[JO1] Nikkei Entertainment 211201

The will and real strength to show (themselves) in the new boys era
They debuted on 4th March 2020. Since then, JO1 have worked hard and built their position, sincerely tackling “what they can do” while they were forced to limit their activities because of Covid-19. How do they see their progress and what do they think before the release of the 5th single? This time, we talk with the center Shiroiwa Ruki, the leader Yonashiro Sho and the youngest member Mamehara Issei.

5th single “WANDERING” (release December 15)
The lead tracks are “Bokura no kisetsu” and “Prologue”.
It is their first double A-side single under the keyword “further growth”, having overcome difficulties and crises until now. The first lead track “Bokura no Kisetsu” is a medium synth pop number with a gentle atmosphere. The other lead track “Prologue” is a semi ballad that is the ending theme for the anime “BORUTO - NARUTO NEXT GENERATION”. It is a song that overlaps with the friendships and challenges that both the anime and JO1 depict.

On December 15th, JO1 are going to release their 5th single “WANDERING”. This single is their first double A-side single and the center is Shiroiwa Ruki. Shiroiwa who had been the center of various songs during “PRODUCE 101 JAPAN” where the group was born, finally stands on that position for the first time in JO1. He is eager, saying “I want to make this single one that can evolve JO1 further.”

Ruki: My mental state after being chosen as the center for this single, is that I'm honestly happy about it, and there is the feeling of responsibility “that I have to make it a good work” and there is a bit of anxiety mixed into it. In JO1 the individuality is strong, so I’m doing it with the belief that everyone can be center, but the fans were delighted about “Happy Merry Christmas” (the JO1 version is featured on their 1st album ‘The STAR’) of which I was the center during the audition. Thus, I feel like there might be a meaning in that I’m the center for another song that is released in winter.

Issei: Just like Ruki-kun said, the center position makes you feel responsibility after all. When I was center for our debut song “Mugendai (INFINITY)” I felt that strongly in the beginning. But to be honest, eventually I might not have cared about it anymore. There are 11 members and it’s the best when you can do it while relying on everyone.

Sho: Nowadays, the center one doesn’t seem to stand out as much as during “Mugendai” both in regard to the dance formation and the singing, so the feeling “Let’s do it together” is bigger. I don’t have the experience of being the center, but I think I won’t go as far and say “I want to aim for it”. We all feel like “I’m in charge of the center”.

Issei: The performance of “Bokura no kisetsu” (the first lead track of the single) is also beautiful.

Ruki: It’s also the first title in Japanese since “Mugendai” and there might be people who think it’s easy to listen to. It doesn’t feel overwhelmingly J-POP, but more J-POP than previous releases. I like it.

Sho: The other lead track “Prologue” is the ending theme for the anime “BORUTO - NARUTO NEXT GENERATION”. To be entrusted with a song for the sequel of “NARUTO” which I had been watching since I was a child… I’m deeply moved and I feel we are able to do something amazing.

Ruki: Especially that’s why, I want to make this a single that can evolve JO1 even further by peeling off one or two layers from us. The catchphrase of this single is “overcoming unexpected situations and hardships we faced and we will grow even more” and I think it’s the right time for this.
Both JO1 and the company “LAPONE Entertainment” move forward with the will of doing everything more seriously. Together we want to make “WANDERING” a single that gives us a good start into 2022.

JO1 debuted in March 2020. Unfortunately, Covid-19 spread, and one schedule after another was forced to change. Since their debut they only performed in front of their fans on 23rd September 2021. Together with OWV and Enjin whose members also come from “PRODUCE 101 JAPAN” they appeared at “KCON World Premier - The Triangle” and it was their first time (to perform in front of fans).

We are doing the things we can do to the maximum.

Sho: We only stood in front of the fans at “JO1 1st FANMEETING” before our debut. But even now I can’t forget the voices and the scenery and those feelings are inside of us the whole time. Performing in front of everyone is our true work and we are a group whose 11 members were chosen by the fans. I think at “KCON” we were able to give it back a little.

