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Kaori Iida (飯田圭織, Iida Kaori, born August 8, 1981) ^[1] is a Japanese singer and actress notably known as a founding member of the girl band Morning Musume. Though she is no longer part of the band, she is still affiliated with Hello! Project—Morning Musume's company—as a solo artist and a member of Morning Musume Tanjō 10nen Kinentai. She has also recorded with Morning Musume side projects Tanpopo and Morning Musume Otomegumi and for Hello! Project shuffle units.

Iida is known for her clumsy behavior (making her involve in some accidents) ^[2], frequent blank expressions (also known as "communicating with the aliens" among her fans), and her dreadful dancing skills. Though not gifted with the ability, she stood out of the other members and was known as the group's "Dancing Queen." ^[3] She also managed to compete in Japan's version of Dancing with the Stars but failed to win the competition.

Profile

• Blood type: A ^[1]
• Height: 1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) ^{[4] [5]}
• Weight: ^{[6] [7]}
• Body statistics: 33 in, 24 in, 35 in (B: 85 cm, W: 60 cm, H: 88 cm) ^{[6] [7]}
• Skills: Illustration, Jump rope (5th Rank), ^[6] guitar playing, and Shodō (6th Rank) ^[7]

Preferences

• Favorite animal: Horse ^[6]
• Favorite body parts: Eyes and hair ^{[6] [8]}
• Favorite colors: Red, light blue, and white
• Favorite words: Ai ( 愛, Love) and heiwa ( 平和, Peace) ^[9]
• Favorite musical acts: Seiko Matsuda, ^{[9] [10]} Namie Amuro, ^[8] Cocco, Kaguya Hime, Mr. Children, and Momoe Yamaguchi ^[6]
• Favorite season: Summer ^{[9] [11]}
• Favorite songs: "Natsu no Omoide" (夏の思い出) ^[11], " Morning Coffee" (モーニングコーヒー), " Do it! Now" ^[12]
• She owns a pair of eyeglasses but prefers using ( 1-Day Acuvue) contact lens. ^[9]
• She owns an orange iBook. ^{[6] [9]}

Interests

• She is a fan of Yomiuri Giants, a Japanese baseball team from Tokyo, like her father. ^[13]
• She has shown interest towards stage plays and was revealed as one of her dreams. During the "Morning Musume Field Trip Special" on Mecha-Mecha Iketeru!, ^[14] she was asked about what she wanted to do in a field trip. She responded that she would like to watch a play.
• She likes playing video games, especially when she has free time. ^[15]
• She expressed interest on aromatherapy, black tea, ^[16], and massages (starting at the hips down to the feet) ^[17], using them as relaxation techniques.

Early life

Kaori Iida was born in a maternity hospital at Muroran, Hokkaidō. She is the oldest of the two daughters of Hiroshi Iida (飯田豊) and Kei Fumiko Iida (飯田佳史子). ^{[18] [19]} Before becoming into a grade school student, her family decided to move to Sapporo, Hokkaidō—where she began her primary education at Sapporo Shiritsu Inazumi Public Elementary School, ^[19] even joining its choir club in the process. ^[8] She eventually went to Sapporo Shiritsu Inazumi Junior High School ^[19] and was promoted to Hokkaidō Sapporo Tōsei High School. She later transferred to Tokyo Toritsu Yoyogi High School ^[20] while fulfilling her duty as a new musician.

