Yukari Gotou, formerly of AAA
Happy Birthday to Yukari Gotou, formerly a member of the Jpop group AAA, who turns 21 today!!
AAA, or Toriparu A in Japanese, stands for Attack All Around. It consists of 5 boys and 2 girls, all talented vocalists and dancers. The group was originally planned to be composed of six members-five boys and one girl-but Avex decided at the last minute to include two more girls. All of the members had acted in commercials and performed as backup dancers for various popular artists, such as Ayumi Hamasaki and Ami Suzuki, and had acquired sufficient experience for their debut. The group has the privilege of being produced by one of Japan’s leading producers, Masato “Max” Matsuura.
The group’s first single was released in September 2005. They received a lot of attention because of a suspenseful announcement released by Avex Trax, and due to constant advertising they did not have to perform live to promote their singles. After their first single, they released one every month, from September to December, and in January they released their first album, ATTACK. The popularity of the singles and album, despite fairly low chart rankings, earned them the New Artist of the Year Award at the Japan Record Awards at the end of the year.
All of the following singles of 2006 where moderately successful, hitting the top 30 on the Oricon charts. They released a single almost every month, with a total of 8 singles for the year. They released a mini-album in September to moderate success. In January of 2007, they again released a full album, which peaked at #23 on the charts.
In March they sang the opening theme for Kamen Rider Den-O, changing their name temporarily to AAA Den-O Form. Afterwards they released a mini-album and their next three singles under their original name, each of which made to either #5 or #6 on the charts (except for the mini-album). Shortly before the release of the third single, Yukari Gotou left the group, reportedly due to health reasons. In July the group made their first international appearance without her, performing at the anime convention Otakon in Baltimore, Maryland.
Since their return from the States they released one single, RED SOUL, and one album, AROUND in September 2007. Though RED SOUL peaked only moderately well on the charts, AROUND made it to #8. Their latest single, Mirage ranked very highly on the Oricon charts, becoming their first single to reach the #1 spot.
The group also released their first compilation in March, entitled Attack All Around. It reached as high as #3 on the Oricon charts, and sold 35,000 copies. Two months later they released another single, Beyond ~Karada no Kanata~, which peaked at the #4 spot. It sold rather low, however, barely making 20,000 copies.
The group’s then released a mini-album produced by the four boys, Choice is Yours. It also made it to the #3 spot but quickly fell through the ranks. The group is released their 20th single in August, a double A-side entitled Zero / Music. The single ranked at #5 and stayed on the charts for three weeks.
The group participated in the Kamen Rider Den-O Form mini-album. They remixed their song “Climax Jump” for the album, with the title “Climax Jump The Final”. AAA’s just released their 21st single, Tabidachi no Uta, on January 12. The single made its debut at #1 spot on the Oricon Style Charts. The group is also planning to release their fourth full album, depArture, in February 2009.
Debut: September 2005
Current Label: Avex Trax
Members:
Takahiro Nishijima
Naoya Urata
Mitsuhiro Hidaka
Shinjiro Atae
Shuta Sueyoshi
MIsaki Uno
Chiaki Ito
Former members:
Yukari Gotou
Discography
Singles:
09/14/2005 - BLOOD on FIRE
10/05/2005 - Friday Party
11/16/2005 - Kirei na Sora
12/05/2005 - DRAGON FIRE
02/15/2006 - Hallelujah
03/23/2006 - Kibou no Uta
05/31/2006 - Hurricane Lili, Boston Mari
07/12/2006 - Soul Edge Boy / Kimono Jet Girl
08/30/2006 - Let It Beat!
09/06/2006 - Q
11/15/2006 - Chewing Gum
12/05/2006 - Black & White
03/21/2007 - Climax Jump
04/18/2007 - Get CHUU! / SHE no Jijitsu
05/16/2007 - Kuchibirukara Romantica / That's Right
07/18/2007 - Natsumono
09/19/2007 - Red Soul
01/09/2008 - Mirage
05/28/2008 - BEYOND ~Karada no Kanata~
08/27/2008 - MUSIC!!! / Zero
01/14/2009 - Tabidachi no Uta
Mini-Albums:
09/13/2006 - ALL/2
03/21/2007 - ALOHA
06/18/2008 - Choice Is Yours (Boys only)
Albums:
01/01/2006 - ATTACK
01/01/2006 - REMIX ATTACK
01/01/2007 - ALL
02/07/2007 - CCC -Challenge Cover Collection-
09/19/2007 - AROUND
03/05/2008 - Attack All Around (compilation)
02/11/2009 - depArture
Chronological discography:
1st single: 09/14/2005 - BLOOD on FIRE
2nd single: 10/05/2005 - Friday Party
3rd single: 11/16/2005 - Kirei na Sora
4th single: 12/05/2005 - DRAGON FIRE
1st album: 01/01/2006 - ATTACK
1st remix album: 01/01/2006 - REMIX ATTACK
5th single: 02/15/2006 - Hallelujah
6th single: 03/23/2006 - Kibou no Uta
7th single: 05/31/2006 - Hurricane Lili, Boston Mari
8th single: 07/12/2006 - Soul Edge Boy / Kimono Jet Girl
9th single: 08/30/2006 - Let It Beat!
10th single: 09/06/2006 - Q
1st mini-album: 09/13/2006 - ALL/2
11th single: 11/15/2006 - Chewing Gum
12th single: 12/05/2006 - Black & White
2nd album: 01/01/2007 - ALL
1st cover album: 02/07/2007 - CCC -Challenge Cover Collection-
13th single: 03/21/2007 - Climax Jump
2nd mini-album: 03/21/2007 - ALOHA
14th single: 04/18/2007 - Get CHUU! / SHE no Jijitsu
15th single: 05/16/2007 - Kuchibirukara Romantica / That's Right
16th single: 07/18/2007 - Natsumono
17th single: 09/19/2007 - Red Soul
3rd album: 09/19/2007 - AROUND
18th single: 01/09/2008 - Mirage
1st compilation album: 03/05/2008 - Attack All Around (compilation)
19th single: 05/28/2008 - BEYOND ~Karada no Kanata~
4th mini-album: 06/18/2008 - Choice Is Yours (Boys only)
20th single: 08/27/2008 - Zero / Music
21st single: 01/14/2009 - Tabidachi no Uta
4th album: 02/11/2009 - depArture
Credits: Wikipedia, JaME
AAA seems to be getting better for me. Previously, I felt like their music was starting to get kind of generic and lame, but lately they’ve picked up a little. Vocal-wise, they’re all just okay, but they’re all some cute kids (here I am calling them kids when they’re all older than me…lol) and they are pretty good dancers, so usually they make some pretty fun videos. I’m interested to see what their newest single is like.
Blood on Fire
Just for kicks, since Yukari left the group in 2007 due to health issues, I thought I’d upload an older song from when she was still a member. This actually happens to be their debut single. 8D AWW BUT LOOKIT HOW LITTLE THEY LOOK IN THE PV *_*. As usual, with a rockish AAA song like this one, everything has to be SUPER EPIC, but it’s okay because it’s kind of cool. This song is really intense but also kind of cool. I like their dancing and just the overall style of the PV. The song is just enjoyable and fun, typical of AAA, and definitely worth a download. Also, I’d like to point out…the middle part of the song would make a super hard DDR song. xD;
Lyrics + Translation | PV| Download
Please comment if you downloaded, or if you want to say something! I'm up for comment discussions. =D
Asian Birthdays is a subdivision of the site Much Love, an Asian mp3 rotation page that focuses on spreading the love of Asian pop music and culture. These mp3’s are for sampling purposes only, and should be deleted after 24 hours. Please support these wonderful artists by buying their CDs at your store of choice (CDJapan, Yesasia, Amazon).
If you happen to download a song, please be sure to comment, as I’m doing this to share music with other people, and opinions would be appreciated. Kay? Thanks!
