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 Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:31 am
 Band Name :: KAT-TUN ( カトゥーン, Katūn )
Origin :: Tokyo, Japan
Years Active :: 2001-Present
Label( s ) :: J-One Records | Johnny's Ent.
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:44 am
KAT-TUN In Depth
Members
- Kamenashi Kazuya ( 亀梨 和也, born February 23, 1986) | Kazuya Kamenashi is the youngest member of KAT-TUN. Often described as the most dependable, he serves as the unofficial frontman/leader and is co-lead vocalist with Akanishi. Voted as the most popular of the group by the Jrs. He is noted for his talent in baseball, having once represented Japan in a world tournament as a child though he had to give up dreams of playing professionally after joining Johnny's. Kamenashi debuted before the rest of the group as part of Shūji to Akira whose only song, "Seishun Amigo", became 2005's number one single in Japan with over 1.6 million copies sold to date. He also is a song writer. His first composed song was "Kizuna" which was composed last 2005 then "Special Happiness" which was composed last 2006 in which he sang with his co-band member Taguchi Junnosuke and his latest written song which is now sang in their BTR Summer Concert Tour 2009 "Because I Love You". He wrote this songs under his pen name, K.
- Akanishi Jin ( 赤西 仁, born July 4, 1984 ) | Jin Akanishi is the second lead vocalist and arguably one of the most popular members in KAT-TUN along with Kamenashi. He went on hiatus from October 2006 to April 2007 to study English in Los Angeles just as KAT-TUN were six months into their debut. Akanishi plays the guitar and is a budding songwriter having written several songs for the group and himself.
- Taguchi Junnosuke ( 田口 淳之介, born November 29, 1985 ) | Junnosuke Taguchi is recognized for being good at acrobatics. He needed an operation in February 2004 after sustaining a bad knee injury during rehearsals and did not return until August 2004. Taguchi is known as the most light-hearted member with a carefree-like nature. Often picked on by the other members for his frequent use of dajare (Japanese word puns), he also has a tendency to randomly jump between topics during meetings and interviews leading the others to label him "KY" ( a person who is unable to read an atmosphere properly ).
- Tanaka Koki (田中 聖, born November 5, 1985 ) | Kōki Tanaka performs most of the rap lyrics, which he writes himself. Though he wanted to leave KAT-TUN when it was first formed, he changed his mind after the group held their first concert. Influenced by hip-hop and reggae at an early age, he found the task of rapping in an idol group made easier due to Shō Sakurai's breakthrough for Arashi. Artistically inclined, Tanaka can illustrate well and designs his own apparel. With bandmate Nakamaru, they make up a comedic unit, TaNaka ( a portmanteau of their surnames ), and perform skits together during concerts.
- Ueda Tatsuya (上田 竜也, born October 4, 1983 ) | Tatsuya Ueda is the quietest member and rarely speaks unless spoken to. Ironically, he was chosen as KAT-TUN's leader at first but later quit because as he said later all members have too strong and individual personalities to need a leader. Ueda plays the piano and guitar and is an able composer and lyricist, has written songs for the group and himself. He was the first KAT-TUN member to hold a series of solo concerts entitled "Mouse Peace" in September 2008 performing songs across various genres, such as rock, dance, ballad, and folk, all of which he penned himself.
- Nakamaru Yuichi (中丸 雄一, born September 4, 1983 ) | Yuichi Nakamaru is the oldest member of the group. The first and only Johnny's idol to prominently showcase beatboxing and vocal percussion ability, Nakamaru learned by diligently studying hundreds of examples from hip-hop albums after KAT-TUN was formed. His primary motivation was to set himself apart from the rest of the members since he did not want to be seen as dull. He often shares MC duties with Kamenashi but in private, is rather shy and reserved and whose meek nature particularly shows when amongst strangers. He also has a well-documented fear of heights - one that the group has attempted to lessen by making him bungee jump continuously for 10 consecutive days during their historic concert run at Tokyo Dome in May 2009. He is currently studying at Waseda University majoring in Environmental Studies. He is also a songwriter and the first member to do a solo stage show - performing songs, dance, beat boxing and skits for two weeks in August 2008.
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:48 am
History
2001 – 2006 :: Formation and pre-debut activities | Before becoming KAT-TUN, each member belonged to different junior units within the company. In 2001, eight members were chosen to become a temporary dancing unit in order to support KinKi Kids member Koichi Domoto in the NHK music program, Pop Jam. Of these members, it did not include Tanaka; however, members were switched before it officially became KAT-TUN, with the current six members. Although the formation was only meant to be a temporary support unit, KAT-TUN gained a great deal of attention, so the formation was kept and KAT-TUN remains a solid unit. | In 2002, in response to many requests, KAT-TUN held their first concert, Okyakusama wa Kamisama - Concert 55man nin Ai no request ni Kotaete, which was later released on DVD. That same year, they performed 11 shows in a single day. This is the current record in Japan for the most performances in one day. Since then, KAT-TUN has held concerts in Japan almost every season. | In 2003-2004, their popularity rose to that of a debuted group, to the point where they performed on Music Station multiple times before debuting. In 2005, KAT-TUN released their first major DVD, Live Kaizokuban, which topped the Oricon yearly chart for the best-selling DVD. At the 20th Japan Gold Disc Awards, Live Kaizokuban placed on the Music Video Of The Year list.