Musical career

When Iida was still in junior high, she decided to join the talent searches held on the show Asayan. In 1996, she joined "Komuro Gyaru Son" (コムロギャルソン), the first Asayan talent search produced by Tetsuya Komuro, reached the finals but did not win. ^{[13] [20]} On June 1997, she joined "Josei Rokku Vōkarisuto Ōdishon" (女性ロックヴォーカリストオーディション), another Asayan talent search produced by Sharan Q. ^[1] She became one of the finalists but did not won the coveted prize. ^[21]

As a Morning Musume member

After the competition, musician and producer Tsunku offered Iida and other four finalists ( Yuko Nakazawa, Aya Ishiguro, Natsumi Abe, and Asuka Fukuda) the chance to be taken under his wing on one condition: that is, to sell 50,000 copies of their song " Ai no Tane" in five days. ^[21] The quintet agreed on the deal and the group Morning Musume was formed on September 8, 1997 though unofficial. They started recording "Ai no Tane" on September 23 and was finished a month later. The single was first distributed on November 3 at Ōsaka and then on November 9 at Fukuoka, selling 16,610 and 9,004 copies respectively. ^[22] On November 23, they sold 14,853 copies at Sapporo. She was, however, hospitalized because the contact lens on her left eye broke, causing temporary blindness. Fortunately, she was able to come back before the beginning of the fourth day of the campaign at Nagoya—where they sold 9,533 copies. ^{[23] [24]} After four days of campaigning, the five girls accomplished their task, making Morning Musume an official girl group.

Morning Musume officially debuted on January 28, 1998 with the release of their single " Morning Coffee," ^[25] with Natsumi Abe serving as its main vocal. Iida was the original choice to lead this single instead of Abe, ^[26] but she still had a major vocal role in it. On its first week on the Oricon charts, it reached the 6th spot—selling 95,060 copies. ^{[27] [28]} After having only three single releases, the group managed to have a #1 single under their belt with the release of their third song, " Daite Hold on Me!." ^{[29] [30]} In this single, the phrase "Nee, Waratte" (ねえ、笑って) was featured and was represented by Iida. ^[31] The way she expressed the line in the song's promotional video led Utaban host, Takaaki Ishibashi, in imitating her. Whenever "Nee, Waratte" was played on Utaban episodes, he would make a scary, distorted face—supposedly resembling to the way Iida expressed the line on the music video. ^{[13] [32]} Aside from reaching the #1 spot, the third single gave the group awards and more fame. They won the "Saiyūshū Shinjin Shō" (最優秀新人賞, "Most Valuable Rookie of the Year" award) on the 40th Japan Record Award ^[33] and were invited to perform on the 49th Kōhaku Uta Gassen later that year.

Morning Musume's 1999 started with the announcement of Asuka Fukuda's departure from the group. ^[34] As a token of appreciation for being part of the Hello! Project family, producer Tsunku organized a concert to celebrate her departure. The farewell or graduation concert, better known as " sotsugyō" (卒業), eventually became a tradition in the group that would lead its other members to leave—including Iida. After Fukuda's graduation, another audition was held in Asayan and it resulted to the addition of Maki Goto. Afterwards, their producer started working with an Avex Trax talent named Dance Man and released their seventh single " Love Machine" on September 9. ^[35] The song became a success, reaching the #1 spot on the Oricon Charts for three consecutive weeks and selling over a million copies after thirty-one weeks. ^[36] Like their third single, it helped their fame to skyrocket, adding more awards, publicity, and fans in the process.

Morning Musume continued releasing singles in 2000 that had managed to reach the number one spot on the Oricon Charts. On the same year, the group's 4th generation members were chosen, added to the group, and assigned to the older members; Iida was chosen by the group's producer to train and educate Nozomi Tsuji. ^[37] Later on, their streak of #1 singles stopped when their eleventh single " Renai Revolution 21" was released on December 13. ^[38] On an even sadder note, it was also Yuko Nakazawa's last single, the leader of the group at that time. Her graduation concert took place at Ōsaka Castle Hall on April 15, 2001. Concurrently, the leadership role was passed down to Iida (as the leader) ^[1] and to Yasuda (as the sub-leader). ^[39] At that point, she continued her leadership on the group, even carrying this role when Morning Musume Otomegumi was formed in 2003.

