Hello, Arama! Japan readers and welcome to this week’s installment of #1 Song Review! Last week saw Suda Masaki defeat NMB48 and Yonezu Kenshi. Kenshi is back again this week, facing off against two newcomers. Find out what various staff members thought of the songs that topped the singles charts this week and share your thoughts on them too!
This week’s guests were Takehara Pistol, Kis-My-Ft2, Nogizaka46, and aiko.
Takehara Pistol – Boku wa Kagirinai ~One for the show~ / Yo, Soko no Wakai no / Over the Over
Kis-My-Ft2 – Super Tasty!
Nogizaka46 – Synchronicity
aiko – Straw
2018 marks the 20th anniversary for a lot of legends. Ayumi Hamasaki, Utada Hikaru, Shiina Ringo…but the most talented and successful of them all has finally announced plans for her 20 years in the industry.
On July 1st, 1998 Ami Suzuki stunned the world with the release of her debut single love the island. She went on to become one of the most successful idols of the late 90s/2000, scoring hit after hit and amassing dozens of CM deals.
After being unfairly blacklisted in 2001 (which the entire Japanese entertainment industry still owes her an apology for), she eventually resurfaced in 2005 under avex trax.
On April 28, Akko Gorilla will release the digital single “Yoyu.” This release marks her first solo release on Sony Music Associated Records. This release is a homecoming for Akko Gorilla seeing as how she signed with Sony in 2011 when she was part of the duo HAPPY BIRTHDAY. She was previously signed to Sony as a drummer and she’s now signed to Sony as a rapper.
Check out the cover for “Yoyu” below!
We have more results from this year’s “Talent Power Ranking”! This time, the focus is on female idols. HKT48’s Rino Sashihara tops the list for the third consecutive year, with Mai Shiraishi of Nogizaka46 coming in second. Rounding out the top three is NMB48’s Sayaka Yamamoto. See the rest of the top 20 after the jump!
We have more results from this year’s “Talent Power Ranking”! The list of musical acts who have had the biggest increase in their score over last year has been released. Nogizaka46’s Mai Shiraishi tops the list with an increase of 8.8 points, followed by X JAPAN, which saw a rise of 7.7 points. Rounding out the top three is Keyakizaka46’s Yurina Hirate, who saw an increase of 7.2 points. Find out the rest of the top 20 after the jump!
The drama between Rola and her old agency LIBERA has finally come to a close.
Issues started between Rola and her agency last year after she wanted more independence, but they wouldn’t budge. With accusations of “slave contracts” being thrown around it was a tough period for her.
It was later alleged that she was trapped in a 10 year contract, and if she were to leave the CEO of LIBERA would start to publish “damaging” information about her.
As a result of this dispute, Rola’s exposure on TV programs greatly decreased last year. While she still had a lot of CM contracts, those saw a decrease also. In November 2017 her fanclub was even temporarily suspended.
Nikkei Entertainment’s “Talent Power Ranking” list for 2018 is starting to leak. We now have the top 30 list for musical acts. Arashi tops the list for the seventh year in a row. TOKIO comes in second place for the second consecutive year. Utada Hikaru rounds out the top 3, rising from #4 last year. Find out the rest of the top 30 after the jump!