Berryz Koubou

Berryz Koubou (Berryz工房, literally "Berryz Workshop"; sometimes romanized as Berryz Kobo or Berryz Kōbō) is an all-girl J-pop group within Hello! Project. The original eight members are originally from Hello! Project Kids and often were back-up dancers for W (Double You)'s music videos. Prior to the band's formation, in such side projects as Aa! and ZYX, and in the Mini Moni movie Okashi na Daibōken and Natsuyaki Miyabi was in a small group called Sexy Otonajan.



History
They were first announced at a Hello! Project Club Event on January 14, 2004. Hello! Project promoted the band by releasing three singles within a month of each other, starting in March 2004 with "Anata Nashi de wa Ikite Yukenai". Their first album, 1st Chou Berryz, followed the trilogy of debut singles in July 2004.

In February 2007, Berryz Kobo made news headlines after it was announced that the group would be holding a concert at Saitama Super Arena on April 1. Not only were the tickets for the two performances sold out (a total of 20,000 seats) almost two months before the premiere, but the event also marked a historical record in that the band officially became the first to perform in the arena whose members average age did not exceed 14 years (thereby dethroning Morning Musume, whose average was 16.3).

Members

 * Shimizu Saki (C)
 * Tsugunaga Momoko
 * Tokunaga Chinami
 * Sudou Maasa
 * Natsuyaki Miyabi
 * Kumai Yurina
 * Sugaya Risako

Former Member

 * Ishimura Maiha (graduated 10.02.2005)

Photobooks

 * 2005-05-20 – 1st Shashinshū "Berryz Kobo" (1st写真集「Berryz工房」)
 * 2005-08-02 – "Seasonz" (「Seasonz」)
 * 2005-08-25 – "Marugoto" - Berryz Kobo First Live Photobook (「まるごと」)
 * 2005-12-02 – "Switch On" - Berryz Kobo Live Photobook (「スイッチON」)
 * 2006-07-05 – "Nyoki Nyoki Champion" - Berryz Kobo Live Photobook (「にょきにょきチャンピオン」)