Morning Musume Otomegumi
| Morning Musume Otomegumi | |
|---|---|
Morning Musume Otomegumi, 2004.
Top row (L to R): Makoto Ogawa, Sayumi Michishige, Reina Tanaka, Kaori Iida Bottom row (L to R): Nozomi Tsuji, Miki Fujimoto, Rika Ishikawa |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Tokyo, Honshū, Japan |
| Genres | Pop |
| Years active | 2003–2004 |
| Labels | Zetima |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | Official website |
| Past members | |
Morning Musume Otomegumi (モーニング娘｡おとめ組?, , also romanized as Morning Musume Otome Gumi) was 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 otome (おとめ?) and gumi (組?), meaning "Young Girls' Group". Like Sakuragumi, purpose of Morning Musume Otomegumi was to perform in small towns with low-capacity venues. The group represented modern young women. Like their counterpart, they released two singles before entering indefinite hiatus.
Otomegumi was originally announced in January 2003, when producer Tsunku decided to split Morning Musume into two groups. Due to the large number of girls, meaning performances could only take place in large venues, and high demand for performances, the girls were split in half to allow the group to perform in more arenas and in smaller towns. Out of the fifteen girls, seven were put into Otomegumi, the other eight into Sakuragumi. The girls' theme was representing "modern Japanese youth". Kaori Iida, the oldest of the girls and a founding member of Morning Musume, was chosen to be leader. Otomegumi's first single, "Ai no Sono (Touch My Heart!)" was released on September 18, 2003, the same day as Sakuragumi's debut single. The single reached a peak of #3 on the weekly Oricon chart, losing out to Sakuragumi by a single place. The girls' first tour, "Morning Musume Otomegumi Hatsukōen: Otome Chick" began on November 24.
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