Nogizaka46’s sales of their latest single have suffered. What is happening?

Nogizaka46’s 26th single “Boku wa Boku o Suki ni Naru” was released on January 27th featuring Yamashita Mizuki as the center of the newest single.

On January 26th, the first day sales were 450,000 copies. The second day sales were 70,000. The previous single “Shiawase no Hogoshoku” released on March 25, 2020 had first day sales of 810,000 copies. The sales of the new single have been halved considering its the first release in ten months and many news reports point to the lack of handshake events due to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Part of the allure of single sales for the Zaka46 and 48 groups is to purchase singles which include handshake tickets, so fans can meet their favorite idol multiple times.

But with the fact that handshake events or events where people can no longer gather, limiting direct contact between talents and fans.

For “Shiawase no Hogoshoku”, the handshake event which was to be held from the spring to summer was postponed but a meet and greet was held online, allowing fans and talents to talk to each other directly.

Every single since 2017’s “Influencer” (the group’s 17th single), Nogizaka46 has surpassed a million copies sold within a week.  Due to the novel coronavirus and no direct meetup events, it appears that not just Nogizaka46 but many idol groups will continue to be affected in 2021.

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