Reason Why ‘Hey! Say! JUMP’ Didn’t Become the Next Arashi Amid Marriage Rush
On August 19, “Hey! Say! JUMP” announced that their 34th single, “UMP,” will be released on September 24. However, some fans might not be entirely thrilled about the new release due to ongoing marriage announcements within the group.
“On August 12, Hikaru Yaotome (33) announced his marriage to a non-celebrity woman. With Daiki Arioka (33) having married Mayu Matsuoka (29) in June, Yaotome becomes the second married member of the group. Although many talents under the former Johnny’s Office (now STARTO ENTERTAINMENT) have gotten married this year, it’s unusual for a group in their 30s to see consecutive marriages.” (said a sports paper entertainment reporter)
After the marriage announcement, fans were overflowing with congratulatory messages for Yaotome. However, on the internet, some fans expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that two members of the group got married within just two months. For example:
“Tour ends in just three weeks, no new single for over a year, no appearances on music programs in the first half of the year, and the FC updates are just about marriages—this is seriously affecting my mental state.”
“No new songs, no events, but we get two marriage announcements. How can they expect fans to keep up with this?”
“Do they think so little of their fans?”
There have been harsh reactions from fans. A television industry insider speculates that the current dissatisfaction might be related to “JUMP’s” recent activity status.
“Since their single ‘DEAR MY LOVER / Uraomote’ in May 2023, ‘JUMP’ has released digital tracks and albums, but they haven’t put out a single until ‘UMP’ in September, a gap of 1 year and 4 months. Their last tour was the dome tour held from December 23 of last year to January 14 of this year.
Of course, we don’t expect idols to sacrifice their private lives entirely, but fans might feel frustrated as they’re paying for fan club memberships while seeing limited group activities and only hearing about members’ marriages.”
