Introducing Yuko Nakazawa
Fans of Japanese pop music sensation Morning Musume have probably heard the name Yuko Nakazawa. I’ve heard about her for a long time and now I’m writing about her. This Japanese beauty has not only excelled at Japanese pop music. Most fans know about Nakazawa because she was a member of famous girl group Morning Musume but she has done so much more than be a pop singer for one of the most famous groups in the world.
The real beginning of Nakazawa’s descent into stardom actually began back in 1997 when she saw an advertisement for what was described as audition screenings being held in the city of Osaka. Nakazawa saw this as an opportunity for her to just go for it and pursue her dreams. Yuko Nakazawa began her solo career in 1998 becoming a regular member of Hello! Project’s folk song series by 2000. However, just two years earlier in 1998 her career took an interesting turn. The CEO of Hello! Project asked Yuko to go to the office with him because he gave her the chance to start working as an enka singer. Fans of Morning Musume will recall that she had passed a big audition in 1997 to qualify as a member of Morning Musume. Nakazawa not knowing how to react got the feeling that she was going to be yelled at privately. She reached the office to see the camera crew filming her as the mentioned CEO told her that they would let her make her debut as a solo enka singer. Nakazawa says that she was excited and elated at the same time as she heard this news the first time. Nakazawa reports that she became upset because she did not know what was going on at that time. Nakazawa usually doesn’t consult with her mother very much but this time, the 25 year old singer decided to ask her mother for an opinion. Nakazawa’s mother thinking that her daughter would not take advantage of the opportunity thought that Nakazawa was an idiot. Nakazawa told her manager and her manager’s response must have turned on some sort of competitive edge in the psyche and soul of Nakazawa who decided to debut as an enka singer anyway even though her manager thought that her mind wasn’t 100% made up. He thought that this singer should just quit. But Nakazawa decided instead to move forward with her plans. On December 2, 1998, she released a single with Gen Takayama, an enka singer associated with Up Front Agency. This single is called Odaiba Moonlight Serenade. On December 12, 1998, Yuko released her first solo album which has original songs and cover songs. It is called Nakazawa Yuko Dai Isshou. She has released many solo singles but my favorite solo single from her is called Junjou Koushinkyoku which she released in 1999.
In April 2005, she became a performer on the TV program called Tchunen. That’s an unusual name for a TV program but that’s just my opinion. I could say that 2010 was a milestone year for Yuko because she became a special guest for her former band Morning Musume in Paris, France. On July 2, 2010, there was an event called Japan Expo. A few months later in September 2010, Yuko joined a group called Afternoon Musume. This group also features some of the other members of Yuko’s current group Morning Musume OG. The group is also known as Dream Morning Musume.
A Brief Look at the career of Yuko Nakazawa
Yuko Nakazawa started making a name for herself in movies when she starred in the TV drama Beauty Seven in 2001. That appearance was followed by Gokusen in 2002 and Madam Mari in 2003. Then starting in 2004, Yuko played in a TV series called Central Ikegami Police. She played in seasons 3-5 which lasted through 2005. Yuko Nakazawa has also starred in a few movies.
They are:
- Tetsujin 28 Gou
- TWILIGHT File VIII: Fighting Okan (ファイティング オカン TWILIGHT FILE VIII)
- Koitani Bashi ~Vallée de l’amour~
- Atsuhime Number 1 (篤姫ナンバー1) (as Tae)
On June 19, 2008, Yuko Nakazawa turned 35. She is referred to sometimes as the Elder Stateswoman of H!P or Hello! Project. She is also considered to be like an older sister to many of the Morning Musume members. She is known by her nickname of Big Sis.
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Besides all that people know about Nakazawa as a fashion model and performer, she also has had to take English lessons. I won’t say that she was forced to take them but that it has been a very common tradition that pretty much all of the Morning Musume members (at least in the early 2000’s) were given English lessons by Ayaka Kimura. Kimura would basically ask them to read or to say a certain sentence in English. There is one video where Kimura is in a place that looks like an office building as she tries to get Nakazawa to say the phrase “Could you hurry please?” Nakazawa doesn’t understand what the word hurry means so Ayaka has to explain it to her. But nonetheless, these English lessons were a very interesting characteristic of those days for the members of Morning Musume.
It was in May 2020 that she joined Instagram. As of this writing, she has released three solo photo books. They are Feather (2001), Watashi ga Omou , Konna Onna (2002), and Camera Shy (2004).
Interesting Facts About the Oldest Member of Morning Musume
- Her habits include biting her tongue while asleep, stretching her top lip, and touching bangs.
- Says that she fears natural disasters and live broadcasts.
- She cannot handle seeing people cry.
- Her strength is that she is easily impassioned.
- Her biggest weakness is her short temper.
- Her favorite phrase is “survival of the fittest.”
- Her favorite color is purple.
- Her favorite flower is the cherry blossom.
- Her favorite season is summer.
- Her favorite foods are squid and white rice.
- Her most disliked foods are bananas, tomatoes, bean curd with miso soup and onions.
- Her favorite clothes are miniskirts. That is a great choice!
- Her favorite song is Tokyo Bijin.
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