Be:First (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese dance and vocal boy band formed and managed by BMSG and signed to B-ME, a joint record label with Avex.[1] The group was formed on August 13, 2021 and debuted on November 3, 2021, through the reality competition show The First, which is hosted by Sky-Hi.[2][3] The group consists of seven members: Sota, Shunto, Manato, Ryuhei, Junon, Ryoki, and Leo.
Be:First | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Japan |
Genres | J-pop |
Years active | 2021–present |
Labels |
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Members |
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Website | befirst |
The group are BMSG's first act, after Sky-Hi created the company feeling there were many problems in the Japanese music industry including talent having only a few places to show themselves in Japan, and instead would opt to go to Korean companies, hereby creating an outflow of Japanese talent to Korea.[4]
Name
editThe group's name, Be:First, was chosen with the intention of "always aiming for the top", and Sky-Hi hopes that the group will "continue to respect and love the fact that others are number one at the same time as they continue to be number one themselves".[5] Their official fandom name is Besty (stylized in all caps), which was coined by combining the first and last two letters of the group's name to mean bestie (best friend).[6]
History
edit2021: Formation and debut
editOn April 2, the audition of The First (stylized in all caps) started airing on Nippon Television Network's information program Sukkiri and online streaming service Hulu.[7] On August 13, the group name and members were announced on the last episode of the audition program.[8] On August 16, the group's digital pre-debut track, "Shining One", was released.[9]
On the Billboard Japan chart released on August 25, their digital pre-debut track, "Shining One", made its first appearance at number one on the Download Songs, number two on the Streaming Songs, and number two on the overall Japan Hot 100.[10] The song was also ranked number one on the Oricon Weekly Digital Single ranking on the same day, and ranked first on the Oricon Weekly Streaming ranking. Be:First became the second artists in history to achieve this double crown that the same work has reached number one in both the weekly digital single and streaming rankings simultaneously.[11]
Despite their pre-debut, Be:First performed on several TV programs, including NTV's Sukkiri (August 25) and Buzz Rhythm 02 (September 10), NHK's Shibuya no Oto (September 11), and TV Tokyo's Premiere Melodix! (September 11).[12][13][14][15] The group was also featured in the industry magazine Nikkei Entertainment.[16] Be:First appeared on September 18 as the opening act at SuperSonic 2021, a music festival held as an alternative event to Summer Sonic Festival, and gave their first performance in front of an audience.[17]
On 3rd November, they made their major debut with the release of their first single "Gifted", which topped the Billboard Japan Hot 100. Within a week of the release, it had more than 14 million streams, the third-highest number of weekly streams in Oricon history behind BTS and LiSA.[citation needed]
2022–present: Be:1
editBe:First collaborated with Jonas Blue to release the Japanese version of "Don't Wake Me Up" on July 13, 2022.[18] The group released their debut studio album Be:1 (stylized in all caps) on August 31, preceded by their first two singles, "Gifted.", and "Bye-Good-Bye".[19] The album topped the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart.[20] Be:1 was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan for having sold over 100,000 copies,[21] with them later embarking on their first national tour, Be:First 1st One Man Tour "Be:1" 2022–2023
They released a number of charting songs in 2022 and 2023, including the number-one songs "Bye-Good-Bye", "Scream", "Boom Boom Back"[22] and "Mainstream".[23] Following the digital release of "Bye-Good-Bye", Be:First became the first artist in Oricon history to achieve number one rankings in both downloads and streams in same week for a single work three times – the previous two being "Shining One" and "Gifted".[24] In another achievement, with the release of "Scream" Be:First became the first artist to have five songs win two number-one Oricon digital-ranking titles for a single work within the same week.[25] With "Boom Boom Back", Be:First achieved their seventh number one on Oricon's Weekly Digital Song chart. The song also was number one on the Streaming chart giving them a digital "double crown", thus breaking their own record and making them artist with the most digital double crowns for a single work in history.[26] They continued break records when Mainstream topped both the Oricon Digital Song Ranking and Streaming Ranking bringing their total number of digital "double crowns" to seven, the most for any artist in Oricon history.[27]
