Aee! group won first place in the artist sales category and new artist ranking in the 57th Oricon Annual Ranking 2024

■“I want to work hard so that I can come back here again with a different award. Thank you very much for this time.” (Ae! group Seikado Yoshinori)

The “57th Oricon Annual Rankings 2024” sales category and new artist rankings have been announced, and it has been revealed that Ae! group took first place with sales of 2.89 billion yen during the period.

Ae! group achieved first place in the ranking for the second time in the first half of the year. For the first time in four years, sales for the male group exceeded 2 billion yen.

■Ae! group award comment
◇Yoshiki Main Gate
When I was on stage at the award ceremony for the rookie ranking in the first half of the year, I said, “I definitely want to win this year,” so I’m glad that I was able to do that. I think that because we were able to reach number 1, we were able to ignite some of the excitement among our fans, and I think that other people also found out about us.
◇ Seiya Suezawa
I am filled with gratitude to all the fans who support me.
I was able to receive this award thanks to the support of many people, including the staff, so I will do my best to come back here with another award.
◇Richard Keita Kusama
Winning an award in the rookie ranking is something that can only happen at this timing, “the year you made your debut.”
I believe that I was able to win this award thanks to everyone’s help. I really appreciate it. I’m happy.
◇Ken Kojima
I believe that this year’s 1st place in the “Ranking of Newcomers by Artist Sales” was achieved not only by us but also by the support of everyone. So, I feel very grateful to all of you. I heard that this is the first time in the Reiwa era that he has been ranked number one in the rookie rankings for the year following the first half of the year. Now that we, the Ae! group, have gained confidence, we want to keep up the momentum and do our best on our live tour starting in the winter (starting February 28th).
◇Akiya Sano
thank you. I’m really happy.
At the award ceremony for the rookie ranking in the first half of the year, it was my first time receiving an award like this, so there were some things I wasn’t used to. Even after winning the rookie ranking, I guess I worked hard… I think I have had many different experiences.
■Comments from Yoshinori Masakado at the award ceremony
Hello, this is Yoshinori Masakado from Ae! group.
Thank you very much for receiving this honorable award.
I believe that being number 1 in the rookie rankings is an award that can only be earned in the first year of debut.
Among them, we were able to achieve 1st place in the “New Artist Ranking” in the “Artist Sales Category” for the first half of the year as well.
I think it’s all thanks to all the staff who support us and all the fans who support us.
When I hear the numbers, I’m surprised at how big they are, but I think that I should keep that in mind, and don’t stop there. I think that there are so many people’s stories, and I put as much love into the song as there are people. I think it would be great if I could continue to work hard as an artist.
All five of us will continue to do our best as idols.
I would like to work hard so that I can come back here again with a different award. Thank you very much.
■Award interview
–Who would you like to report this award to?
Kojima:As expected, it’s Yokoyama (Hiroshi) from SUPER EIGHT, who I’ve been indebted to for a long time. A while ago, we met for the first time in a while and talked about the current situation of the Ae! group. (Member) Sano does this kind of work, and when I told him that he was also a voice actor, Yokoyama-kun told me, “You should try harder.”
Sano:He said that about 20 times in one day.
Kojima:There were exchanges like, “No, I’m trying my best,” “I’m really trying my best, I’m looking forward to it,” and “That’s why I’m working hard!”
Sano:(To Yokoyama-kun) You said, let’s do our best together.
Kojima:Apart from my future goals with other members, I also have a goal of “gracing the cover of a magazine with Yokoyama-kun.” I want to take Yokoyama-kun to the cover. When I achieve this, I would like to hear from Yokoyama-kun, saying, “You’re doing your best, too.”
Main gate:Who do you want to report? I would like to say something to the Ae! group that was at the awards ceremony for being number one in the first half of the rookie rankings. I feel like I should try harder, knowing a result like this (ranking 1st in the annual rookie rankings). I was able to come running because I didn’t know about it, but I thought it would be great if I could do something like that.
Suesawa:I think I was able to receive this award (number 1 in the annual rookie ranking) thanks to the support of my fans. Your support has made us happy… I want to tell all the fans.
