Sayashi Riho's push to the front: How I see it

It's no secret that Sayashi Riho is right in the middle of things for just about everything that has to do with Morning Musume's Only you single. She's in the center of the PV's dance shot sequences,

is prominent and/or in the center of two out of the four CD covers,

and has more lines than any other 9th generation member.

But why Riho? Mizuki has more Hello! Project experience. Kanon has more personality. Erina has a more unique tone. Why is Riho pushed ahead of not only her fellow 9th generation members, but also ahead of some of her senpai members? Continue reading on to find out my thoughts.



First let me make my stance clear: I have absolutely no problem with Riho being front and center. And no, she's not my favorite 9th gen member - she's actually my least favorite. But, I believe that Riho being pushed ahead is for the group's own good.

Let's face it, right now Takahashi Ai is Morning Musume. She's Morning Musume's most talented member and is heavily featured in virtually every single. Her sales figures prove that she's Hello! Project's most popular member. Her merchandise sales are always near the top. The problem is, Takahashi Ai won't be a member of Morning Musume for too much longer. She's moving on and Morning Musume must soon do the same. The group needs a new ace; someone to pick up where Aichan will leave off. Unfortunately that is much easier said than done.

You see, Aichan really is a rare talent. That tiny five-foot frame (arguably) contains Hello! Project's best singer and dancer. How many other times in Hello! Project history can we say that about someone? Ayaya: sure. Gomaki: maybe. Considering that there have been well over 70 individual Hello! Project artists over the years, it's safe to say that someone of Aichan's abilities does not come around very often.

So in short, to replace someone like Aichan you need a special individual. Someone that oozes talent and excels at being an idol. But where do you find someone like that?

Riho is only 13 years old (Happy Birthday!) so it's way too early to crown her as Aichan's heir apparent, but I don't blame fans for being excited over her. She reminds me a lot of Aichan, actually: they both had prior dance training before joining Morning Musume (and entered the group as pretty good dancers as a result), both have similar personalities (though Riho seems more outgoing at age 13 than Aichan was), and I even see them as the same type of singer.

Given her limited opportunities (yes, she has a lot of screen-time and lines in Only you, but let's not forget that it is only one single), Riho has shined. I think she sounded especially great in her solos. This is especially impressive when you realize that this is a 13 year old new member that is holding her own against Morning Musume's veterans. If you go back to 2001 and listen to how Aichan and Gakisan sounded compared to Abe and Goto Maki you'll often see that it's not even close.

But let's not get too excited. Aichan and Gakisan have been doing their thing in Morning Musume for almost as long as Riho has been alive. Riho still has a long way to go to be on their level. However, at the very least, she has shown that she has something inside her that potentially can grow and be harnessed into something great.

That only leaves the question of why Riho and not any of the other 9th gen members instead. At this point, they all are still new members, so you may be wondering why Riho was chosen over the other three. My thought process is this: besides the talent factor (which I wouldn't take lightly - Morning Musume and Hello! Project in general focuses more on talent than most other idol groups), the other major thing that a lead singer needs is popularity. No matter how talented a girl might be, sales won't increase if the group is headed by someone the public doesn't like (or at least isn't in love with). It's just a sad fact of the idol world and it is the only reason why I believe that someone as talented as Linlin wasn't given more opportunities than she received.

With that said, Riho has actually already become quite popular. Ever since she joined Morning Musume in January, she has been among the top 10 in Hello! Project merchandise sales figures. She even made it to the number two spot, right behind Aichan, for the month of April (which is the newest sales ranking that we have right now). Like her or not, she is quickly becoming a favorite among fans.


The senior management at UFA didn't just pick Riho's name randomly out of a hat and decided to push her to the center. They did it because they have great reason. Her talent level may be subjective and debatable to some, but what cannot be debated is her climb to the top of Hello! Project's popularity charts in such a short amount of time. Although no one can say for sure just what kind of idol Riho will become, she has all the tools to make a great idol, and if Only you is any indication, I think Sayashi Riho (and more importantly, Morning Musume) will be just fine.