JO1 EPs

is a Japanese boy band formed through the first season of ''Produce 101 Japan'' by Lapone Entertainment. The group is composed of eleven members: Issei Mamehara, Ren Kawashiri, Takumi Kawanishi, Shosei Ohira, Shion Tsurubo, Ruki Shiroiwa, Keigo Sato, Syoya Kimata, Junki Kono, Sukai Kinjo, and Sho Yonashiro. The group is the first permanent ''Produce 101'' winning group.

JO1 debuted on March 4, 2020, and was named one of the Best 5 New Artists at the Japan Gold Disc Award. Since then, they have achieved nine consecutive Oricon number-one singles as well as eight number-one songs and three consecutive number-one albums on the ''Billboard Japan'' Hot charts. They are two-time Excellent Work Award winner at the Japan Record Award for "Trigger" and "Love Seeker", with other accolades include three MAMA Awards and four MTV Video Music Awards Japan.

Name

The name "JO1" was picked by Lapone Entertainment from recommendations made by the public (dubbed "national producers") via the official website of ''Produce 101 Japan''. It means that "the trainees who pursued their dreams together in ''Produce 101 Japan'' will become one and aim for the top of the world". The name was revealed in the final episode of the show.

History

2019: Formation through ''Produce 101 Japan''

JO1 was formed through the reality competition show ''Produce 101 Japan'', which was aired primarily on the streaming service Gyao! from September 25 to December 11, 2019. A total of 6,000 participants auditioned for the show, ranging in age from 16 to 30 and not affiliated with any talent agency. The final 11 trainees were picked by viewers from the 101 through online voting and announced during a live television broadcast on TBS. Unlike previous ''Produce 101'' franchise-winning groups, there was no intention of restricting the group's activity after its debut.

Most of the ''Produce 101 Japan'' trainees had no experience in the entertainment industry, resulting in JO1 members having varying levels of experience. Ren Kawashiri and Shosei Ohira have previously worked as backup dancers for SMAP, Tomohisa Yamashita, Wanna One, Pentagon, and Exile among others. The latter, Keigo Sato, Syoya Kimata, and Issei Mamehara went to a local dance school; Kimata was also active as a cover dancer and Mamehara was a kid's dance teacher. Ruki Shiroiwa is a former member of Johnny's Jr., the trainee group of Johnny & Associates, and Tsukicro, a voice actor music group, while Shion Tsurubo spent ten months as a trainee at FNC Entertainment. Kawanishi, Kinjo, Kono, and Yonashiro had never received any dance or vocal training.

2020: Debut and ''The Star''

JO1 headed to South Korea shortly after the conclusion of ''Produce 101 Japan'' to produce their debut single, ''Protostar'', where they went through an "intense" one-month boot camp to strengthen their skills and chemistry as a group. The single was released on March 4, 2020, and debuted at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart with over 300,000 copies sold in the first week, making JO1 the seventh artist to accomplish so with a debut single, while its lead track, "Infinity", reached the top of the ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100. On March 24, JO1 made their first live television appearance on NTV's morning show ''Sukkiri''.

On August 26, JO1 released their second single, '' Stargazer'', with Hui from the South Korean boy band Pentagon co-producing the lead track "Oh-Eh-Oh". Unlike the previous single, the production and training were done remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On September 5, JO1 headlined the 31st Mynavi Tokyo Girls Collection Autumn/Winter 2020 in the Saitama Super Arena.

In November, JO1 released their first studio album, ''The Star'', which debuted in second place on the Oricon Albums Chart and the Japan Hot Albums, trailing only '' Be'' by BTS. In December, JO1 made their first appearance at the ''FNS Music Festival'', performing the promotional single "Shine a Light", and held their first live-streaming concert, Starlight, attracting an estimated 120,000 viewers from over 30 countries. JO1 received awards such as the Rising Star Award from the MTV Video Music Awards Japan and the Mnet Asian Music Award for Best Asian Artist. The group was also named one of the Best 5 New Artists at the Japan Gold Disc Award alongside SixTones, Snow Man, NiziU, and Yoasobi for their net sales in 2020.

2021–2022: Open the Door, ''Kizuna'', and first arena tour

In February 2021, JO1 made their first appearance in South Korea on ''M Countdown'' and held their second online concert, Starlight Deluxe. Their third single, '' Challenger'', was released on April 28 and became the eleventh best-selling single in the first half of 2021, with "Born to be Wild" topped the Japan Hot 100.