Ruki: I felt the difficulty in bringing everyone together for the talk and I think we need to work on our live performances. I feel that the fun of live performances is to have an uniformed performance as a base and then you add your favorite spice to your part to make it more enjoyable for the audience, but until now we didn’t have the opportunity to perform live, so that’s something we need to smooth out. I hope to bring out the charms of our performances in the future and it was an experience that made me feel “Let’s go” and “I don’t want to lose”.

In their program “PROCESS JO1” that started to in July (available on their YouTube channel and a special TV version with unreleased scenes is currently broadcasted on TBS Channel 1), the members discuss, try out various things in order to become “Japan’s number 1 performance group”. Creativity is one point. Mamehara and Kawashiri Ren were involved in the making of the cover performance of Ado’s “Odo”. Do they have the vision of “making their own” in the future?

Sho: Not right now I think.

Issei: Hm… not now I think. I enjoyed making the choreography and directing of “Odo” together with Ren-kun. We showed each other what we had made and said “that’s good.” or “Let’s combine it with this.”, while keeping in mind the story of that stage. Really, I felt it was fun.

Sho: Regarding (the choreography of) “Odo” that they made, our gratitude is big. We are happy that they took the time to make this for the members, and I feel that they did make it with us in mind. so I thought “That’s our members.” One thing the members are working hard on right now, is learning languages. We are thinking about expanding to Asia.

Issei: In August, we appeared on the Indonesian online anime festival “Anime Land Festival” and showed the showcases. Back then, a video in which we greeted the fans in English and Indonesian was uploaded and there were scripts in the local language. As for me, I think I do the best I can. This year we also stood on stage of “M COUNTDOWN” and we also appeared on “MAMA” and “KCON” albeit those were online. This year, we were able to send our message overseas.

Sho: Nowadays SNS is also widely spread, so I hope to make use of everything possible and make us widely known to the people in this world.

We want to change the status quo of the Japanese entertainment world.

Despite encountering many “unforeseen circumstances”, JO1 have continued to move forward and achieved steady results in regard to sales and awards. JO1 are the 5th boygroupo in history to have four consecutive singles since their debut selling more than 200.000 copies. They won “Best New Asian artist” at “MAMA” in 2020 and the MV for the lead track “REAL” of their 4th single won the “Best Dance Video” at the “MTV VMAJ 2021” that was annouced in October 2021. However, there seems to be a gap between their specular records and the general public awareness of them. How do they see and analyse this?

Ruki: This is our homework. This number comes from the hard work of our fans and the result comes from a lot of people working together and it’s a fact that our popularity hasn't caught up on this. Even if they know the name JO1, they might not know us or our songs. That might be okay in our second year, but the place we aim for is an even higher spot and first, it’s to be “the ones who make Japan’s number 1 performance”. We still are at a place we can’t be satisfied with at all.

Issei: The “Number 1 in Japan” that we aim for is “the performance group with Japan’s number 1 synchronicity”. Right now, I think “Japan’s Number 1”are the ones from Johnny’s or LDH. But we go a different route, we want to bring Japan to the world with a performance that brings the 11 of us together. We have a lot of opportunities to talk with each other about how we can make this happen.

Sho: Especially recently a lot of new groups appeared, so we have been discussing how we can differentiate ourselves and how we can make the most of our strengths, but both our group and our company are still young, so we are in a state of moving forward while searching for answer to the things we don’t understand left and right. Regarding the goal that the other mentioned, in addition to our own homework, there are also the circumstances of the company such as the shortage of manpower. I think in this context we have to do what we can little by little. The most important thing we can do is to keep practising and improving our performances. We have to continue to have a strong and high will and then we have to share our current thoughts and ideas with the company and see how we can move forward together.

Each day we talk with the members about our tasks and goals

For a long time in the Japanese music industry, the era of Johnny’s and LDH continued in the regard of boy groups. In this situation, JO1 can be the pioneers who paved the way for groups to play an active role which are not affiliated with big agencies. Now, chasing this, new groups are born after another.

Issei: However, I'm happy about that. Because I want us to stand up together.

Ruki: We always say “We want to change the status quo of the Japanese entertainment world.” and no matter if it’s good or bad I want us to be called the “Special attack corps chiefs”.

Sho: Absolutely.

