Atsuko Maeda

Atsuko Maeda

Atsuko Maeda performing at the Anime Expo AKB48 live in Los Angeles, 2010
Native name 前田 敦子
Born (1991-07-10) July 10, 1991
Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan
Occupation
Musical career
Genres J-pop
Instruments Vocals
Years active 2005–present
Labels King
Associated acts AKB48
Website www.atsuko-maeda.com

Atsuko Maeda (前田 敦子, Maeda Atsuko, born July 10, 1991, in Ichikawa, Chiba) is a Japanese singer and actress known for her work in the Japanese idol group AKB48. Maeda was one of the most prominent members in the group, and placed first among all AKB48 and sister group candidates in the group's general 2009 and 2011 elections, and second in the 2010 election. She also appeared on many of its album covers. On March 25, 2012, she announced her graduation from AKB48;[1] it was held on August 27.[2][3] She has since continued with a solo singing and acting career.

Career

AKB48

At age 14, Maeda became a member of AKB48's first group, Team A,[4] which composed of 24 girls and debuted on December 8, 2005.

In 2009, Maeda won the first edition of AKB48's annual general elections, which are described as a popularity contest. As a result, she was the headlined performer for the group's 13th single, "Iiwake Maybe".[5] The following year, she placed second overall, but still had a significant choreography position in the lineup for "Heavy Rotation".[6] Later that year, AKB48 employed a rock-paper-scissors tournament to determine the top spot of AKB48's 19th major single "Chance no Junban". Maeda placed 15th, which secured her a spot on title track.[7] Maeda would also win the group's third general election held in 2011.[8]

Maeda was one of the members who sang on every AKB48 title track since the group's inception. Her streak of A-side appearances ended in 2011, when she lost to Team K captain Sayaka Akimoto at a rock-paper-scissors tournament which determined the featured members for the group's 24th single "Ue kara Mariko".[9]

On March 25, 2012, during an AKB48 Concert at the Saitama Super Arena, Maeda announced that she would leave the group.[10][11] This caused a large buzz in the Japanese news, and spawned a rumor (later proved false) that a student from University of Tokyo had committed suicide over the announcement.[12] AKB48 later announced that Maeda would leave after the Tokyo Dome concerts;[13] For her final performance, there were 229,096 requests filed for seat tickets.[3] Her farewell performance and ceremony occurred on August 27 at the AKB48 theater,[2] and was streamed live on YouTube.[4][14]

Solo career

On April 23, 2011, Maeda announced that she would make her solo debut with her debut single "Flower", released on June 22.[15] It was met with commercial success in Japan, debuting at number 1 on the Oricon Charts with first week sales of 176,967 copies.

The follow-up single "Kimi wa Boku Da", released in June 2012, was Maeda's last solo single while still a member of AKB48. It debuted at number two on the Oricon charts and reached number one on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.

On June 15, 2013, at AKB48's handshake event held at Makuhari Messe, AKB48 announced that Maeda would appear as a special guest at the group's summer concert series at the Sapporo Dome on July 31.[16] There], she performed her third single, "Time Machine Nante Iranai" (タイムマシンなんていらない, I don't need a time machine), which was later released on September 18.[17] It was selected to be the theme song for the live-action adaptation of Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo (Yamada and the Seven Witches).[18] Maeda described the song as "cheerful and fun" and hoped it would liven up the show.[19][20] "Time Machine Nante Iranai" eventually peaked at number one on the Oricon Daily charts,[21] and number two on the Oricon Weekly chart.[22] On Billboard's Japan Hot 100, it debuted at number one and stayed there for just the week of September 30.[23]

Maeda's 4th single "Seventh Code" was released on March 5, 2014. It was used as the theme song of the movie "Seventh Code" in which Maeda herself starred in. It debuted at number 4 on the Oricon charts and reached number three on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.

On December 12, 2015, it was announced that Maeda's first album will be released later the next year. Eventually, the album is set to be released on June 22, 2016.

