Timelesz

timelesz (formerly Sexy Zone) is a three-member Japanese boy band managed by Starto Entertainment (formerly Johnny & Associates). As Sexy Zone, the group, originally consisting of Shori Sato, Kento Nakajima, Marius Yo, Fuma Kikuchi and Sou Matsushima, debuted, their group age average 14.6. In 2013 they appeared in Kouhaku for the first time performing their hit song. Sexy Zone is the 5th group from Johnny & Associates to debut as special supporters for the "FIVB World Cup Volleyball" in 2011 after V6 (1995), Arashi (1999), NEWS (2003) and Hey! Say! JUMP (2007) from the same agency. They sold 3 million copies in Japan. Yo left the group and retired from the entertainment industry in 2022. Nakajima left the group on March 31, 2024. The new version of the group started officially their activities on April 1, 2024.

Career

As Sexy Zone

Sexy Zone was announced as a group in a press conference on September 29, 2011. Johnny & Associates's CEO Johnny Kitagawa said, "The group name came from Michael Jackson's sexiness". The members were revealed to be Kento Nakajima, Fuma Kikuchi, Shori Sato, So Matsushima, and Marius Yo. Kitagawa chose the members considering the "sexiness of men".

After the press conference, the members appeared in ''Teigeki Johnnys Imperial Theatre Special " Kis-My-Ft2 with Johnny's Jr."'', and premiered their debut song "Sexy Zone", which was subsequently released on November 16, 2011, from Pony Canyon. This song was also the image song of the 2011 FIVB Women's World Cup and the 2011 FIVB Men's World Cup. The group were special supporters of 2011 FIVB World Cup. this song was ranked in the Oricon charts.

Sexy Zone was named Musical Ambassadors of the FIVB Volleyball World Cup on March 2, 2015. On the FIVB world cup they performed their 10th single, Cha-Cha-Cha-Champion and announced the players as they entered the court.
In 2016, their official Japanese Volleyball team cheering song "Shouri no hi made" was released to cheer on the volleyball team.

By May 2014, Sexy Zone was working as 3 groups: Matsushima was paired with Kaito Matsukura and Genta Matsuda, now members of Travis Japan, then of Johnny's Jr., as "Sexy Matsu"; Marius was paired with former Hey! Say! JUMP member Genki Iwahashi and former King & Prince member Yuta Jinguji, both then of Johnny's Jr., as "Sexy Boyz"; and the main group (which would keep the name of Sexy Zone), that would focus on Nakajima, Kikuchi and Sato. The three groups, together with the fans (called "Sexy Girls"), would become known as "Sexy Family". It would be the first time that a group would not have a fixed number of members. Three would remain as core, and the other members would be picked from the "younger sibling groups" (Sexy Matsu and Sexy Boyz). It was reported by Nikkan Sports in 2014 that the group's then-upcoming single, their seventh, "Otoko Never Give Up", was recorded by only three of its five members., as later did their eighth " Kimi ni Hitomebore" and ninth single "Cha-Cha-Cha Champion", featuring only members Kento Nakajima, Fuma Kikuchi and Shori Sato. This resulted in rumors amongst fans about the future of Marius and Matsushima, the two youngest members of the group. But they were guaranteed that the 2 youngest would not be leaving, they would just be expanding the range of the group by working in their own projects. For their 10th single, "Colorful Eyes", released in December 2015, Marius and Matsushima returned to Sexy Zone, resuming activities as a 5-member group.

The Japanese release of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, released in 2023, uses their song "Try This One More Time" as the ending theme.

The group performed in their last concert stage as Sexy Zone on December 26, 2023, following their decision to change the group's name as a consequence of the agency's sexual abuse scandal. This decision was revealed in their official fan club, and by member Kento Nakajima in an Instagram post in October. It was revealed on January 8, 2024, that the name change would take place on March 31, and that Nakajima would leave the group the same day, but would remain in the agency as a talent and actor.

On March 31, 2024, the group had their last performance via a streamed live, carried by their official fan site, their group and individual official Instagram accounts and on their YouTube channel. Former member Marius Yo also appeared via video call. The 4-men group performed a total of 10 songs, interspersed between talking moments, ending with Nakajima giving his last "Sexy thank you".

As timelesz

On April 1, 2024, the 3 remaining members appeared in a streamed live, in which they announced, not only the group's new name, but a new project. The group, now called "timelesz" (with the sz representing Sexy Zone), announced they would be holding auditions for new members, as well as a 7-city, 25 concert tour. They also announced the name for the fandom, "secondz", with the reading of the name ("secondz" or "secandz") being put to a survey. Regarding the concert series, "We're timelesz Live Tour 2024 episode0", it will take place from June 22, 2024 (Hokkaido), till August 25, 2024 (Osaka)

The group released their first extended play under the new name in June 2024. The eponymous single, out in three formats (deluxe edition, limited edition, and standard edition), will include the previously released songs "Honne to Tatemae," "Jinsei Yūgi," and "Puzzle". The lead song from the new EP, "Anthem", was written and produced by Tomohisa Yamashita. Yamashita's comment on the song: "I wanted them to sing about the strength of turning the impossible into the possible. I wrote these lyrics because I thought that having them sing this song now would give courage and hope to many people!". The song was premiered on their radio program "timelesz's QRZONE", the music video was released the following day in their official YouTube.

As revealed in April, the group held auditions for new members. 350 of 18922 candidates passed to the second stage. This part of the recruitment was taped for the Netflix series "timelesz project ~Audition~", with the members screening every candidate. The Netflix series started distribution on September 13 in Japan, and later worldwide. A sort of "director's cut" backstage series, with comments by the members, has been shared in YouTube under the name "timelesz behind the audition" as companion series to the Netflix one.

Their tour "We're timelesz Live Tour Episode 0", first one after the name change, started on June 22, 2024, in Makomanai, Sapporo, and ended on August 25 in Osaka.

A new single, "because" to be released on November 20, will be their collective 27th single, but the first as timelesz.

timelesz members

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Former Sexy Zone members
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Timeline

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Discography

Studio albums
* '' One Sexy Zone'' (2012)
* ''Sexy Second'' (2014)
* ''Sexy Power3'' (2015)
* ''Welcome to Sexy Zone'' (2016)
* ''XYZ=Repainting'' (2018)
* '' Pages'' (2019)
* ''Pop × Step!?'' (2020)
* ''The Highlight'' (2022)
* ''Chapter II'' (2023)

Filmography

Television

''As Sexy Zone''
* ''Yan Yan Jump'' (April 2011- TV Tokyo)
* ''Johnnys'Jr. land'' (October 2011- Sky Perfect TV)
* '' Waratte Iitomo!'' (November 3, 2011 Fuji TV)
* '' Music Station'' (November 11, November 18, 2011, April 27, 2012 TV Asahi)
* ''Sexy Zone Channel'' (start February 26, 2014) Fuji TV)
* ZIP
*'' Fuller House'' (December 22, 2017, Netflix)

''As timelesz''
* ''timelesz project ~Audition~'' (start September 13, 2024, Netflix)

References

External links

Sexy Zone
at Universal Music Japan

Official Website on Starto Entertainment
(in English)

{{authority control

2011 establishments in Japan
Japanese boy bands
Japanese idol groups
Japanese musical quartets
Japanese pop music groups
Japanese-language singers
Starto Entertainment
Johnny & Associates
Musical groups established in 2011
Musical groups from Tokyo
Pony Canyon artists
Universal Music Japan artists