Maki Goto
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese singer, lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...

 and former actress. Born and raised in Edogawa
Edogawa, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It takes its name from the river that runs from north to south along the eastern edge of the ward. In English, it uses the name Edogawa City....

, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Goto began her musical career in 1999 when she joined Morning Musume
Morning Musume
, sometimes referred to as is a Japanese idol girl group, whose act generally revolves around singing and dancing to upbeat melodies. They are the lead group of Hello! Project, which is managed and produced by Tsunku, who composes nearly all the lyrics and melodies of their songs...

 as the only third generation member. Her first single with the group, "Love Machine
Love Machine (Morning Musume song)
is the seventh single of the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on September 9, 1999 as an 8 cm CD. It sold a total of 1,760,000 copies, making it a massive hit and their highest selling single. In 2004, it was re-released as part of the Early Single Box and again in 2005 as a 12 cm CD...

", topped the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...

 singles charts and sold over a million copies. Goto was the lead vocalist of the group up until her graduation from the group in 2002. While still a member of Morning Musume, Goto released her debut solo single, "Ai no Bakayarō
Ai no Bakayaro
is the first song by Maki Goto, a Hello! Project solo artist who at the time of release was still a member of Morning Musume. It was released as a single on March 28, 2001 under the Zetima label with the catalog number EPCE-5100.- CD track listing :...

", in 2001, which topped the Oricon charts. In 2003 she released her debut album, Makking Gold 1
Makking Gold 1
is the first album from Hello! Project solo artist Maki Goto. It was released on February 5, 2003.- Track listing :# # # # # # # # # # # - Oricon ranks and sales :- External links :* entry on the Up-Front Works official website...

, which debuted at number four on the Oricon album charts.

In 2007, at her G-Emotion II: How to Use Sexy concert, Goto announced that she was graduating from Hello! Project
Hello! Project
is the umbrella name for all female idol Japanese pop recording artists collective that are under contract with the Up-Front Group. The "mothership" group of Hello! Project is the super-group Morning Musume. Hello! Project's current leader is Risa Niigaki, the leader of Morning Musume...

. In 2008, Goto signed with Avex Group sub-label Rhythm Zone
Rhythm Zone
is a record label in the Avex Records Group which releases all kinds of urban contemporary Japanese music.-History:The label was founded in 1999 by Max Matsuura to address the need for a new urban music label, signing M-Flo as its first artist, then followed by Exile.In 2000, Koda Kumi was signed...

 and returned to the music scene at A-nation '08. In 2009, under the stage name Sweet Black feat. Maki Goto, she released her debut mini-album Sweet Black. Goto transferred to Avex Trax
Avex Trax
, listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7860 and abbreviated as AGHD, is the holding company for a group of entertainment-related subsidiaries based in Japan...

 in 2010 and released her second mini-album, One, which marked her official comeback as a singer.

Success in Hello! Project

In 1999, Maki Goto was selected as the only member of the 3rd generation of Morning Musume
Morning Musume
, sometimes referred to as is a Japanese idol girl group, whose act generally revolves around singing and dancing to upbeat melodies. They are the lead group of Hello! Project, which is managed and produced by Tsunku, who composes nearly all the lyrics and melodies of their songs...

. The first single to feature Goto, "Love Machine
Love Machine (Morning Musume song)
is the seventh single of the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on September 9, 1999 as an 8 cm CD. It sold a total of 1,760,000 copies, making it a massive hit and their highest selling single. In 2004, it was re-released as part of the Early Single Box and again in 2005 as a 12 cm CD...

", sold over a million copies, over nine times the amount of copies they had sold for their previous single. During her time in Morning Musume she was one of the founding members of Petitmoni
Petitmoni
, also known as Pucchi Moni, was the second official subgroup of the Japanese pop idol group Morning Musume.- History :Founded November 1999, the group initially consisted of Morning Musume members Kei Yasuda, Sayaka Ichii, and Maki Goto...

 and she started a solo singing career in 2001 with the single "Ai no Bakayarō
Ai no Bakayaro
is the first song by Maki Goto, a Hello! Project solo artist who at the time of release was still a member of Morning Musume. It was released as a single on March 28, 2001 under the Zetima label with the catalog number EPCE-5100.- CD track listing :...

