| Sayumi Michishige 道重さゆみ |
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Sayumi Michishige at the Japan Expo on July 3, 2010 |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Sayumin, Shige-san, Sayu, Shige-pink, Misshige |
| Born | July 13, 1989 |
| Origin | Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan |
| Genres | Japanese pop |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | Zetima |
| Associated acts | Morning Musume, Otomegumi, Ecomoni, H.P. All Stars, v-u-den |
| Website | Official Weblog Hello! Project.com |
Sayumi Michishige (道重 さゆみ Michishige Sayumi, (named after Sayumi Horie)[1] born July 13, 1989 in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan) is a sixth generation member of the J-pop group Morning Musume and has the third longest tenure of any member in the group (behind Risa Niigaki and Ai Takahashi and tied with Reina Tanaka).
She joined Morning Musume in 2003 along with Eri Kamei, Miki Fujimoto and Reina Tanaka, which all made their debuts with Morning Musume in the group's nineteenth single, "Shabondama". In 2005 she was assigned as mentor to 7th generation member Koharu Kusumi, until Kusumi's graduation in December 2009.
Michishige was also a member of the Hello! Project unit Ecomoni, along with former Morning Musume member Rika Ishikawa.
When Michishige passed the audition to join Morning Musume, Tsunku, Morning Musume's producer, commented that her singing was weak. After the audition, Michishige took voice lessons to improve her singing, but even she admits that her own singing is still bad.
She portrays an extremely narcissistic image of herself in TV shows, often calling herself the cutest member in Morning Musume and saying that her cuteness overwhelms her bad singing voice.[2] In one of the skits known as Hello! Morning Theatre on their variety show, Hello! Morning, she frequently played a character known as "Ichiban Kawaii" (Cutest).
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Sayumi Michishige, 14 years old, officially became a 6th generation member of Morning Musume, along with Eri Kamei, Miki Fujimoto and Reina Tanaka, on January 19, 2003, when the results of the Love Audition 2002 were made public. Just a few weeks later, she was placed in Morning Musume Otomegumi subgroup, when the group was temporarily divided so it could perform in smaller towns, thereby reaching out to a greater number of fans who couldn't otherwise have the privilege of watching them perform live. During the spring she, along with the rest of the 6th generation members, made her first concert appearance on the Morning Musume Concert Tour 2003 Spring "Non Stop!" during Kei Yasuda's graduation.
On July 16, 2003, the 6th generation members (with the exception of Miki Fujimoto) released their first photobook and corresponding DVD, both shot in Hawaii, as part of the Alo Hello! (アロハロ!) series. Their musical debut came shortly thereafter, on July 30, with Morning Musume's 19th single Shabondama. Although Michishige didn't get many solo lines in the song, one of those instances—in which she shouts "Shabondama"—did get her some attention on TV shows. Towards the end of 2003 Michishige began appearing in the show Revelations of M (Mの黙示録 M no Mokushiroku), as a regular with ex-Morning Musume member Yuko Nakazawa.
2004 saw her first appearance on an album, Best! Morning Musume 2, and in a movie—"Star Sand Island, My Island - Island Dreamin'" (星砂の島、私の島－～Island Dreamin'～ Hoshisuna no Shima, Watashi no Shima - Island Dreamin'). During the summer Michishige appeared in her first solo photobook and was placed in a temporary unit called Ecomoni with 4th generation Morning Musume member Rika Ishikawa. Originally, the goal of the group was to promote environmental awareness only for the duration of the "Cool Down the Hot Earth" (熱っちぃ地球を冷ますんだ "Atchii Chikyū wo Samasunda") festival, but their popularity led to the members being cast as voice actors for the fourth Hamtaro movie—along with Hello! Project soloist Aya Matsuura, with whom they also released the main theme for the film, entitled Tensai! Let's Go Ayayamu (天才！Let's Go あややム Genius! Let's Go Ayayamu)—and appeared in subsequent festivals.
In 2005, Michshige and Rika Ishikawa released a duo photobook entitled Angels (エンジェルズ). Though it has been called an Ecomoni photobook because both members appear in it, officially Angels has nothing to do with the unit. Michishige also appeared as a regular news anchor on Hello! Morning for most of the second half of 2005. That same year she was assigned to be a mentor to 7th generation member Koharu Kusumi, with whom she formed a duo called Rainbow Pink in the beginning of 2006. Introducing themselves as "Shige-pink" and "Koha-pink", the group was featured on Morning Musume's 7th album, Rainbow 7, with the song Rainbow Pink (レインボーピンク), and subsequently on the 7.5 Fuyu Fuyu Morning Musume Mini! and Sexy 8 Beat albums, with Wa~Merry Pin Xmas! (わ～MerryピンXmas!) and Takara no Hako (宝の箱 Treasure Box), respectively.
