JO1

I. Introduction

JO1 (ジェイオーワン, Jeiōwan) is an 11 member big JPop-group. The group was found trought the first Japanese season of the popular survival show "Produce 101" with the goal to debut a 11 member big group trought a voting system where viewer vote between 101 participants from allover the country.

Thwe group is signed with Lapone Entertainment , a joint company between Yoshimoto Kogyo and CJ,E&M.

JO1 debuted with their first single "Protostar" on March 4, 2020 and released a total of two singles that topped the Oricon Singles Chart and Billboard Japan Hot 100 as well as beeing certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). The group released their first studio album The Star on November 25, 2020. JO1 released their 3rd single "Challanger" on April 28th, 2021.

They sold over 2.4 million copies in Japan so far.

II. Name

The group's name, JO1, was chosen by Lapone Entertainment among the suggestions given by "National Producers" through Produce 101 Japan's official website. According to the original suggestion, the “J” in JO1 refers to Japan, which is the origin of the group, while the “O1” refers to the first year of the Reiwa (令和) period where the group was first introduced. However, "JO1" officially means that "the trainees who have dreamed together at Produce 101 Japan will become one and aim for the top of the world". The name was announced during the final episode of the show.

III. Career

Pre-debut:

JO1 was formed through the reality competition show Produce 101 Japan from September 25 to December 11, 2019. A total of 6,000 people who were not tied to any talent agency auditioned for the show. Out of the initial 101 trainees participating in the show, the final 11 were chosen by viewers through online voting and announced via live television broadcast on TBS.

Before appearing on the show, several members had already been active in the entertainment industry. Ren Kawashiri is a former back-up dancer, having performed for SMAP, FT Island, Dreams Come True, Tomohisa Yamashita, Lead, Wanna One, and Pentagon. Ruki Shiroiwa is a former member of Johnny & Associates' trainee group Johnny's Jr., and was also part of the voice actor music group Tsukicro in 2017, where he sang, portrayed, and provided the voice for the character Ruki Hibiya. He also used to be part of a boygroup called YsR. Issei Mamehara used to work as dance teacher before. Shosei Ohira stated in an interview with NHK to have worked as back-up dancer for different LDH-Artists as he was trainee under EXPG. Shion Tsurubo used to be an trainee under the Korean company FNC Entertainment.

Debut and after:

Shortly after the end of Produce 101 Japan, JO1 was revealed to fly to South Korea for preparation and the production of their debut. The debut single "Protostar" was released on March 4 and received immediate commercial success by peaking at number one on both Oricon Daily and Weekly Singles Chart with over 300,000 copies sold, making JO1 the seventh artist that managed to do so with a debut single. Meanwhile, the lead track from the single "Infinity" peaked at number one on the Billboard Japan Hot 100. The group then had their first live performance ever on a TV program on NTV's morning show Sukkiri. Subsequently, their debut single was certified Platinum by the RIAJ and entered top 10 rank for New Artist, Singles Sales, and Singles Total Sales categories of Oricon's 2020 Mid-Year Ranking on June 19.

JO1 released their second single "Stargazer" on August 26. The single debuted at number one on Oricon Daily and Weekly Singles Chart. This made the group the only artist who earned two consecutive wins on the weekly chart since their debut single after Hinatazaka46 managed to do so with "Do Re Mi Sol La Si Do" on July 29, 2019. The group once again earned the top position on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 with the lead track "Oh-Eh-Oh" and a Platinum certification by the RIAJ. On September 5, the group performed as a headliner for the first time for the 31st Mynavi Tokyo Girls Collection 2020 Autumn/Winter 2020, held in Saitama Super Arena.

On November 25, the group's first studio album The Star was released. The album debuted at second place on the Oricon Albums Chart and the Billboard Japan Hot Albums behind BTS' Be. On December 2, JO1 made their first appearance at the FNS Music Festival by performing the album's promotional single "Shine a Light". The group held their first live streaming concert titled Starlight on December 19 that amassed an estimate of 120,000 viewers from over 30 countries.

By the end of the year, JO1 was recognized with the Rising Star Award by MTV Video Music Awards Japan and the Best New Asian Artist by Mnet Asian Music Awards. They also ranked in several domestic year-end charts, including third place on the Oricon Annual New Artist Total Sales Ranking 2020 and eighteenth place on the Billboard Japan 2020 Year-End Artist 100.

IV. Endorsements

Even before their official debut, JO1 had signed an advertising contract with Softbank and was featured in a nationwide TV commercial for its subsidiary Y!mobile for February 2020. The group also has endorsed and collaborated with various brands including ABC-MART x NIKE, FamilyMart, Francfranc, Sweets Paradise and FuRyu as well as participating in promotional events for luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton. In 2021, JO1 signed a one-year official partnership contract with Yves Saint Laurent Beauté, and was appointed as an official ambassador of Kit Kat Japan's campaign Tsutaeru Dake de, Kitto, Ii. They also have been featured on the front covers of magazines such as Aera, An An, Numéro Tokyo, Vivi, and others.

During the 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan Erthquake on March, 11 201 JO1 worked together with a social platform service called Heyhey to orgnize a special charity event in wich all the funds collected would be donated to a foundation that supports the reconstruction of the area affected by the earthquake.

Members

V. Awards