is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

actress and pop singer, from Himeji, Hyogo, Japan.

Career

2000–2009: Hello! Project

Aya auditioned in 2000 for the fourth

Morning Musume , formerly simply and colloquially referred to as , are a Japanese girl group, holding the second highest overall single sales (of a female group) on the Oricon, Oricon charts as of February 2012, with the Oricon record of most top ten singles ...

& Heike Michiyo Protegee Audition and was selected along with Sheki-Dol to become a part of what was later known as Hello! Project. After being chosen from that audition, Matsuura began her solo career. In time, she would become one of Hello! Project's biggest acts. Aside from a successful solo career, Matsuura (nicknamed Ayaya), also did numerous collaborations with other members of Hello! Project, including special, usually short lived groups Gomattou with

Maki Goto is a Japanese singer, lyricist, and former actress. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, Goto began her musical career in 1999 when she joined Morning Musume as the only third generation member. Her first single with the group, " Love Machine", t ...

and

Miki Fujimoto (born February 26, 1985), professionally known by her birth name of , and nicknamed Mikitty, is a Japanese actress and former pop singer. After failing the audition to join girl group Morning Musume with the fourth generation members, Fujimoto d ...

;

Nochiura Natsumi was a one-off Hello! Project unit formed in 2004. The members were Maki Goto, Aya Matsuura and Natsumi Abe. The group was composed of soloists, similar to Gomattou, and released their only single, , on October 6, 2004. It reached 4th place on ...

with

and

Natsumi Abe is a Japanese singer and actress, a former member of Morning Musume, and currently a member of Dream Morning Musume. Biography Career She was born in Muroran, Hokkaidō, Japan. On August 13, 2003, she released her first single, "22 Sai no Wat ...

; and

DEF.DIVA Def.Diva (often stylized as DEF.DIVA) was a "special group" formed in 2005 from the Hello! Project idol umbrella, and consisted of Aya Matsuura, Maki Goto, Natsumi Abe and Rika Ishikawa. The band's name is an abbreviation of the phrase "Defin ...

with

, and

Rika Ishikawa , is a Japanese actress and model associated with Hello! Project and best known as a former member of the pop group Morning Musume. She was the leader of the Japanese pop idol trio v-u-den until June 2008. She has performed as a solo singer, as ...

. She also did the "Folk Song" series which feature

Yuko Nakazawa is a Japanese pop and enka singer, and actress, best known as one of the original members of the all-female J-pop group Morning Musume. She is also a member of Japanese pop group Dream Morning Musume. Biography Yuko Nakazawa was born in Kyo ...

and other Hello! Project artists, as well as Hello! Project's shuffle groups ( 3nin Matsuri in 2001,

Odoru 11 was a Japanese idol project group formed by Up-Front Promotion in 2000 and associated with Hello! Project. Beginning in 2000, the Shuffle Unit project was a yearly collaboration among existing Hello! Project acts, where members were recombined ...

in 2002, Salt5 in 2003, and the larger H.P. All Stars in 2004). She also formed the duo GAM with

in debuted September 2006. Their first single, "Thanks!" reached the #2 position on the Oricon. Matsuura starred in the Japanese film ''Sukeban Deka: Codename = Asamiya Saki'' (known internationally as ''

Yo-Yo Girl Cop ''Yo-Yo Girl Cop'', known in Japan as is a 2006 Japanese live-action feature film, the third to be based on the manga ''Sukeban Deka'', directed by Kenta Fukasaku. The film stars Aya Matsuura in the lead role of Saki Asamiya and Rika Ishikawa as ...

'') opposite

, released on September 30, 2006. On October 9, 2006 both concerts she was supposed to hold that day were cancelled, as she was not feeling well. Soon several unsourced rumours emerged considering the possibility she might be suffering from

Temporomandibular joint disorder Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD, TMJD) is an umbrella term covering pain and dysfunction of the muscles of mastication (the muscles that move the jaw) and the temporomandibular joints (the joints which connect the mandible to the skull ...

