Ai Kago(加護 亜依)

Ai Kago

加護 亜依

Ai Kago (2006)
Background information
Also known as Aibon
Born February 7, 1988 (age 19)
Origin Yamatotakada, Nara, Japan
Genre(s) Japanese Pop
Occupation(s) Singer
Years active 2000–present
Label(s) Zetima

Ai Kago (加護 亜依 Kago Ai?) (born February 7, 1988 in Yamatotakada, Nara, Japan, nicknamed "Aibon") is a former member of the Hello! Project Japanese pop collective. Debuting as a fourth generation member of Morning Musume, she later became a founding member of Mini Moni, a second-generation member of Tanpopo, a member of the Morning Musume splinter group Sakuragumi, a participant in the shuffle groups 3nin Matsuri, Happy 7, and SALT5 and appeared as half of the duo W before being expelled from Hello! Project in 2007.

Profile and facts
Nicknames: Aibon (あいぼん?), Kago-chan (加護ちゃん?)
Blood type: AB
Height: 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)
Favorite foods: Nata de coco (fruity desserts), pastries, ramen
Hobby: Cooking, peeling pears
Specialty: Mimicry

Kago's given name, "Ai", is a homonym for love (愛 ai?). Kago has sometimes said in interviews that she was named that by her parents because she was conceived out of wedlock. As written "亜依" it has no real meaning.

At age 12, Kago auditioned for Morning Musume when their fourth-generation auditions were held in 2000; at the final auditions, Kago met fellow finalist Nozomi Tsuji, and the two became best friends almost immediately. Kago's recording debut with Morning Musume was on their ninth single, "Happy Summer Wedding".

Kago and Tsuji quickly became two of the band's most popular members, a status that increased when, along with fellow Morning Musume member Mari Yaguchi and Coconuts Musume member Mika Todd, they co-founded the side project MiniMoni, which became one of the most popular Morning Musume subgroups. Kago would also, almost simultaneously, become a second generation member of the first Morning Musume subgroup, Tanpopo.

Ai Kago has been involved in some of Hello! Project's most popular shuffle groups, including 3nin Matsuri in 2001 with Rika Ishikawa and Aya Matsuura, Happy 7 in 2002 and SALT5 in 2003.

After the "indefinite hiatus" of MiniMoni, Kago and Tsuji debuted their new duo, W (Double You), as they began to wind down their commitments with Morning Musume and the about-to-disband MiniMoni. They graduated from Morning Musume in August of 2004 and have since concentrated full time on W (Double You), releasing two albums, an EP, and six singles to date.

She also appears in the Guinness Book of World Records (2006), along with her best friend and Morning Musume/MiniMoni/W bandmate Nozomi Tsuji, under the record of "largest hula hoop spun". It is the second time that she and Tsuji have held the record, having previously held the record between January and June 2003.