Morning Musume '19 LOVE Audition

Morning Musume '19 LOVE Audition (モーニング娘. '19 LOVEオーディション) is the audition for 15th generation member(s) to join Morning Musume. It was announced on January 2, 2019 at Hello! Project 20th Anniversary!! Hello! Project 2019 WINTER ~YOU &amp; I~.

The audition is searching for girls who love Morning Musume and Hello! Project, love to sing and dance and are confident in singing and dancing, want to take advantage of their personal strengths and special skills, and want to find their "new self".

Audition Details

 * Application Requirements:
 * Female, living in Japan, enrolled in the fifth year of elementary school up to the second year of high school as of January 2, 2019.
 * Must not currently be under contract with any agencies.
 * Must have consent from legal guardian if under the age of 15.
 * Application Deadline: February 15, 2019
 * Total Applicants: TBA
 * Dance Instructor: TBA
 * Singing Instructor: TBA

First Round
The application deadline was on February 15, 2019 (at noon for web applications). On March 6, it was announced that application screening was completed and candidates who passed into the second round would receive their results in the mail.

Second Round
On April 10, it was announced on the audition website that the second round was finished and only continuing candidates would be contacted by mail.

Third Round
On May 17, it was announced that the third round was completed and mail was sent to candidates informing them of whether they would continue onto the next round or were rejected.

Results
During Morning Musume '19's release event for their 67th single "Jinsei Blues / Seishun Night" on June 11, 2019 at Ikebukuro Sunshine City Fountain Square, it was announced that the 15th generation would be revealed on June 22 at 5:00 PM JST in a YouTube live stream on Morning Musume's official channel, as well as on UP-FRONT LINK's Facebook page. Members commented that at this time they have not been told any information about the results such as how many would join or how old they are.

Due to a connection issue, the stream was delayed over 20 minutes past its scheduled start time. It was announced that broadcast for Facebook was cancelled and it could only be watched on YouTube. In the opening talk before the reveal, leader Fukumura Mizuki stated that she made home visits to the winners, and, after joking with the rest of the group, that there were three new members.

The winner(s) are:
 * Okamura Homare, 14, Tokyo
 * Kitagawa Rio, 15, Tokyo
 * Yamazaki Mei, 13, Hokkaido; selected from Hello Pro Kenshuusei Hokkaido

Trivia

 * The Hello Pro Kenshuusei and Hello Pro Kenshuusei Hokkaido members will have a separate audition which run parallel to the public audition.