Country Musume

:For more details about Country Musume's revival group, please see Country Girls.
Country Musume (カントリー娘。) was a former all-female J-pop group within Hello! Project. The group, which debuted in 1999, was known for its concept of being a group of country girls from Hokkaido. The group's activities lessened when Satoda Mai became the sole member in 2007, and nearly ceased with the Elder Club's graduation from Hello! Project in 2009.
In 2014, an audition in search for a new line-up was announced, but no new members were chosen in the end. On November 5, 2014, the group was revived as Country Girls with six new members and Satoda Mai as their supervisor."『カントリー娘。』改め『カントリー・ガールズ』について" (in Japanese). Hello! Project. 2014-11-05. (archived) 
Country Musume's highest selling single is "Hajimete no Happy Birthday!" with 142,340 copies sold, while their lowest selling single is "Shining Itoshiki Anata" with 16,450 copies sold.
==Members==
===Members at Time of Graduation from Hello! Project===
*Satoda Mai (里田まい) (Joined January 2, 2002)
===Former Members===
*Azusa (あずさ) (Founding Member; Left July 31, 1999; Leader 1999)
*Hiromi (ひろみ) (Founding Member; Deceased July 16, 1999)
*Rinne (りんね) (Founding Member; Graduated October 13, 2002; Leader 2000-2002)
*Asami (あさみ) (Joined May 1, 2000; Graduated January 28, 2007; Leader 2002-2007)
*Miuna (みうな) (Joined April 27, 2003; Graduated January 28, 2007)
===Borrowed Members from Morning Musume===
*Ishikawa Rika (石川梨華) (Borrowed 2000-2002)
*Konno Asami (紺野あさ美) (Borrowed 2003-2005)
*Fujimoto Miki (藤本美貴) (Borrowed 2003-2005)
==History==
===1999: Formation as Country Musume===
Country Musume was created by , a Japanese celebrity who is famous for his strong Aomori dialect and his love for farming. According to an interview, Tanaka had thought: “If Tsunku can produce Morning Musume, I will go head-to-head with my own version of an idol group, Country Musume.” Although the idea may seemed a bit outrageous, it was a logical move for Tanaka, a nature and farming lover, to create an idol group who can live the principle of “half-farming, half-entertainment industry” by actually working and living at a farm.
Auditions started in March, and 1,230 candidates had signed up. The audition process was televised on "Idol wo Sagase", and nine finalists were selected. Out of those nine, three winners were chosen: Hiromi (from Chiba), Azusa (from Tokyo) and Rinne (from Hokkaido). The four-week-long audition cycle included not only voice and dance lessons, but a physical challenge: working on Hanabatake Farm in southern Hokkaido. The purpose of the physical challenge was to determine how responsible the girls were and how well they worked as a team to fit the image of country girls from Hokkaido, as the auditions were open to girls from all of Japan, not just Hokkaido.
While working at the farm, the girls were given charge of different aspects of farm life; Hiromi was put in charge of specifically cultivated agricultural products, Rinne of raising and training animals, and Azusa of dairy farming (milking cows and making cheese). Azusa, as the oldest member, was given the title as leader of the group.
On May 9, they held their first performance at Hanabatake Farm singing Morning Musume's "Morning Coffee".
After working on their first indie single, they were able to successfully record and complete the single and a promotional video. However, tragedy struck the group soon after their work seemed to be finished. On July 16th, 1999, Hiromi died in an automobile accident, just days before their first single was set for release. Her family was given the decision to whether Country Musume should continue their work and release their single as scheduled, and they approved.
The girls made their indies debut (as planned), and on July 23rd they released their single, only for sale in the Hokkaido region. The plans for Country Musume was to continue as a duo.
At an event tour taking place in Kaminokuni, Hokkaido and Tokyo in the month following the single release, Azusa was undergoing medical treatment and was absent, so Rinne stood alone on stage. She was supported by Morning Musume on the back chorus.Nikkan Sports : p. 27. (August 5, 1999) Idol wo Sagase Book (2002). HKBN-50004.