Ruki: Of course, we are getting criticized, but if we let that stop us, the long history of Japanese boy groups won’t change ultimately. In the end, if we can change something, I think we will have achieved one of our roles and mission. Right now it’s still only gradual… but we would like to change it more seriously in the future. It’s a fact that audition programs have increased in Japan since our beginning, and SKY-HI-san (who presided over the audition “THE FIRST”) has also watched “PRODUCE 101 JAPAN” and made a comment for it. I think we were able to make a change and influence on him in that way.

Always moving forward with an ambitious heart

“We want to change” How will JO1 who have made the first step move on in 2022? The words “When Corona has passed” and “if it is possible” remind one of what they have said many times before “Expectation is not enough”.

Having fans is not something to take for granted. Thus we have to change.

Sho: How will it be?... Once Corona has passed, I would like to tour the whole country. If it wasn’t for Corona, we would have been able to do a tour. In November finally we will have our first lives with audience since our debut “JO1 Live ‘OPEN THE DOOR’”, but there are surely regional JAM who can’t come to the venue Makuhari Messe, so if it’s possible in 2022, I would like to go to the regions too. Because we all want to meet JAM.

Issei: We don’t know how Corona will be in 2022 and it’s not something we can do something about, so honestly, my goal is “I don’t know”. But I think it won’t be different from what we do now. Our goal is to improve singing, dancing and performing and as Ruki-kun said earlier, also improving our abilities to talk at live shows and our own individual activities. Just like now we will take lessons, and for me, I think we are quite doing our best we can. We will continue with this and of course we will do more than that, and I hope to have a hit song with the public.

Ruki: What “I want to make this come true” is something I also don’t know yet. But we don’t plan to be newcomers forever, so we have to change various things. While a lot of new groups come out, it is up to us to charm people so they stay interested in us. Because having fans is not something to take for granted. So for this I always think that we have to change and keep on showing this side of us. Because it’s not like our activities are limitless. I feel that if our popularity doesn’t continue, it’s going to be our end and we don’t know if we can still do it in 5 or 10 years. After all, the status quo needs to be changed.
Because we got juniors (INI who debuted on November 3rd) and there are a lot of other groups and we also don’t want to lose. Right now it’s a bit… The wording might be bad, but I feel that we (who debuted before) are often looked down on. But I don’t want to be looked down on. JO1 is the group that shoulders Japan and to make this true, we need to talk with each other more and compete more.I feel that the activities in 2022 will decide the future JO1.

Issei: Because you don’t know what is before.

Ruki: I don’t want it to end, but I want to be always active so that it leaves no regrets once it’s over, and this much I want to be popular. To do that we have to do it seriously, and if each member has something they want to do, they should tell that to everyone and we have to make it happen one by one. To be honest, there is a part that feels that there are things JO1 could have done but did not which is such a waste, so I think we need to communicate more with the company and I hope to strengthen that in the future. I think there isn’t anything perfect and you always have to change something. We want to have the ambition to improve each other.

Sho: Just like life, right?

Ruki: I think that when you stop it will be the end. We are a group that wants to keep on running, so also in 2022 we don’t have the intent to stop. and we constantly want to improve and aim for the top.

Yonashiro Sho
Born 1995.10.25, from the prefecture Okinawa. He is the beloved leader who wraps up JO1 with his big heart and body. With his gentle voice and English abilities he was entrusted with the English narration in the PR video of the “National theatre Okinawa”. He has a lot of hobbies like cooking, working out, playing guitar and remaking sneakers, and recently he is into making accessories with beads.

Shiroiwa Ruki
Born 1997.11.19, from Tokyo. With his neat and androgyny looks, he is in charge of being the prince of the group. He is often seen as someone cool, but his fans know his talkative true side that can’t stop talking, and he has a multifaceted charm. Recently, his “cunningly cute” expressions on TikTok became a hot topic.

Mamehara Issei
Born 2002.5.30, from the prefecture Okayama. He is the youngest who gets loved by the members and fans with the petname “Mame-chan”. Before the debut he was someone talented already who was a dance instructor in his hometown while being a highschool student and his speciality was the hiphop of the 90s. He likes Kamen Rider and wants to play him one day.