SMAP
SMAP was a Japanese boy band, composed of Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori. The group was created in 1988 by music producer Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Johnny & Associates, originally as a six-piece with Katsuyuki Mori, until his departure from the band in 1996. The name stands for "Sports Music Assemble People". After making their debut in 1991, the group took the Japanese entertainment industry by storm, becoming one of the most successful boy bands in Asia. The group is often referred to as a "national treasure" and a "fortune and property of the country" in Japan.
SMAP was regarded as an iconic group in Japan, after achieving an unprecedented level of success in numerous genres in the entertainment industry, including music, television, film, radio, and theater, as a group and individually. SMAP was credited for changing the Japanese entertainment and music industry, in terms of prolonging longevity of boy bands and broadening careers by creating new opportunities for bands that followed. After starting out as a typical boy band, with a fan base predominantly of female teens, they gradually transformed into a band with a wider audience, expanding their fan base to preteens, male adults, and even the elderly, after their success as actors and television personalities.
SMAP released 55 singles, all of which reached the top 10 in the charts, 22 consecutive number-one singles, and 33 number-one singles in total. The band has had 24 top-10 albums and 14 number-one albums. "Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana", released in 2003, is the best selling single in the 21st century and the third best selling single in Japanese history and has become the most recognized song in Japan, as it appears in text books used in school and children are taught to learn the song at a young age. Other best selling singles by the group include, "Beyond the Night Sky", "Lion Heart", "Shake", "Aoi Inazuma", which also have become some of the most popular songs in Japan. Throughout their career, the band has sold over 38.5 million records in Japan alone.
In April 1996, the group launched their weekly variety show, SMAP×SMAP, which quickly gained high ratings and became one of the most famous television shows in Japan. The distinct format of the program has received widespread critical praise. The show ranked No. 1 in the annual household share ratings in 1996, 1997, 1999–2002, 2006, and 2016, making it the most watched television show in Japan. The episode that aired in January 2002 is currently ranked No. 7 for the most watched Japanese variety show in history, with 34.2 million viewers. It is the eighth longest-running prime-time television program in Japan, as of 2016.
SMAP officially disbanded on December 31, 2016.
History
1986–1991: Formation
In 1986, Masahiro Nakai, auditioned to enter Johnny & Associates, a Japanese talent agency that recruits and trains young boys, preteens to teens, to become singers and members of boy bands. Later, in 1987, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Katsuyuki Mori, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori auditioned individually and joined the agency. In Autumn 1987, twenty boys, from ages ten to seventeen, were put together into a group called The Skate Boys, which was initially created as backup dancers for a famous boy band, Hikaru Genji. In April 1988, producer Johnny Kitagawa chose six out of the twenty boys to create a new boy band and named them "SMAP".While the group continued to work as backup dancers for Hikaru Genji, they spent their early years as actors and television personalities. In 1988, they starred in a weekly variety program, Watto Atsumare, with Masataka Itsumi and Cha Kato and appeared regularly until the program ended several months later. In 1989, they started to host their own music show, Uta no Big Fight and Pop City X, as well as appearing regularly on a variety program, Idol Kyowakoku, from 1989 to 1991. In 1988, SMAP made their acting debut in a drama television series, Abunai Shonen III, playing themselves as the main role. Their first self-titled variety program, SMAP no Gakuen Kids, aired from 1990 to 1991.
1991–1993: Debut and early years
On January 1, 1991, the band held their first concert in Nippon Budokan and their first tour from March through April, before releasing any music. On September 9, 1991, they released their first single, "Can't Stop -Loving-" from Victor Entertainment, which peaked at No. 2 on the charts. Subsequent singles, "Seigi no Mikata wa Ate ni Naranai", "Kokoro no Kagami", "Makeru na Baby" peaked in the top 10. The band asked the fans to write the lyrics for "Kokoro no Kagami", and the one submitted by a fourteen-year-old girl was chosen. The song was later used in a Panasonic television commercial. They were invited to perform the song at Kohaku Uta Gassen, an annual music show, on December 31, 1991.At the same time of their debut, the Japanese music industry experienced what is frequently referred to as an "Idol Ice Age", where many of the popular music shows that aired weekly since the 1980s ended, and singers and bands lost a place to perform, resulting in scarce opportunities for TV exposure. Therefore, the agency decided to market the band through variety programs, where members participated in sketch comedies and game shows along with other television personalities. This non-mainstream marketing approach turned out to be a success, as the members' humorous and playful spirits on these shows propelled them to gain new fans, despite not having many musical performances on television since their debut.
