Fans Continue Sending Winds for ARASHI to Fulfill Their Dream of “Stirring Up a Storm Across The World”
ARASHI
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“Turning Up” by ARASHI – 1 “I want to stir up an ‘ARASHI (Storm)’ all across the world!” Five innocent and unaffected teens dreamed big for future, when they made a major label debut with “A · RA · SHI” on November 3, 1999. 20 years later, on November 3, 2019, ARASHI dropped their first digital-only new single “Turning Up” for streaming and downloads across the world. The song has been progressively spread globally, as indicated in the song title “Turning Up,” rather than “Turn It Up” or “Turned Up.”
Three years ago, on November 3, 2019, what ARASHI had announced at their 20th Anniversary press conference was a surprise for both the Japanese music industry and their fans. They unveiled the launch of five official social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Weibo) in addition to the official YouTube channel, which they’d already launched on October 9. The first posts were made on each of those platforms at 11:00am simultaneously after the announcement 2.
According to ARASHI, they wanted to be closer to their fans and to provide them with real-time updates on ARASHI’s activities through social media. At 7:00pm, ARASHI’s first digital-only new single “Turning Up,” along with all 64 songs from the previously released single albums, became available for streaming and download. “Turning Up” became indeed a debut song for the international market, but was this a right movement?
The music video for “Turning Up” premiered on YouTube at 9:00pm on the same day. Even at that point, ARASHI fans were still unsettled with the sudden announcement that ARASHI had rolled out earlier. Some ARASHI fans were worried as they were unfamiliar with the social media platforms. And above all, Japanese people still generally enjoy music by purchasing CDs and DVDs/BDs. To be clear, playing music on physical discs is not really a main reason for purchasing them. It’s due in large part to the fans’ desire to own albums, sometimes in multiple formats of the same album, just so they are displayed on the shelf side by side. The lyrics booklet with the artists’ photos is simply a special treasure for fans as well. In addition, some Japanese lyrics are intentionally read in a special way by using homophones or ruby in Kanji. Reading song lyrics in the booklet included in the CDs and DVDs/BDs would enhance the understanding of the song in depth. 3
The song lyrics of “Turning Up” are no exception. A few unique expressions of word-play are included in the song, such as “Toki O,” “Izanau” and “Yama Kaze,” where the detail explanations can be found on the lyrics annotation site Genius.com.
Though overloaded with the information, most ARASHI fans were delighted by a series of exciting announcements on their 20th anniversary. However, some actually felt anxiety as if they had been left behind. The lyrics of the chorus part of “Turning Up” being almost entirely in English, was quite different from the songs ARASHI had sung over years. Still, having ARASHI’s words to fans “Please come along with us,” in mind, many ARASHI fans began creating new fan accounts on social media, researching the difference between digital streaming and download purchases, and exploring ways they can support ARASHI getting prepared for the global market.
ARASHI’s words and actions toward their fans are always straightforward and have bold and clear purposes. This is one of the firm reasons for the absolute trust between ARASHI and their fans. As seen in the release of an answer-song in response to the seasoned fans who felt hesitant by the fandom name “Arashic” suddenly being used among novice fans, ARASHI has never left any of their fans behind. Likewise, if ARASHI is set to explore the international market, it is just the normal exercise for fans to do their utmost to support ARASHI in every way possible.
“Turning Up” dominated the music charts at #1 in Japan for two consecutive weeks after its release, placing at #2 on the Japan Hot 100 and #10 on the World Digital Song Sales on the U.S. Billboard charts. A majority of the sales were made in Japan, however there is also a sizable ARASHI fandom around the world that regularly patronizes ARASHI. In Asia, ARASHI has been iconic for quite some time as they appear on popular Japanese TV shows and J-Dramas, which often get circulated unofficially via the internet. 4
In Western cities with large Asian communities such as LA and NY, the US premieres of Japanese films starring ARASHI members have been held to gain local media attention in the past. Closely knitted local communities, whether they were ARASHI fans or not, also contributed to the sales just to support an artist from Japan. Furthermore, the release on January 24, 2020 of “Turning Up (R3HAB Remix)” a remixed version of the song by popular Dutch DJ R3HAB, caused a phenomenon that quickly gained the attention of the EDM lovers worldwide, who are in an entirely different background from the traditional J-Pop fans.