". Until her graduation from Morning Musume she was one of the leading vocalists in most of the songs released. Post-graduation she mostly concentrated on her solo career, and occasionally on temporary Hello! Project
Hello! Project
is the umbrella name for all female idol Japanese pop recording artists collective that are under contract with the Up-Front Group. The "mothership" group of Hello! Project is the super-group Morning Musume. Hello! Project's current leader is Risa Niigaki, the leader of Morning Musume...

 units such as Gomattō, Nochiura Natsumi
Nochiura Natsumi
was a one-off Hello! Project unit formed in 2004. The members were Maki Goto, Aya Matsuura and Natsumi Abe.The group was composed of soloists, similar to Gomattou, and released their only single, , on October 6, 2004. It reached 4th place on TBS's Top 100 weekly countdown show Count Down TV...

, and Def.Diva
DEF.DIVA
Def.Diva was a "special group" formed in 2005 from the Hello! Project idol umbrella, and consisted of Aya Matsuura, Maki Goto, Natsumi Abe and Rika Ishikawa. The band's name is an abbreviation of the phrase "Definite Diva"....

. As time passed, she increasingly concentrated on acting in addition to singing. She also performed at the Asia Song Festival
Asia song festival
Asia Song Festival, aka A-Song-Fe or ASF, is an annual Asian pop music festival held in South Korea, since 2004. It is hosted by Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange and features artists from Asian countries...

 2005 in Pusan, Korea, representing Japan.

In early 2007, Goto was chosen to be a member of Morning Musume Tanjō 10 Nen Kinentai
Morning Musume Tanjo 10 Nen Kinentai
was a group made up of five past and present members of the Japanese all-girl pop group Morning Musume created to celebrate Morning Musume's 10th anniversary.- Members :*Kaori Iida – first generation *Natsumi Abe – first generation...

 — a unit created to celebrate Morning Musume's 10th anniversary as a group. Morning Musume Tanjō 10 Nen Kinentai also consisted of Natsumi Abe
Natsumi Abe
is a Japanese singer and actress, a former member of Morning Musume, and currently a member of Dream Morning Musume.-Career:On August 13, 2003, she released her first single, "22 Sai no Watashi," which means "Me, 22 years old," just a few days after her 22nd birthday...

, Kaori Iida
Kaori Iida
is a Japanese pop singer and actress, associated with Hello! Project and best known as a founding member of the girl band Morning Musume. She has also recorded with the Morning Musume side project band Tanpopo and is currently a solo artist...

, Risa Niigaki
Risa Niigaki
is a fifth generation member and current leader of the Japanese pop group Morning Musume. She joined Morning Musume in 2001 along with Ai Takahashi, Asami Konno and Makoto Ogawa. She grew up in Yokohama after moving there at age six. As of 2009, she was the longest-serving sub-leader of Morning...

 and Koharu Kusumi
Koharu Kusumi
, is a former J-pop singer and voice actress, and currently a model. She joined Morning Musume as the only seventh generation member and as the youngest soloist to debut in Hello! Project, being only twelve years old when she joined. Before she joined Morning Musume, she was the captain of her...

. Their first single, "Bokura ga Ikiru My Asia", was released on January 24, 2007.

Her seventeenth single, , was released on April 11, 2007. On September 19, 2007, Goto's fourth original album How to Use Sexy
How to Use Sexy
How to Use Sexy is the fourth studio album by Japanese pop singer Maki Goto. The album was released on September 19, 2007 via Piccolo Town in two editions: a regular edition with catalog number PKCP-5096 and a limited edition with catalog number PKCP-5094~5 which came with a DVD.- CD :# "How to Use...

was released.

On October 28, 2007, during the final show of her G-EmotionII: How to Use Sexy tour, Goto suddenly announced to fans that she would be graduating from Hello! Project, though she was also leaving UpFront Agency completely. Her graduation was said to be that she was overworked and overly stressed, causing her health problems. She also had different ideas of the direction of her career to what her agency had planned. Because of her graduation, she would not be able to participate in the Hello! Project 2008 Winter concert tour, previously said to be because of "scheduling conflicts".

Goto signs with Avex

Late in 2007, after her sudden Hello! Project graduation, rumors aroused the very next day stating that Avex's CEO, Max Matsuura, had shown interest in signing Goto in for Avex. During Goto's brother trial, she disappeared from the media-eye.

