Idol (Yoasobi song)

"Idol" (Japanese: アイドル, Hepburn: Aidoru) is a song by Japanese duo Yoasobi from their third EP, The Book 3 (2023). It was released as a single on April 12, 2023, by Sony Music Entertainment Japan, serving as the opening theme to the first season of the 2023 Japanese anime series Oshi no Ko. Written by Ayase and based on Aka Akasaka's short story 45510, "Idol" is a combination of J-pop, hip-hop, rock, and video game music with complicated structure, and depicts the two-faced nature of a star in the Japanese idol industry. The lyrics delineate multiple different perspectives on the anime's central character, the idol Ai Hoshino, namely those of her fans, her fellow groupmates, and her own self. It additionally features shouts by B-boy group Real Akiba Boyz and gospel-like background vocals.

"Idol" received positive reviews from music critics, with particular praise for its representation of the anime's central character. The song was a massive commercial success in Japan and worldwide. It reached the top on the Oricon Combined Singles Chart and Billboard Japan Hot 100, and was the both's number one of 2023. The song topped the Japan Hot 100 for 22 non-consecutive weeks, making it the longest-running number-one song in the chart history, and also broke the record for the fastest song to achieve diamond certification, with 500 million streams recorded by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) in 295 days. Globally, "Idol" became the first Japanese-language song to top the Billboard Global Excl. US, and was marked at number seven on the Billboard Global 200, the highest ever position by a Japanese act in its history. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the song was the 19th best-selling song globally in 2023.

Naoya Nakayama directed the animated music video for "Idol", premiered on April 13, 2023, and exceeded 100 million views in 35 days, the fastest among Japanese acts. The song won several awards, including Best Animation Video and Song of the Year at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards Japan, Best Anime Song at the 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards, Song of the Year in both download and streaming at the 38th Japan Gold Disc Award, Gold Prize at the 2024 and 2025 JASRAC Awards, and Top Global Hit from Japan, Best Anime Song, Best Music Video, and Song of the Year for Creators at the 2025 Music Awards Japan. After numerous domestic and overseas performances, the first Japanese televised performance of "Idol" took place at the 74th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen, featuring selected members of the participated Japanese and Korean idol groups, Ano, Kanna Hashimoto, Real Akiba Boyz, and Avantgardey, which was considered to be the most attracted show of the event.