V6 (band)
Encyclopedia
V6 is a six-member Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates
. The group debuted on November 1, 1995 with the single "Music for the People", which was used as the image song for the World Cup of Volleyball in 1995. Their first four singles, including "Music for the People", were all cover version
s of the same-titled eurobeat
songs composed by Italian producers such as Giancarlo Pasquini, Andrea Leonardi, Alberto Contini
, Sandro Oliva.
Similar to their agency seniors
Hikaru Genji, the group is separated into two subgroups based on age. For V6, the group is split into 20th Century and Coming Century, which consists of the three oldest members and three youngest members respectively.
informed the group that the "V" had multiple meanings, such as "Volleyball", "Vegetable" (as Sakamoto's parents own a green grocers), "Bicycle" ("V" and "B" are indistinguishable in Japanese; Nagano's parents own a cycling store) and "Veteran".
. Along with their group shows, the members also have individual TV shows, dramas or radio programs.
V6 celebrated their tenth year anniversary in 2005, commemorating the event by holding about thirty concerts in sold-out arenas all over Japan, holding 3 major "Thank You Events", releasing the movie Hold Up Down and releasing Musicmind as their new album. They also had a rare "Handshake Session" with hundreds of thousands of fans in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka
and Fukuoka
.
As separate bands, both of them performed the opening song for the anime, Eyeshield 21
. Coming Century performed "Breakthrough", the first opening theme song and 20th Century performed "Innocence", the second opening theme song. As V6, they performed "Chain of Power" as an insert song. They also sang "Change the World" and "Brand New World", the 1st opening and 8th ending themes, respectively of the popular anime InuYasha
Coming Century (Kamisen)
in 2003 and Hold Up Down in 2005.
Johnny & Associates
is a talent agency formed by Johnny Kitagawa in 1962. Johnny & Associates trains and promotes groups of male idols, collectively known as , in Japan.-1962–1989:...
. The group debuted on November 1, 1995 with the single "Music for the People", which was used as the image song for the World Cup of Volleyball in 1995. Their first four singles, including "Music for the People", were all cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of the same-titled eurobeat
Eurobeat
Eurobeat is a form of italo-disco/hi-NRG music that developed in the late 1980s.In the United States, Eurobeat was sometimes marketed as Hi-NRG and for a short while shared this term with the very early freestyle music hits....
songs composed by Italian producers such as Giancarlo Pasquini, Andrea Leonardi, Alberto Contini
Alberto Contini
Alberto Contini is an Italian musician. He has been the vocalist, bassist or keyboardist for the Italian speed metal band Bulldozer since early 1980s and has produced many works in the italo-disco scene and eurobeat scene since early 1990s....
, Sandro Oliva.
Similar to their agency seniors
Senpai
and are an essential element of Japanese seniority-based status relationships, similar to the way that family and other relationships are decided based on age, with even twins being divided into elder and younger sibling...
Hikaru Genji, the group is separated into two subgroups based on age. For V6, the group is split into 20th Century and Coming Century, which consists of the three oldest members and three youngest members respectively.
Name
In an interview on Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ, the group stated that the "V" in V6 also stood for "Versus" (20th Century versus Coming Century) at first. However, then-president Johnny KitagawaJohnny Kitagawa
, born , is the founder and president of Johnny & Associates, a production agency for numerous popular boy bands in Japan. Kitagawa assembled, produced and managed more than a dozen popular bands, including SMAP, Arashi, Kanjani8, Hey! Say! JUMP, V6, NEWS and KAT-TUN. Kitagawa's influence has...
informed the group that the "V" had multiple meanings, such as "Volleyball", "Vegetable" (as Sakamoto's parents own a green grocers), "Bicycle" ("V" and "B" are indistinguishable in Japanese; Nagano's parents own a cycling store) and "Veteran".
1995—present
From 1997 to 2008, V6 hosted their own variety show and is hosting Viva Viva V6 since 2001 on Fuji TVFuji Television
is a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....
. Along with their group shows, the members also have individual TV shows, dramas or radio programs.
V6 celebrated their tenth year anniversary in 2005, commemorating the event by holding about thirty concerts in sold-out arenas all over Japan, holding 3 major "Thank You Events", releasing the movie Hold Up Down and releasing Musicmind as their new album. They also had a rare "Handshake Session" with hundreds of thousands of fans in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
and Fukuoka
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
.
As separate bands, both of them performed the opening song for the anime, Eyeshield 21
Eyeshield 21
is a manga about American football written by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by Yusuke Murata. It has been adapted into an anime movie in 2004 , an anime television series in 2005, several video games and a trading card game from Konami. The manga is serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump...
