Abe Natsumi

Abe Natsumi was born in Hokkaido in 1981 and attended Hokkaido Noboribetsu High School. She has said her desire to become a singer was born during middle school when she was feeling depressed after being a victim of bullying. The young idol claimed that JUDY & MARY helped her through this period of her life, the song Chiisana koro kara contributing significantly to her overcoming her fears.

Following the 1997 audition of the TV show “ASAYAN” in order to find a female vocalist for Sharam Q, the five runner-ups - consisting of Nakazawa Yuko, Ishiguro Aya, Iida Kaori, Fukada Asuka and Abe Natsumi - were chosen to form the first generation of Morning Musume.

Although Abe is now recognized as the main vocal talent of the group during her tenure, initially it was Iida Kaori who held this privilege. However, TSUNKU rapidly changed the status within the band, applying Abe’s crystal clear voice to the best of his ability.

Following the third generation audition with Goto Maki’s arrival in the group, Abe saw her popularity waver somewhat. Perhaps it was this momentary lapse that saw the young woman's first photo book released in December. 2000 saw Abe being selected as the star to perform the main role in Morning Musume's second film, Pinch Runner. The year also saw one of the original three Hello! Project Shuffle Units formed, and Abe was selected as leader for the group Kiiro 5.

With the fourth generation auditions came a new spurt of favoritism for Abe, with members like Nozomi Tsuji seeing her as a role model. 2003 saw Abe taking her first tentative steps towards a solo career; the young artist released a single with Yosumi Keiko, a former member of Rokusenmon. In August of the same year, Abe released her first solo single, which achieved the number two spot on the Oricon Weekly Chart.

In January of 2004, Abe graduated from Morning Musume in order to pursue her solo career. Her first album, released in February, saw the soloist achieving a place in the Top 50. Her two following singles reached the Top 10. Unfortunately for Abe she was accused of plagiarism later in the year, reportedly copying content from another idol’s book. Subsequently, her activities with Hello! Project were suspended for approximately an eight-month period.

Abe's comeback in April of 2005 was met with much anticipation, proving her popularity had not dwindled despite the scandal. Her single reached the number six position on the Oricon Weekly. The soloist also participated in the drama Takaramono under the alias of Sen, releasing a single of the same name in November.

March 2006 saw Abe releasing her first album since her comeback. Her album took the number nine spot on the Oricon. Her seventh single, The Stress, is a cover of the 1988 original by Moritaka Chisato and rather interestingly, the artwork features the National Diet Building in Tokyo.

2007 was a fairly quiet year for Abe, with the artist releasing only two singles. In 2008, she collaborated with ºC-ute’s Yajima Maimi for a single released in January. Beside this collaboration she released only one single that year, Screen, and a best-of album.

In 2009 Abe seemed to put her activities on hold, returning at the end of 2010 with the single Ameagari no niji no you ni. Since 2011 the idol focused on her acting career, performing in some plays, including a musical. In addition, that year Dream Morning Musume was formed by ten former members of Morning Musume. Abe, thanks to her popularity during the seven years she was part of Morning Musume, joined the team. The idol group released an album during the first half of 2011 and a single at the beginning of 2012.