It has been announced that Yamada Ryosuke will be making his solo CD debut on January 9th, 2013 with a single called Mystery Virgin. This song will be the theme song to his upcoming drama special Kindachi Case Files.
Sanspo article (Japanese)
This is actually not too surprising with him getting a solo song to be the theme song of this SP, as all previous Johnny's that have had the lead role have had solo songs for the theme song. So in a way it is in tradition, though I think this is the first time the solo song will be a solo debut.
I know there are definitely fans unhappy about this and I can understand. Yamada does already get a lot of promotion and now getting a solo release when Hey! Say! JUMP have not released a CD for about half a year seems unfair in that regard. Then of course there are those who are probably worried this could lead to him dropping the group to go solo like Yamashita Tomohisa has done.
For me, I plan on being pragmatic about all this. There have been plenty of instances where a member from a group released something solo and it did little to affect the group in the long run. In a way I am a bit hopeful that maybe we could get at least one of his older solos on the single so we just have more solo songs on a CD, something that HSJ has done so little of with their releases. I also feel that Yamada is close enough to the members of the group he would not want to leave it to take on a solo career. He has been with Nakajima Yuto and Chinen Yuri for so long as a Junior, he is known to be friends with Arioka Daiki and Okamoto Keito, so overall he is much closer to his group members than the recent soloist such as Yamapi and Akanishi Jin. And I think that fact will keep him with the group and this solo single will be more of a one off thing than anything else.
Of course I would rather have had a group single, but as a long term HSJ fan I have learned that if you want to stick with this group you need to have low expectations. That way there is a lot less disappoint and many more happy surprises.
Thanks for the info ^^
ReplyDeleteI'm really Happy for Yamada ! I'm a big fan from HSJ since 2008 and I'm a positive girl :) Just like you said Yamada is really close with his group members. I really don't see him going solo for good. Yamada has made it clear through out the years how much he loves HSJ and how he loves being in the group. And also just like you said its in a traditional way for the serie to have a solo song from the lead actor. I really don't have any worry :) Also I don't think Yamada or JE would be so stupid to let him go solo. Just look at Yamapi and Jin its been a difficult road for them and still is. Also HSJ needs Yamada but Yamada also needs HSJ, its just as simple as that lol :)
HSJ as a group has released a lot this year. 1 single, an album and 2 concert DVD's. For my wallet thats a lot. lol ;)
I'm really happy can't wait ^^
Sorry if my comment sounds a little messy, its getting late for me but when I checked your blog and read the good news I just had to make a comment! I'm really loving your blog. I'm checking it everyday ^^
Hi,
ReplyDeleteDon't want to rain on the parade and i def don't think Yamada will want to go solo any times soon. However, with this i can see things happening that might lead to Pi/NEWS situation. It may or may not happen. we'll have to wait and see. but i don't think Pi/Jin going solo has much to do with how long they have known other members and whether they are good friends. coz i think they all are. it just sometimes you want different things in life and this kind of self-recognition will come with ages and experience. What made Pi/Jin different from others was that they could bring in enough sale to go solo when they wanted, while most other JE boys don't have that luxury which makes it harder for them to go solo regardless of their own desire. Now, i believe Yamada has the capability to go solo if one day he happens to want it too. it'll be interesting to see how he will deal with the chances given to him from now on.
I think he cannot leave JUMP because HSJ not popular like KAT-TUN and News, anh he not popular if compare with Jin và Pi
ReplyDeletedebut single is good but if he release second single, it will bad, at least we say about sale
I agree with your comments! Having followed Johnny's groups for a while now, the difference in group dynamics really does make all the difference. Fortunately, Hey! Say! JUMP has good chemistry, and despite being thrown together from various Jr groups, they mesh very well and aren't as fractionated as the old NewS. I do think Yamada will want to stay for sure. ^^
ReplyDeleteThat said, "Mystery Virgin"? What an awful title. Hopefully the actual song and dance are great.
@ Anonymous #1
ReplyDeleteYea, I don't think it would be a good idea right now to have him trade being in a group for a solo career. None of Johnny's soloists have done great numbers so it is probably better to keep them in their groups if they can.
I'm glad you enjoy my blog, it makes me happy to know I have readers that read it on a regular basis.
@ Anonymous #2
It is not so much the time Yamada has known the members, but rather how close he is to them. And he is definitely closer to some of his group mates than Yamapi/Jin were to their own. Which I think is a sign that Yamada probably would not want to leave the group even if he can do solo work. And he did state that he wants to do his best as HSJ's Yamada Ryosuke, so I think it is safe to assume he wants to stay with his group.
@ Rana
Well I think everything is going to depend on how well this single does anyway. But I doubt it will do much better than a NYC single at best so there should not be much to worry about.
@ Anonymous #3
I think it helps that even if they were groups thrown together they did quite a bit together while in those groups, as Yax3 and JJE were constantly being lumped together. While Yamapi seemed to mainly stick with the other members of the Four Tops pre-debut.
I don't think I can ever say the name of this song with a start face. It is terrible but in that Johnny's way that amuses me. In the TV news clip about the announcement the song can be heard in the background and it sounds good to me so far.
I agree with the first and the fourth comments.
ReplyDeleteYamada may be the face of the group but Yabu and Hikaru are the pillars of HSJ and he looks up to both of them. Based on my observation, Yamada is a sensitive kid and he truly values the members' opinions of him. As the first anon said, "HSJ needs Yamada but Yamada also needs HSJ." I could not agree more.
Do you think that Yamada or anyone else could decide to go solo and quit their group? I think the choice at Johnny's is: do what we say or quit the agency.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with your comment. I think that whether an artist decides to leave or stay in his group is up to himself. Yamapi/Ryo left NEWS to focus on solo activities and Kanjani8 activities, respectively. Jin left KAT-TUN to break into the American market. I believe that those three did leave their respective groups on their own will. However, a solo debut does not mean leaving a group to pursue solo activities, so I believe that that's when an artist has no say in the matter.
DeleteI think it would be really nice if each member would release a solo once in a while and still work together with the group, because there are nine members some of them get lost in the crowd.
ReplyDeletehowever I do not want them to separate, I actually wish for Ryutaro to come back so that they will be whole again even though I do not really like him.
@ Lupin
ReplyDeleteI think he thinks highly of his group mates, especially the older ones to decide to just quit and go solo. I think he would be the type that would get way too lonely if he tried to go solo.
@ markl02
I think doing a solo release like this may be on the agency but actually breaking off and going solo has to be at least part the wish of the member. And that is why I think it is important to look at how strong the relationships are with other members, with Yamapi and Jin they weren't all that strong but then you have members like Tackey and Tsubasa who have insisted on being a duo and not being soloists.
@ Anonymous #5
That sums up my thoughts on the matter completely. If the agency wants a member to do a solo release they probably have little say in it, but if they want to leave their group to go solo they have a say in it.
@ haneen2012
That would not be bad, though I think I would prefer it for them to have a solo song as a B-side on a single, kinda like Takaki got when he did the insert song for Gokusen 3. That way everyone gets a bit of a spotlight but in direct connection with HSJ.
That said I can understand why Johnny's would have Yamada have a solo release. He is probably the only member of the group that could sell well with a solo release, which some of the members of HSJ probably have no chance of because they are stuck in the back.