Itano Tomomi (Tomochin) / 1st Generation

Itano Tomomi Official Nominee for The Most Beautiful Asia Faces of 2018



https://www.instagram.com/p/BtACJHOF-w3/

 

Interview about the new single at ModelPress. Here are a few of the questions with answers:

- What is the reason for choosing a straight love song in the 11th single this time in the first place? "Like. Please tell me the background of the creation of "What is that?"

Itano: When I made the tenth single "Just as I am", I turned back on myself as a milestone song, and made lyrics. As it became a culmination of my own thoughts, I thought that on the eleventh sheet I wanted to do something that I had not done so much. Of course, love songs have been singing, but as I did a few songs that I did lyrics, I tried trying this time.

- I think whether it was a work full of new challenges even this song and MV, but this year is the 8th anniversary of the solo debut. Please tell me your mind as I look back on solo activities so far.

Itano: It's a very mysterious feeling. It was about 8 years from joining AKB 48 until graduating. After all, because AKB 48 was very long in myself, I was suffering while solo debut was in the group, but I was surprised that it passed so much. There were lots of difficult things, but I think that I could have come to my own pace in a very good sense. At first, I felt that "I have to do this" or "I have to put out such songs" for my image, was bigger, but now, "What kind of reaction will come if I send such songs?" "I feel like I'm enjoying something I'd like to do. I think that it would be nice to be able to do at this pace on singer activities, and also think that I can put out various songs such as dance number again.





https://mdpr.jp/interview/detail/1822824

 

Okay, well there are a few things to comment on here. Oh, and in the future please leave a short description when you share a link like that.

Basically the article is saying...

1) Tomochin's sales were very low, especially when you compare it to the 160K in sales Dear J did when she debuted.
2) The PV got over 1.6 million YouTube hits. That's a heck of a lot. So where are the sales?
3) When she was in SSK she got over 60,000 votes. Where did the fans go?
4) Wasamin's Enka single, which released the same week, sold more than triple the amount of copies Tomochin's single sold.
5) Wasamin was just a lowly theater girl, so how could this be?
6) Something needs to drastically change if Tomochin's has any chance of challenging her "rival" Amuro Namie.

For starters, this just goes to show how difficult it is to transition from an idol to a solo performer. Think about it, how many former AKB48 members have had extended success as solo music artists? Moreover, how many Morning Musume members have? It's not an easy road to hoe, which is why I always smirk at how many times I see people on this forum suggesting members should leave for their solo career, as if it's so easy.

I will say this, I have always wondered why Tomochin's management doesn't more aggressively promote her singles. I mean the song has been out for a week and a half and she has made three promotional appearances that I know of, including today in Tokyo. (Shoot, I wish I had looked that up earlier, I would have gone!) Her previous singles were pretty much the same. She does a few random appearances, and that's it. It's like when these former AKB senbatsu members go solo, they pretty much rely on all the fans from their idol days to stick with them post-idol, and that just isn't the case. Going solo is pretty much starting over. I mean take a look at the solo single sales for Maeda Atsuko, it's pretty much the same story.

While I don't think the comparison to Wasamin is completely fair since they are working in completely different genres, and technically aren't rivals, Wasamin promotes the heck out of her releases, all year long. She does exponentially more appearances, offers gimmicks, and manages to maintain sales in the 9-12K range. Although admittedly the sales for her single were down a bit from her previous release as well. What I am saying though is that if Tomochin's management put even half the effort into promoting the release that Tokuma does for Wasamin, her sales would undoubtedly be much better. So why hold back?

But I will concur, it is puzzling how her PV could get so many hits, and then result in such a low sales output. One would think 1.6 million hits would translate to a lot more than 3000 sales. (Wasamin's PV Preview had 45K hits by comparison)

So yeah, I agree with the article that her management needs to make some drastic shifts in how they are promoting her as a solo singer.

 

Some little promotion:
"On February 23 (Saturday), singer Tomomi Itano went on to talk with 11th single "Suki. I went to the Tokyo Dome City-LaQua Garden Stage."


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

A story about her appearance the other day to promote the single.

"Itano said "I love you" as "It is becoming a song that sings a pure love life when I was young in my teens, rather than a current love affair", and I'm in love with those who forgot about love I would like you to remember me, and I want you to be Kyunkyun, and if you are in love now let's associate your love and listen to them ", smiling."





https://thetv.jp/news/detail/180574/1071871/

 

You left out the most important figure.