Quick Facts about Natsumi Abe
- Country of birth: Japan
- Height is 152 centimeters
- Blood type is A
- Date of birth: August 10, 1981
- Is signed to the talent agency Up Front
Abe became involved with Morning Musume upon its start in 1997 and remained a part of the group until 2004 when she “graduated” from the group and departed to pursue a solo singing career. At this moment in her career, Abe has released two full length albums. In February 2004, she released her debut album Hitoribocchi. In March 2006, she released her second album called Shimiwataru Omoi. The following year, she released a mini album called Vingt Cinq. At the end of 2008, Abe released what you could call a greatest hits album. This one is called Abe Natsumi Best Selection. Natsumi Abe enjoys looking at different kinds of fashions, cooking, and poetry. Abe has released several concert DVDs. Her debut concert release was in 2004 when she was still a member of Morning Musume. This one is titled Abe Natsumi First Concert Tour 2004.
She has also released several photo books. The list of Abe’s photo book releases are:
- Nacchi (1999)
- Natsumi (2001)
- Deai (2004)
- Fu (2005)
- Alo! Hello! Abe Natsumi (2005)
- Ecru (2006)
- sCene (2007)
- Cam On (2007)
- End of Summer (2008)
- Natsu-mi (2010)
- Subway (2012)
- Fin no Hito (2015)
Interesting Facts about Natsumi Abe
- Attended high school on the island of Hokkaido. For those of you that may not be aware, Japan consists of several islands.
- She has several nicknames such as Nachimi, Natsuan, and Nacchio.
- Natsumi Abe got her name from a Japanese TV drama in 1979 called Chotto My Way. The main character in that drama was Asai Natsumi and Natsumi’s mother decided to name her after that character.
- Natsumi says that her greatest motivation to become a singer occurred in her middle school years when she suffered through depression due to being bullied.
- Has a younger sister Asami Abe who started her music career in 2003.
- Natsumi Abe was originally not the lead singer for Morning Musume’s first single called Morning Coffee. But she was given that role.
- In addition to her singing career, Natsumi Abe has acted in a few movies. Her first movie role came in 1998 in Morning Cop.
- Two years later in 2000, Abe starred in the movie Pinch Runner.
- That appearance was followed by a role in the movie Tokkaekko in 2003.
- In 2012, she played in the movie called Arakawa Under the Bridge.
- Natsumi Abe has also made appearances on radio shows such as Super Morning Rider, Airmori, Five Stars, and Friday Night Meeting.
- Natsumi Abe has also starred in several TV shows. Some of them are:
Nurseman (2002)
Last Present (2003)
Prison Girl (2006)
The Hit Parade (2006)
Ataru (2012)
In 2003, Abe collaborated with Keiko Yosumi in what was referred to as a “mother and daughter duo” and released a single as part of her preparation for a solo singing career. The single is called Haha to Musume No Duet Song. On January 16, 2008, Abe worked with Maimi Yajima of the idol group called C-ute and the two girls released a single called 16sai no Koi Nante. Natsumi Abe’s debut solo single is called 22sai no Watashi and that was released in August 2003. Abe has also released two solo albums, Hitoribocchi in 2004 and 2nd Shimiwataru Omoi in 2006.
Natsumi Abe has been a member of many Hello! Project shuffle units or groups that were formed and lasted only a brief time. The first of these that she took part in is called Kiiro 5 and that group had Kei Yasuda as a member also. They released one single called Boom Boom Boom in the Yellow Sky. In 2001, she joined the unit called 10nin Matsuri. This unit had several members of Morning Musume including Yasuda, Nozomi Tsuji, and Hitomi Yoshizawa. This group also released one single and it is called Dancing! Natsu Matsuri. In 2002, she was a part of the unit called Odoru 11 and this one featured solo singer Aya Matsuura. Matsuura and Abe would team up again in 2004 when the two girls were in the group called Nochiura Natsumi with Maki Goto. This group released the single called Love Squadron Ranger. Morning Musume Sakuragumi was formed in 2003 and it was one of two units or groups that Morning Musume was split up into. The reason for this was so that these girls could perform in venues that were smaller. Morning Musume Sakuragumi had eight members of Morning Musume including Risa Niigaki, Ai Takahashi, Ai Kago, Asami Konno, Mari Yaguchi and Eri Kamei. Abe would pair up once again with Maki Goto, Aya Matsuura and Rika Ishikawa in the unit called DEF.DIVA. The group released a single called “Sugi Sugite Baka Mitai” and this single reached #1 on the Japanese musical charts but for a period of time had the record for the lowest selling #1 single. Natsumi Abe is from Hokkaido and she is probably my favorite of the original Morning Musume girls. On December 31, 2015, Abe announced her marriage to actor Ikusaburou Yamazaki. in the unit called DEF.DIVA. The group released a single called “Sugi Sugite Baka Mitai” and this single reached #1 on the Japanese musical charts but for a period of time had the record for the lowest selling #1 single. On December 31, 2015, Abe announced her marriage to actor Ikusaburou Yamazaki. They have two sons.
For all her successes in the music industry, Natsumi Abe has gone through challenges in her life. In October of 2007, she was involved in an auto accident when her car collided with a motorcyclist in the Shibuya section of Tokyo. That person suffered some minor injuries but Abe escaped unhurt. She had only received her driver’s license in July of that year.
Her favorite words are freedom, life, love, and heart. Her favorite colors are blue, pink, and other sparkling colors. She says her favorite season is autumn. Natsumi Abe likes sushi but she dislikes cilantro, pickles, and the famous spicy wasabi sauce. Her favorite flowers include sunflowers and cherry blossoms.
Abe took her musical skills one step further. She has released a video for her song called Hikari e. Hikari e is one of the songs that is on her new album called “Hikari e Classical & Crossover” and it was released on October 22, 2014. The video was included in the album’s limited-edition DVD. Why am I writing and reporting about this? Because it is an exciting story that has only positive results. The song features the use of a pipe organ when Abe is singing. Abe, who is now 41, released her first self-cover album called Smile on August 13, 2014. That album has 10 songs that were re-recorded and rearranged to show a history of Abe’s career. But before we end this post, here are a few amazing pics taken earlier in Natsumi’s career:
