S/mileage held an event for celebrating one year of major debut. Even if it was raining a lot, many people came really soon to see them in a nice place, the church plaza inside the shopping center Venus Fort of Odaiba.
Church in Venus Fort
There was really more people than expected, so many were far away from the stage but still, they wanted to see the young girls for this special event.
S/mileage
This showcase was full of surprises and as soon as the members appeared on stage, many fans became crazy and danced on rhythm with their penlights. S/mileage sang its most famous songs like Yumemiru 15sai, Shortcut, ○○Ganbaranakute mo ee nen de!!, etc.
S/mileage
S/mileage
S/mileage
S/mileage
They introduced themselves to people and gave their feelings about being major.
And after a crazy live, the MC, the comedian Tokihide Okami from Joujou Gundan, announced a video surprise.
In fact, many artists from Up-Front gave to S/mileage members a nice message to celebrate this one year in major.
So Erina Mano, Saki Shimizu from Berryz Kobo with Maimi Yajima of ℃-ute as well as Ai Takahashi from Morning Musume。, Mari Yaguchi and Yuko Nakazawa said nice things to the 4 girls.
S/mileage watching Erina Mano's video
S/mileage watching Ai Takahashi's video
S/mileage watching Mari Yaguchi's video
S/mileage watching Saki Shimizu and Maimi Yajima's video
S/mileage watching Yuko Nakazawa's video
And the last but not the least, Tsunku♂ made a video comment... and he announced there will be auditions for a new member!!
Of course the members were totally surprised as well as the public. So from June, there will be many auditions in Shibuya, looking for a girl.
After the huge surprise, S/mileage said goodbye to their public and came back for a photo/video session with the medias. Here are two pictures for you, readers of Up-Front Link!!
S/mileage
S/mileage
Just after this event, it was possible to checkhand of the members, and of course lots of people were waiting outside Venus Fort, even under the strong rain.
Buono! let a new video comment and each member ask you who is the most beautiful girl!!
Then they announce their new single Natsu Dakara! which will be released on July, 20th.
Today Tsunku♂ has announced during the showcase of S/mileage that auditions will take place in June for a new member. Up-Front Link was there and you will have a report soon about this event!
Here is already a video about the new auditions for a new member. You can see the announcement from Tsunku♂ and the surprise of everyone.
Here is the profile of Yuki Maeda I promised you some days ago. Do not hesitate to discover more of her universe!!
Birthday: 1979/08/28 Home Town: Kochi Blood Type: A
Profile
In March 1991, Yuki wins the first award of a national karaoke contest and the special prize of the judges.
Two years later, she takes part of a contest for a music label as newcomer and wins the special award.
In September 1994, she wins the first prize of the 8th Song Festival of Nagasaki and just after the Grand Prix of Itsuki HiroshiPopular Songs Contest.
Arriving in Tokyo in April 1995, she enters the Meiji Senior High School attached to Nakano and on the same time still trains her voice. She graduates this school 3 years after.
In 2000 she appears in a regular show, Idol o Saseba! and has her first single on March, 21st with Naki Usagi. She has her first recital in many cities: Sapporo, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka.
Following this, she is part for the first time of the Hello! Project 2000 Atsumare ! Summer Party Special !! In total she has 17 representations in 12 different locations (total audience of around 200 000 people).
Thereafter Yuki appears at the Hello! Project Winter and Summer events. Her next single, Tokyo You Turn, is released on January 2001 and she tours in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka.
She takes part of many events as a guest for Itsuki Hiroshi until 2003, where she becomes a Hello! Project member of the shuffle unit SALT5 with Natsumi Abe, Ai Kago, Makoto Ogawa and Aya Matsuura for the single GET UP! Rapper.
While appearing in many Hello! Project events, in 2004 she appears as a guest in the theater Genroku Yume Ichiza with Yukiji Asaoka, Sanshi Katsuro, Takao Horiuchi. She performs every year in the Hello! Project events and in some theaters until 2009.
In 2009 the singer celebrates her 10th debut anniversary with a fanclub event and the following year, she begins a radio show GIFT FOR YOU.
In April 2011 for the first time she records her single in Seoul (Korea) which has just been released, Busan Hatsu.
