Billboard Japan
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Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” holds at No. 1 for the 18th week on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, released June 19.
Most likely due to the hype around the duo’s Yoyogi 1st Gymnasium shows over the weekend (June 15 and 16), the MASHLE Season 2 opener saw an increase in radio airplay this week and kept the decline in other metrics at a minimum. Total points for the long-running hit, now in its 23rd week on the Japan Hot 100, remained almost unchanged at 95% compared to the week before. R-shitei and DJ Matsunaga are set to perform their first Tokyo Dome concert in February 2025 and also announced the production of a new album.
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Travis Japan’s “Sweetest Tune” debuts at No. 2. The seven-member group’s fifth single is being featured on the drama series Tokyo Tower and was digitally released June 10. The song launched with 44,971 downloads to top the metric, while coming in at No. 29 for streaming, No. 39 for radio, and No. 20 for video views. Comparing first-week figures to the boy band’s previous single, “T.G.I. Friday Night” — which also debuted on the Japan Hot 100 at No. 2 — downloads are down from 75,135 units but points for streaming, radio, and video have increased. In particular, streaming and video increased by 126% and 152%, respectively, indicating a shift in viewing trends.
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Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac” holds at No. 3, seeing an increase in downloads and streaming. Bowing at No. 4 is the three-man band’s latest single, “Columbus,” hitting No. 2 for downloads, No. 5 for streaming, and No. 3 for video.
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Five songs debuted in the top ten this week, and the other three are ≒JOY’s “Taiikukan Disco” at No. 6 (No. 1 for sales with 137,761 copies sold), Angerme’s 34th single “Bibitaru Ichigeki” at No. 7 and OWV’s “LOVE BANDIT” at No. 8.
The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from June 10 to 16, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” rises again to No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, climbing 4-1 on the chart released June 12 to extend its record to 17 weeks atop the tally.
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The return of the hip-hop duo’s long-running hit to the top spot follows Billboard Japan’s 2024 mid-year report, where the MASHLE Season 2 opener was crowned the top song on 13 different lists, a first for any song in the history of the Japan charts. Perhaps due to the impact of this news, points for radio airplay increased 1.8 times from the previous week, which helped keep the decrease in point total for the track at a minimum. “BBBB” returns to No. 1 after three weeks.
NCT DREAM’s “Moonlight” debuts at No. 2. The title track off the K-pop boy band’s second single launched with 253,965 copies to hit No. 2 for sales, while also coming in at No. 4 for radio.
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Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac” follows at No. 3. The song climbs 5-3 with increases in downloads, streaming, karaoke, and radio points. Mrs. GREEN APPLE ruled the mid-year Japan Artist 100 chart and currently still has 12 tracks charting on the Japan Hot 100 this week. The three-man band dropped a new song called “Columbus” digitally on Wednesday (June 12), which will likely join the list of the popular trio’s hits.
Omoinotake’s “IKUOKUKONEN” also rises 9-4 this week. The piano trio released “Tsubomi” on June 12, the track being featured as the ending theme of the anime series My Hero Academia Season 7, and has been promoting it through various channels including Instagram Live.
Bowing at No. 5 on the Japan Hot 100 is Strawberry Prince’s “Chikai no hanataba wo ~With You~.” The track hit No. 1 for sales with 502,921 CDs sold but didn’t score any additional points in the other metrics of the chart’s measurement.
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Sakurazaka46’s “Jigoujitoku” debuts at No. 10. The popular girl group’s ninth single dropped digitally on June 5 and came in at No. 14 in downloads, No. 5 for streaming, and No. 9 for video views.
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The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from June 3 to 9, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
Billboard Japan released its 2024 mid-year charts last week, and Creepy Nuts’ viral hit “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” topped the all-genre Japan Hot 100 list compiled from six metrics.
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The catchy rap banger was featured as the opening theme song for the TV anime series MASHLE season 2, which premiered in January. Along with the infectious dance moves of the anime’s opening clip, the hip-hop hit gained overwhelming support from listeners, mainly through TikTok and streams.
