Kamei Eri (亀井絵里) was a member of the Japanese pop group Morning Musume. She joined in late 2003 as a sixth generation member along with Fujimoto Miki, Michishige Sayumi and Tanaka Reina. She graduated from the group on December 15, 2010 with Junjun and Linlin.
Kamei was selected from the Morning Musume Love Audition 2002 to join Morning Musume as a member of the sixth generation.
She first appeared on the single "Shabondama" and her first record was Morning Musume's sixth album, Ai no Dai 6 Kan.
2003
She was placed in Morning Musume Sakura Gumi in January 2003 and released two singles as a part of the group before it went inactive.
2004
Towards late 2004, Kamei is thought to have opened up after receiving her own segment on the Japanese variety show Hello! Morning, where she had been a regular since her debut. In the segment, known as "Eric Kamezō no Maido Arii!", she, along with her co-host Yuko Nakazawa, and most often several guests promote the latest products from the Hello! Project. In 2004, Kamei appeared in the 2004 Hello! Project shuffle units unit H.P. All Stars. She was also involved in Morning Musume Sakuragumi when Morning Musume was split into two groups.
2005
Her segment was removed from the show in the winter of 2005, but she still stars in the rest of the show as a regular.
Initially, Kamei struggled the most out of the sixth generation to create a presence for herself. She got her big break playing the role of field reporter Elizabeth Kyamei on the HelloPro News segment on Hello! Morning, showing her comedic side and breaking her out
of her shell. She has since tackled a number of comedic roles, with notable favorites like her parody of Yon-sama (Korean actor ). She even got her own corner on the revised HelloPro Hour corner as salesman Eric Kamezou in "Eric Kamezou no Maido Ari
2010
It was announced on August 8, 2010 that Eri would be graduating from Hello! Project along with 8th Gen members Junjun and Linlin. Tsunku announced this on his blog and at that day's Hello! Project Concert. He states that the reason was that she had a serious medical condition of the skin. A direct quote from him:
About the graduation of Eri Kamei, 6th generation member
Eri Kamei came to me several times regarding her health condition. One time, she said to me : "I would like to find the time to cure the atopic dermatitis that I'm suffering from".
Since the time she joined the Morning Musume'。', it looks like she was dealing with symptoms like itching and slight skin color changes. She took medication to calm the symptoms down and she also used make-up to cover it but during live concerts, there is a lot of sweat and many outfits to put on, which made her recovery very difficult.
Some may say it is "just a skin problem" but according to doctors, an external problem like skin problem may move to an internal level. It may as well have an impact on her spirit, her mental level. Also, for her, it is a serious thing so she decided to focus on her recovery instead of letting it continue.
Eri Kamei will graduate from the Morning Musume'。' ''and the Hello! Project on the last day of the Morning Musume'。'Autumn 2010 concert tour.
As for her activities after that, I intend to discuss with her after her full recovery.
Kamei's graduation was held on December 15, 2010.
She auditioned because she "wanted to change herself."
When she first joined, Kamei stated that she liked small tight spaces, even saying she liked packed trains.
Many fans credit her stint as Elizabeth Kyamei, and later, her drastic hairstyle change to a short cut, as the start of her image change into a bubbly, burikko type role.
Like Fujimoto Miki, she is infamous for her lack of drawing skill.
Kamei stated on the radio program "Young Town Douyoubi" (aired on 2006.06.17) that her father named her "Eri" after his favorite Southern All Stars song, "Itoshi no Ellie."
Usually wears perfume. When she was younger and wanted to try it out for the first time, she wasn’t sure what to pick so she went into her older brother’s room and tried out his.
She likes western clothing.
She is not a morning person.
She said she goes to sleep really fast after work, around 10:30.
In her first Yorosen episode as teacher, she stated that she had a tuna fetish.
Suffers from Dermatitis, which eventually lead to her graduation.
