Rika Ishikawa
Encyclopedia
, is a Japanese pop
singer and TV/radio hostess, associated with the Hello! Project
banner and best known as a former member of the pop group Morning Musume
. She was the leader of the trio v-u-den
until June 2008. She is working as a soloist, a member of the group Ongaku Gatas
, in the duo Hangry & Angry
as Angry, and as a current member of Dream Morning Musume.
as a fourth generation member along with Hitomi Yoshizawa
, Nozomi Tsuji
, and Ai Kago
, and made her debut in 2000 along with the rest of the fourth generation on the band's tenth single, "Happy Summer Wedding
".
In 2001, simultaneously with her Morning Musume obligations, Ishikawa became a featured member of the then-semi-dormant Hello! Project group Country Musume
and a second-generation member of Morning Musume's first subgroup, Tanpopo
. She also participated in her first shuffle group recording, 3-nin Matsuri, with fellow Morning Musume/Tanpopo member Ai Kago and solo singer Aya Matsuura
(previously, she had been a replacement member in the 2000 shuffle group Aoiro 7).
One of Ishikawa's most referenced vocal parts during her Morning Musume days was a frantic spoken word piece in the middle eight of their 2003 single "Shabondama
". She also said a spoken word piece at the end of the song "The Peace!
" which she has said was one of her favorite Morning Musume moments.
In September 2004, her new trio, v-u-den, released their debut single. She graduated from Morning Musume on May 7, 2005, and after five singles, v-u-den finally released their debut album, Suiteroom Number 1
, in November 2005.
Ishikawa has starred in a Hamtaro movie with her Ecomoni
partner, Sayumi Michishige
, and soloist Aya Matsuura
. She was a Pocky Girl (for Morning Musume's Pocky
commercial), and also plays for Gatas Brilhantes H.P.
.
Ishikawa starred in Sukeban Deka: Codename = Asamiya Saki, the fourth live-action adaptation film of Sukeban Deka
opposite Aya Matsuura, released September 30, 2006.
In line with Mari Yaguchi
's involvement in the Japan
ese 2007 adaptation of the popular 1955 Broadway
play, "Damn Yankees
", Rika will be double cast with fellow 4th Generation ex-Morning Musume
member, Nozomi Tsuji
, in in 2007 at the Nissei Theatre in Tokyo
and the Osaka City Center.
In mid-2007, Ishikawa joined the group Ongaku Gatas
along with fellow members of Gatas Brilhantes H.P..
On October 12, 2008 it was announced that she is paired up with fellow ex-Morning Musume member Hitomi Yoshizawa
in the new unit Hangry & Angry
in collaboration with a Harajuku
fashion store of the same name. Hangry & Angry will be making their first United States performance at Sakura-Con
in Seattle, Washington in April 2009.
It was announced on October 19, 2008, on the official Hello!Project website, that Ishikawa will graduate from Hello! Project along with the rest of Elder Club on March 31, 2009. Ishikawa joined the newly formed group, "Dream Morning Musume" in 2010 alongside other former Morning Musume members.
} || August 3, 2001 || Takeshobo
ISBN 978-4-8124-0791-2 || First solo photobook
|-
| 2 || || June 22, 2002 || Wani Books
ISBN 978-4-8470-2717-8 || Second solo photobook
|-
| 3 || || December 24, 2003 || Wani Books
ISBN 978-4-8470-2787-1 || Third solo photobook
|-
| – || || August 8, 2003 || Kodansha
ISBN 978-4-06-364523-1 || Photobook of the movie Seventeen
|-
| – || || September 2003 || Rokusaisha
ISBN 978-4-8463-0525-3 || Fourth Generation member pocket photobook
|-
| 4 || || December 10, 2004 || Wani Books
ISBN 978-4-8470-2836-6 || Fourth solo photobook
|-
| 5 || || July 1, 2005 || Kobunsha
ISBN 978-4-334-90127-1 || Photo and Essay book
|-
| – || || November 16, 2005 || Wani Books
ISBN 978-4-8470-2895-3 || Duo photobook with Sayumi Michishige
|-
| 6 || || December 18, 2006 || Wani Books
ISBN 978-4-8470-2981-3 || Sixth solo photobook
|-
| – || Rika Ishikawa Hello! Project 2007 Winter Concert || January 28, 2007 || —
— || Concert photobook
|-
| 7 || || August 22, 2007 || Wani Books
ISBN 978-4-8470-4032-0 || Seventh solo photobook
|-
| 8 || || February 20, 2008 || Kids Net
ISBN 978-4-04-895014-5 || Eighth solo photobook
|-
| 9 || || January 19, 2009 || Wani Books
ISBN 978-4-8470-4151-8 || Ninth solo photobook
|}
} ||align="center"| March 7, 2007
|}
} || October 4, 2004 ||align="center"| December 24, 2004
|-
| Shinshun Wide Jidaigeki "Kunitori Monogatari" ||colspan="2"| January 2, 2005
|-
| ||colspan="2"| May 9, 2005
|-
| ||colspan="2"| June 18, 2006
|}
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer and TV/radio hostess, associated with 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...
