Koharu Kusumi
Encyclopedia
, is a former J-pop
singer and voice actress, and currently a model
. She joined Morning Musume
as the only seventh generation member and as the youngest soloist to debut in Hello! Project, being only twelve years old when she joined. Before she joined Morning Musume, she was the captain of her school's volleyball
team. Kusumi's audition process and debut was documented during the 2005 episodes of TV Tokyo
television show Hello! Morning
. She is currently a member in Dream Morning Musume, a J-pop group with former Musume members.
in 2005 as the only seventh generation member, a feat which earned her the nickname "Miracle" from producer Tsunku
. She made her debut on the single "Iroppoi Jirettai
".
Kusumi was a member of the Hello! Project
kickball
team Metro Rabbits H.P. from its formation in the beginning of 2006, and from April 2006 to March 2009, she was the voice actress
for Kirari Tsukishima, the main character in the anime Kirarin Revolution
.
In early 2007, Kusumi was chosen to be a member of Morning Musume Tanjō 10nen Kinentai
— a unit created to celebrate Morning Musume's 10th anniversary as a group. Morning Musume Tanjō 10nen Kinentai also consisted of Kaori Iida
, Natsumi Abe
, Maki Goto
and Risa Niigaki
. Their first single, , was released on January 24, 2007.
Apart from her activities in aforementioned units, Kusumi was also a member of Kira Pika
with C-ute's Mai Hagiwara
and MilkyWay
with Hello Pro Egg members Yuu Kikkawa and Sayaka Kitahara. Both units were formed for the Kirarin Revolution anime, which ended in March 2009. Kusumi is currently a regular on the TV Tokyo
children's show Oha Suta
, appearing every Tuesday.
In 2009, Kusumi was assigned to be a part of ZYX-α, a revival of ZYX
, along with Risa Niigaki
, Erika Umeda
, Saki Ogawa
, Ayaka Wada
, Momoko Tsugunaga
, Chinami Tokunaga
, and Maasa Sudo.
On September 19, 2009, Tsunku
announced that Kusumi would graduate from Morning Musume and Hello! Project on December 6, at the final performance of Morning Musume's 2009 fall tour, Nine Smile. According to Kusumi's official announcement, she had interests in becoming a model. She later stated she would also like to try other career paths, such as comedy. Roughly 4,000 fans attended the graduation concert. Her graduation marked the end of the longest stable lineup of Morning Musume, as it was the first change in the group's roster since the departure of Miki Fujimoto
two and a half years earlier, in June 2007.
After her graduation, she opened her own blog, and was announced to be joining "M-Line", the official fanclub of former Morning Musume members. She continued to appear on Oha Suta, as well as Oha Coro, and, as well as her modeling, branched out into food and health, appearing in a series of advertisements.
In 2010, It was announced that Koharu Kusumi will be joining the group "Dream Morning Musume" alongside other former-Morning Musume members.
On September 24 it was announced that Kusumi Koharu has signed with a new model agency called ILLUME.
} || July 12, 2006
|-
| 2 || || October 25, 2006
|-
| 3 || || May 2, 2007
|-
| 4 || || November 7, 2007
|-
| 5 || || July 16, 2008
|-
| 6 || || February 4, 2009
|}
} || March 24, 2006 || Wani Books
ISBN 978-4-8470-2923-3 || First Solo photobook
|-
| 2 || || September 20, 2007 || Kadokawa Publishing Group
ISBN 978-4-04-894499-1 || Second solo photobook
|-
| 3 || || July 25, 2008 || Wani Books
ISBN 978-4-8470-4102-0 || Third solo photobook
|-
| – || || December 1, 2008 || Shogakukan
ISBN 978-4-09-132290-6 || Released for Kirarin Revolution, credited as Kirari Tsukishima starring Koharu Kusumi (Morning Musume)
|-
| 4 || || September 27, 2009 || Wani Books
ISBN 978-4-8470-4202-7 || Fourth solo photobook
|}
} || November 7, 2005 || November 18, 2005 || TBC
|}
J-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
singer and voice actress, and currently a model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
. She joined Morning Musume
Morning Musume
, sometimes referred to as is a Japanese idol girl group, whose act generally revolves around singing and dancing to upbeat melodies. They are the lead group of Hello! Project, which is managed and produced by Tsunku, who composes nearly all the lyrics and melodies of their songs...