Following in fellow Morning Musume member Miki Fujimoto's footsteps, Michishige began hosting a radio show entitled "Hypernight - Michishige Sayumi Konya mo Usa-chan Peace" (ハイパーナイト モーニング娘。道重さゆみの今夜も♥うさちゃんピース) in October 2006. Running approximately 30 minutes per episode, Michishige's show consists of her answering fan mail and participating in several games, among which saying a given phrase/expression in reverse, and giving general advice to her listeners.
In early December 2006 it was announced Michishige would be given a second solo photobook, entitled Longing (憧憬 Doukei), released shortly thereafter on January 15, 2007. Shot in Okinawa, the book featured school uniform, swimsuit, simple one-piece and even wet yukata/bathrobe shots, in an attempt to convey a more mature image of the seventeen year old idol.[3]
Michishige has also starred in "Bow30°" (「おじぎ30度」), an original internet drama created for the purpose of advertising the Family Restaurant chain Gusto (ガスト), as Ruruka Chī (地井ルルカ), a novice waitress training under the supervision of her seniors Karin Kinoshita (木下花梨) (played by Morning Musume's Ai Takahashi) and Mika Mochizuki (望月深華) (Reiko Tokita).
On June 9, 2007, Michishige began co-hosting the Young Town radio show as a result of Miki Fujimoto's Friday magazine scandal and subsequent resignation from Morning Musume. Shortly thereafter she released her third solo photobook and DVD, 17: Love Hello, both shot on the island of Guam. Her fourth solo photobook, Sōsō was released in December.
In 2008, like in previous singles (a notable exception being Namida ga Tomaranai Hōkago), Michishige was given a relatively minor role both in Resonant Blue and Pepper Keibu, with the exception of a solo line in the latter. Her radio show was extended from 30 to 60 minutes and she also released her fifth solo photobook.
On January 3, 2009, for the first time since she joined Morning Musume, Michishige appeared as an independent talent on a TV show, namely the Otona Gakuryoku Kentei SP (大人学力検定スペシャル Adult Knowledge Test Special) quiz show. A cast of 30 performers (including former v-u-den member Yui Okada and second generation Morning Musume member Mari Yaguchi) gathered to answer a series of questions taken from elementary school textbooks. From a total of 60 questions she managed to score 22 (37%) and placed 29th. Later that year, Michishige was assigned to be a part of the new shuffle group zoku v-u-den, a revival of v-u-den, along with Risako Sugaya (of Berryz Kobo) and Junjun (also of Morning Musume).
On January 2, it was announced that current leader Niigaki Risa will be graduating from Morning Musume at the end of the spring tour 2012. Michishige will be the new leader.
The phrase Usa-chan Peace (うさちゃんピース Bunny Peace) has become a trademark of Michishige. While saying this phrase, she places her hands next to her ears and holds her index and middle fingers in V shapes to imitate rabbit ears. According to Michishige, Usa-chan Peace became her trademark pose gradually. At first she used it when taking print club photos with her sister, but after seeing how cute it looked, she started adopting it on official photoshoots and related events.[4]
The Usa-chan Peace pose has been widely reproduced in Hello! Project productions (such as the aforementioned Bow 30° drama, in the second episode of the first series) and events, but also outside the scope of Tsunku's all-girls franchise, most notably in the 132nd Ryūnosuke Akutagawa prize award ceremony. For the commemorative photograph of the event, Kazushige Abe (阿部 和重) held his hands in a manner patterned after the Usa-chan Peace sign, in a clear homage to Michishige's invention.
