- - - - C-ute continues to be a 5-nin group - - -
Thank you for your continuous support of H!P.
Umeda Erika, a member of C-ute who just started their concert tour, will graduate from H!P on the last day of this tour, i.e 25th October.
After graduation, she plans to become a fashion model and pursue her studies in this field.
She plans to work even harder as a C-ute member in the upcoming 3 months until her graduation.
Please support her.
Source: H!O (Translated from the official Hello! Project site announcement)
Umeda Erika has decided to graduate from C-ute and Hello! Project on the last day of the tour (10/25) to pursue a career as a fashion model. She was always one of the members that didn’t stand out that much, but she had a great voice and she was a part of C-ute, it’s good to at least know she is going to have a decent graduation.
I am certain there are no other reasons for her leaving, since she is specifically saying what she wants to do when she graduates and because she is getting a ceremony, so I don’t think there is room for any rumors. From the message on the H!P site she is leaving on her own accord, so I see no reason in blaming UFA for the graduation, and she is still going to be active studying and becoming a fashion model.
I am speaking from my own opinion but I think Umeda and C-ute fans should be supporting her instead of pointing fingers to who is responsible (no one is, she decided on her own) and jumping to a conclusion that they are trying to reduce C-ute (extremely difficult to believe and as far as I know not true at all), the least we can do is support her.
Hopefully her career as a fashion model goes great and she remains active in the fashion scene. If you happen to be in Japan in the next 3 months and you are a C-ute fan I think it would be almost necessary to at least attend one of the concerts before she graduates to show her support before she starts to become a fashion model.
Good luck Erika!
Nihonggo:
いつも『ハロー！プロジェクト』を応援していただきありがとうございます。
℃-ute 梅田えりかは、今月15日から始まる℃-uteコンサートツアーの最終日、10月25日のNHK大阪ホールでの公演をもって、℃-ute、そしてハロー！プロジェクトを卒業する事を皆様にご報告致します。
卒業後はファッションモデルを目指し、勉強していきます。
卒業まで約3ヶ月間℃-uteの一員としてこれまで以上に頑張っていきます。
応援よろしくお願いします。