| "Idol" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Idol_(Yoasobi_song).png) Digital cover | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Yoasobi_-_Idol_(CD).png) Limited CD single cover[A] | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Idol" on YouTube English version on YouTube | ||||
"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, and depicts the two-faced nature of a star in the Japanese idol industry by delineating three different perspectives on the anime's central character Ai Hoshino, such as those of her fans, her fellow groupmates, and herself. It additionally features shouts by B-boy group Real Akiba Boyz and gospel-like background vocals.
"Idol" received positive reviews from music critics, with some stating it to be a "perfect" representation of the character Hoshino. The song was a massive commercial success in Japan and worldwide. It reached the top on the Oricon Combined Singles Chart and Billboard Japan Hot 100, and was the both's number one of 2023. The song topped the Japan Hot 100 for 22 non-consecutive weeks, making it the longest-running number-one song in the chart history, and also broke the record for the fastest song to achieve diamond certification, with 500 million streams recorded by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) in about ten months. Globally, "Idol" became the first Japanese-language song to top the Billboard Global Excl. US, and was marked at number seven on the Billboard Global 200, the highest ever position by a Japanese act in its history. The song was the 19th best-selling song globally in 2023 according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).
Naoya Nakayama directed the 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 the song took place at the 74th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen, featuring selected members of Japanese and Korean idol groups,[B] singer Ano, actress Kanna Hashimoto, Real Akiba Boyz, and dance group Avantgardey.
Cite error: There are <ref group=upper-alpha> tags or {{efn-ua}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=upper-alpha}} template or {{notelist-ua}} template (see the help page).