You may ask for reuploads of songs, but please don’t If you’ve never commented before.
AAA, or Toriparu A in Japanese, stands for Attack All Around. It consists of 5 boys and 2 girls, all talented vocalists and dancers. The group was originally planned to be composed of six members-five boys and one girl-but Avex decided at the last minute to include two more girls. All of the members had acted in commercials and performed as backup dancers for various popular artists, such as Ayumi Hamasaki and Ami Suzuki, and had acquired sufficient experience for their debut. The group has the privilege of being produced by one of Japan’s leading producers, Masato “Max” Matsuura.
The group’s first single was released in September 2005. They received a lot of attention because of a suspenseful announcement released by Avex Trax, and due to constant advertising they did not have to perform live to promote their singles. After their first single, they released one every month, from September to December, and in January they released their first album, ATTACK. The popularity of the singles and album, despite fairly low chart rankings, earned them the New Artist of the Year Award at the Japan Record Awards at the end of the year.
All of the following singles of 2006 where moderately successful, hitting the top 30 on the Oricon charts. They released a single almost every month, with a total of 8 singles for the year. They released a mini-album in September to moderate success. In January of 2007, they again released a full album, which peaked at #23 on the charts.
In March they sang the opening theme for Kamen Rider Den-O, changing their name temporarily to AAA Den-O Form. Afterwards they released a mini-album and their next three singles under their original name, each of which made to either #5 or #6 on the charts (except for the mini-album). Shortly before the release of the third single, Yukari Gotou left the group, reportedly due to health reasons. In July the group made their first international appearance without her, performing at the anime convention Otakon in Baltimore, Maryland.
Since their return from the States they released one single, RED SOUL, and one album, AROUND in September 2007. Though RED SOUL peaked only moderately well on the charts, AROUND made it to #8. Their latest single, Mirage ranked very highly on the Oricon charts, becoming their first single to reach the #1 spot.
The group also released their first compilation in March, entitled Attack All Around. It reached as high as #3 on the Oricon charts, and sold 35,000 copies. Two months later they released another single, Beyond ~Karada no Kanata~, which peaked at the #4 spot. It sold rather low, however, barely making 20,000 copies.
The group’s then released a mini-album produced by the four boys, Choice is Yours. It also made it to the #3 spot but quickly fell through the ranks. The group is released their 20th single in August, a double A-side entitled Zero / Music. The single ranked at #5 and stayed on the charts for three weeks.
The group participated in the Kamen Rider Den-O Form mini-album. They remixed their song “Climax Jump” for the album, with the title “Climax Jump The Final”. AAA’s just released their 21st single, Tabidachi no Uta, on January 12. The single made its debut at #1 spot on the Oricon Style Charts. The group is also planning to release their fourth full album, depArture, in February 2009.
Debut: September 2005
Current Label: Avex Trax
Members:
Takahiro Nishijima
Naoya Urata
Mitsuhiro Hidaka
Shinjiro Atae
Shuta Sueyoshi
MIsaki Uno
Chiaki Ito
Former members:
Yukari Gotou
Discography
Singles:
09/14/2005 - BLOOD on FIRE
10/05/2005 - Friday Party
11/16/2005 - Kirei na Sora
12/05/2005 - DRAGON FIRE
02/15/2006 - Hallelujah
03/23/2006 - Kibou no Uta
05/31/2006 - Hurricane Lili, Boston Mari
07/12/2006 - Soul Edge Boy / Kimono Jet Girl
08/30/2006 - Let It Beat!
