JO1 at a press conference in November 2023
L–R, back row: Tsurubo, Kawanishi, Kono, Shiroiwa, Sato, Ohira L–R, front row: Yonashiro, Kawashiri, Mamehara, Kimata, Kinjo
JO1 (Japanese: ジェイオーワン, Hepburn: Jeiōwan) is a Japanese boy band formed through the reality competition show Produce 101 Japan. The group is composed of eleven members: Issei Mamehara, Ren Kawashiri, Takumi Kawanishi, Shosei Ohira, Shion Tsurubo, Ruki Shiroiwa, Keigo Sato, Syoya Kimata, Junki Kono, Sukai Kinjo, and Sho Yonashiro. JO1 is the first Produce 101 winning group that is intended to be permanent.[7][8] It is managed by Lapone Entertainment, a joint venture between Yoshimoto Kogyo and CJ ENM.[4]
The name "JO1" was picked by Lapone Entertainment from recommendations made by the public (dubbed "national producers") via the official website of Produce 101 Japan.[4] According to the initial suggestion, the letter "J" in the name refers to Japan, the group's origin nation, while the "O1" refers to the first year of the Reiwa, when the group was formed.[9] However, "JO1" officially means that "the trainees who have dreamed together at Produce 101 Japan will become one and aim for the top of the world".[10] The name was revealed in the final episode of the show.[11]
JO1 was formed through the reality competition show Produce 101 Japan, which was aired primarily on the streaming service Gyao! from September 25 to December 11, 2019.[4][12] A total of 6,000 participants auditioned for the show, ranging in age from 16 to 30 and not affiliated with any talent agency.[7][12][13] The final 11 trainees were picked by viewers from the 101 through online voting and announced during a live television broadcast on TBS.[14] Unlike previous Produce 101 franchise-winning groups, there was no intention of restricting the group's activity after its debut.[8]
Most of the Produce 101 Japan trainees had no experience in the entertainment industry,[7] resulting in JO1 members having varying levels of experience.[15] Ren Kawashiri and Shosei Ohira have previously worked as backup dancers for SMAP, Tomohisa Yamashita, Wanna One, Pentagon, and Exile among others.[16][17][18][19] The latter, Keigo Sato, Syoya Kimata, and Issei Mamehara went to a local dance school;[20][21][22] Kimata was also active as a cover dancer and Mamehara was a kid's dance teacher.[7] Ruki Shiroiwa is a former member of Johnny's Jr., the trainee group of Johnny & Associates, and Tsukicro, a voice actor music group,[23][24] while Shion Tsurubo spent ten months as a trainee at FNC Entertainment.[25] Kawanishi, Kinjo, Kono, and Yonashiro had never received any dance or vocal training.[17][26][27]
2020: Debut and The Star
JO1 headed to South Korea shortly after the conclusion of Produce 101 Japan to produce their debut single, Protostar,[28] where they went through an "intense" one-month boot camp to strengthen their skills and chemistry as a group.[7] The single was released on March 4, 2020, and debuted at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart with over 300,000 copies sold in the first week, making JO1 the seventh artist to accomplish so with a debut single,[29][30][31][32] while its lead track, "Infinity", reached the top of the Billboard Japan Hot 100.[33] On March 24, JO1 made their first live television appearance on NTV's morning show Sukkiri.[34]
2021–2022: Open the Door, Kizuna, and first arena tour
In February 2021, JO1 made their first appearance in South Korea on M Countdown and held their second online concert, Starlight Deluxe.[50][51] Their third single, Challenger, was released on April 28 and became the eleventh best-selling single in the first half of 2021,[52] with "Born to be Wild" topped the Japan Hot 100.[53][54]
Their fourth single, Stranger, was released on August 18,[55][56] and it was the group's fastest single to sell 400,000 copies on the Billboard Japan chart.[57] On September 23, JO1 performed at the Pacifico Yokohama joint live concert KCON World Premiere: The Triangle alongside other Produce 101 Japan subsequent groups.[58] It was their first performance in person since their debut due to the pandemic.[59] On October 9, Lapone Entertainment announced that member Sukai Kinjo, who had skipped the event, would suspend his activities to receive treatment for adjustment disorder.[58][60]
Lapone stated on February 14, 2022, that Kinjo would resume his activities.[66] JO1 later released two new songs, "Dreamer" and "Toberu Kara" (飛べるから, I Can Fly), as the theme songs for their first drama series Short Program and documentary film JO1 the Movie: Unfinished - Go to the Top.[67][68] On April 22, JO1 released the digital single "YOLO-konde", produced by 3Racha of Stray Kids, whose concept development and lyrics writing process were shown on the NHK program This Is JO1 - Go to the Dream.[69][70] In May, JO1 released their second studio album, Kizuna;[71] the group's first number-one album on the Oricon and Billboard Japan charts.[72][73] It includes "Move the Soul", the opening theme of Aniplex's original anime series Fanfare of Adolescence.[74] JO1 embarked on their first arena tour to five prefectures in September and October,[75][76] attracting 110,000 people.[77]
2022–present: Debut on Kōhaku Uta Gassen, Equinox, and first Asian tour
JO1 released their first English song, "All Hours," in June 2022.[78] Their sixth single, Midnight Sun, was released in October and sold 600,000 copies on the Billboard Japan chart in its first week,[79][80][81] while the lead track, "SuperCali", spent two weeks in the top six of the Japan Hot 100.[80][82][83] By the end of 2022, JO1 ranked high on several Billboard Japan's year-end charts, propelling them to number 25 on the Artist 100 chart.[84][85][86][87] JO1 then made their debut on the NHK's annual New Year's Eve musical show Kōhaku Uta Gassen with "Infinity".[88][89]
JO1 released their second consecutive number-one studio album, Equinox, on September 20, 2023.[95][96][97] It includes the self-produced song "NEWSmile",[98] the theme of the morning news show Mezamashi 8.[99] In August, JO1 embarked on their second arena tour, Beyond the Dark,[100] which included a performance in the Kyocera Dome,[101] attracting approximately 200,000 people.[102] The group also began their first Asian tour in November.[101] On October 20, JO1 released "Eyes On Me" featuring DJ R3hab[103] and made their debut on TV Asahi's prime time music program, Music Station.[104] They are the second non-Johnny & Associates and LDH boy band to perform on the show after public criticism of the former's alleged influence on domestic rival groups' inability to appear on the show emerged.[104][105] JO1 received the Excellent Work Award at the Japan Record Award in December for "Trigger"[106] and performed "NEWSmile" as the first artist from the white team at the 74th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen.[107]
In January 2024, JO1 released "Your Key" as the opening theme of the anime series Four Knights of the Apocalypse, which is also set to be released as the group's first Blu-raysingle on March 27.[108]
Sho Yonashiro (與那城 奨, Yonashiro Shō) – group leader,[112] vocalist[109]
Other ventures
Endorsements
JO1 has kept a number of domestic sponsorship partnerships, from national brands, such as ABC-MART,[122]FamilyMart,[123] and Y!mobile,[124][125] to international ones like Kit Kat,[126]Louis Vuitton,[127][128] and TikTok.[129] They have also worked for companies in various industries, ranging from the Credit Saison credit card to the Osaka Gas power package plan,[130][131] as well as for national organizations like the Japan Racing Association and JA Kyosai.[132][133] In 2021, JO1 signed a one-year "official beauty partner" contract with YSL Beauty Japan,[134][135] tripling the fragrance Libre's sales.[136] The following year, YSL Japan named JO1 as the brand's first male ambassador, citing the group's genderless image and enthusiastic fans.[136][137] In November 2022, JO1 and Sanrio released eleven new characters as the group's alter egos, dubbed JOChum (ジェオチャム, Jeiōchamu). The character designs were based on the group members' original ideas and sketches.[138] In the same year, JO1 was named the ambassador of Hot Japan with JO1, a project that promotes Japan's charms both domestically and worldwide, with the backing of governmental agencies and corporate sectors such as GMO Internet Group, Mitsui Fudosan Group, and ANA X.[139] The project resulted in a YouTube content series and the NHK travel documentary JJJJO1.[139][140] JO1 has been on the front covers of numerous magazines throughout the years, including Aera,[141]An An,[142]Elle Japan,[143]Nylon Japan,[144] and Vivi.[145]
Philanthropy
On March 11, 2021, the 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, JO1 and the social platform service Heyhey launched a special charity event in which any funds received would be donated to a foundation assisting the rehabilitation of the afflicted areas.[146] A total of about 4,000 people took part, raising around ¥1.85 million ($17,000).[147]
Members Sho Yonashiro and Ren Kawashiri, as well as other Yoshimoto Kogyo entertainers Kiyoshi Nishikawa and Tōru Hotohara, met Prime Minister Kishida at his office on March 3, 2022, to film a video encouraging people of all generations to take the COVID-19 booster shot.[148] The video, which was released on March 17 on Yoshimoto Kogyo's official YouTube account, outlines the importance and side effects of the booster dose, to ease the public's anxieties about vaccinations.[149][150]
^Indicates the year of the ceremony. Each year is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible
^Line News Awards are held annually by Line News [ja]. The Most Talked People Award is given to seven categories based on the number of articles published on the site, changes in the level of attention from the previous year, pageview numbers, and others.[184]
^At the MTV Video Music Award Japan, Video of the Year is decided by public voting from the winners of the main categories.[191]
^DIME Trend Awards have been hosted annually by Shogakukan's monthly business magazine DIME [ja] since 1988. Awards are given based on votes by more than 26,000 readers, editorial staff, and four final committee members.[194] The Best Character Award is given to a figure who has received the support of many people with the most brilliant performance that year.[195]
^The Weibo Account Festival is hosted annually by Sina to honor Japanese actors, artists, cultural figures, characters, and companies that are active and influential in China through the social microblogging site Weibo. It is the only overseas version of Weibo Night that is held annually in China.[196]
^Best Hit Products list has been compiled annually since 1987 by the monthly magazine Nikkei Trendy based on the three factors of sales, novelty, and influence.
^JO1がアニメ「七つの大罪」新OPテーマを今夜0時に配信、初のBlu-rayシングル発売も決定 [JO1 to Deliver New OP Theme for 'The Seven Deadly Sins' Anime Tonight at Midnight, First Blu-ray Single to be Released]. Oricon (in Japanese). January 8, 2024. Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
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