 Hey guys! Michele here coming at you with a little bit of Hello! Project news, and by "little" I actually mean "pretty important"! It was announced on January 2nd, 2016, during the “Hello! Project 2016 WINTER ~ DANCING! SINGING! EXCITING!” concert that Morning Musume ’16 will be holding their “Morning Musume’16 Shinseiki Audition” to form their 13th Generation! The date for these auditions has not been announced as of yet and although not many details have been given, we can only hope they give us snippets of information as time goes on. For those of you that don’t know, Morning Musume is a Japanese pop idol group with continuous line-up changes with older members graduating and newer girls being added at regular intervals. Recently this seems to almost be annual occurrence. With the recent graduation of 9th generation member and ace, Sayashi Riho, coming into 2016 without newer members would have been almost something of a shock. While details are few, they are looking for applicants between the ages of 10-17 who have a passion for singing and dancing as well as a headstrong feeling for their future. Girls who love Morning Musume more than anything else in the world are also encouraged.
Now having followed all of Hello! Project acts since 2010, I have witnessed quite a few Morning Musume graduations myself, as well as many auditions. While this was of no shock to me, with the somewhat recent addition of 12th generation members, Nonaka Miki, Makino Maria, Ogata Haruna and Haga Akane, they could have fooled anyone! Now as auditions can go on for several months and new members are usually announced at the end the next tour, that means if auditions were announced in the winter we can hope to get the new generation announced by the end of the summer tour. As history is bound to repeat itself, applicants that do not make it into the group may have the opportunity to become Hello Pro Kenshuusei, a group of girls that are given dancing and singing lessons within Hello! Project in hopes that one day they will debut into one of the many groups in Hello! Project. These girls mainly perform as back-up dancers for major acts but have also formed groups of their own. This is going to be an exciting year for Morning Musume ’16 fans, I know I said I wasn’t shocked to hear about the news of another generation, but I am definitely excited to see where this will as Morning Musume ’16 will definitely turn into quite a large group! Until next time! -Michele Official Announcement - facebook.com/notes/up-front-link/en-new-audition-for-morning-musume16-announced Official 13th Generation Audition Page - musume-audition.com
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 ©UP-FRONT PROMOTION Co., Ltd. Recently a friend asked me if there were any original Japanese Christmas songs I could recommend since they had never heard of any. I was shocked since I could easily think of several dozen off the top of my head and assumed they could too seeing as they were also a fan of Japanese music. See, Christmas music is something I really enjoy and Japanese Christmas music holds a special place too. So with that in mind I set out to make a list of my favorite Japanese Christmas songs both for my friend and for everyone else! Well, when I started that list I realized that it was LONG and that it was all over the place genre-wise. Also, it's worth noting that there are a lot of "winter" songs in Japan that have that Christmas feel, but really aren't Christmas songs in the traditional sense. So compiling a list like this turned out to be harder than I first thought. After some deliberation I decided to narrow the focus to Japanese idol Christmas songs. So here is my list! A few notes though. First, while this list has the "Top 10" feel it isn't so much a ranking as much as just a collection of my ten favorite idol Christmas songs. You can get a slight feel for my favorites depending on where the song is placed in the list, but for the most part I did not try to rank them and as you can see I didn't number them. Also, this list is by no means comprehensive. There are many more songs I didn't include for various reasons; mainly space. Also, I only included original songs so you won't find any covers of English Christmas songs here. (There are a LOT of those by the way) Make sure to check them out and build your own idol Christmas playlist! e-girls - Merry x Merry XMase-girls have a new Christmas song this year! The production values are high, the outfits and sets are beautiful and the girls all look amazing. Why don't I place this higher on the list you ask? Well, I have to admit that it's a great song, but I personally prefer Mr.Snowman to this one. That is a matter of personal preference though and I'm sure many out there will disagree with me on this one. That said, this song isn't a bad one I just feel that the whole package was presented just a little better last year. Don't let my opinion keep this one from your Christmas playlist though! It's already on mine! Shige-pink & Kohappink - Wa~ MERRY Pin X'Mas!Kusumi Koharu was