Their fourth single, ''Stranger'', was released on August 18, and it was the group's fastest single to sell 400,000 copies on the ''Billboard Japan'' chart. On September 23, JO1 performed at the Pacifico Yokohama joint live concert KCON World Premiere: The Triangle alongside other ''Produce 101 Japan'' subsequent groups. It was their first performance in person since their debut due to the pandemic. On October 9, Lapone Entertainment announced that member Sukai Kinjo, who had skipped the event, would suspend his activities to receive treatment for adjustment disorder.

To comply with COVID-19 preventive measures, JO1 held their first live concert, Open the Door, at the Makuhari Messe in November 2021, as opposed to their planned national tour. The concert drew 45,000 spectators in total and featured songs from the group's fifth single, ''Wandering'', which became their first single to be certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). The single features "Prologue", the closing theme for the anime series '' Boruto: Naruto Next Generations''.

Lapone stated on February 14, 2022, that Kinjo would resume his activities. JO1 later released two new songs, "Dreamer" and , as the theme songs for their first drama series '' Short Program'' and documentary film '' JO1 the Movie: Unfinished - Go to the Top''. On April 22, JO1 released the digital single "YOLO-konde", produced by 3Racha of Stray Kids, whose concept development and lyrics writing process were shown on the NHK program ''This Is JO1 - Go to the Dream''. In May, JO1 released their second studio album, '' Kizuna''; the group's first number-one album on the Oricon and ''Billboard Japan'' charts. It includes "Move the Soul", the opening theme of Aniplex's original anime series ''Fanfare of Adolescence''. JO1 embarked on Kizuna Arena Tour to five cities in September and October 2022, attracting 110,000 people.

2022–2023: Debut on ''Kōhaku Uta Gassen'', ''Equinox'', and first Asian tour

JO1 released their first English song, "All Hours," in June 2022. Their sixth single, ''Midnight Sun'', was released in October and sold 600,000 copies on the ''Billboard Japan'' chart in its first week, while the lead track, "SuperCali", spent two weeks in the top six of the Japan Hot 100. By the end of 2022, JO1 ranked high on several ''Billboard Japan'' year-end charts, propelling them to number 25 on the Artist 100 chart. JO1 then made their debut on the NHK's annual New Year's Eve musical show ''Kōhaku Uta Gassen'' with "Infinity".

On April 5, 2023, JO1 released their seventh consecutive Oricon number-one single, ''Tropical Night'', featuring "Tiger" as the lead track. JO1 performed the song to open the Hanshin Tigers vs. Hiroshima Toyo Carp match at Hanshin Koshien Stadium. In May, JO1 made their debut at the annual K-pop joint concert Dream Concert in Busan and headlined its Japanese edition the following month alongside Jaejoong and Junsu.

JO1 released their second consecutive number-one studio album, ''Equinox'', on September 20, 2023. It includes the self-produced song "NEWSmile", the theme of the morning news show ''Mezamashi 8''. In August, JO1 embarked on their second arena tour, Beyond the Dark, which included a performance in the Kyocera Dome, attracting approximately 200,000 people. The group also began their first Asian tour in November. On October 20, JO1 released "Eyes On Me" featuring DJ R3hab and made their debut on TV Asahi's prime time music program, ''Music Station''. They are the second non-Johnny & Associates and LDH boy band to perform on the show after public criticism of the former's alleged influence on domestic rival groups' inability to appear on the show emerged. JO1 received the Excellent Work Award at the Japan Record Award in December for "Trigger" and performed "NEWSmile" as the first artist from the white team at the ''74th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen''.

2024–present: First best album and first world tour

In January 2024, JO1 released "Your Key" as the opening theme for the anime series ''Four Knights of the Apocalypse''. The song was later issued as the group's first Blu-ray single on March 27. It debuted at number one on Oricon's music DVD/Blu-ray chart. This was followed by the digital releases of "Aqua" and "Happy Unbirthday"; both songs charted on the Billboard Japan Hot 100. On May 29, JO1 released their eighth single, ''Hitchhiker''. It became their first single to sell over 500,000 copies in its debut week on the Oricon chart and received a triple platinum certification from RIAJ. Its lead track, "Love Seeker", earned JO1 their first RIAJ streaming certification and their second Excellent Work Award.

