Assembled by manager and producer Tsunku, the Japanese girl group Morning Musume
(also referred to as Momusu) rose to fame in the late 90s with their
effervescent brand of upbeat J-pop. Born from the TV talent competition Asayan,
the group initially consisted of the show’s five runner-ups: Natsumi Abe, Yuko
Nakazawa, Kaori Iida, Asuka Fukuda, and Aya Ishiguro. Shortly after its
inception, the group was challenged to sell 50,000 copies of their demo single
“Ai no Tane,” a test they passed with flying colors in just four days. “Morning
Coffee,” their debut single, came out in 1998 ...