SMAP has part(s) Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
SMAP (Japanese: スマップ, Hepburn: Sumappu) 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 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. "The One and Only Flower in the World", 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 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 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, 2016.2001–2003: SMAP Vest, pamS, Drink SMAP, "The One and Only Flower in the World", and MIJ
On March 23, 2001, the band released their third compilation album, Smap Vest, which reached number one in the charts. It sold one million copies during the first week of release and 1,800,000 copies in total, becoming the band's best selling album. Singles, "Smac" and "freebird", peaked at No. 3 and No. 1 on the charts respectively. "Smac" was released as the 10th anniversary single and lyrics from the band's past singles were put together and made into a new song. On August 8, 2001, another compilation album, pamS (read as "Ura-suma"), was released just four months after Smap Vest. It was a compilation of fan-favorites and songs that the members personally like, that aren't usually sang on tour or on television, such as B-sides and songs from past albums. From July to September, the band launched their seventh stadium tour, pamS Tour, which was also their first five-dome tour and the first five-dome tour ever headlined in history. SMAP invented the concept of a "five-dome tour", a tour that hits the five dome-shaped stadiums located in Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Sapporo). Since the invention of this new touring style, the five-dome tour is now used by many artists in Japan, as a symbol of being a first-rank artist in the music industry. The pamS Tour was released through DVD on December 21, 2001.
Throughout the year 2001, all five members starred in their own drama television series individually. Nakai starred in Shiroi Kage, Kimura in a detective series, Hero, Inagaki in Onmyoji, and Kusanagi in Star no Koi. Katori starred in a special episode of a comedy-drama television series, Ohha wa Sekai wo Sukuu. All programs were that year's high-rated programs. Among all shows, Hero became a massive success, becoming the most highest rated television series in Japanese history, becoming the only television series to have all episodes marking above the 30% sharehold rate.
On July 24, 2002, they released their fourteenth album, SMAP 015/Drink! Smap!, which peaked at No. 2 in the charts and became the band's fourth best selling album. The title was derived from a superseded soft drink, called SMAP, which was sold in Japan in the 1980s. From July 23, 2002, a canned soft drink, Drink SMAP, was launched from Kirin Beverage Corporation. Six million drinks were shipped on the day of its release. From July to November, they launched their eighth stadium tour, SMAP 02 Drink Smap Tour, which became the largest tour in terms of attendance in Japanese history, with a total attendance of 1.2 million. They decided mainly to use soccer stadiums for their venues, as it was the year the 2002 FIFA World Cup was held. The tour was released through DVD on March 5, 2003. On September 21, 2002, they released their first video album, Clip! Smap!, a collection of ten music videos released since 1996.
On March 5, 2003, the band's thirty-fifth single, "The One and Only Flower in the World", was released. It reached number one in the charts for three consecutive weeks twice and for seven non-consecutive weeks. It became the best selling single in the 21st century and the fifth best selling single in Japanese history. The song appears in text books used in school as children are taught to learn the song at a young age and has become one of the most recognized songs in Japan. It is the band's best selling single, with over 2,700,000 physical copies sold and their first record to sell over two million copies. In 2012, JASRAC, announced the winner of the JASRAC Award, in celebration of the award created in 1982. "The One and Only Flower in the World" received the award, as the copyrighted work in music with the highest paid royalties within the past thirty years. After thirteen years from its release, the single has continued to chart in the Top 200, for a total of two-hundred non-consecutive weeks and is currently ranked second with the highest total weeks in the charts, after "Nada Soso" (232 non-consecutive weeks). The song has been covered and re-arranged by heavy metal guitarist Marty Friedman on his 2006 album Loudspeaker.
On June 25, 2003, they released their fifteenth album, SMAP 016/MIJ, which peaked at number one and became the band's eighth best selling album. From July to September 2003, the band launched their ninth stadium tour, MIJ Tour. SMAP became the third artist in history to hold a concert at the International Stadium Yokohama, after B'z and Eikichi Yazawa. Due to scheduling conflicts with Katori's NHK Taiga drama, Shinsengumi, the number of shows were reduced compared to previous years, though the number of attendees surpassed one million two years in a row. The tour was released through DVD on December 24, 2003.