banner and best known as a former member of the pop group 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...
. She was the leader of the trio v-u-den
V-u-den
is a Japanese pop group within Hello! Project. The group was formed in August 2004 and consists of members Rika Ishikawa , Erika Miyoshi, and Yui Okada, with Ishikawa being the leader. The name means: , , and...
until June 2008. She is working as a soloist, a member of the group Ongaku Gatas
Ongaku Gatas
is a Japanese girl group consisted of select members from Hello! Project's futsal club Gatas Brilhantes H.P. and Hello Pro Egg.-History:The group was formed in 2007. The group's name combines the Japanese word ongaku with the Portuguese word gatas, taken from the name of the Hello! Project futsal...
, in the duo Hangry & Angry
Hangry & Angry
Hangry & Angry-f is a Japanese female pop/rock duo created in 2008, consisting of former Morning Musume members Hitomi Yoshizawa and Rika Ishikawa . The group is a collaboration with a Harajuku fashion store, which sells fashion designer h.Naoto's mascot kittens of the same name...
as Angry, and as a current member of Dream Morning Musume.
Biography
Ishikawa 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...
as a fourth generation member along with Hitomi Yoshizawa
Hitomi Yoshizawa
is a former leader of the pop group Morning Musume and current member of the duo Hangry & Angry as Hangry. She is the current leader of the Hello! Project futsal team Gatas Brilhantes H.P...
, Nozomi Tsuji
Nozomi Tsuji
, known professionally by her birth name of is a Japanese tarento and a former member of the pop idol group Morning Musume, its subgroup Mini Moni, and the duo W. She has participated in the shuffle groups 10-nin Matsuri, Odoru 11, and 11Water, H.P...
, and Ai Kago
Ai Kago
is a Japanese singer, actress, author and former Guinness World Record holder.At age 12, Kago won the 4th National Audition of Morning Musume held by Up-Front Works Agency in 2000, which led to her admission into the extremely popular idol group as a 4th generation member. In the same year, she...
, and made her debut in 2000 along with the rest of the fourth generation on the band's tenth single, "Happy Summer Wedding
Happy Summer Wedding
is the ninth single of the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on May 17, 2000. It sold a total of 1,370,000 copies, becoming a number-one hit in Japan...
".
In 2001, simultaneously with her Morning Musume obligations, Ishikawa became a featured member of the then-semi-dormant Hello! Project group Country Musume
Country musume
is an all-female Japanese pop group within Hello! Project.- History :Country Musume was formed in 1999 and was billed as "Country Girls from Hokkaidō". The initial group consisted of members and Hokkaidō natives Rinne Toda, Azusa Kobayashi, and Hiromi Yanagihara....
and a second-generation member of Morning Musume's first subgroup, Tanpopo
Tanpopo
was the first official subgroup of Japanese pop girl group Morning Musume formed in November 1998. They specialized in singing slow and mature songs, which morphed to an old-fashioned and upbeat style—a genre somewhat similar to that of the band from which it originated.-History: The group...