They embarked on their Be:First Arena Tour 2023–2024 "Mainstream", their first national arena tour. It was held from November 1, 2023, through February 24, 2024, in nine cities with a total of 22 shows.[28] They further added four more shows for March and April, Be:First Live in Dome 2024 "Mainstream" – Masterplan, with two shows each at the Tokyo Dome and Kyocera Dome.[29]
Members
edit- Sota (
島 雄 壮大 , Shimao Sōta) - Shunto (
久保 舜 斗 , Kubo Shunto) - Manato (
廣瀨 真人 , Hirose Manato) - Ryuhei (
黒田 竜平 , Kuroda Ryūhei) - Junon (
池亀 樹 音 , Ikegame Junon) - Ryoki (
三 山 凌 輝 , Miyama Ryōki) - Leo (
上村 礼 王 , Kamimura Reo)
Discography
editStudio albums
editTitle | Details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
JPN [30] |
JPN Cmb. [31] |
JPN Hot [32] | ||||
Be:1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|
||
2:Be |
|
1 | 1 | 1 |
|
|
Singles
editTitle | Year | Peaks | Sales | Certifications | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
JPN [37] |
JPN Cmb. [38] |
JPN Hot [39] | |||||
"Gifted." | 2021 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Be:1 | ||
"Bye-Good-Bye" | 2022 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||
"Smile Again" | 2023 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
|
2:Be | |
"Salvia" | 8 | 8 | 41 | Non-album singles | |||
"Mainstream" | 2 | 2 | 1 |
|
2:Be | ||
"Masterplan" | 2024 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
|
| |
"Hush-Hush"[52] (with Ateez) |
— | 6 | 1 | ||||
"Royal" (with Ateez) |
— | — | 22 | Non-album single |
Promotional singles
editTitle | Year | Peaks | Certifications | Album | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
JPN Cmb. [38] |
JPN Hot [39] | ||||
"Shining One" | 2021 | 3 | 2 |
|
Be:1 |
"Kick Start" | 5 | 7 | "Gifted." | ||
"Brave Generation" | 2022 | 7 | 6 | Be:1 | |
"Betrayal Game" | 3 | 3 | |||
"Don't Wake Me Up" (with Jonas Blue) |
26 | 16 | Together | ||
"Scream" | 3 | 1 | Be:1 | ||
"Boom Boom Back" | 2023 | 2 | 1 |
|
2:Be |
"Glorious" | 10 | 7 | |||
"Set Sail" | 2024 | 9 | 12 | "Masterplan" | |
"Gifted" (orchestra version) | 8 | 13 | Non-album single | ||
"Blissful" | 2 | 1 | 2:Be |
Other charted songs
editTitle | Year | Peaks | Album |
---|---|---|---|
JPN Hot [39] | |||
"BF Is..." | 2022 | 70 | Be:1 |
"Great Mistakes" | 2023 | 80 | "Smile Again" |
References
edit- ^ "SKY-HI「
才能 を殺 さない為 に。」新 会社 BMSG設立 、Novel Coreが移籍 してメジャーデビュー(コメントあり)".音楽 ナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved January 21, 2024. - ^ "BE:FIRST デビューシングル「Gifted.」リリース". befirst.tokyo (in Japanese). Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- ^ "SKY-HIプロデュース7
人組 「BE:FIRST」誕生 メンバーに覚悟 を問 う一幕 も【全員 コメント】".中日新聞 (in Japanese). ORICON NEWS. August 13, 2021. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021. - ^ "SKY-HI、"
奇跡 の同 世代 "三 代目 JSB・OMI(登坂 広 臣 )に"突発 的 な"提案 会場 の歓声 止 まず<イノフェス2023> - モデルプレス". モデルプレス - ライフスタイル・ファッションエンタメニュース (in Japanese). October 3, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2024. - ^ "「THE FIRST」デビューメンバー7
人 が決定 !グループ名 は『BE:FIRST』". モデルプレス (in Japanese). WEBザテレビジョン. August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021. - ^ BE:FIRST [@BEFIRSTofficial] (August 13, 2021). "BE:FIRSTのファンネームが
決定 !" (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved August 25, 2021 – via Twitter. - ^ "SKY-HIによるボーイズグループ
発掘 オーディション 『THE FIRST』、『スッキリ』放送 同日 にHuluにて完全 版 配信 ". Real Sound (in Japanese). April 2, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021. - ^ "ボーイズグループオーディション「THE FIRST」いよいよ
最終 回 !デビューメンバーとSKY-HIが『スッキリ』に生 出演 !" (in Japanese). Retrieved August 15, 2021. - ^ "SKY-HI
主催 オーディションから生 まれたBE:FIRST、プレデビュー曲 MVのプレミア公開 決定 " (in Japanese). Retrieved August 15, 2021. - ^ "【ビルボード】BE:FIRST「Shining One」
堂々 のDLソング1位 、MISIA/ヨルシカがトップ10デビュー". Billboard JAPAN (in Japanese). Retrieved September 19, 2021. - ^ "SKY-HI
主催 オーディションで誕生 のBE:FIRST、「Shining One」がデジタルランキング2冠 【オリコンランキング】". ORICON MUSIC (in Japanese). Retrieved September 19, 2021. - ^ "BE:FIRST、プレデビュー
曲 「Shining One」を日 テレ系 『スッキリ』で初 の生 パフォーマンス". Yahoo! JAPAN News (in Japanese). Retrieved September 20, 2021. - ^ "バズリズム02" (in Japanese). Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ^ "シブヤノオト「マンウィズ・BE:FIRST・フランシュシュ・さとうもか」". NHK+ (in Japanese). Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ^ プレミアMelodiX! [@tx_melodix] (September 13, 2021). "