. Coming Century performed "Breakthrough", the first opening theme song and 20th Century performed "Innocence", the second opening theme song. As V6, they performed "Chain of Power" as an insert song. They also sang "Change the World" and "Brand New World", the 1st opening and 8th ending themes, respectively of the popular anime InuYasha
InuYasha
, also known as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It premiered in Weekly Shōnen Sunday on November 13, 1996 and concluded on June 18, 2008...
Members
20th Century (Tonisen)| Profile | Nickname | Member Color | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (leader of V6, Tonisen) | born July 24, 1971, Tokyo, Blood Type O | Ma-kun, Liida (leader) | Green |
| born October 9, 1972, Yamato, Kanagawa Yamato, Kanagawa is a city located in central Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 225,866 and a density of 8,320 persons per km². The total area was 27.06 km².-Surrounding municipalities:*Zama*Fujisawa*Ebina*Sagamihara*Ayase... , Blood Type A |
Hiroshi, Nagano-kun | Purple | |
| born May 17, 1976, Tokyo, Blood Type A | Inocchi | Blue | |
Coming Century (Kamisen)
| Profile | Nickname | Member Color | |
|---|---|---|---|
| born February 20, 1979, Kasukabe, Saitama Kasukabe, Saitama is a city in eastern Saitama, Japan, approximately north of Tokyo. It was formerly located in Kitakatsushika and Minamisaitama districts. Kasukabe once prospered as part of the Nikkō Kaidō highway, an important trade route that linked Edo with Nikkō.-Overview:... , Blood Type A |
Go-kun, Go-tsun | Red | |
| born July 2, 1979, Kanagawa Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period... , Blood Type O |
Ken-kun, Ken-chan | Orange | |
| (leader of Kamisen) | born November 18, 1980, Hirakata, Osaka Hirakata, Osaka is a city located in north-eastern Osaka, Japan, near the prefectural borders of Nara and Kyoto. It is renowned for its chrysanthemum doll exhibition, as well as Hirakata Park — an amusement park featuring five roller coasters.... , Blood Type B |
Jun-kun, Okada-kun | Yellow |
Singles
| Date | Title | Peak | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1995/11/1 | "MUSIC FOR THE PEOPLE" | 3 |
| 2nd | 1996/2/14 | "MADE IN JAPAN" | 1 |
| 3rd | 1996/5/29 | "BEAT YOUR HEART" | 1 |
| 4th | 1996/9/16 | "Take Me Higher" | 1 |
| 5th | 1997/1/21 | 1 | |
| 6th | 1997/4/3 | 1 | |
| 7th | 1997/7/9 | 2 | |
| 8th | 1997/11/6 | "GENERATION GAP" | 1 |
| 9th | 1998/3/11 | "Be Yourself!" | 1 |
| 10th | 1998/7/15 | 3 | |
| 11th | 1998/11/11 | "over/EASY SHOW TIME" | 1 |
| 12th | 1999/3/31 | "Believe Your Smile" | 1 |
| 13th | 1999/5/12 | 2 | |
| 14th | 1999/7/14 | style="font-weight:bold;"| | 3 |
| 15th | 2000/2/2 | "MILLENNIUM GREETING" | 3 |
| 16th | 2000/5/10 | "IN THE WIND" | 2 |
| 17th | 2000/10/25 | "CHANGE THE WORLD" | 3 |
| 18th | 2001/2/28 | style="font-weight:bold;"| | 3 |
| 19th | 2001/6/20 | 3 | |
| 20th | 2001/8/29 | 1 | |
| 21st | 2002/6/12 | "Feel Your Breeze/One (feat. Shoo Shoo (singer) Yoo Soo-Young , more commonly known as Shoo , is a South Korean singer, actor, and a member of the pop group S.E.S.. Although Korean, she lived in Japan for most of her early life. She got her start in the group by trying out in auditions for SM Entertainment... )" |
1 |
| 22nd | 2003/3/19 | 4 | |
| 23rd | 2003/5/28 | "Darling" | 1 |
| 24th | 2003/7/2 | 1 | |
| 25th | 2004/3/24 | style="font-weight:bold;"| | 1 |
| 26th | 2004/8/4 | 2 | |
