Fukuhara Miho to debut in "Kaeru no Oujo -sama"
20 Mar – Singer-songwriter Fukuhara Miho would be making her drama debut in Fuji TV's "Kaeru no Oujo-sama".
According to Tokyo Hive, Fukuhara would be playing the role of a former New Yorker turned single mother, Haneda Minami, who is one of the members of the mothers' chorus Chansons.
Fukuhara was enlisted to join the cast which currently includes AKB48 member Oshima Yuko, Katase Nana, Tamayama Tetsuji, Kikuchi Mika, Ishida Yuriko and Chiba Yudai, after lead actress Amami Yuki saw a performance of Fukuhara in a Los Angeles church.
When offered the role, Fukuhara decided to join because she was told that the drama is about 'brightening Japan with music', even though she was hesitant about acting in a drama for the first time.
"I decided to take part in it because I wanted to become a part of that power with my music," Fukuhara said.
She added; "Everyday, I encounter new feelings that I've never felt before, but I won't give in until the very end. I want to do my best while learning from my co-stars so that I can grow."
Other than getting help from her fellow cast members, Fukuhara is also being supported to grow more as an actress with the help of the producer.
"In order for the singing scenes to have persuasive power, we thought about having a professional singer as a member of the 'Chansons'. I was drawn by Fukuhara Miho-san's overwhelming skills and performance, that I needed her to participate," said Fuji TV's producer Watanabe Tsuneya.
Watanabe continued; "I feel that she is a very capable artist. Through this drama, I want her to grow further, not just in the Japanese music scene, but as an actress."
Fukuhara made her major label debut in 2008 with her single "Change". She released her first album "Rainbow" in 2009, followed by "Music is my Life" in 2010. She was also the theme song singer for the movies "Shizumanu Taiyo" and "Akunin" before she went for vocal lessons in Los Angeles.
"Kaeru no Oujo-sama" is a drama about a Japanese musical legend (played by Amami Yuki) who returns to Japan after hitting a snag in Broadway. When she returns, she decides to revitalize the crumbling mothers' choir called Chansons and has to convince some of the members to cooperate with her.
The drama is structured to be a musical drama which will feature dance and singing sequences of songs from the 1970s, Enka and more recent pop tunes.
"Kaeru no Oujo-sama" is set to begin airing on 12 April.
