Seventeen
“Seventeen” is a 2023 song by Japanese music duo Yoasobi, based on Miyuki Miyabe’s short story “Iro Chigai no Trump.”
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
“Seventeen” is a song by the Japanese duo Yoasobi, comprising producer and songwriter Ayase and vocalist Ikura. It was created as part of Hajimete no, a collaborative literary-music project announced in December 2021. The project brought Yoasobi together with four Naoki Prize-winning novelists, including Miyuki Miyabe, whose story “Iro Chigai no Trump” became the source for “Seventeen.” The broader project was organized around stories associated with first-time experiences, while Miyabe’s contribution used the theme of becoming a suspect for the first time. The song presents the perspective of a 17-year-old girl who leaves behind the world in which she has lived, including her parents, in order to protect a parallel world from crisis. Its narrative focus reflects Yoasobi’s established practice of adapting literary works into pop songs, translating a written story into a compact, dramatic recording. Miyabe supplied the underlying story, while Ayase handled songwriting and production and Ikura performed the vocals. Additional credited musicians included Hikaru Yamamoto on bass and Takeruru on guitar; Takayuki Saitō recorded the vocals, Masahiko Fukui mixed the track, and Hidekazu Sakai mastered it. Before the full release, the song was previewed through a promotion with Lawson’s Machi Café. In January 2023, customers could receive a sleeve containing a two-dimensional code that provided access to a snippet of the then-unreleased recording, alongside a special Yoasobi Honey Caffè Latte. Yoasobi announced the digital release on March 22, and “Seventeen” became available for download and streaming on March 27, 2023, through Sony Music Entertainment Japan. It served as the fourth and final single associated with the Hajimete no literary project, following “Mr.,” “Suki da,” and “Umi no Manimani.” The recording was subsequently included on Hajimete no – EP, released on May 10, 2023, and Yoasobi’s The Book 3, released on October 4, 2023. An English-language version appeared on E-Side 3, Yoasobi’s third English-language EP, on April 12, 2024. The song also received a music video released on the same day as the original single. The video was produced by Contrail and MAPPA and directed by Masatsugu Nagasoe, extending the song’s parallel-world narrative through animation. Commercially, “Seventeen” reached number 32 on the Oricon Combined Singles Chart and led the Oricon Digital Singles Chart for the chart issue dated April 10, 2023, with 12,645 downloads. It entered the Billboard Japan Hot 100 at number 21 and peaked at number two on the Download Songs chart. Its first Billboard Japan Streaming Songs entry was number 63, followed by a rise to number 36 the next week after accumulating 2,847,845 streams, a reported 130 percent increase. The Recording Industry Association of Japan certified the song platinum for surpassing 100 million streams. Beyond its original release campaign, the track was used in the trailer “Forge Your Path” for Brownies’ Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree.
History
“Seventeen” originated in Yoasobi’s Hajimete no project, announced on December 1, 2021, alongside the release of the duo’s The Book 2 EP. The project was designed as a collaboration between Yoasobi and four Naoki Prize-winning writers: Rio Shimamoto, Mizuki Tsujimura, Miyuki Miyabe, and Eto Mori. Each writer contributed a story connected to the idea of an experience undertaken for the first time. The four stories were later collected in the book Hajimete no, published on February 16, 2022. Miyuki Miyabe’s contribution was “Iro Chigai no Trump,” a story whose thematic premise concerns becoming a suspect for the first time. Yoasobi adapted the story into “Seventeen,” focusing on a 17-year-old girl who separates herself from her familiar world and her parents to avert a crisis affecting a parallel world. The track therefore belongs to a specific literary adaptation cycle rather than being an unrelated standalone song. The recording was previewed before its official release through a Lawson Machi Café collaboration in January 2023. Customers purchasing the designated special Yoasobi Honey Caffè Latte could receive a sleeve containing a two-dimensional code that allowed them to hear a snippet of “Seventeen.” Yoasobi formally announced the digital release on March 22, and Sony Music Entertainment Japan issued the song for download and streaming on March 27. It was the fourth and final single connected with Hajimete no, following “Mr.,” “Suki da,” and “Umi no Manimani.” A music video premiered on the same date. It was produced by Contrail and MAPPA and directed by Masatsugu Nagasoe. The video provided an animated counterpart to the song’s parallel-world narrative. The track was later collected on Hajimete no – EP on May 10, 2023, and on Yoasobi’s The Book 3 on October 4, 2023. Its international-language expansion came with the English version on E-Side 3, released April 12, 2024. The song recorded notable digital results in Japan. It debuted at number 32 on the Oricon Combined Singles Chart and reached number one on the Oricon Digital Singles Chart for the issue dated April 10, 2023, with 12,645 downloads. On Billboard Japan, it entered the Japan Hot 100 at number 21 and peaked at number two on the Download Songs chart. It initially appeared at number 63 on the Streaming Songs chart before rising to number 36 the following week, when it recorded 2,847,845 streams and a reported 130 percent week-on-week increase. The Recording Industry Association of Japan subsequently certified it platinum for reaching 100 million streams. The recording also appeared in the trailer “Forge Your Path” for Brownies’ Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree, extending its use beyond Yoasobi’s own release and promotional materials.