. Following the cancellation of the two concerts, Matsuura's management confirmed the rumours, reported the young idol had been taking painkillers to continue working and scheduled a press conference to discuss her condition. On the following day Matsuura made a public statement on PBS apologizing to her fans and expressing her desire to get back to her singing career as soon as possible. Since her press conference, Matsuura returned to her normal hosting duties on her weekly radio show, "Matsuura Aya no

All Night Nippon is a Japanese radio program broadcast by Nippon Broadcasting System and other radio stations from 1–5 am (JST). It preempts broadcasts from TBS Radio's programming heard on stations under both JRN and NRN (TBC Radio, CBC Radio, etc.). D ...

" and returned to singing in a limited capacity, as demonstrated on her appearance on

Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ ''Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ'' was a Japanese music variety show on Fuji Television hosted by the comedy duo Downtown, which consists of Hitoshi Matsumoto and Masatoshi Hamada. It is a very popular show with comical hosts who like to pick on the ...

on October 23, 2006. On March 8, 2008, Matsuura—as a secret guest—performed at the opening ceremony of the Fourth Special Olympics Japan Winter National Games, a national event in preparation of the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games held in

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown are ...

. She performed the song "

Kizuna is a Japanese word meaning "bond". It may also refer to: Music * ''Kizuna'' (album), a 2022 album by JO1 * "Kizuna" (Aya Matsuura song) * "Kizuna" (Aya Ueto song) * "Kizuna" (Orange Range song) * "Kizuna", a song from the anime Mermaid Melody Pich ...

", which was released on May 21, 2008 as her 20th single.

2008–2013: Graduation and Reshuffle

It was officially announced on October 19, 2008 that Matsuura would be graduating from Hello! Project along with the rest of Elder Club. Before her graduation, Matsuura released her fifth studio album, ''

Omoi Afurete ''Omoi Afurete'' is Aya Matsuura's sixth studio album. It was released on January 21, 2009 by Zetima is a Japanese holding company for various entertainment companies. Its subsidiaries include the talent agency Up-Front Promotion and Up-Fron ...

'', on January 21, 2009, and her 21st single, "

Chocolate Damashii is the 21st single from Aya Matsuura, and her last single as part of Hello! Project. It was released on February 11, 2009 under the Zetima label, meant to be a Valentine's Day's gift. Video for the song was released on DVD as 'Single V' on Febru ...

", was released on February 11 for

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...

. Matsuura graduated from Hello! Project on March 31, 2009, but months later, on August 26, 2009, Matsuura launched her own blog called Ayablog and announced that her ''Omoi Afurete'' tour will be her last for two or three years. However, she has since released a Cover Album (''Click You, Link Me'', 2010). In late August 2011, it was revealed that she is diagnosed with

endometriosis Endometriosis is a disease of the female reproductive system in which cells similar to those in the endometrium, the layer of tissue that normally covers the inside of the uterus, grow outside the uterus. Most often this is on the ovaries, f ...

, which has been and will continue to limit her concert activities in the future. However, from 2009 to 2013, She has consistently released Acoustic Concerts, known as "Aya Matsuura's Maniac Series". She was signed to UpFront Create, along with some of the members of the Hello Project! Elder Club. At the end of the year, she performed along with all other Hello Project members at the concert "Hello! Project COUNTDOWN PARTY 2013 ~GOOD BYE & HELLO!~" where she announced her indefinite hiatus.

2022: Return to Entertainment

On January 27, Matsuura was a guest on the podcast 'Matthew's Matthew', thus marking the end of an almost decade long hiatus. On April 14, Matsuura was featured in a commercial for Nescafe 'Excella' coffee. On August 9, Keita Tachibana announced on Twitter that a new single 'Addicted' would be released on November 25.Yahoo articl

/ref>

Other appearances

Matsuura has appeared in many commercials for various companies; notably Pretz snack foods, Epson color printers, and Kirin beverages. She has also taken part and co-hosts the television show Utawara Hot Hit 10, Utawara with other names in Japanese entertainment such as Johnny Jimusho's

Jun Matsumoto Jun or JUN may refer to: People and anthroponymy * Jun (given name), a common Japanese given name * Jun (singer), a member of South Korean boy band U-KISS * Tomáš Jun, Czech footballer * A spelling of common Korean family name Jeon (Korean surn ...