A while ago you saw her last music video, Busan Hatsu, so here is another one, Mianeyo ~Gomenasai~
Erina Mano will release on June, 29th her new single, My Days for You. The MV is already available on her official YouTube channel, so your opinion on it?
Tomorrow Yuki Maeda will have a new single, Busan Hatsu, and her music video (with a pre-comment) has been uploaded on the official YouTube channel of Up-Front Entertainment.
I will translate her profile soon ;)
Reference: PKCP-2071
Price: 1200 yens
Morning Musume。 let a video message on YouTube about the new audition for the 10th generation member(s).
Each member gave her impressions about this audition and how they want to help the future member(s).
Finally, we made it!! Up-Front Link will be on Facebook. I still do not know if we will continue the blog in the same way as it was until now, I will let you know about it later.
For the moment you can join the Up-Front Link page here.
Thank you in advance and show your support to Up-Front artists.
The more fans there will be of this page, the more we will try to cover events, give you more news, etc.
Some of you asked me to write a post about KAN, the composer/pianist of Ai wa Katsu, the song that all Up-Front and associated companies artists sang for the charity project Ganbarou Nippon.
So here it is!
Name:KAN (real name Kan Kimura) Birthday: 1962/09/24 Home town: Fukuoka Blood Type: AB
KAN
KAN began in 1987 with the album Terebi no naka ni. Until 2001 he has released 13 albums and 29 singles.
In Spring 2002 he came to France in the "Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris" (National School of Music of Paris) to finish studying classical piano.
In Summer 2004, after being back to Japan, he has decided to sing to his own accompaniment. Then he made a nation-wide tour with the support of a student orchestra.
His last album, the 15th, Kanshigai mo Hanahadashii Watashi no Jinsei has been released in 2010.
For more informations, you can check his official website here.
Here is one of his music video, Yokereba Isshou ni:
And here is of course Ai wa Katsu, on which you can see him playing the piano and singing:
So in a couple of weeks you will have many releases from Hello!Project artists.
So which ones will you buy or did you already order?
:: ℃-ute - Momoiro Sparkling on May, 25th ::
Covers of each version
- Limited A version with Momoiro Sparkling MV, Dance Shot version and a raffle card to go to an event (need to be in Japan for this), 1680 yens, EPCE-5786～7
- Limited B version with Momoiro Sparkling MV, Close-up version and a raffle card to go to an event (need to be in Japan for this), 1680 yens, EPCE-5788～9
- Regular version with a raffle card to go to an event (need to be in Japan for this), 1050 yens, EPCE-5790
:: Berryz Kobo - Ai no Dangan on June, 8th ::
Covers of each version
- Limited A version with DVD and a raffle card to go to an event (need to be in Japan for this), 1680 yens, PKCP-5183～4
- Limited B version with DVD and a raffle card to go to an event (need to be in Japan for this), 1680 yens, PKCP-5185～6
- Limited C version with a raffle card to go to an event (need to be in Japan for this), 1050 yens, PKCP-5187
- Regular version, 1050 yens, PKCP-5188
:: Morning Musume。 - Only you on June, 15th ::
Covers of each version
- Limited A version with DVD and a raffle card to go to an event (need to be in Japan for this), 1680 yens, EPCE-5779～80
- Limited B version with DVD and a raffle card to go to an event (need to be in Japan for this), 1680 yens, EPCE-5781～82
- Limited C version with DVD and a raffle card to go to an event (need to be in Japan for this), 1680 yens, EPCE-5783～84
- Regular version, 1050 yens, EPCE-5785
:: Erina Mano - My Days for You on June, 29th ::
- Limited A version with DVD, 1680 yens, HKCN-50174
- Limited B version with a ticket to go to a handshake event, 1050 yens, HKCN-50176
- Regular version, 1050 yens, HKCN-50177
Some times ago, Rika Ishikawa gave a concert in the same live house place as this time for Takao Horiuchi. Of course many people came to see this artist.
Takao sang many of his famous songs and the public felt very fast in love with him. When he began to sing an old song (1986), Seishun Oeba, almost all the audience has been taken by a huge emotion, and couldn't hold the tears while facing an interpretation like this. It was so different from the album version of 1986. Takao' strong point is really to take part of this song, like if he was living each inside of him.
With a setlist which is a mix of different music styles (folk, pop, rock, etc.), this talented artist overwhelmed his public, who laughed with his jokes, cried, sang with him, etc.
