21 hours Ago By Nicole Fell
Given how bonded they appear as a group, it’s hard to believe that the members of Japanese pop group JO1 once competed against one another. The 11-piece boy group — comprised of members Sho Yonashiro, the group’s leader, Ren Kawashiri, Ruki Shiroiwa, Junki Kono, Keigo Sato, Takumi Kawanishi, Syoya Kimata, Shosei Ohira, Sukai Kinjo, Shion Tsurubo and Issei Mamehara — formed through the Japanese spin-off of popular Korean music competition series Produce 101 Japan , where they landed in the top 11 out of 101 contestants. The timing wasn’t exactly ideal — their official debut came out just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic effectively shut down the world — but five years later the group is already releasing a greatest hits album.
Since its formation, the group has steadily risen in popularity domestically, landing eight No. 1 singles on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart. JO1 has also made an international push in the last year, finishing up their first solo, sold-out U.
S. dates as part of their world tour — the group has previously played in the U.S.
during KCON — with stops in L.A. and New York.
The world tour wraps later this month with two nights at the Tokyo Dome. Between sold-out U.S.
dates and preparations for their first show at the iconic Tokyo venue, the group has released the aforementioned greatest hits album, Be Classic , with the group’s fans — dubbed Jam — voting on what songs made the cut. JO1 sat down with The Hollywood Reporter during their trip to L.A.
to discuss meeting their international fans for the first time, how they continue to gain respect for one another and what they have their sights set on next. What has it been like performing in the U.S.
for the last few weeks? What has the experience been like getting to meet fans who have been waiting quite a while to see you at your own concert? SYOYA KIMATA Being able to see the American Jams, our fans, being able to sing and dance together beyond language was amazing to us. Is there anything that surprised you about the crowds or about your fans that you weren’t expecting? SUKAI KINJO One thing that I saw that was really surprising to us was — I don’t know if it was because the Jams had so much energy inside of them – but I saw so many of them go woof woof [barking sound] like a dog. Looking across the fans, I saw some that were acting like pit bulls.
I saw some that were acting like puppies ...
so I was also going woof woof the entire time. You are all very personable and you have really great chemistry with one another. That’s not always easy given the size of the group and how you started — on a music survival show in which you were each other’s competitors every week before you became each other’s band mates.
How have you worked at building a bond with one another while being able to grow yourself? JUNKI KONO The most important thing is just believing in our members and believing in our future. Just believing in our members and doing our best with each other. Do you find that you’ve learned things from one another as artists that you maybe never expected to when you guys first started? RUKI SHIROIWA For the preparation for this upcoming live series that we did, we each, for the first time, had to perform our own solo dances.
When I got to see each person perform so passionately, it reminded me how much passion each of the [group] members have. It made me respect each person all over again. For my solo dance, I actually did it [on] the very last day.
The only thing I was thinking about is, “Wow, I can’t believe each person was able to do this so passionately and so well.” As a group you go through many changes. You try new things and you try new identities, but I think you as artists have an idea of how you would like the world to view you.
What is that for you as a group? JUNKI KONO I think JO1’s best feature is freedom. During our performances, it’s so natural. All of them [the other group members] are doing the thing that they want.
It’s so important for our music. In terms of making music, as you grow you tend to evolve in terms of your taste and what you enjoy. Do you find that you kind of gravitate towards different things more than you used to? REN KAWASHIRI One thing that’s really changed as we’ve sang so many different songs, we’ve really realized who’s specifically good for each kind of of song, each kind of job.
We know that this particular dance is good for this particular group member. Maybe one thing is good for Mame, maybe this one thing is good for Junki. We now know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
That’s one thing that’s really changed. Can you talk about Be Classic and the process behind selecting songs for the greatest hits album? SHOSEI OHIRA It was a mix. Initially, the company gave us a list of songs and then because obviously we as a group were chosen by votes, we wanted to do the same thing for this album.
We allowed the fans to choose which songs they liked the most. Through that combination, we were able to select the songs for the greatest hits album. It really feels that this album was something that we created with the fans together.
Doing a greatest hits at this point in your career likely gives you time to pause and look back. Has that inspired anything you want to try in the future? ISSEI MAMEHARA We’ve done a lot of different touring, and a lot of it’s based in Japan, obviously. We have a concert in April at the Tokyo Dome.
We’d like to be able to do more dome tours around Japan. JUNKI KONO Actually, I can’t eat ice cream until the dome tour comes. As an artist, performing at the Tokyo Dome has to be something to really aspire to, especially when you start out.
How are you feeling about playing there? TAKUMI KAWANISHI Obviously, the first emotion that comes up is nervousness, but being able to perform at Tokyo Dome or these larger venues, it was my dream. At the end of the day, the most important thing is to perform as well as I can and to make sure the fans are able to enjoy themselves. Has meeting your international fans, some of them for the first time, added another layer onto that? SHION TSURUBO I was overflowing with love.
As you look ahead to this next chapter of your career, is there something that you haven’t tried yet that you really want to? SHO YONASHIRO I hope to perform on stage at Coachella, that is the goal. It’s a big stage and [it’s] our future goal. We need to practice and to practice our English more.
But I don’t feel that it’s impossible. I think it’s possible, and I will try. Do any of you have any pop culture that you’re obsessed with at the moment? SYOYA KIMATA I’ve been obsessed with lobster rolls.
I even had a lobster roll yesterday. I’m sorry, I love lobster rolls so much that I keep bringing it up no matter what the question is. KEIGO SATO Something that I’ve been obsessed with for a very long time and still to this day is Marvel.
One thing that I like to do is I like to watch Marvel movies as I work out; Spider-Man, Captain America Iron Man, because I want to be like them. It’s like my goal. JUNKI KONO Who do you want to be? KEIGO SATO Spider-Man.
At home, I actually have the [Thor’s] hammer and [Captain America’s] shield. TAKUMI KAWANISHI I love soccer and especially love Christiano Ronaldo [Group members laugh]. I really love Christian Ronaldo.
Siuuu! [Lauhgs]. And I love baseball, I played it for 15 years. I went to Dodger Stadium, and I bought the rare [Tokyo series] Shohei Ohtani jersey.
To wrap up, is there a message you want to give to fans? RUKI SHIROIWA It’s been five years since we started as a group. This is the first time we were able to come to America on our own and finally perform for the fans that we know have been waiting to be able to see us. We want to come back and have quality performances and make sure that our fans here are able to have as much fun as they can.
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