite thing is how smooth the song flows. That is the thread that holds everything together and makes this song something more than just another generic and catchy electronic tune. If 4TE is able to keep up this kind of amazing quality, they’ll soar above and beyond the North American scene. With a fantastic video and an outstanding song, ‘Leave a Message’ is a must buy for those of you who like Jpop inspired music. Links for where you can purchase the song and more information are provided below. 4TE is a unique group that is conducted and created almost solely through the internet. It’s a compelling blend of cooperation that is accomplished through an immense amount of work that most groups would have trouble with. They’re definitely worth keeping an eye on. - Teepu 4TE is: - Chii - Mei - Jenny - Micchi Official Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omByNlt_lJo Purchase on Bandcamp: https://4teofficial.bandcamp.com/ Purchase on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/4te/id970221540 4TE Site: http://4teofficial.com/ 4TE YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/4teofficial 4TE Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/4TEofficial 4TE - Leave A Message MV Being a fan of idol groups, graduations are to be expected. Yet, whenever they happen, we are never prepared. The last couple years have been really challenging for Hello! Project fans with graduations, a group going on indefinite hiatus and the mastermind behind the groups having officially declared retirement.
Most recently, Morning Musume '15's 9th Generation member, Riho Sayashi, graduated on December 31st. Now, with people starting to settle down with the group as it is now, we received another piece of news thrown at us in the form of Kanon Suzuki's (also a 9th Generation member) graduation. She's been in the group for 5 years, and joined during a time that Morning Musume was suffering from lower popularity. Her youthful attitude, positive outlook and caring demeanor has completely driven her up as one of the most popular members overseas. In her official announcement, she indicated that she wants to pursue a career that involves helping others. There were no specifics made beyond that, but she did point out that doing the SATOYAMA events helped put this attitude into perspective and to make her more determined. Kanon announced that she'll be graduating at the end of this spring tour. As always, make sure all you fans out there keep supporting her, and give her your best for those of us who will see her in Texas later this month. Also, don't forget that this is the nature of Morning Musume '16. Let's keep supporting them not only in honor of Kanon, but also in the upcoming excitement of inevitable 13th generation members. Hold strong! - Teepu Official Announcement: http://helloproject.com/news/4322/ Translation of Announcement from Up-Front Link: https://www.facebook.com/notes/up-front-link/en-concerning-kanon-suzuki-from-morning-musume16/1016601485065435 Everybody loves vinyl. They are a relic of times past. They also represent a level of aural quality that sounds quite a bit more natural than the digital spectrum. These are some of the main reasons many decide to stick with the medium whenever they can.
Considering the importance of ℃-ute’s last single, it came as no surprise that they would release it as a vinyl alongside the standard digital and CD copies. That being said, this practice is not the norm within Hello! Project. In fact, it is quite a rare occurrence. In a surprising turn of events, we are being blessed with yet another 12-inch vinyl release. Morning Musume ‘16’s most recent single, ‘Tsumetai Kaze to Kataomoi / ENDLESS SKY / One and Only’, is getting a vinyl release as well (released under ‘Morning Musume ‘15’). Included will be the original three songs recorded in analog specifically for the vinyl along with a special track. The special track is a classical arrangement of the song ‘Tsumetai Kaze to Kataomoi’. This arrangement is particularly pleasing to me, because I always felt like that song would be able to take immense advantage of a classical arrangement. It looks like my dream has come true, and I hope the arrangement does the song justice. ENLESS SKY is a song presented as a farewell to Riho Sayashi, who graduated from Morning Musume ’15 on December 31st, 2015. Finally, One and Only is the first song that the group has ever done entirely in English. To top everything off, this single was the first single to reach #1 in the Oricon Weekly charts since Sayumi Michishige graduated back in 2014. That should speak volumes about the quality of the release. The vinyl is being sold on Up-Front’s official online shop: e-LineUP! Pre-orders for it have already