. She also participated in her first shuffle group recording, 3-nin Matsuri, with fellow Morning Musume/Tanpopo member Ai Kago and solo singer Aya Matsuura
Aya Matsuura
is a Japanese pop singer from Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.-2000–2009: Hello! Project:Aya auditioned in 2000 for the fourth Morning Musume & Heike Michiyo Protegee Audition and was selected along with Sheki-Dol to become a part of what was later known as Hello! Project. It is a common...
(previously, she had been a replacement member in the 2000 shuffle group Aoiro 7).
One of Ishikawa's most referenced vocal parts during her Morning Musume days was a frantic spoken word piece in the middle eight of their 2003 single "Shabondama
Shabondama
is the nineteenth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released July 30, 2003 and sold a total of 151,104 copies. It peaked at number two on the Oricon Charts....
". She also said a spoken word piece at the end of the song "The Peace!
The Peace!
is the twelfth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume and was released July 25, 2001. It sold a total of 682,320 copies and reached number one on the Oricon Charts...
" which she has said was one of her favorite Morning Musume moments.
In September 2004, her new trio, v-u-den, released their debut single. She graduated from Morning Musume on May 7, 2005, and after five singles, v-u-den finally released their debut album, Suiteroom Number 1
Suiteroom Number 1
is the full-length debut album by v-u-den, the Hello! Project-associated Japanese pop trio led by former Morning Musume and Tanpopo member Rika Ishikawa. Meant to commemorate the band's first anniversary as a unit, the release date actually came 13 months after the release of their first single...
, in November 2005.
Ishikawa has starred in a Hamtaro movie with her Ecomoni
Ecomoni
is a Japanese pop group from Hello! Project. It was originally founded in the second quarter of 2004 with Sayumi Michishige and Rika Ishikawa as members...
partner, Sayumi Michishige
Sayumi Michishige
is a sixth generation member of the J-pop group Morning Musume and has the third longest tenure of any member in the group ....
, and soloist Aya Matsuura
Aya Matsuura
is a Japanese pop singer from Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.-2000–2009: Hello! Project:Aya auditioned in 2000 for the fourth Morning Musume & Heike Michiyo Protegee Audition and was selected along with Sheki-Dol to become a part of what was later known as Hello! Project. It is a common...
. She was a Pocky Girl (for Morning Musume's Pocky
Pocky
is a Japanese snack food produced by the Ezaki Glico Company of Japan.-History:Pocky was first sold in 1966, and consists of a biscuit stick coated with chocolate. It was named after the Japanese onomatopoetic word for the sound Pocky makes when bitten, pokkin . The original was followed by...
commercial), and also plays for Gatas Brilhantes H.P.
Gatas Brilhantes H.P.
is the Hello! Project futsal club.- History :On April 23, 2007, nine new members from Mix Gatas were added to the team mainly from Berryz Kobo and °C-ute with one member from Hello! Project Eggs....
.
Ishikawa starred in Sukeban Deka: Codename = Asamiya Saki, the fourth live-action adaptation film of Sukeban Deka
Sukeban Deka
is a Japanese detective action shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Shinji Wada and serialized on Hana to Yume. Sukeban Deka has been adapted into three live-action television series, an original video animation series and three feature films, the latest of which was released in 2006 as...
opposite Aya Matsuura, released September 30, 2006.
In line with Mari Yaguchi
Mari Yaguchi
, known professionally by her birth name of is a Japanese pop artist and former member of Hello! Project. She is a former member of Morning Musume and Tanpopo, one of its first sub groups, and also founded Minimoni...
's involvement in the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese 2007 adaptation of the popular 1955 Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
play, "Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees is a musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League...
", Rika will be double cast with fellow 4th Generation ex-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...
member, Nozomi Tsuji
Nozomi Tsuji
, known professionally by her birth name of is a Japanese tarento and a former member of the pop idol group Morning Musume, its subgroup Mini Moni, and the duo W. She has participated in the shuffle groups 10-nin Matsuri, Odoru 11, and 11Water, H.P...
, in in 2007 at the Nissei Theatre in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and the Osaka City Center.