Goto's official blog reopened on March 25, 2008. Over the course of several entries, she revealed that she was in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, taking singing and dancing lessons. Her blog didn't include any reference to Up-Front agency (but remained at the same address), and it was assumed that her contract with Up-Front had expired on March 1 and was not renewed as expected. Her last blog entry was on April 22. On June 19, 2008, it was released to the press that Goto had signed with the record label Rhythm Zone
Rhythm Zone
is a record label in the Avex Records Group which releases all kinds of urban contemporary Japanese music.-History:The label was founded in 1999 by Max Matsuura to address the need for a new urban music label, signing M-Flo as its first artist, then followed by Exile.In 2000, Koda Kumi was signed...

 under Avex.

Maki debuted with Avex when she participated in the company's shareholders' meeting on June 22, 2008, singing a cover of Whitney Houston's "Saving All My Love for You." She also participated in A-nation'08 (Osaka on August 24 and Tokyo on August 31) alongside with Kumi Koda, Ai Otsuka, Exile, Ami Suzuki, AAA, TVXQ, Namie Amuro, and Ayumi Hamasaki, among others. At A-nation, she performed the self-written song "Hear Me", an unreleased song (although a version of the song "Mine" was featured on her mini-album Sweet Black feat. Maki Goto), drawing media attention for the first time since her graduation. She also sang "Saving All My Love for You", and a cover of Diana King's "Shy Guy".

Sweet Black Project

The Sweet Black Project is a cross-media collaboration between J-Wave
J-Wave
J-Wave is a commercial radio station based in Tokyo, Japan, broadcasting on 81.3 FM from the Tokyo Tower to the Tokyo area. J-Wave airs mostly music covering a wide range of formats. The station is considered the most popular among FM broadcasts in Tokyo, and has surprised the radio broadcast...

, Avex and Mixi
Mixi
mixi, Inc. is one of several social networking websites in Japan, founded in 2004. As of May 2008, mixi had over 21.6 million users and an 80% share of the social networking market in Japan...

. Goto herself chose the logo and the name, which is meant to reflect the “positive and negative” side of the life of today’s women.

On January 5, 2009, J-Wave premiered “Sweet Black Girls”, a 15 minute segment hosted by Goto and Ryū as part of the popular radio show "PLATOn". The show airs from Monday to Friday and focuses on the life of women in their twenties. Reception was extremely good, as 30,000 messages were received during the first week alone.

To complete the project, Mixi, the most popular networking community in Japan, opened a special space for Sweet Black, and Avex launched a web-documentary on YouTube based on Goto's daily routine as a singer. Promotions were met with immediate success, admittedly beyond expectations.

On January 21, Goto released her first digital single with Avex, titled "Fly Away". The lyrics, penned by Maki herself, are based on Mambo, a story written by young author Hitomi Kanehara, who won the Akutagawa Prize for her 2003 novel "Hebi ni Piasu" ("Snakes and Earrings").

Barely a month later, on February 25, 2009, Goto released her second digital single, titled Lady-Rise, also penned by herself. This time, Goto collaborated with Erika Sakurazawa, a Japanese Josei manga author.

On March 7, 2009, Goto modelled at Japan’s biggest fashion event, Tokyo Girls Collection
Tokyo Girls Collection
The , sometimes abbreviated as TGC, is a semiannual fashion festival launched in 2005. The fashion event showcases the seasons fashionable streetwear by domestic brands, and are usually modeled by popular celebrities from various entertainment scenes not by professional models...

.

Goto released her second mini album, "One", on July 28, 2010.
She released her Third Mini album "LOVE" on May 5, 2011

Personal life

Goto has a younger brother and two older sisters.

In 1996, Maki's father died from a fall while mountaineering.

On October 20, 2007, , Maki's younger brother and former member of idol group EE Jump, was arrested on the grounds he and two accomplices, aged 18 and 19, had broken into a construction site in Edogawa, Tokyo
Edogawa, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It takes its name from the river that runs from north to south along the eastern edge of the ward. In English, it uses the name Edogawa City....

 on July 15, 2007 and made off with 80 reels of electric cable worth approximately 1 million yen.
According to Flash magazine, Goto and one of her brother's accomplices had been romantically involved for some time, after the two met at Yūki's wedding in 2005. Due to the circumstances surrounding the robbery scandal, they haven't been in contact with each other.

