Iki o Suru Kokoro explained

Iki o Suru Kokoro
Cover:STU48 9th single cover.jpg
Alt:Theater Edition CD cover for STU48's 9th single "Iki o Suru Kokoro"
Border:yes
Caption:Theater edition cover
Type:single
Artist:STU48
Language:Japanese
English Title:Breathing Heart
Genre:J-pop
Label:King Records
Lyricist:Yasushi Akimoto
Producer:Yasushi Akimoto
Prev Title:Hana wa Dare no Mono?
Prev Year:2022
Next Title:Kimi wa Nani wo Kokai Suru no ka?
Next Year:2023

is the ninth single by Japanese idol group STU48. It was released on March 15, 2023, with Chiho Ishida as lead performer.

Production and release

On December 24, 2022, during their Christmas concert at the Hiroshima Bunka Gakuen Hall, STU48 announced that their ninth single would be released on March 1, 2023, with Chiho Ishida as center (lead performer).[1] However, the release was later postponed for two weeks due to "production reasons".[2] The music video for the title song, released on March 1, 2023, features multiple storylines about characters facing problems that make them feel like they "cannot breathe", befitting the song title. The chorus is performed on a stage on the rooftop of the Gojinsha Hiroshima Kamiya-cho Building in downtown Hiroshima and features QR codes on the stage and the hands of each performer, which provide access to group and individual members' bonus short videos. An alternate "dance QR" video was released on March 13, which depicts the complete choreography and displays the QR codes more prominently for easier scanning.[3]

The music video for "Egao no Chance" depicts a meeting in the "S7 summit", a reference to the 49th G7 summit which would be held in Hiroshima that year.[4] It was performed by members of the Setouchi PR Club Season 2 subunit, who were elected by fans using ballots included in the previous single.[5]

The single was released in five editions, which are the Special and regular editions of Types A and B and a Theater edition. All editions included Ishida's solo performance of "Hana wa Dare no Mono?" from the YouTube channel The First Take, which is the first performance by an AKB48 Group member on that channel.[6]

Reception

"Iki o Suru Kokoro" sold 217 thousand copies in its release week according to Oricon[7] and placed second on both the Oricon Singles and Billboard Japan Hot 100 charts.[8]

Track listing

CD

  1. "Iki o Suru Kokoro" (息をする心) / Senbatsu
  2. Different track on each edition:
    • Type-A: "Shizentōta Shugi" (自然淘汰主義)
    • Type-B: "Egao no Chance" (笑顔のチャンス), by Setouchi PR Unit Season 2
    • Theater: "Kamisama mo Akireru Kurai ni" (神様も呆れるくらいに), by SHOWROOM Senbatsu
  3. "Hana wa Dare no Mono?" - The First Take version (花は誰のもの? - From THE FIRST TAKE)
  4. "Iki o Suru Kokoro" (off-vocal)
  5. Different off-vocal track on each edition:
    • Type-A: "Shizentōta Shugi"
    • Type-B: "Egao no Chance"
    • Theater: "Kamisama mo Akireru Kurai ni"

DVD

Special Edition (streaming services)

  1. "Iki o Suru Kokoro"
  2. "Shizentōta Shugi"
  3. "Egao no Chance"
  4. "Kamisama mo Akireru Kurai ni"

Personnel

"Iki o Suru Kokoro"

Chiho Ishida (lead), Minami Ishida, Mitsuki Imamura, Hina Iwata, Kokoa Kai, Yumiko Takino, Akari Fukuda, Yuka Oki, Mai Nakamura, Serika Osaki, Anna Kawamata, Aiko Kojima, Sayaka Takao, Rinko Yoshizaki, Sara Yoshida, Momoka Rissen

"Shizentōta Shugi"

Mahina Taniguchi, Aoi Hyodo, Arisa Mineyoshi, Rika Muneyuki, Maiha Morishita, Soraha Shinano (lead), Yura Ikeda, Rine Utsumi, Yuna Kawamata, Riko Kudo, Himeka Sako, Sara Shimizu, Ayaka Suzuki, Miho Tanaka, Sayaka Harada, Natsuki Watanabe, Azumi Okada, Rio Okamura, Yuka Kurushima, Noa Morokuzu

