BeForU

Last updated
BeForU
Origin Japan
Genres Pop, rock, trance
Years active2000–2009
Labels Konami (2000–2006)
Avex Trax (2006–2007)
Gambit (2008–2009)
Past members Riyu Kosaka
Ayano Tachibana
Hiromi Nishiuchi
Megumi Fukushita
Noria Shiraishi
Risa Sotohana
Shiyuna Maehara
Yoma Komatsu
Miharu Arisawa
Sayaka Minami

BeForU was a Japanese pop girl group that performed music primarily for the Bemani series of rhythm games. Their 2000 debut song "Dive" was particularly notable as being the first Japanese-language pop song in the Dance Dance Revolution series. BeForU was produced by Naoki Maeda, one of the lead Konami musical producers. In 2006, the group made their major label debut under Avex Trax.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Biography

The first generation

BeForU formed via a competition held on November 20, 2000, for a new J-pop group singing for Konami and their bemani series of video games, namely Dance Dance Revolution. The four winners chosen for their talent, ability and emphasis were Riyu Kosaka (then aged 15; born January 17, 1985), Noria Shiraishi (then aged 19; born September 12, 1981), Yoma Komatsu (then aged 26; born December 30, 1974) and Shiyuna Maehara (then aged 21; born November 30, 1979). Their first single "Dive", promoted widely throughout the J-Pop community, appeared in the 2001 French film Wasabi , made its first appearance on DDR Extra Mix , and its official debut on DDR 5th Mix.

The group name "BeForU", the winning result of a contest to name the group, is both a reference to the song "B4U" from DDR 4th Mix (composed and produced by Naoki Maeda) and a play on the words "before you." In another play on words, when BeForU originally formed, they had four members. In DDRMAX 6th Mix , BeForU released another song entitled "Firefly". Riyu also performed two solos which were then released on her first solo single, "true...". By DDR -Max 2- 7th Mix, Shiyuna was the only member of the group that had not received a solo in any Bemani game. As a group, they released another song entitled "Break Down!", that was later re-arranged for Guitar Freaks and DrumMania. Yoma debuted as a soloist with her song ever snow, her only solo song at her time she was in the group. Their eponymous first album BeForU was released on November 28, 2003. In 2004, Shiyuna, the only BeForU member without any solos, left the group to pursue other venues.

New members and Avex label

After Shiyuna's departure, BeForU had another contest for two new members. Somewhere along the line, there was a tie for either first or second place, so the grand total became six instead of five. The additions were Miharu Arisawa (born October 12, 1989), Sayaka Minami (born December 24, 1983), and Risa Sotohana (born January 28, 1988). These girls would form the second generation of BeForU known as BeForU NEXT. This new generation of BeForU debuted with their single "KI・SE・KI", released on November 18, 2004. This song was released as a CD-single and was featured in DDR Festival, both released on the same day. BeForU released a new album, BeForU II, on February 14, 2006. They also performed live for the first time, which was released later that year, on DVD as BeForU FIRST LIVE at ZeppTokyo 2006.

From that point, there were no releases on CD until a Bemani secret live event in which Riyu Kosaka and Noria revealed that they had signed onto the Avex label and would subsequently release a single each. In the following month, BeForU soon followed and released the single "Red Rocket Rising" on November 1, 2006. On December 22, 2006, BeForU released Get set Go!! BeForU Astronauts Set, which contained the song Get set GO!!. Their single "Strike Party!!!" followed, and was released on January 17, 2007. "Strike Party!!!" is featured during the ending credits of the 3rd season of the anime MAJOR. They also released an EP called 6Notes on March 3 that was under their Be+Wings Records label. Each of the 6 songs is a solo by each member. This CD was only available at live events and on their website and as of February 29, 2008, is no longer available. [1]

BeForU's third album, BeForU III: Breaking Into the Probability Changes was released on March 14, 2007, under the Avex label. Following this, BeForU returned to Zepp Tokyo and performed live for BeForU LIVE 2007 at Zepp Tokyo and a DVD was released later. The next single released by the group was "Yoru Hanabi", released on July 11, 2007. Following its release, the group was quiet for the rest of that year, though Riyu continued to release solo singles.

On December 12, 2007, Riyu announced on her blog that due to illness, Miharu Arisawa would retire from the group. [2] Similarly, Yoma Komatsu had chosen to depart for personal reasons. Their departures were effective immediately, and as such, these two members would be unable to perform at a scheduled concert on December 30, where a "graduation" took place for Noria and Risa Sotohana. These two members planned to move on to solo careers.