本日 のラインナップ⇒ 【ゲスト】BE:FIRST、Panorama Panama Town、acane、甘党 男子 " (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via Twitter. - ^ "BE:FIRST
日本 の音楽 界 に"革命 "を巻 き起 こす7人 ".日経 エンタテインメント!2021年 10月 号 (in Japanese). Tokyo: Nikkei Business Publications. September 3, 2021. pp. 112–127. Retrieved September 21, 2021. - ^ "SUPERSONIC2021". Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ^ "ジョナス・ブルー×BE:FIRSTコラボ
曲 リリース「新 しい『Don't Wake Me Up』を届 けられたら」". Oricon (in Japanese). July 13, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022. - ^ "BE:FIRST、
新 録 「Be Free」8・1先行 配信 初 アルバム『BE:1』全曲 クレジット公開 ". Oricon (in Japanese). July 31, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022. - ^ Japan, Billboard (August 29, 2022). "Hopes are High for Record-Breaking BE:FIRST as They Release Their First Album 'BE:1'". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
- ^ "
一般 社団 法人 日本 レコード協会 ". www.riaj.or.jp. Retrieved March 26, 2024. - ^ Japan, Billboard (February 22, 2023). "BE:FIRST's 'Boom Boom Back' Bows at No. 1 on Japan Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
- ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 | Charts". Billboard JAPAN. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
- ^ "BE:FIRST、
最新 作 「Bye-Good-Bye」で、史上 初 通算 3作 の「同 一 アーティスト・作品 の週間 デジタルランキング2冠 」【オリコンランキング】". ORICON NEWS. March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2024. - ^ "BE:FIRST、
通算 5作 目 の「デジタルランキング」2冠 達成 【オリコンランキング】". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved March 26, 2024. - ^ "BE:FIRST「Boom Boom Back」が「デジタル2
冠 」達成 【オリコンランキング】". Oricon News. February 22, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2024. - ^ "BE:FIRST「Mainstream」、
通算 7作 目 のデジタル2冠 達成 【オリコンランキング】". ORICON NEWS. September 20, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2024. - ^ "BE:FIRST Starts Nationwide Tour Featuring 29 Shows in 17 Cities, Announces Additional Dates". MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON | もしもしにっぽん. September 30, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
- ^ "BE:FIRST、
初 の東京 ドーム&京 セラドーム大阪 公演 が3分 で即 完売 「一人 一 人 に届 くパフォーマンスを」". ORICON NEWS. February 10, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024. - ^ "BE:FIRSTのアルバム
売上 ランキング" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 4, 2024. - ^ "BE:FIRSTの
合算 アルバム売上 ランキング" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 5, 2024. - ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2022/09/07
公開 ". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved September 7, 2022.- 2:Be: "Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2024/09/04
公開 ". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- 2:Be: "Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2024/09/04
- ^ "【オリコン
年間 ランキング2022】King & Prince、今年度 唯一 のミリオン達成 で自身 初 の「シングル」首位 Snow Man初 の「アルバム」1位 / アルバムランキング 1位 ~25位 ". Oricon (in Japanese). December 22, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2022. - ^ "Japanese album certifications – BE:FIRST – BE:1" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved December 26, 2022. Select 2022
年 8月 on the drop-down menu - ^ オリコン
週間 アルバムランキング 2024年 08月 26日 ~2024年 09月 01日 [Oricon Weekly Album Ranking August 26, 2024 – September 1, 2024] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on September 4, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024. - ^ "Japanese album certifications – BE:FIRST – 2:BE" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved September 10, 2024. Select 2024
年 8月 on the drop-down menu - ^ "BE:FIRSTのシングル
売上 ランキング" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved May 1, 2024. - ^ a b "BE:FIRSTの
合算 シングル売上 ランキング" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
Chart positions not listed in the main source:- "Kick Start" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- "Brave Generation" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- "Betrayal Game" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- "Don't Wake Me Up" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- "Boom Boom Back" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- "Salvia" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- "Set Sail" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
- "Gifted. (orchestra version)" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
- "Masterplan" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
- "Hush-Hush" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
- "Blissful" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c Peaks on the Billboard Japan Hot 100:
- "Shining One". Billboard Japan. August 25, 2021.
