Asami Konno aka Asami biography

Asami Konno (born May 7, 1987 in Sapporo, Japan) is a Japanese singer and former member of Morning Musume. Konno was initially picked because of the effort she put into her audition - the producer specifically mentioned that the actual performance had been "mediocre." Even so, Konno joined the group and made a name for herself as the intelligent underdog. She left the Hello! Project in 2006, but came back in 2007 as part of Ongaku Gatas.

Konno joined Morning Musume in 2001 as part of the fifth generation ("gokkies") along with Ai Takahashi, Makoto Ogawa, and Risa Niigaki. Producer Tsunku chose Konno not because of her performance (he called her "mediocre" and a "failure" in his evaluation) but because of her effort. Konno was rather shy, but was forced out of her shell to make up for her lack of talent.

The Morning Musume subgroups were shuffled around in 2002. Konno became part of Tanpopo's third generation, but only released one single with them before they went on "hiatus."

Also in the 2002-2003 season, the famous comedy show Mechaike hosted a "test" to see who was the idiot girl of Morning Musume. Though the real crown went to Nozomi Tsuji, Konno proved herself to be the smartest member of Morning Musume. She is also a skilled athlete, which was shown in a sports festival version of the "idiot test" later in the year.

However, in 2003, Morning Musume was split in half: Otomegumi and Sakuragumi. Konno was put into Sakuragumi, though she was the weakest voice in the group (even weaker than newbie Eri Kamei.) However, she remained a fan favorite.

Nothing notable happened until 2006, when Konno unexpectedly announced that she and fellow gokkie Makoto Ogawa would be graduating Morning Musume in the summer. Konno's final single with the group was "Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii Jan" in summer 2006 before she left the group to study at the prestigious Keio University.

But Konkon returned! In summer 2007, she announced that she would be balancing her schoolwork and her idol life as part of Ongaku Gatas. In addition to being part of the Project again, Konno also has learned how to sing well, as shown in her duet with Rika Ishikawa from Gatas' first album.