2006 :: Debut | Their debut was announced on January 29, 2006 for March 22, 2006. This was a five-year long-awaited event for both the members and their fans. On the official date, KAT-TUN released their debut single "Real Face", accompanied by an album, Best of KAT-TUN and a DVD Real Face Film. These were released on their own label, J-One Records. The group also went on a nationwide tour, Live of KAT-TUN "Real Face", in support of the album. | Within the first week, Best of KAT-TUN sold 556,548 copies, "Real Face" sold 754,234 copies and Real Face Film sold 374,202 copies. These releases topped all three weekly Oricon charts. They are the second artists to do so, the first being Ayumi Hamasaki. With these numbers, KAT-TUN holds the record for the highest weekly single debut sales ( previously held by Arashi with their debut single "Arashi" ( 1999 ) ) as well as the record for highest weekly DVD debut sales. In addition, "Real Face" topped the Oricon charts for three weeks straight, making them the first artist in the millennium to do so in Japan. The single sold over a million copies in nine weeks, making "Real Face" the highest selling single for the year 2006. | In March 2006, KAT-TUN became the first group to hold their own performances in Japan's most popular stadium, Tokyo Dome, before debuting. They performed to 110,000 people over two days and about 630,000 people in total during the tour. About three months after releasing "Real Face", KAT-TUN released their second single, "Signal", on July 19, 2006. As expected, it topped the Oricon weekly chart by exceeding 400,000 in sales. | On October 12, 2006, Akanishi announced a hiatus from the group in order to study linguistics abroad in the United States, leaving KAT-TUN as a five-member group for six months. The remaining members continued activities by releasing their third single, "Bokura no Machi de" ( as the theme song to Kamenashi and Tanaka's drama, Tatta Hitotsu no Koi ), and their second album, Cartoon KAT-TUN II You, on December 7, 2006. Despite the fact that one of their lead vocalists was missing, the releases still topped the charts. | KAT-TUN is the first group in Japan to have all three singles from debut to exceed 500,000 in yearly sales, taking first, fifth and 13th place on the yearly singles chart.
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:55 am
History ( cont. )
2007 :: Cartoon KAT-TUN II You | Under the same name as their second album, KAT-TUN started their second nationwide tour, Tour 2007 Cartoon KAT-TUN II You, still without Akanishi, on April 3, 2007. The next day, KAT-TUN began to host their own variety show cartoon KAT-TUN, which airs every Wednesday from 11:55 P.M. to 12:26 A.M.. | Akanishi returned to Japan on April 19, 2007 and officially resumed work activities on April 20, 2007. His return excited a massive nationwide media frenzy. Akanishi joined the rest of KAT-TUN during their tour on April 21, 2007 in Sendai for the encore. The appearance marked his official return to KAT-TUN. | On June 6, 2007, KAT-TUN released their fourth single, "Yorokobi no Uta", as the theme song to Tanaka's drama, Tokkyu Tanaka 3 Go. The single hit number one on the weekly chart. Although "Yorokobi no Uta" is KAT-TUN's official fourth single, it is speculated that "You", the theme song to Kamenashi's drama, Sapuri, was supposed to be the fourth, but Akanishi's sudden hiatus delayed any production of "You" being a single. | On November 21, 2007, they simultaneously released their fifth single, "Keep the Faith", as the theme song to Akanishi and Taguchi's drama, Yukan Club, and the DVD to their Tokyo Dome Live of KAT-TUN "Real Face" concert. The DVD marked their fifth consecutive release topping the Oricon musical DVD chart, and set the opening week record for the year. KAT-TUN took the annual number one position on the Oricon musical DVD charts for the third time in a row with the release. A runaway hit, "Keep the Faith" topped weekly single charts throughout Japan. | After KinKi Kids, KAT-TUN is the second artist to have all singles since debut to exceed 300,000 in sales during their first week. | At the 21st Japan Gold Disc Awards, "Real Face" took Single of the Year. In addition to this, "Real Face", "Signal" and "Bokura no Machi de" were included in the list of The Best 10 Singles for 2007. Furthermore, their debut album, Best of KAT-TUN, placed in the The Best 10 Albums of 2007 and their DVD, Real Face Film, was also included in the The Best Music Videos of 2007 list.
