@onefive | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Japan |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2019–present |
| Labels |
|
| Spinoff of | Sakura Gakuin |
| Members | |
| Website | onefive-web |
@onefive (Japanese: ワンファイブ, Hepburn: Wanfaibu) is a Japanese four-member girl group[2] consisting of Kano Fujihira, Soyoka Yoshida, Tsugumi Aritomo, and Momoe Mori. The group was formed in October 2019, in the year all the members turned 15 years old. In addition to music, they have been involved in modeling, acting, and other activities while focusing on their "Japanese classy crush" concept.[3] They are represented by the talent agency Amuse Inc. and are signed with the record label Avex Trax.[4]
The name @onefive was chosen because the members were 15 years old at the time of formation,[5][6] and because it can be pronounced in Japanese as ichi-go (lit. "one-five"), referring to the concept of ichi-go ichi-e, which the members value. The "@" symbol, which is silent, was included in the name to mean "from us" and "now from this place".[7] Fans of @onefive are collectively referred to as @fifth.[3]
@onefive was formed in October 2019 by the four graduating members of the Japanese idol group Sakura Gakuin,[8] including Kano Fujihira, who was one of the kawaii metal band Babymetal's three rotating "Avengers" support dancers.[9] On October 15, 2019, the group created social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, but the identities of its members were kept secret.[10] On October 19, 2019, while the members were still in the Sakura Gakuin idol group, their identities were revealed during the Sakura Gakuin Festival 2019 at the Kanagawa Arts Theatre. During the encore of the show, after performing as members of Sakura Gakuin, they performed the song "Pinky Promise" as @onefive for the first time, which was released as a digital single on the following day. The choreography for the song was created by Mikiko.[11] The four members have mentioned Blackpink, Mamamoo, Red Velvet, Perfume, and Vaundy as influences.[12]
Shortly after its formation, the group was unable to perform in-person events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, relying instead on an online presence to hold virtual events. Notable virtual events included the release event for "Mada Minu Sekai" (まだ見ぬ世界) on July 19, 2020,[13] and the concert @onefive Online Live: Blue Winter 2020 on December 22, 2020.[14] The music video for "Mada Minu Sekai" was recorded by the four members at their own homes during the pandemic.[15]
In January 2021, @onefive collaborated with the Japanese fashion brand Apres Jour for the outfits worn in the visuals of the single "BBB" and its music video. The choreography for the song was created by Minako "Maru" Maruyama of Elevenplay.[16]
On November 1, 2021, the song "Just for You" was featured in the Christmas commercial of the Japanese jewelry brand The Kiss.[17][18]
On November 24, 2021, the digital single "Underground" was released, which marked the first time that the members created their own choreography. They were also intimately involved in the production process of the music video, sharing their ideas on hairstyles, makeup, outfits, visuals, and cuts. The process was documented, with an emphasis on the choreography, in a four-part documentary series released on YouTube titled Their Underground (彼女たちのUnderground, Kanojo-tachi no Underground).[19][20]
On February 2, 2022, @onefive released its first studio album, titled 1518, and pronounced ichi-go ichi-e.[21] The "18" in the title represented the age that the members would be turning in the year of the album's release.[22] The song "1518" on the album marked the first time that the members wrote their own lyrics.[23] This album also highlighted @onefive's desire to be "a group that grows up with the same generation".[24] All of the songs apart from "1518" had their lyrics primarily written by a female high school student and singer-songwriter called Yura, who was the same age as the members of @onefive.[25] Furthermore, the music video of "Lalala Lucky" was produced in collaboration with students of N High School and in cooperation with Adobe.[26][27] "Lalala Lucky" was also featured in a web commercial for the Japanese hair dye brand Beautylabo.[28]
On February 20, 2022, as the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic continued to change, the group was able to hold its first in-person solo concert with an audience, titled @onefive 1st Live: 1518, in Osaka at the Umeda Club Quattro. This was followed by a second concert under the same title on March 6, 2022, in Tokyo at the Shibuya Club Quattro. During the second concert, @onefive performed a dance to the song "Let Me Go" by Yūki Tsujimura, who was prominently involved in the music production of the first album. The choreography and stage lighting for the dance performance were produced by Kano Fujihira.[8]