- 2024
English version released
[1]The English adaptation was released on Yoasobi’s E-Side 3 EP.
- 2023
Preview campaign begins at Lawson Machi Café
[1]A promotional drink and code-bearing sleeve offered customers an early snippet of the unreleased song.
- 2023
Original single released
[1]“Seventeen” was released digitally on March 27 through Sony Music Entertainment Japan, with its animated music video premiering the same day.
- 2023
Included on Hajimete no – EP
[1]The song was included on Yoasobi’s Hajimete no – EP, released May 10.
- 2023
Included on The Book 3
[1]The recording appeared on Yoasobi’s The Book 3, released October 4.
- 2022
Hajimete no book published
[1]The four source stories for the project were published together in the book Hajimete no.
- 2021
Hajimete no project announced
[1]Yoasobi announced the literary collaboration project with four Naoki Prize-winning novelists.
Products and positioning
A literary adaptation within Yoasobi’s story-driven Japanese pop catalog, combining a contemporary digital music release with an animated visual presentation and a source narrative by an acclaimed Japanese novelist.
Japanese-language song · 2023
Seventeen
The original Japanese-language recording by Yoasobi, based on Miyuki Miyabe’s story “Iro Chigai no Trump.” It was released digitally on March 27, 2023, as the fourth and final single from the Hajimete no literary collaboration project. The recording features Ikura’s vocals, with Ayase credited as songwriter and producer.
English-language song adaptation · 2024
Seventeen (English version)
An English-language version of the song issued as part of Yoasobi’s international English-language release program. It appeared on E-Side 3, the duo’s third English-language EP, released on April 12, 2024.
Animated music video · 2023
Seventeen music video
An animated visual interpretation released alongside the original single. The video was produced by Contrail and MAPPA and directed by Masatsugu Nagasoe, presenting the song’s story of a girl navigating a parallel-world crisis.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023Lawson Machi Café Yoasobi Honey Caffè Latte promotion
Japan
Lawson’s Machi Café partnered with Yoasobi on a special drink promotion. Customers received a sleeve with a two-dimensional code that provided access to a preview snippet of the then-unreleased “Seventeen.”
Outcome. The promotion generated an early public preview before the song’s digital release.
- 2023Forge Your Path trailer placement
International
“Seventeen” was used in the trailer titled “Forge Your Path” for Brownies’ Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree.
Brand decisions
2024
Issue an English-language versionGeneration changeBackground
Yoasobi extended selected Japanese recordings into its English-language EP series.
Action taken
An English version of “Seventeen” was included on E-Side 3.
Aftermath
The song became available in an English adaptation alongside the original Japanese recording.
2023
Release the fourth and final Hajimete no singleProduct launchBackground
The song was selected as the concluding single in Yoasobi’s four-story collaboration with Naoki Prize-winning novelists.
Action taken
Yoasobi and Sony Music Entertainment Japan issued “Seventeen” for digital download and streaming on March 27, alongside its animated music video.
Aftermath
The song reached number one on the Oricon Digital Singles Chart, peaked at number two on Billboard Japan’s Download Songs chart, and later received RIAJ platinum certification for streaming.
2023
Expand the release across Yoasobi EPsProduct launchBackground
Following its digital single release, the recording was positioned within Yoasobi’s physical and digital EP catalog.
Action taken
The song was included on Hajimete no – EP in May and The Book 3 in October.
Aftermath
The track remained available both as a project-specific release and as part of Yoasobi’s broader album sequence.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
SEVENTEEN wins two Asian Music Festival awards[2]
Reported:
SEVENTEEN won the Album of the Year and Asia's Group of the Year awards at the Asian Music Festival 2019 in Shenzhen, China.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/seventeen · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled