User:EpicCarnage12/Japanese Idol

1970–1980: Post-war era and idol beginnings

In November 1964, the 1963 French film Cherchez l'idole was released in Japan under the title Aidoru o Sagase (アイドルを探せ). Many Japanese audiences took interest in Sylvie Vartan, whose song "La plus belle pour aller danser" from the film sold more than a million copies in Japan. Vartan was heralded for her youthful, adorable looks and musical talent, leading the Japanese entertainment industry to assign the word "idol" to singers who shared a similar aesthetic. The introduction of male idols was not far behind with the introduction of Johnny's & Associates in 1964 with the creation of Johnny's a four member group. The second group from Johnny's garnered more attention with the name Four Leaves.

Television greatly impacted the popularity of the idol phenomenon, as beginning in the 1970s, many idols were recruited through audition programs. Momoe Yamaguchi, Junko Sakurada, Saori Minami, Toshiko Tahara, Masahiko Kondo, Yoshio Nomura and Mari Amachi, some of the idols recruited through television, were iconic figures of this era, along with groups such as Candies and Pink Lady. Music was produced by a shared climate of songwriters and art directors seeking a step towards a depoliticized youth culture. Idols grew in popularity over the 1970s, as they offered audiences escapism from political violence and radical student movements.

In the 1970s, idols kept their lifestyles secret. Their public and "private" lives were carefully orchestrated in a way that they appeared perfect in all situations and seemed to enjoy a lavish lifestyle that most people could only dream about. In reality, however, they were placed under continuous surveillance by their promoters. Their pay is considered to have been surprisingly low. They were often overworked and even if their songs sold well most of the money went to the musicians and writers. Fans had little opportunity to see them beyond a few minutes on TV or radio and it was difficult to share their interests. Magazines were the best source for information and many idols had an official fan club that periodically mailed what little information would be released.

1980–1990: Golden Age of Idols

The rapid growth of idols appearing in the pop music scene led the 1980s to be known as the "Golden Age of Idols", defined by Seiko Matsuda, Akina Nakamori, Kyōko Koizumi, and Onyanko Club. Popularized through Onyanko Club, the visual component became important to the overall enjoyment of idol music, leading to the music to become closely associated with television. Dentsu also created the "CM idol" business model, where idols were able to gain fame by singing and appearing in commercials. In a single year, as many as 40 or 50 new idols could appear, only to disappear from the public spotlight shortly afterwards. At the same time, male idols began appearing, but soon became unpopular after 1985 after the public became disillusioned with the idol system.

Though a vast majority of idols disappeared into obscurity, a few idols remained popular for years to come. For example, Shounentai which debuted in 1985 and continued to be active well into the 2000's. Also, from the same company Hikaru Genji which used the gimmick of idols on roller-skates. The band remained together from 1987 until 1995.

In the 1980s, idols became much closer to average Japanese people. While still tightly controlled, idols were allowed to show more of their actual personalities and were permitted to release some carefully scripted outbursts. The media often fabricated "competitions" between two or more idols, based on things like the number of records sold, the number of fans in the official fan club, etc. In the late 1980s, instead of relying on magazines and TV, some started experimenting with new media and technologies like video games, with mixed results. The working conditions of idols improved and even those with limited success could live modestly and more of the money made was paid to idols themselves, though they still only received a small portion.

1990–2000: Waning popularity and Chidol Boom

In the 1990s, public interest in idols began to wane, as audiences lost interest in singing and audition programs. As a result, more young people yielded aspirations to be defined as an artist instead of an idol. The music industry also shifted towards rock musicians and singers for whom music was a more important sales point than looks or wholesomeness, and towards genres such as rap. In spite of this, Namie Amuro, who gained fame as the lead singer of Super Monkey's, found popularity among young girls who emulated her appearance. Male idols such as SMAP, Tokio, V6 and other acts from Johnny's Entertainment became notable in the 1990s and drew in fans from in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Because of the lack of publicity over idols on television, many turned to the Internet. Other male idols outside of Johnny’s also began to make waves with LDH management coming out with the first rendition of J Soul Brothers in 1991. In the mid-1990s, there was an increase in young idols in the elementary school age, which the media described as the "Chidol (child idol) Boom." Idol groups like Speed and Morning Musume became prominent. Instead of being marketed as people who lived better and were better than average, idols were viewed as everyday people.

At the end of the 1990’s Johnny’s Entertainment would debut one of their most famous groups to date. Arashi, a five-member group debuted in Hawaii in 1999. Though initially not overly popular, the group would become the top selling group several years in a row. Arashi are considered one of Japan’s National Idols.

2000–present: Media crossovers and Idol Warring Period

The 2000s saw the rise in popularity of idol groups again, with groups such as Kat-tun, Kanjani8, News, Hey Say Jump, Morning Musume's sister groups Berryz Kobo, Cute, and S/mileage; and AKB48. At the same time, there was also an increase in gravure idols, as well as crossovers with voice acting in anime.

To celebrate the diversity of idols, AKB48, Shoko Nakagawa, and Leah Dizon performed a medley called "Special Medley: Latest Japan Proud Culture" at the 58th Kohaku Uta Gassen in 2007, introduced as "Akiba-style idols" with each act described as a different sub-genre of idols.

In the following years, a large number of idol groups debuted, beginning what media nicknamed the "Idol Warring Period" (アイドル戦国時代, Aidoru Sengoku Jidai). Lawyer Kunitaka Kasai cited the Internet as a reason for the rapid growth of idols, as anyone can upload videos onto websites, and AKB48's business model encouraged this even further through creating more interactions with fan interactivity. During 2014, about 486,000 people attended AKB48 and Momoiro Clover Z's live concerts, which was the highest record of all female musicians in Japan. Momoiro Clover Z has been ranked as the most popular female idol group from 2013 to 2017 according to surveys by The Nikkei, while male idol group Arashi that was ranked as the most popular artist overall in Japan according to Oricon polls of 20,000 people.

Since 2010, Johnny’s entertainment has introduced another plethora of male idol groups, all with varying popularity. The company has been known as a juggernaut entertainment company. The company’s president Johnny Kitagawa was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records for three records; most #1 Acts produced by an individual, Most #1 singles produced by an individual, and most concerts produced by an individual. With a whopping 8419 concerts produced from 2000-2010. Groups debuted include, Kis-My-Ft2, Sexy Zone, ABC-Z, Johnny’s West, and King & Prince. As of 2020 the company debuted two separate groups at the same time SixTONES and Snow Man.

Outside of Johnny’s Entertainment, other male idol groups worth mentioning that debuted in the 2010’s include Exile, Generations, and The Rampage all from LDH, AAA, Boys&Men, Da-Ice, and J01. b

Since 2010, the biggest idol concert festival, Tokyo Idol Festival, has taken place. More than 200 idol groups and about 1500 idols performed, attracting more than 80,000 spectators in 2017. There were more than 10,000 teenage girls who performed as idols in Japan in 2017. In 2019, there were over 3,000 female idol groups.