Just a month after the release of their debut single, Azusa decided to leave the group due to psychological stress.
After a two-month hiatus, Rinne started performing as a solo act using the Country Musume name. She released the indie single Yukigeshiki, also considered an indies release only sold in the Hokkaido region. Rinne said about this single: "'Yukigeshiki' gave me extra energy I needed to continue this career.I was able to take a break, to step aside and look back, and thought I was glad to make all these efforts."
===2000: Ishikawa Rika joins===
Six months later, in April, Rinne released Country Musume’s third indie single, Hokkaido Shalala, her second single as the sole member of the group. This was also only sold in the Hokkaido region. Subsequent Auditions for additional members started in March of 2000 (a month before the release of "Hokkaido Sha La La"), but this audition was unsuccessful as no one passed the audition. The third audition was held in May, and Asami was the only one to pass. She was an employee at Hanabatake Farm (the farm Rinne lived and worked at, which was owned and operated by the group’s producer), and was recommended by others to take part in the audition. She also impressed Rinne during a dog sled race competition.
In May, Asami was added to the group, Rinne became the leader and the duo released one more indie single. It was featured as part of the soundtrack for the movie "Country Girl Hokkaido Bokujo Monogatari" starring Country Musume and T&C Bomber.
A fourth audition was held in August, but no one passed this audition either.
On August 29, Country Musume participated in the Yunotsu LOVE² Oosawagi Hello! Project 2000 event.
The fifth audition, held in December, was also unsuccessful.
By the end of the year, producer Tanaka decided to give Tsunku the producer’s position of the group, due to his difficulty in finding more members to join Rinne and Asami. According to Tsunku, he thought it would be a great experience for the girls (in Morning Musume) to have more exposures in different units, so he accepted the offer with pleasure. He decided to choose from the newer members, and his choice fell instinctively (according to himself) on Ishikawa Rika. He also changed the name of the group to Country Musume ni Ishikawa Rika (Morning Musume).
===2001: Major Debut===
Their popularity rose when Morning Musume's Ishikawa Rika, who is from Kanagawa, was lent into the group in April. Country Musume had their major debut in Japan with the release of "Hajimete no Happy Birthday!". The trio released two more singles and an album.
A sixth audition was held in the fall of 2001, and one girl passed the audition: Satoda Mai (who had also auditioned for the 4th and 5th generation auditions for Morning Musume). All of these auditions were aired on Idol wo Sagase and Hello! Morning.
In December, Country Musume released their first album, Country Musume Daizenshuu ①.
===2002===
The quartet released one single before Rinne, the only remaining original member, bid farewell on October 13th to pursue a career within UP-FRONT AGENCY as a stage actress, leaving Asami to become the new leader of the group. Afterwards, Asami, Ishikawa Rika, and Satoda Mai released one more single.
===2003===
On April 27, Country Musume had a major shift in its roster. Miuna, who is from Shizuoka, was recruited into the group. The group featured Morning Musume members and Hokkaido natives Konno Asami and Fujimoto Miki, replacing Ishikawa Rika. Under this new formation, named Country Musume ni Konno to Fujimoto (Morning Musume), the quintet released three singles.
===2004-2005===
In 2004, Country Musume participated on the fifth edition of Hello! Project's Folk Songs series, FS5 Sotsugyou, which various Hello! Project artists sang covers of Japanese and Western folk songs.
In 2005, Country Musume performed in the Hello! Project 2005 Winter ~A HAPPY NEW POWER!~ concert tour as a part of Hello! Project Akagumi. Country Musume also toured with v-u-den and Inaba Atsuko. That same year, Konno Asami and Fujimoto Miki concluded activities with the group after the Morning Musume Concert Tour 2005 Haru ~Dai 6kan Hit Mankai!~.
===2006-2007===
On November 25th, 2006, it was announced that Asami and Miuna would be graduating from Country Musume and Hello! Project together on January 28, 2007, at the final performance of Hello! Project 2007 Winter ~Shuuketsu! 10th Anniversary~.http://www.helloproject.com/newslist/cuntry_0611250100.html Since Konno and Fujimoto had also graduated from Morning Musume, they were no longer “loaned” to Country Musume. Thus, Satoda Mai became the only member, and continued to work under the Country Musume name. This was the second time that Country Musume consisted of only one member.