Acting career

In 2007, Maeda played a supporting role in the film Ashita no Watashi no Tsukurikata, which was her debut as an actress.[24] She starred in the 2011 film Moshidora[25] and appeared in Nobuhiro Yamashita's 2012 film Kueki Ressha.[26] She also starred in Hideo Nakata's 2013 horror film The Complex.[27] It was announced that she will co-star with Tony Leung Chiu-wai in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's film 1905.[28]

In 2013, Maeda starred in a series of 30-second station ID videos for Music On! TV where she played Tamako, a Tokyo university graduate who does not find a job and lives at home where she just eats and sleeps, over the course of the four seasons. This became a TV drama special, and has been developed into a full-fledged film, Tamako in Moratorium, the last of which is planned for a theater release in November 2013.[29][30]

Maeda starred in the film Seventh Code, in which she plays a Japanese woman in Russia who is trying to track down a guy she previously met. The film was shown at the Rome Film Festival in November 2013, and was released for a short theater run in January 2014. She released a single of the same name on March 5.[31]

In May 2015, it was announced that Maeda had been cast in the role of Kyoko Yoshizawa, the female lead of the anime and manga series Dokonjō Gaeru (The Gutsy Frog), in a live-action version of the story set to air on Nippon TV in July.[32]

In 2016, she took the lead role of the drama "Busujima Yuriko no Sekirara Nikki" on TBS. The first episode is set to air on April 20, 2016.

Stage units

A listing of Maeda's participation in AKB48's theatre programs, called stages:[33]

Discography

Solo singles

Title Release date Chart positions Oricon sales
Oricon
Weekly
Singles
Chart		 Billboard Japan Hot 100
[34]		 RIAJ Digital Track Chart
[35]		 First
week		 Total
"Flower"[36] June 22, 2011 1 1 5 176,967 213,787
"Kimi wa Boku Da"[37] June 20, 2012 2 1 4 136,212 170,944
"Time Machine Nante Iranai"[22][38] September 18, 2013 2 1 60,687 79,081
"Seventh Chord"[31][39][40] March 5, 2014 4 3 42,784 53,286

AKB48

Year No. Title Role[41] Notes
2006 Ind-1 "Sakura no Hanabiratachi" A-side
2006 Ind-2 "Skirt, Hirari" A-side, Center One of seven members who sang on the title track.[42]
2006 1 "Aitakatta" A-side
2007 2 "Seifuku ga Jama o Suru" A-side, Center
2007 3 "Keibetsu Shiteita Aijō" A-side, Center
2007 4 "Bingo!" A-side, Center
2007 5 "Boku no Taiyō" A-side, Center
2007 6 "Yūhi o Miteiru ka?" A-side, Center
2008 7 "Romance, Irane" A-side, Center
2008 8 "Sakura no Hanabiratachi 2008" A-side, Center
2008 9 "Baby! Baby! Baby!" A-side, Center
2008 10 "Ōgoe Diamond" A-side.
2009 11 "10nen Sakura" A-side, Center also sang on "Sakurairo no Sora no Shita de", Shared center with Jurina Matsui of SKE48
2009 12 "Namida Surprise!" A-side, Center
2009 13 "Iiwake Maybe" A-side, Center Ranked 1st in 2009 General Election
2009 14 "River" A-side, Center
2010 15 "Sakura no Shiori" A-side, Center also sang on "Majisuka Rock 'n' Roll"
2010 16 "Ponytail to Shushu" A-side, Center also sang on "Majijo Teppen Blues"
2010 17 "Heavy Rotation" A-side Ranked 2nd in 2010 General Election, also sang on "Yasai Sisters" and "Lucky Seven"
2010 18 "Beginner" A-side, Mint, Center Also sang on "Kimi ni Tsuite" as subgroup Mint.
2010 19 "Chance no Junban" A-side Placed 15th in rock-paper-scissors tournament.,[43] also sang on "Yoyakushita Christmas" and "Kurumi to Dialougue"
2011 20 "Sakura no Ki ni Narō" A-side, Mint, Center Also sang on "Kiss Made 100 Mile" as Mint.
2011 – "Dareka no Tame ni – What can I do for someone?" – charity single
2011 21 "Everyday, Katyusha" A-side, Center also sang on "Korekara Wonderland" and "Yankee Soul"
2011 22 "Flying Get" A-side, Center Ranked 1st in 2011 General Election, also sang on "Seishun to Kizukanai Mama", "Ice no Kuchizuke", "Yasai Uranai"
2011 23 "Kaze wa Fuiteiru" A-side, Center
2011 24 "Ue kara Mariko" B-side Did not participate in title song; lineup was determined by rock-paper-scissors tournament;[44][45] She sang on "Noël no Yoru", and on "Rinjin wa Kizutsukanai" as Team A
2012 25 "Give Me Five!" A-side (Baby Blossom), Selection 6, Center Played rhythm guitar in Baby Blossom; she also sang on "Sweet & Bitter" as Selection 6
2012 26 "Manatsu no Sounds Good!" A-side, Center Did not participate in 2012 General Election.
2012 27 "Gingham Check" B-side Did not participate in title song. Participated in "Yume no Kawa" which was also her graduation song
2016 43 "Kimi wa Melody" A-side Marked as the 10th Anniversary Single. Participated as graduated member.

