Momoiro Clover Z

The group was formed in the spring of 2008 as a 5-member unit, originally named Momoiro Clover ("Pink Clover" or, literally, "Peach-Colored Clover"). The name was chosen to imply that the group was composed of innocent girls who wanted to bring happiness to people.[21] Ariyasu Momoka joined the group after their first single. Later in 2011, after the departure of Akari Hayami from the group, management added the letter "Z" to the group's name. The group's slogan is "Idols you can meet right now" (いま、会えるアイドル, Ima, aeru aidoru).

Momoiro Clover began as a street act in 2008, performing for bystanders in Tokyo's Yoyogi Park.[19] As most members were students attending school on weekdays, the group was active mainly on weekends, leading them to be nicknamed "Weekend Heroines" (週末ヒロイン, Shūmatsu Hiroin).[22] In a one-year period, Momoiro Clover had a number of line-up changes. In March 2009, they became a five-member unit composed of Reni Takagi, Kanako Momota, Akari Hayami, Shiori Tamai, and Ayaka Sasaki.[23]

To support and promote their first indie single, "Momoiro Punch", Momoiro Clover took advantage of school holidays from May to August and went by minibus on a long tour across Japan. They gave a total of 104 concerts in 24 electronic stores of the Yamada Denki network. The girls slept in the minivan, and group's managers drove.[19] In the middle of the tour, Momoka Ariyasu was added to the group as a sixth member.[24] The single was sold only at the group's live events and those sales were enough for it to place 11th in the Oricon Daily Singles Chart and 23rd in the weekly chart.[25]

In March 2010, the girls stated their goals: to take first place on Oricon, to participate in Kōhaku Uta Gassen, to perform at Budokan.[note 1][26] They usually performed in a small club with live music or on a roof of a department store. They sometimes set a simulated stage of National Olympic Stadium, where notable musicians are allowed to perform.[27]

Their first major-label single "Ikuze! Kaitō Shōjo" was released in May.[28] The single debuted on Japan's Oricon Daily Singles Chart at the first position, and at number 3 for the week.[25][29] Momoiro Clover then moved to King Records. The group's first single with King was "Pinky Jones", composed by Narasaki from the Japanese rock band Coaltar of the Deepers with a "more chaotic" approach than previous songs. December 24 marked Momoiro Clover's first solo concert at a concert hall. Nihon Seinenkan, a venue with a capacity of 1,300 seats, was sold out in 30 minutes.[30]

Live in April 2011

In January 2011 at the release event for a new song, sub-leader Akari Hayami stated that she had decided to withdraw from the group in April. Hayami explained that her character was not suited to being an idol and that her dream was to become an actress.[31] At the April 10 Akari Hayami "graduation" concert, the group's management announced the name change to Momoiro Clover Z after Hayami's departure.[32] In Japan, Z(ゼット) symbolizes ultimateness and this letter is often appended to a title (e.g., Mazinger Z and Dragon Ball Z). Z is officially pronounced as /zɛd/ (British pronunciation) when the name is used in spoken English.[33] The band has gone on record saying in an interview that the Z in the title is a reference to the famous anime series, Dragon Ball Z stating "The Z in our name is a very obvious reference to Dragon Ball Z" and that "It's a awesome and very influential series".

Momoiro Clover Z's first single after Hayami's departure was "Z Densetsu: Owarinaki Kakumei", accompanied by a new group image and stage performance.[34] The girls wore outfits with helmets and so-called "transformation belts" reminiscent of Japanese superhero movies, and the music video also borrowed from such "Super Sentai" imagery.[34] In July, Momoiro Clover Z released their first album, Battle and Romance. Later in December, Hotexpress described the band as the number-one breakthrough idol artist of 2011 and stated that the album became a big turning point for them.[1] Next February, Battle and Romance won the Grand Prix at the CD Shop Awards as the best CD of the year selected by music shop employees from all over the country. Momoiro Clover Z was the first idol group to win the award.[35][36] On Christmas Day, 2011, Momoiro Clover Z gave a concert at Saitama Super Arena to their biggest audience to date: all 10,000 tickets were sold out.[37]

In May 2012, Momoiro Clover Z performed in Putrajaya, Malaysia. The former Prime Minister, Najib Razak, personally greeted the group. In June, Momoiro Clover Z opened a national tour, which closed with a sold-out show at Seibu Dome in August to a capacity crowd of 37,000 fans.[18][38][39] Both dates were broadcast live to selected cinemas across Japan, the latter also to Taiwan and Hong Kong.[40]