Personal life

Matsuura and

Keita Tachibana , also known monomously as Keita (stylized KEITA), is a Japanese singer and actor. Since 2000, he rose to fame as the lead vocalist from the boy band W-inds. During that time, he launched a solo career, and in 2012, has revitalized it again und ...

registered their marriage on August 4, 2013, after almost 12 years of dating. They held their wedding ceremony in Hawaii on October 7. On December 21, 2014, the couple announced the birth of their first child, a baby girl.

Discography and releases

Studio albums

Cover albums

Compilations

Singles

^† A cover of

Chisato Moritaka (born 11 April 1969) is a Japanese pop singer who also is notable as a songwriter. She is affiliated with Up-Front Create, a subsidiary of the Up-Front Group.

's 1993 original. The bridge in the title is one of twelve bridges that cross the Watarase River in the city of Ashikaga. ^†† Last release within Hello! Project, as she graduated soon after its release.

DVDs

Videos

* 2001-04-25 – * 2001-06-27 – * 2001-09-05 – * 2001-12-12 – * 2002-08-07 – * 2002-10-09 – * 2003-02-19 – * 2003-02-26 – * 2003-03-12 –

Photobooks

;Solo photobooks * 2001-12-01 – * 2003-02-14 – * 2004-01-15 – * 2004-06-25 – * 2005-03-19 – a ;Concert photobooks * 2002-06-04 – * 2004-07-07 – ;Other photobooks * 2003-04-11 – * 2003-09-30 – Matsuura Aya in Hello! Project 2003 Summer * 2004-03-13 – Matsuura Aya in Hello! Project 2004 Winter * 2004-09-28 – Matsuura Aya in Hello! Project 2004 Summer * 2005-07-06 –

Acts

Television variety shows

TV drama

Films

* '' Ao no Honō (2003) * '' Sukeban Deka: Codename = Asamiya Saki'' (2006)

Radio

* – JOLF, etc. (April, 2001—2005-03-27) * – JOLF and other thirty-five radio stations in Japan (2005-03-30 — 2006-12-27) * Matsuura Ay
FIVE STARS
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InterFM InterFM (JODW-FM 89.7 MHz Tokyo, 76.5 MHz Yokohama) is a Japanese commercial radio station on the FM band, transmitting in the Greater Tokyo area (including Narita International Airport), and owned and operated by . Since September 202 ...

76.1 (TUESDAY 松浦亜弥) (Start date 2007-10-02)October 2007-September 2009 (End date 2009-09-29)

Commercials

Pretz Pretz (プリッツ, ''Purittsu'') is a Japanese snack made by Ezaki Glico. Like Ezaki Glico's other popular snack, Pocky, Pretz is stick-shaped and comes with a texture similar to pretzels. Unlike Pocky, Pretz is dusted with seasonings instead of ...

(2002–2006,

Ezaki Glico , commonly known as just Glico, is a Japanese multinational food processing company headquartered in Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka. It does business across 30 countries, in North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Overview Ezaki Glico's primary b ...

) * Tessera (2002–2004, Shiseido) * Gogo no Kocha (2003–2008, Kirin Beverage) * Colorio Printer (2003–2005,

Epson Seiko Epson Corporation, or simply known as Epson, is a Japanese multinational electronics company and one of the world's largest manufacturers of computer printers and information- and imaging-related equipment. Headquartered in Suwa, Nagano, ...

) * Sega PuyoPuyo Fever (2004) * Papico (2004–2006, Ezaki Glico) *

Pocky is a Japanese sweet snack food produced by the Ezaki Glico food company. Pocky was first sold in 1966, and was invented by Yoshiaki Koma. It consists of coated biscuit sticks. It was named after the Japanese onomatopoeic word , which is suppos ...

