C-ute

°C-ute (キュート, Kyūto^?, stylized as ℃-ute) is an all-female Japanese pop group within Hello! Project, currently consisting of five teenage girls. °C-ute made its major debut in 2007 and that year received the Japan Record Award for Best New Artist. All the group's major label singles* have reached the Top 10 in the Oricon Weekly Chart.




History :

2005-2006: Formation of °C-ute

 °C-ute was formed in the year 2005, consisting of seven girls from Hello! Project Kids who were not chosen to form the group Berryz Kobo. The group was officially announced on June 11, 2005, though its formation had been rumored for several months prior. Later, in January 2006, Kanna Arihara, a Hello Pro Egg, was added at the start of the Hello! Project Winter 2006 tour, as part of the Wonderful Hearts team. On October 31, 2006, Megumi Murakami left the group to pursue her studies further in school.
Prior to the band's formation, some members worked with members of Morning Musume in such side projects as Aa! and ZYX, as well as the Mini Moni movie Okashi na Daibōkenand some starring as voices in the anime kirarin revolution.

2007-2008: Major label debut

On February 21, 2007, °C-ute's first official single "Sakura Chirari" was released. On the first day it ranked third on the Oricon charts, a feat not even accomplished by Morning Musume (who had ranked 6th on their debut single).^[2] With their debut single, they became the youngest group (with the average age of 13) to rank in the top 10.^[3]
On December 30, 2007, °C-ute was chosen as the Best New Artist Award with Japan Record Award.

2009: Line-up changes

On February 26, 2009, Hello! Project announced that Arihara was having difficulty performing onstage due to having hallux valgus, or bunion deformity, and would not be able to attend Hello! Project's 10th Anniversary Fanclub event that week. She would also be absent from Hello! Project activities, including activities in °C-ute, while receiving treatment. Hello! Project then announced in July 2009 that Arihara had left Hello! Project and °C-ute and would not return.
On August 1, 2009, Hello! Project announced Umeda's departure from °C-ute and Hello! Project to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion model. Her graduation was held on October 25, 2009, in Osaka, at the end of their 2009 fall concert tour.

2010

On November 27, 2010, Chisato Okai released a solo single on iTunes, and is currently the only member in the group to have done so.