Arashi
Arashi (嵐, lit. "Storm") is a Japanese boy band consisting of five members formed under the Johnny & Associates talent agency. The members are Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto. Arashi officially formed on September 15, 1999, in Honolulu, Hawaii, and made their debut CD on November 3, 1999. The group was initially signed to Pony Canyon and released one studio album and six singles—beginning with their 1999 eponymous debut single before moving to the Johnny's subsidiary label J Storm in 2001, which was initially set up for their succeeding releases.[2] While their debut single sold close to a million copies, the group took a mixture of pop and alternate/contemporary approach to its music which attracted core followers, but subsequently faced commercially slow sales.
For other uses, see Arashi (disambiguation).
Arashi嵐
With the release of their eighteenth single "Love So Sweet", Arashi began to gain commercial success as it was used as the opening theme song for the high-rating drama Hana Yori Dango 2 whose protagonist is played by Matsumoto, making it one of the top five best-selling singles of 2007 in Japan and the group's first single to exceed 400,000 copies sold overall in nearly seven years.[3][4] For the next two years, Arashi gained a number of achievements and records as they became the first artist to place the top two rankings on the Oricon singles yearly chart for two consecutive years with their singles "Truth / Kaze no Mukō e" and "One Love" in 2008 and "Believe / Kumorinochi, Kaisei" and "Ashita no Kioku / Crazy Moon (Kimi wa Muteki)" in 2009, simultaneously topped the 2009 Oricon singles, album and music DVD yearly charts, and became the third artist in Oricon history to monopolize the top three best-selling singles of the year.[5][6][7] In 2010, all six of Arashi's singles ranked within the top ten of the Oricon singles yearly chart, and their million-selling studio album Boku no Miteiru Fūkei was named the best-selling album of the year in Japan.[8][9] As of October 2020, the group had sold over 58.8 million copies of albums, singles and videos and became the best selling boy band in Asia.[10] Since then, Arashi has continued to release chart-topping singles and albums, perform in sold-out concert tours, host a number of variety shows, and remain an influential figure in Japanese media.
On January 27, 2019, Arashi announced that group activities would be suspended as of December 31, 2020.[11]
History[edit]
1999–2001: Debut and departure from Pony Canyon[edit]
Johnny & Associates announced the group's debut on September 15, 1999, through a press conference aboard a cruise ship off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaii.[12] Then-president Johnny Kitagawa chose five trainees from the Johnny's Jr. division of the agency to become the members of Arashi, the Japanese word for Storm, and to represent the agency's thrust of "creating a storm throughout the world".[13][14] On November 3, 1999, they made their CD debut by releasing the single "Arashi", which became the theme song for the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup hosted by Japan in 1999.[12] It went on to become a major hit, selling 557,430 copies in its first week and almost a million copies by the end of its chart run.[2][15]
On April 5, 2000, Arashi released their second single, "Sunrise Nippon/Horizon", which debuted at number-one on the Oricon weekly singles chart selling 304,340 copies.[16] The next day, the group began their first concert tour at Osaka Hall.[17] In July, the group released their next single "Typhoon Generation", which debuted at number three on the weekly singles chart with 256,510 copies sold, and continued to chart for nine weeks before leaving the charts.[18][19] After holding more concerts in August, the group released their last single of 2000, "Kansha Kangeki Ame Arashi". The single debuted at number two on the Oricon weekly singles chart and had first-week sales of 258,720.[20][21]
In January 2001, Arashi released their first studio album, Arashi No.1 Ichigou: Arashi wa Arashi o Yobu!. The album debuted at number-one on the Oricon weekly album chart with initial sales of 267,220 copies.[22] Until the release of their tenth anniversary compilation album All the Best! 1999–2009, the album remained the group's best-selling album with overall sales of about 323,030 for nearly ten years.[23] From March 25 to April 30, 2001, the group embarked on their first nationwide concert tour Arashi Spring Concert 2001.[24] The tour took place in Sendai, Osaka, Nagoya, Hokkaidō, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Kanazawa, Toyama, and Tokyo with an unprecedented twenty-six performances.[24] Before moving to a private record label by the end of 2001, Arashi released "Jidai" as their final single under Pony Canyon. Used as the theme song for Matsumoto's drama Kindaichi Shōnen no Jikenbo 3, it was named Best Theme Song in the 30th Television Drama Academy Awards.[25]
2002–2005: J Storm and decline in sales[edit]
Arashi began 2002 by releasing their first single under J Storm. "A Day in Our Life" was used as the theme song for Sakurai's comedy drama Kisarazu Cat's Eye and debuted atop of the Oricon weekly singles chart selling 226,480 copies.[26] Their subsequent releases of the year, "Nice na Kokoroiki" and "Pikanchi", were used as the theme songs for the anime Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo and Arashi's movie Pikanchi Life is Hard Dakedo Happy (ピカ☆ンチ Life is HardだけどHappy, Pikanchi Life is Hard But Happy) respectively.