| 27th | 2005/6/22 | "UTAO-UTAO" | 1 |
| 28th | 2005/10/12 | "Orange" | 1 |
| 29th | 2006/6/14 | 1 | |
| 30th | 2007/1/31 | 1 | |
| 31st | 2007/5/23 | 1 | |
| 32nd | 2007/12/12 | "way of life" | 1 |
| 33rd | 2008/5/28 | 2 | |
| 34th | 2008/9/17 | "Light in Your Heart/Swing!" | 1 |
| 35th | 2009/6/17 | 1 | |
| 36th | 2009/9/2 | "GUILTY" | 1 |
| 37th | 2010/9/1 | "only dreaming/Catch" | 1 |
| 38th | 2011/8/24 | 2 |
20th Century
| Date | Title | Peak | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1999/11/25 | "Wishes ~I'll Be There~/You'll Be in My Heart" (Marsa Sakamoto) | 10 |
| 2nd | 2000/9/20 | "Precious Love" | 9 |
| 3rd | 2008/3/26 | 1 |
Coming Century
| Date | Title | Peak | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1998/5/27 | 2 | |
| 2nd | 2001/9/19 | "Get Set Go!/Mimycen" | 6 |
J-Friends
- 1998:
- 1999: "Next 100 Years"
- 2000: "I Will Get There"
- 2001: "Always (A Song For Love)"
- 2002: "Love Me All Over"
DVD
| Date | Title | Peak | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2008/7/30 | "VIBES" | 1 |
Studio albums
- 1996: Since 1995 ~ Forever
- 1997: Nature Rhythm
- 1998: A Jack in the Box
- 1999: "Lucky" 20th Century, Coming Century to be continued...
- 2000: "Happy" Coming Century, 20th Century Forever
- 2001: Volume 6
- 2002: Seven
- 2003: Infinity: Love and Life
- 2005: Musicmind
- 2007: Voyager
- 2010: Ready?
DVD/VHS
- 1996: Live for the People
- 1997: Film V6: Clips and More
- 1998: Space (from V6 Live Tour '98)
- 1999: Film V6 Cct II: Clips and More
- 2001: Very Happy!!!
- 2002: Film V6 Act III: Clips and More
- 2002: Liv6
- 2003: Hard Luck HeroHard Luck HeroHard Luck Hero is a 2003 Japanese film written and directed by Japanese film director Sabu to showcase the Japanese boy band V6. The film involves usual Sabu elements such as high-speed car chases and yakuza.-Plot:...
(movie) - 2004: Love & Life (V6 Summer Special Dream Live 2003)
- 2005: Film V6 Act IV (Ballad Clips and More)
- 2005: Film V6 act IV (Dance Clips and More)
- 2005: Very Best Live (1995—2004)
- 2005: Hold Up Down (movie)
- 2006: 10th Anniversary Concert Tour 2005: Musicmind
- 2008: V6 Live Tour 2007 Voyager (Boku to Bokura no Ashita)
- 2009: V6 Live Tour 2008 Vibes
- 2010: V6 Live DVD Asia Tour 2010 in Japan Ready?
20th Century
- 2009: 20th Century Live Tour 2008 Ore Ja Nakya, Kimi Ja Nakya
- 2009: 20th Century Live Tour 2009 Honey Honey Honey
Coming Century
- 1997: Sky
- 1998: Question
- 2003: Cosmic Rescue (movie)
- 2009: We are Coming Century Boys Live Tour 2009
Other activities
As a group, the members of V6 have done dramas such as V no Honoo in 1995 and movies such as Hard Luck HeroHard Luck Hero
Hard Luck Hero is a 2003 Japanese film written and directed by Japanese film director Sabu to showcase the Japanese boy band V6. The film involves usual Sabu elements such as high-speed car chases and yakuza.-Plot:...
in 2003 and Hold Up Down in 2005.
Drama
(1995, Fuji Terebi) - all members of V6- PU-PU-PU- (1998, TBS) - members of Kamisen (1999, Nihon Terebi) - members of Kamisen (Fuji Terebi) - members of Tonisen
Variety Shows
(1996-1999, Nihon Terebi) (1997 - 2005, TBS) (Nihon Terebi, 1998, 2000) (1999 - 2000, Fuji Terebi) (2000, Fuji Terebi) (2000 - 2001, Fuji Terebi) (2001, TBS) - Kamisen (2001 - 2002, TBS) - Kamisen (2002, TBS) - Kamisen (2002 - 2004, TBS) (2006 - 2007, TBS) - Tonisen (2005 - 2008, TBS）- "VivaVivaV6" (2001 - 2010, Fuji Terebi) (2008 - 2010, TBS) (2010 - 2011, TBS) (Oct 2011 - Ongoing, TBS)