JO1 appealing for participation in Red & White, first solo live in November for an audience, new song announcement in December
JO1 appealing for participation in Red & White, first solo live in November for an audience, new song announcement in December
The 11-member group "JO1" is aiming to participate in the 72nd NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen on New Year's Eve, and will hold their first solo live performance in front of an audience since their debut in November, followed by the release of new songs in December. Their leader, Yonashiro Sho (25), says, " It' s a big event to end the year. We want to participate," he said with passion.
They debuted in March last year when the new coronavirus began to rage. While their activities were severely restricted, their first four singles reached No. 1 on the Billboard Japan singles chart. Each of these singles sold more than 200,000 copies in their first weeks, and their popularity is growing as a hybrid group that combines K-pop and J-Pop.
Yonashiro said, "Our recognition is still low. We need to appeal to people who don't know us, and Kohaku is our chance to do so. I want this to be the end of the year. Ruki Shiraiwa, 23, also said, "This is a program that represents Japan. "I want to be so good that people say, 'It's strange that JO1 doesn't appear on this show,'" said Ruki Shiraiwa, 23, pledging further growth.
Two singles have reached No. 1 this year, and JO1 is the only male singer, aside from groups from Johnny's Office, to have reached No. 1 multiple times on the singles chart since January. In particular, their fourth single "STRANGER," released in August, sold 369,000 copies in its first week. It will be a big appeal to the "activities of this year," which is the criterion for selecting singers to participate in Kohaku.
From November 19 to 21, they will hold their first live concert with an audience after their debut at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, and on December 15, their fifth single "WANDERING" will be released, and from December 25, an exhibition of their costumes and photos will be held at Gallery AaMo in Tokyo Dome City.
The group's dream is to expand into the world. Yonashiro said, "I think it's important for us to clear our goals one by one and grow steadily. If we can participate in Kohaku, it will lead us to our next goal. Next year's goal is to hold a national tour. Appearing in Kohaku will be a big step toward that goal.
▽JO1 Formed in December of 2019. The members are 11 members who passed the Japanese version of the popular Korean audition program "PRODUCE 101 JAPAN". They made their major label debut with "PROTOSTAR" in March of last year. All of them are gaining female fans with their high level of visuals, vocals, rapping, and dancing. Their fans nickname them "JAM". Kinjo Sukai (Sukai, 21) is on hiatus due to adjustment disorder.
[+1,214, -73] ＞ Two singles have reached No. 1 this year, and JO1 is the only male singer, aside from groups from Johnny's Office, to have reached No. 1 multiple times on the singles chart since January.
It's been two years since they formed, and they've had no audience at any of their events except the most recent one due to the Corona disaster.
An unknown agency with two artists.
I think it's a great effort in the category of boy groups with great seniors.
It's a stage that many singers dream of. It's not easy, but I hope they can do it.
[+1,116, -80] When I saw them for the first time, I was shocked that there was such a Japanese boy group! I was shocked. They had it all: singing, rapping, dancing, and visuals. I heard the ending song of an anime the other day, and I was even more surprised by their singing ability and worldview. I could see why theses fans were so passionate about them.
[+1,099, -53] Male idol groups have it tough.
The market is dominated by Johnny's, and they can't appear on terrestrial singing shows because they don't perform well together.
I wish them all the best
[+1,006, -36] I'm sure there are still many people who don't know about them, but they are talented, popular, and have a good track record.
I would love to see them perform in Kohaku to let people know that there are great groups in Japan.
Rather than having Kpop from Korea make a guest appearance, I think it's better to have a high quality Japanese group that aims for the world.
[+951, -31] May their wonderful music and performance reach all over Japan
[+920, -29] It's weird that they can't even perform on Music station, but they still need to perform on Kohaku!
I'm not a fan of JO1 in particular, but they're selling well and I think they're competent for an idol?
They're not foreigners, and they're popular!
[+860, -24] Isn't this the only male boy group outside of Johnny's that is doing decent sales? I'm sure there have been many talented groups that have debuted in the past, but in the end they all failed to appear on TV (especially music programs) due to industry bias, and I've always felt that the wall of Johnny's is thick in many ways.
I thought that even if JO1 made their debut, they would be blocked by that wall, but it seems that things have changed in the male idol world with the changes in the Johnny's office and the expansion of Kpop into Japan, and they are getting on TV more than I thought! I think it's partly due to the power of Yoshimoto, but I think it's also due to their charm and ability and the passion of their fans.
I want the world to know that there are cool groups other than Johnny's in Japan! I want the world to know that there are cool groups other than Johnny's in Japan! I would like to see many groups from different agencies engage in friendly rivalry and create groups from Japan that can compete with the rest of the world.
I want to give a chance to the many talented people who are working hard to catch up with and surpass Kpop
[+771, -25] Every time they release a song, the expressiveness of their singing and dancing gets better and better, and I get excited every time. They can convey so much emotion in their songs, and it's so moving to listen to them (especially live)