As a Tanpopo member

On November 1998, Tsunku placed Iida, along with Aya Ishiguro and Mari Yaguchi, in the subgroup Tanpopo because of her voice. ^[40] The subgroup specialized in singing slower, more mature songs, but later sang songs analogous with those of Morning Musume. Their first official single, " Last Kiss," ^[41] was released on November 18, just few days after the group's formation. The song reached #2 on the Oricon charts, ^[42] selling 129,640 copies on its first week. ^[43] It was also used as an ending theme for the 1998 anime, Sorcerous Stabber Orphen. ^[44]

The group continued releasing songs that carried sexy and mature vibes with the releases of " Motto" and Tanpopo 1. ^[45] Shortly, the group issued tunes that were more refreshing and old-fashioned starting with their third single " Tanpopo". ^[46] After changing from singing one song style to another, the group faced an even bigger change with the graduation of Aya Ishiguro from Morning Musume—from Tanpopo as well—in early 2000. The two-membered subgroup kept performing their songs on shows and on concerts until it was reformed on June 2000.

Two new members were registered in the group; they were Rika Ishikawa and Ai Kago of Morning Musume's fourth generation members. ^[45] Also, the leadership role was established during the group's reformation—making Iida its leader due to her seniority among the members. ^[47] This new line-up released three more singles that all snagged spots within the Top 5 on the Oricon Singles Weekly Chart. They also released their second (and apparently their last) album All of Tanpopo in 2002, which contained " Tanpopo Grand Symphonic Version" that gave a way for ex-Tanpopo member Aya Ishiguro to reunite with the old and new members of Tanpopo.

In July 31, 2002, it was announced that Tanpopo would be revamped; therefore, Iida with Yaguchi and Kago graduated from the spin-off group. They graduated alongside with Maki Goto, who was graduating from Morning Musume and Pucchi Moni, on September 21 during the Morning Musume Love Is Alive! 2002 Natsu Concert at Yokohama Arena. On their final performance, they sang " Otome Pasta ni Kandō" and " Ōjisama to Yuki no Yoru" while their fans waved green-yellow glowsticks to express their gratitude and sadness to their graduation. ^[48]

As a Hello! Project soloist

Iida was still part of Morning Musume when she released her first album Osavurio ~Ai wa Matte Kurenai~ on April 23, 2003. ^[49] Later that year, she also released her second album on October 22. ^[50] Both albums contained famous European songs such as " The Girl from Ipanema," " La Vie en Rose," " Pull Marine," and " Les Champs-Elysées." On the same year, she did her first appearance as a solo artist on Kei Yasuda's graduation concert.

She will have her own first concert on June 3, 2007 at Kamakura Orindo Gallery Salon under the name "Shōnan Special Live 2007 ~Ajisai~ Vol.6" (湘南 Special Live 2007 ～あじさい～　Vol.6). ^[51]

Acting career

In 2007, Iida played her first major movie role outside Hello! Project films; she played as Guts Ishimatsu's daughter in the movie Gojūnotō.

[ Iida made a career even before she debuted to the public as a musician; she started off as a commercial model. At the age of 14, she participated in a commercial back at Sapporo, advertising a Sony alkaline battery. ^{[20] [52]} ]

Artistry

At a very young age, she aspired to be a musician someday. ^[11] To reach her dream, she started practicing in singing with the help of her toy microphone and, later, her family's Electone. She later joined her school's choir and glee club. These new experiences helped her feel more comfortable in singing live and in front of a large audience. She even exclaimed that it was one of her strengths in terms of singing. ^[8]

Voice

Dance

Illustration

In 2002 and 2003, Morning Musume opened an art show showcasing the illustrations drew by Iida.