The popularity of the song spilled over from Japan to other countries, and the track spent 19 straight weeks atop the Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan tally — the longest consecutive streak at No. 1 on this chart. This puts the viral hit atop the mid-year tally for this and numerous other rankings for an unprecedented total of 13 No. 1s.
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The tremendous momentum that propelled “BBBB” up the charts was something that the pair, rapper R-shitei (“R-rated”) and DJ Matsunaga, never anticipated. The two spoke about their long-running hit in this mid-year chart-topper interview and shared their common mindset of enjoying what they never imagined.
Congratulations on “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” topping 13 charts including the Japan Hot 100 and Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan charts on Billboard Japan’s 2024 mid-year reports. Tell us how you feel about these accolades.
R-shitei: I wasn’t expecting it at all, so I’m surprised, or rather… It still hasn’t really hit me yet. But I’m thankful. It’s gratifying.
DJ Matsunaga: The song became a hit when I was working at my own pace, in a kind of “I’ll just take it slow and have fun making music” mindset, which highlighted the unexpectedness of it all. I’m at a place where it’s all too much of a blessing and I haven’t been able to take it in. [Laughs]
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R-shitei: We weren’t trying to break out overseas at all, either. I’ve always thought that our style of music… my rapping in particular, is super-native, the type of rap that’s interesting only to those who understand the Japanese language. Of course I do want to make rap music that’d be awesome to listen to even for those who don’t understand the language, but I thought that Japanese was the crux of my rapping. I’ve never really considered tailoring my style to fit international audiences.
That’s interesting. Along the lines of what R-shitei just said about his verses, your tracks sound really “Japanese” as well. Could you share your thoughts on this, DJ Matsunaga? I have a feeling “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born,” even with its Jersey club beat, would have turned out differently if, say, an American track maker had produced it.
DJ Matsunaga: Well… Our stance is, “Let’s make something we’ve never heard before.” The thing is, there’s no reference when we’re mixing our songs, so I often find it hard to convey what I’m aiming for to the engineer. There are no similar songs.
R-shitei: [To Matsunaga] When a song we’re working on turns out to be something that doesn’t exist elsewhere, it feels worth it, doesn’t it? We feel the greatest sense of accomplishment when we create a type of song not found anywhere else in the world… In the U.S. or any other foreign country.
DJ Matsunaga: I made the sound of that track based on my own ideas… The combination of Latin and Jersey club music was rare. Plus, not just one but a number of things I’ve adopted and have been inspired by are included in a track. I mix them together and then my habitual hand movements are added to the mix. I also mess around a lot when I make each song, waiting for an “accident” (unexpected turn of events) to happen. We have other Jersey club-inspired songs with a feel for chord progression besides “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born,” but none of them have such a solid riff.
Lyrically, “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” and “Nidone” were written as tie-ins for an anime and drama series, respectively, and while both include content inspired by those works, they don’t end there, which I think is brilliant. Do you start assembling the lyrics after being tapped to work on a project?
R-shitei: Basically, yes. But looking back at our songs written as tie-ins up to now, because of hip-hop as an art form, I end up singing about me. And I want to sing about me, it’s harder not to. Both “Nidone” and “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” were written so that they end up being about me, even though they’re linked to other works. In fact, when I work on a tie-in, instead of conforming to the source material, I take the theme or the worldview of the original work and then ask, “So, what about me?” I write lyrics that I can ultimately shoulder to the end as something that pertains to myself. That’s basically how I’ve always done it.
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By the way, did you routinely check music charts, including those other than Billboard Japan, before “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” became a hit?
DJ Matsunaga: No, I never really looked at the charts. I’ve looked at streaming charts and the like for the purpose of checking out new music, but honestly never thought I’d ever look at the charts from the viewpoint of a participant.
R-Shitei: I used to think that charts didn’t have anything to do with me. Seeing ourselves alongside people like Taylor Swift and 21 Savage makes me go, “Come on, this must be a lie that some junior high kid who just started rapping came up with.” [Laughs]
The week when “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Global Excl. US chart, Taylor was at No. 5, Miley Cyrus was at No. 6, and and Ye (Kanye West) & Ty Dolla $ign were at No. 10. [Week of Feb. 24, 2024]
R-shitei: I thought, “That’s insane!”
DJ Matsunaga: Really. It’s not like we weren’t thinking, “Damn, Kanye’s new album came out at the same time!” [Laughs]
R-shitei: If some younger rapper were saying that, you’d tell them to cut it out, wouldn’t you?
DJ Matsunaga: I sure would. [Laughs]. I’d be like, “Come on, man, cool it.”
Your songs have been appearing on the upper tiers of the Japan charts since “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” became a hit, and the public’s expectations for new songs seem to be growing rapidly. Could you share your future plans in terms of new music?
DJ Matsunaga: The next song we’re releasing is already done. The song we’re writing next will be… Well, this is completely subjective, but it’ll be aggressive, and we’ll focus more on points like, “We’ve learned a new way of doing things,” “We’ve updated ourselves,” and “We’ve come up with another song that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world” when we’re working on it. I wonder what kind of song it’ll turn out to be?
Oh, so you don’t know what to expect, either?
R-shitei: But that’s what we hope will happen. We’re happier when we come up with something that’s not like what we’re imagining now.
DJ Matsunaga: Yeah, that’s so true. It’s not much fun just taking what we’ve imagined, what’s done in our minds, and making a clean copy of it in reality.
R-shitei: It’s more fun when it’s like, “Whoa, this is how it turned out?!”
DJ Matsunaga: That’s so true. The fun part is that the two of us can definitely make that happen by playing catch with each other. I’m sure we’ll be able to make things that we can’t imagine now. All of our new songs will be like that.
Creepy Nuts is set to perform at South Korea’s Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival 2024 in August. This will be your first performance outside of Japan after “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” became a hit. Is there anything you’re looking forward to?
R-shitei: I’m not looking forward to anything much, but we will try to do our best and are considering what to do.
DJ Matsunaga: For sure. But I think that’ll be so much fun. When we were starting out as a duo, we didn’t even have our own songs, so every show was like an away game. The process of trying to gain fans by all possible means was really rewarding and fun. And now, thankfully, we’re performing more and more in places we’ve been before where there are a certain number of people who’ve heard our songs, so I’m really grateful to be able to take on such challenges again from square one at this timing and at my age, when I’ve experienced various things to some extent.
Are you willing to expand your activities globally in the future?
R-shitei: I’d love to. I want to go to various places, to various countries to do shows. I haven’t been outside of Japan much in my daily life to begin with, so being able to go with our music in tow will give us something in return, you know? I’m really looking forward to seeing if and how the things we express will change.
DJ Matsunaga: Yes, I’m willing. It’s the same in Japan, but if you listen to hip-hop from overseas, there really aren’t many artists these days who do engaging shows with just rapping and DJing.
R-shitei: I know, right?
DJ Matsunaga: All I can say is that we’re really grateful that that’s the case. [Laughs] So it’s exciting to be able to take our style and go out in front of people who’ve never heard our music before.
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Lastly, a lot of songs from Japan that rank high on global charts, including “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born,” tend to be a blend of Japanese and Western styles, or have some Japanese elements to them. As a duo that has taken pride in exploring Japanese rap throughout its career, could you tell us how you face the Japanese language and elements of Japanese-ness in your music?
R-shitei: I don’t face it, but rather, it turns out that way when I do things naturally. Personally, the first thing I listened to was rap by Japanese artists. When I try to do something that’s fun and feels good to the max in a natural way, elements of Japanese style are probably going to surface no matter what. And I think that’s good, so it just overflows without my thinking consciously about it. The things I’ve absorbed by being born and raised in this land are being outputted.
I also look forward to how something I’ve never seen before will come about as I change through other influences. Of course, I do think about using and studying various languages, but in the end, the language that suits me best is the language of my own country. As for my rapping, I don’t think that will change much.
