Idol (Yoasobi song)

"Idol" (アイドル, Aidoru) is a song by Japanese duo Yoasobi. It was released as a standalone single on April 12, 2023, through Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The song serves as the opening theme of the Japanese anime series Oshi no Ko. Written by Ayase and based on Aka Akasaka's short story 45510, the song depicts the two-faced nature of a star in the Japanese idol industry.

"Idol"
Ai Hoshino, showing her back, standing on the stage, raising her right arm, and facing spotlights and her fans, featuring the song's title and the artist's name in magenta
Single by Yoasobi
LanguageJapanese
ReleasedApril 12, 2023
Genre
Length3:33
LabelSony Japan
Songwriter(s)Ayase
Producer(s)Ayase
Yoasobi singles chronology
"Seventeen"
(2023)		 "Idol"
(2023)
Alternative cover
A portrait of Ai Hoshino with the song's title and the artist's name in white on the right corner
Limited CD single cover
Music video
"Idol" on YouTube

"Idol" was commercially successful, topping the Billboard Japan Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks, marking Yoasobi's second number-one song after their debut single "Yoru ni Kakeru", and becoming their first top-ten hit on the Billboard Global 200, peaking at number nine. The song also broke the Oricon and Billboard Japan records for the fastest song to reach 100 million streams in five weeks. Its music video, which premiered on April 13, exceeded 100 million views in a month, the fastest to do so.

Background and release

On February 19, 2023, Japanese anime series Oshi no Ko announced the opening theme which would be performed by Yoasobi, titled "Idol", during a livestream detailing the anime on its official YouTube channel.[1] As a fan, Ayase revealed in the livestream that he personally read the Oshi no Ko manga and was inspired to write a song about it before receiving the offer.[2] A short version of "Idol" was first featured in the anime's trailer, and the full version played for the first time at an extended 90-minute first episode, titled "Mother and Children", which premiered on March 17 at selected movie theaters in Japan.[3] After the first show in Nagoya of their Denkōsekka Arena Tour, the duo announced that the song would be available on digital music and streaming platforms on April 12, the same date as the anime's televised premiere.[4] The English version is subsequently scheduled for release on May 26,[5] while a limited CD single will release on June 21.[6]

The song's basis is 45510, a short story by Aka Akasaka, Oshi no Ko's writer. Written from the perspective of one of the idol group B-Komachi's members, the story depicts the member's jealousy of the group's center Ai Hoshino, who was described as a "perfect and ultimate idol", as well as Hoshino showing only a false side of her personality and lying to her fans to "make a real Ai", as her way to express her love to them.[7] The title references the password on Hoshino's mobile phone and also are the initials of the founding members of B-Komachi.[8] The story was published via Weekly Young Jump's website on April 13, shortly after the anime's first episode televised premiere.[9]

Composition and reception

"Idol" is a pop track with church chant-like gothic rendition, written and produced by Ayase.[7] It features an uncredited background shout by Akihabara-based B-boy group and YouTuber Real Akiba Boyz, and gospel-styled background chorus sang in English.[10] The lyrics are about the two-faced nature of people in the entertainment industry, especially among Japanese idols,[11] driven by "bright and poppy" sound muffling the cruelty of the industry.[7] Danny Guan from Game Rant praises "Idol" as a "perfect representation of the character Ai Hoshino," and "jumping from brooding rap verses to energetic J-pop melodies with ease, flipping moods at the drop of a hat."[11] MarSali of UtaTen wrote that the song "highlighted the appearance of an idol from various perspectives."[12] Real Sound's Mio Komachi dubbed the song "standing out" among the duo's discography, feeling "the essence of Vocaloid song."[13]

Music video

An accompanying animated music video for "Idol" premiered on Yoasobi's YouTube and Ayase's Niconico channels on April 13, 2023, at 12:30 PM (JST). With the same visuals as the Oshi no Ko anime, it was directed by Naoya Nakayama, and produced by Doga Kobo, which also was in charge of the anime production.[14] The music video exceeded 100 million views on May 18, a month after the premiere, becoming the duo's fourth music video, after "Yoru ni Kakeru", "Kaibutsu", and "Gunjō", to reach this milestone, as well as the fastest to do so by any overall Japanese act.[15]

Commercial performance

Two weeks after its release, several news outlets reported that "Idol" had been streamed and viewed over 100 million times.[16] The song first entered the Billboard Global Excl. US chart dated April 22, 2023, at number 135 within two days of tracking,[17] and peaked at number four three weeks later.[18] Then, it debuted at number 14 on the Global 200 of April 29,[19] and ascended to number ten next week, marking Yoasobi's first top-ten hit and highest position since "Yoru ni Kakeru" in 2021, and also the second top ten by a Japanese act after Lisa's "Homura" (2020).[20] Later, the song peaked at number nine on the chart.[21] Yahoo! News Japan's Motohiko Tokuriki compared the song's success to Fujii Kaze's "Shinunoga E-wa", which was a hit overseas in 2022, and commented that it "has the potential to be a big step for the Japanese music industry in that it has clearly seen the world from the beginning and has been successful."[22]

