Milestone (Lead album)

Last updated
Milestone
Lead - MILESTONE (CD only).png
Studio album by
Lead
ReleasedJuly 18, 2018
Recorded2016-2018
Genre Hip-hop, pop, R&B, dance
Label Pony Canyon
CD (PCCA-04691)
2CD+Special Booklet (PCCA-04690)
CD+DVD (PCCA-04689)
Lead chronology
The Showcase
(2016)		Milestone
(2018)		 Singularity
(2020)
Singles from Milestone
  1. "Tokyo Fever"
    Released: March 8, 2017
  2. "Beautiful Day"
    Released: August 23, 2017
  3. "Bumblebee"
    Released: April 25, 2018

Milestone (stylized as MILESTONE) is the eighth studio album released by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead on July 18, 2018, released over two years after their previous album The Showcase. [1] [2]

Contents

The album included the singles Tokyo Fever, Beautiful Day and Bumblebee. [3]

Milestone was released in three separate editions; a CD only version, a 2CD edition that contained a special booklet, and a CD+DVD edition, which housed music videos for not only the new track "Love or Love?", but also the videos from the singles. This was the first time all of the music videos from prior singles were placed on the DVD to a studio album.

Information

Milestone is the eighth studio album released by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead, released two years after their previous studio album The Showcase. The album debut at #8 on the Oricon Albums Charts, but climbed to the #7 position, taking the weekly ranking of #8. [4] [5] This became their third consecutive album to chart in the top ten on Oricon, which began with their 2012 album Now or Never. By week seven, the album was at #37, making it their longest charting album. [6]

The album was released in three separate editions: a standard CD containing thirteen musical tracks; [7] a type A CD+DVD edition, which housed music videos for not only the new track "Love or Love?", but all the videos from the singles; [8] and a type B 2CD edition that contained thirteen tracks on the first disc and Mokudan radio show, which was hosted by the group, and a special booklet. [9] The type A and B editions were also given first press limited editions, which included tickets to the group's upcoming tour Lead Upturn 2018 ~Milestone~.

Milestone became the group's first album to harbor all of the corresponding singles' music videos. These were "Tokyo Fever" (2017), "Beautiful Day" and "Shampoo Bubble" from Beautiful Day (2017), and "Bumblebee" (2018).

As a special promotion, beginning July 18 on both Amazon Japan and at CD shops nationwide, buyers were able to get one of two possible "Lead Special Posters" when they purchased either the limited type A or B edition of the album. The posters were available on a first-come, first-served basis. In the first press limited editions of both type A and B of Milestone, special participation tickets were included to the group's nationwide tour Lead Upturn 2018 ~Milestone~ , which began August 5, 2018. There were two tickets placed in with the first press editions of the album, combined with a "Changing Jacket Set", that included one of three possible versions.

Promotional activities

Prior to the album's release, the group had released three singles: Tokyo Fever, Beautiful Day and Bumblebee.

Tokyo Fever was the twenty-seventh single by Lead, and became their ninth consecutive single to chart in the top five on the Oricon Singles Charts. [10] The single was released in four editions: a standard CD and three limited CD+DVD renditions. Each of the CD+DVD editions carried a different b-side, while all editions carried the title track and the coupling track "Bokura no Yogaakeru Made", along with their corresponding instrumentals. Beautiful Day was the twenty-eighth single, becoming the group's tenth consecutive single to chart in the top ten on the Oricon Singles Charts, taking #6 for the week. [11] It was released as a standard CD and three limited CD+DVD editions. The standard edition contained the title track and the two b-sides "Shampoo Bubble" and "Say Good-bye Say Hello", the first of which were placed on Milestone, as was the image video footage. [12]

Bumblebee was the twenty-ninth domestic single, peaking at #2 on the Oricon Singles Charts. [13] It was released in four editions: a standard CD, two CD+DVD editions with varying content and a version housing the CD and booklet. [14]

As a special promotion, which began on July 18 with Amazon Japan and at CD shops nationwide, buyers were able to get one of two possible "Lead Special Posters" when they purchased either the limited type A or B edition of the album. [15] The posters were available on a first-come, first-served basis. In the first press limited editions of both type A and B of Milestone, special participation tickets were included to the group's nationwide tour Lead Upturn 2018 ~Milestone~ , which began August 5, 2018. There were two tickets placed in with the first press editions of the album, combined with a "Changing Jacket Set", that included one of three possible versions. [16] [17]

Music videos

Prior to the album's release, music videos were released for the songs "Bumblebee," "Tokyo Fever" and "Beautiful Day". There was one new music video created for the album for the song "Love or Love?".

