Idol (Yoasobi song)
2023 single by Yoasobi / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Idol" (Japanese: アイドル, Hepburn: Aidoru) is a song by Japanese duo Yoasobi from their third EP, The Book 3 (2023). It was released as a single on April 12, 2023, by Sony Music Entertainment Japan, serving as the opening theme of the 2023 Japanese anime series Oshi no Ko. Written by Ayase and based on Aka Akasaka's short story 45510, "Idol" is a combination of Japanese idol-styled pop, hip hop, rock, and video game music, depicting the two-faced nature of a star in the Japanese idol industry from perspectives on the anime's character Ai Hoshino by her fans, her B-Komachi's groupmates, and herself.
"Idol" | ||||
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![]() Standard edition cover[upper-alpha 1] | ||||
Single by Yoasobi | ||||
from the EP The Book 3 | ||||
Language | Japanese | |||
Released | April 12, 2023 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:33 | |||
Label | Sony Japan | |||
Songwriter(s) | Ayase | |||
Producer(s) | Ayase | |||
Yoasobi singles chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
![]() Digital edition cover | ||||
Music video | ||||
"Idol" on YouTube English version on YouTube | ||||
The song received positive reviews from music critics for a "perfect" representation of Ai Hoshino. It was a massive commercial success by peaking at number one on both the Oricon Combined Singles Chart and Billboard Japan Hot 100. The latter topped for 22 non-consecutive weeks, making it the longest-running number-one song in the chart history. It also broke the record for the fastest song to achieve diamond certification for 500 million streaming by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) in about ten months. As Yoasobi's most successful song worldwide to date, "Idol" was marked as the highest position by Japanese act at number seven on the Billboard Global 200, and the first Japanese-language song to top the Global Excl. US, as well as the 19th best-selling song globally in 2023, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).
Naoya Nakayama directed the accompanying animated music video for the song, which premiered on April 13, 2023, and exceeded 100 million views in around one month, the fastest among Japanese acts. "Idol" won several awards, including Best Animation Video and Song of the Year at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards Japan, Best Anime Song at the 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards, Song of the Year by both download and streaming at the 38th Japan Gold Disc Award, and Gold Prize at the 2024 JASRAC Awards. After numerous domestic and overseas performances, the first Japanese televised performance of "Idol" took place at the 74th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen, featuring Japanese and Korean idol groups, among others.