SMAP is a Japanese
boy band formed by
Johnny & Associates. While originally consisting of six members, the group currently consists of five:
Masahiro Nakai,
Takuya Kimura,
Goro Inagaki,
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and
Shingo Katori. The group's name is an acronym standing for
Sports
Music
Assemble
People.
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SMAP released their first CD in 1991 and has since released over fifty singles and twenty albums. Approximately more than half of the singles and a half of the albums have reached the top of the Japanese
Oricon music charts. In recent years, the interval between the band's single CD releases has become longer, and they are now released approximately once a year.
The members of SMAP have also pursued careers outside of music, including involvement in television
variety shows,
dramas,
commercials, and movies, making them one of the most popular Johnny's groups. Largely due to their popularity, Johnny & Associates became the most successful agency in Japan, with earnings of almost three billion
Japanese yen in 1995.
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