Bluem of Youth

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Bluem of Youth (Russian : Цветы юности) is a Japanese pop group which achieved greatest success in the late 1990s after it was the subject of a reality television series called Susunu! Denpa Shōnen . The name is a mix of "bloom of youth" and "blue". Its members are Yuji Bessho (別所悠二) and Hiroyuki Matsugashita (松ヶ下宏之). They went on permanent hiatus on New Year's Eve of 2002, but played a 10th anniversary concert commemorating their debut in 2005. [1] [2] [3]

Russian language East Slavic language

Russian is an East Slavic language, which is official in the Russian Federation, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as being widely used throughout Eastern Europe, the Baltic states, the Caucasus and Central Asia. It was the de facto language of the Soviet Union until its dissolution on 25 December 1991. Although, nowadays, nearly three decades after the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russian is used in official capacity or in public life in all the post-Soviet nation-states, as well as in Israel and Mongolia, the rise of state-specific varieties of this language tends to be strongly denied in Russia, in line with the Russian World ideology.

Japan Constitutional monarchy in East Asia

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asian continent and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea in the south.

Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid-1950s. The terms "popular music" and "pop music" are often used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular and includes many diverse styles. "Pop" and "rock" were roughly synonymous terms until the late 1960s, when they became increasingly differentiated from each other.

Contents

Travels in Russia

The duo traveled across Russia by Trans-Siberian Railway for seven months from March to October 1999, for a Japanese television program called Susunu! Denpa Shōnen . Their career was at a crossroads due to poor sales and their contract with their record label was not renewed. [4]

Trans-Siberian Railway network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan

The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East. With a length of 9,289 kilometres, from Moscow to Vladivostok, it is the longest railway line in the world. There are connecting branch lines into Mongolia, China and North Korea. It has connected Moscow with Vladivostok since 1916, and is still being expanded.

Susunu! Denpa Shōnen (進ぬ！電波少年) is a Japanese reality TV show which aired from January 11, 1998 to September 29, 2002 on the Nihon TV network, and online from October 2009.

A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing, promotion, and enforcement of copyright for sound recordings and music videos; also conducting talent scouting and development of new artists ; and maintains contracts with recording artists and their managers. The term "record label" derives from the circular label in the center of a vinyl record which prominently displays the manufacturer's name, along with other information. Within the mainstream music industry, recording artists have traditionally been reliant upon record labels to broaden their consumer base, market their albums, and be both promoted and heard on music streaming services, radio, and television. Record labels also provide publicists, who assist performers in gaining positive media coverage, and arrange for their merchandise to be available via stores and other media outlets.

Therefore, they were given a challenge by the producers of Denpa Shōnen. The two were taken to Moscow by the program's staff. They were told to travel from Moscow to Vladivostok via the Trans-Siberian Railway while earning their living by only playing street concerts. They then had to compose a good song by the end of their travels and gather 10,000 or more people for a concert in the Nippon Budokan on 4 October 1999. If they could not do this, then they had to quit their careers as musicians and break up.

Moscow Capital city of Russia

Moscow is the capital and most populous city of Russia, with 13.2 million residents within the city limits, 17 million within the urban area and 20 million within the metropolitan area. Moscow is one of Russia's federal cities.

Vladivostok City in Primorsky Krai, Russia

Vladivostok is a city and the administrative center of Far Eastern Federal District and Primorsky Krai, Russia, located around the Golden Horn Bay, not far from Russia's borders with China and North Korea. The population of the city as of 2017 was 606,589, up from 592,034 recorded in the 2010 Russian census. Harbin in China is about 515 kilometres (320 mi) away, whilst Sapporo in Japan is about 775 kilometres (482 mi) east across the Sea of Japan.

Nippon Budokan building

Nippon Budokan, often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Budokan was originally built for the judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics, hence its name, which translates in English as Martial Arts Hall. Its primary purpose is to host martial arts contests and for a time was a popular venue for Japanese professional wrestling. It has hosted numerous other sporting events such as the 1967 Women's Volleyball World Championship and other events such as musical concerts.

Finally, they composed the song "Last Tour" on the bank of Amur River and played the song at the Budokan. They were able to gather more than the required 10,000 people. The concert was going to be done only once, but there was an encore performance because it was a huge success.

Amur River river in Russia and China

The Amur River or Heilong Jiang is the world's tenth longest river, forming the border between the Russian Far East and Northeastern China. The largest fish species in the Amur is the kaluga, attaining a length as great as 5.6 metres (18 ft). The river basin is home to a variety of large predatory fish such as northern snakehead, Amur pike, taimen, Amur catfish, predatory carp and yellowcheek, as well as the northernmost populations of the Amur softshell turtle and Indian lotus.

In 2000, they released Subasība (СПАСИБО) album, which collected songs composed in Russia. "Supasiba" is a Japanized word for "Спасибо" which means "Thank you" in Russian language. "Stairway" which was released next to "Last Tour" was composed in Russia, too.

In 2003, they were invited to the "Japan Festival in Moscow" at the Malyi Theatre.

Russia is like a home away from home for them now, and they have been there frequently for private travel.

Discography

Singles

Albums

DVD

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References

  1. ↑ "Bluem of Youth". sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  2. ↑ "Bluem of Youth". last.fm. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  3. ↑ "Bluem of Youth". allmusic.com. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  4. ↑ "Bluem of Youth". bbc.com.uk. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  5. ↑ "Early Singles + Bluem of Youth". sonymusic.com.jp. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  6. ↑ "Bluem of Youth". amazon.com. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
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