Rika Ishikawa

Rika Ishikawa (石川 梨華, Ishikawa Rika?, born January 19, 1985 in Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan), is a Japanese pop singer and TV and radio hostess, associated with the Hello! Project banner and best known as a former member of Hello! Project's mothership J-pop group, Morning Musume. She was the leader of the trio v-u-den until June, 2008. She is currently working as a soloist and a member of the group Ongaku Gatas and the duo Hangry & Angry.

Ishikawa joined Morning Musume as a fourth generation member along with Hitomi Yoshizawa, Nozomi Tsuji, and Ai Kago, and made her debut in 2000 along with the rest of the fourth generation on the band's tenth single, "Happy Summer Wedding".

In 2001, simultaneously with her Morning Musume obligations, Ishikawa became a featured member of the then-semi-dormant Hello! Project group Country Musume and a second-generation member of Morning Musume's first subgroup, Tanpopo. She also participated in her first shuffle group recording, 3-nin Matsuri, with fellow Morning Musume/Tanpopo member Ai Kago and solo singer Aya Matsuura (previously, she had been a replacement member in the 2000 shuffle group Aoiro 7).

One of Ishikawa's most referenced vocal parts during her Morning Musume days was a frantic spoken word piece in the middle eight of their 2003 single "Shabondama". She also said a spoken word piece at the end of the song "The Peace!" which she has said was one of her favorite Morning Musume moments.

In September 2004, her new trio, v-u-den, released their debut single. She graduated from Morning Musume on May 7, 2005, and after five singles, v-u-den finally released their debut album, Suiteroom Number 1, in November 2005.

Source: Wikipedia