 It's Featured Idol Friday time and this month we bring to you one of the recent favorites at A-To-J, The World Standard! The World Standard (Also known as Wa-suta or わーすた) is an idol group that is part of the iDOL Street collective that also includes groups like Cheeky Parade and GEM. The group was announced on March 29, 2015 with the stated goal of spreading the love of "kawaii" culture to the world using social media and social networking. This means that they are very active on their social media and have are very interesting in breaking into the world market. How are they doing this you ask? Well, for starters each of the members are currently learning a different foreign language (English, French, etc.) to widen their ability to speak to their fans. They also have made one other very important move; they've subtitled their MVs in English with really good translation free of the "google translate"-ness that plagues many other artists who attempt to go this route. Whether this spreads to other iDOL Street groups we will have to wait and see, but I think it's fair to say that subtitling MVs and certain promotional videos is becoming something of the standard in the idol world now. Also an ability for members to speak freely to in their fan’s native languages is always a plus.  The World Standard (2015)
The group is made up of Sakamoto Hazuki (Pastel Yellow), Hirokawa Nanase (Pastel Green), Matsuda Miri (Pastel Purple), Kodama Ririka (Pastel Blue), and Mishina Ruka (Pastel Pink). Ririka and Hazuki were previously members of the unit "Hanarichu", and Ririka was also part of "SAPPORO Snow Loveits". Miri and Hazaki shared time in "OSAKA Daizy7", and Ruka was in "NAGOYA Chubu". Going along with the iDOL Street regional units, Nanase was previously in "FUKUOKA Hakata Minion" and she is also the leader of the group. Nanase and Ruka make up much of the main vocals in the group. This is shown by the fact that in many of the early performance of the group the other members didn't have mics of their own and served mainly as back dancers. This of course has since changed but the bulk of the solos still go to Nanase and Ruka. They had their debut performance on April 29th at the iDOL Street Carnival 2015 ~GOLDEN PARADE!!!!!~ concert and began their Showroom web show the next month titled "Wa-suta no Kawaii Room (わーすたのKawaii☆Room)". Music releases were a little slower in coming, but they released their first single "Inu Neko. Seishu Massakari" via Music Card in October of 2015. The video shows off their cool style, cute sound, and cat ears! Check it out below. The World Standard - Inu Neko Seishu Massakari MV Regarding music, it should be pointed out that they are produced by Manaka Suzuki who also writes most of their music. Manaka Suzuki is a very prolific songwriter/producer who is probably best known for her work with Tomomi Itano, HKT48, and NMB48. Besides 48G she also writes for other iDOL Steet groups, Cheeky Parade, SUPER GIRLS, and GEM. Due to their name and their concept of worldwide recognition, their style is described as having a "world music feel" this means that many different music genres are often mixed together. Pop, country, electronic, disco, and other sounds come together to make up The World Standard's unique sound. This isn't quite present in their singles, but can be seen more in their album tracks. Activities-wise, The World Standard held their first one-man live on February 28, 2016 titled "The World Standard at Shibuya Club Quattro". On their one year anniversary they had their second solo live title "Wa-suta Land 1".  "The World Standard" Album Promotion I mentioned album tracks earlier, well The World Standard released their self-titled album on May 4, 2016 and this release is noteworthy in that it was released in 110 countries! Truly a milestone for any Japanese group, even more so for a relatively new idol group. The album also displays the varied sound that I mentioned earlier and will be reviewed in its entirety in due course. Marking this major album release is the MV for "Ultra Mirakurukuru Final Ultimate Choco Beam". This is the definitive Wa-suta song. There is just so much ridiculousness in it that I don't even know where to begin. It has video game motifs and references, lots of funny visual RPG references, nonsensical lyrics that are still catchy, and cute outfits designed by KOKOkim. The title itself is a mouthful too, but that adds to its charm. Did I also mention that their outfits prominently feature their Twitter user names? Because they do! Musically it's all over the place, but I'll let you judge for yourself as the video can be found below. The World Standard - Ultra Mirakurukuru Final Ultimate Choco Beam MV If all this weren't enough, they recently had their first overseas live in Shanghai this past June at the @Jam in Shanghai 2016 event. In other live activities it was also announced that they would be embarking on their first live house tour this fall. They also recently announced their first single (as of yet untitled) to be released on September 28th.  From Our Interview! Lastly, did we mention that A-To-J Connections recently were lucky enough to interview them? Well we were and that interview will be live very soon at the time of this writing! It will be available in both text (English, Japanese, and Spanish) as well as a video subtitled in English. Be sure to keep an eye out for it! Also be sure to check out The World Standard and get in on what is going to be one of the biggest idol groups of this generation!
