is a Japanese idol girl group, commonly abbreviated as MCZ or . The four members of MCZ are known for energetic performances, incorporating elements of ballet, gymnastics, and action movies. MCZ is notable for being the first female group to hold a solo concert at National Olympic Stadium in Japan, as well as providing theme music for

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

television series such as '' Sailor Moon'', '' Dragon Ball,'' and ''

Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...

''. In 2013, the group grossed the fourth highest total sales revenue by a music artist in Japan, with over ¥5.2 billion. During 2016, about 636,000 people attended their live concerts, the most ever for a Japanese female group. MCZ was ranked as the most popular female Japanese group from 2013 to 2018, and 2020 to 2022. MCZ has collaborated with other performers, including a 2015 recording with American hard rock band KISS, marking KISS's first collaborative recording. In 2016, their first overseas tour titled ''Trans America Ultra Live'' was held in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

, and New York. They sold more than 3 million physical copies in Japan.

Members

On stage, Momoiro Clover Z members are easily distinguished by the colors of their clothes, similar to the characters from Super Sentai or ''

Power Rangers ''Power Rangers'' is an entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live-action superhero television series, based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise '' Super Sentai''. Produced first by Saban Entertainment, second by BVS ...

''. In some songs and music videos, the group loosely parodies them. Before the group made its debut, other girls were in the lineup: Sumire Fujishiro, Manami Ikura, Yukina Kashiwa (later a member of Nogizaka46), Tsukina Takai (later became a member of

SKE48 SKE48 (S.K.E. Forty-eight) is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. SKE48 is named after the Sakae district in Nagoya of Aichi Prefecture, where the group is based. The group performs at SKE48 Theater on 2F of Sunshine Sakae, a ...

), Miyū Wagawa, and Runa Yumikawa.

Timeline

History

2008-2009: Conception and beginnings

The group was formed in the spring of 2008 as a 5-member unit, originally named Momoiro Clover ("Pink Clover" or, literally, "Peach-Colored Clover"). The name was chosen to imply that the group was composed of innocent girls who wanted to bring happiness to people. Ariyasu Momoka joined the group after their first single. Later in 2011, after the departure of

Akari Hayami is a Japanese actress, model and former idol singer. She is known as a former member and subleader of the female musical group Momoiro Clover Z; her Momoiro Clover image color was blue. Career Akari Hayami was scouted near her graduation from e ...

from the group, management added the letter "Z" to the group's name. The group's slogan is . Momoiro Clover began as a street act in 2008, performing for bystanders in Tokyo's Yoyogi Park. As most members were students attending school on weekdays, the group was active mainly on weekends, leading them to be nicknamed . In a one-year period, Momoiro Clover had a number of line-up changes. In March 2009, they became a five-member unit composed of Reni Takagi, Kanako Momota,

, Shiori Tamai, and

Ayaka Sasaki is a Japanese idol. She is known as a member of the female musical group Momoiro Clover Z. Her Momoiro Clover Z signature color is Pink. She is the youngest member of the group. Her self-introduction is: . On July 24, 2021, it was reported Sas ...

. To support and promote their first indie single, "

Momoiro Punch is the debut indie-label single by the Japanese girl group Momoiro Clover is a Japanese idol girl group, commonly abbreviated as MCZ or . The four members of MCZ are known for energetic performances, incorporating elements of ballet, gymnasti ...

", Momoiro Clover took advantage of school holidays from May to August and went by minibus on a long tour across Japan. They gave a total of 104 concerts in 24 electronic stores of the Yamada Denki network. The girls slept in the minivan, and group's managers drove. In the middle of the tour, Momoka Ariyasu was added to the group as a sixth member. The single was sold only at the group's live events and those sales were enough for it to place 11th in the Oricon Daily Singles Chart and 23rd in the weekly chart.