09/06/2006 - Q
11/15/2006 - Chewing Gum
12/05/2006 - Black & White
03/21/2007 - Climax Jump
04/18/2007 - Get CHUU! / SHE no Jijitsu
05/16/2007 - Kuchibirukara Romantica / That's Right
07/18/2007 - Natsumono
09/19/2007 - Red Soul
01/09/2008 - Mirage
05/28/2008 - BEYOND ~Karada no Kanata~
08/27/2008 - MUSIC!!! / Zero
01/14/2009 - Tabidachi no Uta
Mini-Albums:
09/13/2006 - ALL/2
03/21/2007 - ALOHA
06/18/2008 - Choice Is Yours (Boys only)
Albums:
01/01/2006 - ATTACK
01/01/2006 - REMIX ATTACK
01/01/2007 - ALL
02/07/2007 - CCC -Challenge Cover Collection-
09/19/2007 - AROUND
03/05/2008 - Attack All Around (compilation)
02/11/2009 - depArture
Chronological discography:
1st single: 09/14/2005 - BLOOD on FIRE
2nd single: 10/05/2005 - Friday Party
3rd single: 11/16/2005 - Kirei na Sora
4th single: 12/05/2005 - DRAGON FIRE
1st album: 01/01/2006 - ATTACK
1st remix album: 01/01/2006 - REMIX ATTACK
5th single: 02/15/2006 - Hallelujah
6th single: 03/23/2006 - Kibou no Uta
7th single: 05/31/2006 - Hurricane Lili, Boston Mari
8th single: 07/12/2006 - Soul Edge Boy / Kimono Jet Girl
9th single: 08/30/2006 - Let It Beat!
10th single: 09/06/2006 - Q
1st mini-album: 09/13/2006 - ALL/2
11th single: 11/15/2006 - Chewing Gum
12th single: 12/05/2006 - Black & White
2nd album: 01/01/2007 - ALL
1st cover album: 02/07/2007 - CCC -Challenge Cover Collection-
13th single: 03/21/2007 - Climax Jump
2nd mini-album: 03/21/2007 - ALOHA
14th single: 04/18/2007 - Get CHUU! / SHE no Jijitsu
15th single: 05/16/2007 - Kuchibirukara Romantica / That's Right
16th single: 07/18/2007 - Natsumono
17th single: 09/19/2007 - Red Soul
3rd album: 09/19/2007 - AROUND
18th single: 01/09/2008 - Mirage
1st compilation album: 03/05/2008 - Attack All Around (compilation)
19th single: 05/28/2008 - BEYOND ~Karada no Kanata~
4th mini-album: 06/18/2008 - Choice Is Yours (Boys only)
20th single: 08/27/2008 - Zero / Music
21st single: 01/14/2009 - Tabidachi no Uta
4th album: 02/11/2009 - depArture
Credits: Wikipedia, JaME
AAA seems to be getting better for me. Previously, I felt like their music was starting to get kind of generic and lame, but lately they’ve picked up a little. Vocal-wise, they’re all just okay, but they’re all some cute kids (here I am calling them kids when they’re all older than me…lol) and they are pretty good dancers, so usually they make some pretty fun videos. I’m interested to see what their newest single is like.
Blood on Fire
Just for kicks, since Yukari left the group in 2007 due to health issues, I thought I’d upload an older song from when she was still a member. This actually happens to be their debut single. 8D AWW BUT LOOKIT HOW LITTLE THEY LOOK IN THE PV *_*. As usual, with a rockish AAA song like this one, everything has to be SUPER EPIC, but it’s okay because it’s kind of cool. This song is really intense but also kind of cool. I like their dancing and just the overall style of the PV. The song is just enjoyable and fun, typical of AAA, and definitely worth a download. Also, I’d like to point out…the middle part of the song would make a super hard DDR song. xD;
Lyrics + Translation | PV| Download
Please comment if you downloaded, or if you want to say something! I'm up for comment discussions. =D
Asian Birthdays is a subdivision of the site Much Love, an Asian mp3 rotation page that focuses on spreading the love of Asian pop music and culture. These mp3’s are for sampling purposes only, and should be deleted after 24 hours. Please support these wonderful artists by buying their CDs at your store of choice (CDJapan, Yesasia, Amazon).
If you happen to download a song, please be sure to comment, as I’m doing this to share music with other people, and opinions would be appreciated. Kay? Thanks!
You may ask for reuploads of songs, but please don’t If you’ve never commented before.