W3:Faithful (partially found "W" album; 2006)

W: Ai Kago (left) and Tsuji Nozmi (right).

Status: Lost

W3: Faithful was to be the third studio album from Japanese pop recording duo W (also spelled Double You).

W was a duo comprised of Ai Kago and Tsuji Nozomi, two ex-members of the pop group Morning Musume. Both girls belonged to the Hello! Project roster, an umbrella group of female pop acts signed to the Zetima recording label and represented by Up-Front talent agency. W debuted in 2004 with the single Koi no Vacance and released their first album, Duo U&U, later that year. Their second album, 2nd W, was released in 2005.

The album W3: Faithful was announced to be released on March 22nd of 2006. On February 9th, Ai Kago was photographed by a paparazzi smoking while under the age of twenty, which is a crime in Japan. The album was postponed and Kago was given a years suspension from the label. Nozomi remained with the agency as a solo artist and it was speculated that the group would release W3: Faithful and resume activities upon Kago's return.

In January of 2007 it was reported that Kago rejoined the Up-Front talent agency. In March of that year Up-Front agency released an official statement that she had violated the terms of her contract and would be dismissed from the label. In the following weeks, Nozomi also resigned effectively disbanding the duo and the possibility of the album being released.

This album was also to contain the single "Dou ni mo Tomaranai" which was scheduled for release on February 22nd 2006, but postponed indefinitely on February 9th. Like the album W3: Faithful, this single is also considered lost. It was possibly a cover of a song of the same name previously released by singer Linda Yamamoto.

A description for the album on the Japanese site reads: 3rd album containing 3 singles including "Tell me the meaning of love" "Miss Love detective"! It is a versatile and fun album that includes covers as well as original songs.

It is believed that many of the tracks on this album were re-recorded and released by other acts belonging to Hello! Project. One example is Morning Musume, the group to which Kago and Tsuji had previously belonged, recording a song with the title "Dou ni mo Tomaranai" on their album Cover You in 2008.

External Links

• W on Hello! Project wikia
• Listing for the album on HMV's Japanese website (item is discontinued)