| # | Title | Release date | Publisher | ISBN | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | Morning Musume 6th Generation Member Shashinshū (ハロハロ! モーニング娘。6期メンバー写真集) | July 15, 2003 | Kadokawa Shoten | 978-4-04-894251-5 | With Eri Kamei and Reina Tanaka |
| 1 | Sayumi Michishige Shashinshū "Michishige Sayumi" (道重さゆみ写真集「道重さゆみ」) |
October 30, 2004 | Wani Books | 978-4-8470-2833-5 | First solo photobook |
| – | Rika Ishikawa & Sayumi Michishige "Angels" (石川梨華&道重さゆみ写真集「エンジェルス」) |
November 16, 2005 | 978-4-8470-2895-3 | Photobook with Rika Ishikawa | |
| 2 | Sayumi Michishige Shashinshū "Dōkei" (道重さゆみ写真集「憧憬」) |
January 15, 2007 | 978-4-8470-2987-5 | Solo photobook | |
| 3 | 17: Love Hello! Sayumi Michishige (17～ラブハロ！道重さゆみ写真集～) |
June 30, 2007 | Kadokawa Shoten | 978-4-04-894495-3 | Solo photobook, shot in Guam |
| 4 | Sayumi Michishige Shashinshū "Sōsō" (道重さゆみ写真集「蒼蒼~そうそう~」) |
December 14, 2007 | Wani Books | 978-4-8470-4055-9 | Solo photobook |
| 5 | Sayumi Michishige Shashinshū "Love Letter" (道重さゆみ写真集「LOVE LETTER」) |
September 25, 2008 | ISBN 978-4-4121-1 | Solo photobook | |
| 6 | "Hatachi Shichigatsu Jūsannichi" (道重さゆみ写真集「20歳7月13日」) |
July 13, 2009 | 978-4-8470-4183-9 | Solo photobook, in Okinawa/Tokyo | |
| 7 | Sayumi Michishige Shashinshū "La" (道重さゆみ写真集『ラー』) |
April 26, 2010 | 978-4-8470-4269-0 | Solo photobook, shot in Guam [5][6] |
| # | Title | Release date | DVD information |
|---|---|---|---|
| – | Hello Hello! (ハロハロ!) | July 16, 2003 | DVD with Eri Kamei and Reina Tanaka |
| 1 | Love Hello! Michishige Sayumi DVD (ラブハロ！道重さゆみDVD) |
July 18, 2007 | First solo DVD, filmed in Hawaiʻi |
| 2 | 20’s time | July 22, 2009 | Second solo DVD, filmed in Okinawa |
| 3 | Homey | March, 2011 | Released as part of the e-Hello! lineup. |
| Show | Start date | End date | Station |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello! Morning (ハロー!モーニング。) | January 26, 2003 | April 1, 2007 | TV Tokyo Corporation |
| Sore Yuke! Gorokkies (それゆけ!ゴロッキーズ) | September 29, 2003 | December 26, 2003 | |
| M no Mokushiroku (Mの黙示録) | October 7, 2003 | September 9, 2004 | TV Asahi Corporation |
| Futarigoto (二人ゴト) | June 16, 2004 | June 25, 2004 | TV Tokyo Corporation |
| July 14, 2004 | July 22, 2004 | ||
| Majokko Rika-chan no Magical v-u-den (魔女っ娘。梨華ちゃんのマジカル美勇伝) |
October 21, 2004 | December 15, 2004 | |
| Musume Document 2005 (娘。ドキュメント2005) | January 5, 2005 | April 1, 2005 | |
| Musume Dokyu! (娘。DOKYU!) | April 5, 2005 | May 5, 2006 | |
| Haromoni@ (ハロモニ@ Haromoni) | April 8, 2007 | September 28, 2008 | |
| Yorosen! (よろセン!) | October 6, 2008 | March 27, 2009 | |
| Otona no Gakuryoku Kentei Special Shōgakkō Kyōkasho Quiz! (おとなの学力検定スペシャル小学校教科書クイズ!) |
January 3, 2009 | Nippon Television | |
| Bugroo!! (バグルー!!) | February 12, 2009 | Nagoya Broadcasting Network | |
| Otameshi ka! (お試しかっ!) | February 23, 2009 | March 9, 2009 | Asahi Corporation |
| Takatoshi no Soratobu Cherry Pie (タカトシの空飛ぶチェリーパイ) | March 10, 2009 | TV Tokyo Corporation | |
| Program | Start date | End date | Station |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | |||
| Hypernight: Michishige Sayumi Konya mo Usa-chan Peace (ハイパーナイト モーニング娘。道重さゆみの今夜も♥うさちゃんピース) |
October 5, 2006 | Ongoing | CBC Radio |
| MBS Young Town Dōyōbi (MBSヤングタウン土曜日) | June 9, 2007 | Ongoing | MBS Radio |
| Non-regular | |||
| TBC Fun Fīrudo Mōretsu Mōdasshu (TBC Funふぃーるど・モーレツモーダッシュ) |
May 2, 2005 | May 13, 2005 | TBC Radio |
| May 30, 2005 | June 10, 2005 | ||
| July 25, 2005 | August 5, 2005 | ||
| January 22, 2007 | February 2, 2007 | ||
| Hello Pro Yanen!! (ハロプロやねん!!) | February 27, 2004 | ABC Radio | |
| March 5, 2004 | |||
| June 10, 2005 | June 24, 2005 | ||
| December 16, 2005 | |||
| November 3, 2006 | |||
| November 10, 2006 | |||
| December 15, 2006 | |||
| Asa Made Hello Pro Yanen!! 2 (朝までハロプロやねん!2) | December 18, 2005 | ||
| Asa Made Hello Pro Yanen!! 4 (朝までハロプロやねん!4) | December 17, 2006 | ||
| B.B.L. | November 6, 2005 | November 13, 2005 | |
| Radio drama | |||
| Radio Drama: Drama no Kaze "Girl Driver" (ラジオドラマ ドラマの風「ガール☆ドライバー」) |
December 4, 2005 | MBS Radio | |
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