Starting in 2003, the group would only release two singles every year until 2007. Both singles released in 2003, "Tomadoi Nagara" and "Hadashi no Mirai/Kotoba Yori Taisetsu na Mono", debuted at number two on the charts.[27][28] The song "Kotoba Yori Taisetsu na Mono" marked the first time a member contributed to the penning of a single, as many of the group's songs are produced by other lyricists, composers, or musicians.[29] Sakurai, who is the designated rapper of Arashi, has since written all the incorporated rap lyrics of the group's releases.[fn 1]
The year 2004 was Arashi's fifth anniversary since debut. They began the year by releasing their twelfth single, "Pikanchi Double", in February as the theme song for their second movie Pikanchi Life is Hard Dakara Happy (ピカ☆ンチ Life is HardだからHappy, Pikanchi Life is Hard Thus Happy). Selling 89,106 copies in the first week, it is Arashi's lowest-selling single to date.[30][31] In celebration of their anniversary, the group released a greatest hits album 5x5 The Best Selection of 2002–2004, which included their second 2004 single "Hitomi no Naka no Galaxy/Hero".
In 2005, on New Year's Day, Arashi released their first concert DVD since How's It Going? in 2003 titled 2004 Arashi! Iza, Now Tour!!. From July 26 to August 24, they embarked on a summer tour titled One to support their album of the same name.[32] One of the highlights of the tour included the live performance their first single of the year, "Sakura Sake", on top of "Johnny's Moving Stage" (ジャニーズムービングステージ, Janizu Mubingu Suteji), a transparent stage that travels over the top of the audience.[33] Invented by Matsumoto, "Johnny's Moving Stage" has since been used in a majority of Arashi's concerts to allow them to move closer to the audience seated at a distance from the main stage.[33][34][35] In November, Arashi released a theme song for the manga-based drama Hana Yori Dango, which starred Matsumoto as one of the lead actors. "Wish" went on to sell an estimated 178,000 copies in its first week and over 300,000 copies by the end of its chart run, making it their first single to sell over 300,000 copies in total in nearly three years since "A Day in Our Life" in 2002.[36][37]
2006: International activities in Asia[edit]
By 2006, the group's singles and albums were being released outside Japan. Their studio album, Arashic, was released not only in Japan, but also in Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. The album was successful in Korea as the first 10,000 copies of the album were sold out on the first day, and it even topped the non-Korean sales charts on the third week of July.[38]
In the midst of Arashi's summer concert tour Arachic Arashic Arasick Cool and Soul, the group embarked on a publicity tour around Asia called Jet Storm Tour on July 31.[39][40] The group visited Taiwan, Thailand and South Korea, countries which later became part of their 2006 Asia tour, all in one day to hold press conferences and promote their Arashic album.[40] For two days, September 16 and 17, Arashi held their first concerts in Taipei at the Taipei Arena.[39]
Performing "Arashi", "Wish" and "Kitto Daijōbu", which was their first single release of the year, the group represented Japan in the 3rd annual Asia Song Festival in South Korea on September 22.[39][41] Almost two months later, they became the first group from Johnny's to perform individual concerts in South Korea.[39][42][43] According to The Korea Times, the concerts in Korea were decided because about 1,500 Korean fans gathered at the Incheon International Airport during the group's Jet Storm Tour.[41] Arashi proved popular to Korean fans when their concert tickets were sold out in an hour, as some 150,000 people rushed to book tickets online.[44]
The group traveled back to Japan and then released their second and final the single of the year "Aozora Pedal", which was written and composed by Japanese musician Shikao Suga and used for Sakurai's movie Honey and Clover.[45] Although Arashi had planned to return to Thailand to hold a concert on October 7, it was canceled due to a military coup d'état.[42][46]