On December 31, 2003, SMAP appeared on the annual music show on NHK, Kohaku Uta Gassen, and performed "The One and Only Flower in the World". Out of the fifty-eight artists on the program, SMAP performed last for the first time, serving as the ootori, the most honorable and prestigious title in the Japanese music industry. SMAP became the first pop artist and the first group in history to perform as the ootori since the program started in 1951, as Kohaku is a historical and traditional music program and enka artists dominated the position of the ootori. As artists are ranked according to the ratings during their performance, SMAP ranked number one out of fifty-eight artists and was the most watched act of that year's Kohaku, with a household share rating of 57.1%.Endorsements and partnerships
SMAP is one of the highest paid celebrities for endorsements and commercial appearances in Japan, with an estimated contract of one hundred million yen per commercial. Since 1991, they have had over fifty contracts with Japan's largest firms, both as a group and individually. Among the firms and products they have endorsed in the past, the most recognized are NTT, SoftBank, Dole, Meiji, Ajinomoto, and Suntory Boss Coffee. From 1991 to 1992, they contributed "Seigi no Mikata wa Ate ni Naranai" and "Kokoro no Kagami" to Panasonic's television commercial. From 1992 to 1993, their songs "Egao no Genki", "Hajimete no Natsu", and "Kimi wa Kimi dayo" were used as the theme song for anime series, Hime-chan's Ribbon. From 1994 to 1995, "Original Smile" and "Shiyouyo were used in Kimura's television commercial for Oronamin C Drink. In 1996, "Munasawagi wo Tanomuyo" was used in Kimura's commercial for Kanebo Cosmetics. In 1999, "Fly" was used in the television commercials for NTT. From 2005 to 2006, "Triangle" served as the official song for all sports broadcasts on TV Asahi.
Since 2004, they have contributed their material to serve as the official song for the Olympics. Their song "Susume" was used for the 2004 Summer Olympics, "Kono Toki, Kitto Yume Jyanai" for the 2008 Summer Olympics, "Moment" for the 2012 Summer Olympics, and "Arigato" for the 2016 Summer Olympics, and were featured during the television coverage on TBS. In 2006, "Triangle" served as the official song for the 2006 Winter Olympics. In 2006, the band contributed their song "Dear Woman" to Shiseido's shampoo commercial and led it to become number one in the Top 10 Best Commercials of 2006. In 2007, their debut single, "Can't Stop Loving" was used in Otsuka Pharmaceutical's television commercial for Pocari Sweat, after sixteen years since its release. In 2008, "Dangan Fighter" served as the official song for all sports broadcasts on TV Asahi. From 2009, they signed a deal with SoftBank. On August 1, the first commercial aired on 124 commercial broadcast television networks and five digital billboards located in Japan at the same time at 6:59 pm. On December 29, 2011, a 330-second long commercial aired, setting a record for the longest television commercial aired in Japan. In 2009, "Super Star" served as the official song for all sports broadcasts on TV Asahi. In 2012, they contributed "Sakasama no Sora" to NHK's television series, Umechan Sensei.From 2012, SMAP signed a partnership deal with 7-Eleven. While appearing in 7-Eleven's television commercials, the product development department collaborated with Bistro SMAP, a cooking segment in the band's weekly television program, SMAP×SMAP, where the band members cook food for celebrity guests. After airing Bistro SMAP for over fifteen years, the project was launched in response to requests from viewers and fans who wanted to try the food cooked by SMAP. Each member created their own food, such as sandwiches, snacks, noodle soups, and bentos, to sell at the 7-Eleven stores in Japan. The bentos were collectively called "Bistro Bentos". The first set of menus were sold in 2012 and a new set was sold every year until 2015. In 2013, they signed a deal with Suntory's Boss Coffee, starring in television commercials with Tommy Lee Jones. In 2013, they collaborated with Sanrio and contributed their song "Hello" in celebration of Hello Kitty's 40th anniversary. In 2014, they became the ambassador for Universal Studios Japan and contributed their song "Battery" to play as the background music for the attractions at the theme park. "Amazing Discovery" served as the official song for Universal Studios Japan. The same year, their song "Kokokara" was used as the theme song for Nihonbashi's Revitalization Project. In December 2014, they contributed "Humor Shichauyo" to be the official song for Shidax's Heart&Smile Project launched to help children in Africa and fifty yen per single sold was donated. From 2015, "Ai ga Tomarumade wa" was used in Katori's television commercial for JA Group.In November 2015, SMAP became the representative and the supporter for the Paralympic games until the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, in partnership with the Nippon Foundation. In the wake of SMAP's disbandment in December 2016, Atarashii Chizu, a group consisting of former SMAP members Shingo Katori, Goro Inagaki, and Tsuyoshi Kusanagi have taken over as representatives and ambassadors for the Paralympics. As of October 2017, Katori has participated in an art exhibition organised by the Nippon Foundation.
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