On January 23, 2010 at 11 pm, Maki's mother, Tokiko Goto, fell from the 3rd story of her home in Edogawa, Tokyo. She was taken to the hospital, but died from her injuries in the early hours of January 24. Police say she was drunk and have yet to rule out suicide.

Albums

Release Name Chart position* Sales* Notice
February 5, 2003 4 105,000 1. Studio Album
January 24, 2004 4 52,000 2. Studio Album
February 23, 2005 11 32,000 3. Studio Album
December 15, 2005 9 30,000 1. Compilation Album
September 19, 2007 How to Use Sexy
How to Use Sexy
How to Use Sexy is the fourth studio album by Japanese pop singer Maki Goto. The album was released on September 19, 2007 via Piccolo Town in two editions: a regular edition with catalog number PKCP-5096 and a limited edition with catalog number PKCP-5094~5 which came with a DVD.- CD :# "How to Use...

18 15,000 4. Studio Album
September 16, 2009 Sweet Black 16 7,000 1. EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

June 28, 2010 One 10 14,000 2. EP
September 22, 2010 Maki Goto Complete Best Album 2001-2007 (Singles & Rare Tracks) 74 2,000 2. Compilation Album
January 12, 2011 Gloria 12 7,000 3. EP
May 5, 2011 Love 17 5,000 4. EP
November 2, 2011 8 7,000 5. Studio Album /
1. Studio Album by Avex Trax.
*Oricon Charts
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...

.
Green marked tacks released under Hello! Project.
Blue marked tacks released under the label Avex Trax.

Singles

Release Name Chart position* Sales* Notice
March 28, 2001 1¹ 435,000 1. Single
September 19, 2001 2 210,000 2. Single
May 9, 2002 3 105,000 3. Single
August 21, 2002 2 113,000 4. Single
December 18, 2002 6 59,000 5. Single
March 19, 2003 6 61,000 6. Single
June 18, 2003 5 46,000 7. Single
August 27, 2003 4 59,000 8. Single
November 27, 2003 3 45,000 9. Single
March 17, 2004 5 35,000 10. Single
July 7, 2004 8 31,000 11. Single
November 17, 2004 9 29,000 12. Single
July 6, 2005 9 21,000 13. Single
January 25, 2006 12 21,000 14. Single
June 7, 2006 7 28,000 15. Single
October 11, 2006 Some Boys! Touch
Some Boys! Touch
"Some Boys! Touch" is Maki Goto's 16th single. It was released on 2006-10-11 in bothlimited and regular editions. The Single V DVD did come out two weeks later on 2006-10-25 with the catalog number PKBP-5055...

5 29,000 16. Single
April 11, 2007 9 15,000 17. Single
*Oricon Charts.
Green marked tacks released under Hello! Project.
¹: The only Hello! Project solo release to place #1 on the weekly charts.

Digital singles

Release Name Notice
January 21, 2009 Fly Away 1. Digital Single
February 25, 2009 Lady Rise 2. Digital Single
April 21, 2009 With... 3. Digital Single
October 10, 2010 4. Digital Single
July 20, 2011 What Is Love? / Scandalous 5. Digital Single
Blue marked tacks released under the label Avex Trax
Avex Trax
, listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7860 and abbreviated as AGHD, is the holding company for a group of entertainment-related subsidiaries based in Japan...

.

DVDs

Release Name Notice
March 5, 2003 Ken & Mary no Merikenko On Stage! Original Cast Ban
July 24, 2003 Maki Goto First Concert Tour 2003 Haru: Go! Makking Gold 1. Concert DVD
December 12, 2003 1. Clip Collection
February 25, 2004 Maki Goto Concert Tour 2003 Aki: Sexy! Makking Gold 2. Concert DVD
September 15, 2004 Maki Goto Concert Tour 2004 Haru: Makkin-iro ni Nucchae! 3. Concert DVD
January 26, 2005 Maki Goto Concert Tour 2004 Aki: Aa Maki no Shirabe 4. Concert DVD
January 18, 2006 Maki Goto Concert Tour 2005 Aki: Hatachi 5. Concert DVD
July 5, 2006 Hello Pro Party! 2006: Maki Goto Captain Kōen 6. Concert DVD
October 11, 2006 Maki Goto Secret Live at Studio Coast: 2 7. Concert DVD
February 21, 2007 Maki Goto Live Tour 2006: G Emotion: 3 8. Concert DVD
April 25, 2007 Hello☆Pro On Stage! 2007 "Rock Desu yo!" 9. Concert DVD
November 28, 2007 Maki Goto Live Tour 2007 G-Emotion II: How to Use Sexy 10. Concert DVD
Green marked tacks released under Hello! Project.