In mid-2007, Ishikawa joined the group Ongaku Gatas
Ongaku Gatas
is a Japanese girl group consisted of select members from Hello! Project's futsal club Gatas Brilhantes H.P. and Hello Pro Egg.-History:The group was formed in 2007. The group's name combines the Japanese word ongaku with the Portuguese word gatas, taken from the name of the Hello! Project futsal...
along with fellow members of Gatas Brilhantes H.P..
On October 12, 2008 it was announced that she is paired up with fellow ex-Morning Musume member Hitomi Yoshizawa
Hitomi Yoshizawa
is a former leader of the pop group Morning Musume and current member of the duo Hangry & Angry as Hangry. She is the current leader of the Hello! Project futsal team Gatas Brilhantes H.P...
in the new unit Hangry & Angry
Hangry & Angry
Hangry & Angry-f is a Japanese female pop/rock duo created in 2008, consisting of former Morning Musume members Hitomi Yoshizawa and Rika Ishikawa . The group is a collaboration with a Harajuku fashion store, which sells fashion designer h.Naoto's mascot kittens of the same name...
in collaboration with a Harajuku
Harajuku
Harajuku is the common name for the area around Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, Japan....
fashion store of the same name. Hangry & Angry will be making their first United States performance at Sakura-Con
Sakura-Con
Sakura-Con is an annual three-day anime convention held during March or April at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, Washington.- Programming :...
in Seattle, Washington in April 2009.
It was announced on October 19, 2008, on the official Hello!Project website, that Ishikawa will graduate from Hello! Project along with the rest of Elder Club on March 31, 2009. Ishikawa joined the newly formed group, "Dream Morning Musume" in 2010 alongside other former Morning Musume members.
Hello! Project
- Ongaku GatasOngaku Gatasis a Japanese girl group consisted of select members from Hello! Project's futsal club Gatas Brilhantes H.P. and Hello Pro Egg.-History:The group was formed in 2007. The group's name combines the Japanese word ongaku with the Portuguese word gatas, taken from the name of the Hello! Project futsal...
(2007 – present) - EcomoniEcomoniis a Japanese pop group from Hello! Project. It was originally founded in the second quarter of 2004 with Sayumi Michishige and Rika Ishikawa as members...
(2004 – present) - v-u-denV-u-denis a Japanese pop group within Hello! Project. The group was formed in August 2004 and consists of members Rika Ishikawa , Erika Miyoshi, and Yui Okada, with Ishikawa being the leader. The name means: , , and...
(2004 – June 2008) - DEF.DIVADEF.DIVADef.Diva was a "special group" formed in 2005 from the Hello! Project idol umbrella, and consisted of Aya Matsuura, Maki Goto, Natsumi Abe and Rika Ishikawa. The band's name is an abbreviation of the phrase "Definite Diva"....
(2005–2006) - 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...
(2000–2005)- Morning Musume OtomegumiMorning Musume Otomegumiwas one of the subgroups that the Japanese pop group Morning Musume was divided into in 2003. Its counterpart was Morning Musume Sakuragumi. The group's name is made up of and , meaning "Young Girls' Group". Like Sakuragumi, purpose of Morning Musume Otomegumi was to perform in small towns with...
(2003–2004)
- Morning Musume Otomegumi
- TanpopoTanpopowas the first official subgroup of Japanese pop girl group Morning Musume formed in November 1998. They specialized in singing slow and mature songs, which morphed to an old-fashioned and upbeat style—a genre somewhat similar to that of the band from which it originated.-History: The group...
(2000–2003) - Country Musume ni Ishikawa Rika (Morning Musume)Country musumeis an all-female Japanese pop group within Hello! Project.- History :Country Musume was formed in 1999 and was billed as "Country Girls from Hokkaidō". The initial group consisted of members and Hokkaidō natives Rinne Toda, Azusa Kobayashi, and Hiromi Yanagihara....
(2001–2003) - RomansRomans (group)was a short-lived female Japanese pop unit formed in 2003, consisting of five singers also active in other pop bands from Hello! Project. The group only released one single, "Sexy Night: Wasurerarenai Kare", on August 20, 2003, ranking N°10 on Oricon charts, and disbanded the same...
