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Morning Musume

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Morning Musume is a famous Japanese girl group.

Morning Musume. at A Glance
Morning Musume. at A Glance

They are a major part of the "idol" industry in Japan. This industry was helped by their massive success in the late 1990s. The group is the main part of a larger music family called Hello! Project. This group has even helped start other groups like Country Musume and Coconuts Musume. They are known for many catchy pop songs and bright performances. Fans love them for their energy and their many different styles of music.

Becoming a member involves a special way of joining called an audition. A producer named Tsunku started the group in 1997. He held an audition on a TV show called Asayan. He wanted to find a rock singer for his band. Instead, he decided to form a girl group with five runners-up. These first five girls were Natsumi Abe, Yuko Nakazawa, Kaori Iida, Asuka Fukuda, and Aya Ishiguro. They had a hard job to sell 50,000 copies of their first song. They finished this task in just four days of promotion.

The group has changed many times since those early days. Members join through new auditions, and others leave to do other things. This is why the group stays fresh for many years. Sometimes, members form smaller groups called sub-units. One group was called Tanpopo, which sang slower and more mature songs. Another was Petit Moni, which featured Maki Goto. There was also Mini Moni, which was made for younger fans. These smaller groups allowed the singers to try different kinds of music.

Morning Musume has many amazing records in the music world. Their song "Love Machine" was a huge hit in 1999. It was their first song to reach number one on the Oricon charts. That single sold over 1 million copies right away. Another song, "Koi no Dance Site," also sold over a million copies. In 2012, they held a record for having 64 top-ten singles. This showed how much people in Japan loved their music. They have stayed important in the music industry for a very long time.

You might recognize their influence in modern pop music today. They helped make the "idol" way of performing very popular. They even started a tradition of performing in musicals. One of their shows was called "Love Century: Yume wa Minakerya Hajimanai." This showed that idols could do more than just sing songs. They could act and dance on a big stage too.

Morning Musume - Platinum 9 Tour Spring 2009
Morning Musume - Platinum 9 Tour Spring 2009

Their history shows how one group can change an entire music scene.

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File:Morning Musume. at A Glance.png
Morning Musume. at A Glance.png
File:Morning Musume - Platinum 9 Tour Spring 2009.jpg
Morning Musume - Platinum 9 Tour Spring 2009.jpg
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