DJ Matsunaga: When you look at the Japanese music market, there are many templates. Themes, sounds, chord progressions, and all other aspects of a song can be said to be “designed for the Japanese charts.” If you make a song based solely on the J-pop model, the range of expression becomes extremely limited. Plus, that J-pop model is incompatible with the sound production and songwriting of hip-hop, so I’ve completely given up, or rather abandoned, the idea of creating songs that will perform well on the domestic charts.
I want to use everything properly — my own sensibilities, new things I’m constantly absorbing, styles unique to Japan, overseas trends. But I think songs sound catchier when there are fewer notes. In any case, I want people to listen to rap music. I think it’s absolutely true that the voice is the catchiest instrument. With that in mind, I design my tracks in a very conscious way.
I see now that the blend of Japanese and Western styles and the sonically Japanese elements in Creepy Nuts’ music are the products of both of your personalities.
DJ Matsunaga: Yes. Well, highlighting R’s Japanese may be a big factor, because he raps in a way that makes the Japanese come across in a solid way. And yet his flow is freakier than those who break down the language to make it sound more like English.
R-shitei: I want to rap to different beats and also want to try out various ways of playing with Japanese. A big part of rap is about how much you can play around with language, so I’ve always wanted to create something good by manipulating the words I see as someone who has lived a normal life instead of forcing myself to use U.S.-like phrases.
DJ Matsunaga: Polishing up our songs while maintaining that and seeing how much they resonate with people who don’t know Japanese at all is what makes it worthwhile.
—This interview by Maiko Murata first appeared on Billboard Japan
Ado shared some live footage of her performance of “Aishite Aishite Aishite” during her global tour entitled THE FIRST WORLD TOUR “Wish.”
The enigmatic singer toured cities in Asia, Europe, and the U.S. starting in February for her Wish world tour. The four-minute clip captures the “Show” singer’s performance at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, where she covered the track by Vocaloid producer Kikuo.
The “New Genesis” artist is set to release her highly anticipated second studio album Zanmu on July 10. This video will be included in the three limited first editions of the project: the BIG Acrylic Stand & Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD versions.
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Check out Ado’s performance of “Aishite Aishite Aishite” below.
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ATARASHII GAKKO! dropped its new music video accompanying “Fly High,” a track off the four-member group’s first full album in five years entitled AG! Calling. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The first song on the group’s third full-length project released June 7, “Fly High” is being […]
Creepy Nuts, SixTONES and Mrs. GREEN APPLE lead in their respective categories on Billboard Japan’s 2024 mid-year charts, tallying the weeks from Nov. 27, 2023, through May 26, 2024.
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Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” tops the Japan Hot 100 on the mid-year roundup. The MASHLE season 2 opener was released digitally on Jan. 7, and has been streamed 348,998,877 times during the tallying period. Total streams for the hip-hop hit sailed past 300 million at the second fastest pace in Japan chart history, second only to YOASOBI’s “Idol,” the No. 1 song of the year for 2023. “BBBB” also holds the No. 1 spot on Billboard Japan’s Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan list for the first half of the year. This chart ranks songs from Japan being heard in more than 200 countries and regions worldwide.
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On “BBBB” ruling the mid-year charts, Creepy Nuts’ rapper R-shitei shares, “I wasn’t expecting it at all, so I’m surprised, or rather… It still hasn’t really hit me yet. But I’m thankful. It’s gratifying,” while DJ Matsunaga says with a laugh, “The song became a hit when I was working at my own pace, in a kind of ‘I’ll just take it slow and have fun making music’ mindset, which highlighted the unexpectedness of it all. I’m at a place where it’s all too much of a blessing and I haven’t been able to take it in.”
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Fifteen-year-old singer-songwriter tuki.’s “Bansanka” follows at No. 2 on the mid-year Japan Hot 100, and YOASOBI’s “Idol” is still going strong at No. 3.
SixTONES
Billboard Japan
On the Japan Hot Albums list, SixTONES’ fourth project THE VIBES takes the top spot, selling a total of 571,187 copies during the tallying period after being released Jan. 10, hitting No. 1 for the sales metric.
