* Name: Hinoi Asuka (樋井明日香)Asuka's musical career began in 2000 when she was chosen with two other girls, Hikaru Koyama and Miho Hiroshige to form the group LOVE & PEACE. Their song, Drifter became the theme for the movie 'Dodge Go! Go! and the three girls even had minor roles in the movie. LOVE & PEACE, however, only released that one single.
In 2003, Asuka and Hikaru, along with Yuho Fujiwara, attempted to create a group again under Vison Factory's management. The girls were models for mezzopiano and nicola, but their debut never occurred.
Later in 2003, Tomoko Kawase, better known as Tommy february6, had seen potential in Asuka and had produced her first solo single, ♥Wanna be your girlfriend♥, under the Sonic Groove label, a sub-label of avex trax. The song was used as the ending theme for the drama Ashita Tenki ni Naare. The single only had made it to position 60 on the Oricon charts, but did give Asuka much needed exposure. Five months later, her second single Tatta Hitori no Kimi, was written by the famous songwriter behind SPEED, Hiromasa Ijichi. Her second single had given her much more exposure as she performed on musical shows like Music Station, Pop Jam, and HEY!HEY!HEY!. This single did not do as well as her first on the charts, as it only reached position number 79 on the Oricon charts.
On December 4th, 2004 it was announced that Asuka would be leader of a group called Hinoi Team. Auditions had been held at the dance and vocal school, Caless, where Asuka and Hikaru had previously studied singing and dance. Originally the other members consisted of Hikaru, Keika Matsuoka, and Mizuki Inoue, but it was decided that Rina Takenaka would be in the group instead of Mizuki.
Hinoi Team's debut was set for February 5, 2005, but ended up being pushed back until May 18. Their first single, IKE IKE, was the start of Hinoi Team's rising popularity.
The group continued to release singles through 2007, two of which, NIGHT OF FIRE and STICKY TRICKY & BANG, featured comedian/wrestler Koriki Choshu. After the release of the Hinoi Team's sixth single, Dancin' & Dreamin', it appears that the group is no longer together, as there has been no group work for almost a year.
In the spring of 2007, Asuka released a new solo single, Asu e no Hikari (明日への光?). The title track was the ending theme for the anime Seto no Hanayome. She has not released any singles since then, but has continued to model for various fashion magazines. However, she contributed a song, White Lotus; White Waterlily (睡蓮?), to the compilation album FLOWER FESTIVAL～VISION FACTORY presents, released in March 2008.
# Name: Takahashi Ai (高橋愛)Takahashi Ai was selected from Love Audition 21 to join Morning Musume as a fifth generation member on August 26, 2001, along with Konno Asami, Ogawa Makoto, and Niigaki Risa. Tsunku credited her exceptional singing ability as one of the reasons for choosing her. She debuted on the single "Mr. Moonlight ~Ai no Big Band~," and she first appeared on the fourth studio album 4th Ikimasshoi!.
Early on, Takahashi's strong Fukui accent frequently drew comments from television interviewers and other Hello! Project members. She has gradually grown out of it since she moved to Tokyo and took up professional voice training, but she still occasionally slips into it when she is nervous or surprised. It was even the subject of her verse in the original "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari."
In September 2002, when the fifth generation were placed into the Morning MusumeMinimoni roster, and she first appeared in the subgroup's movie, Minimoni ja Movie: Okashi na Daibouken!. Takahashi filled the spot left open by the graduation of leader Yaguchi Mari, and she went on to release a total of seven singles and one full-length album, Minimoni Songs 2. subgroups, Takahashi was added to the
Takahashi was placed in Morning Musume Sakura Gumi in January 2003 and released two singles as a part of the group before it went inactive.
Although Takahashi had received a big push to the center since the release of "Do it! Now," it wasn't until "Roman ~MY DEAR BOY~" that Takahashi began to be prominently featured on songs. "THE Manpower!!!," Morning Musume's first single of 2005, featured Takahashi as a co-lead vocal and it is a position she has retained on most singles released since then. She even went on to sing with Tsunku on his solo album, TAKE 1, covering a re-arranged version of his duet with Hamasaki Ayumi, "Love ~since 1999~."
In 2006, she became a member of the kickball team Metro Rabbits H.P.. When Kago Ai was suspended from activities due to her smoking scandal, Takahashi was named as the new team captain.
In Ribbon no Kishi: The Musical, Morning Musume's summer musical for 2006, Takahashi played the lead role of Sapphire.
In summer 2006, Takahashi released her first solo single "Yume Kara Samete" as an online-only audio purchase.
After the graduation of Yoshizawa Hitomi on May 6, 2007, Fujimoto Miki became Morning Musume's new leader and Takahashi would support her as sub-leader. However on June 1, 2007, UFA made a sudden announcement that Fujimoto Miki had "resigned" from Morning Musume for reasons similiar to Yaguchi Mari's sudden resignation from the group in 2005. Takahashi was named the new leader with Niigaki Risa as her sub-leader.
