H!P Summer Shuffles

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History/Background

Hello! Project Summer Shuffles (シャッフルユニット) is an annual event in the Japanese idol group, Hello! Project that started in 2000. The idea was to shuffle up the existing H!P groups and soloists (e.g. Morning Musume, Country Musume, Aya Matsuura, Melon Kinenbi, and others) into one of three groups for a season-long collaboration to see which shuffle group can sell the most singles.

Each year's shuffle has a common theme: 2000's shuffle group theme, for example, was color and the groups were Akagumi (red) 4, Kiiro (yellow) 5, and Aoiro (blue) 7. Despite the commonality in theme and same B-side song, each group tends to sing a different style A-side song (details below).

Eventually, this became more of a tradition than a competition to outsell; in 2003 the 3 groups' songs were merged and sold as one single/mini-album.

The summer of 2004 had no summer shuffles, instead all 46 current H!P singers collaborated to sing the song "All for One & One for All".

The three summer shuffles continued in 2005 with Sexy Otonajan (セクシーオトナジャン), Puri Puri Pink (プリプリピンク), and Elegies (エレジーズ). Unlike previous years, the majority of Hello! Project did not participate in 2005's shuffles (each of the three groups had 3 or 4 singers.) The 2005 Summer Shuffles were also the first ones that ex-Morning Musume members participated in.

Shuffle Years & Groups

2000: The Color Groups

Winner: Akagumi 4
B-side song: "Hello! no Theme" - a pop song
Notes: Due to disbanding of T&C Bomber and graduation of some members shortly following the shuffle releases, 4th generation Morning Musume members Rika Ishikawa, Hitomi Yoshizawa, Ai Kago, and Nozomi Tsuji (as well as soloist Yuki Maeda) filled in as alternates during concerts and performances.

Akagumi 4

Members: Yuko Nakazawa and Maki Goto from Morning Musume, Danielle Delaunay from Coconuts Musume, and Shinoda Miho from T&C Bomber
Lead Singer: Maki Goto
Song & Style: "Akai Nikkichou" (Red Diary) - a pop ballad
Notes: Danielle, who is from Hawaii and knows very limited Japanese, was given very little lines in the song itself but did an English monologue intro.

Kiiro 5

Members: Natsumi Abe and Kei Yasuda from Morning Musume, Ayaka Kimura from Coconuts Musume, Ruru Honda from T&C Bomber, and soloist Michiyo Heike
Lead Singer: Michiyo Heike
Song & Style: "Kiiro Osora de BOOM BOOM BOOM" (Boom Boom Boom in the Yellow Sky) - an upbeat pop song
Notes: After T&C Bomber disbanded, Ruru went to China, her homeland, and pursued a solo singing career.

Aoiro 7

Members: Sayaka Ichii, Kaori Iida, and Mari Yaguchi from Morning Musume, Mika Todd and Lehua Sandbo from Coconuts Musume, Miwa Komamoto and Atsuko Inaba from T&C Bomber
Lead Singers: Miwa Komamoto and Sayaka Ichii
Song & Style: "Aoi Sports Car no Otoko" (The Man in the Blue Sports Car) - a girl punk-rock song
Notes: Atsuko Inaba stayed in Hello!Project after T&C Bomber disbanded, and thus didn't need a replacement member in this group (she later went on to sing various H!P compilations and emcee concerts).

2001: Party Groups

Winner: 3-nin Matsuri (3-person festival)
B-side song: "Hello! Mata Aou Ne" - a campfire song

3-nin Matsuri

Members: Rika Ishikawa and Ai Kago from Morning Musume, soloist Aya Matsuura
Lead Singer: none
Song & Style: "Chu! Natsu Party" (Kiss! Summer Party) - a hyper and cute pop song
Notes: Berryz Koubou covered the song in 2006 on their summer-themed EP (3) Natsu Natsu Mini Berryz.

7-nin Matsuri

Members: Mari Yaguchi and Maki Goto from Morning Musume, Ayaka Kimura and Lehua Sandbo from Coconuts Musume, Asami Kimura from Country Musume, Ayumi Shibata from Melon Kinenbi, and soloist Michiyo Heike
Lead Singer: Mari Yaguchi and Maki Goto
Song & Style: "Summer Reggae Rainbow" - a reggae-style pop song, with members sporting fake dreadlocks.

10-nin Matsuri

Members: Natsumi Abe, Kaori Iida, Kei Yasuda, Hitomi Yoshizawa, and Nozomi Tsuji from Morning Musume, Megumi Murata, Masae Ootani, and Hitomi Saito from Melon Kinenbi, Rinne Toda from Country Musume, and Mika Todd from Coconuts Musume
Lead Singer: Natsumi Abe and Nozomi Tsuji
Song & Style: "Dancing! Natsu Matsuri" (Dancing! Summer Festival) - a pop take on a traditional matsuri songs, with members beating on drums during their dance routines.