In Japan, "Idol" opened at number five on the Oricon Combined Singles Chart dated April 24, 2023,[23] and peaked at number two next four weeks, behind Kanjani Eight's "Mikansei".[24] The song entered the Digital Singles Chart at number two, behind Man with a Mission and Milet's "Kizuna no Kiseki",[25] and later rose up to the top the next week and spent two non-consecutive weeks atop the chart,[26] making it Yoasobi's twelfth number-one song on the chart, tying them with Kenshi Yonezu.[27] For the Streaming Chart, "Idol" peaked at number one for five consecutive weeks,[28] becoming the duo's third number-one song on the chart after "Yoru ni Kakeru" (2019) and "Kaibutsu" (2021).[29] With 25,933,824 streams in the week of May 8, the song became the duo's and 2023 biggest, and accumulated the second overall most streams in a single week in Oricon history, after BTS' "Butter",[27][30] as well as the song with the most weeks exceeding 20 million streams in a single week (four weeks), tied with Official Hige Dandism's "Subtitle".[28] Furthermore, "Idol" is both the second song in 2023 after Be First's "Boom Boom Back" and by the duo to reach number one on both the Oricon Digital Single and Streaming charts in the same week[27] for three non-consecutive weeks.[28]

On Billboard Japan charts, "Idol" debuted atop the Japan Hot 100 for the issue dated April 19, 2023, as the duo's second number-one song in the country after "Yoru ni Kakeru" in 2020,[31][32] and has topped the chart for five consecutive weeks.[33] For component charts, the song debuted at number two on the Download Songs,[34] and later topped the chart[35] for three non-consecutive weeks.[36] "Idol" also peaked at number one on the Streaming Songs[37] and spent five consecutive weeks atop the chart.[38] It received 25,783,683 streams in the week of May 3,[39] breaking the record for the most streams in a single week since Official Hige Dandism's "Subtitle" in November 2022,[40] and the second most streamed song overall in a single week, behind only BTS' "Butter".[39] Additionally, "Idol" peaked atop the specific-genre Hot Animation chart[41] for five consecutive weeks.[42] The song reached 100 million streams in Japan in the five weeks since its release on both Oricon and Billboard Japan, breaking the record for the fastest song to do so, surpassing "Butter" (six weeks), and making the duo the group with the most songs with more than 100 million streams (14).[28][43]

Live performances

Yoasobi gave a debut performance of "Idol" on April 5, 2023, at the Nagoya show of their Denkōsekka Arena Tour and included it on the tour's setlist as part of the encore.[44] The duo also performed the song at the free TikTok special live concert at Theater Milano-za at Shinjuku, Tokyo on April 24.[45]

Track listing
  • Digital download/streaming
  1. "Idol" (アイドル) – 3:33
  • Digital download/streaming (English version)
  1. "Idol" (English version) – 3:33
  • CD single
  1. "Idol" – 3:33
  2. "Idol" (English version) – 3:33
  3. "Idol" (anime edit) – 1:30
  4. "Idol" (instrumental) – 3:33

Credits and personnel
  • Ayase – writer, producer
  • Ikura – vocals
  • Aka Akasaka – based story writer
  • Konnie Aoki – background chorus lyrics, English lyrics
  • Real Akiba Boyz – background shout
  • Ebony Bowens – background chorus
  • Chloe Kibble – background chorus
  • Marista Stubbs – background chorus
  • Imani J. Dawson – background chorus
  • Kyte – background chorus
  • Lyle Carr – background chorus
  • Andrew Soda – background chorus

Charts
Chart performance for "Idol"
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Global 200 (Billboard)[46] 9
Hong Kong (Billboard)[47] 2
Japan (Japan Hot 100)[48] 1
Japan Hot Animation (Billboard Japan)[49] 1
Japan Combined Singles (Oricon)[50] 2
Malaysia (Billboard)[51] 19
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[52] 19
Singapore (RIAS)[53] 10
South Korea (Circle)[54] 106
Taiwan (Billboard)[55] 2
US World Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[56] 7
Vietnam (Vietnam Hot 100)[57] 27

Release history
Release dates and formats for "Idol"
Region Date Format Version Label Ref.
Various April 12, 2023
Original (Japanese) Sony Japan [58]
May 26, 2023 English [59]
Japan June 21, 2023 CD single
  • Original
  • English
  • anime edit
  • instrumental
 [60]

See also

References
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