Leo-Nine (stylized as LEO-NiNE, all caps except the letter "i") is the fifth studio album by Japanese singer LiSA. It was released on October 14, 2020, through Sacra Music and Sony Music Japan. Leo-Nine marks the singer's first full-length project in over three years since Little Devil Parade (2017). Like Little Devil Parade, Leo-Nine features a wide range of contribution from composers and producers, including long-time collaborators Pablo (Pay Money to My Pain), Ryo Eguchi, Koichiro Takahashi, and Shota Horie. The album sold over 66,000 copies in its first week, reaching the number one spot on both Oricon Albums Chart and Billboard Japan's Hot Albums chart. Along with "Homura" debuting at number one on the Japan Hot 100, LiSA became the first artist ever to debut atop the Billboard Japan's charts simultaneously. The album has since received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).

Leo-Nine
A close-up portrait of LiSA donning red hair and a black dress, with her head slightly tilted towards her right
Digital and regular edition cover
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 14, 2020 (2020-10-14)
GenreJ-pop
Length54:02
LanguageJapanese
Label
Producer
  • Pablo
  • Ryo Eguchi
  • Koichiro Takahashi
  • Shota Horie
LiSA chronology
Little Devil Parade
(2017)
Leo-Nine
(2020)
Ladybug
(2021)
Singles from Leo-Nine
  1. "Akai Wana (Who Loves It?)/Adamas"
    Released: December 12, 2018
  2. "Gurenge"
    Released: July 3, 2019
  3. "Unlasting"
    Released: December 11, 2019
  4. "Aijō"
    Released: August 17, 2020

Four singles were released prior to the release of the album, with the first single "Akai Wana (Who Loves It?) / Adamas" peaking at number two on the Oricon Singles Chart. "Gurenge" marked LiSA's most successful single in the territory, reaching number three on Oricon as well as number two on the Japan Hot 100, and sold over a million downloads in Japan. "Unlasting" peaked at number four on the Oricon chart and number six on the Hot 100.

Background and release

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LiSA released two compilation albums titled LiSA Best -Day- and LiSA Best -Way- on May 9, 2018.[1] On August 12, 2020, the singer announced the release of her fifth studio album, Leo-Nine alongside a new single "Homura", which was slated to serve as the opening theme song of the anime movie Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train (2020). It follows her previous studio album Little Devil Parade released in May 2017, and marks her first full-length record in three years and five months.[2] The track list was announced on September 2, 2020.[3] The physical version was made available in four different editions: Regular Edition, Limited Edition, First Limited Edition A, and First Limited Edition B. The regular edition contained the album with 13 tracks.[4] A limited CD+Blu-ray edition was offered with photo book.[5] The album was also released under a First Press Limited Edition A, which comes with CD+Blu-ray disc and an exclusive booklet, while the First Press Limited Edition B contains a bonus DVD containing the jacket-shooting videos.[6][7] The opening track from the album "play the world!" featuring LiSA's long-time collaborator Pablo (Pay Money to My Pain), was pre-released on September 4.[3] The track was later selected as the opening song of e-sports championship, Rainbow Six Japan Championship 2020.[8] Leo-Nine was released on October 14, 2020, by Sacra Music and Sony Music Japan.[9][10]

Singles

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The lead single "Akai Wana (Who Loves It?)/Adamas" was released as a double A-sided single on December 12, 2018.[11] It was offered as the opening theme song of Sword Art Online: Alicization.[12] It peaked at number two on the Oricon Singles Chart and number four on the Japan Hot 100.[13][14] Additionally, it topped Billboard Japan's Hot Animation chart for two consecutive weeks.[15] In April 2020, the single was certified platinum by the RIAJ, denoting sales of 250,000 copies.[16]

"Gurenge" (紅蓮華, Red Lotus) was served as the second single, being released on July 3, 2019.[17] It was used as the opening theme song of the anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (2019).[18] "Gurenge" was a commercial success in Japan, marking LiSA's most successful single.[19] It reached number two on the Japan Hot 100 and number three on the Oricon Weekly Singles chart.[20][21] Additionally, it topped the Animation chart 38 times during the tracking period of November 25, 2019 to November 22, 2020.[19] "Gurenge" became the first single by a female artist to sell over one million digital copies in Japan, and the third single overall since Kenshi Yonezu's "Lemon" (2018) and "Uma to Shika" (2019).[22] In July 2020, "Gurenge" was certified Million by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for 1,000,000 full-track digital music downloads.[23] The single was awarded as one of the Best 5 Songs by Download at the 34th Japan Gold Disc Awards.[24]

