RYUHEI

## Kuroda Ryuhei  黒(くろ)田(だ)竜(りゅう)平(へい)

RYUHEI promoting BE:FIRST's 4th single

**RYUHEI** (リュウヘイ), birth name **Kuroda Ryuhei** (黒田竜平), is a Japanese singer and dancer under Japanese management company BMSG as a member of BE:FIRST, a boy group selected by SKY-HI at the end of the audition show THE FIRST. He made his debut with the group in November 2021.

Before joining BMSG, Ryuhei trained at Avex Artist Academy Nagoya and was a member of training units **CoCoPoP** and **GEMSTONE**.

### Early Life

Ryuhei started dancing at 5 years old in Nagoya's Studio ZOO, because he saw his older sister dance and thought it looked fun. At 7 years old he started attending Avex Artist Academy Nagoya, deciding to pursue dancing and singing because he admired Miura Daichi, but he wanted to be in a boy group because of K-pop group BIGBANG.  While they were not in the same class, he knew SHUNTO and took part in the same events as him.

### 2016-2018

In April 2016, Ryuhei was chosen to be part of the Avex training unit CoCoPoP . The group disbanded on March 20, 2017.

In January 2017, Ryuhei was the only boy chosen to be a part of the starting line-up of trainees for Avex subsidiary XGALX , with the goal of debuting in their first group (which would later become XG). By October 2017, he had already been cut from the project .

In March 2018, Ryuhei was chosen to be a part of special performing team called GEMSTONE alongside SHUNTO.

### 2021

In February, Ryuhei auditioned for SKY-HI's THE FIRST and passed the Quality screening round in Nagoya (conducted remotely) with "Mo-Eh-Wa" by Fujii Kaze (vocal performance) and "Let it Be" feat. Kid Fresino by Daichi Yamamoto (dance performance). He ranked 2nd after this round.

In THE FIRST Artisism screening, Ryuhei performed "snow jam" by Rinne. He was placed in Team A (with Sato Ryuta, Nakanishi Naoki, Baba Ryosei, Kawashima Rui) and assigned as the leader of the team to perform "Sexual Healing" by SKY-HI. After the 3rd round, Ryuhei was ranked 1st, successfully continuing on to THE FIRST training camp.

In THE FIRST training camp Creativity screening round, Ryuhei was placed in Team B with with Junon, Shunsuke, Ryoki, and Ran. The song they created in this round is titled "Good Days". Ryuhei ranked 7th after this round.

In THE FIRST training camp Mock Professional screening, Ryuhei was placed in Team "Move On" with Shota, Ryoki, Ten, Shunto, and Ran. They performed Move On, and Ryuehi ranked 2nd after this round.

In THE FIRST training camp VS. Pro Artist screening, Ryuhei performed To The First together with the remaining 10 THE FIRST members. He ranked 1st after this round and was confirmed as one of the 10 finalists.

After a one month break from training camp, Ryuhei and the other finalists returned to the same location to prepare for the final round. Ryuhei was placed in Team Shining, and performed Shining One with Shota, Junon, Sota, and Manato.

In THE FIRST Creative NEO screening he chose to team up with Shunto to form the duo "96BLACK". The song they created for this round is "addictive Art", with "Blame It On Me" by SKY-HI working as the instrumentals.

On August 13, Ryuhei was chosen to be the fourth member of BE:FIRST.
On August 16, BE:FIRST released its pre-debut single, Shining One.

On November 3, BE:FIRST released its debut single, Gifted.

### 2022

On March 11, Ryuhei hurt his hand when he fell going back home, so he had to sit out all activities involving performing for a couple of weeks.

On September 18 he released New Chapter as a part of BMSG ALLSTARS.

### 2023

On August 23, he and Queen Bee vocalist Avu-chan featured on the song "Adult" by producer KERENMI.

On September 18, he released The Moon in the WEST as part of BMSG WEST.

## Personal Life

* Family
* Education
* Friendships
* Nicknames
* Name Meaning

Ryuhei has an older sister.

He is cousins with Hiyajo Nagomi, member of kpop girl group ViV and former Girls Planet 999 contestant

When Ryuhei auditioned for THE FIRST, he was a second year middle school student.

In March 2022, Ryuhei graduated middle school in his hometown of Nagoya.

As of April 2022 Ryuhei is in his first year of high school in Tokyo.

* **JUNON**: he started getting close to BE:FIRST member JUNON through gaming
* **edhiii boi**: he's close to fellow THE FIRST contestant edhiii boi. They talk in Kansai dialect together.

* **Ryuu-chan** (りゅうちゃん): used by fellow BE:FIRST members LEO and SOTA
* **Ryuu-tan** (りゅうたん): used by fellow BE:FIRST member RYOKI
* **He-chan** (へーちゃん): used by Avex Artist Academy classmates

Ryuhei's given name, "竜平" means "dragon" (竜) and "peace" (平). His parents like Matsuda "Ryuhei" (松田竜平) and Ueshima "Ryuhei" (上島竜兵) a lot, so they decided if they give birth to a boy, they will name him "Ryuhei" too.

