Erika Umeda
Japanese singer and model (born 1991)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Erika Umeda (梅田 えりか, Umeda Erika; born on May 24, 1991)[1] is a Japanese singer and former model. She was a member of the Japanese idol girl group ZYX and Cute up until departing to pursue a solo career in modeling. In 2013, she returned to her music career with the release of her debut solo single "Crush On You."
Erika Umeda 梅田 えりか | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 24, 1991 |
| Origin | Minami-ku, Yokohama, Japan |
| Genres | |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 2002–present |
| Label | Brand-New Music |
| Formerly of | |
| Website | ameblo |
Career
2002–2004: Hello! Project Kids and ZYX
Umeda was born in Minami-ku, Yokohama, Japan. In 2002, she auditioned for Hello! Project Kids with the song "White Love" by Speed. Her audition tape was aired on Morning Musume's variety show Hello! Morning.[2] She was placed in the group with 14 other girls.[3] In the same year, she appeared in the movie Koinu Dan no Monogatari.[4][5]
In 2003, Umeda became a member of the subgroup ZYX along with Mari Yaguchi from Morning Musume, Maimi Yajima, Saki Shimizu, Megumi Murakami, and Momoko Tsugunaga.[6] They released their debut single, "Iku ZYX! Fly High" on August 6, 2003,[7] followed by "Shiroi Tokyo" on December 10, 2003.[8] Later, in 2004, she participated in singing "All for One & One for All!", a collaboration single released by all Hello! Project artists under the name "H.P. All Stars."[9]
2005–2009: Cute
In 2004, Berryz Kobo was created with the intention of rotating all of the members of Hello! Project Kids to make time for school,[10] but the idea was later scrapped, and the remaining girls who were not chosen were rebranded under the name Cute on June 11, 2005.[11] On August 1, 2009, Hello! Project announced that Umeda was graduating from the company on October 25, 2009, the last day of Cute's concert tour, to become a fashion model.[12]
2010–present: Solo career
In 2010, Umeda was signed into a model agency called Illume Models.[13] She made her runaway debut in Girls Award Summer 2010[14] and continued to appear as a regular model at every seasonal show until 2013. She also appeared at the Tokyo Girls Collection Spring/Summer 2012 show.[15]
In 2013, Umeda left modeling to return to music and signed with Brand-New Music.[16] She released her first solo album Erika on February 12, 2014, with the lead single "Crush On You."[1][17] In 2018, she became the advisor for the girl group Turtle Lily.[18]
Personal life
On August 15, 2021, Umeda announced on her blog and Instagram account that she had married Hirokasu Goto, a radio personality from Niigata Prefecture, and that she was pregnant with their first child.[19] Their son was born on January 1, 2022. Their second son was born in June 2023.
Discography
Albums
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Koinu Dan no Monogatari | Madoka Nishizawa | Supporting role[21] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–2007 | Hello! Morning | Herself | TV Tokyo | Morning Musume's variety show |
| 2002–2004 | Hello Kids | Herself | TV Tokyo | Minimoni's variety show |
| 2005 | Musume Document 2005 | Herself | TV Tokyo | Morning Musume's variety show |
| 2005–2006 | Musume Dokyu! | Herself | TV Tokyo | Morning Musume's variety show |
| 2007-2008 | Haromoni@ | Herself | TV Tokyo | Morning Musume's variety show |
| 2008 | Berikyū! | Herself | TV Tokyo | Berryz Kobo and Cute's variety show |
| 2008 | Yorosen! | Herself | TV Tokyo | Hello! Project's variety show |
| 2009 | Bijo Houdan | Herself | TV Tokyo | Hello! Project's variety show[22] |
Music video
| Year | Artist | Song | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Miki Fujimoto | "Boogie Train '03" | |
| 2011 | Shiki Canata | "Have a Nice Day" | Episode 1: "Goodbye, My First Love"[23] |
Theater
Radio
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–2008 | Cutie Party | Radio host | with Maimi Yajima[28] |
| 2008–2009 | Cute Cutie Paradise | Radio host | with Airi Suzuki[29] |