Koyama Keiichiro (小山 慶一郎)
Birthdate: 1 May 1984
Junior History: He joined the agency in January of 2001 and was originally in the Junior group B.A.D. before it became a Kansai Junior group. He was then but in a Junior group called B.B.D. before being selected to join J-Support near the end of 2001.
Eventually the name of J-Support was changed to K.K.Kity, with the first letter of the last names of all the members used in the name with Koyama being one of the Ks. This was the Junior group he was in until he was selected to debut with fellow K.K.Kity members, Kato Shigeaki and Kusano Hironori in NEWS in 2003.
Group History: In the early years of the group he was almost always paired off with his fellow K.K.Kity members, Shige and Kusano. After the group went down to six members he still was mainly paired off with Shige and they even created an unofficial unit together, Koyashige.
As he was naturally a talkative person and most of the rest of the group was on the quiet side he quickly became the main MC of the group at concerts for when they had their MC breaks. And it was from this skill that he gained a good deal of his recognition with the group.
His MC skills were used outside of group activities as he was host of the Junior programs, Ya-Ya-Yah and The Shounen Club (from 2006 to 2010), the latter he did with KAT-TUN’s Nakamaru Yuichi. He has a weekly radio program that he hosts called Kchan NEWS that is still airing. He also currently is a news reporter for the program news every and covers special interest pieces on the show.
After Yamashita Tomohisa left the group and his title of group leader, Koyama has become the new leader of NEWS.
Random Facts: He has a pet cat called Nyanta and has set up play dates with Shige’s imaginary cat, Wagahai. (Don’t ask.)
In 2007 he graduated from Meiji University with a degree in Asian History.
His family runs a ramen restaurant which is popular for NEWS fans to go to in Tokyo.
Personal Opinion: I feel Koyama is one of the most overlooked members of NEWS. He may not have much that stands out but I feel he really is one of the main forces keeping the group together. And his fan nickname, Koyamama, is a pretty good fit for him.
There’s no doubt that he loves the group and it’s no surprise that he’s the one the term member-ai comes from. If there is a member bending over backwards for the group it is Koyama and he happily does so. He also comes off as the one who has the most faith in the group which makes him a perfect fit to be the group’s leader.
I find it rather endearing that his family always seems so close, as he is quite the doting uncle for his nephew. He seems to have a good relationship with his family and when he talks about any of them you can just feel the love he has for them.
I find it just so hard not to like him. He really seems to be a genuinely good guy. He may not have the looks or voice but he has enough heart to easily fill the void of all the members the group has lost. And he’s the one member I feel nothing but confidence in for being the one taking care of the group, even if the other groups members tend to walk all over him. But I’m sure there would be nobody else they would be able to view as leader than him now.
5 comments:
LMAO at his cat's playdates with Shige's imaginary one XD
Koyashige are so weird but that's why you gotta love them~
I agree about Koyama being overlooked...he may not be the most handsome member but can be super adorable and even though his voice isn't the strongest, I used to confuse it with Massu's (even now I can tell them apart although I do think there are still similarities). He did a great job in Alibi ^^
I'm glad he's leader too...I honestly couldn't think of anyone better for the job~
This was interesting to read, thanks! It's hard to find information on a debuted group's junior days, especially for a recent fan like me!
The B.A.D part surprised me too since I'm also a fan of the Kansai Jrs and didn't know this! So the Kansai B.A.D was formed after Koyama's group changed names? It makes me wonder what the fan reactions were... or maybe it wasn't a big deal?
I'm particularly interested in Massu junior days since it feels like the mystery to me. I've read a bit on the other member's history so he's the remaining puzzle... O_O
I re-read it and he was moved from B.A.D to B.B.D! Oh right... sorry just a little confused! That means B.A.D have been around for a very long time too, although I don't know their history either...
Koyama is my favourite member of NEWS. I admit, first I didn´t notice him much because his looks are just not my type but he catched my attention when I watched Shounenclub. He was such a good MC, always friendly and funny; I liked him from the start.
After that I´ve seen him not only on SC but also on other shows and he is just awesome!
His love for NEWS is obvious and reading his interviews in mags is fun too.
So I recommend anyone who didn´t notice him because of not being the prettiest ( but which is a matter of taste again, some may find him totally handsome ) please check out about Koyama!
He´s a person with an interesting personality and good heart .
@ Amai Yume
Koyama does come off as a rather average idol. But of course there are plenty of things not so average about him, they just happen to be things not really tied to the image of an idol.
I couldn't think of anyone else as leader too.
@ Saion
B.A.D. seems to have an interesting history and seems to be something that was carried over to the Kansai Juniors when the shift was made to have the Kanjuu focus their activities in the Kansai area. I personally would like to know more, but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a lot of information out there.
Well I'm doing Massu next so you'll be able to learn a bit about him tomorrow.
@ Ani2
He is one of those members you typically don't notice or overlook at first but once you do can't help but feel some love for. He really is the heart of the group and I don't think NEWS would still be around if not for him.
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