2002: Happiness Groups

Winner: Sexy 8
B-side song: "Yoku Aru Oyako no Serenade" (Parent and Child's Serenade) - a ballad

Happy 7

Members: Ai Kago, Makoto Ogawa, Risa Niigaki, and Ai Takahashi from Morning Musume, Mika Todd from Coconuts Musume, Asami Kimura from Country Musume, and Hitomi Saito from Melon Kinenbi
Lead Singers: Ai Kago, Makoto Ogawa, and Ai Takahashi
Song & Style: "Shiawase Beam! Suki Suki Beam!" (Happy Beam! Love Love Beam!) - a hyper cutesy pop song

Sexy 8

Members: Mari Yaguchi, Maki Goto, Hitomi Yoshizawa, and Rika Ishikawa from Morning Musume, Ayaka Kimura from Coconuts Musume, Mai Satoda from Country Musume, Masae Ootani from Melon Kinenbi, soloist Michiyo Heike
Lead Singers: Maki Goto and Mari Yaguchi
Song & Style: "Shiawase Desu Ka?" (Are You Happy?) - an R&B style song with a rap interlude

Odoru 11

Members: Natsumi Abe, Kaori Iida, Kei Yasuda, Nozomi Tsuji, Asami Konno from Morning Musume, Rinne Toda from Country Musume, Megumi Murata and Ayumi Shibata from Melon Kinenbi, and soloists Aya Matsuura, Rika Ishii, and Miki Fujimoto
Lead Singers: Natsumi Abe, Ayumi Shibata, and Nozomi Tsuji
Song & Style: "Shiawase Kyouryuu Ondo" (Happy Dinosaur March) - a pop take on a traditional Ondo style song.

2003: Elemental Groups

Winner: None... all 3 songs released on the same maxi-single/mini-album, so the sales for all 3 groups are the same.
B-side: "Oh! Be My Friend" - a chorusy pop song that all 3 groups sung together

Salt 5

Members: Natsumi Abe, Ai Kago, and Makoto Ogawa from Morning Musume, soloists Aya Matsuura and Yuki Maeda
Lead Singers: Natsumi Abe, Aya Matsuura, and Ai Kago
Song & Style: "Get Up! Rapper" - a serious-toned rap with somewhat silly lyrics (e.g. one part involving banana chips)
Notes: Aya Matsuura later cut a solo version of "Get Up! Rapper" for her third studio album X3.

7 Air

Members: Rika Ishikawa, Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki from Morning Musume, Mika Todd from Coconuts Musume, Masae Ootani from Melon Kinenbi, Mai Satoda from Country Musume, and soloist Atsuko Inaba
Lead Singers: Rika Ishikawa and Ai Takahashi
Song & Style: "Kowarenai Ai Ga Hoshii no" (I Want An Unbreakable Love) - an R&B style song with Rika, Ai, Mai, and Masae doing the singing while Atsuko, Risa, and Mika do the raps.
Notes: As part of MiniMoni, Takahashi and Todd remade the song for the second MiniMoni album MiniMoni Songs 2; all four members did the singing while Todd and Nozomi Tsuji did the raps; Inaba is also on this version as a backing vocalist.

11 Water

Members: Kaori Iida, Mari Yaguchi, Nozomi Tsuji, Hitomi Yoshizawa, Asami Konno and Miki Fujimoto from Morning Musume, Ayaka Kimura from Coconuts Musume, Asami Kimura from Country Musume, Megumi Murata, Hitomi Saito, and Ayumi Shibata from Melon Kinenbi
Lead Singers: Mari Yaguchi, Miki Fujimoto, and Nozomi Tsuji
Song & Style: "Be All Right!" - a Ska-style Pop song.
Notes: MiniMoni remade the song, also for MiniMoni Songs 2.

2004: One School Group

Winner: None... One single by all 46 members
B-side: There were two other songs in the single. One by Atsuko Inaba, Masae Ohtani, Ayumi Shibata and Aya Matsuura (Sankaku Sankei), and the other by Reina Tanaka, Megumi Murakami and Airi Suzuki (Suki ni Nacchaikenai Hito)

H.P. All Stars

Members: Morning Musume, Melon Kinenbi, Berryz Koubou, Hello! Project Kids, Biyuuden, W, Country Musume, Coconuts Musume, and soloists Yuko Nakazawa, Natsumi Abe, Kei Yasuda, Maki Goto, Atsuko Inaba, Yuki Maeda and Aya Matsuura.
Lead Singers: None. Everyone got a line in.
Song & Style: "All for One & One for All!" - a simple upbeat pop song.
Note: Everyone wore school uniforms befitting their group.

2005 Elegance Groups

Winner: None... all 3 songs released on the same maxi-single/mini-album, so the sales for all 3 groups are the same.
B-side: None.

Members: Ai Takahashi and Reina Tanaka from Morning Musume, Ayumi Shibata from Melon Kinenbi, and Mai Satoda from Country Musume.
Lead Singers: Ai Takahashi and Reina Tanaka.
Song: "Inshouha Renoir no You ni" (Like the Impressionist Renoir)

Sexy Otonajan

Members: Miki Fujimoto from Morning Musume, Miyabi Natsuyaki from Berryz Koubou and Megumi Murakami from ZYX.
Lead Singers: Miki Fujimoto.
Song: "Onna, Kanashii, Otona" (Woman, Lonely, Adult)

Puripuri Pink

Members: Former Morning Musume members Yuko Nakazawa, Kaori Iida, Yasuda Kei, and former T&C Bomber member Atsuko Inaba.
Lead Singers: none - the entire song was sang by the 4 collectively
Song: "Hitoshirezu Mune wo Kanaderu Yoru no Aki" (The Autumn of Night that Plays the Hidden Heart)

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