always my Morning Musume oshi so I had to add this one here. I am not a huge fan of the cuteness overload that you hear in this song, but it's cute and catchy so we'll just leave it here nonetheless! Besides Kusumi you also get Sayumi in her earlier years, so there's that as an added bonus though I personally feel that Shige-pink and Kohappink borderlined on cringe-worthiness at times. Once again, personal preference here. Mild criticism aside, this is a standard for every holiday season in my opinion. Whether this is your preferred style or not, it's one that you should check out! Petit Moni - Pittari Shitai X'Mas!More Hello! Project songs! This time it's Petit Moni, which was a group that had my first Hello! Project/Morning Musume oshi, Goto Maki. This was a single for Petit Moni and while I always found it weird when seasonal songs are released as singles (Since they can only be played at one time of the year) I think this one stands out. It has the old-school Tsunku-vibe to it and has been covered countless times by other Hello! Project artists over the years in concert. Seeing as this comes from the height of the Morning Musume boom, the production values are high and this song stands the test of time without sounding too dated. A great addition! SCANDAL - Koibito ga Santa Claus "Koibito ga Santa Claus" is one of the Japanese Christmas songs that you can't get away from. Originally recorded by Yumi Matsutoya it has been covered more times than I can possibly think of. It's a Christmas standard in Japan and the version here is from all-girl rock band Scandal. Not quite an idol cover, but it's the best I could find on short notice! That said, it's a classic for a reason. This is an amazing song that can lend itself to many different musical styles not just its original pop or even the rock you see here. If you're making a Japanese holiday playlist just throw in a half dozen of versions of this and you're halfway there! Vanilla Mood - X'Mas Melody Vanilla Mood is an odd one. They were a four piece band (currently three) that played their own instruments (piano, flute, violin, and cello) but they were marketed as idols circa their debut. We at A-To-J have worked with other artists that are marketed as idols even though we feel they belong in more mature categories so we're no stranger to this, but it was still an odd choice of marketing for the group at the time. That being said this song is an amazingly beautiful song that you should check out! Vanilla Mood was never too popular either so there is a very good chance that this is the first time you're hearing of them. Also it's worth noting that this version of the song is actually a re-recording as vocalist/pianist, Keiko, recorded this song solo prior to this group version. Keiko's solo version was originally released on a Christmas compilation of other original Japanese Christmas songs, but that's for another article. This one is just a little fuller with the other girls performing as well. Buono! - -Winter story- Want an idol Christmas song with just a hint of rock? Then look no further than Buono!'s "Winter Story"! I am a huge fan of all things Buono so this was kind of a given. It was actually this song that really inspired me to track down other idol Christmas songs. Buono might have dissolved with the graduation of Berryz Koubou, but thanks to recent announcements I think it's safe to assume that those watching the Hello! Countdown live this year will most likely have the joy of seeing this song performed live! The English is the chorus just a little off (something that can make or break a song in my opinion) but it never feels too jarring and taken in its entirety it is a very upbeat song that is hard to dislike no matter what your preference is. The rock stylings, complete with the occasional live instruments, help set this one apart from the rest. Definitely one to check out! ZYX - Shiroi Tokyo Okay in case you haven't noticed there is a lot of Hello! Project love on this list. While there is a certain bias towards them there is also the fact that they have put out an amazing number of Christmas songs over the years! Many of them were singles too which is even less common. This was the second (and ultimately last) single for the group ZYX and they went out with a bang! One of the catchiest Christmas songs, this song would become one of the most covered songs in concerts during the holiday season. Also owing to when it was released, it has that fun early 2000s idol vibe that you just don't see in music today. A great addition to your holiday music collection! e-girls - Mr.SnowmanUp now is another one from avex idol supergroup e-girls with "Mr.Snowman"! This song has it all, a catchy melody, uplifting lyrics and beat and an amazingly colorful video to go along with it! If you want a fun song to share with loved ones this year then look no further! Being as e-girls is made up of several smaller idol groups, the video has a refreshing feel as each group/girl take center stage. Being that they're avex they also have some of the greatest