In 1991, the band's first self-titled television show, SMAP no Gakuen Kids, got renewed and changed to, I Love SMAP, which aired until 1996. From October 7, 1991, Inagaki launched his radio program, Stop The SMAP, still airing as of 2016. From April 1992 to September 1995, the group appeared regularly on a weekly variety program, Yume ga Mori Mori. Due to the fact that this was the first time in Japanese history, that a band participated in a sketch comedy, this rare act attracted wide attention.
On January 1, 1992, they released their first album, SMAP 001, which peaked at No. 14 and released another album, SMAP 002, in the same year and peaked at No. 6. Their singles, "Egao no Genki", "Yuki ga Futtekita", "Zutto Wasurenai", "Hajimete no Natsu", "Kimi wa Kimi dayo", "$10", and "Kimi iro Omoi", released from 1992 through 1994, all peaked at the top 10. They headlined three tours in 1992, from January to August. In 1993, they released their third and fourth album, SMAP 003 and SMAP 004, which peaked at No. 11 and No. 3 respectively. In 1992, Inagaki starred in a drama television series, Hatachi no Yakusoku, as the main role. In 1993, Kimura starred in a drama television series, Asunaro Hakusho, which became a massive hit, with an average household share rating of 27% and 31.9% for the season finale. Kimura's popularity soared and from then on, members of the band started their acting careers individually.
1994–1995: Breakthrough, "Gambarimashou", and ''SMAP 007 Gold Singer''
In 1994, they released two albums, SMAP 005 and SMAP 006 Sexy Six, which both peaked at No. 2. On March 12, 1994, they released their 12th single, "Hey Hey Ookini Maidoari", which gave the band their first number one hit. Subsequent singles, "Original Smile", peaked at No. 2 and "Gambarimashou", and "Tabun Alright", reached number one. The two number-one singles became the band's ninth and tenth best selling single. "Gambarimashou" saw a jump in sales from the previous singles, becoming one of the most popular songs in Japan and helped the band gain a broader fan base. From 2002, "Original Smile" appeared on text books used in music classes in high school. From April 1994, Nakai and Katori started starring on the most famous Japanese daytime live television program, Waratte Iitomo. In October 1995, Kusanagi joined in and the three members appeared regularly for 20 years, Katori on Mondays, Nakai on Tuesdays, and Kusanagi on Fridays, until the program ended in 2014. From July to August, the band held their first large-scale tour, Sexy Six Show, hitting the three major cities in Japan. The tour was released on VHS on November 11, 1994, and later on DVD on December 24, 2003. On March 12, 1994, SMAP starred in their first film, Shoot!. The film aired on television for the first time on January 4, 2010, sixteen years after its release.On January 1, 1995, the band released their first compilation album, Cool, which reached number one. The band gave an opportunity for fans to create the track list and the top fourteen of their favorite songs made it into the album. Singles released in 1995, "Kansha shite", "Shiyouyo", "Donna Iikoto", and "Oretachini Asu wa Aru", all reached number one on the charts, giving the band six consecutive number-one singles since "Gambarimasho" released in the previous year. "Oretachini Asu wa Aru" became the band's sixth best selling single. From January 1995, Kimura launched his weekly radio program, What's Up SMAP, still airing as of 2016. In January 1995, Nakai landed his first drama television series, Ajiichi Monme, which became an instant hit. Two seasons and four special episodes were made through 1995 to 2013. While he started to pursue his acting career, he also started to work individually as a television personality and as a news presenter, carrying many of his own television programs, which lead to expanding the capacity of a boy band.
From April 1995, the group launched a variety show, SMAP no Gambarimashou, derived from the single released the previous year, which aired on weeknights. The content of the show changed daily. On Mondays they performed a theatrical act, Tuesdays were talk show-based with a musical segment, on Wednesdays they aired a short TV movie that they starred in, Thursdays were talk show-based with a guest celebrity, and on Fridays they performed sketch comedy. It is said that this program became a basic framework for SMAP×SMAP which started a year after the program began. From April 1995, Kusanagi and Katori launched their radio program, SMAP Power Splash.
From July 1, 1995, Nakai launched his weekly radio program, Some Girl SMAP still airing as of 2016. On July 7, 1995, they released their seventh album, SMAP 007 Gold Singer, which became their first number-one studio album and was certified double platinum. They launched a tour, Summer Minna Atumare Party. After this tour, the band started to be called one of the hardest bands to get concert tickets for. In August 1995, they hosted the annual telethon, 24 Hour Television, and raised 1.2 billion yen. The band started performing at an annual music show, FNS Kayosai, and has become one of the main performers of the show since. From 2005, Kusanagi became the host of the show until he passed on the position to a comedian in 2014. In December 1995, they hosted a TV special, Sanma&SMAP, with comedian Sanma Akashiya and the program has become an annual event since for NTV, with 21 episodes aired.