173 replies to this topic

[Blu-Cherri]

Karen


Real Name: 加藤カレン, Katou Karen.
Birthday: 1993.7.03
Bloodtype: B
Birthplace: Tokyo Metropolitan Area

Blog shared with other NGP girls not in CC or TP
http://ameblo.jp/nicegirlroom/

Also I don't think her profile picture does her any justice, here is a blog picture.



EDIT: She now has her own solo blog on ameba
http://ameblo.jp/karen-nikki

this can be commented on so make sure to show your support

[Tricia]

ya she looks a lot better in her blog picture!

[Alienpyon]

I wish her good luck because she's got a strong voice and could do excellent in such a demanding singing stlye like Enka. As we know from the sad example of Yuki Maeda, UFA doesn't do much promotion about Enka artists and provides very little support. I suppose we can expect from her a decent low-profile career in the rear ranks of NGP. That alone would do for me.

Oh, if the NGP management want the audience to take her seriously, maybe they should stop dressing her up in sailor-fuku at concerts! This is so un-Enka

Edit: カレン added to the topic title

[Blu-Cherri]

^The seifuku seems to be a theme all the non TP or CC girls at NGP wear, but for her solo songs I agree she should maybe get a kimono or something. Even if it's a cute short style one like the sakuragumi ones

[Lethal Injection]

Karen seems to have a solo blog now
YAY

[Blu-Cherri]

She was the main blogger on the other blog
277 compared to Shiorin's 239.

[Nayok-Kihara]

men0 on JPM.

She blogs about having a CD debut (although she already released 1 indies single) and sell 1,000 copies at a street live. She actually goes to see some places where she can hold that street live.

There's nothing about an actual debut, but getting her own blog and making posts about a single it looks very much like she's going to release something in the near future.

Some blog photos he posted as well:

[Blu-Cherri]

I thought her blog said something about a CD event(my Japanese is not so good >_<)
Glad to hear I was right as this is very good news

I wonder if tsunku has decided to focus on promoting karen as a soloist before doing anymore with Peach or Shiorin and Mariina.

[Tricia]

omg! shes SUPER pretty! I can't wait for her hopefully soon to be single!

[whale]

I hope they decide to change Karen's music style, Enka doesn't sell that great especially if its from random pretty girl under obscure label.
Tsunku should try to experiment, what Japan needs is some Pussycat Dolls and he should group Karen + Peach + Cherry (bring her back) and + autotune, to make the Japanese Pussycat Dolls
Japan doesn't really have any groups like that, in Japan a girl group is usually on adored by middle aged men.
Tsunku has his own label now and he should use that to really make something new, so far from NGP it just feels like its H!P2.

[Tricia]

he should make a new para para group. it seems like a lot of girls like that type of music. but ya putting her into something besides enka music sounds like a pretty good idea.

[Blu-Cherri]

^
^Tsunku's main idea for NGP was to have idols that can do anything but very much idol-style. Acting/singing/dancing/photobooks everything. But I would hate for anything pussycat dolls related and especially for autotune's to be used, how revolting a thought.(the autotune bit more than anything)

But it's extremely likely that she wants to do enka music. She's clearly had enka singing style training and if that's what she wants to do I see no reason for her to have to do anything else just to sell some more copies of her singles.

[Nayok-Kihara]

Thanks to men0 on JPM:

Karen really is serious about her street live campaign!

Yesterday (6/22) was her first performance outside Yuurakucho Station in Tokyo (on the Yamanote line).



It rained.

But she did get some attention from the press, that's good:
http://hochi.yomiuri...-OHT1T00044.htm

Of course she blogs about it too.
http://ameblo.jp/kar...0285558599.html

And then you can really see that it's just her singing on the street and that's it's not something big, just her and a microphone.



She didn't reach the 1,000 copies yesterday, she only sold 22 copies. But she can blame the rain, next time it should be more.



She's also dieting, she want's to loose weight from 56 kilo to 50 kilo for her aimed debut.



Her "last supper"

Her singing on the street reminds me of what Ice Creamusume did with their debut mini album. They went out and performed their original song in a Mandarin (Chinese)/Japanese mix with megaphones (instead of microphones) on different streets, and sold copies of the album themselves.

[zam（仮）]

^ LOL.. thats the Morning Musume tradition isn't it?

[Nayok-Kihara]

It does seem to be something like that.

I like it though. It really shows initiative and their desire to do what they enjoy doing, and be as successful as they can at it.

[Blu-Cherri]

Oh it's definitely best to build up from the bottom, it's the only way to get real loyal fans really. Otherwise, if you are successful immediately you become more of a fad and fads all go out of fashion eventually.
Berryz had a tough beginning because they didn't do a lot of this build up, if you compare to when c-ute started promoting they did a lot more pre-debut work to build up the fanbase and a reputation.

I really wish I could go along and cheer her on in person

eeep down to 40, that's a big drop and a low number...I guess she's probably shorter than me and being asian she can weigh less and still be ok...

[Nayok-Kihara]

It was actually down to 50. The person had gotten the number from a paper instead of her blog, but she just wanted to go from 56 to 50. (I fixed it in my other post too.)
----

Later (6/24) she will perform at Sugamo Station starting at 13:00.

[Blu-Cherri]

^Ok 50 sounds healthy, I can agree to 50(it's not much less than me)
phew..

[Nayok-Kihara]

Same here. Any lower though, since she's already small, and she might start looking a little too skinny. I don't really think she needed to lose weight anyway.
----

Today


The total right now

Monday: 22 copies
Tuesday: 62 copies
Wednesday: 25 copies

3 day total: 111 copies


Tomorrow she will first return at Sugamo Station, then she will do a shop performance in Kameido (but not in Sunstreet).
http://www.kame13.co...op/tenseido.htm

After that she will go to 有楽町ガード下 in Yurakucho

明日は
14時頃～巣鴨
16時30分頃～亀戸の天盛堂
18時30分頃～有楽町ガード下

[Blu-Cherri]

^Well I (usually) weigh 52kg and I'm about Yossy height, I'm betting Karen is smaller than that and I'm a healthy weight even by UK standards.

I really wish I could get a copy of her CD or at least see a video of her performance T__T