Third generation and Indefinite hiatus

On February 15, 2008, the Be+Wings site was reopened and it was announced that three new members would be joining the group: Ayano Tachibana (born March 8, 1988), Hiromi Nishiuchi (born March 8, 1989) and Megumi Fukushita (born April 24, 1984). A new song entitled "Kimi to Sora to Zutto" was announced at Riyu's Carnival and the 3rd Generation performed it, without Sayaka due to illness. Sayaka later announced that her recuperating was not going well, and that she had left the group.

The debut of the third generation, as well as Riyu's solo concert was filmed and released on DVD as BeForU/Four Piece Riyu Kosaka/Live 2008. The first official single from the group followed on September 10, 2008, but not on the Avex label. Instead, it released on their new label, Gambit (Sheeps Eyes). This single, "Shangri-La" was a cover of a Denki Groove song of the same name. Their next album, also titled Shangri-La but written in katakana (シャングリラ) this time, followed on October 8, 2008. There have been no recent news or updates about the group since 2009 and their website no longer exists. There has also been no mention of BeForU on members' blogs. It is assumed that BeForU was disbanded shortly after the release of シャングリラ.

With the release of Dance Dance Revolution X on December 24, 2008, in Japan, and worldwide in June 2009, "Chikara" is the only song from BeForU available in the game. In contrast, both SuperNova games featured a total of nine BeForU songs, plus many solo songs. With the release of Dance Dance Revolution X2 on July 7, 2010, in Japan, four of the group's songs returned: "Chikara" is available by default, while the remainder must be unlocked with the Enjoy Level system in Asia. All four songs are available by default on February 23, 2011, in Asia, and on the release date in North America and Europe, including in all subsequent Dance Dance Revolution games worldwide. This also applies to "Tears" and "Under the Sky", which are solo songs by Noria Shiraishi and Sayaka Minami, respectively.

Discography

Video games

BeForU has a total of 9 songs and one remix in the Dance Dance Revolution series.
In addition, two songs featuring a BeForU solo member other than Riyu Kosaka are present in the series.

SongArcade game
5th MAX MAX2 Ex DSF SN SN2 X X2 X3 2013 2014 A A20 A3
"Dive"Yes check.svgDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearYes check.svgDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appear
"Dive (more deep & deeper style)"Does not appearYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgDoes not appearYes check.svgYes check.svgDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appear
"Firefly"Does not appearYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appear
"Break Down"Does not appearDoes not appearYes check.svgYes check.svgDoes not appearYes check.svgYes check.svgDoes not appearYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svg
"Graduation"Does not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearYes check.svgDoes not appearYes check.svgYes check.svgDoes not appearYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svg
"Tears" Does not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearYes check.svgDoes not appearYes check.svgYes check.svgDoes not appearYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svg
"Chikara"Does not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svg
"Freedom"Does not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearYes check.svgYes check.svgDoes not appearYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svg
"Ki-Se-Ki"Does not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearYes check.svgYes check.svgDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appear
"Morning Glory"Does not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearYes check.svgYes check.svgDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appear
"Peace"Does not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearYes check.svgYes check.svgDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appear
"Under the Sky" Does not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearDoes not appearYes check.svgYes check.svgDoes not appearYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svg
This table excludes solo releases by Riyu Kosaka.

This song is credited to Naoki Underground featuring EK. EK refers to BeForU member Noria Shiraishi.
This song is credited to Sayaka Minami (BeForU) with platoniX.

Related Research Articles

Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the pioneering series of the rhythm and dance genre in video games. Players stand on a "dance platform" or stage and hit colored arrows laid out in a cross with their feet to musical and visual cues. Players are judged by how well they time their dance to the patterns presented to them and are allowed to choose more music to play to if they receive a passing score.

Dancing Stage is a series of music video games developed and published by Konami. It is a spin-off of Dance Dance Revolution for the European market as well as a few Japanese titles. Games were released for arcade, PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and Wii.

Bemani, stylized as BEMANI, is Konami's music video game division. Originally named the Games & Music Division (G.M.D.), it changed its name in honor of its first and most successful game, Beatmania, and expanded into other music-based games, most notably rhythm games such as Dance Dance Revolution, GuitarFreaks, and DrumMania.

Dream was a Japanese pop girl group. The group was formed as a result of a 1999 talent contest called "Avex Dream 2000". Originally a three-piece group consisting of Mai Matsumuro, Kana Tachibana, and Yu Hasebe, the group has undergone many changes since its debut in 2000 on the Avex Trax label, and none of the original trio remain. The original trio sold over 950,700 records, and in total the group has sold over 1,100,000 records over the span of 10 years.