Name and nicknames

Kaori Iida is better known as "Kaorin" to her colleagues and fans but also has other nicknames given by her closest friends. Rika Ishikawa calls her "Kao-tan"; Takaaki Ishibashi of Utaban calls her "Johnson," another famous nickname for her; and, Nozomi Tsuji calls her "Iirachan," due to her lisp pronunciation of Kaori's last name. ^[13]

"Johnson"

• Takaaki Ishibashi, one of the hosts of Utaban, gave Iida the nickname.
• On the February 16, 1999 episode of Utaban, its hosts asked Morning Musume's first group leader ( Yuko Nakazawa) if they could give them nicknames; it was because they were having a hard time memorizing their names. The nicknames were "Hirota" (for Ishiguro), "Yamada" (for Abe), "Shibata" (for Ichii), "Takada" (for Yaguchi), "Harimoto" (for Yasuda), " Ou" (for Fukuda), and " Johnson" (for Iida). The given names were those of Japanese baseball players.
• During the "Ring Show" segment of the 54th Kōhaku Uta Gassen, Nakai Masahiro (co-host of Ishibashi in Utaban) made a mistake by calling her "Jason," instead of "Johnson."
• She hated the nickname at first but eventually showed fondness on it. To display her affection for the name, she introduces herself with sentences such as "Hello, I'm Johnson" and "I'm Iida Kaori, the woman who is called Johnson."
• Upon Asami Konno's registration to Morning Musume, she has called her "Johnson." ^[13]

"Kaorin"

• On the September 10, 1998 episode of All Night Nippon, Iida told the radio hosts, "I'm Iida Kaori but you can call me 'Iida Kaorin'. Honestly, I prefer the name 'Kaoringo'. But since it's too long, just call me 'Kaorin'."
• According to her, the name "Kaoringo" exists in Japan but there is no verification yet.
• Her family's dog had a name of "Ringo," but she insists that its full name was "Kaoringo."
• "Kao" and "Kao-tan" are nicknames derived from "Kaorin." ^[13]

Other nicknames

• Riidaa (リーダー, Leader)
• Jōgi (定規, Ruler) – Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ
• Henshōchō (編集長, Editor-in-chief) – Tanpopo Henshūbu OH-SO-RO!
• DJ-MAX Iida (DJ-MAX飯田) – Tanpopo Henshūbu OH-SO-RO! ^[52]

Achievements and contributions

• Kaori Iida was the reason why Yuki Maeda was added to the Hello! Project family on 2000.
• She gave fellow Hello! Project artist Aya Matsuura the nickname "Ayaya." ^[53]
• The TBS show, Utaban, crowned her as "Miss Utaban." ^[4] She explained that her face appeared on many Utaban episodes—even though she was not part of those episodes—beating fellow Morning Musume member Kei Yasuda from the title. ^[54]
• She acknowledged the famous Love Machine curse during Utaban's " Kei Yasuda's Graduation Special" episode. ^[55]
• Her trademark as a Morning Musume member was her long hair. She cut it short not long after her graduation from the group on January 30, 2005. Since then, she let it grow out long again. ^[20]
• She participated in the fourth season of Japan's version of Dancing with the Stars named Shall We Dance?. She was eliminated in the second episode and thus finished fifth place out of the six celebrity players.
• Japan's Scholar Magazine (スコラマガジン) has been conducting an idol popularity poll among junior high and college students every year with the results classified in three categories: U-15 (idols who are under 15 years of age), U-20 (idols aged between 16 through 20), and U-25 (idols aged between 21 through 25). She has managed to rank in those polls: in 2006, #192 ^[56] and #224 in 2007—both under the U-25 category. ^[57]

Records within Hello! Project

• In line with Mari Yaguchi and Hitomi Yoshizawa, Iida is featured in 25 Morning Musume singles. In reality, however, she have 26 singles under her belt if " Ai no Tane" is counted. ^[20]
• She is the longest member of Morning Musume, lasting for 7 years, 4 months, and 22 days (from September 8, 1997 to January 30, 2005).
• She has the longest tenure as the leader of Morning Musume, lasting for 3 years, 9 months, and 15 days (from April 15, 2001 to January 30, 2005). She became the leader of the group after Nakazawa's graduation. ^[1]
• When she is still a member of Morning Musume, she is the tallest member with a height of 5 ft 6 in. ^[5] She was once the tallest member among other Hello! Project members, until Yurina Kumai surpassed her with a height of 5 ft 8 in (174.5 cm).
• She is the only Hello! Project member that was featured in a shuffle unit each year and was placed in the largest group each year, with the exception of 2005 and 2006. ^[58] In 2005, both groups of Puripuri Pink—the group she was in—and Elegies had four members and were the largest groups among the three units. In 2006, there were no summer shuffle units. ^[59]