"Unlasting" was released as album's third single on December 11, 2019.[25] It served as the first ending theme song of the anime series Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld.[26] The single reached number six on the Hot 100, and number four on Oricon's Weekly Chart.[27][28]

"Aijō" (愛錠) was served as a promotional single from the album on August 17, 2020, receiving a lyric video.[29] It was delivered as the theme song of the Japanese drama 13.[30]

Commercial performance

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With "Homura" and Leo-Nine, LiSA (pictured) became the first ever artist to simultaneously debut a song and an album at number one on Billboard Japan's charts.[31]

Leo-Nine debuted at number one on the Oricon Albums Chart on the chart issue dated October 20, 2020, selling 66,000 copies in its first week. The same week, LiSA also topped the Oricon Singles Chart with "Homura". By doing so, LiSA became the first female artist in 16 years and 6 months to simultaneously debut a song and an album in Japan since Hikaru Utada.[32] It reached number one on Billboard Japan's Daily Album Chart, pulling 41,451 copies in its first three days. It went on to chart at number one on the weekly Hot Albums chart, selling 66,165 copies in its opening week. With "Homura" simultaneously topping the Japan Hot 100, LiSA became the first act in history to have both a song and an album debut at number one on the chart.[31] Leo-Nine has been certified gold by the RIAJ, denoting 100,000 copies sent to Japanese retailers.[33]

Track listing

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Credits adapted from Billboard Japan.[3]

CD[4]
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Play the World!" (featuring Pablo)
  • LiSA
  • Tomoya Tabuchi
  • Pablo
  • Pablo
4:18
2."Gurenge"
  • LiSA
  • Hana Kusano
  • Yoko Eguchi
  • Ryo Eguchi
3:57
3."Harebutai"
  • LiSA
  • Koichiro Takahashi
  • Koichiro Takahashi
4:59
4."Makoto Shiyaka"
  • Tomoya Tabuchi
  • Tomoya Tabuchi
  • Ryo Eguchi
3:50
5."Cancellation"
  • LiSA
  • Pablo
  • Pablo
4:11
6."Aijo"
  • LiSA
  • Kayoko Kusano
  • Ryo Eguchi
4:05
7."Akai Wana (Who Loves It?)"
  • LiSA
  • Tomoya Tabuchi
  • Tomoya Tabuchi
  • Shota Horie
4:12
8."Selfish Ket Sea"
  • Masato Kanai (BIGMAMA)
  • Masato Kanai (BIGMAMA)
  • Ryo Eguchi
4:11
9."Unlasting"
  • LiSA
  • Kayoko Kusano
  • Shota Horie
4:56
10."Adamas"
  • LiSA
  • Kayoko Kusano
  • Shota Horie
3:48
11."1 cm"
  • LiSA
  • LiSA
  • Shota Horie
  • Shota Horie
1:27
12."Howl"
  • LiSA
  • Hideo Nekota
  • Ryo Eguchi
4:53
13."Beautiful World"
  • LiSA
  • Yasuha Konan
  • Ryo Eguchi
5:12
Total length:54:03
Bonus DVD (First Press Limited Edition)
No.TitleLength
1."Play the World!" (music video) 
2."Akai Wana (Who Loves It?)" (music video) 
3."Adamas" (music video) 
4."Gurenge" (music video) 
5."Unlasting" (music video) 
6."Aijo" (lyric video) 
7."Howl" (music video) 
8."Unlasting" (LiSA special live in AbemaTV) 
9."Shirushi" (LiSA special live in AbemaTV) 
10."Gurenge" (The First Take) 
11."The Making of Leo-Nine" 

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart (2020) Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[34] 1
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[35] 1
Japanese Top Albums (Billboard Japan)[36] 1

Year-end charts

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Chart (2020) Position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[37] 27

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[33] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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Footnotes

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  • LiSA (14 October 2020a). Leo-Nine (Regular ed.). Sony Music Entertainment. ASIN B08FP7SKKY.
  • LiSA (14 October 2020b). Leo-Nine (Limited ed.). Sony Music Entertainment. ASIN B08FP54QT1.
  • LiSA (14 October 2020c). Leo-Nine (First press limited A ed.). Sony Music Entertainment. ASIN B08FP5NNW7.
  • LiSA (14 October 2020d). Leo-Nine (First press limited B ed.). Sony Music Entertainment. ASIN B08FP7LHSK.