begun, and will end on February 9th. The expected ship and release date is sometime in late March. These vinyl tend to sell out and are released in limited numbers. If you decide to order it, I highly recommend you do it soon. If you aren’t sure which third-party export service to use, I highly recommend checking out Michael’s shop on Facebook called ‘No Country For Tall Men Exports’. He specializes in acquiring good for fans overseas, is very professional and offers some of the best commission prices I’ve seen. Links are provided below. Whatever service you ultimately decide to use, don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity! Let’s hope this recent trend becomes a new standard from Hello! Project. - Teepu Official e-LineUP! Listing: http://www.e-lineup.com/shopdetail/000000008306/ No Country For Tall Men Exports: https://www.facebook.com/NoCountryForTallMenExports/ We here at A-To-J Connections had the distinct pleasure of interviewing the brand new group callme. When we were presented with the opportunity to review their debut album, “Who is callme?”, we knew absolutely nothing about them. Needless to say, we were swept away by how amazing their album was. Being given the opportunity to interview them shortly after that was an immense honor. We hope that you enjoy the interview as much as we did. They are a very fun and unique group who we suspect you can expect great things out of. callme debuted January of this year and consists of three members who were previously in Dorothy Little Happy: Ruuna Akimoto, Mimori Tominaga and Koumi Hayasaka. They first appeared as callme at JAM the Field vol. 7 at Tsutaya O-East in February this year and performed for the first time in April at the same location. Since then they have performed multiple times and held multiple events. Their first album (which released in October) is a testament to their talent, and shows us that they have a very bright future. A-To-J: What are some of your favorite music artists? KOUMI: I like Fall Out Boy! MIMORI: I really like Miley Cyrus ever since I was in elementary school when I was watching her TV show and was listening to her songs. RUUNA: I like Maroon 5 a lot, when we saw them live in Japan, my love for them grew even more and they’re an artist that I respect a lot. A-To-J: Are there any groups or artists you’d particularly like to collaborate with? KOUMI: I want to collaborate with Becky G. since we’re the same age. I’ve very interested to see what would happen if an idol group and artist of the same age collaborated. A-To-J: Are there any other idol groups you look up to and respect? RUUNA: Within Japan, we think greatly of Perfume. They’re also 3 person group so we learn a lot from especially their staging. A-To-J: Are there any other music groups that you look up to and respect in a similar fashion? MIMORI: I play piano currently and there’s someone I imitate while playing… There are quite a few but I specifically imitate John Lennon a lot of the times. A-To-J: Are there any other genres you might want to try in the future? MIMORI: Right now we’re trying out many genres but we haven’t tried country or country pop yet. I listen to country so I want to do it with callme as well. A-To-J: Which countries do you feel would appreciate your sound the most? KOUMI: We would like to go to places that do Japanese festivals/events such as the US and specifically Los Angeles, as well as the UK. We would like to spread our music to not just places like America but to other parts of Asia as well. A-To-J: If you had to choose one foreign country to go to first, which one would it be? MIMORI: This is an easy answer right? RUUNA and KOUMI: Yes, of course! callme: AMERICA! A-To-J: Is there any venue where you would like to perform? MIMORI: We research a lot of festivals because we want to perform at them… but one of them that seemed fun was South by Southwest. RUUNA: We heard it’s done in the middle of the city and music is flowing in the streets so we want to participate in such American festivals. We also want to perform at Japan Expo where they celebrate Japanese culture. A-To-J: What can your US fans do to help you? MIMORI: The number one thing is to listen to music. We put a lot of hard work into the album and I think it can be enjoyed all over the world. I want them to listen to our songs and have fun with us at lives. RUUNA: We just recently released our album and we wanted overseas fans to also enjoy the songs so we titled them all in English. We have Japanese lyrics of course but we also mixed in English lyrics. Even though the Japanese may be difficult, we made it so overseas fans can enjoy the album as well. A-To-J: Is there anything you’d like to do with overseas fans outside of