Three years have passed since “Turning Up” was released. November 3, 2022 will arrive soon, presumably without any official updates from the five members of ARASHI themselves. ARASHI may currently be on hiatus, but their music never ends and so do the fans. ARASHI’s fandom all over the world will keep them busy, the same as in any CD Debut Anniversary year.
Some are lucky enough to be able to enjoy special commemorative screenings of “ARASHI Anniversary Tour 5×20 FILM ‘Record of Memories’” while others throw parties called “ARASHI-Kai” meet-and-greet fan parties to watch live performance DVD/BDs together over ARASHI themed foods, drinks and decorations. The celebration goes beyond in-person events.5
With the social media account skills that fans had mastered, there are several fan-led virtual parties planned to commemorate the anniversary day, such as sending messages and fan-arts to ARASHI using assigned hashtags and streaming parties on the social radio platform.6
In addition, there will be a special one-hour program to celebrate ARASHI Debut Anniversary Day scheduled on New York radio station, WPVR. Kevin James, the Program Director, has been regularly broadcasting ARASHI in response to the fans’ requests. Every so often, listeners are rewarded with his selections of the new songs, which he calls “A Mystery Song” or “DOUBLE/TRIPLE PLAY.” His song selections resonate with fans at just the right time, whether making the listeners cry out in surprise, or bringing them to tears with overflowing emotions.
Regular listeners are eagerly awaiting the November 3 broadcast of this special program with great anticipation. For those who are not familiar with ARASHI, this is the great opportunity to dip your toe in the water to get a sense of J-Pop music. The program is scheduled to air at 8:00am in NYC time, or 9:00pm Japan time on November 3, 2022. Repeat show is scheduled at 7:00pm on the same day in NYC time, or 8:00am on the next day in Japan time.
External Links
- ARASHI – Turning Up [Official Music Video]
- ARASHI – Turning Up (R3HAB Remix) [Official Music Video]
- ARASHI – “Turning Up” Behind The Scenes in TOKYO
- ARASHI – “Turning Up” Behind The Scenes in L.A.
- ARAFES 2020 Turning Up” Live Performance at 7:20 “ARAFES 2020 at NATIONAL STADIUM” Digest Movie
References
1) Netflix series “ARASHI’s Diary –Voyage-“ (Episode 1): https://www.netflix.com/title/81219073
2) Asahi Newspaper article: https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13057422
3) Song page of “Turning Up” on Genius (annotations are shaded): https://genius.com/Arashi-turning-up-lyrics
4) Billboard Chart and article: https://www.billboard.com/artist/arashi/ & https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/equal-love-zuruiyo-zuruine-arashi-turning-up-japan-hot-100-chart-8543052/
5) “ARASHI Anniversary Tour 5×20 FILM ‘Record of Memories’” (Japanese site) https://recordofmemories.jp/
6) Team ARASHI Information: https://lit.link/en/arashi5wind Twitter: @TeamARASHI2020
[…] 📺 🎼 The 10th edition of NTV’s midyear music special, “THE MUSIC DAY” will air Saturday, July 1 starting at 3PM JST. The eight hour special will be held at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba and will be hosted by Sho Sakurai from the legendary J-Pop group ARASHI. […]
[…] The physical disc is available March 15th, 2023, wherever Japanese CDs are sold and is paired with “W,” the theme song to the hit NTV medical drama “Dai Byoin Senkyo” (Hospital Under Siege), starring fellow Johnny & Associates artist Sho Sakurai of ARASHI. […]
This article will help you understand the challenges of the world of ARASHI and the thoughts of fans that accompany it.
I hope that the world will come to love JPOP and artist ARASHI, just as ARASHI sang “TurningUp with theJPOP”.
We will continue to support ARASHI. Because I love ARASHI.
Thank you for playing ARASHI songs everyday. I am looking forward to the special program.
Thank you for the lovely article, it’s been almost 2 years since ARASHI went on hiatus… a happy miscalculation to have their music on the radio in NYC every day. Thank you for knowing and loving their music. I look forward to more of your programs in the future.
How nice! This article reminds me that exciting day when “Turning Up” unveiled.
I can’t wait for Arashi’s special feature for 2 hours.
Thank you for letting me listen to ARASHI’s music every day.
I’m looking forward to the special program on 12/28. Thank you for the wonderful project.
I am very much looking forward to the special program on December 28.
Thank you for airing so many Arashi songs! I am looking forward to the special program.
I am looking forward to the special program on Dec. 28-29, and my friends who are depressed because of ARASHI’s hiatus are happy to see you. Thank you very much.
Thank you for reading 💕