DVDs

Filmography

Films

Television dramas

Television shows

Documentaries

Radio shows

Bibliography

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result
2013 22nd Japanese Film Professional awards Best Actress Kueki Ressha Won[59]
2017 11th Asian Film Awards Best Supporting Actress The Mohican Comes Home Japan Nominated

Notes

  1. ↑ Team A would return to performing the 4th Stage program from April–October 2008

References

  1. ↑ "Atsuko Maeda says she will leave AKB48". Asia and Japan Watch. Asahi Shimbun. March 26, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  2. 1 2 板野友美、敦子との"再会"「うれしい」 (in Japanese). Oricon, Inc. June 28, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  3. 1 2 "AKB前田卒業公演をGoogle＋＆YouTubeで完全生配信　ファンの投稿が公演の演出に！" (in Japanese). Oricon, Inc. August 21, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  4. 1 2 "AKB48’s Maeda Atsuko graduates and how!". The Japan Daily Press. August 28, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
  5. ↑ "AKB48、13thシングル選抜総選挙「神様に誓ってガチです」" (in Japanese). livedoor Co.,Ltd. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  6. ↑ "AKB48 17thシングル選抜総選挙『母さんに誓って、ガチです』レポート(4)" (in Japanese). Scramble-Egg Inc. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  7. ↑ "AKB48『選抜じゃんけん大会』 "圏外"内田眞由美が19thセンターを奪取!" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  8. ↑ １１０人分足してもかなわない　最強すぎるＡＫＢ２トップ (in Japanese). Sponichi. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  9. ↑ "AKB48 Janken Tournament results for 24th single Senbatsu members!". September 20, 2011.
  10. ↑ "あっちゃん、AKB卒業へ…「私なりに頑張った6年半でした」". Oricon.
  11. ↑ "AKB48前田敦子 ：不動のセンターが卒業を発表　6年半の活動に幕" (in Japanese). Mainichi Shimbun Digital Co.Ltd. March 25, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  12. ↑ "An idol 'graduating' should not be front-page news". The Japan Times. April 15, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  13. ↑ "前田敦子、AKB卒業後初のソロ公演決定　9月に東京＆神戸で" (in Japanese). Oricon, Inc. May 30, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Maeda Atsuko makes a surprise appearance on the balcony". Tokyohive. August 27, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Update: Video – AKB48's Maeda Atsuko will officially go solo in June". tokyohive. tokyohive. April 23, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Maeda Atsuko to release a new single + perform the song at AKB48's Sapporo Dome concert as a special guest". Tokyohive.com. June 15, 2013. references "前田敦子、AKBライブ出演は「スペシャルゲスト」扱い！新曲を披露予定". Cinema Today (in Japanese). June 15, 2013.
  17. ↑ "Atsuko Maeda makes guest appearance at AKB48 concert". Japan Today. July 31, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Former AKB48 Idol Atsuko Maeda Sings Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo Drama's Theme - Interest". Anime News Network. August 6, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Maeda Atsuko's new song to be used in drama 'Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo'". tokyohive.com. August 6, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
  20. ↑ "前田敦子：AKB48卒業後初シングルがドラマ「山田くんと7人の魔女」主題歌に - MANTANWEB（まんたんウェブ）" (in Japanese). Mantan-web.jp. August 6, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
  21. ↑ "CDシングル デイリーランキング-ORICON STYLE ランキング". Oricon.co.jp. September 20, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  22. 1 2 "CDシングル 週間ランキング-ORICON STYLE ランキング". Oricon.co.jp. September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot 100" (in Japanese). Japan: Billboard. September 30, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  24. ↑ Mark Schilling (May 11, 2007). "'Ashita no Watashi no Tsukurikata'". The Japan Times.
  25. ↑ Jean Noh (March 21, 2011). "Drucker bestseller tops TBS sales slate". Screen International.
  26. ↑ Mark Schilling (July 6, 2012). "'Kueki Ressha (The Drudgery Train)'". The Japan Times.
  27. ↑ Ard Vijn (January 2013). "IFFR 2013 Review: THE COMPLEX Gives A Decent Fright". Twitch Film.
  28. ↑ Jason Gray (September 11, 2012). "Kurosawa to direct Japan-China co-production starring Leung". Screen International.