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“We’re thankful for being ranked No. 1 for the first half of this year,” says SixTONES member Jesse. “We’re very happy and full of gratitude because this is the result of our music reaching so many people. Each of our albums has its own concept, and this time we aimed to create a work that ‘boosts your vibes’ by including a wide range of songs with a focus on rock. We’re sure anyone can find a song in this set that ‘boosts their vibes,’ and that this album will make people go, ‘Such idols exist?!’ with surprise. If you haven’t listened to it yet, please give it a try! Our group will continue to take on various musical challenges, so please look forward to it!”
At No. 2 on the mid-year albums chart is SEVENTEEN’s best-of collection 17 IS RIGHT HERE, and Hikaru Utada’s all-time greatest hits album SCIENCE FICTION, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the J-pop superstar’s debut, is at No. 3.
Mrs. GREEN APPLE
Billboard Japan
Mrs. GREEN APPLE is the top artist on the mid-year Japan Artist 100 chart, compiled from the results of the Japan Hot 100 and Hot Albums charts. The three-man band has been a constant on the Japan Hot 100, with 14 tracks including “Que Sera Sera” and “Dance Hall” charting on the list.
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“We’re very honored to be ranked No. 1 on the artist chart,” says Mrs. GREEN APPLE frontman Motoki Ohmori. “We’d like to thank our JAM’S (fandom) and the many people who always support us from the bottom of our hearts. We hope to keep making the ship that is Mrs. GREEN APPLE bigger through various activities to deliver works that we ourselves can be excited about and think are good! Once again, thank you very much for this honor.”
YOASOBI follows at No. 2 on the Artist 100 tally, now one of Japan’s biggest acts whose performances at this year’s Coachella and visit to the White House made headlines in the duo’s home country. Veteran band back number comes in at No. 3, with nine songs charting in the top 100, including hits “Suiheisen” and “Takaneno Hanakosan.”
Billboard Japan Hot 100 Mid-Year Chart 2024
1. “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” / Creepy Nuts2. “Bansanka” / tuki.3. “Idol” / YOASOBI4. “Show” / Ado5. “Que Sera Sera” / Mrs. GREEN APPLE6. “Kaiju No Hanauta” / Vaundy7. “IKUOKUKONEN” / Omoinotake8. “SPECIALZ” / King Gnu9. “The Brave” / YOASOBI10. “Be a flower” / Ryokuoushoku Shakai
Billboard Japan Hot Albums Mid-Year Chart 2024
1. THE VIBES / SixTONES2. 17 IS RIGHT HERE / SEVENTEEN3. SCIENCE FICTION / Hikaru Utada4. THE GREATEST UNKNOWN / King Gnu5. SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN / SEVENTEEN6. MATCH UP / INI7. AWARD / WEST.8. Road to A / Travis Japan9. PULL UP! / Hey! Say! JUMP10. Reboot / TREASURE
Billboard Japan Artist 100 Mid-Year Chart 2024
1. Mrs. GREEN APPLE2. YOASOBI3. back number4. Ado5. Vaundy6. Official HIGE DANdism7. King Gnu8. Creepy Nuts9. Yuuri10. Aimyon
JO1’s “Love seeker” soars to No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, rising from No. 59 on the chart released June 5.
“Love seeker” is the lead track from the 11-member boy band’s eighth single “HITCHHIKER.” The song dropped digitally May 12 and debuted on the Japan Hot 100 at No. 48 (May 22), then dropped to No. 59 the following week before hitting the top spot this week powered by sales. The group marked its biggest first-week CD sales with 738,776 copies to rule the metric, while coming in at No. 3 for downloads (15,613 units, up approximately 2,800% from last week), No. 25 for streaming (up 157%), No. 31 for video views (up 117%), and No. 5 for radio airplay (up 688%).
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Debuting at No. 2 is Number_i’s “BON,” a track off the trio’s mini-album No.O -ring-, released May 27. The song debuts at No. 1 for downloads with 49,896 units and also rules radio and video, while coming in at No. 13 for streaming to hit No. 2 by a narrow margin on the Japan Hot 100 with no points for physical sales. The group’s former No. 1 song “GOAT” moved 64-54 due to the new release, and six of the mini-album’s tracks, including “BON,” entered the Japan Hot 100.