Richard: Me too, of course, and all the fans.
Main gate:I also spoke as an MC at live shows. I want to win (first place in the rookie rankings) this year as well. Richard: I think the fans are happier than us.
Sano:I’d wear it too, but it’s Yokoyama-kun.
Main gate:Over there! (lol).
Sano:After it was decided that I would make my CD debut, but before the CD was released, I was allowed to go out to dinner with the Ae! group and Yokoyama-kun. Then, Yokoyama-kun told me, “Don’t look too high, just take it easy and do your best.” So I would like to report to Yokoyama-kun.
— Your debut single “《A》BEGINNING” recorded the highest first week sales for a debut single in 2024, and was ranked 1st in the “Weekly Single Ranking”. Once again, what kind of song does your debut single “《A》BEGINNING” mean to you? Please tell us about any episodes during production.
Kojima:“《A》BEGINNING” was probably just about a year ago. We were having discussions about our debut song until the last minute. After a lot of talking and worrying, we talked a lot about which song would be suitable as our debut song… SUPER EIGHT’s Yokoyama-kun and Okura (Tadayoshi)-kun were also included, and in the end, the Ae! group was allowed to decide, so we chose the song “《A》BEGINNING.” Everyone convinced me that I had made the right choice. The numbers may be one thing, but more than that, we have been singing for about a year, and each time we sing, it’s different, and we can show you the Aee! group that is evolving day by day. It’s a song that really allows you to grow along with the song, and I feel like the group itself has grown as well, so I’m really glad that we chose “A” BEGINNING. Actually, from the beginning, all five of us didn’t agree that we should go with “A” BEGINNING…we had a variety of opinions. We had that discussion at karaoke or something.
Suesawa:I guess we talked after we finished singing at karaoke.
Sano:It was a situation where normally you wouldn’t have spoken at such a timing.
Main gate:Did you suddenly feel serious? Let’s listen and compare once! That’s it. After Kojima sang like crazy.
Suesawa:That happened!
Kojima:Don’t bother me with my song. There was still a medley.
Main gate:Debut songs are a really big topic, so at the time, whenever there was a gap, we would often talk about it. So, rather than getting together to talk about that topic, it just naturally became a topic of conversation. So there were times when the five of us were discussing things, and there were probably times when each of us consulted individually.
Suesawa:When I have meetings, I get nervous, so I go out to dinner, go to karaoke, and talk in between.
――After making your CD debut with “《A》BEGINNING”, your debut tour “Aee! I think it was a live show where you could hear the cheers of the fans up close. This video work has recorded the highest first week sales in 2024 as the 1st music video work in the “Weekly Music DVD / BD Ranking”. Looking back on your time on tour, are there any memorable or memorable episodes?
Suesawa:Since this was our first arena tour, we spent quite a bit of time deciding on the setlist from the initial meeting stage. I decided on it, then reworked it…I think I reworked it about three times. When the tour started, many fans said “Congratulations!” to us during our live performances, which made us happy. We also had fun while brushing up on our skills, so this tour made us realize once again how much fun live performances can be. I think it’s all thanks to everyone that the DVD/Blu-ray Disc of the debut tour was able to record the highest first week sales in 2024 as the first music video work. Did you watch the live video?
Main gate:Yeah.
Sano:I saw it!
Suesawa:It was really good, wasn’t it?
Sano:That was cool, us.
Suesawa:But didn’t you think, “There are so many comedy parts!?”
Main gate:Well, these people don’t talk like that.
Suesawa:Even though it was a live performance, I was singing, but I was told not to talk.
Kojima:Okura-kun came to watch the whole rehearsal. The comment after it was over was, “You’re doing more than half of the skit!?”
Suesawa:We didn’t intend to do that, though.
Kojima:I was shocked (lol). I looked at the setlist and thought, “Yeah, more than half of them are doing skits.”
Suesawa:I made some adjustments from there, and I think I was able to make it in the best possible way.
–During the encore on the final day of “Ae! group Debut Tour ~Sekai de No. 1 AeLIVE~,” you performed your 2nd single “Gotta Be” for the first time in front of the fans. I think it’s a passionate cheering song that will give you a boost, but could you tell us the highlights of this work and the MV?
Richard:I think the appeal of this second work is that sense of speed. It’s an exhilarating song that makes you feel the power of music, and you can feel the power of music just by listening to it. Just by looking at the CD jacket photo, you can hear Suezawa singing the chorus, “Sound.” It’s such a memorable song. I thought it was such an impressive song that even my friends said to me, “Hey, there’s a new one out!” We shot the music video in a studio for the first time and danced it many times, but Sano’s costume left a lasting impression on me. (The inside of the jacket) was made with a netted inner layer. She was wearing a jacket over a white mesh inner layer. So, while I was dancing, I was left with a huge impression that my part of the choreography was splitting apart, and before I knew it, I was only left with a net.
Kojima:It’s like a cushioning material used to wrap things like apples. It was called Styrofoam Sano.
Richard: Maybe it was only in this scene? If you watch the MV while thinking that, I hope it will make you smile.
–What kind of people do you think had the most support and influence for you to be ranked 1st in the rookie rankings this year?
Main gate:The same goes for all the staff members who have supported us since we were juniors when creating things, as well as the fans who have been waiting for the release of our work for a long time, and the people who heard our first single and became interested in the second one. There were a lot of people there, and I really feel like I have connections with all kinds of people. Regarding the second single, we collaborated with Rei Higuchi, an Olympian (Paris Olympics wrestling freestyle 57kg gold medalist), on the music video. So, I feel like “Gotta be” has taken us to a place that Ae! group alone couldn’t go to. I feel that because of all these connections and arrangements, I was able to receive this year’s 1st place award in the “Artist Sales Category Newcomer Ranking.”
――In addition to your success as a group, in addition to live performances, you have had many opportunities to see your individual activities on variety shows, stages, dramas, etc., and I hope you have had a fulfilling first year since your debut. I think so, but when you look back on 2024, could you tell us about any memorable events?
Kojima:It was a really turbulent year, starting with Kansai Junior’s first live performance at Kyocera Dome. As for other things, this may be a little personal, but I think the biggest topic this year was that I was late and couldn’t go see the main gate performance. I’m really sorry.
Sano:That’s all I’m going to say here (lol).
Main gate:Don’t rent this place! Even if I get apologized for wearing such formal attire.
Suesawa:Me and Richa (Richard Keita Kusama) were there.
Main gate:Weren’t you interested?
Kojima:Seriously, um, I fell asleep. I slept twice.
Main gate:(Kojima) is the variety king. in the second half of the year. You were busy, weren’t you? You met Mr. Hamada (Masatoshi) downtown several times a week, right?
Kojima:There were times when we met at the studio two days in a row.
Suesawa:Yeah.
Main gate:I wonder if I can meet Mr. Hamada once a year or not.
Kojima:If I do that, I can’t help but oversleep.
Main gate:(Bash!)
Kojima:Lately, (Maimon) has been training so it hurts.
――Please let us know if there are any challenges or goals you would like to pursue in the future after being ranked number one in this year’s rookie rankings.
Sano:We will be releasing our first album in February 2025, so this will be the first time we’ll be performing live with only our songs in support of that album. I’m really looking forward to it. Up until now, I have done covers of songs by my seniors, and most of them have been SUPER EIGHT’s songs. With the help of many other seniors’ songs, we performed our debut tour and live with songs from our album, our first and second singles, and songs from our five years as juniors. It’s going to be a great challenge and I’m looking forward to seeing what the atmosphere will be like when we perform live. I feel like I’m making my debut all over again.
――I think 2024, the year you debuted, was a very busy year, but when you look back, is there anything that stands out to you?
Suesawa:It felt like each of us was working on separate tasks at the same time. Each performs on stage while recording. I wonder if the production of the album was going on at the same time.
Main gate:(Suezawa) Seiya-kun was wearing both. Touring and album production. You were doing it while working on the musical “The Three Musketeers,” right?
Suesawa:…I’m wearing it. Certainly, there may have been times when I felt like I was making a debut. Even in the recording, it was pointed out that I was singing in a musical style, but I couldn’t figure it out myself. Because I wasn’t aware of it… Even though I was told not to make it look like a musical, I didn’t know what to do.
Sano:The part where they sang “Facing” became “Fencing.”
Kojima:No way! Moreover, it had been three or four months since “The Three Musketeers” (musical starring Suezawa) ended!?
Suesawa:It hasn’t been that long (lol). As for arena tours, we had only done hall tours before, so the way we created them was quite different. I did it while listening to the opinions of the staff, but it was difficult because it was my first time.
Richard:Well, I had the impression that I was stuck with things to do one after another. I had to take this opportunity to do a lot of things, and I think I was able to grow in a lot of ways because of that.
Sano:At the end of the year, we recorded an acoustic live session video to include as a bonus with the album, and it was quite intense. We only had one day of rehearsal, so we forced ourselves to squeeze in another day. It’s an original song, but it’s a new arrangement, so it’s like a new song.
Suesawa:I don’t really have the luxury of doing it. I feel like I’m always working on a tight schedule.
Kojima:Seiya-kun might be like that.
Suesawa:Huh, am I the only one!? (lol)
Kojima:Ahaha! A lot of time is spent dancing and composing, and bands practice when they have free time. There are also studio issues. It requires more concentration than learning how to dance.
Suesawa:That’s right. That’s why I really think SUPER EIGHT is amazing.
――This time, I’m wondering whether it’ll be a band or a dance performance! I’m looking forward to it, but it’s more difficult to do.
Kojima:I’m glad that people are looking forward to it. I’ll imagine it especially when the album comes out.
Richard: Certainly.
Sano:If we decide to play with a band, we start practicing from there. When we heard that we were going to play as a band for the music video for “A” BEGINNING, we all hurriedly practiced the day before and on the day.
Kojima:Sorry, there, other than Kakko Kojima.
Main gate:Why are you so honest? (lol)
Kojima:I’m sorry to everyone. Kojima is the type of person who listens intently and then puts it into practice.
Sano:You did what you could, right?
Kojima:yes.
–I think you’ve had many opportunities to be interviewed since your debut, but which of the interview questions you received last year do you think were the most frequently asked?
Suesawa:“What has changed since your debut?”
Main gate:I was often asked, “What trouble did you have in Tokyo?”
Richard:“After debuting, what are the future goals of Ae! group?”
Kojima:“What are your tips for hitchhiking?”
Suesawa:That’s just you!
Sano:Are you good at hitchhiking? Let’s get back to it! I was asked a lot of questions like “Ah! What are the strengths of the group?”
Kojima:I reconsidered the strengths of hitchhiking. Places where you can go empty-handed.
Suesawa:I’ve never heard of such a hitchhiking character (lol).
Main gate:I was asked a lot about the members. One by one.
–I was exactly what I wanted to hear about the group’s strengths and the members. This is the second year since their debut.
Kojima:Hitchhiking…
Suesawa:Enough! (Laughs) Well, my strength is my breadth. I sing, dance, play in a band, laugh, and do idol-like things. The fact that you can perform any genre live allows you to have a lot of fun at a single concert, so you’ll never get bored.
–Are there any “entrances to Ae! group” that everyone in Ae! group recommends?
Richard:No, not at all. There are gaps no matter where you enter.
Sano:It’s true that the album we’re currently preparing doesn’t have a sense of unity at all. The lead song “Hello” is also a very passionate song, different from the first single “《A》BEGINNING” and the second single “Gotta Be”. The other 12 new songs each have their own individuality and are different, and each song has a different person’s voice that stands out, so I hope you enjoy it.
Kojima:“Hello” was also included as a candidate for a debut song. I was waiting for the right time to release it, and it became the lead song for this album.
–Please tell us what the person sitting next to you (at the time of the interview) was doing their best. First of all, Mr. Kojima, what did Mr. Masakado do his best?
Kojima:Masan (Yoshiki Masakado) was really impressed with the stage performance. I overslept on the day I had promised Sano-chan (to see the play at the main gate), but I went to see it the next day. Since it was a matter of life or death, I was so absorbed in it that I couldn’t breathe. I heard that you were screaming a lot during the rehearsal period, and even though there was a singing program during that time, I think you managed to keep your throat clear. It’s not just Masan, everyone is amazing.
