NEWS
J-Pop group Arashi stepping away from the spotlight
The J-pop world has been stunned by the news that Arashi, one of J-pop’s biggest groups will suspend activities at the end of 2020.
Arashi is one of the biggest names in Japanese and Asian entertainment. They are popular not only with younger fans, but have a strong fan base spanning all ages, generations and countries. The members all have strong individual careers spanning all forms of media, including talk shows, news programs, movies and television dramas
Arashi posted a video message on its official fan club website on Sunday evening. The 38-year-old leader of Arashi, Satoshi Ohno, said in the footage that he told the other members in June 2017 that he would like to end activities as Arashi at the end of next year.
“We discussed it over and over…and then decided to go on hiatus,” he said.
A few hours after the release of the video, the group held a news conference to explain why and how they came to the decision. “My desire for freedom gradually grew,” Ohno said.
“I have come to feel that I want to experience a world that I have never seen. I have not tasted ordinary life since I entered this industry,” he said openly.
Arashi at their press conference
Most of the members were stunned when they heard the leader’s proposal. Ohno even thought about retiring from his agency at first. While the group could have continued their activities without Ohno, they felt that they weren’t complete without him.
“I didn’t think it would be right to force someone to do something he didn’t want to in order to please others. I felt it was necessary to spend as much time as we needed to come up with a decision that everyone would be happy with,” member Sho Sakurai said.
“We reached this conclusion as we felt Arashi is not complete without all five members, and we can only give 100% when we are all together,” member Kazunari Ninomiya added.
Ohno got teary-eyed when he talked about the members’ efforts to find a solution that would take his wishes into consideration. “They said, ‘Let’s keep smiling until the end,’ and that made me feel so fortunate and happy to be a part of Arashi,” he said.
Arashi is not retiring. But its leader’s comments and the group’s decision to suspend activities may encourage those who want to rethink their own career to take a break.
The Arashi members say they have no plan after 2020. With two years left, “We will do our best until the last minute,” they said with a smile.
What do you think of the news of Arashi going on hiatus? What’s your favourite Arashi song? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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Written and edited by Narelle
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