2 more girls in 8th gen!

And they're Chinese! Story at Hello!Online

To quote:

At the same time as the 8th gen auditions in Japan, there was another audition in Beijing, China. The result of that was Linlin. Jujnun was recommended to Tsunku by a friend and joined the H!P eggs. After seeing her perform at concerts, he was impressed by her abilities. Tsunku says that these two will be key for their planned expansion into Asia for their 10th anniversary year.

Junjun and Linlin will be considered part of 8th Gen along with Mitsui Aika. While Aika was chosen for her singing abilities, these two impressed Tsunku with their experience on the piano and other instruments.

No wonder Tsunku only picked one girl from those auditions, he had two more on the sly. Wow! This is completely shocking isn't it? I guess that was a little wink he was giving us after Aika's acceptance with the conquering Asia speech. I thought he meant the 10th Anniversary single and was like, Well that wasn't much of a campaign. Little did I know!

I will reserve judgement until I see them in action. The man's been Oh so Right before, so I'll have faith. But still. WOW!

Official announcements:
Hello Project Online
Tsunku's Official Comment

Favorite PVs: As For One Day

What with me being flat broke at the moment, and with no cash to spare for H!P related goods, added with the current lack of news.... I decided to do a couple features on my favorite H!P PVs.

First up is one of my all time favorites, Morning Musume's As For One Day.

In all honesty, it was the viewing of the PV itself that introduced me to the song, and I was immediately blown away by it. I think I watched it four times in a row and almost made myself late for work because of it. Something about the video, and the song, really struck a chord. I think it was the first Morning Musume song I heard that wasn't like The Peace, Happy Summer Wedding, or Koi no Dance Site. It had a somber element to it and a much heavier and powerful beat. I am a sucker for the songs with the heavier beats, such as Osaka koi no uta, Do It! Now and The Manpower!. (Expect to see features on those videos to come). It was also the first Momusu song that had me humming it and trying to attempt the cool head dip thing during the "As For One Day" line.

I never get tired of watching the PV. Something about the lighting, water and breeze effects give it an entirely clean feeling. Like spring rain. Somehow, it's like a breath of fresh air. Watching it now, a few years after discovering Momusu, I realize all the members in the song who aren't present in Morning Musume anymore. A few I didn't realize I'd miss until my fandom really hit it's stride, which is a shame.

This year I'm hoping Tsunku will release a new Momusu single with a powerful beat behind it. The singles for 2006, while good, were light-hearted in fare, and I look forward to something with a little more oomph!

Bokura ga Ikiru MY ASIA preview!

Here is a radio preview of the upcoming single! I have no idea why but I really expected this song to be more upbeat, almost techno-ish. I guess the single covers deluded me into thinking it would be a dance song. I'm not dispappointed though, it really is a nice song. This doesn't in any way seem to be celebrating the 10th anniversary of Morning Musume, as it is celebrating Asia.

Click here to download.

Downloaded off Jpopsuki tracker.

Yoshizawa Hitomi to Graduate!

Yes, it's true! Yoshizawa Hitomi will graduate from Morning Musume and become a solo artist for Hello! Project on May 6, 2007. If there is a God he'll let me win the lottery so I can be there for her graduation concert. XD The concert tour is titled "Sexy 8 Beat" The possible title of a new album? We can hope?

Fujimoto Miki will become the new leader, with Takahashi Ai acting as sub-leader.

Anyway, this opens up lots of doors for Hitomi, and while I'll miss her around Momusu, I'll be excited for her solo stuff. Hopefully she doesn't get the shaft as Kaori and Kei have, but I doubt it as not only is she going solo, but she will be participating in group units as well.

Hopefully she'll get a new photo book as well. As for solo artist material, consensus seems to lean towards upbeat and funky songs. One has to wonder what her solo image will be like though. I don't think Tsunku will go for the ero-kawaii angle that Maki has taken, I'm sure he'll keep her girl next door image going strong. It remains to be seen if any changes will be made, or if she'll evolve over time as a solo artist after being allowed to break free from the cute girly style of Momusu.

Bokura ga ikiru MY ASIA single covers revealed!

From Hello! Project's official site the covers of the 10th Anniversary singles are revealed!

This special edition CD features 5 girls of Momusu present and past, as an homage to the original Momusu group. Iida Kaori, Abe Natsumi, Maki Goto, Niigaki Riisa and Koharu Kusumi are all taking part in this one time unit release.

This single is the first step in Tsunku's plan to make Momusu an Asian phenomenon and not just a Japanese one. (As he stated on Mitsui Aika's membership announcement special.)

You can special order Bokura ga ikiru MY ASIA from CDJapan here. Link goes to regular edition. There are two special editions being produced, one that comes with a DVD, presumably of the promotional video, the other with a photo booklet.