Misaki Matsumoto was a student of Osaka’s entertainment school CALESS, the same school were the likes of Lead (Vision Factroy/Rising Productions), Matsushita Yuya (now in group X4), BRIGHT or rock band SCANDAL attended.
Actually, Misaki started being one of the members for CALESS’ acapella group BRIGHT, she was a member from 2001 (year it was created) along with students NAGI (leader), MIMI and MEG, and soon after, Hikaru Koyama joined them too. But Hikaru would stay for a short period of time, as she joined the unit called LOVE&PEACE that debuted in 2002, and later would become a member of Para-Para based dance group, HINOI TEAM, in 2005. Misaki left BRIGHT during the year 2003 (and she was replaced by NANAKA), to start a new CALESS’ dance and vocal group called 9SOULS, that eventually changed its name to PARADISE GO!! GO!! debuting under avex (as well as joining the company LDH).
As explained on Parago’s chapter, Misaki also joined the performance unit REAL FORCE, that was created at EXPG (EXILE’s school), at the end of 2006.
AYAKA from PARADISE GO!! GO!! would join that group too, that was completed with the vocalist Stephanie, and two more performers: HARUNA and Emika (with the stage name UNO); imitating EXILE’s first formation (2 vocalists and 3 performers).
While PARADISE GO!! GO!! became inactive, the new performance group (REAL FORCE) started doing performances and different activities, until HIRO decided to just pick up the two vocalists, Misaki and Stephanie, because he liked the chemistry they had together and the way their two voices blended in the harmonies they sung.
LOVE was born following the idea that moves LDH as a company and EXILE’s Family as a group of artists that are based on the mottos of LOVE DREAM & HAPPINESS, that they started developing further after the release of the song Love, Dream & Happiness (by EXILE).
However, as their first project that was based in these three concepts created by EXILE, HIRO discarded the performance group form and disbanded REAL FORCE to create a vocal duo that wouldn’t dance at all, although both members had the skills.
LOVE debuted in August 26th 2009 with the single First Love ~Love Letter~ ; with the songs Two Hearts, written by Daichi and produced by CHOKKAKU; Love Letter, produced by Jeff Miyahara and Jeremy Soule; and the track secret base ~Kimi ga Kureta mono~ written by Norihiko Machida.
From 2009 to 2012, the duo launched the following singles:
First Love ~Love Letter~ - August 26th 2009
Second Love ~Tada Hitotsu no Negai sae~ - November 25th 2009
Watashi Au Mono – March 10th 2010
Kataomoi – September 8th 2010
“Aishiteru” No One Word – December 15th 2010
Someday Again ~Mata Au Tabi made~ - May 11th 2011
100-nen go no Kimi ni – April 25th 2012
Taisetsuna Kimochi – April 14th 2010
Tsunagaru Kimochi - June 29th 2011
The songs that LOVE performed always revolved around different type of relationships and the feelings that come from those relationships (from lovers, friendship, family relations). ATSUSHI said once, about one of their songs: Taisetsuna Kimochi, that writting for LOVE had been a great challenge for him, because he wasn’t used to work on female voices and their harmonies.
Misaki was the one to record the demos for the songs Still and WHY, that were the songs used at the VOCAL BATTLE AUDITION 3.
In December of 2012, after the duo had spent too much time without releasing any music and only doing performances, they decided to disband after their contract with the label SONY expired. The group wasn’t offered a renewal of their contract nor any other option to join a different label so, after several meetings with their staff, they decided to part ways.
After all this time, only Stephanie has remained attached to the entertainment world, as a model and doing some TV appearances. We don’t truly know where Misaki went. We also believe that the possibility of seeing a group with the name LOVE at LDH in a future still exists.
Stephanie’s Twitter | Ameblo
http://ameblo.jp/ask0428/entry-10451888875.html
http://f.hatena.ne.jp/hachieron/
http://www.charge.co.jp/special/item_642.html
http://blog.livedoor.jp/melon_kinenbi2/archives/2005-09.html
Sources:
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/hachieron/
http://mixi.jp/view_community.pl?id=3107020
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/setagaya/200804
http://time-punch.com/archives/2717