Anyone who feels that there’s not enough Hello! Project in their lives might want to look at popping over to Paris this July when °C-ute are due to hold their first live event outside of Japan.
The five-member outfit are a post-Hello! Project Kids venture that formed in 2005 and who made their major label debut in 2007 – the same year that they won the Japan Record Award for Best New Artist. °C-ute are also no slouch in the charts department either with their singles regularly hitting the top ten slot of the Oricon singles chart.
Some controversy arrived in 2008 when °C-ute were accused of disrespecting Hitler on a TV variety show. In an incredibly well-thought out idea (which had now way of backfiring at all), the TV show had the °C-ute members acting out a classroom scene in which the subject of Hitler was used for comic relief. The girls swiftly apologised following criticism after the show was broadcast (luckily, Hitler also agreed not to press charges).
The current line-up of °C-ute features Maimi Yajima, Saki Nakajima, Suzuki Airi, Chisato Okai and Mai Hagiwara. Production and songwriting duties are handled by Hello! Project’s super-talented Tsunku.
In 2012, °C-ute released a collaboration CD with Berryz Kobo. Chō Happy Song was notable for being a mix of °C-ute’s previous song Shiawase no Tochū and Berryz Kobo’s Because Happiness. Tsunku had composed both songs so that they would deliberately create a third song if played simultaneously (Let’s see someone like Radiohead do something half as clever).
On the 3rd April this year °C-ute held a special release event for their latest single release Crazy Kanzen na Otona. Following the performance, Tsunku made an announcement that °C-ute would be staging a live concert at the prestigious Nippon Budokan in September. But the biggest surprise was for UK and European fans when it was announced that °C-ute would also be doing a special event at the La Cigale venue in Paris, France on 5th July. The French event, titled ‘°C-ute Cutie Circuit ～Voyage a Paris’, will also mark their event debut outside of Japan.
Tickets for the Paris event will be on sale from 8th April.
www.helloproject.com/c-ute
www.lacigale.fr/en/spectacle/c-ute
Text by Paul Browne
6th April 2013