2002–2004: Hello! Project Kids and ZYX In 2002, Tsugunaga auditioned for
Hello! Project Kids with the song "Koi wo Shicchaimashita!" by
Tanpopo. Her audition tape was aired on
Morning Musume's variety show
Hello! Morning. She was placed in the group with 14 other girls. In the same year, she starred in the movie
Koinu Dan no Monogatari as the main character, Mao Morishita. In 2003, Tsugunaga appeared in the music video for
Miki Fujimoto's "
Boogie Train '03." She also became a member of the subgroup
ZYX along with
Mari Yaguchi from
Morning Musume,
Erika Umeda,
Maimi Yajima,
Saki Shimizu, and
Megumi Murakami. They released their debut single, "Iku ZYX! Fly High" on August 6, 2003, followed by "Shiroi Tokyo" on December 10, 2003. Later, in 2004, she participated in singing "
All for One & One for All!", a collaboration single released by all Hello! Project artists under the name "H.P. All Stars."
2004–2015: Berryz Kobo and Buono! In 2004, Tsugunaga was one of the eight girls from
Hello! Project Kids were selected to form
Berryz Kobo. Berryz Kobo debuted on March 3, 2004, with the single "
Anata Nashi de wa Ikite Yukenai", and she was one of the lead singers of the group. From 2009 until 2014, Tsugunaga also hosted a radio show titled "Momoko Tsugunaga from Berryz Kobo's Pri-Pri-Princess." Continuing with her "Momochi" personality, Tsugunaga released a solo song and music video called "Momochi! Yurushite Nyan Taiso", which was released as a B-side to Berryz Kobo's 29th single, "
Cha Cha Sing." In 2007, Tsugunaga also became part of the subgroup
Buono! with
Miyabi Natsuyaki and
Airi Suzuki from
Cute. The group formed to perform the opening and ending songs for the anime
Shugo Chara! They released their first single, "
Honto no Jibun", on October 31, 2007. After the show's end, Buono continued on as a side project until its disbandment in 2017.
2015–2017: Country Girls and retirement In 2014, Berryz Kobo announced they would end activities the following year. After Berryz Kobo went on hiatus, Tsugunaga took on the role as the "playing manager" for the girl group
Country Girls, a revival of a Hello! Project group formerly under the name Country Musume. On November 5, 2016, at Shinjuku ReNY, during Country Girls' second anniversary event, Tsugunaga announced that she would retire from the entertainment industry the following year to become a kindergarten teacher. To commemorate her graduation, a compilation CD album titled was released on June 21, 2017, with songs selected by fan vote. Tsugunaga held her final concert on June 30, 2017, in an outdoor venue at Odaiba, exactly 15 years after her debut in Hello! Project Kids. 8,000 people attended the concert, including Berryz Kobo and
Cute. ==Personal life==