Riyu Kosaka is a Japanese pop singer and lyricist. She is best known as a member of the Konami-produced Japanese teen pop girl group BeForU.

Yoma Komatsu is a Japanese pop singer. She is the eldest member of the Konami-produced J-Pop group BeForU.

<i>Dance Dance Revolution</i> (1998 video game) 1998 video game

Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) is a music video game, developed by Konami, released in arcades on September 26, 1998, in Japan. Dance Dance Revolution is a unique game involving dance and rhythm that defined the genre. It involves timing and balance by having players use their feet instead of their hands like typical video games. In March 1999, the game was released for North American arcades, and for European arcades under the name Dancing Stage. Players and game critics were caught off-guard by the game's addictive qualities winning the new franchise many merits to its design.

<i>Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova</i> 2006 video game

Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova, released in Europe as Dancing Stage SuperNova, is an arcade and PlayStation 2 game in the Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) series of music video games. It was produced by Konami and released through Betson Enterprises. The game was released in Europe on April 28, 2006, followed shortly by a North American release on May 15 and a Japanese release on July 12.

<i>Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2</i> 2007 video game

Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2, sometimes abbreviated as Universe 2, is a music video game for the North American Xbox 360. Published by Konami and developed by Hudson Soft on December 4, 2007, Universe 2 is a sequel to Dance Dance Revolution Universe released earlier the same year. Universe 2 features a large soundtrack with songs ranging from the 1970s to today, new modes of gameplay designed for newcomers including Freestyle Mode which allows players to dance without needing to step on any arrows, Quest Mode where players build a dancing character and travel from location to location in a virtual world facing off against other dancers, and downloadable content through the Xbox Live service. The game was released in Europe with a different set of songs as Dancing Stage Universe 2.

<i>Dance Dance Revolution Extreme</i> 2002 video game

Dance Dance Revolution Extreme is a music video game by Konami and is the eighth release in the main Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) series. It was released on December 25, 2002, for Japanese arcades, on October 9, 2003, for the Japanese PlayStation 2, and on September 21, 2004, for the North American PlayStation 2. This game is the ninth release in North America, but despite having the same name as its Japanese counterpart, its gameplay and soundtrack is significantly different and won the Video Music Awards in 2005 on MTV for Best Video Game Soundtrack.

beatmania IIDX substream is a 1999 music video game which had a different songlist and could be linked to a Dance Dance Revolution machine for simultaneous play. If either the Dance Dance Revolution player or IIDX player made mistakes, the other game became more difficult.

<i>Dance Dance Revolution Solo</i> Video game series

Dance Dance Revolution Solo is a series of games spun off of the main Dance Dance Revolution series. It consists of three arcade releases in Japan. The game mode was also adapted for use in a children's arcade version and two console releases.

<i>Begin</i> (Riyu Kosaka album) 2004 studio album by Riyu Kosaka

Begin is the first Japanese album by J-pop group BeForU member Riyu Kosaka, released June 11, 2004. Many of these tracks are covers of popular bemani songs.

The following is a list of songs in the Dance Dance Revolution series of games. Songs presented in this list are titled as they appear in their respective games and the credited musician's name appears as credited in-game. In many cases, the series features covers, remixes or tributes of songs by musicians hired by Konami, with original accreditation being cited.

Dance Dance Revolution Extreme has a robust soundtrack. It includes many licensed tracks as well as in-house original music that was written and performed by Konami staff.

<i>Dance Dance Revolution X3 vs. 2ndMix</i> 2011 music video game

Dance Dance Revolution X3 is a music video game, and a part of the Dance Dance Revolution series. The arcade version of DDR X3 was revealed by Konami on June 2, 2011. The sequel to Dance Dance Revolution X2, X3 began public beta testing on June 8, 2011. Promotional information for the game revealed the full name for the game, called Dance Dance Revolution X3 VS 2ndMix due to the new "2ndMix" mode in the game. It was released in Japan on November 16, 2011 for dedicated cabinets and November 30, 2011 for upgrade kits, and December 16, 2011 in Asia.

Naoki Maeda is a Japanese composer best known for composing and arranging the music for Konami music video games, including the Dance Dance Revolution and Bemani series.

<i>Dance Dance Revolution A20</i> 2019 video game

Dance Dance Revolution A20 is a music video game, the 17th installment of the Dance Dance Revolution arcade series in Japan, and the sequel to Dance Dance Revolution A. The game was released on new, golden cabinets on March 20, 2019, in Japan. A software upgrade for older cabinets for Japan and Asia was released on July 24, 2019, with South Korea receiving a localized release on August 1, 2019, and North America on September 24, 2019. A location test in Europe began on October 7, 2019, and ended on March 16, 2020.

References