In October 2022, @onefive made its major label debut with Avex Trax when "Miraizu" (未来図) was featured as the theme song for the television drama adaptation of the manga If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die.[29] The drama was broadcast for ten episodes on ABC TV and TV Asahi until December 2022.[30][31] The song was performed in a live setting for the first time at the concert @onefive Live 2022: Spotlight, held in Tokyo at The Garden Hall on November 13, 2022.[32] On May 12, 2023, the film adaptation of the manga was released with "Chance" as its theme song. The four members of @onefive were cast in both the drama and the film as members of the fictional idol group ChamJam. Namely, Fujihira as Maki Hakata, Yoshida as Yumeri Mizumori, Aritomo as Yūka Teramoto, and Mori as Sorane Matsuyama.[31] Their vocals as ChamJam from the adaptations were included on the second disc of the two-disc album I Live For You (きみのために生きてる, Kimi no Tame ni Ikiteru), released by Pony Canyon on May 10, 2023.[33][34]
The official fan community service of @onefive was established on January 15, 2023, in the form of a subscription-based mobile application called @onefive Premium. In addition to digital membership cards, it would grant access to diaries, videos, ticket pre-sales, and other premium content.[35] The community was renamed to @fifth later that year and serves as the official fan club of @onefive.[3]
The concert @onefive Live 2023: ChancexChange, held in Tokyo at the Ex Theater Roppongi on April 9, 2023, marked the first time that members of the audience were able to sing and cheer out loud, being no longer restricted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also coincided with the transition of the members of @onefive from high school to university, a "change" which they each elaborated on during the conversational parts of the concert.[36]
@onefive participated for the first time in the Tokyo Idol Festival on August 6, 2023. The group had two performances in the Odaiba-Aomi area, first at the "Sky Stage" on the rooftop of the Fuji Television Wangan Studio, and second at the "Heat Garage" at Zepp DiverCity. The members themselves had previously participated every year in the festival when they were part of Sakura Gakuin.[37][38]
On August 26, 2023, the song "Like A" from the CD single Justice Day was featured in a second commercial for the Japanese jewelry brand The Kiss.[39]
In November 2023, @onefive was selected to be the Generation Z Leader for Amazon Fashion Japan. They began modeling for Amazon with seasonal outfits incorporating coats, sweaters, and other winter essentials, while aiming to convey the charm of Generation Z through fashion.[40]
November 17, 2023 marked the creation of the group's official characters, or mascots, called @chib15, pronounced chibi five. Each of the four members designed their own character: Laa the lion by Fujihira, Babu the chick by Yoshida, Zoey the fawn by Aritomo, and Mimi the rabbit by Mori.[41]
It was announced on December 1, 2023 that @onefive would be a participating artist in the NTV Imaginarium 2023 metaverse project, which was organized by Nippon TV in commemoration of the broadcasting corporation's 70th anniversary. The project had a virtual reality component utilizing the Japanese metaverse platform Cluster, as well as a real life component in the form of an art exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. The members of @onefive created pieces of pixel art depicting their @chib15 characters for the project, which were both physically displayed at the exhibition and virtually granted as NFTs to those who purchased tickets to the metaverse venue in Cluster. A series of virtual events had been planned to take place in the metaverse venue from December 9, 2023 to March 3, 2024 involving the various participating artists. @onefive's event was a metaverse party where attendees would dress up their avatars in neo-retro style clothing, as seen in the music video of "F.A.F.O", and dance to the group's music.[42][43][44]
In the final quarter of 2023, the group held two concerts under the title @onefive Live 2023: No15e Maker. The first concert, subtitled Underground, was held in Osaka at the Yogibo Meta Valley on November 25, 2023. The second concert, subtitled Overground, took place in Tokyo at the Ex Theater Roppongi on December 21, 2023. The two subtitles alluded to the process of rising from the underground to the overground.[45] At the conclusion of the second concert, it was announced that @onefive's second studio album would be released in the spring of 2024.[3]
On January 17, 2024, the digital single "ChocoLove" (ショコラブ, Shokorabu) was released. It was co-written and co-produced by Sunny Boy,[46][47] who has worked with artists such as Blackpink, BTS, Namie Amuro, and Be:First.[48][49]