songwriters at their disposal to write what is sure to become a Japanese Christmas standard. At the rate e-girls are going they might just overtake Hello! Project in the number of Christmas songs in their catalog. While I love Hello! Project Christmas songs, this is something I'd be really happy to see! C-ute - Aitai Lonely Christmas Most of the other songs on this list are upbeat ones, well now we have C-ute's "Aitai Lonely Christmas". Other songs on this list actually have lyrics that lean more towards sad, but this song is different in that you can actually feel it in the music and video whether or not you know the lyrics themselves. This has to be my favorite idol Christmas song period. The song is well-written and arranged, the track is powerful and different than your typical Christmas song and the girls look great in a video that had decent production values for contemporary Hello! Project. It is also worth noting that we at A-To-J have a certain bias to C-ute these days and love to mention them whenever we can! That said, you should really check this song out. Great vocal performances and the song's message of longing can add a different feel to any holiday playlist. SOLIDEMO - Christmas Eve Okay, this is the other song-every-Japanese-artist-covers-on-Christmas song! There are countless covers of this song, both official and unofficial. Why is this you ask? Well, this song is just so perfect! Tatsuro Yamashita recorded this song in the early 90s in both Japanese and English. The Japanese version has been featured in countless movies and dramas and was recently re-recorded last year. There have been all sorts of covers too over the years. Instrumental, jazz, rock, versions in other languages, it is safe to say that this is Japan's most popular Christmas song. The version here is one by avex group, SOLIDEMO. This video was literally just uploaded Christmas Eve 2015 (yesterday at the time of writing) and is one of the best performances of this song I've ever heard. We at A-To-J were lucky enough to interview SOLIDEMO earlier this year too and they are the friendliest group you could ever hope to meet! Also, since this is an idol Christmas music playlist, I figured it'd be best to find one of the many idol covers of this song. So, if you're putting together that holiday playlist, be sure to throw in a few versions of Christmas Eve! Also....just for fun and because we at A-To-J also cover visual kei, here is my favorite visual kei Christmas song! Yes those exist! Mix Speaker's Inc. - My wish [Horror] X'MasWant some visual kei on Christmas? Well, there are actually lots of Christmas songs by visual kei artists, both original and otherwise. Perhaps this is a list I will compile for next year, we shall see. In the meantime here is my personal favorite, Mix Speaker's Inc.'s "My wish [Horror] X'Mas". While Mix Speaker's Inc. have recently gone through a significant change in vocalists after the departure of Yuki, I think they were a special band in the early days and had a chemistry you don't see too often in visual kei. While this song is something of a departure for the group at the time (also worth noting that this was a single release) it has all the hallmarks of a Christmas classic. It rocks at just the right levels without being too heavy and has the timeless feel that ensure that this is a future classic in the making. If you haven't heard it yet then check it out! There you have it, my picks for an idol Christmas playlist. I repeat that this list is in no way comprehensive. There are countless other idol Christmas songs out there that I know of and there are probably far more that I am unaware of, but this should be enough to get you into the holiday feeling! 'Til next year! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
-Manuel (alavic_222)  ©UP-FRONT PROMOTION Co., Ltd. As we all know, Tamura Meimi of Hello! Project’s ANGERME will be graduating from the group, as well as Hello! Project as a whole in spring of 2016. She is doing this in order to start anew and refocus her training on becoming a musical actress. While Tamura is arguably the best vocalist in ANGERME, it can also be said that she is among the top vocalists in all of H!P as well. On top of her being a very talented singer, she is also one of the most capable actresses in the company as well. Put these two factors together and you get the phenomenon that is Tamura Meimi. Taking a brief look at Tamura’s family background, and her own personal experiences, one would not be surprised that she has both an interest in, as well as a skill in singing and performing in musicals. Her mother was a troupe organizer who also acted in Gunma Prefecture in Japan. Her elder sister is also an actress who had graduated from a music academy in early 2015 and joined Toho Ent. Tamura’s first public performance  ©UP-FRONT PROMOTION Co., Ltd. Tamura’s first noted public performance, was when she was just a mere 5 years old and a member of the Dodonpa Kids on March 27th 2004. This performance was during the concert tour of Japanese Enka singer