Live at Japan Expo 2012 in Paris

The group recorded an ending theme song for Pokémon's Best Wishes series (titled "Mite Mite Kocchichi" and included in the eighth single "Otome Sensō" as a coupling track).[41] In July, Momoiro Clover Z performed at Japan Expo 2012 in Paris.[42][43]

Momoiro Clover Z's ninth single "Saraba, Itoshiki Kanashimitachi yo", which appeared in November, topped the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, becoming their first single to do so.[44] They contributed to the anime Joshiraku with "Nippon Egao Hyakkei" as the ending theme which was released on 5 September with a prior early release in iTunes Japan on 22 August.[45]

On December 31, Momoiro Clover Z performed at Kōhaku Uta Gassen, an annual New-Year-Eve music show hosted by NHK, for the first time.[46] Going to Kōhaku had been the group's goal for a long time.[47] During the January 1 Ustream broadcast, Momoiro Clover Z made several announcements: that the band set a new goal for itself — to give a concert at the National Olympic Stadium, an arena with 60–70,000 capacity, that they would release a new album in spring, and that Momoka Ariyasu had to undergo a throat treatment and she would not sing or even talk until the end of January.[48] The treatment was subsequently prolonged for another month, until the end of February. During the group's live Ustream broadcasts, Momoka communicated by drawing and writing on a markerboard. At live performances, other members took turns in singing her parts.[49]

Momoiro Clover Z's second full-length album 5th Dimension was released in April. It sold 180,000 copies in the first week and debuted on top of the Oricon charts, with the first album Battle and Romance resurging to number two.[50] Finally, it won a platinum disk award.[51] In August, Momoiro Clover Z held a concert at Nissan Stadium. It has the largest capacity in Japan.[52]

In March, the group held a solo concert at National Olympic Stadium, realizing one of their dreams since the debut.[53] Such solo concerts had only been performed by six groups until then. Momoiro Clover Z was the first female group and also became the fastest group ever, which achieved that in six years.[54] As a two-day concert, a total of 150,000 people watched in the stadium and at live viewing venues.[55]

In May, the group released their 11th single "Naite mo Iin Da yo"; B-side "My Dear Fellow" made its debut at Yankee Stadium when it was used for Masahiro Tanaka's warm up for his first game with the New York Yankees.[56][57] The group also provided the theme music for the anime Sailor Moon Crystal.[58] The title is "Moon Pride" (the group's 12th single released in July).[59][60][61]

In August, the group performed at Lady Gaga's concert as an opening act.[62] It was a part of Gaga's world tour named "ArtRave: The Artpop Ball" and held in Japan. Momoiro Clover Z was selected by Gaga herself.[62]

On January 28, 2015, Momoiro Clover Z released a collaboration single with the American hard rock band KISS, titled "Yume no Ukiyo ni Saitemina". It was the first time for KISS to release a collaboration CD with another artist.[16] In Japan, it was released physically in two versions: Momoiro Clover Z edition (CD+Blu-ray) and KISS edition (CD only).[63][64] An alternate mix of the single's title song was also included as an opening track on the Japanese-only SHM-CD album Best of KISS 40, released in Japan on the same day.[65][66]

In February 2015, a joint performance recorded by Momoiro Clover Z and Rats & Star for the Fuji TV show Music Fair was removed from broadcast due to controversy over the appearance of both groups in blackface in the performance, a photo of which Rats & Star had tweeted before the broadcast date after recording.[67] A Change.org petition had been started after the tweet by Japan Times contributor Baye McNeil, who is African American, amid conversations over racism in Japan.[68] Amid the controversy, Momoiro Clover Z cancelled their appearance at a Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan film screening.[69]

Momoiro Clover Z provided the theme song, "Z no Chikai" which was released as their fifteenth single on April 29, 2015, for the Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' theatrical anime film. The group also voiced the Angels at the end of the film.[70][71]

The group released their third studio album Amaranthus and fourth studio album Hakkin no Yoake in a double release in Japan on February 17, 2016. The albums debuted at #1 and #2 in the Oricon weekly albums chart.[72] The group held a dome trek tour for the two albums.[73]

In early April 2016, the group announced[74] their first overseas tour titled Trans America Ultra Live and appeared in Hawaii, Los Angeles and New York[17]

On January 21, Momoka Ariyasu graduated from the group, leaving MCZ with only four members. In April, they released their 18th single, "Xiao yi Xiao". On May 23, they released a new best of album for their tenth anniversary called Momo mo Juu, Bancha mo Debana.

On May 17, 2019, Momoiro Clover Z released their self-titled fifth studio album, their first studio album to not feature Momoka Ariyasu and their first as a four-member group. In 2021, they performed the theme song for the Sailor Moon Eternal movie.