J-Pop Group ≒JOY Drops Refreshing MV 'Natsu wa Jewelry' Featuring Jurii Aida as Center

The music video for "Natsu wa Jewelry" ("Summer is Jewelry"), a B-side track featured on the upcoming 5th single by the Rino Sashihara-produced idol group ≒JOY (Nearly Equal Joy), has officially been released, generating enthusiastic buzz among fans.

The track is a bright, refreshing summer love song that captures the spirit of the season with upbeat sounds and pure romantic sentiment. Taking the center position for this song is member Jurii Aida, who is widely recognized for her exceptional vocal talent that drives the group's performances. The clever double meaning connecting the song's title ("Jewelry") to her name ("Jurii") has added extra hype, drawing immediate attention following the video's release.

Fellow member Ayumi Ichihara praised the release on social media, writing, "It's a full-on summer MV! A pure love song about a refreshing romance." Fans flooded comment sections with celebratory messages, such as "Congratulations on taking center, Jurii-chan!", "This quality is unbelievable for a B-side track—it's a god-tier song," and "I was moved to tears by the vocals in the breakdown and final chorus."

With exhilarating visuals that immerse viewers in summer vibes and expressive performances by the members, "Natsu wa Jewelry" is poised to become a standout hit in this season's J-pop idol scene.

The Context

≒JOY (pronounced "Nearly Equal Joy") is a Japanese female idol group formed in 2022 by producer Rino Sashihara, a former star member of AKB48 and HKT48. The group operates as the third sister group under Sashihara's production banner, alongside =LOVE ("Equal Love") and ≠ME ("Not Equal Me"). In the Japanese idol industry, single releases typically include a main title track accompanied by several "coupling" songs (B-sides). For each track, a specific member is designated as the "center," leading the choreography and receiving prominent vocal lines and screen time in the music video.

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