performing? MIMORI: Yes, I have something! From when I was little, I loved comedy dramas. I watched dramas such as the one Miley Cyrus starred in and laughed at them a lot so I want to make comedy dramas with our fans and laugh together. KOUMI: Hannah Montana right? MIMORI: Yes, “Secret Life of Hannah Montana”! Also I like “Austin & Ally”! RUUNA: I want to introduce our fans to Japanese culture at our fan meetings by wearing kimono and doing Japanese tea. MIMORI: Or eating “nagashi somen”! (Or Flowing Somen. More information can be found here.) A-To-J: Besides performing is there anything else you’d want to do while in the US? KOUMI: I want to go to Hollywood where that one thing is… (Gestures a wide rectangular object) A-To-J: The Hollywood sign? MIMORI: Yeah, we want to go there and… “Photo!” KOUMI: I also want to go to Universal Studio Hollywood! MIMORI: If anything, I really want to go to the festivals we’ve been talking about. I want us to enjoy music there as well. KOUMI and RUUNA: Yes, definitely! RUUNA: I want to conquer all of the food in America. MIMORI: Ah, steak! A-To-J: Is there any other American food you like? MIMORI: Hamburger! RUUNA: Yes, hamburger! MIMORI: The three of us has gone to eat hamburgers before and it was delicious so we want to know the taste from the home of hamburgers. RUUNA: “Big burger!” A-To-J: Out of Japanese foods is there anything you would recommend foreigners try? MIMORI: Sukiyaki! RUUNA: Sukiyaki! KOUMI: Unagi!! “Do you know Unagi?” RUUNA: Maybe “yuba”? (tofu skin) KOUMI and MIMORI: Yuba?? (Laughs) MIMORI: There is something called “harakomeshi” from the Miyagi prefecture we come from. A well-known dish there is “harakomeshi” and its rice cooked with some salmon and roe. It’s very well-known and delicious. RUUNA: It’s a type of “takikomi gohan” (rice cooked with seasonings and different ingredients) A-To-J: Can you tell us any funny stories from when you were performing? MIMORI: There is something funny that happened! During our release event, my shoe fell off and broke. For 3 songs after that I danced with one shoe missing! A-To-J: Did you change your shoe after that? MIMORI: We couldn’t fix that shoe so we bought new shoes afterwards! (Laughs) A-To-J: Have you had any challenging experiences while performing? MIMORI: Out of our dances, we tried out doing Latin Pop style. It was a “groove” that we didn’t experience before so the dance was hard and it was hard to be synchronized. A-To-J: You mentioned liking video games and anime, what is your favorite video game? MIMORI: I like a lot of different games right now but… the game I thought of when composing “just trust” was Final Fantasy! Recently I’ve been playing a lot of Sengoku Basara. I also like playing Mario Kart and Smash Brothers so I want to play with people overseas! A-To-J: We like games so we play those games often as well! MIMORI: We might be going against each other in one of those games! Please be gentle if that happens (Laughs) KOUMI: I like Metal Gear Solid! RUUNA: I like Taiko no Tatsujin, I play those kinds of games often. A-To-J: It’s not a game that is in the US so we have to import it to play it. MIMORI: So we need to bring it from Japan if we want to play it with overseas fans! We have a lot of these games so we’ll bring them over! A-To-J: What are some of your favorite anime? MIMORI: I have a lot of favorite anime... I’ve been watching CLAMP’s “xxxHolic” as well as “Inu x Boku SS”, it’s kind of a minor anime… but an anime I loved from when I was little is “Ojamajo Doremi” and it’s been the center of me. Do you know those anime? A-To-J (Teepu and Manuel): Not those specific ones… A-To-J (Tiffany): I know of them and I have many friends that love anime as well. MIMORI: Maybe everyone knows Gundam or Evangelion more? Because I love those anime too as well as “Sousei no Aquarion”! I also like the iDOLM@STER. RUUNA: We have all watched “Precure” as well as kids. A-To-J: What are some of your favorite fashion brands? KOUMI: I like “OPENING CEREMONY” and “Marc Jacobs”! A-To-J: What is your ultimate goal in Japan? You ultimate accomplishment? MIMORI: Like a dome tour? RUUNA: In Japan, the “dome tour” has to be the biggest ultimate goal and we would like a lot of people in Japan to listen to our music. A-To-J: Moving forward, what are your goals for next year? RUUNA: Next year’s goal for callme has to be performing overseas. Like we said, we want to go to places like Japan Expo or South by Southwest to deliver our music to people overseas. A-To-J: Please give us a message for your overseas fans. RUUNA: callme hasn’t done any overseas lives yet but we want to make opportunities where overseas fans such as ones in Los Angeles, can listen and watch us perform live. We also just released