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Fukuda Asuka, 2011
Fukuda Asuka, 2011
Fukuda Asuka, 2006 working in her parents bar
Fukuda Asuka
Fukuda Asuka, 1999
Fukuda Asuka, 1998
Fukuda Asuka (福田明日香) is a former member of Morning Musume under Hello! Project, she was one of the original members of the group. She left the group in 1999. She returned to music in 2011 as a member of the band PEACE$TONE under the name asuka.
Biography
1997
In 1997, Fukuda Asuka was one of 5 runners-up in a talent contest for a new Japanese rock idol. After the contest, musician and producer Tsunku offered Asuka and four of the other runners-up (Iida Kaori, Nakazawa Yuko, Ishiguro Aya, and Abe Natsumi) the chance to be taken under his wing on one condition: Sell 50,000 CD's of their song "Ai no Tane" in 5 days. The quintet accomplished that task in four days and Morning Musume was born. Along with Abe Natsumi, she was one of the group's main singers.
1998
In 1998, Morning Musume released their first official single "Morning Coffee." Fukuda also appeared in the film "Morning Cop," with Morning Musume and Heike Michiyo.
1999
On April 18, she graduated from the group, having the shortest tenure of all members of Morning Musume with only 1 year and 7 months. She stated the reason she graduated was to focus on her studies, although she dropped out of high school not long after her graduation. There was a rumor (possibly generated by the essay book she released a month after her graduation) that she was allegedly bullied by some of the other members due to her young age.
2005
In 2005, she was working as an assistant at her father's nightclub, Philippine, in Tokyo.
2006
In 2006, she was featured on the television show "Kaikan MAP," where it was revealed that she was working as a vocal coach and as a bartender at her parent's nightclub.
There were rumors about her returning to a musical career, but she mentioned that she doesn't want to go back to the world of show business and kept a very low profile.
2011
On September 24, it was announced that Fukuda was now in a band called PEACE$TONE.
2015
On April 16 it was announced that Asuka was married, and pregnant with her first child.[1]
2016
She gave birth to a healthy daughter on February 14.[2]
2017
On July 23, Fukuda announced that she and her husband had divorced in July 2016, four months after the birth of their first child. According to Fukuda, the divorce was the result of the couple's conflicting values and parenting styles.[3]
On November 1, Fukuda was revealed to be a member of a special Morning Musume anniversary unit named Morning Musume 20th that would sing "Ai no Tane (20th Anniversary Ver.)". This was Fukuda's first Morning Musume-related activity in 18 years since her graduation.[4]
On December 22, Fukuda announced she will be making her solo debut at the beginning of the year. She will release a digital single on February 14 2018. The first being a re-recording of Morning Musume's "Never Forget" and second single is titled "Minna Tabibito" a song performed by PEACE$TONE, the group she is currently a part of.
Profile
- Name: Fukuda Asuka (福田明日香)
- Stage name: asuka (2011-present)
- Nickname: ♀asuka, Asukacchi
- Birthdate: December 17, 1984
- Blood Type: B
- Height: 149cm
- Western Zodiac: Sagittarius
- Eastern Zodiac: Rat
- Hello! Project Status:
- 1997-09-07: Member
- 1999-04-18: Graduated
- Years in Morning Musume: 1 year 7 months
- Birth Place: Ota, Tokyo, Japan
- Hobbies: Jazz dancing and looking at the sky
- Special Skills: Ballet and karaoke
- Favorite Food: Pancakes, kidney beans
- Hello! Project groups:
- Morning Musume (1997–1999)
- Other Groups:
- PEACE$TONE (2011-Present)
Discography Participated In
- Morning Musume
- Morning Musume 20th
- Solo
Solo Songs
- [1999.02.10] Never Forget (with Morning Musume as background vocals)
Works
Movies
- [1998] Morning Cop
TV Dramas
- [1998] Taiyo Musume to Umi (太陽娘と海)
Essay Books
- [1999.05.25] Mou Hitori no Asuka (もうひとりの明日香)
Trivia
- She was Morning Musume's first graduate.
- Around the time she left Hello! Project, she helped musician Yorico get her start by introducing her to her own manager, Wada Kaoru.
- Along with Abe Natsumi, she was one of the group's main singers.
- She was considered to be one of the most talented vocalists the group ever had.
- There was a rumor that she left the group because she was allegedly bullied by some of the other members due to her young age.
- She had the shortest tenure, at only 1 year and 7 months, out of all former members of Morning Musume.
- She was the second shortest member of Morning Musume, while the shortest was Yaguchi Mari.
- She graduated at age 14, which makes her the youngest Morning Musume member to graduate.
- She was the first member to continue being the youngest member after another generation joined; Later on, Kudo Haruka was the second and Haga Akane is the third.
See Also
- Gallery:Fukuda Asuka
Honorary Titles
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| First |
Youngest member of Hello! |
Succeeded by |
| First |
Youngest member of Morning Musume |
Succeeded by |
References
- ↑ "皆様へ". PEACE$TONE official site. 2015.04.16
- ↑ "元モー娘。福田明日香、第1子出産 ライブにコメント寄せる" (in Japanese). Oricon. 2016-02-14.
- ↑ "離婚のご報告" (in Japanese). Asuka Fukuda Official Blog. 2017-07-23.
- ↑ "モー娘。’１７と１期生が合体 ２０年前のインディーズデビュー曲リメイク" (in Japanese). Sponichi Annex. 2017-11-01.