King & Prince (album)

King & Prince
Standard Edition Cover
Studio album by
King & Prince
ReleasedJune 19, 2019 (2019-06-19)
Recorded2018–2019
GenreJ-pop
Length69:25
LanguageJapanese, English
LabelJohnny's Universe
King & Prince album chronology
King & Prince
(2019) 		L&
(2020)
Singles from King & Prince
  1. "Cinderella Girl"
    Released: May 23, 2018
  2. "Memorial"
    Released: October 10, 2018
  3. "Kimi no Matteru"
    Released: April 3, 2019

King & Prince is the debut studio album from Japanese pop group King & Prince, released on June 19, 2019, by Johnny's Universe. It was the group's first full release following the merging of the two individual units, Mr. King and Mr. Prince.

Background and release

King & Prince's debut studio album was announced on May 17, 2019, alongside a full track listing, product details and its official release date.[1] The album features three previously released singles; "Cinderella Girl," "Memorial," and "Kimi no Matteru."

The album was released physically on June 19, 2019, in three different versions. The Standard Edition, originally priced at ¥3000, featured a poster as well as bonus track "King & Prince, Queen & Princess." Limited Edition A included an exclusive bonus DVD, featuring three different music videos for the track "Naughty Girl;" the original music video, the Solo Member version, and a dance practise version. The DVD also included a behind-the-scenes video for the filming of the music videos, and a video were members discussed their thoughts and future plans with the group.[2] Limited Edition B included an exclusive bonus CD, which featured both tracks made under their former alias Mr. King vs. Mr. Prince, three tracks from their individual sub-units Mr. King and Mr. Prince, as well as three new bonus tracks titled "Hello!!" "Katsunda WIN!" and "MIXTURE."[3] Both Limited Editions were originally priced at ¥3600.[4]

It was the final release from the group to feature vocals from Genki Iwahashi, being released seven months into his hiatus.[5] He eventually departed from the group in 2021 after more than two years of inactivity.[6]

Commercial performance

King & Prince debuted at number one on Oricon's Singles Chart for the week ending June 23, 2019.[7] The album spent a total of 133 weeks on the chart, making it their longest charting album.[8] The album placed at number two on Oricon's annual album chart for the year of 2019, ranking behind only 5x20 All the Best!! 1999–2019 by Arashi.[9] The album has also sold over 600,000 copies, and was verified as double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan in June 2019.[10][11]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Cinderella Girl (シンデレラガール)"4:12
2."Sha-la-la Hajikeru Love (Sha-la-la ハジける Love"4:09
3."Kimi o Matteru (君を待ってる)"4:40
4."Naughty Girl"3:31
5."Can't Stop Now"3:38
6."Mahoroba (マホロバ)"3:32
7."Betsubetsu no Sora (別々の空)"3:56
8."Moon Lover"4:31
9."FEEL LIKE GOLD"4:06
10."Big Bang"3:37
11."Dance with me"3:20
12."Super Duper Crazy"3:43
13."Memorial"4:48
14."Letter"3:55
15."Song for you (君を信じて)"3:49
16."Thank You (君に ありがとう)"4:32
17."King & Prince, Queen & Princess" (Exclusive to Standard Edition)5:26
Total length:69:25
Limited Edition B Bonus CD
No.TitleLength
1."Summer Station (サマー・ステーション)"3:48
2."Hello!!"2:52
3."Katsunda WIN! (勝つんだWIN!)" 
4."MIXTURE" 
5."Bounce to Night"2:58
6."OH! Summer King (OH!サマーKING)" 
7."Alright" 
8."THE DREAM BOYS" 
9."Prince Pincess" 
10."You Are My Princess" 
11."Egaita Mirai (Tadoritsuku Made) (描いた未来〜たどり着くまで〜)" 

Tracks 6, 7, and 8 on CD2 are performed by only Sho Hirano, Ren Nagase, and Kaito Takahashi, under the alias Mr. King.

Tracks 9, 10, and 11 on CD2 are performed by only Yuta Kishi, Yuta Jinguji, and Genki Iwahashi, under the alias Prince.

Charts

Weekly Charts

Chart performance for King & Prince
Charts (2019) Peak
Japan Oricon Albums Chart[7]
1
Billboard Japan Hot Albums[12]
1

Yearly Charts

Yearly chart performance for King & Prince
Charts (2019) Position
Japan Oricon Albums Chart[9]
2

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee / Work Result Ref.
2018 97th Television Drama Academy Awards Best Theme Song "Cinderella Girl" Nominated [13]
2019 2019 MPA Awards Hit Song Award "Cinderella Girl" Won [14]
34th Japan Gold Disc Awards Best 5 Albums King & Prince Won [15]

References

  1. ^ "1st Album「King & Prince」のジャケット写真を公開！アルバム収録情報も全て公開！！". King & Prince (in Japanese). 2019-05-17. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  2. ^ "King & Prince【CD】【+DVD】 | King & Prince | UNIVERSAL MUSIC STORE". UM (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  3. ^ "King & Prince【CD】 | King & Prince | UNIVERSAL MUSIC STORE". UM (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  4. ^ "待望の1st Album「King & Prince」が6月19日（水)に発売決定！[6/17更新!!]". King & Prince (in Japanese). 2019-06-17. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  5. ^ Reileen (2018-10-27). "King & Prince Iwahashi Genki suspends activities due to panic disorder". ARAMA! JAPAN. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  6. ^ "King & Prince's Iwahashi Genki to end his activities, leave Johnny's & Associates". tokyohive. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  7. ^ a b "2019年06月17日～2019年06月23日 オリコン週間 アルバムランキング". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  8. ^ "King & Prince | King & Prince". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  9. ^ a b "2019年度 オリコン年間 アルバムランキング". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  10. ^ "一般社団法人 日本レコード協会". www.riaj.or.jp. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  11. ^ "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」 －CD・ブルーレイ・DVD・書籍・コミック－". ranking.oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  12. ^ "Billboard Japan". 2022-06-19.
  13. ^ "ドラマソング賞 受賞結果 1位：この道を、小田和正 | 第97回 - ザテレビジョンドラマアカデミー賞". WEBザテレビジョン (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  14. ^ "MPA年末懇親会2019を開催しました | 日本音楽出版社協会". mpaj.or.jp. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  15. ^ "第34回日本ゴールドディスク大賞". 日本ゴールドディスク大賞 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-06-19.