as the only seventh generation member and as the youngest soloist to debut in Hello! Project, being only twelve years old when she joined. Before she joined Morning Musume, she was the captain of her school's volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
team. Kusumi's audition process and debut was documented during the 2005 episodes of TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
television show Hello! Morning
Hello! Morning
was a weekly Japanese TV show featuring members of Morning Musume, and sometimes other Hello! Project members on TV Tokyo. It is also known by the shorter name of . On April 1, 2007, the show ended after seven years of broadcast and a new show, featuring the same people, , took its place...
. She is currently a member in Dream Morning Musume, a J-pop group with former Musume members.
Biography
Koharu Kusumi joined Morning MusumeMorning Musume
, sometimes referred to as is a Japanese idol girl group, whose act generally revolves around singing and dancing to upbeat melodies. They are the lead group of Hello! Project, which is managed and produced by Tsunku, who composes nearly all the lyrics and melodies of their songs...
in 2005 as the only seventh generation member, a feat which earned her the nickname "Miracle" from producer Tsunku
Tsunku
, better known professionally as , is a prolific Japanese record producer, songwriter, and vocalist.He is best known for having two major roles in the Japanese music landscape: first as the lead singer of the popular rock group Sharam Q, and now as the producer, primary composer, lyricist and main...
. She made her debut on the single "Iroppoi Jirettai
Iroppoi Jirettai
was the twenty-seventh single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume, and was the debut of seventh generation member Koharu Kusumi.The first pressing of this single came with special packaging and also contained five photocards. The Single V was released on August 3, 2005, and sold a total of 22,606...
".
Kusumi was a member of the Hello! Project
Hello! Project
is the umbrella name for all female idol Japanese pop recording artists collective that are under contract with the Up-Front Group. The "mothership" group of Hello! Project is the super-group Morning Musume. Hello! Project's current leader is Risa Niigaki, the leader of Morning Musume...
kickball
Kickball
Kickball is a playground game and competitive league game, similar to baseball, invented in the United States in the first half of the 20th Century. Kickball may also be known as kick baseball, base soccer, soccer-base, or soccer-baseball...
team Metro Rabbits H.P. from its formation in the beginning of 2006, and from April 2006 to March 2009, she was the voice actress
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
for Kirari Tsukishima, the main character in the anime Kirarin Revolution
Kirarin Revolution
is a Japanese shōjo manga by An Nakahara. The series' title is the supposed name of Kirari's debut single. As of August 2007, it runs in the shōjo magazine Ciao published by Shogakukan...
.
In early 2007, Kusumi was chosen to be a member of Morning Musume Tanjō 10nen Kinentai
Morning Musume Tanjō 10nen Kinentai
was a group made up of five past and present members of the Japanese all-girl pop group Morning Musume created to celebrate Morning Musume's 10th anniversary.- Members :*Kaori Iida – first generation *Natsumi Abe – first generation...
— a unit created to celebrate Morning Musume's 10th anniversary as a group. Morning Musume Tanjō 10nen Kinentai also consisted of Kaori Iida
Kaori Iida
is a Japanese pop singer and actress, associated with Hello! Project and best known as a founding member of the girl band Morning Musume. She has also recorded with the Morning Musume side project band Tanpopo and is currently a solo artist...
, Natsumi Abe
Natsumi Abe
is a Japanese singer and actress, a former member of Morning Musume, and currently a member of Dream Morning Musume.-Career:On August 13, 2003, she released her first single, "22 Sai no Watashi," which means "Me, 22 years old," just a few days after her 22nd birthday...