Hikawa Kiyoshi, on the stage of the Okinawa Convention Center. Just 5 years later in 2009, Tamura was cast as Yuiki Yaya in the Shugo Chara musical. This would later prove to be what sparked Tamura’s interest in S/mileage (now ANGERME) and would lead to her audition in the future. Tamura would later become a member of S/mileage in 2011. Since her becoming a member, she has been part of a handful of stage plays and musicals through Hello! Project. One of the most notable musicals being LILIUM, as well as a solo musical put on by S/mileage called SMILE FANTASY. Tamura was given the opportunity to perform a solo number in each of these two musicals and was able to tackle the challenge tremendously! Although it is sad to see her go, there is no doubt in my mind that Tamura will be incredibly successful in her path to becoming a musical vocalist and actress. What kind of musicals would you like to see her perform in? Action? Romance? Comedy? She has the ability for them all so take your pick! Official Announcement: http://www.helloproject.com/news/4010/ Translation of Announcement via Up-Front Link: https://www.facebook.com/notes/up-front-link/en-announcement-concerning-meimi-tamura/991425097583074 Tamura Karen Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/tamurakaren Notable Performances By Tamura Meimi |
 ©UP-FRONT PROMOTION Co., Ltd. | Nonaka Miki is one of Morning Musume ‘15’s twelfth generation members. Nonaka is also the only member of Morning Musume who has lived in America and is fluent in English. Due to her father’s job, she had lived in America for eight years (Illinois from 2004-2004 and Alabama from 2004-2010). During the time she lived in Alabama, she was practicing dance as well as the piano. She was even able to introduce herself in English when she auditioned for Morning Musume as well as when she was announced a member of the group. Nonaka occasionally uses her English in her blog posts and she frequently talks about how she wants to help make Morning Musume more successful overseas. She has also recently hosted the ever-so popular J-MELO show which May-J usually hosts. During her time as host she was able to interview May-J in English with ease which is a very impressive feat for her to have completed. |
| With all of this history and background with English and having lived in America for so long, the English speaking fan base of Morning Musume is eagerly waiting the opportunity to see her and the group in their upcoming event in Houston, Texas next February. Ever since her addition to the group was announced the English speaking fans everywhere have been extremely excited to see how her skills can affect the group. -Eric Official Blog: http://ameblo.jp/mm-12ki/ J-MELO: J-MELO VIDEO HERE |  ©UP-FRONT PROMOTION Co., Ltd. |
©UP-FRONT PROMOTION Co., Ltd.
For those of you who are living here in America, you may remember the last two times Morning Musume delivered phenomenal performances here. The first time was in Los Angeles through Anime Expo in 2009 and the second time was in New York City (as Morning Musume ’14) in 2014. Well, guess what? They’re coming back!
Due to the success of the previous two events, they’ve just announced that they’ll be coming (as Morning Musume ’16) in 2016 to Houston, Texas. This time, they’ll be coming through Anime Matsuri, an anime convention, as the main guest.
The convention itself will be taking place from February 26 (Friday) to February 28 (Sunday), 2016. Morning Musume ’16 will be holding a Q&A and Press Conference on February 26 and the concert itself will be on February 27. Entry will be granted to anybody who has a convention badge, and early access will be offered to anybody who holds the Superpass. Keep in mind that Superpass sales are limited to 300, so get them quickly while you can.
This is an exciting time to be able to welcome Morning Musume back in America, and let’s make it the warmest welcome we can.
Check out the links below for more information, and also to keep up to date as more details are released.
- Teepu (Bowser05)
Official Announcement From Up-Front Link: https://www.facebook.com/notes/up-front-link/en-morning-musume16-main-guest-of-the-convention-in-houston-anime-matsuri/977248849000699
Official Anime Matsuri Site: http://www.animematsuri.com/
Morning Musume ’16 Details from Anime Matsuri’s Site: http://www.animematsuri.com/guest/morning-musume/
Due to the success of the previous two events, they’ve just announced that they’ll be coming (as Morning Musume ’16) in 2016 to Houston, Texas. This time, they’ll be coming through Anime Matsuri, an anime convention, as the main guest.
The convention itself will be taking place from February 26 (Friday) to February 28 (Sunday), 2016. Morning Musume ’16 will be holding a Q&A and Press Conference on February 26 and the concert itself will be on February 27. Entry will be granted to anybody who has a convention badge, and early access will be offered to anybody who holds the Superpass. Keep in mind that Superpass sales are limited to 300, so get them quickly while you can.