our new album, “who is callme”, and we would like to convey our thoughts to as many people so please give it a listen! A-To-J: Lastly is there anything that A-To-J can do to help promote callme? RUUNA: We would like you to recommend it to others! MIMORI: We want you to share your opinions and review the album so you can share it with other people, whether it is good or bad. [Editor’s Note: Our review of their album can be found here] RUUNA: Lastly, please love this album a lot! The first half of our interview with callme can be found here! Keep an eye out for other news about callme! The video for the newest single and relevant links can be found below! The above interview was conducted by Teepu Khan with direction by Manuel Figueroa. On-site and post translation by Tiffany Fujii. Official photos courtesy of avex. callme is: - Akimoto Ruuna (秋元瑠海) - Tominaga Mimori (富永美杜) - Hayasaka Koumi (早坂香美) For More Information: callme’s Official Site: http://avex.jp/callme/ callme’s Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/callme_official callme’s Official Instagram: https://instagram.com/callme_official/ callme on mumo Shop: http://shop.mu-mo.net/avx/sv/list1?jsiteid=MSW&artist_id=CALLM callme on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/callme/id968272102 callme on cdjapan: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/person/700706365 callme - step by step We here at A-To-J Connections had the distinct pleasure of interviewing the brand new group callme. When we were presented with the opportunity to review their debut album, “Who is callme?”, we knew absolutely nothing about them. Needless to say, we were swept away by how amazing their album was. Being given the opportunity to interview them shortly after that was an immense honor. We hope that you enjoy the interview as much as we did. They are a very fun and unique group who we suspect you can expect great things out of. callme released their debut album on the 28th of October this year. They consist of three members who were in Dorothy Little Happy: Ruuna Akimoto, Mimori Tominaga and Koumi Hayasaka. Their defining feature as an idol group is the fact that they are completely self-produced. They have a very unique sound that has a lot of inspiration from video games and anime. Their first album is a testament to their talent, and shows us that they have a very bright future. A-To-J: Hello! Thank you for this interview. To start, please Introduce Yourselves. callme: Hello we are…. callme!! Nice to meet you! A-To-J: What made you decide to make callme? RUUNA: This year, all three of us graduated high school. So as a graduation project, we formed callme. A-To-J: What is the meaning behind the name ‘callme’? KOUMI: My name is Koumi… RUUNA: I’m Ruuna… MIMORI: and I’m Mimori… RUUNA: We took the first part of our names to make “callme” (ko+ru+mi) A-To-J: How did you feel about the first time you performed as callme? KOUMI: At the time, we always performed with 5 people. Once we started performing with just the 3 of us, the formations were difficult to make it look good compared to doing it with 5 people. There were so many first experiences so we were a bit confused. However we were able to have fun doing the performance. A-To-J: You have a very unique sound in your music. Where do you draw your inspiration from? MIMORI: I’m in charge of composing the music. I really love anime, vocaloid, manga, games… and when I’m playing games, I think of what kind of songs I would want to make. Out of that, I realized the fun in composing and I base off my favorite sounds off of things like anime. KOUMI: I really like overseas artists and Maroon 5 was visiting Japan at the time so we all went to go see their live. We watched the live and studied them so we link that to the songs we compose as well. A-To-J: Did anything surprise you about your first performance back in April? KOUMI: Yes! MIMORI: When we did our first one-man live in April, we only had 3 original songs. So to get more original songs in time for the performance, we were surprised when we were told to make 10 new songs! We somehow did it and realized if humans try their hardest, they can do anything. A-To-J: What is your favorite song on the album “Who is callme?” KOUMI: I like the song “Precious”. I rap in English in the song. I wrote the lyrics for it. It was my first song that had a lot of English in it. I think it made a great opportunity for people outside of Japan, such as people in Los Angeles and other overseas countries, to listen to the song. So that’s why I enjoy the song! MIMORI: My favorite song is “Just Trust”. This song was inspired by games. I composed the song when I was thinking how its ilke playing an RPG. The theme of the song is “new beginning