2008 :: -Queen of Pirates- | KAT-TUN released their sixth single, "Lips", on February 6, 2008, as the theme song to Kamenashi's drama, One Pound Gospel. The single topped at number one on the Oricon charts. | At the 22nd Japan Gold Disc Awards, "Bokura no Machi de" and "Keep the Faith" won two of the Best 10 Singles Their concert DVD, Live of KAT-TUN "Real Face", had also won one of the three Best Music Videos awards. | On March 30, 2008, it was announced that KAT-TUN would hold their third nationwide tour, beginning in Hiroshima on June 21, 2008. | On April 22, 2008 it was announced that KAT-TUN would release their third album, KAT-TUN III Queen of Pirates on June 4, 2008. | KAT-TUN released their seventh single, "Don't U Ever Stop", on May 14, 2008 which topped the weekly Oricon chart. The release included three limited edition versions featuring the members' duets. The first with Kamenashi and Taguchi, the second with Akanishi and Tanaka, and the third with Ueda and Nakamaru. It sold more than all other artists' sales on the top 50 list combined. Along with "Lips", KAT-TUN holds the record for the two highest first-week sales in 2008. | On May 15, 2008, during the MC segment promoting "Don't U Ever Stop" on Music Station, Kamenashi announced that two shows had been added to their Tokyo Dome tourdates, resulting in a total of four consecutive days at the Dome. This marked a historic event in the Dome's history, as KAT-TUN became the first Japanese artist to hold four consecutive days at the stadium since it opened in 1988. Other Japanese artists, such as SMAP, X Japan and Ayumi Hamasaki have had three consecutive days at the Dome. The Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson have played multiple days at the Dome, but they were not consecutive. | On December 3, 2008, KAT-TUN released White X'mas, their first Christmas single. The release consisted of a limited and regular edition, but both would only be sold during the holiday season. The single, with no drama tie-in and no B-side, still sold moderately well with more than 250,000 copies sold in its first week. | On December 21, 2008, it was announced that KAT-TUN would release a new single "One Drop" as a tie-in theme song to Kamenashi's new drama, Kami no Shizuku, just two months after their White X'mas single. The release consists of three versions: Limited Edition w/DVD, Regular Edition ( First Press ) and a Regular Edition. | On December 28, 2008, Avex Taiwan announced on their website of an overseas ( OS ) press release of KAT-TUN Live Tour 2008 Queen of Pirates on January 20, 2009, including traditional Chinese subtitles. | Before partaking in Johnny's annual countdown concert on December 31, 2008, KAT-TUN performed an unbroadcasted special medley for 10 minutes, consisting of "Keep the Faith", "One Drop" and "Yorokobi no Uta". It was their first time performing "One Drop" publicly, debuting the song.
2009 :: Break the Records: By You & For You | On January 1, 2009, it was announced that Kamenashi will continue starring in Dream Boys in September for 38 shows. The stage show is expected to continue for six more years. In addition, KAT-TUN released KAT-TUN Live Tour 2008 Queen of Pirates DVD, featuring their last day of four in Tokyo Dome. | On February 11, 2009 KAT-TUN released "One Drop" for Kazuya Kamenashi's drama, Kami no Shizuku. It became KAT-TUN's 9th consecutive number one single since debut, selling 281,359 copies in its first week. | A month later, on March 11, 2009, KAT-TUN released "Rescue" for band member Nakamaru Yuichi's drama, Rescue: Tokubetsu Kodo Kyujotai. It became KAT-TUN's 10th consecutive number one single since debut, selling 322,597 copies in its first week. With this achievement KAT-TUN are now tied with NEWS for the 2nd most consecutive #1 singles from debut ( Kinki Kids is #1 with 28 ). A week after the release of "Rescue", it was revealed through their official website that KAT-TUN would be releasing their fourth studio album. | On April 1, 2009 the title of the album, Break the Records: By You & For You, as well as the track list for KAT-TUN's fourth studio album were released; the release of the album itself is slated for April 29, 2009. | As far as news on KAT-TUN's concerts for 2009, it was announced on January 23 that KAT-TUN would hold 7 consecutive days at Tokyo Dome, Japan's largest and most prestigious arena. Also, making KAT-TUN the first artists in history to do so. However, by the end of March, due to the large number of pre-reserved tickets, KAT-TUN's record breaking concert added extra tour dates. Making KAT-TUN's 2009 concert 8 consecutive days in Tokyo Dome from May 15 to the 22, 3 days in Osaka from May 29 to the 31, and 2 more days in Tokyo Dome from June 14 to the 15. For a total of 13 concert performances in two cities, and 10 days in total for Tokyo Dome. | Sales for KAT-TUN's 8 consecutive days in Tokyo Dome concert went on sale on April 4, 2009. On the very same day all 440,000 seats were sold out. | On their last of the 8 days at Tokyo Dome, it was announced that KAT-TUN would once again embark on another summer tour of Japan starting from July 7. | Also, it was reported on May 24 that Johnny Kitagawa was after the acknowledgement of KAT-TUN's 8 days by the Guinness World Records company, for the record of the largest number of consecutive days at a stadium seating more than 50,000 spectators.
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 10:04 am
Discography
2006 :: Best of KAT-TUN
Singles: "Real Face"
2007 :: Cartoon KAT-TUN II You
Singles: "Signal" | "Bokura no Machi de"
2008 :: KAT-TUN III - Queen of Pirates
Singles: "Yorokobi no Uta" | "Keep the Faith" | "Lips"
2009 :: Break the Records: By You & For You
Singles: "Don't U Ever Stop" | "White X-mas" | "One Drop" | "Rescue"
** For Additional Information/Information Source ::
Wikipedia
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