- C-ute
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C-ute Also known as °C-ute, Cute Origin Japan Genres Pop Years active 2005–present Labels Zetima (JP)
Pony Canyon (KR)[1]Associated acts Hello! Project Kids, Aa!, ZYX, Berryz Kobo, Buono! Website C-ute on YouTube Members Maimi Yajima
Saki Nakajima
Airi Suzuki
Chisato Okai
Mai HagiwaraPast members Megumi Murakami (2005-2006)
Kanna Arihara (2006-2009)
Erika Umeda (2005-2009)C-ute (キュート Kyūto, the word Cute stylized as ℃-ute) is an all-female Japanese pop group within Hello! Project, currently consisting of five teenage girls. C-ute made its major debut in 2007 and that year won the Japan Record Award for Best New Artist. All of the group's major-label singles have reached the Top 10 in the Oricon Weekly Chart.*
*Not including two special singles that were intended for limited distribution only.
Contents
History
2005–2006: Formation of C-ute
C-ute was formed in the year 2005, consisting of seven girls from Hello! Project Kids who had not been chosen to form the group Berryz Kobo.[2] Prior to the band's creation, some members worked with members of Morning Musume in such side projects as Aa! and ZYX, as well as the Mini Moni movie Okashi na Daibōken. The group was officially announced on June 11, 2005, though its formation had been rumored for several months prior.
In January 2006, at the start of the Hello! Project Winter 2006 tour, Kanna Arihara, a Hello! Pro Egg, was added as part of the Wonderful Hearts team.
On October 31, 2006, Megumi Murakami left the group, officially to concentrate on her studies.[3]
2007: Major label debut
On February 21, 2007, C-ute's first official single "Sakura Chirari" was released. On the first day it ranked third on the Oricon charts, a feat not even accomplished by Morning Musume (who had ranked 6th on their debut single).[4] With their debut single, they became the youngest group (with the average age of 13) to rank in the top 10.[5]
On December 30, 2007, C-ute received the Japan Record Award for Best New Artist.[6][7]
The year ended with the group's debut at the 58th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen, an annual music show broadcast on December 31. They performed a number together with Morning Musume and Berryz Kobo.[8][9][10]
2008
At the end of 2008, C-ute was nominated for the main Japan Record Award for the song "Edo no Temari Uta II", which was chosen as one of the best works of the year, but lost to Exile and had to be contented with a Gold Award.[11][12][13]
2009: Line-up changes
On February 26, 2009, Hello! Project announced that Kanna Arihara was having difficulty performing on stage due to hallux valgus, or bunion deformity, and would not be able to attend Hello! Project 10th Anniversary fan club event that week. She would also be absent from Hello! Project's activities, including activities in C-ute, while receiving treatment.[14][15][16] Finally, in July 2009, Hello! Project informed that Arihara had decided to leave C-ute and Hello! Project and return to the life of a normal girl.[17]
On August 1, 2009, Hello! Project posted Erika Umeda's official announcement that at the end of the upcoming C-ute's 2009 fall concert tour she would be graduating from C-ute and Hello! Project to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion model.[18] Her graduation was held on October 25 in Osaka, at the last concert of the tour.
The last single to feature Erika Umeda, "EVERYDAY Zekkōchō!!", released on September 19, 2009, topped at number 1 in the Oricon daily singles chart and at number 2 in Oricon Weekly to become the C-ute's highest-ranking single to date.
In November 2009, the official group member colours changed to: Maimi Yajima – red, Saki Nakajima – blue, Suzuki Airi – pink, Chisato Okai – green, and Mai Hagiwara – yellow.
2010
On November 27, 2010, Chisato Okai released a solo single on iTunes,[19][20] and is currently the only member in the group to have done so. The single closely followed the success of Chisato's dance videos on YouTube, the first of which, “Dance de Bakōn!”, had been viewed more than a million times by the end of January, 2011.[21][22]
2011
On February 23 C-ute released their 15th single, "Kiss Me Aishiteru".
C-ute's 16th single, "Momoiro Sparkling", debuted in the 4th place of the Oricon daily singles chart for May 24. It spent two consecutive weeks in the Top 30 of the Oricon Weekly, ranking 6th and 17th.[23]
On June 18, 2011, C-ute's spring concert entitled Chō Wonderful! was broadcast live on the group's YouTube channel. The live stream was a big success. As it was later confirmed by the band's leader Maimi Yajima in her blog and by the management of the Up-Front Agency on Twitter, there were 93,144 YouTube viewers who watched the broadcast.
Discography
Main article: C-ute discographySingles
- Indie singles
- Major singles
- "Sakura Chirari"
- "Meguru Koi no Kisetsu"
- "Tokaikko Junjō"
- "Lalala Shiawase no Uta"
- "Namida no Iro"
- "Edo no Temari Uta II"
- "Forever Love"
- "Bye Bye Bye!"
