Petit Moni were the second official subgroup of the Japanese popidol groupMorning Musume. In 2009, Petitmoni was revived as Petitmoni V until its disbandment in 2011.
History
Founded November 1999, the group initially consisted of Morning Musume membersKei Yasuda, Sayaka Ichii, and Maki Goto. Shortly after their formation, the group released their first single, "Chokotto Love," which sold more than 1 million copies. After the release of the first single, on May 21, 2000, Sayaka Ichii graduated from both Morning Musume and Petitmoni. In order to fill the third member's position, their producer Tsunku placed 4th generation member Hitomi Yoshizawa into the group, forming the second generation. Petitmoni went on to release three more singles, with their only album, Zenbu! Petitmoni, released in August 2002. The album was a collection of all of their singles and B-side tracks, along with three extra tracks. Goto graduated from both Morning Musume and Petitmoni in 2002. Shortly thereafter, Yasuda's graduation was announced for 2003. This sparked yet another formation change, in which Ayaka Kimura and 5th generation member Makoto Ogawa were added. Yoshizawa became the new leader, but the new lineup never released a single; only a song entitled "Wow Wow Wow" and a remake of "Chokotto Love," which were included on later Petit Best compilation CDs. The group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2003, and was effectively disbanded in subsequent years with Ogawa leaving to study English abroad in 2006, Yoshizawa graduating from Morning Musume in 2007, and Kimura leaving Hello! Project and Up-Front Agency in 2008. The 2009 Hello! Project album Chanpuru 1: Happy Marriage Song Cover Shū featured a track by Petitmoni V, initiating a revival of the disbanded group. Its new lineup consisted of Saki Nakajima, Mai Hagiwara, and Erina Mano, and the "V" in its name is for "victory." This revived group appeared for the first time at the Hello! Project Summer 2009 concert, singing a new song, "Pira! Otome no Negai". Petitmoni V disbanded alongside the other revival units, excluding High-King, in January 2011 but reunited for a one-off performance in 2013 for Hello! Project's 15th anniversary alongside former Petitmoni member Hitomi Yoshizawa.
