Asuka Hinoi

Asuka Hinoi

Asuka Hinoi (樋井 明日香, Hinoi Asuka, born January 8, 1991 in Osaka, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese singer and leader of the J-pop group Hinoi Team.

Biography

Asuka's musical career began in 2002 when she was chosen with two other girls, Hikaru Koyama and Miho Hiroshige to form the group LOVE & PEACE. Their song, Drifter became the theme for the movie 'Dodge Go! Go! and the three girls even had minor roles in the movie. LOVE & PEACE, however, only released that one single.

In 2003, Asuka and Hikaru, along with Yuho Fujiwara, attempted to create a group again under Vison Factory's management. The girls were models for mezzopiano and nicola, but their debut never occurred.

Later in 2003, Tomoko Kawase, better known as Tommy february6, had seen potential in Asuka and had produced her first solo single, ♥Wanna be your girlfriend♥, under the Sonic Groove label, a sub-label of avex trax. The song was used as the ending theme for the drama Ashita Tenki ni Naare. The single only had made it to position 60 on the Oricon charts, but did give Asuka much needed exposure. Five months later, her second single Tatta Hitori no Kimi (たったひとりの君, You as Only One Person), was written by the famous songwriter behind SPEED, Hiromasa Ijichi. Her second single had given her much more exposure as she performed on musical shows like Music Station, Pop Jam, and HEY!HEY!HEY!. This single did not do as well as her first on the charts, as it only reached position number 79 on the Oricon charts.

On December 4th, 2004 it was announced that Asuka would be leader of a group called Hinoi Team. Auditions had been held at the dance and vocal school, Caless, where Asuka and Hikaru had previously studied singing and dance. Originally the other members consisted of Hikaru, Keika Matsuoka, and Mizuki Inoue, but it was decided that Rina Takenaka would be in the group instead of Mizuki.

Hinoi Team's debut was set for February 5, 2005, but ended up being pushed back until May 18. Their first single, IKE IKE, was the start of Hinoi Team's rising popularity.

The group continued to release singles through 2007, two of which, NIGHT OF FIRE and STICKY TRICKY & BANG, featured comedian/wrestler Koriki Choshu. After the release of the Hinoi Team's sixth single, Dancin' & Dreamin', it appears that the group is no longer together, as there has been no group work since.

In the spring of 2007, Asuka released a new solo single, Asu e no Hikari (明日への光, Light toward Tomorrow). The title track was the ending theme for the anime Seto no Hanayome (瀬戸の花嫁, A Bride in Seto). She has not released any singles since then, but has continued to model for some fashion magazines. However, she contributed a song, Suiren (睡蓮, Water Lily), to the compilation album Flower Festival: Vision Factory Presents, released in March 2008.

Discography

Singles

• [2003-11-19] Wanna Be Your Girlfriend
• [2004-04-14] Tatta Hitori no Kimi (たったひとりの君, You as Only One Person)
• [2007-05-02] Asu e no Hikari (明日への光, Light Toward Tomorrow)
• [2008-03-19] Suiren (睡蓮, Water Lilies)

Written Media

Photobooks

• ASUKA (February, 2007), Wani Books, ISBN 4847029917 (editor:Nemoto Yoshinobu)

Magazines

• Love Berry (ラブベリー) (Tokuma Shoten)
• Kindai
• Cawaii (SHUFUNOTOMO)

External links

• Hinoi Team official website
• Asuka Hinoi official website
• Asuka Hinoi@Oricon Style Online