- "Kick Start". Billboard Japan. October 20, 2021.
- "Gifted". Billboard Japan. November 10, 2021.
- "Brave Generation". Billboard Japan. February 9, 2022.
- "Bye-Good-Bye". Billboard Japan. March 16, 2022.
- "Betrayal Game". Billboard Japan. May 4, 2022.
- "Don't Wake Me Up". Billboard Japan. May 4, 2022.
- "Scream". Billboard Japan. August 3, 2022.
- "BF Is..." Billboard Japan. August 17, 2022.
- "Boom Boom Back". Billboard Japan. February 22, 2023.
- "Smile Again" and "Great Mistakes". Billboard Japan. May 3, 2023.
- "Salvia". Billboard Japan. September 6, 2023.
- "Mainstream". Billboard Japan. September 20, 2023.
- "Glorious". Billboard Japan. November 15, 2023.
- "Set Sail". Billboard Japan. March 6, 2024.
- "Gifted (orchestra version)". Billboard Japan. March 20, 2024.
- "Masterplan". Billboard Japan. May 1, 2024.
- "Hush-Hush". Billboard Japan. July 10, 2024.
- "Blissful". Billboard Japan. August 21, 2024.
- "Royal". Billboard Japan. September 11, 2024.
- ^ "Japanese single certifications – BE:FIRST – Gifted" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved May 15, 2022. Select 2021
年 11月 on the drop-down menu - ^ "Japanese single streaming certifications – BE:FIRST – Gifted" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved May 15, 2022. Select 2022
年 1月 on the drop-down menu - ^ "Japanese single certifications – BE:FIRST – Bye-Good-Bye" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved June 10, 2022. Select 2022
年 5月 on the drop-down menu - ^ "Japanese single streaming certifications – BE:FIRST – Bye-Good-Bye" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved November 29, 2022. Select 2022
年 10月 on the drop-down menu - ^
週間 シングルランキング 2023年 05月 08日 付 [Weekly Single Ranking for May 8, 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2023. - ^ "Japanese single certifications – BE:FIRST – Smile Again" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved May 12, 2023. Select 2023
年 4月 on the drop-down menu - ^ "Japanese single streaming certifications – BE:FIRST – Smile Again" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved April 23, 2024. Select 2024
年 3月 on the drop-down menu - ^
週間 シングルランキング 2023年 09月 25日 付 [Weekly Single Ranking for September 25, 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on September 20, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023. - ^ "Japanese single certifications – BE:FIRST – Mainstream" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved March 19, 2024. Select 2023
年 9月 on the drop-down menu - ^ "Japanese single streaming certifications – BE:FIRST – Mainstream" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved March 28, 2024. Select 2024
年 2月 on the drop-down menu - ^ オリコン
週間 シングルランキング 2024年 04月 22日 ~2024年 04月 28日 [Oricon Weekly Single Ranking April 22, 2024 – April 28, 2024] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2024. - ^ "Japanese single certifications – BE:FIRST – Masterplan" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved May 10, 2024. Select 2024
年 4月 on the drop-down menu - ^ "BE:FIRST×ATEEZがコラボ BE:FIRST×ATEEZ「Hush-Hush」の
配信 リリース決定 ". CDJournal (in Japanese). July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024. - ^ "Japanese single streaming certifications – BE:FIRST – Shining One" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved June 27, 2022. Select 2022
年 5月 on the drop-down menu - ^ "Japanese single streaming certifications – BE:FIRST – Boom Boom Back" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved October 26, 2023. Select 2023
年 9月 on the drop-down menu