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 | |
|---|---|
 Logo of Be:First | |
| 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
edit| Title | 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
edit| Title | 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 | 41 | Non-album single | |||
| "Mainstream" | 2 | 2 | 1 |
|
2:Be | ||
| "Masterplan" | 2024 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
|
| |
| "Hush-Hush"[52] (with Ateez) |
— | 6 | 1 | ||||
| "Royal" (with Ateez) |
— | — | 22 | Non-album singles | |||
| "Sailing" | — | 6 | 4 | ||||
Promotional singles
edit| Title | 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
edit| Title | 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.
- ^ "【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.
- "Sailing" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved November 14, 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.
- "Sailing". Billboard Japan. November 13, 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 – Betrayal Game" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved October 29, 2024. Select 2024年9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