"Love or Love?" was much darker than previous videos. It opens with the trio against a backdrop of neon lights, before introducing each member in solo positions. Much like their other videos, the video is dance-focused. Each member is given a solo after the mid-point of the video, showcasing darker aspects that they had not touched on in previous videos. Keita is shown using sensual red candles, Shinya is shown consuming pomegranate in a sensual manner and Akira is shown with leather handcuffs, which are typically utilized in BDSM. Each member also holds a significant object close to the camera: Akira holds red lipstick, Shinya holds whipped cream and Keita holds up a glass of red wine.

On June 29, 2018, Pony Canyon's official YouTube uploaded the music video of "Love or Love?" to help promote the album. [18]

Though not released on the DVD, the song "Backpack" was given a music video. For the song, the Akira, Shinya and Keita perform the choreography on 21st Century Forest Beach on Okinawa Island. The footage also shows the group around the beach, going to local shops and swimming in the ocean. The dance utilized was choreographed by SUN-CHANG and the dancers in the video were SUN-CHANG, Kyo and Daik.

The video of "Backpack" was uploaded to Pony Canyon's official YouTube on October 10, 2018. [19]

Track listing

(Official Track List [20] )

Disc 1
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Untitled"  Akira Kagimoto • Fumio Hoshino1:34
2."Bumblebee" Akira Kagimoto • Shinya Tanuichi (rap) Drew Ryan Scott • Sean Alexander • Darren "Baby Dee Beats" Smith3:32
3."Love or Love?"Funk UchinoSAMDELL • Funk Uchino4:03
4."Backpack"Akira KagimotoRicky Hanley • Peter Boyes • Sebastian Thott 3:36
5."Shampoo Bubble"Akira Kagimoto • KM-MARKIT (rap)Chase Ryan • Beau Evans • Sean Alexander3:19
6."Beautiful Day" Lead Drew Ryan Scott • Sean Alexander3:45
7."Tell Me Why"Akira Kagimoto • Shinya Tanuichi (rap)KEN for 2 SOUL MUSIC Inc. • JUNE4:11
8."Kore Made, Kore Kara" (これまで、これから / So Far, From Now On)Saeki youthKSaeki youthK6:31
9."Medalist" (メダリスト)Akira Kagimoto • Shinya Tanuichi (rap)Akira Kagimoto4:26
10."R.O.O.T.S"Akira Kagimoto • Shinya TanuichiShinya Tanuichi • SEQUICK3:26
11."Tokyo Fever"Shinya Tanuichi • Saeki youthK • CLARABELLCLARABELL3:52
12."Give Me Your Best Shot" Keita Furuya Alexander Holmgren • Command Freaks3:23
13."Funk This Time!"Funk UchinoKevin Charge • Johan Becker • Yoko Hiramatsu3:21
Total length:48:59
Disc 2
No.TitleLength
1."MokudanSP Lead MILESTONE RADIO" (モクダンSP)1:29:02
Total length:1:29:02
DVD
No.TitleDirector(s)Length
1."Love or Love?" (Music Video)Tatsuya Murakami4:08
2."Bumblebee" (Music Video)Hideaki Sunaga4:00
3."Beautiful Day" (Music Video)Yoshiharu Seri4:22
4."Shampoo Bubble" (Image Movie in Hawaii)Seijiro Tashiro3:19
5."Tokyo Fever" (Music Video)Jun Nakao4:14
6."Milestone" (Behind the Photo Shooting)Minoru Kieda30:23
7."Love or Love?" (Behind the Music Video)Sou Yasui8:56
Total length:59:22

Personnel

Credits are adapted from album’s Liner Notes [21]

Musicians
Production

Charts (Japan)

Album

ReleaseChartPeak positionChart runTotal sales
July 18, 2018 Oricon Daily Albums Chart 7
July 18, 2018 Oricon Weekly Albums Chart 88 weeks14,218
July 18, 2018Oricon Monthly Album Charts [22] 302 months15,405

Singles

DateTitlePeak positionWeeksSales
March 8, 2017 Tokyo Fever 53 weeks28,671 copies [23]
August 23, 2017 Beautiful Day 64 weeks17,728 copies [24]
April 25, 2018 Bumblebee 24 weeks18,791 copies [25]

Related Research Articles

Lead is a Japanese hip-hop dance and vocal group, initially formed under the name Rhymix in Osaka, Japan in March 2002. They went through two name changes before debuting as "Lead" in May 2002 under the Pony Canyon sub-label Flight Master. The group consists of Shinya Taniuichi, Keita Furuya, Akira Kagimoto and, formerly, Hiroki Nakadoi.

<i>Perfect Crime</i> (album) 2001 studio album by Mai Kuraki

Perfect Crime is the second studio album by Japanese recording artist Mai Kuraki. It was released on July 4, 2001, by Giza Studio.

<i>Fairy Tale</i> (Mai Kuraki album) 2002 studio album by Mai Kuraki

Fairy Tale is the third studio album by Japanese recording artist Mai Kuraki. It was released on October 23, 2002 under Giza Studio label.

