Snow Man ranks first in total for the year for the first time! Mrs. Conquers the Digital Ranking for the First Time![Oricon Annual Ranking 2024]

■“57th Oricon Annual Ranking 2024” 3 rankings announced for sales category by artist

The 3 rankings for the “57th Oricon Annual Rankings 2024” in sales categories by artist ([Total][Music Software]and[Digital]) have been announced.

◇Sales division by artist[Total]
◇Sales division by artist[Music software]
Snow Man takes first place in the annual total for the first time! Sales during the period were 15.42 billion yen, a personal best.

◇Sales division by artist[Digital]
Mrs. GREEN APPLE ranks first in all categories in the annual ranking for the first time.

■Snow Man Shota Watanabe & Ren Meguro & Koji Mukai Interview
―― Congratulations on winning “1st place in Oricon Annual Ranking Artist Sales Category Total Ranking”! This is Snow Man’s first award. First of all, please give us your thoughts on receiving your first award.
Meguro Ren:Thank you for ranking 1st in the first “Total Ranking by Artist Sales Category”!
Shota Watanabe and Koji Mukai:thank you!
Meguro:I’m glad that I received an award like this because it seems like proof that I was able to please my fans. I’m also really happy for the members who aren’t here today. thank you.
–This year, you announced two singles, “LOVE TRIGGER / We’ll go together” and “BREAKOUT / You are mine.” Both of these two works sold over 1 million copies during the annual ranking period, making him the first male artist in the history of annual singles to sell over 1 million copies during the period (“LOVE TRIGGER / We’ll go together”) and 2nd place. (“BREAKOUT / You are mine”) was exclusive. How about looking back?
Watanabe:I think it’s a huge number, or rather, it’s such a scale that I don’t even know what’s going on. I’m really grateful to be able to take 1st and 2nd place with Snow Man. Both singles are double A-side singles, so there are 4 songs on the A-side, and all 4 songs are theme songs for dramas and movies starring the members. I once again feel that I am blessed with my work.
The music video for “You are mine”, which is included in the single “BREAKOUT / You are mine” released in July 2024, was planned to be shot on location in sunny weather, but it rained heavily. Put it away. When I was thinking, “What should I do?”, Meme (Ren Meguro) said, “Let’s take a photo wearing a raincoat,” in the heavy rain. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be possible for people to enjoy even an accident in the weather, like getting wet in the rain, as a bonus?” Even the rain can be turned into content… I think it’s going to be exciting because there are ideas from these members. I think Snow Man’s commitment to coupling and bonus footage is really amazing.
Meguro:It was an unprecedented video.
Mukai:“You Are Mine” was the theme song for Shoppy’s (Shota Watanabe) drama (TV Asahi’s “Aoshima-kun Hajiwaru”), so when it rained, Shoppy’s face was sunken. I was in a good mood. As a member, I wanted Shota Watanabe to laugh…
Watanabe:Yes, it was raining and I was depressed. We all went to the sea. That’s why I wanted a sunny picture…
Meguro:On the contrary, it was a good picture!
Watanabe:When it goes out into the world, people say, “She’s dancing in the rain!” “She’s wearing a raincoat!” (The fans) all found it interesting. I think that my desire to deliver something fun has come to fruition.
Meguro:It was really fun.
Watanabe:yes! It was really fun.
Mukai: When I was dancing, the stylist and make-up artist must have gone outside (in the rain) and thought, “Oh, I put the iron on…”
Watanabe:The stylist and hair and makeup staff were already worried.
Meguro:And after that, at the end of the song, some of us ran towards the ocean and dived (lol).
Watanabe:It was more fun than anything! That’s what led to this award. I’m really grateful that I was able to win an award and see it reflected in numbers, as it’s a very easy-to-understand indicator.
–The album “RAYS” released in October ranked first in the annual album ranking and the annual total album ranking. The lead song “EMPIRE” from this album “RAYS” has become a hot topic due to its sampling of Mozart’s “Symphony No. 25”, which everyone has heard, and the music video shot in Barcelona, Spain. Please tell us about the production episode and the thoughts you put into the album “RAYS”.
Watanabe:The album “RAYS” was released in October (2024).
Mukai:It’s coming soon.
Watanabe:You went to Spain. This was the first time we shot a music video for a lead song overseas. Of course there were some fun parts, but given the scale of the event, I was conscious of the need to produce solid results. I wanted to go abroad and have fun, but when I thought about the scale of the event, it actually made me grow taller. I worked on this album with the mindset that if I didn’t get a solid result, it would be a complete waste. As a result, we are very happy to have been ranked 1st in the “Album Ranking” and “Total Album Ranking” in the “Number of Sales by Work Category.”
Mukai:During my stay, I didn’t have much time to rest. As Shoppy (Shota Watanabe) said, there was a lot of pressure and I had to get results, so I was like, “I’m going to dance every day and make something good!” We had a day off on the last day, so I had fun before heading home!
Watanabe:Did you go anywhere?
Mukai:I went to Sagrada Familia. Date-san (Ryota Miyadate), Sak-kun (Daisuke Sakuma) and Abe-chan (Ryohei Abe). It was fun! I must have taken about 6,000 photos of the unfinished buildings and the local buildings.
Watanabe:It was a cityscape where you could shoot a music video just by walking around. There’s also the feeling behind the album’s title, “RAYS.” It has the meaning of a ray of light, so we want to be idols who, like light, are not satisfied with the status quo and can continue to move forward and deliver fun things to everyone.
–Looking back on Snow Man’s music activities in 2024, please tell us about any particularly big challenges, moments, or events that made you feel like you’ve grown.