- "Shochū Omimai Mōshiagemasu"
- "Everyday Zekkōchō!!"
- "Shock!"
- "Campus Life: Umarete Kite Yokatta"
- "Dance de Bakōn!"
- "Aitai Lonely Christmas"
- "Kiss me Aishiteru"
- "Momoiro Sparkling"
- "Sekaiichi Happy na Onna no Ko"
Albums
- Studio albums
- Cutie Queen Vol.1
- 2 Mini Ikiru to Iu Chikara
- 3rd: Love Escalation!
- 4 Akogare My Star
- Shocking 5
- Chō Wonderful! 6
- Compilation albums
- C-ute Nandesu! Zen Single Atsumechaimashita! 1
Awards
Japan Record Awards
The Japan Record Awards is a major music awards show held annually in Japan by the Japan Composer's Association.
Year Nominated work Award Result 2007 “Tokaikko Junjō” New Artist[24] Won Best New Artist[6] Won 2008 “Edo no Temari Uta II” Gold Award[11] Won Japan Record Award[11][12] Nominated - See also
- 49th Japan Record Awards
- 50th Japan Record Awards
See also
References
- ^ Information for C-ute Nandesu! Zen Single Atsumechaimashita! ① Pony Canyon Korea
- ^ つんく♂から「℃- ute（キュート）」に関してコメント
- ^ 『℃-ute 村上 愛』について皆様へ大事なお知らせ
- ^ "Oricon Style" (in Japanese). http://www.oricon.co.jp/. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
- ^ "MTV Chinese article" (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2007-03-22. http://web.archive.org/web/20070322205254/http://www.mtvchinese.com/News/Regional/200703/09/07.html. Retrieved 2007-03-09.
- ^ a b "Kobukuro wins Japan Record Award". Tokyograph. 2007-12-30. http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-2331. Retrieved 2011-02-10.
- ^ "レコード大賞はコブクロ、新人賞は℃-uteが受賞" (in Japanese). Natalie. Natalie (Natasha, Inc.). 2007-12-30. http://natalie.mu/music/news/4801. Retrieved 2011-07-11.
- ^ "第58回紅白歌合戦" (in Japanese). NHK. http://www9.nhk.or.jp/kouhaku/history/history_58.html. Retrieved 2011-02-11.
- ^ "モー娘。＋Berryz工房＋℃-uteが着うた限定曲を発表" (in Japanese). Natalie. Natalie (Natasha, Inc.). 2007-12-26. http://natalie.mu/music/news/4760. Retrieved 2011-07-11.
- ^ "℃-uteが紅白で披露の話題曲をシングル化" (in Japanese). Natalie. Natalie (Natasha, Inc.). 2008-01-16. http://natalie.mu/music/news/4998. Retrieved 2011-07-11.
- ^ a b c "50th Japan Record Awards". Tokyograph. 2008-12-02. http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-4108. Retrieved 2011-02-10.
- ^ a b "EXILE, Jero win Japan Record Awards". Tokyograph. 2008-12-31. http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-4231. Retrieved 2011-02-10.
- ^ "℃-uteが4枚目のアルバム「憧れ My STAR」発売" (in Japanese). Natalie. Natalie (Natasha, Inc.). 2008-12-17. http://natalie.mu/music/news/11870. Retrieved 2011-07-11.
- ^ "『℃-ute 有原栞菜』に関するお知らせ" (in Japanese). Hello! Project. 2009-02-26. Archived from the original on 2009-04-25. http://google.com/search?q=cache:DsEBczy6xLoJ:www.helloproject.com/news/arihara_0902260900.html.
- ^ "C-ute" (in Japanese). Hello! Project. Archived from the original on 2009-04-30. http://www.webcitation.org/5gQQN6Pmu. Retrieved 2009-04-30. "有原栞菜: ※現在休養中"
- ^ "℃-ute有原栞菜、外反母趾治療でグループ離脱" (in Japanese). Natalie. Natalie (Natasha, Inc.). 2009-02-26. http://natalie.mu/music/news/13793. Retrieved 2011-07-11.
- ^ "『℃-ute 有原栞菜』に関する大事なお知らせ" (in Japanese). Hello! Project. 2009-07-11. http://www.helloproject.com/news/0907110000_arihara.html.
- ^ ""C-ute Erika Umeda" Important Information" (in Japanese). Hello! Project. 2009-08-01. http://www.helloproject.com/news/0908012000_cute.html.
- ^ "Chisato Okai "LOVE Namida Iro" live". C-ute official YouTube channel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkHu2E64oEY.
- ^ "LOVE Namida Iro - Okai Chisato (C-ute)" (in Japanese). http://itunes.apple.com/jp/album/id406606714.