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Incidentally, King & Prince’s former No. 1 hits ”Tsukiyomi” and “Cinderella Girl” — made available for streaming at the end of last month — also return to the Japan Hot 100. Both songs are from the group’s five-member era — Number_i consists of three former members of King & Prince — and saw an increase in weekly streaming and video views. “Tsukiyomi” returns for the first time in about a year and three months, while “Cinderella Girl” returns for the first time in about a year.
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comdot’s “Haikei Oretachihe” bows at No. 3 on the Japan Hot 100. The first single by the five-member YouTubers sold 136,964 copies to hit No. 2 for sales, while coming in at No. 27 for downloads, No. 16 for streaming, No. 6 for radio, and No. 23 for video.
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Kenshi Yonezu’s “Mainichi” (Every Day) launches at No. 6 this week. The release of this new commercial song for Coca-Cola Japan’s “Georgia” brand has powered the hitmaker’s other songs up the charts, with “Sayonara, Mata Itsuka!” seeing an increase in downloads and “Lemon” in both streaming and downloads.
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BEYOOOOONDS’ first single in about a year and a month called “Hai to Diamond” bows at No. 7, selling 99,222 copies to hit No. 3 for sales, while coming in at No. 10 for downloads and No. 16 for radio.
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The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from May 27 to June 2, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
Driven by a desire to put a smile on everyone’s face, the three-piece band BRADIO just released a new, funky party album PARTY BOOSTER.
Billboard Japan recently got to interview the three-piece band, which is generating excitement worldwide, having recently put on a wildly successful show in Chile as part of SUPER JAPAN EXPO 2024. They talked to us about their new album, the musical journeys of each band member, and their band’s story.
What kind of band do you feel like BRADIO has become?
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Takaaki Shingyoji (vocals): We’re often called a “funky band,” but it’s not like we set out at the start to form a funk band. As the band’s front man, I wanted to stand out, which is the only reason I grew out this afro. It wasn’t our intention to be a leader of funk culture in Japan. But I feel like over the past few years, our own sensibilities have aligned with the public perception of us as a funky, danceable band.
Could each of you tell us a little about your own personal musical journeys?
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Ryosuke Sakai (bass): I got into music because of B’z. I started out by playing the guitar, and after about a year I picked up the bass. This was back when bands like X JAPAN and LUNA SEA were popular, and I was listening to music like that. As for Western music, I was listening to hard rock. Bands like MR. BIG or Bon Jovi. But when I started going to music school, one of my assignments was to perform Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” and that experience opened up to me this whole other world of music, and I started listening to Motown.
Soichi Ohyama (guitar): I was really influenced by hard rock and legendary guitarists. Then for a while I was got deep into pop-punk and hardcore bands. That led to me starting my own band. I got into disco and funk after becoming an adult. The biggest influence on my guitar sound in BRADIO is probably Nile Rodgers. He’s my musical idol, and always will be.
Takaaki Shingyoji: When I was in seventh grade, my English teacher loved the Beatles. That got me into the Beatles, too, which got me thinking, “Hey, I like music, why not try playing it?” After that, I started listening to a lot of Japanese bands like Hi-STANDARD and L’Arc-en-Ciel. I gained an appreciation for funk and soul in around 2010, when BRADIO formed.
How did BRADIO arrive at its current musical style?
Takaaki Shingyoji: We started out as a five-piece band, but then one of our guitarists left, so we went from having two guitars to one. We had to change our sound as a result. Through some trial-and-error, we shifted to a sound with a groovy bass and strummed guitar. People started calling us funky with our 2013 album Diamond Pops. But that’s how we arrived at our current style, and it’s why we’re not funk through-and-through. I think that’s one of BRADIO’s best features. It’s a critical part of our very identity.
Your new album, PARTY BOOSTER, is packed with everything that makes BRADIO so wonderful. What kinds of themes are you exploring with this album?