2007: Returning to the Japanese market[edit]
On February 21, the group released their first single of the year, "Love So Sweet", the theme song for the high-rating drama Hana Yori Dango 2, which peaked at the number-one spot on the Oricon daily and weekly charts.[47] It is also Arashi's first single to sell more than 200,000 copies in a week in almost five years.[47][48] Their nineteenth single "We Can Make It!", released on May 2, also charted number-one on the Oricon daily and weekly charts.[49]
In April, the group performed in one of their largest concerts: Arashi Around Asia in Dome, a continuation of their Triumphant Homecoming concert held in January, which was aimed to celebrate the successful Asia tour.[50] Arashi Around Asia in Dome was held at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka and at Tokyo Dome, making it Arashi's first time performing there.[50] On July 14, Arashi launched their summer tour titled Time – Kotoba no Chikara to support their seventh studio album Time. The album sold over 190,000 copies in its first week,[51] not only extending the group's string of number-one releases but also propelling the album to reach Platinum status by Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).[52]
Also in July, the TBS drama production of the manga Yamada Tarō Monogatari, which starred Ninomiya and Sakurai, began. Arashi sang the theme song of the drama, titled "Happiness", and released it on September 5 as their third single of the year. The year proved successful for the group as all of their singles ranked within the Top 30 of the annual Oricon charts, with "Love So Sweet" ranking fourth in single sales overall, making it the group's first single to rank within the Top 10 on the annual charts.[4] "Love So Sweet" was also named one of The Best 10 Singles in the 22nd Japan Gold Disc Awards in 2008.[53]
2008: Rising popularity in Japan[edit]
The group's success in 2007 sparked renewed public interest. In February, Arashi released their first single of the year, "Step and Go", which debuted at the top of the Oricon weekly chart for having sold 324,223 copies, making it as the group's first single to exceed 300,000 copies sold in the first week since "Sunrise Nippon/Horizon" in 2000.[16][54] The same month, it was announced that the group would be doing a concert tour of the five major domes in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Sapporo.[55] The tour, titled Arashi Marks 2008 Dream-A-Live, consisted of ten performances, from May 16 in Osaka to July 6 in Sapporo.[55][56] The only other Johnny's artists who have done a five dome tour were SMAP and KinKi Kids.[55] The tour also coincided with their eighth studio album, Dream "A" Live, which was reported to be a hit with male buyers by Oricon despite the fact that most releases by Johnny's artists are geared towards female teens and young adults.[57] In the midst of the tour, Arashi released their twenty-second single "One Love", the theme song for the last production of the Hana Yori Dango trilogy. Like "Step and Go", the single sold over 300,000 copies in its first week and charted at number-one of the weekly singles chart.[58]
As the start of the group's second Asia tour, Arashi became the third musical group—after SMAP and Dreams Come True—to perform at the National Olympic Stadium in Tokyo as their first major outdoor concert on September 5. The first two legs of the tour included a return to Taipei and Seoul[59] while the third leg was a first time trip to Shanghai. The concert in Shanghai also marked Johnny & Associates' first concert in China.[60][61] Almost a month after the release of "One Love", their twenty-third single, "Truth/Kaze no Mukō e", was released. Debuting atop of the Oricon weekly charts, the double A-side single sold 467,288 copies.[62] Before the group's concert in Shanghai on November 15, they released their fourth single of the year, "Beautiful Days", which was used as the theme song for Ninomiya's drama Ryūsei no Kizuna.[63] Although "Beautiful Days" only had a little over a month to chart before the Oricon charting period for 2008 ended on December 11, the single managed to climb up to be the tenth best-selling single of the year.[64][65] Their concert DVD Summer Tour 2007 Final Time - Kotoba no Chikara, released on April 16, also ranked as the second best-selling music DVD of 2008 and ranked sixth place in the general DVD category.[66]