Sano:Yeah.
Kojima:Oi! (Laughs) Anyway, I was proud.
Main gate:thank you.
–What about Masakado-san and Suezawa-san?
Main gate:(Suezawa) Seiya-kun is the main vocalist and center of the group, and while doing musicals, he has been pushing forward with the group’s music activities, including many singing programs, which was really reassuring.
Suesawa:Throughout the tour, my throat has gotten stronger. I no longer have to let it dry out.
Main gate:The variety is also amazing. There was also a Suezawa big turn.
Kojima:Suezawa’s big move.
Richard:It was a big turn around (lol).
Kojima:He has the best (laughing) sense in this office.
Suesawa:You say too much! Stop it! (lol)
Kojima:You support me, right?
Main gate:oh yeah.
Sano:I’ll do something about it, so don’t worry.
Suesawa:I’ve never said that (laughs).
Sano:The director came into the meeting and said, “It’s okay to have a meeting.”
Suesawa:Or rather, I’ll be more thorough! Well, Richa (Richard Keita Kusama) played bass on tour, and after that was over, there was a three-person play, and she played many roles by herself. He is the man who has changed his appearance the most, having done what seems like a difficult task and his hair has been shortened.
Richard: Things have changed this year. Before my debut, I didn’t change my hairstyle that much, but (after my debut) I had many opportunities to change my hairstyle.
Suesawa:Has it been this short since you joined the agency? I feel like I’m back to the old Richa. It was around the time the group was formed.
Richard:It might have grown a little now. Sano did it all. Not only music, but also movies, dramas, voice acting, and variety shows. He had a wide range of defense and was active, so I think he must have worked really hard. Even at the live performance, I had leg cramps at the end.
Sano:That’s right. (To Kojima) He gave me a chew.
Kojima:Yes, for cramped legs.
Sano:Kojima-kun really doesn’t seem like he was trying his best…
Suesawa:That’s not true (lol).
Kojima:I was surprised! Watch (my) regular program!
Sano:Mainly in Kansai.
Main gate:No, no, “Dodesuka! ” (Me-Tele) is also available!
Sano:From Kansai to Nagoya.
Kojima:You come to Tokyo a lot!?
Sano:I worked hard by traveling back and forth between Kansai and Nagoya. Approximately 45 minutes by Shinkansen.
Kojima:No, it’s two and a half hours (to Tokyo)!
Suesawa:But you moved the most, right? I thought it was going back and forth.
Sano:You were working hard.
Kojima:We’re only talking about moving.
Suesawa:If you’re traveling that much, that means you’re working that much.
Kojima:Tell me about the contents!?
Sano:I also traveled to Awaji Island with Bullet.
–Are you with me?
Sano:(with a straight face) No, I didn’t have time for that.
4 people:Ahahahaha!!
Sano:His ability to take action and not waste his time off is amazing.
Suesawa:It took a lot of physical strength.
Main gate:I was trying my best.
Sano:The leaders were active and motivated, which gave us energy.
–When was the moment when you realized that Kojima-kun was a good leader?
Kojima:(happily) Ah, I’ll ask everyone!?
Suesawa:I always think that. She’s a mood maker, bright, cheerful and energetic.
Richard:Always brightens up the room.
Kojima:I was also reflecting on that, thinking that I might have been a little too energetic. I have a junior who is a freshman in high school, and when we went straight from the set to dinner and we talked for about three hours, he got annoyed and said, “Is that what it’s like behind the scenes? Please come and have a good time…” I did.
Sano:In the group chat that Kojima-kun and his two juniors created, it seems that Kojima-kun was too noisy and one of them left out (lol).
Suesawa:Does that mean it’s noisy even on screen? It’s hard to break away from a group with seniors, but I guess that’s how energetic you are (lol).
–How are you doing during rehearsals and on set even when your schedule is packed?
Suesawa:No, you’re feeling exhausted.
Kojima:But when I’m fine, I’m fine! We look forward to your continued support of Ae! group in 2025!