Hello! Project Shuffle Unit

History/Background

Hello! Project Summer Shuffles was annual event in the Japanese idol group Hello!Project that started in 2000. The idea was to shuffle up the existing H!P groups and soloists (e.g. Morning Musume, Country Musume, Aya Matsuura, Melon Kinenbi, and others) into one of three groups for a season-long collaboration to see which shuffle group can sell the most singles.

Each year's shuffle have a common theme: 2000's shuffle group theme, for example, was color and the groups were Akagumi (red) 4, Kiiro (yellow) 5, and Aoiro (blue) 7. Despite the commonality in theme, each group tends to sing a different style song (details below). And interestingly, ex-Morning Musume members never participated in shuffles that follow their graduation, even if they stayed within Hello!Project.

Eventually, this became more of a tradition than a competition to outsell. As a matter of fact, in 2003 the 3 groups' songs were merged and sold as one single/mini-album.

The summer of 2004 had no summer shuffles, and it is not known whether this annual event will continue. However, in 2004 all 46 current H!P singers collaborated to sing the song "All for One & One for All".

Shuffle Years & Groups

2000: The Color Groups

Winner: Akagumi 4
B-side song: "Hello! no Theme" - a pop song
Notes: Due to disbanding of T&C Bomber and graduation of some members shortly following the shuffle releases, 4th generation Morning Musume members Rika Ishikawa, Hitomi Yoshizawa, Ai Kago, and Nozomi Tsuji (as well as soloist Yuki Maeda) filled in as alternates during concerts and performances.

Akagumi 4

Members: Yuko Nakazawa and Maki Goto from Morning Musume, Danielle Delaunay from Coconuts Musume, and Shinoda Miho from T&C Bomber
Lead Singer: Maki Goto
Song & Style: "Akai Nikkichou" (Red Diary) - a pop ballad
Notes: Danielle, who is from Hawaii and knows very limited Japanese, was given very little lines in the song itself but did an English monologue intro.

Kiiro 5

Members: Natsumi Abe and Kei Yasuda from Morning Musume, Ayaka Kimura from Coconuts Musume, Ruru Honda from T&C Bomber, and soloist Michiyo Heike
Lead Singer: Michiyo Heike
Song & Style: "Kiiro Osora de BOOM BOOM BOOM" (Boom Boom Boom in the Yellow Sky) - an upbeat pop song
Notes: After T&C Bomber disbanded, Ruru went to China, her homeland, and pursued a solo singing career.

Aoiro 7

Members: Sayaka Ichii, Kaori Iida, and Mari Yaguchi from Morning Musume, Mika Todd and Lehua Sandbo from Coconuts Musume, Miwa Komamoto and Atsuko Inaba from T&C Bomber
Lead Singers: Miwa Komamoto and Sayaka Ichii
Song & Style: "Aoi Sports Car no Otoko" (The Man in the Blue Sports Car) - a girl punk-rock song
Notes: Atsuko Inaba stayed in Hello!Project after T&C Bomber disbanded, and thus didn't need a replacement member in this group (she later went on to sing various H!P compilations and emcee concerts).

2001: Party Groups

Winner: 3-nin Matsuri (3-person festival)
B-side song: "Hello! Matakai Aou Ne" - a campfire song

3-nin Matsuri

Members: Rika Ishikawa and Ai Kago from Morning Musume, soloist Aya Matsuura
Lead Singer: none
Song & Style: "Chu! Natsu Par~ty" (Kiss Summer Party) - a hyper and cute pop song

7-nin Matsuri

Members: Mari Yaguchi and Maki Goto from Morning Musume, Ayaka Kimura and Lehua Sandbo from Coconuts Musume, Asami Kimura from Country Musume, Ayumi Shibata from Melon Kinenbi, and soloist Michiyo Heike
Lead Singer: Mari Yaguchi and Maki Goto
Song & Style: "Summer Reggae Rainbow" - a reggae-style pop song, with members sporting fake dreadlocks.