## Profile

* Information
* Q&A

* **Birth Name**: Kuroda Ryuhei (黒田竜平)
* **Stage Name**: RYUHEI (リュウヘイ)
* **Nicknames**: Ryuu-chan (りゅうちゃん), Ryuu-tan (りゅうたん)
* **Birth Date**: November 7, 2006 (2006-11-07) (age 17)
* **Birth Place**: Nagoya , Aichi, Japan
* **Blood Type**: O
* **Height**: 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)?
* **Western Zodiac**:  Scorpio
* **Eastern Zodiac**:  Dog
* **Emoji**: 🐲
* **BMSG Status**:
	+ 2021-08-13: Joined
	+ 2021-08-13: BE:FIRST member
* **BMSG Groups**:
	+ BE:FIRST (2021-present)
* **BMSG Units**:
	+ BMSG ALLSTARS (2022)
	+ BMSG WEST (2023)

* **Special Skills**: dancing to girl groups' songs
* **Hobbies**: reading, listening to music
* **Favorite Artists**: BoyWithUke, Sia, Blackstreet
* **Favorite Movie(s)**: Detective Conan Movie #4: Captured in Her Eyes
* **Favorite Food**: matcha (green tea), matcha wafers, chocolate (especially "Melty Kiss"), rice, curry rice
* **Favorite genre of books**: random trivia
* **Favorite Jewelry**: ear cuffs, and all the jewelry he owns
* **His "song of destiny"**: "BANG BANG BANG" by BIGBANG, the song that made him want to be in a boy group.
* **What he thinks about**: Music 50%, Sleep 49.9%, Food 0.1%
* **Healing Moment**: catching a cool breeze
* **3 things he'd take to a deserted island**: lighter, body building equipment, video game console
* **3 Manga Recs**: Attack on Titan, 7 Deadly Sins, One Piece
* **3 things he always carries in his bag**: dancing shoes, a laptop (so that he can compose music immediately), and a great luck fortune slip
* **A country he wants to go to right now**: United States (Los Angeles and Hawai'i) and South Korea
* **Something he would do 800 times**: going to cafés, because a café is a place of relaxation
* **Something he doesn't want to do, even if he's asked 800 times**: play baseball (or sports with small balls)
* **Something he would buy if he had 800 yen**: a frappuccino
* **Somewhere he wants to go to in the summer**: the pool
* **Role of Jewelry**: it changes the impression people get of you
* **Memorable Christmas Memory**: making Santa a house out of carboard and leaving tea for him
* **If he could spend Christmas with BE:FIRST**: exchange gifts
* **2022 was**: a year where he grew more aware of the joy of music

## Discography

*Main article: RYUHEI/Discography*
* BE:FIRST
* Collaborations
* THE FIRST

* **Digital**
	+ [2021.08.16] Shining One
	+ [2022.07.13] Don't Wake Me Up
	+ [2023.02.13] Boom Boom Back
* **CD**
	+ [2021.11.03] Gifted.
	+ [2022.05.18] Bye-Good-Bye
	+ [2022.08.31] BE:1
	+ [2023.04.26] Smile Again
	+ [2023.08.30] Sarracenia / Salvia
	+ [2023.09.13] Mainstream

* [2022.09.18] BMSG ALLSTARS - New Chapter
* [2023.08.23] KERENMI - Adult feat. RYUHEI and Avu-chan
* [2023.09.18] BMSG WEST - The Moon in the WEST

During the audition RYUHEI participated in each of below performance screenings:

* **Creativity**
	+ Team B
	+ Song: Good Days

* **Professional Trial Stage - Be Free vs Move On**
	+ Team Move On

* **VS Professional Artist**
	+ Performance of To The First featuring all Top 11 finalists

* **Creativity NEO**
	+ Group name: 96BLACK (SHUNTO, RYUHEI)
	+ Song: Addictive Art

* **Final Screening - Team Shining vs Team One**
	+ Team Shining

## Other Works

* Starring TV Programs
* TV Appearances
* Music Videos
* Modeling

* [2021] THE FIRST
* [2021] Ano Hi no THE FIRST
* [2021] THE FIRST MOMENT
* [2021-2022] Gifted Days
* [2022] BE:FIRST Road to VIVA LA ROCK 2022 / GYAO!
* [2022] ALL ABOUT BMSG / SpaceShower TV
* [2022] BE:FIRST TV

* [2023.06.06] EXITV / Fuji TV

*Main article: RYUHEI/Music Videos*
Featured
* [2021] SKY-HI -  ONE MORE DAY feat. REIKO  (cameo)
* [2022] edhiii boi - Forever Friend

Collaborations
* [2022] BMSG ALLSTARS - New Chapter
* [2023] KERENMI - Adult feat. Avu-chan from Queen Bee & RYUHEI from BE:FIRST
* [2023] BMSG WEST - The Moon in the WEST