"Egao no Chance"

Members of Setouchi PR Unit Season 2:

Chiho Ishida (lead), Akari Fukuda, Yuka Oki, Mai Nakamura, Serika Osaki, Sayaka Takao, Rinko Yoshizaki

"Hana wa Dare no Mono? - From The First Take"

Chiho Ishida

"Kamisama mo Akireru Kurai ni"

Mitsuki Imamura, Kokoa Kai, Yumiko Takino (lead), Akari Fukuda, Sayaka Takao

Notes

  1. Web site: STU48、石田千穂センターの9thシングル発売決定(コメントあり) . 2023-03-05 . 音楽ナタリー . ja.
  2. Web site: STU48 9thシングルのタイトル「息をする心」に決定です! . 2023-02-23 . STU48 OFFICIAL WEB SITE|STU48 FAN CLUB . ja.
  3. Web site: STU48新曲「息をする心」の"ダンスQRビデオ"公開、映像内のQRコードの飛び先は(動画あり / コメントあり) . 2023-03-21 . 音楽ナタリー . ja.
  4. Web site: STU48 瀬戸内PR部隊 Season2 「笑顔のチャンス」MVプレミア公開 OKMusic . 2023-02-23 . okmusic.jp. 2 February 2023 .
  5. Web site: 木村武雄 . STU48、3年半ぶりラゾーナ川崎でリリイベ「ありがたみを持って」:「息をする心」特別番組レポ&インタビュー . 2023-03-21 . MusicVoice . ja.
  6. Web site: STU48石田千穂が48グループ初の「THE FIRST TAKE」出演"一発撮り"披露 - AKB48 : 日刊スポーツ . 2023-03-05 . nikkansports.com . ja.
  7. Web site: ja:オリコン週間 シングルランキング 2023年03月13日~2023年03月19日 . Oricon Weekly Single Ranking March 13, 2023 – March 19, 2023 . https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/js/w/2023-03-27/ . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20230322025756/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/js/w/2023-03-27/ . March 22, 2023 . March 22, 2023 . . ja.
  8. Web site: March 22, 2023 . Billboard Japan Hot 100 2023/03/22 . March 22, 2023 . Billboard Japan.

References

  1. Web site: STU48、石田千穂センターの9thシングル発売決定(コメントあり) . 2023-03-05 . 音楽ナタリー . ja.
  2. Web site: STU48 9thシングルのタイトル「息をする心」に決定です! . 2023-02-23 . STU48 OFFICIAL WEB SITE|STU48 FAN CLUB . ja.
  3. Web site: STU48新曲「息をする心」の"ダンスQRビデオ"公開、映像内のQRコードの飛び先は(動画あり / コメントあり) . 2023-03-21 . 音楽ナタリー . ja.
  4. Web site: STU48 瀬戸内PR部隊 Season2 「笑顔のチャンス」MVプレミア公開 OKMusic . 2023-02-23 . okmusic.jp. 2 February 2023 .
  5. Web site: 木村武雄 . STU48、3年半ぶりラゾーナ川崎でリリイベ「ありがたみを持って」:「息をする心」特別番組レポ&インタビュー . 2023-03-21 . MusicVoice . ja.
  6. Web site: STU48石田千穂が48グループ初の「THE FIRST TAKE」出演"一発撮り"披露 - AKB48 : 日刊スポーツ . 2023-03-05 . nikkansports.com . ja.
  7. Web site: ja:オリコン週間 シングルランキング 2023年03月13日~2023年03月19日 . Oricon Weekly Single Ranking March 13, 2023 – March 19, 2023 . https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/js/w/2023-03-27/ . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20230322025756/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/js/w/2023-03-27/ . March 22, 2023 . March 22, 2023 . . ja.
  8. Web site: March 22, 2023 . Billboard Japan Hot 100 2023/03/22 . March 22, 2023 . Billboard Japan.