In a statement (English translation) originally released on the official Hello! Project website, UP-FRONT PROMOTION (UFP) has terminated the contract of Kobushi Factory member Rio Fuji, effective immediately. She is said to have violated company rules, but no details regarding the violations have been released. This comes shortly after UFP and Fuji released statements announcing her graduation from both Kobushi Factory...
Back in March, rumors began circulating about an Aya Matsuura comeback, and sadly, we’ve heard nothing new since then. Now, planning a return to the music biz isn’t something you do spur-of-the-moment, especially if you’re the mother of a two-year-old. I get that, but for the media to have caught wind of such a return, the wheels would pretty much have...
In the short span of two-and-a-half weeks, the six remaining members of the original Hello! Project Kids graduated from their groups and from H!P. Now that all 15 Kids have moved on, let’s take a moment to assess their legacy, both within the Hello! Project and in JPop generally. Full disclosure: I wasn’t a huge fan of most of what...
Isn’t it time that Judy And Mary had a reunion? I mean, really, it’s long over-due isn’t it? I get the desire to break free from the constraints of being in a decade-old band, of wanting to tackle new challenges and explore new musical ground. Every artist needs fresh experiences with new people and new adventures to hone their creative...
Yesterday, Momoko Tsugunaga gave her final concert as a member of Country Girls and the Hello! Project, and in so doing, ended one era while severing the link to another era long-past. After C-ute disbanded earlier this month, Momo became the final remaining member of the original Hello!Project Kids, the precursor to the Hello Pro Eggs and eventually, Hello Pro...
(From jpopasia.com) Kinki Kids member Tsuyoshi Domoto has been hospitalized for a week after experiencing sudden deafness. Kinki Kids was supposed to make an appearance on TV Tokyo’s “Ongakusai 2017” broadcast on June 28. Domoto was not present for the recording. Group mate Koichi Domoto explained that Domoto has experienced hearing loss and will be staying in the hospital for...
Radio rips for two of the three songs from Tsubaki Factory’s upcoming (7/26) single have been uploaded to Youtube. Fisrt impressions? I like both a lot. Starting with “Shuukatsu Sensation”, it’s a DANCE☆MAN production, so you know this is the funky one, right? Wrong, althought the trademark DM congas are present throughout, this is more of a neo-jump-blues shuffle. Not...
We now know the results of the Country Girls/KSS Divestment Draft of 2017: ANGERME gets CG member Musubu Funaki and KSS member Ayano Kawamura; Morning Musume gets CG member Chisaki Morito; Juice=Juice gets CG member Nanami Yanagawa and KSS member Danbara Ruru. KSS member Reina Ichioka will lead a new group with members to be determined at a future date....
So, “Miyabi’s new group”. That’s what we were calling it for over a year, including five months after the audition winners were announced. Hell, even Miyabi herself got in on the joke, calling it “Miyabi Factory”. A year-and-a-half to name a new unit featuring one of H!P’s more storied idols? Who the hell is running this show? To make matters...
What you wanted: The new Nozomi Tsuji. What you’d settle for: The new Asami Konno. What you got: Takahashi’s personality, Koharu’s voice, and Iikubo’s dancing.
Hmmm… And now Momona is leading ME:I I suspect HP scraping the bottom of the barrel is why ambitious talents…
Well! Fukumura is graduating, but only at the END of this year - LOL!
Fukumura and her cahoots are doing everything they possibly can to prolong their idoling careers. There's a certain amount of…
is yui babymetal illness radation prisoning
is yui from babymetal illness radiation thing