Boy band Snow Man enamors fans with their singing, dancing and acrobatic performances. The nine-man group is one of two boy bands from the Johnny & Associates entertainment agency that made their CD debuts on Jan. 22, along with SixTONES.
The Snow Man members -- Hikaru Iwamoto, Tatsuya Fukazawa, Raul, Shota Watanabe, Koji Mukai, Ryohei Abe, Ren Meguro, Ryota Miyadate and Daisuke Sakuma -- have colorful backgrounds and personalities, including a certified weather forecaster (Abe), a muscle training devotee (Iwamoto) and an avid anime fan (Sakuma).
Snow Man started in 2012 as Mis Snow Man, a unit of Johnny & Associates' Johnny's Jr. youth team, and appeared in the agency's many shows, such as the musical "Takizawa Kabuki" and concerts by Tackey & Tsubasa, Kis-My-Ft2 and A.B.C-Z., as backup dancers. Raul, Meguro and Mukai joined them last year to power up the group.
Here is an excerpt from a recent interview with the members, which was very lively and showed their amazing team spirit.
The Yomiuri Shimbun: What are your thoughts on the past year?
Sakuma: We became nine, held a concert at Yokohama Arena and had great experiences. We were nervous at the "Takizawa Kabuki" show last spring because we felt the responsibility of inheriting the center position from (the retiring) Takizawa-kun, and as leading members of the show we also had to be exemplary for the younger performers. The show went well thanks to support from the staff and fans.
Q: What do you think of Snow Man now having more members than before?
Fukazawa: We took part in discussions about letting the three new members join, and it's our decision to work hard together as a group of nine. I was convinced that we'd definitely be able to make it.
Meguro: To be honest, I was surprised when I heard I'd be joining Snow Man. But I feel very happy that I could work with the group, which has taught me many things, and that they need me.
Q: Mr. Mukai, you were a member of Kansai Johnny's Jr. (Johnny's Jr. of the Kansai region). Did you feel any cultural differences between that group and the one in the Kanto region?
Mukai: The timing, perhaps the timing is different. What did I feel after joining Snow Man? I felt a weight on my shoulders. Should I say it's the last chance for me?
Raul: We were all part of (Johnny's) Jr., but Snow Man is on another level. To express my thanks to everyone who made arrangements to accept an inexperienced person like me, and to the fans who warmly received me, I'd like to return the favor with my performance.
Abe: Since Raul was a member of boy band Shonen Ninja, I had noticed him because he was already a good dancer. I'm also impressed that he's very mature in his way of thinking.
Q: You were waiting for your CD debut for a long time. Didn't you feel disappointed when you were overtaken by younger groups (of Johnny's)?
Miyadate: I was able to do what I liked, so all I thought about was pursuing it no matter what. You can't survive in showbiz if you're feeling down just because a newer group debuted before you.
Iwamoto: Making a (CD) debut isn't everything. We learned many things while we were Johnny's Jr. members. I think it's wrong to give up something just because something has happened to another person. We are what we are and we've been doing it our way.
Once-in-a-lifetime moment
Q: What went through your mind when you were told of your debut?
Watanabe: The three new members joined us, and we all appeared in "Takizawa Kabuki." I was aware that it could be our last chance. It was such an immense, once-in-a-lifetime event for me, the fact that we could share the moment when Takizawa-kun told us of our debut in the hospital room where Johnny-san (the late Johnny Kitagawa, founder of the agency) was staying. Since Johnny-san was very sick, we didn't celebrate through words. Instead, we received the news with appreciation. Together with (six-member band) SixTONES, all 15 of us surrounded Johnny-san and thanked him, saying, "Johnny-san, thank you."
Abe: About a month later, we told our fans of the news at Tokyo Dome. We felt nothing but gratitude toward them. We'd never have made our (CD) debut without them.
Q: What do you think about making your CD debut at the same time with SixTONES?
Fukazawa: This is the first time it has happened in the history of Johnny's. I think it's a blessing that we can debut with our rival and fellow team.
Q: You received an award from Chinese social media platform Weibo.
Raul: Since we attended the award ceremony, our (Weibo) followers reached 400,000. But there are 800 million people on Weibo, so we're still like dust. I don't want to get big-headed.
Iwamoto: While we were waiting for our turn backstage, I was walking with my fellow members, saying, "Let's relax," and checking what we were supposed to say in Chinese, because I thought we were being led to a room next to the stage. But all of a sudden we were on stage. "Huh? Er ... Xiexie!" That taught me a lesson.
Q: What is your goal for this year?
Sakuma: First of all, I want our Asian tour to be a success. We'll spread our wings abroad and return to Japan, and I hope people will think we are an awesome group. Oh, and I hope we'll be able to sing an anime theme song.
Others: Hey! We know that's your goal!
Addictive, unprecedented
The group's CD debut song, "D. D.," was released on the Avex label together with SixTONES' "Imitation Rain," under the artist name Snow Man VS SixTONES. The "D. D." music video has a near-future setting where the members perform fast-paced, complicated dance routines. It's addictive. The backflips by Miyadate, Iwamoto and Sakuma are brilliantly synchronized.
"The song has a such speedy feel that it's almost unprecedented for a debut single by a Johnny's group," Miyadate said. "It's got acrobatic routines and performances tailored for the nine of us. The formations change so wildly that it requires a lot of stamina, but we perform hoping it will reach out to those who listen to it. I think you'll empathize with the lyrics, which are in sync with the path we've walked."
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