2010: Major debut

In March 2010, the girls stated their goals: to take first place on Oricon, to participate in '' Kōhaku Uta Gassen'', to perform at

Budokan The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. While its primary purpose is to host martial arts con ...

.At the same ceremony, Momoiro Clover signed a contract with Universal Records. The public contract signing ceremony featured the weighing of every member to determine if they passed the weight requirement set by the record label for idols. If the band passed the requirement, they would sign a permanent contract. Reni Takagi failed, resulting in a temporary contract. They usually performed in a small club with live music or on a roof of a department store. They sometimes set a simulated stage of National Olympic Stadium, where notable musicians are allowed to perform. Their first major-label single " Ikuze! Kaitō Shōjo" was released in May. The single debuted on Japan's Oricon Daily Singles Chart at the first position, and at number 3 for the week. Momoiro Clover then moved to King Records. The group's first single with King was "

Pinky Jones is the 2nd major-label single by the Japanese female idol group Momoiro Clover, released in Japan on November 10, 2010. The single's title track was used as the second ending theme of the anime ''Yosuga no Sora is a Japanese romance/dra ...

", composed by Narasaki from the Japanese rock band

Coaltar of the Deepers Coaltar of the Deepers are an alternative rock band from Japan. They formed in May 1991. Although primarily influenced by shoegaze and post-rock sound, their sound incorporates musical elements as diverse as thrash metal, electronica, neo-acoust ...

with a "more chaotic" approach than previous songs. December 24 marked Momoiro Clover's first solo concert at a concert hall. Nihon Seinenkan, a venue with a capacity of 1,300 seats, was sold out in 30 minutes.

2011: Shift to Momoiro Clover "Z"

In January 2011 at the release event for a new song, sub-leader

stated that she had decided to withdraw from the group in April. Hayami explained that her character was not suited to being an idol and that her dream was to become an actress. At the April 10 Akari Hayami "graduation" concert, the group's management announced the name change to Momoiro Clover Z after Hayami's departure. In Japan, symbolizes ultimateness and this letter is often appended to a title (e.g., Mazinger Z and Dragon Ball Z). Z is officially pronounced as (British pronunciation) when the name is used in spoken English. The band has gone on record saying in an interview that the Z in the title is a reference to the famous anime series, Dragon Ball Z stating "The Z in our name is a very obvious reference to Dragon Ball Z" and that "It's a awesome and very influential series". Momoiro Clover Z's first single after Hayami's departure was " Z Densetsu: Owarinaki Kakumei", accompanied by a new group image and stage performance. The girls wore outfits with helmets and so-called "transformation belts" reminiscent of Japanese superhero movies, and the music video also borrowed from such " Super Sentai" imagery. In July, Momoiro Clover Z released their first album, ''

Battle and Romance is the first album by the Japanese girl group Momoiro Clover Z. It was released in Japan on July 27, 2011. Release details The album was released in three versions: Regular Edition and Limited Editions A and B. The regular edition was CD-only, ...

''. Later in December, ''Hotexpress'' described the band as the number-one breakthrough idol artist of 2011 and stated that the album became a big turning point for them. Next February, ''Battle and Romance'' won the Grand Prix at the CD Shop Awards as the best CD of the year selected by music shop employees from all over the country. Momoiro Clover Z was the first idol group to win the award. On Christmas Day, 2011, Momoiro Clover Z gave a concert at

Saitama Super Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Chūō-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It opened preliminarily on May 5, 2000, and then was officially opened on September 1 of the same year. Its maximum spectator capacity is 36,500, making ...

to their biggest audience to date: all 10,000 tickets were sold out.