Group affiliates

Kaori Iida became a member of and contributed to the following units within Hello! Project:

• Morning Musume (モーニング娘。) (1997–2005)
• Tanpopo (タンポポ) (1998–2002)
• Hello! Project shuffle units

• Aoiro 7 (青色7) (2000)
• 10nin Matsuri (10人祭) (2001)
• Odoru 11 (おどる♥11) (2002)
• 11WATER (2003)
• H.P. All Stars (H.P.オールスターズ) (2004)
• Puripuri Pink (プリプリピンク) (2005)

• Venus Mousse (ビーナスムース) (2002)
• Morning Musume Otomegumi (モーニング娘。おとめ組) (2003–2005)
• Morning Musume Tanjō 10 Nen Kinentai (モーニング娘。誕生10年記念隊) (2007)

Discography

The following CDs and DVD are released by Chichūkai Label, a label owned by Zetima Records. ^[60]

Albums

Singles

DVD

Other songs

Iida was featured in the singles and albums as a member of the girl group, Morning Musume ( discography). ^[69] She was also featured in the releases of subgroups, Tanpopo ^[70] and Morning Musume Otomegumi. ^[71] In some of the said groups' releases, there are songs in which she was featured as the main vocal or credited as a solo artist. ^[6]

• "Anata no Kami no Kaori" (あなたの髪の香り) is an Iida solo single released for Hello! Project fan club members only. Its coupling track is a message from her in which she talks about dreams and her treasure. It was released on February 2001 just after the addition of 4th generation members of Morning Musume. ^[72]
• "Kataomoi" (片想い) is the sixth song in Tanpopo's first studio album, Tanpopo 1. ^[73]
• " Seinaru Kane ga Hibiku Yoru featuring Iida" (聖なる鐘がひびく夜 featuring Iida) is the second track in Tanpopo's fourth single of the same name. Ishiguro and Yaguchi have also their own versions of the song and were featured as the third and fourth tracks, respectively. ^[74]
• "Wakanessho! (わかんねっしょ！) is the eighteenth song in Morning Musume's album for their first musical, Love Century -Yume wa Minakerya Hajimaranai-. ^[75] The duration of the song is only about a minute long.
• "Yume no Naka" (夢の中) is the fifth song in Morning Musume's first studio album, First Time. ^[76] She didn't sing the song entirely since Fukuda and Yasuda have solo lines in it. ^[77]

Appearances and activities

Kaori Iida appeared in many other shows during her association with Morning Musume. For these appearances, please see the Morning Musume appearances.

Dramas

Variety shows

Movies

Due to Iida's membership to Morning Musume, she was credited—not as herself—but as part of the group in the movies (in which she was featured) created between 1997 to 2005. ^[78] Gojūnotō is actually her first official movie outside Hello! Project and, for the first time, is credited as herself.

Radio shows

Concert

Aside from the concerts listed below, she has participated in many concerts as a member of Morning Musume and its side projects, and as a solo artist, especially in Hello! Project concerts.

Other activities

• In 2004, Kaori Iida helped Japanese Society for Disable Children by (contributing her ability to draw) making postcards. ^[13]
• In February 4, 2005, she (along with Tsunku and Mari Yaguchi) was at Kitakyūshū City supporting Takahiro Shibata, who was one of the city's mayor candidates. ^[79]

Publications

Photobooks

Kaori Iida has also released photobooks as part of the girl groups Morning Musume and Tanpopo.

Essays

Picture books

Notes and references

External links

• Hello! Project Official Website: Official profile, discography
• Up-Front Works Official Website: Discography
• Eugh jei/Johnson at IMDb