  29. 1 2 Ouellette, Kevin (July 31, 2006). "Atsuko Maeda reteams with Nobuhiro Yamashita for "Tamako in Moratorium"". Nippon Cinema. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  30. 1 2 "前田敦子が"残念な実家依存娘"に！山下敦弘監督「もらとりあむタマ子」11月公開決定 : 映画ニュース - 映画.com" (in Japanese). Eiga.com. August 20, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  31. 1 2 3 Schilling, Mark (January 2, 2014). "'Seventh Code'". The Japan Times. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  32. ↑ Ex-AKB48 Atsuko Maeda to Play Heroine Kyoko in "Dokonjo Gaeru" TV Drama Adaptation, Crunchyroll.com, 28 May 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  33. ↑ "Maeda Atsuko". stage48.net. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 Charts" (in Japanese). Billboard. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011.
  35. ↑ 有料音楽配信チャート (in Japanese). RIAJ.
  36. ↑ "AKB48前田敦子「もしドラ」挿入歌でソロデビュー決定" (in Japanese). Natalie. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  37. ↑ "前田敦子、新曲が映画「LOVE まさお君が行く！」" (in Japanese). Natalie. April 25, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  38. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot 100" (in Japanese). Japan: Billboard. September 30, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  39. ↑ "CDシングル 週間ランキング-音楽ランキング - 2014年03月03日～2014年03月09日のCDシングル週間ランキング". Oricon. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  40. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot 100│Charts│Billboard JAPAN". Billboard-japan.com. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  41. ↑ Center and A-side lineup information provided by "AKB48 歴代シングル選抜メンバー（2006年～2013年）" [(2006-2013) AKB48 successive single member selection]. entamedata.web.fc2.com. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  42. ↑ "SKIRT, HIRARI AKB48's second indies release｜". supermerlion. Retrieved April 24, 2011.
  43. ↑ "AKB48、じゃんけん選抜シングルは「チャンスの順番」". Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. November 4, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
  44. ↑ "AKB48 ：AKB48 ：じゃんけん大会を再び開催　9月に武道館で　SKE48、NMB48ら総勢71人参加". Mainichi Shimbun Digital Co., Ltd. (in Japanese). MANTANWEB. July 3, 2011. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  45. ↑ "AKB48’s second "Rock, Paper, Scissors" Tournament confirmed". Tokyohive.com. July 3, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  46. ↑ "AKB48's Atsuko Maeda Stars in Moshidora Film Next June - News". Anime News Network. December 13, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  47. ↑ Young, Deborah (July 13, 2012). "The Drudgery Train: Shanghai Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  48. ↑ 大 中 小　文字サイズ 前田敦子ら出演予定映画が製作中止に [Film featuring Atsuko Maeda to be cancelled]. Daily Sports Online (in Japanese). Japan: Daily Sports. February 25, 2013. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  49. ↑ Westlake, Adam (October 27, 2012). "‘Ringu’ director making new horror film starring Atsuko Maeda of AKB48". The Japan Daily Press. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  50. ↑ Yamamura, Hiroko (January 21, 2013). "Atsuko Maeda gets terrorized in The Complex". Japanator. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  51. ↑ "Trailer For Atsuko Maeda's Starring Film "Tamako in Moratarium" Revealed". Jpopasia.com. September 18, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  52. ↑ "Atsuko Maeda To Provide Voice For Narration in New Pokemon Film". Jpopasia.com. April 20, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  53. ↑ エイトレンジャー２ (2014). allcinema.net (in Japanese). Stingray. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  54. ↑ Toronto International Film Festival. "TIFF.net - Kabukicho Love Hotel". TIFF. Archived from the original on August 20, 2014. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  55. ↑ Mark Schilling. "Hot Japanese Stars Sometani Shota and Maeda Atsuko Say ‘Sayonara Kabukicho’". Variety. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  56. ↑ "Initiation Love". Nippon TV Program Licensing Catalog. Nippon TV . Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  57. ↑ http://variety.com/2014/film/asia/tohos-mystery-romance-initiation-to-star-shota-matsuda-atsuko-maeda-1201330457/
  58. ↑ http://www.atsuko-maeda.com/
  59. ↑ "Maeda Atsuko & Arata Iura Win Japanese Film Professional Best Actor Awards". Japanverse. April 24, 2013.
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