2012: Rising popularity in Japan

In May 2012, Momoiro Clover Z performed in Putrajaya, Malaysia. The former Prime Minister, Najib Razak, personally greeted the group. In June, Momoiro Clover Z opened a national tour, which closed with a sold-out show at Seibu Dome in August to a capacity crowd of 37,000 fans. Both dates were broadcast live to selected cinemas across Japan, the latter also to Taiwan and Hong Kong. MCZ Japan Expo 12

The group recorded an ending theme song for

's ''Best Wishes'' series (titled "Mite Mite Kocchichi" and included in the eighth single "

Otome Sensō is the 8th single by the Japanese female idol group Momoiro Clover Z, released in Japan on June 27, 2012. It became Momoiro Clover's first single to be certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan for shipments of 100,000 copies ...

" as a coupling track). In July, Momoiro Clover Z performed at Japan Expo 2012 in Paris. Momoiro Clover Z's ninth single " Saraba, Itoshiki Kanashimitachi yo", which appeared in November, topped the '' Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 chart, becoming their first single to do so. On December 31, Momoiro Clover Z performed at '' Kōhaku Uta Gassen'', an annual New-Year-Eve music show hosted by NHK, for the first time. Going to Kōhaku had been the group's goal for a long time. During the January 1 Ustream broadcast, Momoiro Clover Z made several announcements: that the band set a new goal for itself — to give a concert at the National Olympic Stadium, an arena with 60–70,000 capacity, that they would release a new album in spring, and that Momoka Ariyasu had to undergo a throat treatment and she would not sing or even talk until the end of January. The treatment was subsequently prolonged for another month, until the end of February. During the group's live Ustream broadcasts, Momoka communicated by drawing and writing on a

markerboard A whiteboard (also known by the terms marker board, dry-erase board, dry-wipe board, and pen-board) is a glossy, usually white surface for making non-permanent markings. Whiteboards are analogous to blackboards, but with a smoother surface all ...

. At live performances, other members took turns in singing her parts.

2013: ''5th Dimension''

Momoiro Clover Z's second full-length album '' 5th Dimension'' was released in April. It sold 180,000 copies in the first week and debuted on top of the Oricon charts, with the first album ''

'' resurging to number two. Finally, it won a platinum disk award. In August, Momoiro Clover Z held a concert at Nissan Stadium. It has the largest capacity in Japan.

2014: Dream come true

In March, the group held a solo concert at National Olympic Stadium, realizing one of their dreams since the debut. Such solo concerts had only been performed by six groups until then. Momoiro Clover Z was the first female group and also became the fastest group ever, which achieved that in six years. As a two-day concert, a total of 150,000 people watched in the stadium and at live viewing venues. In May, the group released their 11th single "

Naite mo Iin Da yo is a song by Japanese pop-group Momoiro Clover Z, serving as their 11th single. It was released on May 8, 2014. Details The single was released as a standard CD and a limited edition CD and DVD package. It was first previewed during the band's pe ...

"; B-side "My Dear Fellow" made its debut at Yankee Stadium when it was used for Masahiro Tanaka's warm up for his first game with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

. The group also provided the theme music for the anime '' Sailor Moon Crystal''. The title is "

Moon Pride "Moon Pride" (stylized as "MOON PRIDE") is the 12th single by the Japanese female idol group Momoiro Clover Z, released in Japan on July 30, 2014. Details The single contains theme songs for the 2014 anime series ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon C ...

" (the group's 12th single released in July). In August, the group performed at

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

's concert as an opening act. It was a part of Gaga's world tour named " ArtRave: The Artpop Ball" and held in Japan. Momoiro Clover Z was selected by Gaga herself.

2015: Collaboration with KISS

On January 28, 2015, Momoiro Clover Z released a collaboration single with the American hard rock band KISS, titled " Yume no Ukiyo ni Saitemina". It was the first time for KISS to release a collaboration CD with another artist. In Japan, it was released physically in two versions: Momoiro Clover Z edition (CD+Blu-ray) and KISS edition (CD only). An alternate mix of the single's title song was also included as an opening track on the Japanese-only SHM-CD album ''Best of KISS 40'', released in Japan on the same day. In February 2015, Momoiro Clover Z were removed from a television performance due to controversy surrounding an appearance in blackface alongside Rats & Star. Momoiro Clover Z provided the theme song, "

Z no Chikai Z (or z) is the 26th and last letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its usual names in English are ''zed'' () and ''zee'' (), with an occasi ...

