Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai - View Single Post - [AAA] Gold Symphony

Mai82Go · #1 24th February 2014, 11:02 PM

Gold Symphony
The 5th Triple A Thread

NEWS

New Single Wake up! (One Piece Anime Opening) 2014/07/02
SKY-HI Solo Album TRICKSTER, release date 14/03/12
2014 ARENA TOUR Gold Symphony
Last Album Eighth Wonder, release date 18/09/13
AAAのキズナ合宿 (AAA's bonding camp) can be seen every Saturday on TV Asahi.
Official Youtube Channel of AAAのキズナ合宿
 Official Homepage of AAAのキズナ合宿

Who?

AAA aka Triple A (トリプルエー). Fans call them Tori E. AAA originally stands for Attack All Around. They are a seven member J-Pop Group under the avex trax label with male and female members. Started in 2005 they celebrated their 8th anniversary in September 2013 and they are one of the few groups who managed to increase their sales over the last years. They tour every year and until recently performed in smaller venues around Japan, but their first Arena Tour ever called Gold Symphony was just announced for 2014. If they follow their usual pattern, their next album will also be called Gold Symphony and probably will be released in the middle to later months of this year. The official fanclub is called AAA Party.
Official Website
Official Facebook
Offical Youtube AAA Channel - You should check this out, it is a goldmine!

And who are these people exactly?

AAA are a "super performance unit". They dance and sing. Wow! The members are:

Naoya Urata - 浦田直也 DOB 82/11/10, age 31
Oldest member and leader of the group. His soulful voice is heard on almost every AAA track as he is one of their lead singers. Started at avex as a background dancer for some j-pop singer called Ayumi Hamasaki. Did two collaborations in 2010 & 2011 with the woman who this forum is dedicated to. Also released a solo album TURN OVER in 2009. Occasionally holds solo gigs. Naoya is a funny guy and friends with almost every japanese person.

He also released collaborations with May J and Mao Denda. Naoya released another solo album UNchanged in 2013.
twitter account
UN - Naoya Urata Official Homepage
Naoya Urata's Blog

Takahiro Nishijima - 西島隆弘 DOB 86/09/30, age 27
Probably the most famous member, Nishijima is called "Nishi/Nissy" by fans and friends alike. Nishi is not only the voice of AAA, he is also a well-known actor. You can see him in stage plays, dramas and movies. Known to the western audiences because of his awesome acting in a movie called Ai no Mukidashi (Love Exposure). Nishi loves One Piece and is bad with computers. That's why the only time you hear from Nishi is when he hijacks the other members twitter accounts or posts at AAA's official blog. Nishi is known for his perverted antics and Ayu called him "funny" when she visited AAA in one of her tweets. Also models and has several photobooks released.

Mitsuhiro Hidaka - 日高光啓 DOB 86/12/12, age 27
AAAs very own rapper, also known as SKY-Hi. Mitsuhiro is a ladies man who mainly raps on AAA tracks. But his voice is also suited for singing. He often joins the harmonies. While AAA's tracks are mostly written by other people, you can be sure that Mitsu writes his own rap lyrics. He is also a solo artist and often collaborates with other artists. His solo album TRICKSTER was released in 2014. Is VERY active on twitter and was in Johnnys a very short time before joining avex.
twitter account
Mitsuhiro Hidaka's Blog

Shinjiro Atae - 與真司郎 DOB 88/11/26, age 25
Shinjiro, also called Ouji (Prince) or Shin-chan, is the good looking youngest member of the group. Has a deep voice and also acts in dramas and movies. Loves the english language and often practices it on twitter with his fans. Has his own photobook Shinking which had been shot by famous photographer Mika Ninagawa. Models and was also pictured in an exhibition by Leslie Kee. Other than that he is very shy and not really outspoken. His laughing face is rare (think Namie Amuro).
twitter account

Shuuta Sueyoshi – 末吉秀太 DOB 86/12/11, age 27
Shuuta, aka Shuuty to his fans, is a member who was certainly overlooked in the past. The best dancer in the band has an amazing voice, which is getting more recognition by the minute. Although he is pretty small, (just 167 cm) his cute boyish looks are getting his fans into a frenzy. A few years ago he was often seen with a moustache, but he looks so much younger without it.

twitter account

Misako Uno - 宇野実彩子 DOB 86/07/16, age 27
When you listen to AAA for the first time, this woman's voice is important. If you don't like it, you probably won't like AAA because Misako is the female lead. Originally Uno-chan was to be the only female member. Misako is an actress who acts in stage plays, movies and dramas. She is also a model and released two photobooks, the latest being UNO-BON. She is friends with some AKB48 members and loves broccoli, for some strange reason.
twitter account

Chiaki Itou - 伊藤千晃 DOB 87/01/10, age 27
Chiaki-chan is the cute, fashionable female member. She released her first photobook Chercher this year. Her fans love her style and she is often seen in fashion magazines, and was cover girl for the Nails magazine NAIL MAX. Chiaki loves her dog Kiki and will release her very own stylebook soon. She has her own blog which she updates almost daily.
twitter account
Chiaki Itou's blog

But what about the music? Well?
It's not that simple. Because AAA tracks are basically j-pop, but they vary so much. AAA are produced by Masato max Matsuura. Their genre variety is legendary - their music is electronic, dance, eurobeat, techno, club, pop, rock, or even jazz. Their album Buzz Communication (2011) was arranged by Tetsuya Komuro, who is also friends with the members. If you're interested and don't know where to start, they released a best of album in 2011 #AAABest which should give you an overview. Especially on album tracks AAA sometimes split up in smaller groups. Often the female members have their own song, as do the male members. The boys released an album without the girls in 2008 called CHOICE IS YOURS.

Discography

Spoiler: