&Team (English: andTeam, Japanese: エンティーム, Korean: 앤팀; stylized in all caps) is a Japanese boy band based in Japan and South Korea formed by HYBE Labels Japan.[1] The group is composed of nine members: K, Fuma, Nicholas, EJ, Yuma, Jo, Harua, Taki, and Maki.[2][3] They were formed through the reality-survival program &Audition – The Howling – as their label's first group. &Team released their debut single "Under the Skin" on November 21, 2022, and officially debuted with their first extended play First Howling: Me on December 7, 2022.[4]
Name
The group's name, &Team, refers to "9 diverse members forming a team and connecting diverse worlds". They aim to be a group that grows while running towards tomorrow.[5]
History
2020–2022: Pre-debut activities and formation
K, Nicholas, EJ and Taki competed on the South Korean survival show I-Land in 2020 which produced boy-group Enhypen.[6] On January 1, 2021, Big Hit Japan announced the launch of the "Big Hit Japan Global Debut Project" to search for artists to debut as a group in Japan and become active worldwide.[7] On March 19, Big Hit Entertainment re-branded and re-structured into Hybe Corporation.[8] On April 26, K and EJ made cameo appearances in the music video for Enhypen's "Drunk-Dazed".[9]
On November 4, it was announced that K, Nicholas, EJ and Taki would participate as confirmed members of the planned group and would be joined by additional trainees to be selected through a new audition program.[10]&Audition – The Howling – began airing on July 9, 2022, and the nine final members were unveiled on September 3 via live broadcast from Tokyo.[11][12] On September 26, their fandom name was then announced to be LUNÉ.
2022–2023: Debut with First Howling: Me, first fanmeeting, "W.O.L.F. (Win Or Lose Fight)", "Blind Love", First Howling: WE andFirst Howling: NOW
Hybe Labels Japan announced that &Team would release their debut extended play (EP), First Howling: Me on December 7, 2022.[13] The group's self-variety show, &Team Gakuen (&TEAM学園), began airing on November 12; various guests were invited while viewers were able to see their debut preparations in South Korea and Japan.[8] On November 21, 2022, &Team released their first music video and digital single, titled "Under the Skin".[4]
On December 5, 2022, a webtoon featuring the group's members, Dark Moon: The Grey City, was published.[14] Two days later, they released First Howling: Me alongside the music video for "Scent of You";[15] in the first week of its release, the EP sold 151,000 copies.[16]
On March 2, 2023, it was announced the group would hold their first Japanese fanmeeting tour 2023 &Team Fantour Luné Mare: Tsuki-Nami, from May 27 to June 16. On March 2, it was announced that members EJ, K, Nicholas, and Taki would release "W.O.L.F. (Win Or Lose Fight)" on March 16 as the soundtrack for their webtoon Dark Moon: The Grey City.
On May 7, &Team released "Blind Love" as the theme song of the NTV drama Dr. Chocolate.
&Team released their second extended play First Howling: We on June 14, 2023.[17][18] On May 14, the track list for their new mini album was released, revealing their title track "Firework".
On September 3, &Team held their first anniversary event &Team 1st Anniversary [縁 Day] in Japan, as well as in Seoul on September 9.
On November 15, the group released their first studio album First Howling: Now.[19] Following the release of the album on November 15, the album placed first on the Billboard Japan Hot albums and second on the Oricon Albums Chart in Japan.
On December 19, &Team announced that they would embark on a concert tour in 2024, titled First Paw Print. The tour will occur from January 21 to March 3 and will take place in seven Japanese cities and one South Korean city.[20]
2024: "Samidare","Aoarashi", "Jyuugoya" and Yukiakari
On March 12, 2024, &Team announced that they would release their first single on May 8.[21] On April 6, the title of their first single album was revealed to be "Samidare" (五月雨).
On June 10, the single album Samidare was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan for the first time, with cumulative sales of over 500,000 copies.[22] On June 14, &Team announced that they would release their second single "Aoarashi" (青嵐) on August 7.
On July 10, the music-themed Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, California announced that a special K-pop exhibit will take place in August 2024, displaying the accessories and performance gear worn by artists under HYBE.[23]
On August 14, it ranked first on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 singles chart for the first time. On August 20, Aoarashi entered the World Music Awards "United World chart" for the first time, ranking 30th with a score of 96,000. On August 31, it was announced that &TEAM would be responsible performing the opening theme song "Beat the Odds" for the anime "Trillion Game".