" which was released as their fifteenth single on April 29, 2015, for the '' Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F''' theatrical anime film. The group also voiced the Angels at the end of the film.

2016: ''Amaranthus/Hakkin no Yoake'' and ''Trans America Ultra Live''

The group released their third studio album Amaranthus and fourth studio album

Hakkin no Yoake is the fourth studio album by the Japanese girl group Momoiro Clover Z, released in Japan on February 17, 2016. It was released on the same day with the group's third album, ''Amaranthus''. According to Oricon, ''Hakkin no Yoake'' sold 81,254 ...

in a double release in Japan on February 17, 2016. The albums debuted at #1 and #2 in the Oricon weekly albums chart. The group held a dome trek tour for the two albums. In early April 2016, the group announced their first overseas tour titled ''Trans America Ultra Live'' and appeared in

and New York

2017: MTV Unplugged

2018: 10th Anniversary Best Album

On January 21, Momoka Ariyasu graduated from the group, leaving MCZ with only four members. In April, they released their 18th single, "Xiao yi Xiao". On May 23, they released a new best of album for their tenth anniversary called ''Momo mo Juu, Bancha mo Debana''.

2019–2021: Self-Titled Album

On May 17, 2019, Momoiro Clover Z released their self-titled fifth studio album, their first studio album to not feature Momoka Ariyasu and their first as a four-member group. In 2021, they performed the theme song for the Sailor Moon Eternal movie.

2021–present: ''Shukuten''

Music style

The band's songs are intentionally ridiculous "hyperactive J-pop numbers". Their live performances are heavily choreographed and feature acrobatic stunts. The group is noted for their "anarchic energy" that is similar to that of punk bands. The response from the audience has been characterised as "seismic". Some of Momoiro Clover's works are quite complex, switching from one musical style to another during one song and connecting "seemingly unconnected melodies". The group has worked with many noted songwriters and musicians, belonging to different genres of music, from pop to punk and heavy metal. Overall, the group and its music has been noted as progressive and forward-thinking. Ian Martin from ''The Japan Times'' dubbed Momoiro Clover "a pop group who provoke squealing, teenage admiration from punks, indie kids, noise musicians and heavy-psychedelic longhairs throughout the Japanese underground music scene". Momoiro Clover "is known for upbeat tunes, eccentric choreography and the members' costumes". A music critic from ''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched b ...

'' cites Momoiro Clover as an example of "a seamless integration of personality, image, and music, with each element mutually complementary".

Discography

* ''

'' (2011) * '' 5th Dimension'' (2013) * '' Amaranthus'' (2016) * ''

'' (2016) * ''Momoiro Clover Z'' (2019) * ''Shukuten'' (2022)

Collaboration

Momoiro Clover Z have collaborated with overseas artists. * Kiss released a collaboration single with Momoiro Clover Z, titled " Yume no Ukiyo ni Saitemina" (January 2015). *

designated Momoiro Clover Z for an opening act of her concert (August 2014). * Marty Friedman participated as a guitarist in " Mōretsu Uchū Kōkyōkyoku Dai 7 Gakushō "Mugen no Ai"" (March 2012) and "

" (July 2014). * Yngwie Malmsteen participated as a guitarist in "Mōretsu Uchū Kōkyōkyoku Dai 7 Gakushō "Mugen no Ai" -Emperor Style-" (June 2014). The group sings the theme music for the following anime. * ''

Yosuga no Sora is a Japanese romance/drama adult visual novel developed by CUFFS ("Sphere"). The game was originally released for Windows on December 5, 2008. It was adapted into a serialized manga and an anime television series. A sequel/fan disk titled ' ...

