| GIFT | |
|---|---|
 GIFT ~White~ | |
| EP by Kanjani8 | |
| Released | December 23, 2009 (White) December 24, 2009 (Red) December 25, 2009 (Green) |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 8:48 (White) 10:03 (Red) 13:58 (Green) |
| Label | Imperial Records |
| Alternative cover | |
 Gift ~Red~ | |
 Gift ~Green~ | |
"GIFT" is a triple-single released by the Japanese boyband Kanjani Eight —stylized Kanjani∞. The three singles are the band's 11th, 12th, and 13th singles. The songs were released during the Christmas period[ year missing ]. Each single release, except "Green", contains two songs; Green has three songs. Each single has cover art reflecting the color theme of each single. GIFT was advertised as a gift from the group members to their fans. The three singles were sold at a special price of ¥888 and were a limited-press release.
Kanjani Eight is a six-member Japanese boy band from Japan's Kansai region. They are managed by the multimedia talent agency, Johnny & Associates, and signed to Imperial Records. The group was formed in 2002 and made their CD debut in 2004 as "Johnny's modern enka group", though after the year 2006, their sound and style has become a mix of pop and rock. Like the rest of the acts managed under Johnny & Associates, Kanjani Eight also perform in various other areas of the Japanese entertainment industry such as variety show hosting, television, movie, and stage acting, and radio talk show hosting. They sold 17 million copies in Japan.
Contents
The "GIFT" singles have seven Christmas-themed songs; some were written or composed by members of the group. Shota Yasuda designed the label for the single; Kanjani8 collectively photographed the backstage activities and provided creative ideas for the jacket design. Like the previous singles since "It's My Soul", member Tadayoshi Okura dresses as Santa Claus as the singles' joke for this release. He appears in the outfit on "Gift ~Green~", completing the group picture that spans the backs of all three singles.
"It's My Soul" is the seventh single released by the Japanese boyband Kanjani8. The song follows the same disco/funk trend that its predecessor and album featured. There were two versions of this single released, with the limited edition single featuring a special double secret sticker.
Tadayoshi Okura is a Japanese idol, singer, actor, voice actor and radio host. He is also a member and the drummer of Japanese male idol group Kanjani Eight, which is under the management of Johnny & Associates. His image color in the group is green.
Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts to the homes of well-behaved children on Christmas Eve and the early morning hours of Christmas Day. The modern Santa Claus grew out of traditions surrounding the historical Saint Nicholas, the British figure of Father Christmas and the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas. Some maintain Santa Claus also absorbed elements of the Germanic god Wodan, who was associated with the pagan midwinter event of Yule and led the Wild Hunt, a ghostly procession through the sky.
On December 29, 2009, it was announced that Kanjani8 had broken an Oricon record by having three singles released on three consecutive days, and monopolized the top ten weekly rankings by reaching the top three. This was the first time an album or single release had done this. When they were asked about it, member You Yokoyama said, "Being the first to have a three day consecutive release and be the first to have it in the top 1, 2, 3 spots make me really happy". [1]
Oricon Inc., established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as Original Confidence Inc., which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc. was originally set up as a subsidiary of Original Confidence and took over the latter’s Oricon record charts in April 2002.
You Yokoyama is a Japanese idol, singer, actor, radio host and lyricist. Yokoyama is also a member of Kanjani Eight, which is under the management of Johnny & Associates. His image color in the group is black.