Tonight from 8PM (Japanese time) there is Ustreamusume。 and tomorrow from 8PM (Japanese time as well), this is the turn of SmileageTV, do not miss these shows ;)
Edit: Ustreamusume。 is already finished but here is a bonus for you!!
I hope you liked the fact they tried to speak in several languages!!
The single of You Kikkawa has finally been released, did you all buy it ? ;)
To celebrate this release, she had two events, the days before and after the release in the Tower Records of Shibuya then Shinjuku.
Event in Shibuya
You Kikkawa had for the second time an event in the Tower Records of Shibuya. She sang several songs including the new one, answered some fans' questions and did handshake. This time was special because the 10 000th people to handshake You has been celebrated, and this woman won a gift from her. Many medias were here to film and take pictures of this.
You Kikkawa
You Kikkawa
You Kikkawa
You Kikkawa
You Kikkawa
Congratulations You for having done 10 000 handshakes!!
Event in Shinjuku
You had another event in Shinjuku this time. She sang once again some songs, answered questions and did handshake. She even said the first CD she bought by herself was a CD from the Morning Musume。!!
You Kikkawa
You Kikkawa
You Kikkawa
You Kikkawa
You Kikkawa
You Kikkawa
You Kikkawa
She prove once again she tries her best to be close to her fans, so be sure to always support her, she deserves it ;)
Ok, this time I think many of you will be more than happy with this post.
Of course Up-Front Link couldn't miss such an occasion, a concert of the Dream Morning Musume。 !!!
If you were expecting for a crazy concert, I would say it wasn't. It was really much mooooooooooooooooooore than a crazy concert. A real dream comes true.
Just imagine a stage which can remind you the PV of Koi no Dansu Saito, with nice lights and you're on. Then imagine all the Dream Morning Musume。 coming on stage to sing Love Machine and you have an unbelievable atmosphere as if you were many years ago. Seeing also Mari Yaguchi doing once again a SEXY BEEEEEEAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM is so great!!
It was "really unreal" to see all of them on stage dancing and singing together: Yuko Nakazawa, Kaori Iida, Natsumi Abe, Kei Yasuda, Mari Yaguchi, Rika Ishikawa, Hitomi Yoshizawa, Makoto Ogawa, Miki Fujimoto and Koharu Kusumi.
And then during the MCs, it always become explosive with their funny anecdotes.
The public for example also asked Kei to make a SEXY BEAM but she totally missed it, which made the fans laughing so much :p
It was nice to see all those members to enjoy being together on stage, after so many years. We need more lives with them and be sure do not miss an opportunity to see them on concert if you can.
And because once again I couldn't finish like this, here are many special pictures just for you \o/
Yuko Nakazawa
Kaori Iida (sorry she is the only one without an off-shot picture,
she was busy when I took pictures)
Here is the report for the last day of Berryz Kobo in Seattle. This day of course was important as well, because it was the last day for the donation box.
But first, a new costume was on the booth and it was Yurina's this time.
Yurina Kumai's costume
So about the donation box, once again, in the name of Up-Front and of course Berryz Kobo, we would like to thank once again all the people who donate for the association.
Some people asked me if it was possible to give the money they earned while organizing their own event for example. Of course we took all the money possible to help after the disasters in Japan. Thank you all for your generosity!!!
Example of people who organized by themselves a party and gave the money they earned, THANK YOU!!
Following this, Berryz had another signing session and Captain (Saki Shimizu) came on the booth for the lottery.
Saki Shimizu announcing the winning numbers
7 people won a polaroid of one member and her sign. And then one lucky guy won a huge poster with the sign of all members on it. Is there any better way to finish this convention ? ;)
Lucky winner of the huge poster
5 of the other lucky winners with the polaroid and sign
Then, it was time for the ending ceremony. Berryz Kobo came for the last time on stage and after thanking everyone, Momoko gave all the money earned ($1887.89) to Sakura-Con for Seattle Japan Relief.
Berryz Kobo
Momoko giving the donation box
Berryz Kobo said sayonara to the public and left the stage. Later, they came back to Japan, but all more than happy. They came to meet wonderful and cheerful fans, to give a nice live and provide as much as possible help to Japan.
Thank you!!!!!!!!
PS: I hope you liked all the pictures I took for you :)