(2004–2005, Ezaki Glico) * Sky PerfecTV! (2004–2005, SKY Perfect Communications) * Super Mild (2004–2005, Shiseido) * Scooter Let's 4 (2004–2005,

Suzuki is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...

) * Nissin Yakisoba UFO (2005–2006, Nissin) * Aoyama Trading (Youfuku Aoyama) (2005–2008) * Youpack (2005–2006,

Japan Post was a Japanese statutory corporation that existed from 2003 to 2007, offering postal and package delivery services, Retail banking, banking services, and life insurance. It's the nation's largest employer, with over 400,000 employees, and run ...

) * Scooter Address V50 (2006, Suzuki) * Expressway

ETC * Etc. or et cetera, a Latin expression meaning "and the other things" or "and the rest". ETC or etc may also refer to: Companies and organizations * ETC (Chilean TV channel), a Chilean cable television channel * ETC (Philippine TV channel), a P ...

(2007, Organization for Road System Enhancement) -- song only * Center-in (2007, Unicharm) * Fried Chicken (2008,

FamilyMart is a Japanese convenience store franchise chain. It is Japan's second largest convenience store chain, behind 7-Eleven. There are now 24,574 stores worldwide in Japan, Taiwan, China, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Its ...

) -- also the song "Kichin to Chicken" lyrics and music by

Fujioka Fujimaki is a Japanese folk band, created from two members of the 1970s novelty group , and . They are best known for their collaboration with the eight-year-old singer Nozomi Ōhashi for the theme song of the Studio Ghibli film ''Ponyo''. Biography ...

, a folk song duo. * Mezamashi Gohan (2009,

MAFF MAFF may refer to: * MAFF (gene), a transcription factor * Malmö Arab Film Festival, held in Malmö (Sweden), the largest Arabic film festival in Europe * Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (United Kingdom), a former department of UK gov ...

) * Top "Clear Liquid" (since 2009,

Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

) * Vitamin Water (since 2009,

Suntory (commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and makes Japanese whisky. Its ...

) * Roots Aroma Impact (since 2010, JT Foods), etc.

Video games

Guitar Freaks is a music video game series produced by Konami. It is a rhythm game where the player uses a controller to simulate the playing of an electric guitar. The game consists of music predominantly from the rock music, rock and roll and J-pop genres ...

8th mix /

Drummania is a music video game series produced by Konami. It is a rhythm game where the player uses a controller to simulate the playing of an electric guitar. The game consists of music predominantly from the rock music, rock and roll and J-pop g ...

7th mix (Momoiro Kataomoi, covered by Yu Uchida) *

Donkey Konga is a GameCube rhythm video game series starring the ape Donkey Kong, developed by Namco and published by Nintendo. The series' games are intended to be played with a special controller called the DK Bongos that resemble two small bongo drums, b ...

(Japanese version, Momoiro Kataomoi covered by an unknown artist) *

Daigasso! Band Brothers is a music video game published and developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It was released in Japan on December 2, 2004 as a launch game for the Nintendo DS. The game features multiple songs, which include classical m ...

(Yeah! Meccha Holiday, instrumental) * Go-Go-Tea Miniature Golf ( Kirin Beverage) *

Donkey Konga 2 is a GameCube rhythm video game series starring the ape Donkey Kong, developed by Namco and published by Nintendo. The series' games are intended to be played with a special controller called the DK Bongos that resemble two small bongo dru ...

(Japanese Version, Yeah! Meccha Holiday)

References

External links

Official profile
at the

Up-Front Works is a Japanese holding company for various entertainment companies. Its subsidiaries include the talent agency Up-Front Promotion and Up-Front Works, a music production and sales company that manages such record labels as Zetima, Piccolo Town, ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matsuura, Aya 1986 births Living people People from Himeji, Hyōgo Japanese actresses Japanese idols Japanese women pop singers Hello! Project solo singers Def.Diva members GAM (group) members Salt5 members Musicians from Hyōgo Prefecture Japanese synth-pop singers Japanese dance music singers