Citations

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  1. ^ "5/9(水)LiSA初のベストアルバム、2タイトル同時リリース決定☆" (in Japanese). Sacra Music. February 24, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  2. ^ "LiSA新曲「炎」、劇場版「鬼滅の刃」無限列車編の主題歌に決定". Natalie. August 2, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "LiSA、新AL『LEO-NiNE』収録楽曲公開&リード曲「play the world! feat.PABLO」先行配信決定". Billboard Japan. September 2, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  4. ^ a b LiSA 2020a.
  5. ^ LiSA 2020b.
  6. ^ LiSA 2020c.
  7. ^ LiSA 2020d.
  8. ^ "LiSAの新曲がeスポーツ大会「レインボーシックス」公式ソングに、決勝で初披露". Natalie (in Japanese). September 9, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  9. ^ "LiSA、3年5カ月ぶりニューアルバム&劇場版「鬼滅の刃」主題歌シングルを同時発売". Natalie. August 13, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  10. ^ "LiSA、映画「鬼滅の刃」主題歌を朝日が昇る浜辺で歌唱". Natalie (in Japanese). October 13, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  11. ^ "赤い罠(who loves it?)/Adamas". December 12, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  12. ^ "LiSA、デジタルシングル初の1位 『ソードアート・オンライン』OPテーマ". Oricon. October 17, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  13. ^ "週間 シングルランキング 2018年12月24日付 (2018年12月10日~2018年12月16日)". Oricon. October 17, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  14. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 [ 2018/10/22 付け ]". Billboard Japan. October 22, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  15. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Animation [ 2018/10/22 付け ]". Billboard Japan. October 22, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  16. ^ "Japanese digital certifications 2020" (Select 2020年4月 on the drop-down menu) (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. April 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  17. ^ "LiSA「紅蓮華」ライブ初披露、7月にシングルリリース決定". Natalie (in Japanese). April 29, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  18. ^ "アニメ「鬼滅の刃」EDテーマは梶浦由記×LiSA". Natalie. April 13, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  19. ^ a b "LiSA Reacts to Billboard Japan Year-End Chart-Topper Feat: Exclusive". Billboard. December 3, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  20. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 [ 2020/05/11 付け ]". Billboard Japan. May 11, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  21. ^ "週間 シングルランキング 2019年07月15日付 (2019年07月01日~2019年07月07日". Oricon. July 15, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  22. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (July 28, 2020). "LiSA's Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Song Tops 1 Million Downloads". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  23. ^ レコード協会調べ 4月度有料音楽配信認定 [Record Association Inspection Certification of Paid Online Music Distribution] (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved June 2, 2020. Choose April 2020 from the dropdown menu.
  24. ^ "The Japan Gold Disc Award 2020 | Winners" (in Japanese). Japan Gold Disc Award. February 26, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  25. ^ "LiSA、男女の別れや悲哀を表現した「unlasting」MV公開". Natalie (in Japanese). November 22, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  26. ^ "LiSA、「SAO」新シリーズのEDに新曲「unlasting". Natalie (in Japanese). October 6, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  27. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 [ 2019/12/23 付け ]". Billboard Japan. December 23, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  28. ^ "週間 シングルランキング 2019年12月23日付 (2019年12月09日~2019年12月15日)". Oricon. December 12, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  29. ^ "LiSA「愛錠」リリックビデオ、今夜プレミア公開". Natalie (in Japanese). August 8, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  30. ^ "LiSA初のドラマ主題歌決定、「13」日本リメイク版を彩るバラード「愛錠」". Natalie (in Japanese). July 31, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  31. ^ a b "【ビルボード】LiSA「炎」と『LEO-NiNE』で史上初のダブル総合首位獲得". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). October 21, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  32. ^ "LiSA、令和初のシングル&アルバム同時1位獲得 女性アーティスト歴代10組目に「すごい歴史に名前を刻ませていただけてうれしい」【オリコンランキング】". Oricon (in Japanese). October 20, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  33. ^ a b "Japanese album certifications – LiSA – Leo-Nine" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved January 14, 2021. Select 2020年11月 on the drop-down menu
  34. ^ "Weekly CD Rankings: Week of October 26, 2020" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  35. ^ "Hot Albums: October 26, 2020". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  36. ^ "Top Albums: October 26, 2020". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  37. ^ "オリコン年間 アルバムランキング 2020年度" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved February 19, 2021.