===2009: Graduation===
In 2009, Satoda Mai graduated from Hello! Project alongside the Elder Club. After graduating, Satoda continued to be the only member of Country Musume under .
===2013===
On October 1, the group was transferred from to .
===2014: Revival as Country Girls===
On January 2, Tsunku revealed that he was considering restarting Country Musume. 
On February 11, through a VTR message, Satoda Mai announced the Country Musume Shin Member Audition during the Hello! Project 2014 WINTER tour. However, Satoda would not participate in the group's activities for the possible new line-up, as she then resided outside of Japan.
On August 7, it was announced that the auditions had ended and no new members were chosen.
On November 5, it was announced that Country Musume was revived as a brand new group called Country Girls with five new members: Inaba Manaka and Yamaki Risa from Hello Pro Kenshuusei and Morito Chisaki, Shimamura Uta and Ozeki Mai from the Morning Musume '14 (Golden) Audition!."カントリー娘。「カントリー・ガールズ」に改名で再始動！ “ももち”も加入" (in Japanese). AliveM.net. 2014-11-05. Satoda Mai would be the group's general manager/supervisor. Tsugunaga Momoko would also become a member of the group as the playing manager after her group Berryz Koubou would go on indefinite hiatus in early 2015.Satoda Mai (Translator: Skoban). "A report！ (Satoda Mai)." Blog!Project. 2014-11-05. 
Country Girls rejoined Hello! Project as a brand new group under . With Satoda Mai moving from Country Musume into a position as a supervisor for Country Girls, Country Musume effectively disbanded.
==Discography==
==Publications==
==Works==
==Trivia==
*Yanagihara Hiromi sang "Haru ~Spring~" by Hysteric Blue as her audition song in the second round.
*Out of the members of Country Musume, only Rinne, Asami, and Satoda Mai were from the Hokkaido prefecture.
*All members of Country Musume were referred to only by their given name, which acted as their stage name. The only reason why Satoda Mai used her full name was because Tsunku said it sounded better with "Rinne, Asami, Satoda Mai" (the members at the time when Satoda joined).りんね、あさみ、里田の3名が在籍していた当時、里田だけがフルネームだった理由は、つんく♂が「りんね、あさみ、里田まい」の方が語呂が良い、と言った事による。
あさみ、里田まい、みうな及び歴代サポートメンバーである石川梨華、藤本美貴、紺野あさ美の全員がハロー!プロジェクトのフットサルチーム「Gatas Brilhantes H.P.」の選手だった。
*Country Musume was the only group to have been reduced to just one member on multiple separate occasions: the first was when Rinne became the only member from 1999 to 2000, the second was when Satoda Mai became the only member from 2007 to 2014.
**The only other group to have been reduced to just one member is Coconuts Musume.
*From March 31, 2009 to November 4, 2014, Country Musume was not an active part of Hello! Project. 
*Azusa, Hiromi, Rinne, and Asami were the only members of Country Musume to not have failed a Morning Musume audition.
*Satoda Mai hoped that Country Girls would expand into the United States."里田まいの“采配”は吉と出るか凶と出るか？" (in Japanese). Tokyo Sports Web. 2014-11-06.
*Half of the full members were a leader of Country Musume at one point during the group's active period.
==Total Sales Count==
Year 	Year Sales	Total Sales
1999-2008	451,232 	451,232
==References==
==External Links==
*Wikipedia: , , German, French, Korean, Malay, Dutch (Country Musume ni Konno to Fujimoto), Romanian, Chinese
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Category:Country Musume
Category:1999 Units
Category:2009 Departures
Category:POTATO
Category:SPREE RECORD
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Category:Up-Front Agency
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Category:4th Generation Morning Musume
Category:5th Generation Morning Musume
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Category:Hello! Project Akagumi
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