10-nin Matsuri

Members: Natsumi Abe, Kaori Iida, Kei Yasuda, Hitomi Yoshizawa, and Nozomi Tsuji from Morning Musume, Megumi Murata, Masae Ootani, and Hitomi Saito from Melon Kinenbi, Rinne Toda from Country Musume, and Mika Todd from Coconuts Musume
Lead Singer: Natsumi Abe and Nozomi Tsuji
Song & Style: "Dancing! Natsu Matsuri" (Dancing! Summer Festival) - a pop take on a traditional matsuri songs, with members beating on drums during their dance routines.

2002: Happiness Groups

Winner: Sexy 8
B-side song: "Yoku Aru Oyako no Serenade" (Parent and Child's Serenade) - a ballad

Happy 7

Members: Ai Kago, Makoto Ogawa, Risa Niigaki, and Ai Takahashi from Morning Musume, Mika Todd from Coconuts Musume, Asami Kimura from Country Musume, and Hitomi Saito from Melon Kinenbi
Lead Singers: Ai Kago, Makoto Ogawa, and Ai Takahashi
Song & Style: "Shiawase Beam! Suki Suki Beam!" (Happy Beam! Love Love Beam!) - a hyper cutesy pop song

Sexy 8

Members: Mari Yaguchi, Maki Goto, Hitomi Yoshizawa, and Rika Ishikawa from Morning Musume, Ayaka Kimura from Coconuts Musume, Mai Satoda from Country Musume, Masae Ootani from Melon Kinenbi, soloist Michiyo Heike
Lead Singers: Maki Goto and Rika Ishikawa
Song & Style: "Shiawase Desu Ka?" (Are You Happy?) - an R&B style song with a rap interlude

Odoru 11

Members: Natsumi Abe, Kaori Iida, Kei Yasuda, Nozomi Tsuji, Asami Konno from Morning Musume, Rinne Toda from Country Musume, Megumi Murata and Ayumi Shibata from Melon Kinenbi, and soloists Aya Matsuura, Rika Ishii, and Miki Fujimoto
Lead Singers: Natsumi Abe, Ayumi Shibata, and Nozomi Tsuji
Song & Style: "Shiawase Kyouryuu Ondo" (Happy Dinosaur March) - a pop take on a traditional Ondo style song.

2003: Elemental Groups

Winner: none... all 3 songs released on the same maxi-single/mini-album, so the sales for all 3 groups are the same.
B-side: "Oh! Be My Friend" - a chorusy pop song that all 3 groups sung together

Salt 5

Members: Natsumi Abe, Ai Kago, and Makoto Ogawa from Morning Musume, soloists Aya Matsuura and Yuki Maeda
Lead Singers: Natsumi Abe, Aya Matsuura, and Ai Kago
Song & Style: "Get Up! Rapper" - a serious-toned rap with somewhat silly lyrics (e.g. one part involving banana chips)

7 Air

Members: Rika Ishikawa, Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki from Morning Musume, Mika Todd from Coconuts Musume, Masae Ootani from Melon Kinenbi, Mai Satoda from Country Musume, and soloist Atsuko Inaba
Lead Singers: Rika Ishikawa and Ai Takahashi
Song & Style: "Kowarenai Ai Ga Hoshi Ino" (I Want An Unbreakable Love) - an R&B style song with Rika, Ai, Mai, and Masae doing the singing while Atsuko, Risa, and Mika do the raps.

11 Water

Members: Kaori Iida, Mari Yaguchi, Nozomi Tsuji, Hitomi Yoshizawa, Asami Konno and Miki Fujimoto from Morning Musume, Ayaka Kimura from Coconuts Musume, Asami Kimura from Country Musume, Megumi Murata, Hitomi Saito, and Ayumi Shibata from Melon Kinenbi
Lead Singers: Mari Yaguchi, Miki Fujimoto, and Nozomi Tsuji
Song & Style: "Be All Right!" - a Ska-style Pop song.