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The story
Talent Miki Fujimoto updated her YouTube channel by September 5, sharing that she’s fine with younger generations not recognizing her as a former member of Morning Musume. Fujimoto made her solo debut in 2002 and appeared as the opening act at that year’s NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen before joining Morning Musume. Reactions on 5ch were split over just how popular she’d actually been as a solo artist before joining, and over how to read the circumstances that led to her joining the group.
Miki Fujimoto: OK with not being recognized as an ex-Morning Musume member — “I don’t have that kind of pride anymore”
Talent Miki Fujimoto updated her YouTube channel by the 5th, revealing how she’s perceived by younger generations.
Fujimoto is a former Morning Musume idol who also appeared solo on NHK’s Kohaku Uta Gassen, serving as the opening act.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Well, these days she's basically filling the role of the opinionated auntie on TV.
Since that's working out for her, she probably doesn't need to cling to the past.
Didn't that hurt her pride at all?
How did that even happen?
I heard she originally auditioned for Morning Musume and got rejected.
So maybe it was like a "you wanted in anyway, right?" move to give the group a boost?
From what I remember at the time, she had zero popularity as a solo artist.
Morning Musume was overwhelmingly more popular than her, come on.
and thought she was really good.
Even though she was already successful and established as a solo act?
What about Shoji's pride?
As for this generation of Hello! Project,
Yaguchi torched her own career and vanished too,
so surviving as an "auntie variety character" is honestly impressive.
She's doing well now and happy in her personal life, so of course she doesn't need pride from her past anymore.
"Romantic Ukare Mode" (Romantic Giddy Mode)
https://youtu.be/JSzISK4PNic?si=JAP5GeCnfvfD-GnB
"Nagai Nichiyoubi" (Long Sunday)
"Boyfriend"
That's what I remember from back then.
She was selling well as a solo act and was famous under her own name, Miki Fujimoto.
According to comedian Ryo Fukawa, that's because she's the reincarnation of Himiko (a legendary ancient shaman-queen).
Setting aside how racy the outfits were, the songs were actually good too.
She never got as popular as Aya Matsuura.
I'd say she was most well-known during her "Gomattou" days (her duo unit with Goto Maki).
The reason Miki Fujimoto (Mikitty) joined Morning Musume is that producer Tsunku suddenly told her she'd be brought in as a "spark plug" for the group. [1] (https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/202403040001198.html) Fujimoto debuted as a solo singer in 2002 and made her first appearance that same year on NHK's Kohaku Uta Gassen, but right after that Kohaku appearance, she was called into her agency's office, where Tsunku himself abruptly told her she'd be joining Morning Musume. At the time she had real pride in what she'd built as a solo artist, so the news came completely out of nowhere — she's since said in TV appearances and interviews that it "wasn't something she was happy about at all" and that "it was a situation where she couldn't say no." [1] (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AqceJTGxSFM)
Was that how it went?
I remember it more as: the main group lost its star member, so they brought in a popular solo act to fill the gap.
They went straight into marriage after that, so it didn't end up tarnishing her image much.
She wasn't doing that well after quitting idol work, but for about the past three years she's suddenly been getting called onto a ton of terrestrial-TV panel shows.
It feels more like a slot happened to open up and she slid right into it, rather than anything to do with her own effort.
She was in it for about 4 years — it was her time as leader that was short lol
Background and key points of this topic
Miki Fujimoto made her solo debut in 2002, appeared at that year’s Kohaku Uta Gassen, and then joined Morning Musume. Posts in the thread pointed out that she was told about joining right after her Kohaku appearance by producer Tsunku, and that she has said in later years it “wasn’t something she was happy about at all.” Opinions on just how popular she actually was as a solo artist before joining are split — some commenters say she was already an established name, others say she had zero popularity at the time — and the thread’s memories don’t line up on this point. Some also viewed her joining as a kind of “gap-filler” move made after a headline member had left the group, suggesting the story isn’t purely a feel-good one.
*This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary of the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] Miki Fujimoto: OK with not being recognized as an ex-Morning Musume member — “I don’t have that pride anymore,” “None of that ‘I used to be an idol, you know!’ attitude”.”
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