from an ending” so I think people that like games will understand the song. RUUNA: My favorite song is the title song, “step by step”. The lyric “step by step” is repeated throughout the song so I think people overseas will be able to remember it easier so I will love for them listen to it! A-To-J: If you had to describe your sound of the song “Precious” to someone who hadn’t heard it before, how would you describe it? KOUMI: I want them to pay attention to the theme of the song which is the warmth or love from people and its romantic lyrics A-To-J: Which song was the most fun to work on? MIMORI: Song that was most fun to work on… Well there’s a song called “I’m Alone” and it was fun in different ways. This song is a breakup song but we have never experienced a breakup before… We were thinking how to understand the feelings of a breakup so we simulated breakups within the members. (Laughs) We pretended to be girlfriend and boyfriend and broke up… RUUNA: We made situations as if we were in a drama and made the song so it was pretty fun. A-To-J: What is your favorite song to perform live? MIMORI: This has to be the title song, “step by step” because it gets hyped up. When the audience cheers for us, they sing a part of the song that goes “Oh-eh-oh oh oh~” with us. I feel the unity and it makes it very fun! A-To-J: Which song was the most challenging to work on? RUUNA: We have a song called “Be Myself” and it was the hardest song of the album. We hadn’t worked on the lyrics all together since the debut single. The theme of the song was “life” and it was such a grand theme. We couldn’t agree with one thing and so it took the most time to write the lyrics. Till the very end there were many different ideas and we worked hard on the song. A-To-J: As leader, are there any challenges that you never expected, Ruuna-san? RUUNA: All of us in callme are O blood type. Same age and O blood type so we’re a bunch of free spirited people. It’s great that we’re all different but our opinions don’t get together well often… So it’s hard to gather all the good parts from each of us, every time. But we do try to make it up by working hard to make something great, so I think its fine. A-To-J: Mimori-san, where did you learn to compose music? MIMORI: I started composing as a hobby and at the time I was imitating my favorite songwriter as I was composing my music. There were a lot of things I didn’t know about composing when I started doing it for callme. Our arranger taught me a lot of things such as DTM (Desktop Music) and I’m using that knowledge for composing. A-To-J: Did you ever think that you’d be able consistently compose your own music when you first entered into the industry? MIMORI: I didn’t think I would be composing in the beginning. However, as I entered this industry, I started love music more and felt that it was really fun. Then I started wanting to make my own music and started composing so I didn’t think I would be doing this when I first entered into the industry. A-To-J: Koumi-san, the choreography you do flows really nicely. What kinds of styles or people inspire you? KOUMI: Specifically, there’s a Korean group called “2NE1” and they really enjoy their lives. Instead of trying to only synchronize with the rest of the members, I can feel that that each member enjoys performing and that makes their fans enjoy the live as well. That is what I felt when I went to go see their live and it made me feel how important that is so I use it as reference. A-To-J: You’re also pretty skilled in English. Why did you decide to learn English, of all the language choices you had? KOUMI: I liked songs in English and also movies in English so I wanted to understand English. I also wanted to communicate with many people overseas and wanted to share our cultures so I decided to study English. A-To-J: Are there any specific languages the members of callme would want to learn besides English? KOUMI: I want to learn Spanish. I think Spanish is spoken in many countries so I wanted to expand in countries that don’t just speak English but Spanish as well. MIMORI: I want to learn French. I can’t speak much English yet but I want to learn many things before going overseas. RUUNA: I want to learn Chinese. I really like fried rice and I heard there are Chinatowns all over the world so I want to visit them. I feel like I need to learn Chinese in order to do so, so I want to learn the language. A-To-J: Have you ever thought about singing in any of these other languages? RUUNA: We want to make a song with many different languages and sing it at many different countries. A-To-J: Being self-produced is very uncommon, especially from people who come from idol groups. How do you feel like this unique feature will