'' - "Pinky Jones" (November 2010) * ''

Dragon Crisis! is a Japanese light novel series by Kaya Kizaki, with illustrations by Itsuki Akata. As of March 2011, thirteen volumes have been published by Shueisha under their Super Dash Bunko imprint. An anime adaptation by Studio Deen aired in 2011. ...

'' - "Mirai Bowl" (January 2011) * '' Bodacious Space Pirates'' - "Mōretsu Uchū Kōkyōkyoku Dai 7 Gakushō "Mugen no Ai‍"" (March 2012) * ''

'' - " Mite Mite Kocchichi" (June 2012) * '' Joshiraku'' - " Nippon Egao Hyakkei" (June 2012) in collaboration with Yoshida Brothers * '' Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal'' - "

", (July 2014) **'' Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal Season III'' - (June 2016) **'' Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal: The Movie'' - (January 2021, with main voice actresses: Kotono Mitsuishi, Hisako Kanemoto, Rina Sato, Ami Koshimizu, and

Shizuka Ito is a feminine Japanese given name. Possible writings Shizuka can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *, "quiet/calm" *, "quiet/calm, flower" *, "quiet/calm, fragrance" *, "quiet/calm, flower" *, "quiet/calm, excellent" *, ...

) * '' Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F''' - "

(April 2015) * '' Crayon Shin-chan: Burst Serving! Kung Fu Boys ~Ramen Rebellion~'' - "Xiao Yi Xiao" (April 2018).

Overseas performances

* Japan Media Arts Festival 2011 in Dortmund, Germany (September 9) * Hari Belia Negara 2012 in Putrajaya, Malaysia (May 26) * Japan Expo 2012 in Paris, France (July 5) * Anime Expo 2015 in Los Angeles, California (July 2) *Japan SAKURA Festival 2016 in Hanoi, Vietnam (April 16, 17) *Bilibili Macro Link 2016 in Shanghai, China (July 23) *Trans America Ultra Live 2016 in Hawaii, Los Angeles and New York (November 15–19)

Awards

In 2012, their first album ''

'' won the CD Shop Award as the best CD of the previous year as voted by music shop salesclerks from all over Japan. It was the first time an idol (group) got this prize. , - , style="text-align:center;", 2012 , ''

'' , CD Shop Awards — Grand Prix , , - , rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;", 2013 , rowspan="2", " Saraba, Itoshiki Kanashimitachi yo" , Space Shower Music Video Awards — Special Award , , - , MTV Video Music Award Japan for Best Choreography , , - , rowspan="2", Momoiro Clover Z , MTV Europe Music Award for Best Japanese Act , , - , MTV Europe Music Award for Best Japan and Korea Act , , - , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;", 2015 , rowspan="2", '' Maku ga Agaru'' ,

39th Japan Academy Prize The is the 39th edition of the ''Japan Academy Film Prize'', an award presented by the Nippon Academy-Sho Association to award excellence in filmmaking. It awarded the best films of 2015 and it took place on March 4, 2016 at the Grand Prince Hot ...

— Popularity Award , , - , The 40th Hochi Film Award — Special Award ,

Filmography

* - August 2010 :: Horror film. During filming, the girls were reportedly led to believe they were participating in a documentary about an urban legend and that everything happening was genuine. * - March 2011 * ''Ninifuni'' - February 2012 * - February 2012 ::5-episode internet drama omnibus film. * - February 2015 ::The five members played leading roles and later won Japan Academy Prize.

Notes

References

External links

* *
YouTube channel
(videos up to 2013; a shared channel with sister groups)
YouTube channel
(videos from 2014)
Ustream channel
{{Authority control Japanese musical groups Japanese pop music groups Japanese rock music groups Japanese dance groups Japanese idol groups Japanese girl groups All-female bands Child musical groups Vocal quartets 2008 establishments in Japan Musical groups established in 2008 Musical groups from Tokyo Stardust Promotion artists King Records (Japan) artists Universal Music Japan artists MTV Europe Music Award winners