Collaborations

# Artist Title Release date
1 Ravex Golden Luv feat. Maki Goto February 18, 2009
2 House Nation Fly Away House Nation Mix April 8, 2009
3 DJ Mayumi Crazy in Love feat. Maki Goto July 29, 2009
4 Ayanokouji Shou October 19, 2011

Unreleased songs

# Title Premiere Additional Info
1 Hear Me A-nation'08, Osaka, August 24, 2008 A version with different lyrics titled "Mine" was featured on her mini album Sweet Black
2 Shy Guy A cover version from Diana King
Diana King
Diana King is a reggae fusion singer-songwriter who specifically performed a mixture and fusion of R&B, reggae, pop and dancehall...

s song Shy Guy
Shy Guy
"Shy Guy" is a song by Diana King from the Bad Boys soundtrack and also her debut album Tougher Than Love. It reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S....

.

Guest appearance on DVD

# Title Release date
1 A-Nation'08: Avex All Cast Special Live (20th Anniversary Special Edition) November 26, 2008
2 A-Nation for Life December 14, 2011

Photobooks

  • [2001.11.06]
  • [2003.03.21] Maki
  • [2003.09.??] - with Natsumi Abe
    Natsumi Abe
    is a Japanese singer and actress, a former member of Morning Musume, and currently a member of Dream Morning Musume.-Career:On August 13, 2003, she released her first single, "22 Sai no Watashi," which means "Me, 22 years old," just a few days after her 22nd birthday...

    , Mari Yaguchi
    Mari Yaguchi
    , known professionally by her birth name of is a Japanese pop artist and former member of Hello! Project. She is a former member of Morning Musume and Tanpopo, one of its first sub groups, and also founded Minimoni...

     and Kaori Iida
    Kaori Iida
    is a Japanese pop singer and actress, associated with Hello! Project and best known as a founding member of the girl band Morning Musume. She has also recorded with the Morning Musume side project band Tanpopo and is currently a solo artist...

  • [2003.06.27] More Maki
  • [2004.04.24] Prism
  • [2004.07.23]
  • [2005.04.26] Dear...
  • [2006.08.21] Foxy Fungo
  • [2011.11.27] Go to Natura…

Essay books

  • [2002.09.??]
  • [2002.12.??]
  • [2003.09.23]
  • [2003.12.??]
  • [2005.04.07]

Movies

  • [2000]
  • [2002]
  • [2003]
  • [2003]

Television dramas

  • [2001]
  • [2002]
  • [2002]
  • [2003] R.P.G.
  • [2005]
  • [2006]

Musicals

  • [2003]
  • [2004]
  • [2007]

Radio

  • [2003-20??] }}
  • [2003-2005] }}
  • [2009-]

Concerts

  • [2003.09.30]
  • [2004.03.13]
  • [2004.06.30]
  • [2004.09.28]
  • [2005.07.06] – With Nochiura Natsumi
    Nochiura Natsumi
    was a one-off Hello! Project unit formed in 2004. The members were Maki Goto, Aya Matsuura and Natsumi Abe.The group was composed of soloists, similar to Gomattou, and released their only single, , on October 6, 2004. It reached 4th place on TBS's Top 100 weekly countdown show Count Down TV...

  • [2005.10.25] – With Melon Kinenbi
    Melon Kinenbi
    was an all-girl Japanese pop group within Hello! Project. They were formed after they successfully passed the 2nd Morning Musume & Michiyo Heike Imotobun Audition. Melon Kinenbi is the oldest group in the history of Hello! Project not to have changed any of its members since its formation...

  • [2006.04.07] – With Aya Matsuura
    Aya Matsuura
    is a Japanese pop singer from Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.-2000–2009: Hello! Project:Aya auditioned in 2000 for the fourth Morning Musume & Heike Michiyo Protegee Audition and was selected along with Sheki-Dol to become a part of what was later known as Hello! Project. It is a common...


External links

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