2009: 10th anniversary[edit]
The group released two double A-side singles, "Believe/Kumorinochi, Kaisei" and "Ashita no Kioku/Crazy Moon (Kimi wa Muteki)", on March 4 and May 27 respectively. Both singles sold over 500,000 copies in first week sales, making Arashi the first artist to have two consecutive singles exceed the 500,000 mark within a week in seven years seven months since Keisuke Kuwata.[67]
At the end of June, Arashi announced their tenth anniversary tour Arashi Anniversary Tour 5x10, which included three consecutive shows at the National Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.[68] They became the first artist to play at the stadium for three consecutive days.[68] Their third single of the year, "Everything", was released on July 1 and sold nearly 342,000 copies in the first week.[69] On August 19, Arashi released their greatest hits album All the Best! 1999–2009, which featured most of their singles since debut, a new song with lyrics written by the members themselves, and a limited edition third disc containing ten of the group's selections.[70] The album sold over 753,000 copies in the first week.[71] Thirteen days after the release, the album broke the one million mark, a first in Arashi's history.[72][73] It became the first album of 2009 to break one million.[74][75]
On November 11, Arashi released "My Girl" as their last single of the year. It debuted atop of the Oricon daily chart by selling about 178,000 copies on the first day and about 432,000 copies by the end of its first week.[76][77] It was announced on November 17 that Arashi had thus monopolized the top four best first-week sales for singles of 2009.[77][78][79]
On November 20, Arashi held an event organized by House Foods called Arashi in Tokyo DisneySea Premium Event. Reserving the entire theme park for one night, the group performed a special medley of Christmas songs and their own songs such as "Arashi" and "One Love", which made the Arashi the first celebrity to sing their own songs at Tokyo DisneySea.[80][81]
Arashi attended the 60th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen on New Year's Eve, making it not only the group's first time performing on the show but also the first time in twenty-one years another group from Johnny's other than SMAP and Tokio, the two traditional participants, performed at Kōhaku.[82][83]
2010: Continued success[edit]
On January 5, it was announced that Arashi would provide the song "Yurase, Ima o" as the theme song for the 2010 Winter Olympics news coverage on NTV.[84] On January 6, Sakurai announced that Arashi would provide the theme song "Troublemaker" for his then-upcoming comedy drama.[85] The next day, Mezamashi TV aired the first preview of the theme song for the drama special Saigo no Yakusoku, the group's first drama together in nearly ten years.[86] The theme song "Sora Takaku" was announced during the press conference for the drama special on December 15, 2009.[87] Of the three newly recorded songs, only "Troublemaker" and "Yurase, Ima o" were included in the group's first single of the year released on March 3, with "Troublemaker" being the A-side song.[88]
On February 24, the 24th Japan Gold Disc Awards awarded Arashi the "Artist of the Year" prize and nine other awards in various categories. As a result, they became the first artist to win ten awards at once.[89]
It was announced on April 5 that Arashi would provide the theme song "Monster", which was released on May 19 as a single, for Ohno's fantasy comedy drama based on Fujiko Fujio's manga series Kaibutsu-kun.[90] On May 24, "Monster" debuted at number-one on the Oricon weekly chart selling 543,000 copies in its first week, making Arashi the first act to have thirty consecutive singles rank in Oricon's weekly Top 3 since their debut.[91][92]
Studio albums