Takaaki Shingyoji: On our last album, DANCEHALL MAGIC, we were exploring just what it meant to be funky. Now, a year later, we’ve created PARTY BOOSTER, which is, in a way, like DANCEHALL MAGIC 2. But this time, the first word is “Party.” I think that really suits us. We explored this theme like only BRADIO can.
Did you have a feeling like “what we need to do now is focus on this direction”?
Takaaki Shingyoji: Yes. We felt like we needed to get to know ourselves better. We came to feel that BRADIO was a greater band than any of us had realized before. We thought about what set us apart, and found that the key words that conveyed what we were about were “party,” “funky,” and “exciting.” In the past, we’d been overthinking things. We were thinking “we have to be like this or that” or “we have to be inspiring.” But the conclusion we eventually arrived at was, “as long as in the end we’re putting smiles on people’s faces, then it’s all good, right?”
Soichi Ohyama: I think the first song, “PARTY HEAD,” really epitomizes BRADIO. With this song, it’s like we could really put anything out there, so it feels like the song set the tone for the album. For example, “EIGO DISCO” has a 32-measure guitar solo. That’s just not something bands do nowadays (laughs). We have that kind of unfettered freedom, a spirit of “if it’s fun, then go for it!” I think that’s one of BRADIO’s distinctive qualities.
Ryosuke Sakai: We have this fascinatingly steep gradation that goes from really simple to really complex, and there are a lot of places where I can show off my chops as a bassist, which is wonderful. There are bassists that make you think “wow, a new bass hero has arrived,” like America’s Joe Dart. They play bass lines that listeners can sing along to. That’s the kind of bass line that I want to play, and I think that desire is reflected in the new album.
Takaaki Shingyoji: We named the new album PARTY BOOSTER, so we want to go around putting on shows that live up to that name. Of course they’ll be parties, but the people coming to hear us have their own lives, and they’re out there in the trenches every day, so we also want our shows to be boosters, giving them a lift in their day-to-day lives. I hope we can put smiles on all their faces.
—This interview by Tetsuo Hiraga first appeared on Billboard Japan
King & Prince reign over the Billboard Japan Hot 100 with “halfmoon,” blasting in at No. 1 on the chart released May 29. The Takeshi Kobayashi-produced title track off the duo’s 15th single “halfmoon/moooove!” is being featured as the theme of the drama series Tokyo Tower starring member Ren Nagase. To celebrate the sixth anniversary […]
Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” holds at No. 1 for the 16th week on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, on the chart dated May 22.
The MASHLE season 2 opener shows signs of slowing down in all metrics except radio airplay this week, though only slightly. The viral rap banger continues to dominate multiple metrics this week — streaming, video views, and karaoke — while coming in at No. 3 for downloads and No. 37 for radio.
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Ae! group’s “《A》BEGINNING” bows at No. 2. It’s the lead track off the debut single by the five-member STARTO ENTERTAINMENT boy band, released May 15. The CD launched with 782,835 copies and hits No. 1 for sales and comes in at No. 3 for radio and No. 46 for video.
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Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac” rises a notch to No. 3 this week. Streaming, video, and karaoke for the Oblivion Battery opener are up 102%, 105%, and 118%, respectively. Other songs by the popular three-man band continue to rise up the chart this week: “Que Sera Sera” moves 14-13, “Ao to Natsu” 24-23, and “Magic” 38-37. Points for “Boku no koto” increased 1.4 times and the track climbs 78-47.
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Juice=Juice’s “Tokyo Blur” debuts at No. 7, selling 73,185 CDs in its first week to hit No. 2 for sales. The girl group’s 18th single also comes in at No. 13 for downloads and No. 17 for radio.
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Debuting at No. 9 after being digitally released May 13 is MY FIRST STORY x HYDE’s “Mugen.” The opening theme song for the Hashira Training arc of the popular TV anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba rules downloads and hits No. 33 for streaming and No. 61 for radio.
Outside the top 10, Noa’s “Hatsukoi Killer” jumps 42-17. Points for the track increased in all the metrics of the chart’s measurement, but streaming in particular gained 1.7 times from the week before. The total is at 169% week-over-week.
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The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from May 13 to 19, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.