On September 28, it was announced that &TEAM would be releasing a pre-release single "Jyuugoya" (十五夜) on October 23 before coming back with their second full-length album Yukiakari (雪明かり), on December 18.[24]
On December 3, &TEAM announced that they will be performing both the opening theme "Magic Hour" and the ending theme "Wonderful World" for the Japanese animated television series based on the manga by Murata Mayu, Honey Lemon Soda, serialized in the manga magazine "Ribon".[25]
On December 6, it was announced that they would be cooperating with TV Tokyo to produce their first podcast show called "&TEAM's "ごエンがあって、しゃべらせてもらってます.", which will start on January 7, 2025 and will be broadcast on YouTube, Spotify, and other platforms every Tuesday of the week.[26]
2025
On January 8, it was announced that &TEAM would be making their first appearance in a Japanese film. The live-action film "Paripi Komei THE MOVIE" adapted from the Japanese manga "Party Guy Kongming" would be released on April 25 of the same year. &TEAM played a key role in the story. In the film, they represented the music label KEY TIME on the stage of the Music Battle Festival and competed with the other two major music labels for the championship. In addition to the stage performances, members EJ, NICHOLAS and HARUA will challenge their acting skills. They will also appear in the "Party Guy Kongming THE MOVIE" Kick-off Party event on February 22 of the same year.[27]
Variety show following &Team in South Korea and Japan as they prepare for their debut receive visits from various guests and seniors in the entertainment industry.
^"Maybe" did not enter the Billboard Japan Hot 100 Chart, but debuted and peaked at number 25 on the component Download Chart.[45]
^"Scar to Scar" did not enter the Billboard Japan Hot 100 Chart, but debuted and peaked at number 47 on the component Download Chart.[45]
^"Koegawari" did not enter the Billboard Japan Hot 100 Chart, but debuted and peaked at number 74 on the component Download Chart.[45]
^"Blind Love" did not enter the Billboard Japan Hot 100 Chart, but debuted and peaked at number 74 on the component Download Chart.[45]
^"W.O.L.F. (Win or Lose Fight)" did not enter the Billboard Japan Hot 100 Chart, but debuted and peaked at number 68 on the component Download Chart.[45]
^"Beat the Odds" did not enter the Billboard Japan Hot 100 Chart, but debuted and peaked at number 48 on the component Download Chart.[45]
^"Meme" did not enter the Billboard Japan Hot 100 Chart, but debuted and peaked at number 50 on the component Download Chart.[45]
^"Magic Hour" did not enter the Billboard Japan Hot 100 Chart, but debuted and peaked at number 39 on the component Download Chart.[45]
^"Wonderful World" did not enter the Billboard Japan Hot 100 Chart, but debuted and peaked at number 46 on the component Download Chart.[45]
^Japan digital sales figures for First Howling: Now
週間 デジタルアルバムランキング (2023年11月13日～2023年11月19日) [Oricon Weekly Digital Album Ranking November 13, 2023 – November 19, 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
週間 デジタルアルバムランキング (2023年11月20日～2023年11月26日) [Oricon Weekly Digital Album Ranking November 20, 2023 – November 26, 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
月間 アルバムランキング 2023年06月度 [Oricon Monthly Album Ranking for June, 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
月間 アルバムランキング 2023年07月度 [Oricon Monthly Album Ranking for July, 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
^Japan digital sales figures for First Howling: We
^뉴진스→임영웅, AAA 베스트 초이스상 수상 "이 순간 함께해 영광" [2023 AAA] [NewJeans → Lim Young Woong won AAA Best Choice Award "Honor to be with you at this moment" [2023 AAA]]. Star News Korea (in Korean). December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
^원어스·보이넥스트도어·앤팀, AAA 이모티브상 "값진 상 감사" [2023 AAA] [ONEUS, BOYNEXTDOOR, & &TEAM, AAA Emotive Award "Thank You for the Valuable Award" [2023 AAA]]. Star News Korea (in Korean). December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
^Jeong Han-byeol (December 28, 2024). 상복 터진 '선업튀'… 변우석, 'AAA 2024' 대상 포함 6관왕 [종합] ['Seonup-twi' with a torn upper garment... Byun Woo-seok, 6 crowns including 'AAA 2024' grand prize [Comprehensive]]. The Korea Times (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
^Choi, Eun-ju (March 28, 2024). "이찬원·영탁·임영웅 '트로트 전성시대'...2024 USA 수상자 명단" [Lee Chan-won·Young-tak·Im Young-woong 'Golden Age of Trot'...2024 USA List of Winners]. GukjeNews (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 28, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024 – via Naver.
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