Catch you all next month for Featured Idol Friday! -Manuel The World Standard is:
For More On The World Standard: Website: http://wa-suta.world/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/tws_staff Sakamoto Hazuki Twitter: https://twitter.com/tws_hazuki Hirokawa Nanase Twitter: https://twitter.com/tws_nanase Matsuda Miri Twitter: https://twitter.com/tws_miri Kodama Ririka Twitter: https://twitter.com/tws_ririka Mishina Ruka Twitter: https://twitter.com/tws_ruka Blog: http://lineblog.me/theworldstandard/
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 I can hardly believe the news myself, but this is happening; rebel idol unit BiS have announced their official return! Fronted once again by founder Pour Lui, the original Brand-new idol Society is auditioning new members as we speak, and have confirmed their debut album "Brand-new idol Society 2" will be out on Tsubasa Records on November 16th! That's a particularly significant date for yours truly, as it happens to be my birthday.
BiS disbanded in 2014, with the final lineup of Pour Lui, Hirano Nozomi, Tentenko, First Summer Uika, Kamiya Saki, and Megumi Koshouji. As all of them are currently involved in music projects to varying degrees of success (my favorite being Uika and Nozomi's BILLIE IDLE) it makes sense that Pour Lui is the only member available for a reunion. Of course, it's possible Lui just wanted a fresh start, too! BiS marked their original dissolution with the single aptly-titled "Final Dance" (below). On one fateful day ten years ago, a talent scout approached Ai Shinozaki and her friend while they were out shopping. When asked if she had any interest in the entertainment industry, Ai said no and walked away from the scout. Her story could have ended there. However, it didn’t. Because thankfully her friend saw the opportunity she had been given and gave the scout her name and home phone number. 3 days later she was flown to Cebu Island by herself to film her first photobook and image DVD.  Ai's First DVD Release On June 26th, 2016, Ai Shinozaki held a dinner show in Ginza to celebrate her 10 years in the business. It was titled “Ai Shinozaki 10th Anniversary Party ~Do you promise to love me forever~”. Now, you may think that sounds an awfully lot like something you would hear at a wedding. And, you would be right. Before Ai made her entrance, we were informed that an actual Priest had been called for the event and we were all going to swear our love to Ai. As Ai entered, the crowd gasped. She wore a real wedding dress and we were all allowed to take pictures of her as she walked down the aisle.
Upon arriving to the stage, cameras closed and the commitment ceremony began. It was interesting to hear traditional wedding vows read out to the audience. When asked if we would swear our love to her, the answer was a resounding “Yes!” That was our role after all. It was whether or not Ai would swear her love back that was the worry. Anyone who has met Ai knows that she is quite the sharp-tongued woman and a “no” wasn’t that unimaginable. But, we needn’t worry, the answer from her was also a cheerful “Yes.” And so, we swore to love Ai forever. After the Priest left, we were allowed once again to take photos for a short period of time. I was able to get some good shots of her at this time. Unfortunately, I don’t yet possess a super expensive camera like many of her fans do, so I apologize that these were the clearest shots I could get. Once cameras were put away for good, the event continued. There was a lot of talk about how Ai got her start, her transfer to a different agency (which led to her participation in the idol group AeLL) and some of the first events the group held with fans. One of those events was a Fuji mountain climb with fans. The climb was planned to reach the 8th Level and do goods sales there, however no one made it that far. After making it around half-way there, the group turned around and went back down to the starting point at Level 5, where an exhausted Ai sold goods to exhausted fans. Ai thanked fans from her early days for putting up with such ridiculous staff-planned events. Of course, no anniversary event would be complete without messages from people close to her. First came a message from a magazine editor she has worked with for many years, then a cameraman, and finally her high school teacher. Her high school teacher seemed more interested in having her give his regards to other celebrities than talking about Ai herself. In rehearsal, Ai had heard that there would be four video messages. However, that was a lie. The comedian who acted as emcee that day said they had a message from her mother. At this, Ai asked if it was really from her mother. The emcee explained that staff had pulled a prank on her before where they said her mother wrote a letter but the letter at that time was an obvious fake. No, this one was real. The letter itself wasn’t too spectacular in its content towards Ai, but it still moved Ai and her fans. The most striking thing was that Ai’s mother referred to the fans in her letter and thanked all of her daughter’s fans for supporting her for so long. Of course, it made Ai cry. After composing herself, Ai went on to sing two songs with piano accompaniment. She sang her second single that was only released digitally, “Hikari” and then one of the coupling songs to her debut single “Again”, a song called “Rainy Blue”. Now it was time for Ai to get changed for the second half of the event. Before doing so, she went around to each table and took a commemorative photo that should be arriving on fan’s doorsteps soon. Around 20 minutes passed before Ai returned. And when she returned, she was no longer wearing a wedding dress. In fact, the dress she now wore was longer pure white. It was passionate red. The second half of the event started with an upbeat performance of her debut single, “Again”. This was followed by a talk on stage where she revealed that the dress she now wore was what she will be wearing in her major debut single from Sony.  