With the Japanese pop idol market in over-saturation thanks to a certain 48-member strong girl group and its related splinter and regional variants, the pop-music loving public are starting to get restless. Pretty girls singing sugary-sweet J-pop in unison is all well and good, but how about a little more musical talent to go with the eye candy? Enter LoVendoЯ (pronounced “Lavender” or, in Japanese, “rabendaa”), a girl group with actual musical instrument playing skills! Okay, so only two of them play instruments (the guitar). And one of these guitarists, Marin Miyazawa, (far right) has managed to snag a huge percentage of the fan adoration away from frontwoman and ex-Morning Musume member, Reina Tanaka (no mean feat!). So, why does everyone love her so much? Well, she’s not only super-pretty, she also plays the guitar quite well. Beautiful women doing things hype!

As we mentioned above, ex-Morning Musume member Reina Tanaka, known for her “gal” style, has managed to turn “graduating” from the once all-powerful idol group into an opportunity for musical reinvention (most girls sadly opt for, or are forced into, obscurity or, perhaps worse, daytime television presenting once their Momusu number is up). But even with her pop-idol pedigree, she’s been eclipsed by Marin Miyazawa, whose beauty has become a hot topic of discussion on online forum 2channel. However, this may have been Tanaka’s plot all along – after all, she had a hand in selecting the other members via an audition process. “The minute I saw Miyazawa, I knew I had to have her in the group,” Tanaka explains. “I thought, this girl is going to draw so many fans!”

Check out this video of Marin and fellow guitarist Yuki Miozumi in the recording studio!

And here’s the music video for their single “Coward”.

For all you Momusu fans, here’s LoVendoЯ’s live rendition of that classic hit, “Sexy Boy – Soyo Kaze ni Yorisotte”

What do you think of this group? Is the inclusion of guitarists nothing more than a transparent gimmick designed to cash in on the new trend of “idols with demonstrable musical talent”? Or do you actually appreciate pop stars who are more than just a pretty face?

Source: Koneta by AU News
Image: Rakuten