The following is the discography of the South Korean boy band Supernova which consists of ten studio albums, one live album, six compilation albums, one extended play, and thirty-three singles. Known as Choshinsei for their Japanese releases, the group debuted in 2007 with the single "Hit" from their album The Beautiful Stardust in South Korea.

<i>Girls Forever</i> 2012 studio album by Kara

Girls Forever is the third Japanese studio album and sixth overall studio album release by South Korean girl group Kara on November 14, 2012, in four different editions.

<i>Eighth Wonder</i> (album) 2013 studio album by AAA

Eighth Wonder is the eighth studio album by Japanese music group AAA, released on September 18, 2013. The album contains five singles that were previously released —"Niji", "Miss you/Hohoemi No Saku Basho", "Party It Up", "Love Is In The Air" and "Koi Oto to Amazora"— all of which made the top 10 on the Oricon weekly singles chart.

<i>Wake Up</i> (BTS album) 2014 studio album by BTS

Wake Up is the first Japanese studio album by South Korean boy band BTS. It was released in Japan on December 24, 2014, through Pony Canyon. The 13-track album includes Japanese versions of the band's Korean singles "No More Dream", "Boy in Luv", and "Danger"—all of which were released in the months prior as physical Japanese singles—and two new, original Japanese songs: "The Stars" and "Wake Up". The album became BTS' highest-charting and best-selling album in Japan at the time, following its debut at number three on the Oricon Albums Chart, and sales of over 28,000 copies.

<i>Japonism</i> (album) 2015 studio album by Arashi

Japonism is the fourteenth studio album of the Japanese idol group Arashi. The album was released on October 21, 2015 under their record label J Storm in three editions: a first press/limited edition, a Yoitoko limited edition, and a regular edition. The first press edition comes with an 84-page photo lyrics booklet and bonus DVD with the music video and making-of for the album's lead track, "Kokoro no Sora". The Yoitoko limited edition comes with a 32-page lyrics booklet, and the regular edition comes with a 36-page lyrics booklet. The album sold over 820,000 copies in its first week and topped the Oricon charts for two consecutive weeks. With more than 1,000,000 copies sold, the album was certified for Million by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). On December 23, 2015, Oricon ranked Japonism as the best-selling album of 2015 in Japan. On February 27, 2016, Japonism was awarded Album of the Year in the 2016 Japan Gold Disc Awards.

<i>Are You Happy?</i> 2016 studio album by Arashi

Are You Happy? is the fifteenth studio album of the Japanese idol group Arashi. The album was released on October 26, 2016 under their record label J Storm in two editions: a first press/limited edition and a regular edition. The regular edition comes with a 36-page lyrics booklet and the limited edition comes with an 80-page photo lyrics and a bonus DVD with the music video and making-of for "Don't You Get It?". The album sold over 636,000 copies in its first week and topped the Oricon charts. With more than 720,000 copies sold, the album was certified for Triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). It was released digitally on February 7, 2020.

<i>Untitled</i> (Arashi album) 2017 studio album by Arashi

Untitled is the sixteenth studio album by the Japanese idol group Arashi. The album was released on October 18, 2017 under their record label J Storm in two editions: a first press/limited edition and a regular edition. With more than 750,000 copies sold, the album was certified for Triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). It was released digitally on February 7, 2020.

The discography of Japanese hip-hop group Lead includes 9 studio albums, 1 compilation album, 1 remix album, 16 live albums and 32 singles. Their first sixteen singles were released under the Pony Canyon sub-label Flight Master; since, their singles have been strictly under Pony Canyon.

<i>Face Yourself</i> 2018 studio album by BTS

Face Yourself is the third Japanese studio album by South Korean boy band BTS released on April 4, 2018, through Universal Music Japan and Def Jam Recordings. The album contains Japanese versions of songs previously released on the group's second Korean studio album Wings (2016), and the Love Yourself: Her (2017) extended play (EP), as well as three new, original Japanese-language tracks: "Don't Leave Me", "Let Go", and "Crystal Snow". Its debut at number 43 on the Billboard 200 made it the third-highest-charting Japanese album in the history of the chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bumblebee (Lead song)</span> 2018 single by Lead

Bumblebee is the twenty-ninth single by Japanese hip-hop group Lead. The single was announced in March and was released on April 25, 2018. The single was their third release post their studio album The Showcase, and released seven months after their previous single Beautiful Day. The single peaked on the Oricon charts at No. 2, becoming their highest ranking single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Be the Naked</span> Single by Japanese hip-hop group Lead

"Be the Naked" is the thirtieth single by Japanese hip-hop group Lead. The single was announced in December 2018, two weeks before the release of their concert DVD Lead Upturn 2018: Milestone. It debuted in the top ten on the Oricon charts at No. 7.