It was first revealed that she would be making a summer debut with Sony back at her birthday party event in February. But at that time, there were no details given. Now, we were told that her major debut would be on August 24th with a single titled “Kuchi no warui onna.” I suppose there are many ways you could translate this. For now, I’ll go with “A sharp-tongued woman” as all of the other ways I thought of had too negative of a feel. Of course, the title drew a laugh from the audience as we all know exactly how well this title fits Ai Shinozaki. On stage, it was joked that the title may as well have been “A woman who loves to eat” as Ai is constantly posting pictures of the food she eats on her social media accounts. Alas, that title was deemed not catchy enough. Fans at the event got to see the first performance of this debut single and it is certainly catchy. It is a Latin-flavored upbeat pop song with a catchy chorus that all of the fans can sing and dance along to. The lyrics certainly are sharp-tongued and are certain to amuse both old and new fans alike when the song is reveled to the public. For now, I will leave it to you to imagine the sort of lyrics that could go along with an outfit as passionate as the one above. To finish off the event, Ai sang one of the most popular songs from her mini-album released last year, titled “Memorize.” And then we were given postcards on the way out with hand-written messages thanking us for coming and supporting her. It was a very enjoyable night and I am certainly looking forward to seeing where this major debut takes her. -Rin Rigoni    On March 25th, 2015, Ayu_star released Mon Histoire, her first mini album. Composed by SYUN, the songs have their own distinctive style. The release kicks off with ‘Tenderness so Melodies!!’ which has an extremely catchy tune along with a soothing vocal style. It’s the kind of song that makes me feel like I’m going on a journey, and would be fit to be the introduction to an anime. ‘I’m proud’ goes with a completely different approach. It begins with a very slow and relaxing vocal focus and then transitions into a cool beat that is supported by a strong piano presence. Despite the transition, it still manages to keep the relaxing tone coupled with the slight pace increase. Moving into ‘Yume no Kuni no Jumon Wa Farara!!’ we get a more upbeat and fun song that really lifts the spirits!  ‘Hana’ evokes a sense of calm and longing in the way that the music is composed, and is only heightened by Ayu_star’s singing. Finally, the release closes out with ‘Zutto Ishi ni’, a song that follows in similar theming to ‘Hana’, but with a different instrumental focus that helps make it stand out as a pretty conclusion to her mini album. If you’re looking for something sweet and pleasant to listen to, you should definitely check this out. You can get it via cdjapan. Ayu_star is a Japanese artist based in Nagoya who debuted with Mon Histoire. Since then, she’s released two singles with more to come. She generally performs a couple times a month and has even performed in Los Angeles for AnisonUSA earlier this year. - Teepu cdjapan: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/FSM-11 Official Site: http://ayu.nagoya/# Profile: http://hokkemirin.com/prof_ja_eng.html Blog: http://ameblo.jp/ayu-star0822/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ayustar0822/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ayu_star0822  The votes are in. The stage is set at the HARD OFF ECO Stadium Niigata. Fans sit in anticipation, soon to be joined by the girls vying for the elusive Senbatsu. It’s AKB48 Sousenkyo time.
The AKB48 45th Single Senbatsu Sousenkyo ~Bokutachi wa Dare ni Tsuiteikeba ii~ (45thシングル 選抜総選挙～僕たちは誰について行けばいい？～) was held on June 18th, 2016. This was the 8th annual AKB48 Group members election, where fans vote for their favorite members. Fans could cast their votes through anyone of 20 different methods (including buying the 44th single, "Tubasa wa Iranai”). Out of the 271 girls who entered themselves into the running, 80 will participate on the single as one of 5 groupings which were distributed as follows: 1st-16th place: Senbatsu (A-side or main song) 17th-32nd place: Undergirls (B-side 1) 33rd-48th place: Next Girls (B-side 2) 49th-65th place: Future Girls (B-side 3) 65th-80th place: Upcoming Girls (B-side 4) (results and more after the break)  Guso Drop is out to prove they're more hardcore than BiSH (which unfortunately at this point isn't very hard to do...) and they're here with a new EP to drive that point home. The idols who famously encouraged more stage diving and audience lifting the same day BiSH banned those activities have returned with some seriously hard-hitting punk idol songs which might be the best they've put out so far.
 ©UP-FRONT PROMOTION Co., Ltd. Recently, A-To-J Staff Writer/Correspondent, Alita, attended Suzuki Kanon's final concert with Morning Musume。’16 and here is her report!
「Alita has been living and working in Japan for over 8 years. She has followed Hello Project since discovering Morning Musume。in 2001. Kanon Suzuki was the third "oshi", or favorite member, that she has seen off and she has no plans of leaving the fandom any time soon.」  If you just got chills reading the title of this review, it's because Yukueshirezutsurezure are some kind of eldritch abominations come to wreak havoc on the planet. If you're reading this it's far too late, so you might as well see what this is all about, right?
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