Meguro:We held our first 5 major dome tour “Snow Man Dome Tour 2024 RAYS”. We also watched our seniors’ 5 major dome tours, and we wanted to go on a 5 major dome tour someday. I think each member had their own challenges in that regard. What I enjoyed most this time was being able to communicate with the fans.
One of the reasons I wanted to do a 5-dome tour is because I think there are people who have missed our live shows and couldn’t come even if they wanted to. In order to reduce the number of such people, we should consider whether it is a large venue or the number of performances. During that time, we talked about wanting to do a 5-dome tour, and I think being able to do it was a big challenge for Snow Man.
We take on challenges every time we release a single or album, but even though we’ve released a lot of them, I feel like we’re still able to retain the extremely happy feeling we had when we released our debut song “DD.” I think so. Every time we release a piece of work, we have the feeling that it’s not something we can take for granted, and our fans also feel like they’re receiving each piece in a fresh way. .
Watanabe:That may be the secret to winning this award. Surprisingly, “getting used to it” is right next to you.
Mukai:Even on music programs, even if they perform a song many times, they have a solid choreography. We really don’t cut corners when it comes to things like that.
Watanabe:When are you going to unlock this? Even on the release date, when information is to be provided to everyone, we have thorough discussions, and the members are very vocal about their opinions on each and every item. It’s hard to keep everyone together, but I don’t think it would be a good idea to lose this passion, so I really think Snow Man is a great group. The debate with the staff was also great. I think that is really the secret to winning this award.
Meguro:I think that one of the major reasons we have been able to build such a good relationship is that we never forget the feelings we had for the first time. I’ve received awards for each of my works, including videos, singles, and albums, so I want to keep taking on new challenges and keep them fresh.
–2024 was a year of remarkable success in your music activities. I think you felt the support of many people, but what do you think is the group’s greatest strength that is unique to Snow Man?
Mukai:It’s a place where it’s easy for members to express their opinions to each other, and there’s a strong relationship between them where they can say what they think. Also, one of our strengths is that we don’t do anything halfway. We can easily say, “We want to do this,” but it’s not just us who wants to do it; we can say, “If we do this, the fans will be happy,” or “If we make this song, the fans will all be happy.” We always feel like we won’t leave our fans behind. I think that is one of its strengths.
Meguro:Having good friends is also a strength.
Mukai:After all, I feel lonely without the 9 of us…
Watanabe:The way I speak changes just by standing in a different position (lol).
–Please let us all know one of Snow Man’s “kanji of the year”.
Mukai:I guess I’ll be at the top this time. It means “top” because we have “received” many number one places and “I want to continue to win many number one places.” I want to win 1st place next year as well!
Watanabe:It was more serious than I expected (lol).
Mukai:In Abe-chan (Ryohei Abe) mode.
Watanabe:I’m in intellectual mode (lol). I guess I’m “light”. As the album title (“RAYS”) suggests.
Meguro:For me, I’m including myself a little bit, but I guess it’s the sea. When we went to Spain to shoot the music video for the album “RAYS,” we all talked a lot about things like “What kind of scenery do we want to see as Snow Man in the future?” and “Where do we want to go?” Because I made “RAYS”. I chose “sea” because I wanted to go beyond the “sea” and see various scenery.
Watanabe:There was also a drama about Meme (Ren Meguro) (Fuji TV’s “Umi no Hajimari”)! Very nice. Since it’s about crossing the ocean, it also applies to RAYS.
Meguro:Both “Hikari” and “Toku” were really good (lol).
Mukai:Isn’t “Umi” also good? I wanted to bring out something new (lol). Watanabe:So I decided on “sea”!
–January 22, 2025 will mark the 5th anniversary of the release of “Imitation Rain/DD”. On the same day, you will be releasing your first best album “THE BEST 2020-2025”. Please tell us about your enthusiasm and goals for 2025.
Mukai:2025 is the 5th anniversary, so “THE BEST 2020-2025” will be released on January 22nd. This is our first best album, so we’re really excited. 2025 will start from here, so I hope to have a really fun start with everyone. Also, as Meme (Meguro Ren) said, one of my goals is to go and meet people I haven’t been able to meet. I hope that everyone involved with Snow Man will have a happy year. Also, I hope to be able to make it through 2025 by putting my health first.
–Finally, please give a message to those who have picked up your work and those who support you.
Watanabe:I’m not able to get everyone together today, but as a Snow Man, I’d like to thank you very much! I would like to tell you. I believe that the reason we have received so many awards is because everyone is enjoying Snow Man. As both Koji (Koji Mukai) and Meme (Ren Meguro) mentioned earlier, 2025 is also the 5th anniversary. I hope to be able to deliver even more fun content to everyone than in 2024. Although we were able to do the 5 major dome tour, we still received a lot of comments like “I couldn’t see you again” and “My ticket was lost,” so for our 5th anniversary, we should stick together as a group and create opportunities to meet everyone as much as possible. I think it’s great. And thank you for 2024. We look forward to your continued support in 2025.
All:That’s it for Snow Man!
■Mrs. GREEN APPLE Comment
Motoki Omori:Hello. This is Mrs. GREEN APPLE.
Mrs. GREEN APPLE has been awarded first place in the “Artist Sales Category Digital Ranking” in the “57th Oricon Annual Ranking 2024”. thank you.
Kouto Wakai:I’m really happy that so many people listened to my songs. thank you.
Ryoka Fujisawa:Next year, we have also announced a project called “Mrs. GREEN APPLE MAGICAL 10 YEARS.” We will continue to be active in 2025. thank you.
All:That’s it for Mrs. GREEN APPLE. bye bye!