, Maki Goto
Maki Goto
is a Japanese singer, lyricist and former actress. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, Goto began her musical career in 1999 when she joined Morning Musume as the only third generation member. Her first single with the group, "Love Machine", topped the Oricon singles charts and sold over a million...
and Risa Niigaki
Risa Niigaki
is a fifth generation member and current leader of the Japanese pop group Morning Musume. She joined Morning Musume in 2001 along with Ai Takahashi, Asami Konno and Makoto Ogawa. She grew up in Yokohama after moving there at age six. As of 2009, she was the longest-serving sub-leader of Morning...
. Their first single, , was released on January 24, 2007.
Apart from her activities in aforementioned units, Kusumi was also a member of Kira Pika
Kira Pika
was a Hello! Project unit consisting of Mai Hagiwara from C-ute and Koharu Kusumi from Morning Musume, based on an in-show, exclusive unit from Kirarin Revolution, as both girls lent their voices to the characters...
with C-ute's Mai Hagiwara
Mai Hagiwara
is a Japanese pop singer, currently a member of C-ute and Hello! Project Kids.Hagiwara joined Hello! Project after passing the 2002 Hello! Project Kids audition. She is the youngest out of the fifteen Hello! Project Kids and is also the youngest member in C-ute. As a member of Hello! Project, she...
and MilkyWay
MilkyWay
is a Hello! Project trio consisting of Morning Musume member and soloist Koharu Kusumi and Hello Pro Egg members Sayaka Kitahara and Yuu Kikkawa. The unit was made mainly for the anime Kirarin Revolution as all girls lend voices to characters in the series...
with Hello Pro Egg members Yuu Kikkawa and Sayaka Kitahara. Both units were formed for the Kirarin Revolution anime, which ended in March 2009. Kusumi is currently a regular on the TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
children's show Oha Suta
Oha Suta
is a children's TV show which airs in Japan in the morning on weekdays, and it is produced by TV Tokyo. It premiered in 1997. The main host from 7:05 until 7:30 is Kōichi Yamadera...
, appearing every Tuesday.
In 2009, Kusumi was assigned to be a part of ZYX-α, a revival of ZYX
ZYX
was a short-lived Japanese pop group made up of five Hello! Project Kids members led by Mari Yaguchi of Morning Musume. Yaguchi acted as a mentor and the group released two singles. ZYX is important in that it is the first unit that Hello! Project Kids officially joined with the second being Aa!...
, along with Risa Niigaki
Risa Niigaki
is a fifth generation member and current leader of the Japanese pop group Morning Musume. She joined Morning Musume in 2001 along with Ai Takahashi, Asami Konno and Makoto Ogawa. She grew up in Yokohama after moving there at age six. As of 2009, she was the longest-serving sub-leader of Morning...
, Erika Umeda
Erika Umeda
was a member of the J-pop group C-ute, under Hello! Project. She was also a member of ZYX along with Momoko Tsugunaga, Mari Yaguchi, Maimi Yajima, Megumi Murakami, and Saki Shimizu.-Musical career:...
, Saki Ogawa
Saki Ogawa
is a former Japanese pop singer, best known as one of the 4 founding members of the Japanese pop group S/mileage.-Biography:Ogawa joined Hello! Project as a member of Hello! Pro Egg in June 2004 when she passed the auditions alongside thirty-two other girls...
, Ayaka Wada
Ayaka Wada
is a Japanese pop singer signed to Hello! Project. She joined the project in 2004 as a member of Hello! Pro Egg and is currently a member of S/mileage and was a former member of Shugo Chara Egg!.-2004-2005:...
, Momoko Tsugunaga
Momoko Tsugunaga
is a J-pop singer. Her career began in 2002 when she successfully auditioned for the Hello! Project Kids followed by 15 other girls, and was selected as one of the eight members of Berryz Kobo. Since then, she has continued to sing in that group and has become a part of three smaller groups...