<i>Twice2</i> Album by Twice

#Twice2 is the second Japanese compilation album by South Korean girl group Twice. It consists of both Korean and Japanese versions of "Likey", "Heart Shaker", "What Is Love?", "Dance the Night Away" and "Yes or Yes". It was released by Warner Music Japan on March 6, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hide and Seek / Sunset Refrain</span> 2020 single by Lead

Hide and Seek/Sunset Refrain is the thirty-second single by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead. It was released on February 19, 2020. It charted in the top five on the Oricon charts at No. 3 and remained on the charts for two consecutive weeks.

<i>Singularity</i> (Lead album) 2020 studio album by Lead

Singularity is the ninth studio album released by the Japanese hip hop group Lead, released on March 18, 2020, nearly two years after their previous album, Milestone. It debuted at No. 12 on the Oricon charts, becoming their first in eight years not to debut in the top ten.

<i>Angel + Monster</i> 2020 EP by Koda Kumi

Angel + Monster is an extended play by Japanese artist Koda Kumi, released on December 2, 2020.

<i>Lead Upturn 2020 Online Live: Trick or Lead with Movies 5</i> 2021 video by Lead

Lead Upturn 2020 Online Live: Trick or Lead with Movies 5 is the twenty-third and twenty-fourth video and seventeenth overall concert video released by Japanese hip-hop group Lead. The concert video was released on January 20, 2021. It debuted at No. 8 on the Oricon DVD charts and No. 10 on the Blu-ray charts.

<i>Best: 2000–2020</i> 2021 greatest hits album by Koda Kumi

Best: 2000–2020 is a compilation album by Japanese singer-songwriter Koda Kumi, containing her most popular songs since her debut. The album was released on her twenty-first anniversary on December 6, 2021.

References

  1. ↑ "Lead、アルバム「MILESTONE」ジャケ写と収録曲を公開". Musicman-NET (in Japanese). June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  2. ↑ "THE SHOWCASE【初回限定盤A】 / Lead / ORICON NEWS". Oricon. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Lead：ニューアルバム「MILESTONE」7月18日発売決定!!【ジャケット＆収録内容/新ビジュアル公開！】". Rising Production (in Japanese). June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  4. ↑ "オリコンデイリー アルバムランキング2018年07月19日付". Oricon . July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  5. ↑ "オリコン週間 アルバムランキング2018年07月16日～2018年07月22日 / ORICON NEWS". Oricon. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  6. ↑ "週間アルバムランキング2018年09月10日付（2018年08月27日～2018年09月02日）". Oricon. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  7. ↑ "MILESTONE (Normal Edition)(Japan Version)". YesAsia. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  8. ↑ "MILESTONE [Type A](ALBUM+DVD)(First Press Limited Edition)(Japan Version)". YesAsia. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  9. ↑ "MILESTONE [Type B](2CD+PHOTOBOOK)(First Press Limited Edition)(Japan Version)". YesAsia. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  10. ↑ "トーキョーフィーバー / Lead / ORICON NEWS". Oricon. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Beautiful Day / Lead / ORICON NEWS". Oricon . Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Beautiful Day (Normal Edition)(Japan Version)". YesAsia. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  13. ↑ "週間 シングルランキング 2018年05月07日付 (Weekly Single Ranking 2018.05.07)". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Lead : New Single「Bumblebee」4月25日発売決定！【MV公開＆タイアップ決定！】". RISING PRODUCTION (in Japanese). March 30, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  15. ↑ "【Amazon.co.jp限定】MILESTONE(初回盤A+初回盤B 2枚同時購入セット/特典 スペシャルポスター<Aタイプ>付)". Amazon Japan. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Lead『MILESTONE』発売記念サイン会". Tower Records Online (in Japanese). Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  17. ↑ "【スタッフより】ニューアルバム「MILESTONE」特典画像公開". Leadship by Ameba. June 28, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Love or Love? / Lead【Music Video】". Lead Official YouTube. June 29, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Backpack -Choreo Video- / Lead". Lead Official YouTube. October 10, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  20. ↑ "MILESTONE Album Information". Lead Official. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  21. ↑ Milestone (booklet). Lead. Japan: Pony Canyon. 2018. p. 22.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ↑ "オリコン月間 アルバムランキング 2018年07月度". Oricon. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  23. ↑ "【ビルボード】UP10TION『ID』159,779枚を売り上げシングル・セールス1位 1,500枚の僅差でモー娘。は2位に". Billboard Japan . March 13, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  24. ↑ "『Lead シングルCD売上枚数』". エンタメの殿堂 (Entertainment Hall of Fame). July 31, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  25. ↑ "「１８年４月度月間ランキング」". ディープの 絶☆対☆的 ライブな日々 (in Japanese). May 12, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.