Following the idol groups =LOVE (Equal Love) and ≠ME (Not Equal Me), Rino Sashihara produces the third group, ≒JOY (Nearly Equal Joy). Their first single, “Gymnasium Disco,” released on 6/12 (Wednesday), sold over 100,000 copies in its first week, and debuted at No. 1 on both the Oricon Weekly Single Ranking and the Billboard JAPAN Top Singles Sales. They are also the first female artist to achieve the feat of having their first album and first single debut at No. 1 on the Oricon charts in about two and a half years, and are on a roll. Today, they made their first appearance on the Raijin Stage on the second day of the Inazuma Rock Festival 2024 (@Kusatsu City, Shiga Prefecture), one of the largest outdoor music events in western Japan, where they performed a dignified performance unique to outdoor festivals, greatly exciting the visitors.
The concert started with the youth song “Gym Disco,” which is sure to make everyone happy when dancing to it at a gymnasium disco, followed by four songs in a row: “Dreaming ♡ Idol,” a cute and sparkling idol song filled with honest love, “Sweet Sixteen,” an after-school party song in which Amano Kanoe takes center position for the first time, and the hard-hitting “Super Lonely Lion,” which is the polar opposite of refreshing.
After member Esumi Reon shouted, “Everyone in the venue, and everyone watching the live stream, are you excited? Can you keep up with Near Joy?!”, the group ended with a performance of “Hatsukoi Cinderella,” a thrilling love song about the height of a faint first love, with Esumi Reon in the center. The song is the title track of their second single to be released in October, and the music video for which was recently released. The song was met with huge cheers and applause from the audience.
At the end of this month, ≒JOY will hold a joint concert “Ikonoi Joy 2024” by =LOVE, ≠ME, and ≒JOY on Saturday, September 28th, and will also hold the ≒JOY Hall Tour 2024, which will visit four cities from October. While we look forward to further news about their second single “Hatsukoi Cinderella,” which is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, October 16th, please keep an eye on ≒JOY as they run through the summer of 2024 with all their might and continue to work energetically.
■9/22 (Sun) “Inazuma Rock Festival 2024” Fujin Stage @ Karasuma Peninsula Grass Square, Kusatsu City, Shiga Prefecture
SET LIST
Overture
M1. Gymnasium Disco
M2. Dreaming♡Idol
M3. Sweet Sixteen
M4. Super Lonely Lion
MC
M5. First Love Cinderella
★New song “First Love Cinderella” Music Video
“First Love Cinderella”
Lyricist: Rino Sashihara
Composition/Arrangement: Sota Saito
Sound Director: Takayuki Yayama (Sony Music)
Recorded by Sony Music Studios Tokyo
(MUSIC VIDEO)
Director: Ryohei Shingu (BABEL LABEL)
Choreography: Maika Takeda
★New song “First Love Cinderella” now available!
https://nearly-equal-joy.lnk.to/HatsukoiCinderella
★Product details for the 2nd single “Hatsukoi Cinderella” to be released on Wednesday, October 16th
https://nearly-equal-joy.jp/news/detail/1806
*For details on the online individual autograph session, click here
※For details on the online individual talk session, click here
https://nearly-equal-joy.jp/news/detail/1815
*Individual talk session
https://nearly-equal-joy.jp/news/detail/1487
※For details on the two-shot photoshoot, click here
https://nearly-equal-joy.jp/news/detail/1818
★Saturday, September 28, 2024 ICONOIJOY 2024
[Date]Saturday, September 28, 2024
[Venue]Fuji-Q Highland Conifer Forest
https://nearly-equal-joy.jp/feature/specialsite_ikonoijoy2024
★≒JOY Hall Tour 2024
【schedule】
Monday, October 14, 2024 (National Holiday) Fukuoka City Hall, Fukuoka Prefecture
Sunday, October 27, 2024 Kobe International Hall, Hyogo Prefecture
Saturday, November 2, 2024 Orix Theater, Osaka Prefecture
Sunday, November 24, 2024 Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall, Chiba Prefecture
https://nearly-equal-joy.jp/news/detail/1614
★Profile
This is the third group formed by Rino Sashihara to produce her ideal idol, following =LOVE and ≠ME. The final audition was held on January 30, 2022, and on March 29, 2022, the members were unveiled and producer Rino Sashihara herself announced that the group would be named “≒JOY”. On September 3 last year, the ≒JOY 1st concert “Nice to meet you, we are ≒JOY” was held at the National Hall of Pacifico Yokohama, and from the end of last year to the beginning of this year, the first tour ≒JOY 1st Tour “Absolute” was held and was a great success. The debut mini album “Kitto, Zettai, Zettai” was released on Wednesday, January 17th. (They debuted at number one on both the Oricon Weekly Album Ranking and Billboard JAPAN Top Album Sales. They shipped over 100,000 copies on the first day of release.) On February 23rd of this year, they held the ≒JOY 2nd ANNIVERSARY PREMIUM CONCERT, which attracted an audience of about 8,000 people at Tokyo International Forum Hall A to celebrate their second anniversary. On June 12th (Wednesday), they released their long-awaited first single, “Taiikukan Disco.” (They debuted at number one on both the Oricon Weekly Single Ranking and Billboard JAPAN Top Single Sales. It was the first time in about two and a half years for a female artist to debut at number one on the Oricon charts for both their first album and first single.) Their second single, “Hatsukoi Cinderella,” is scheduled to be released on October 16th (Wednesday). The name ≒JOY embodies Rino Sashihara’s wish that “when the members meet the fans who support us, we want them to feel joy and happiness.”
Official websitehttps://nearly-equal-joy.jp/
Official Xhttps://twitter.com/Nearlyequal_joy
Official YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_qmQbqvW6UES3NT780l2Pg
