METRO in Focus 「The Dark Side to Being a Star in a Pop Brand」

12 METRO Tuesday, June 3, 2014

METRO in focus AKB48 are a Japanese girl band with a revolving roster of 140 The band play a members across gig at their own The band has several teams theatre The dark side to sold more than 30m almost every day records

The group’sroup’s fifirstrst 23 singleses all went to being a star in No.1 in tthehe JapanesJapanesee charts.harts. 18 Auditions to join of themm have sold AKB48 are held moree than 11mm twice copiescopies a pop brand a year

T WAS a bloody intrusion into the world A week ago, two members of Japanese pop of bright and shiny pop that – in the eyes group AKB48 were injured by an attacker of Japanese teen fans – was akin to the armed with a saw at a meet and greet for stars of One Direction or Little Mix fans. But what makes this girl band – which being put in the firing line. has 140 members – so successful and so ITwo members of girl band AKB48 – Rina controversial? ROSS McGUINNESS reports... Kawaei, 19, and Anna Iriyama, 18 – were injured by an attacker wielding a saw during a meet and greet. and creepy J-Pop phenomenon – so carefully They were treated for wounds to their head contrived, it makes Simon Cowell’s stable of and hands and a 24-year-old was arrested on manufactured pop acts look like free-wheel- AKB is short for Akihabara, suspicion of attempted murder. ing rock ‘n’ rollers. the area of Tokyo where But as the group’s young followers got over Let’s start with the band’s latest single – their theatre is based. The their shock, millions of people in the West Labrador Retriever. In the video, the girls were left wondering – who on Earth are frolic on a beach in their bikinis, while a 48 AKB48? The answer, it turns out, is a bizarre hungry dog eats their ice cream. The refers to the original Source: Oricon number of members Tuesday, June 3, 2014 METRO 13

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In 2012, the AKB48 single Manatsu No accompanying music is bubble gum pop so costumes and take part in a rock-paper-scis- for what she called her ‘thoughtless behav- Sounds Good! sold bubbly that the bubble bursts – it’s a relent- sors competition to decide on their pairings. iour’. While banning members from rela- 1.6m less exercise in tweeness that makes One This may all sound a bit like a rather more tionships, the creator and producer of the Direction’s Best Song Ever sound like, well, entertaining version of The X Factor. But group, Yasushi Akimoto, has simultaneously copies in its first the best song ever. questions are being asked about an approach been criticised for sexualising his charges. week All the same, Labrador Retriever sold to music management that turns stars’ entire One of AKB48’s best-known songs is 2010 almost 1.5million copies... in the first 24 lives into a game show. hit Heavy Rotation. Its video, which depicts hours after it was released. ‘AKB48 is a triumph of marketing in a the group having a pillow fight in their If you multiplied Little Mix by 35, dressed business that’s designed to make money,’ underwear, kissing each other and taking a The band has five main them in even skimpier clothes and banned said Paul Browne, founder of British bath, has had 104million hits on YouTube. teams – Team A, Team them from having husbands, you might end website J-Pop Go. Being in AKB48 brings fame and K, Team B, Team 4 and up with something like AKB48. ‘When members of idol groups such as experienced members are eventually allowed Team 8. There are also The group plays a gig almost every day in AKB48 are recruited, they have to sign a to ‘graduate’ to a solo career – but it comes a number of sister groups their own theatre in Akihabara – the Tokyo contract that excludes things that typically at a price, according to Random J, a London- district which gave the group its name. include dating, drinking and smoking. based J-Pop blogger. But that doesn’t stop the band touring ‘The argument is that the premise of many ‘AKB48 are marketed to such an extent, The band’s 36th single, because there are 140 members – expanded idol outfits, which involves the perception of both collectively and individually, that you Labrador Retriever, was released last from the original 48 – who travel around the being pure, only works if the members are wonder how any of these girls could ever month and sold country in teams. It gives fans the chance to excluded from these activities. become a normal member of society again,’ more than interact with their idols ‘There’s an expectation in Japan that the he said. ‘It’s extreme and invasive. The level – and followers get to idols fulfil a fantasy image of being pure, of control over the group doesn’t seem to put 1.4m have a lot more involve- thus any sexual or romantic aspects to the the girls’ best interests at heart. copies on ment than just collecting members would tarnish that perception.’ ‘If this was the case, then their manage- its first autographs. ment would be more conscious of some of day One of the reasons why HILE there has been some- the outfits they perform in, the overtly Labrador Retriever has thing of a ‘So what?’ atti- sexual songs they sometimes sing and their been such a success – tude in Britain to footage gruelling schedules.’ although AKB48 tracks appearing to show two Random J also said a large section of regularly break through the members of One Direction AKB48 fans are men who believe they could The group’s million mark – is because it Wsmoking a joint, J-Pop stars are judged by be in a relationship with their favourite band members are i s an ‘election’ single. These different standards. member. When Minegishi showed she may releases contain a ballot paper that allows When Minami Minegishi, 21, was photo- not be available, it broke an unspoken bond. At one of the not fans to vote for which band members they graphed leaving the flat of a Japanese boy ‘These rules put a huge amount of pressure group’s ‘handshake allowed to events’ last month, two want to feature in the video for the next song. band star at the beginning of last year, she on these girls and the price they have to pay date Another way of shaping the line-up is in- was demoted from ‘Team B’ to the group’s for their fame and the sacrifices they are members of the band were men injured in an attack by a spired by the playground. An annual compe- trainee programme. In an act of contrition, made to make for that is too high,’ he said. man armed with a saw tition sees the many members dress up in she shaved her head and apologised to fans ‘It’s a dangerous line to tread.’