JAPANESE pop sensation ARASHI has a big surprise for fans as they near their planned hiatus at year’s end: a collaboration with Bruno Mars on their first all-English single.

Band member Jun Matsumoto, said he feels their song “Whenever You Call” will appeal to both their hardcore fans and those who do not know about them.

The group, which also includes Sho Sakurai, Satoshi Ohno, Masaki Aiba and Kazunari Ninomiya, embodied their name — ARASHI means storm — by becoming one of Japan’s boyband legends and maintaining their crown for more than two decades.

Their greatest hits album “5x20 All the BEST!! 1999-2019” sold 3.3 million copies and was last year’s bestselling album worldwide, surpassing both BTS and Taylor Swift.

The band has released over 400 songs, sold over 41 million records and performed for 14 million people, according to their label, and they’ve also had parts in movies, Japanese dramas and shows and commercials.

Despite their success, ARASHI shocked fans by announcing their hiatus, halting all band activities at the end of this year.

The Netflix documentary about the band shows it wasn’t an easy decision. In “ARASHI’s Diary,” Sakurai said his hands were “trembling” as he wrote down potential options, including disbanding and hiatus.

Sakurai hinted the members might not pursue solo music careers after the hiatus.

With about three months left until their hiatus, the band is keeping busy despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Matsumoto said the band is considering a livestreaming concert.

“I want to deliver our music to as many people as possible, so we are working hard on it,” he said.

(SD-Agencies)