On July 27 and 28, JO1 held a fan appreciation event titled JAM Thanksgiving - Summer Festival at K-Arena Yokohama. From August to September, the group performed at several domestic music festivals for the first time, including Summer Sonic Festival and Rock in Japan. Their ninth single, ''Where Do We Go'', was released on October 2 and became their second single to receive triple platinum certification. To support the release, JO1 launched the Wherever We Are Tour. It began domestically, in four cities in Japan, and continued across six countries in Asia and North America from February to March 2025. The tour concluded with a two-day concert at the Tokyo Dome in April. In total, the tour attracted 250,000 people.

On March 14, 2025, JO1 made their debut on American terrestrial television, with a performance of "Love Seeker" on ''Good Day New York''. On April 2, they released their first greatest hits album, ''Be Classic'', with the track list determined by fan vote. The album became the group's third consecutive release to top both the Oricon and Japan Hot Albums charts. Its title track debuted at number eleven on the Japan Hot 100, while its English version marked JO1's first appearance on the Mediabase US Top 40 Radio Airplay chart. The group's second documentary film, ''JO1 the Movie: Unfinished - Bon Voyage'', is scheduled to premiere on July 4, 2025.

Members

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* – performance leader
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* – vocal leader
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* – group leader

Other ventures

Endorsements

JO1 has kept a number of domestic sponsorship partnerships, from national brands, such as ABC-MART, FamilyMart, and Y!mobile, to international ones like Kit Kat, Louis Vuitton, and TikTok. They have also worked for companies in various industries, ranging from the Credit Saison credit card to the Osaka Gas power package plan, as well as for national organizations like the Japan Racing Association and JA Kyosai. In 2021, JO1 signed a one-year "official beauty partner" contract with YSL Beauty Japan, tripling the fragrance Libre's sales. The following year, YSL Japan named JO1 as the brand's first male ambassador, citing the group's genderless image and enthusiastic fans. In November 2022, JO1 and Sanrio released eleven new characters as the group's alter egos, dubbed . The character designs were based on the group members' original ideas and sketches. In the same year, JO1 was named the ambassador of Hot Japan with JO1, a project that promotes Japan's charms both domestically and worldwide, with the backing of governmental agencies and corporate sectors such as GMO Internet Group, Mitsui Fudosan Group, and ANA X. The project resulted in a YouTube content series and the NHK travel documentary ''JJJJO1''. In 2024, JO1 was appointed as ambassador for the Adidas Japan's line Adidas Sportswear alongside INI.

Philanthropy

JO1 has supported several charities over their career. In March 2021, JO1 and the social platform service Heyhey raised around ¥1.85 million ($17,000) for the recovery of regions affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake ten years prior. A year later, members Sho Yonashiro and Ren Kawashiri, along with other Yoshimoto Kogyo entertainers, filmed a video explaining the importance and side effects of the COVID-19 booster shot with Prime Minister Kishida at his office, easing public concerns about the shot and encouraging people of all ages to get vaccinated.

In response to the wildfires in Los Angeles, California, in January 2025, JO1 released special merch called the JO1 Charity Band on their Wherever We Are world tour, designed by leader Yonashiro. On April 28, 2025, JO1 presented a $50,000 check to the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation to help their ongoing wildfire relief efforts prior to the group's performance at the club's Japan Heritage Night.

Discography

* '' The Star'' (2020)
* '' Kizuna'' (2022)
* ''Equinox'' (2023)

Concert tours

Tours
* Kizuna Arena Tour (2022)
* Beyond the Dark Tour (2023)
* Wherever We Are (2024–2025)

One-off concerts
* Open the Door (2021)

Online concerts
* Starlight (2020)
* Starlight Deluxe (2021)

Fan Meetings
* JAM Thanksgiving - Summer Festival (2024)

Filmography

Film

Television

Web series

Radio and podcast

Bibliography

Audio books

Photobooks

Awards and nominations

Listicles

Notes

References

External links

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{{Authority control

2019 establishments in Japan
Japanese boy bands
Japanese dance music groups
Japanese idol groups
Japanese pop music groups
MAMA Award winners
Musical groups established in 2019
Produce 101 (Japanese TV series) contestants
Singing talent show winners