, Chinami Tokunaga
Chinami Tokunaga
is a member of the J-pop idol group Berryz Kobo.In 2002, Chinami successfully passed the Hello! Project Kids Audition and became a member of Hello! Project.- Movies :* Koinu Dan no Monogatari...
, and Maasa Sudo.
On September 19, 2009, Tsunku
Tsunku
, better known professionally as , is a prolific Japanese record producer, songwriter, and vocalist.He is best known for having two major roles in the Japanese music landscape: first as the lead singer of the popular rock group Sharam Q, and now as the producer, primary composer, lyricist and main...
announced that Kusumi would graduate from Morning Musume and Hello! Project on December 6, at the final performance of Morning Musume's 2009 fall tour, Nine Smile. According to Kusumi's official announcement, she had interests in becoming a model. She later stated she would also like to try other career paths, such as comedy. Roughly 4,000 fans attended the graduation concert. Her graduation marked the end of the longest stable lineup of Morning Musume, as it was the first change in the group's roster since the departure of Miki Fujimoto
Miki Fujimoto
, professionally known by her birth name , is a Japanese pop singer and television actress. After failing the audition to join girl group Morning Musume with the fourth generation members, Fujimoto debuted as solo artist within Hello! Project in 2002 with the single "Aenai Nagai Nichiyōbi"...
two and a half years earlier, in June 2007.
After her graduation, she opened her own blog, and was announced to be joining "M-Line", the official fanclub of former Morning Musume members. She continued to appear on Oha Suta, as well as Oha Coro, and, as well as her modeling, branched out into food and health, appearing in a series of advertisements.
In 2010, It was announced that Koharu Kusumi will be joining the group "Dream Morning Musume" alongside other former-Morning Musume members.
On September 24 it was announced that Kusumi Koharu has signed with a new model agency called ILLUME.
Discography and releases
The following singles and albums are released under the artist name .Singles
| # | Title | Release date |
|---|
| 1 |
|-
| 2 || || October 25, 2006
|-
| 3 || || May 2, 2007
|-
| 4 || || November 7, 2007
|-
| 5 || || July 16, 2008
|-
| 6 || || February 4, 2009
|}
Albums and mini-albums
| # | Title | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| – | October 18, 2006 | |
| 1 | February 28, 2007 | |
| – | September 12, 2007 | |
| 2 | December 19, 2007 | |
| – | July 23, 2008 | |
| – | August 27, 2008 | |
| 3 | December 17, 2008 | |
| – | March 18, 2009 | |
| – | March 11, 2009 |
Photobooks
| # | Title | Release date | Publisher ISBN | Description |
|---|
| 1 |
ISBN 978-4-8470-2923-3 || First Solo photobook
|-
| 2 || || September 20, 2007 || Kadokawa Publishing Group
ISBN 978-4-04-894499-1 || Second solo photobook
|-
| 3 || || July 25, 2008 || Wani Books
ISBN 978-4-8470-4102-0 || Third solo photobook
|-
| – || || December 1, 2008 || Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
ISBN 978-4-09-132290-6 || Released for Kirarin Revolution, credited as Kirari Tsukishima starring Koharu Kusumi (Morning Musume)
|-
| 4 || || September 27, 2009 || Wani Books
ISBN 978-4-8470-4202-7 || Fourth solo photobook
|}
Television shows
| Show | | Start date | | End date | | Station |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | April 1, 2007 | TV Tokyo TV Tokyo is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime... |
|
| July 4, 2005 | December 6, 2009 | ||
| 2006 | March 27, 2009 | ||
| March 28, 2009 | Ongoing | ||
| April 7, 2006 | March 27, 2009 | ||
| April 8, 2007 | September 28, 2008 | ||
| Chichin Puipui | February 20, 2009 | ||
Radio
| Program | | Start date | | End date | | Station |
|---|
Tohoku Broadcasting Company
Tohoku Broadcasting Company is a Japanese TV and radio network affiliated with the Japan News Network...
|}