AAA (band)

AAA (pronounced Triple A; also an acronym for Attack All Around) is a Japanese pop group signed to the label Avex Trax which debuted in September 2005. The name has the meaning of "challenging everything" or "against all odds", and the group is marketed by their label as a "super performance unit".

The group was formed through Avex's own auditions, and originally consisted of five young men and three young women who had appeared in commercials and/or had prior experience as backup dancers for other Japanese stars, such as Ayumi Hamasaki and Ami Suzuki.

AAA was originally planned to be a six-member group. Initially, it included the five male members Takahiro Nishijima, Naoya Urata, Shuta Sueyoshi, Shinjiro Atae, Mitsuhiro Hidaka, and Misako Uno as the only female member. Avex later decided to add two more female members, Yukari Goto then Chiaki Ito. All eight entered the agency through auditions and underwent training in the Avex Artist Academy, the record label's talent training facility. As the songs "Blood on Fire" and "Friday Party" were prepared before their debut for six members, the two girls are only heard in the refrain.

In April 2005, Avex officially announced the debut of the group with seven members (excluding Ito), and oldest member Urata as the leader. AAA officially started their activities as a group in May. On June 15, Ito was added to the group. AAA debuted on September 14 that year with "Blood on Fire" and were received well due to the song being used as the theme song of the live action Initial-D movie.

In their debut year, they received the "Best Newcomer Award" at the 47th Japan Record Awards. From September to December they released a single each month plus a photobook and their very first album, Attack, in January 2006. With all the releases and promotional activities, the group did not have time to perform their songs live. However, as each of the singles tackled different genres, they did relatively well on the charts.

In June 2006, AAA's official fan club "AAA Party" opened its doors. Uno, the female lead singer, starred alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar in the Hollywood version of The Grudge 2 which opened in theaters October 2006. After releasing mini album "All/2" on September 13, 2006, AAA released their second studio album All on January 1, 2007. With the exception of three new songs, the songs on "All" had been previously released as singles with music videos throughout 2006. The album's sales were a success although less than its predecessor "Attack".

In 2007, AAA had another theme song tie-up with Kamen Rider Den-O, "Climax Jump", which they released as a single under the temporary name "AAA Den-O Form". The single sold well and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for the shipment of 100,000 physical singles and 100,000 full-track ringtone music downloads each, making it their most successful single to date.

The group's members gradually started delving into acting jobs, giving them more mainstream exposure. Their 14th single "Kuchibiru Kara Romantica/That's Right" was tied-up with television drama serial Delicious Gakuin, which starred members Nishijima and Atae.