interest more people? MIMORI: Since we make things on our own, we share the feelings we put into our songs and I think we can convey that from our hearts, therefore I think we can also reach their heart with our music. A-To-J: What kinds of challenges do you face, being completely self-produced? RUUNA: Since we make our music, we get attached to each song so it’s hard to see the song objectively. We try to work this out with the three of us; for example if I, RUUNA, make the lyrics for a song, I have the other two look at it objectively for me and get advice. The second half of our interview with callme will be posted soon! Keep an eye out for it and for other news on callme! The video for the newest single and relevant links can be found below! The above interview was conducted by Teepu Khan with direction by Manuel Figueroa. On-site and post translation by Tiffany Fujii. Official pictures courtesy of avex callme - step by step callme is:
- Akimoto Ruuna (秋元瑠海) - Tominaga Mimori (富永美杜) - Hayasaka Koumi (早坂香美) For More Information: callme’s Official Site: http://avex.jp/callme/ callme’s Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/callme_official callme’s Official Instagram: https://instagram.com/callme_official/ callme on mumo Shop: http://shop.mu-mo.net/avx/sv/list1?jsiteid=MSW&artist_id=CALLM callme on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/callme/id968272102 callme on cdjapan: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/person/700706365 Meimi Tamura, 2nd generation member of ANGERME, has just announced that she will be graduating this coming spring of 2016. She said that she wants to pursue a career as a musical actress. Meimi has oftentimes been referred to as the strongest singer in ANGERME, so this goal suits her perfectly. No official date or information for the graduation has been released yet.
Meimi joined S/mileage (later rebranded as ANGERME) on August 14, 2011 alongside Kana Nakanishi, Akari Takeuchi and Rina Katsuta. Since then, she has grown as an entertainer and especially as a singer. She’s oftentimes been the heart of the musicals she’s performed in, with her (arguably) best performance in the musical ‘Lilium’. With the recent departure of beloved member Kanon Fukuda, this most certainly comes as tough news to stomach for ANGERME fans. That being said, she will likely have a very promising future. We should all do our best to support her and also continue to support ANGERME as they hopefully continue their stride of success. Here’s to Meimi! -Teepu ANGERME is: - Wada Ayaka (和田彩花; 1st Generation) Leader - Nakanishi Kana (中西香菜; 2nd Generation) Sub-Leader - Takeuchi Akari (竹内朱莉; 2nd Generation) Sub-Leader - Katsuta Rina (勝田里奈; 2nd Generation) - Tamura Meimi (田村芽実; 2nd Generation) - Murota Mizuki (室田瑞希; 3rd Generation) - Aikawa Maho (相川茉穂; 3rd Generation) - Sasaki Rikako (佐々木莉佳子; 3rd Generation) - Kamikokuryo Moe (上國料萌衣; 4th Generation) Official Announcement: http://www.helloproject.com/news/4010/ Translation of Announcement by Up-Front Link: https://www.facebook.com/notes/up-front-link/en-announcement-concerning-meimi-tamura/991425097583074 Since YouTube Red launched in the USA, we haven’t been able to practically any Hello! Project videos. Up-Front has finally come to an agreement with YouTube and accepted the terms to their satisfaction, which means that we can finally view videos in the USA again. This comes at a very opportune time, with the recent announcement of Morning Musume ’16 coming to Texas for a concert next year. YouTube has been one of the main sources of information for foreign fans for years, and it’s very reassuring to know that they have finally fixed the problem for American fans. Keep in mind, YouTube Red is slated to roll out to the rest of the world over the span of 2016, so it’s good that Up-Front solved the problem before the rest of the overseas (and even domestic) fans suffered from this problem. There is a slight catch though. Since they are actively working on getting everything up to speed again, all videos aren’t available. They are rolling out over time, with most Morning Musume ’15 and ANGERME videos already up. I suspect that within the next month we’ll see everything pop up and life will be back to normal for fans yet again. Not only that, this means that fans can start uploading covers and other creative work involving Hello! Project music yet again. I hope that other companies who have suffered from this problem are able to sort things out soon as well. If you’re in disbelief, check out the YouTube upload of Sukatto My Heart, Morning Musume ‘15’s most recent release, below. - Teepu |
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February 2024
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