- [2021.12] NYLON 365 Anniversary  (December 8th, 16th, 17th, 25th, and 29th)

- [2022.11] FILA Brand Ambassador  (as BE:FIRST)

- [2022.11] Swarvoski Brand Ambassador  (as BE:FIRST)

## Publications

*Main article: RYUHEI/Publications*
*See also: BE:FIRST/Publications*
* [2022.12.28] rockin' on JAPAN

## Trivia

* He is in the kendo club at school
* Ryuhei listens to Pentatonix fairly often. His teacher during his days as an Avex trainee used lots of Pentatonix songs for their recitals and competitions
* He watches dog videos sometimes, his favorite is especially when the dog's ears fold when their owners pet them.
* He likes his opening line in "Move On" - "上辺の綺麗な言葉は必要ない / Uebe no kirei na kotoba wa hitsuyou nai"
* Ryuhei's in-ear monitors are a bright pearl color. He wanted a color that would shine on stage, and pearl shines differently depending on the angle you see it from. They match with JUNON's dark pearl in-ears.
* The thing that changed the most in him pre and post debut is how he looks at choreography. He used to learn it to pass the examinations, but now he looks for ways to convey emotion through dancing.
* Ryuhei carries around 3 plushies with him when BE:FIRST travels  : Shiro (the white dog from Crayon Shin-chan), a panda, and a Dalmatian. He's had the panda and Dalmatian since he was a kid. The habit started from THE FIRST when he had to stay in Horinoya dorms for Training Camp so he wouldn't feel lonely.
* He has started learning beatbox due to SOTA's influence.
* He would take LEO with him to a deserted island because LEO seems like he'll look out for him and take care of him. Athough Ryuhei adds that LEO already takes care of him in real life.
* Ryuhei thinks BE:FIRST's strength lies in that the skills and individuality that each of them has cultivated can coexist, and that everyone is always conscious of making good music and respects each other's sense of style.
* MANATO describes Ryuhei as a normal 15 year old boy with the ability to be possessed by music, since he completely changes when he performs. He thinks he's got very good lyricism because he reads a lot and is an artistic person overall
* The first time he did his own laundry was during THE FIRST's training camp. He didn't even know how to fold clothes until he was 12.
* There is a character in popular Korean webtoon Lookism with his exact same name and kanji.

## References

1. ↑  Yomiuri - 「もう少しで僕の運命が決まるんで待ってください」…ＢＥ：ＦＩＲＳＴの１５歳は先生に告げた
2. ↑  CoCoPop Twitter
3. ↑  CoCoPop disbandment notice
4. ↑ XG Documentary Series ‘XTRA XTRA’ EP X1
5. ↑ XG Documentary Series ‘XTRA XTRA’ EP X1
6. ↑  https://twitter.com/avex\_aaaNAGOYA/status/973758513766780928
7. ↑ https://bmsg.tokyo/thefirst/
8. ↑ THE FIRST #20
9. ↑  https://youtu.be/XcHymQQSYGU
10. ↑ edhiii boi AWA Lounge listening party. 2024/01/16.
11. ↑  BE:FIRST no BE:TALK 2021.12.24
12. ↑  Bandwagon
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 *Harper's Bazaar - BE:FIRST、スワロフスキーのきらめきとともに 2022/11/18*
14. ↑ *The Television - BE:FIRSTのチームワークの秘訣は？「年齢を感じさせないグループ」＜インタビュー＞ 2021/10/07*
15. ↑ Yahoo! Japan *初来日のIVEが「会いたかったです！」BE:FIRST、CRAVITYとそれぞれの色見せた「ネクステ」 2022/08/09*
16. ↑  ELLE Japan
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2  Yomiuri - 海外に僕らの音楽を　ありがとう言い続けたい…ＢＥ：ＦＩＲＳＴ　視線は世界へ（後編）
18. ↑ BE:FIRST no BE:TALK 2021.07.22
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 bay fm - it! 2022.05.16 LEO & RYUHEI guest episode.
20. ↑  ELLE Japan
21. ↑  https://glitter-official.com/2022/05/befirst-bye-good-bye/
22. ↑ 2022.05.09 Premium MelodiX!
23. ↑ RYUHEI Q&A 2022.05.22 BMSG APP [BESTY]
24. ↑ BE:FIRST no SPARK / J-WAVE 2022.05.30 (SOTA & RYUHEI)
25. ↑ BE:FIRST no BE:TALK!! / CBC Radio, 2022.05.13
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1  [Yomiuri -新曲「Ｂｙｅ―Ｇｏｏｄ―Ｂｙｅ」の振り付け練習はみんなで話し合って…ＢＥ：ＦＩＲＳＴ　視線は世界へ（前編)
27. ↑ *Dwango - BE:FIRST、“頂点”を叶えるべく集まった7人「自分たちがカルチャーを作る 2021/10*