- ^ "Chisato Okai dances "Dance de Bakōn!"". C-ute official YouTube channel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgFsDnU9jWg.
- ^ "Okai Chisato's "Dance de Bakoon" YouTube video has reached 1 million views"". Hello! Online twitter. January 20, 2011. http://twitter.com/hello_online/status/28135574829273088.
- ^ "シングル週間ランキング-ORICON STYLE ランキング" (in Japanese). Oricon Inc.. 2011-06-08. http://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/js/w/more/2/. Retrieved 2011-06-09.
- ^ "49th Japan Record Award winners announced". Tokyograph. 2007-11-29. http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-2162. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
External links
- C-ute's channel on YouTube
- C-ute on Facebook
- C-ute on Twitter
- C-ute's official blog (Japanese)
- C-ute profile at the Hello! Project official web site (Japanese)
Preceded by
AyakaJapan Record Award for Best New Artist
2007Succeeded by
JeroC-ute Singles "Massara Blue Jeans" • "Soku Dakishimete" • "Ōkina Ai de Motenashite" • "Wakkyanai (Z)" • "Sakura Chirari" • "Meguru Koi no Kisetsu" • "Tokaikko Junjō" • "Lalala Shiawase no Uta" • "Koero! Rakuten Eagles" • "Namida no Iro" • "Edo no Temari Uta II" • "Forever Love" • "Bye Bye Bye!" • "Shochū Omimai Mōshiagemasu" • "Everyday Zekkōchō!" • "Shock!" • "Campus Life: Umarete Kite Yokatta" • "Dance de Bakōn" • "Aitai Lonely Christmas" • "Kiss Me Aishiteru" • "Momoiro Sparkling • "Sekaiichi Happy na Onna no Ko"Albums Cutie Queen Vol. 1 • 2 Mini Ikiru to Iu Chikara • 3rd: Love Escalation • 4 Akogare My Star • Shocking 5 • Chō Wonderful! 6Compilation albums C-ute Nandesu! Zen Single Atsumechaimashita! 1Related articles Aa! • Berryz Kobo • Buono! • Hello! Project • Hello! Project Kids • Morning Musume • Tsunku • ZYX • Int'l After SchoolHello! Project Morning Musume Risa Niigaki · Sayumi Michishige · Reina Tanaka · Aika Mitsui · Mizuki Fukumura · Erina Ikuta · Riho Sayashi · Kanon Suzuki · Haruna Iikubo · Ayumi Ishida · Masaki Satō · Haruka KudōBerryz Kobo C-ute S/mileage Ayaka Wada · Yuuka Maeda · Kanon Fukuda · Kana Nakanishi · Akari Takeuchi · Rina Katsuta · Meimi TamuraSoloists Units Buono! · LilpriHello! Pro Taiwan Francis & AikoHello! Pro Korea Jang Da YeonHello! Pro Egg Rie Kaneko · Karin Miyamoto · Sayuki Takagi · Nanami Tanabe · Wakana Nagasawa · Kurumi Yoshihashi · Natsumi Taguchi · Ayumi Hamaura · Aina Otsuka · Minami Mogi · Rena OgawaFormer groups Aa! · Athena & Robikerotts · Coconuts Musume · Country Musume · Def.Diva · Ecomoni · GAM · Gomattō · Guardians 4 · H.P. All Stars · High-King · Hello! Project shuffle units · Kirari Tsukishima starring Koharu Kusumi (Morning Musume) · Kira☆Pika · MilkyWay · Minimoni · Morning Musume Sakuragumi · Morning Musume Otomegumi · Morning Musume Tanjō 10nen Kinentai · Natsumi Abe & Maimi Yajima (C-ute) · Nochiura Natsumi · Petitmoni · Sheki Dol · Shugo Chara Egg! · Taiyō to Ciscomoon (T&C Bomber) · Tanpopo · Romans · v-u-den · W · ZYXGraduated groups Graduated soloists Michiyo Heike · Chinatsu Miyoshi · Yuki Maeda · Aya Matsuura · Atsuko Inaba · Yuko Nakazawa · Rika Ishii · Miki Fujimoto · Maki Goto · Kei Yasuda · Natsumi Abe · Kaori Iida · Mari Yaguchi · Makoto Ogawa · Nozomi Tsuji · Hitomi Yoshizawa · Asami Konno · Rika Ishikawa · Erika Miyoshi · Yui OkadaRelated articles Gatas Brilhantes H.P. · Graduation · Haromoni@ · Hello! Morning · Hello! Project Kids · Kirarin Revolution · Single V · Tsunku · Up-Front WorksCategories:- Musical groups established in 2005
- Sony Music Japan artists
- Japanese musical groups
- Japanese pop music groups
- Japanese girl groups
- Japanese idol groups
- Hello! Project groups
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