(2003) - Shuffle Groups
- 3-nin Matsuri (2001)
- Sexy 8 (2002)
- 7Air (2003)
- H.P. All Stars (2004)
Photobooks
| # | Title | Release date | Publisher ISBN | Description |
|---|
| 1 |
ISBN 978-4-8124-0791-2 || First solo photobook
|-
| 2 || || June 22, 2002 || Wani Books
ISBN 978-4-8470-2717-8 || Second solo photobook
|-
| 3 || || December 24, 2003 || Wani Books
ISBN 978-4-8470-2787-1 || Third solo photobook
|-
| – || || August 8, 2003 || Kodansha
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
ISBN 978-4-06-364523-1 || Photobook of the movie Seventeen
|-
| – || || September 2003 || Rokusaisha
ISBN 978-4-8463-0525-3 || Fourth Generation member pocket photobook
|-
| 4 || || December 10, 2004 || Wani Books
ISBN 978-4-8470-2836-6 || Fourth solo photobook
|-
| 5 || || July 1, 2005 || Kobunsha
ISBN 978-4-334-90127-1 || Photo and Essay book
|-
| – || || November 16, 2005 || Wani Books
ISBN 978-4-8470-2895-3 || Duo photobook with Sayumi Michishige
Sayumi Michishige
is a sixth generation member of the J-pop group Morning Musume and has the third longest tenure of any member in the group ....
|-
| 6 || || December 18, 2006 || Wani Books
ISBN 978-4-8470-2981-3 || Sixth solo photobook
|-
| – || Rika Ishikawa Hello! Project 2007 Winter Concert || January 28, 2007 || —
— || Concert photobook
|-
| 7 || || August 22, 2007 || Wani Books
ISBN 978-4-8470-4032-0 || Seventh solo photobook
|-
| 8 || || February 20, 2008 || Kids Net
ISBN 978-4-04-895014-5 || Eighth solo photobook
|-
| 9 || || January 19, 2009 || Wani Books
ISBN 978-4-8470-4151-8 || Ninth solo photobook
|}
DVDs and videos
| # | Title | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rika & Miki Sugao no 17sai ~Making Of "17sai ~Tabidachi no Futari~"~ | October 21, 2003 |
| 2 |
|}
Television
| Show | Start date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| Hai Kara-san ga Tōru | January 2, 2002 | |
| Tō-san no Natsu Matsuri | August 17, 2002 | |
| Ore ga Aitsu de Aitsu ga Ore de | December 28, 2002 | |
| Ranpo R Jigoku Dōkeshi | February 23, 2003 | |
| Last Present | December 24, 2003 | |
|-
| Shinshun Wide Jidaigeki "Kunitori Monogatari" ||colspan="2"| January 2, 2005
|-
| ||colspan="2"| May 9, 2005
|-
| ||colspan="2"| June 18, 2006
|}
Radio
| Program | Start date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| MBS Young Town Dōyōbi | April 3, 2003 | March 27, 2004 |
| v-u-den☆Ishikawa Rika no Chanka☆Charmy! | April 2, 2004 | September 21, 2006 |
| Hello Pro Yanen!! | February 18, 2005 | March 11, 2005 |
| B.B.L. | April 3, 2005 | April 10, 2005 |
| May 8, 2005 | Currently running | |
| v-u-den Beauty Hour 21 | October 6, 2006 | – |
Movies
- 2000 – Pinch Runner
- 2002 – Tokkaekko
- 2003 – Koinu Dan no Monogatari
- 2003 – 17sai ~Tabidachi no Futari~
- 2004 – Tottoko Hamtaro Hamu Hamu Hapa Radaicho!Hamtarois a Japanese anime series. The main character is a hamster named Hamtaro who has a variety of adventures with other hamsters, called "Ham-Hams" . The show is based on a manga series by Ritsuko Kawai, Hamtaro Gets Lost and Other Stories, and Jealous Hamtaro and Other Stories...
- 2006 – Yo-Yo Girl CopYo-Yo Girl Copis a 2006 Japanese live-action feature film, the third to be based on the manga Sukeban Deka, directed by Kenta Fukasaku.The film stars Aya Matsuura in the lead role of Saki Asamiya and Rika Ishikawa as her rival, Reika Akiyama. Yuki Saito, who played the role of Saki in the first live-action...