This is an exciting time to be able to welcome Morning Musume back in America, and let’s make it the warmest welcome we can.
Check out the links below for more information, and also to keep up to date as more details are released.
- Teepu (Bowser05)
Official Announcement From Up-Front Link: https://www.facebook.com/notes/up-front-link/en-morning-musume16-main-guest-of-the-convention-in-houston-anime-matsuri/977248849000699
Official Anime Matsuri Site: http://www.animematsuri.com/
Morning Musume ’16 Details from Anime Matsuri’s Site: http://www.animematsuri.com/guest/morning-musume/
This year has been tough for Hello! Project fans with the departure of Berryz Kobo from Hello! Project earlier in the year, the sudden departure of Uta Shimamura, the upcoming graduation of Kanon Fukuda this year and the upcoming graduation of Riho Sayashi at the end of the year. The best way they have seen to make up for this was to bring in new talent with new groups and new members.
Now, we get another addition to the ranks, this time into ANGERME: Moe Kamikokuryo. Joining as the sole 4th generation member, she officially joined the group on the 11th of November during an announcement at a promotion for their newest single’s release event. She had originally auditioned for Morning Musume ’14 in 2014, but hadn’t made it. She lost interest in Hello! Project songs at that time and ‘Taiki Bansei’ inspired her to do her best. This effort paid off, of course.
We know very little of her, but I’m very much looking forward to seeing what she can bring to ANGERME. Since they’ve been rebranded as ANGERME (from S/mileage), they’ve been releasing nothing but amazing content. Their most recent release, ‘Desugita Kui wa Utarenai / Dondengaeshi / Watashi’, had some more awesome music as well. This contains the graduation single for Kanon Fukuda (‘Watashi’) and a song composed by Yuki Uozumi of Lovendor (‘Desugita Kui wa Utarenai’). Expect my thoughts on that next week.
Keep an eye on Moe, I have a feeling she’s going to have a bright future. Let’s support her and ANGERME as best we can.
- Teepu
ANGERME is:
- Wada Ayaka (和田彩花; 1st Generation) Leader
- Fukuda Kanon (福田花音; 1st Generation)
- Nakanishi Kana (中西香菜; 2nd Generation)
- Takeuchi Akari (竹内朱莉; 2nd Generation)
- 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)
The Official Announcement: http://www.helloproject.com/news/3799/
Aika Mitsui Reports On Moe: https://www.facebook.com/notes/up-front-link/en-angerme-report-by-aika/973661969359387?id=171836769541915
Now, we get another addition to the ranks, this time into ANGERME: Moe Kamikokuryo. Joining as the sole 4th generation member, she officially joined the group on the 11th of November during an announcement at a promotion for their newest single’s release event. She had originally auditioned for Morning Musume ’14 in 2014, but hadn’t made it. She lost interest in Hello! Project songs at that time and ‘Taiki Bansei’ inspired her to do her best. This effort paid off, of course.
We know very little of her, but I’m very much looking forward to seeing what she can bring to ANGERME. Since they’ve been rebranded as ANGERME (from S/mileage), they’ve been releasing nothing but amazing content. Their most recent release, ‘Desugita Kui wa Utarenai / Dondengaeshi / Watashi’, had some more awesome music as well. This contains the graduation single for Kanon Fukuda (‘Watashi’) and a song composed by Yuki Uozumi of Lovendor (‘Desugita Kui wa Utarenai’). Expect my thoughts on that next week.
Keep an eye on Moe, I have a feeling she’s going to have a bright future. Let’s support her and ANGERME as best we can.
- Teepu
ANGERME is:
- Wada Ayaka (和田彩花; 1st Generation) Leader
- Fukuda Kanon (福田花音; 1st Generation)
- Nakanishi Kana (中西香菜; 2nd Generation)
- Takeuchi Akari (竹内朱莉; 2nd Generation)
- 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)
The Official Announcement: http://www.helloproject.com/news/3799/
Aika Mitsui Reports On Moe: https://www.facebook.com/notes/up-front-link/en-angerme-report-by-aika/973661969359387?id=171836769541915
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