Billboard Japan
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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.
Creepy Nuts is set to stream a show from its ongoing domestic tour, called Creepy Nuts ONE MAN TOUR 2024, for global audiences. The “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” duo kicked off the tour in March and the nationwide trek is expected to draw approximately 70,000 fans total, including additional shows in June. The concert set for June 16 […]
Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” extends its stay atop the Billboard Japan Hot 100 to 15 weeks on the chart dated May 15.
Fifteen weeks at No. 1 on the Japan Hot 100 is second only to YOASOBI’s “Idol,” which holds the all-time record at 22 weeks. “BBBB” dominates four metrics this week — downloads, streaming, video views, and karaoke — and while points for each are down from the week before, the differences are slight: 91% for downloads week-over-week, 88% for streaming, 74% for radio, 87% for video and karaoke. A video of the duo’s performance of the long-running hit was recently featured on the Recording Academy’s “GRAMMYs Global Spin” segment and the hip-hop banger continues to reach global listeners. The track also continues to rule the Global Japan Songs chart.
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Bowing at No. 2 is &TEAM’s “Samidare.” It’s the nine-member global group’s first single, though the band debuted in December 2022 from HYBE LABELS JAPAN. The track comes in at No. 2 for sales with 440,615 CDs sold in its first week, No. 7 for downloads with 5,295 units, No. 21 for radio, No. 36 for video, and No. 90 for streaming, accumulating points in a balanced way though it didn’t top any of the metrics.
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At No. 3 is Hinatazaka46’s “Kimi wa Honey Dew.” The 11th single by the J-pop girl group sold 521,676 copies in its first week to hit No. 1 sales, while coming in at No. 34 for downloads, No. 15 for karaoke, and No. 89 for video.
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Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac” slips 2-4 this week, with points for radio dropping significantly by 20% from the week before. But points for video and karaoke have increased, and while not a metric included in the methodology of the Japan Hot 100, points for User Generated Content have also gained, a trend indicating that the track could further expand its reach. Additionally, five songs by the three-man band have climbed the Japan Hot 100 this week: “Dancehall” moves 26-22, “Ao to Natsu” 31-24, “Soranji” 33-29, “Romanticism” 91-83, and “Blue Ambience (feat. asmi)” hits No. 98.
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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 6 to 12, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
ONE OK ROCK announced the dates for its PREMONITION WORLD TOUR 2024 kicking off with two Tokyo stadium shows in September. This global trek will be the largest ever for the “Make It Out Alive” rock band, with eight concerts in seven cities to be held in stadiums in Asia and arenas in North America […]
Vocaloid producer jon-YAKITORY is well known for the songs he has contributed to Ado, ATARASHII GAKKO! and other artists. “Konton Boogie,” which he released in August 2023, became a hit song in 2024. Not only has it been popular on Niconico, but it has also appeared on Billboard Japan‘s Niconico VOCALOID SONGS TOP 20 and Heatseekers Songs charts. It has even reached overseas audiences, and shows no signs of stopping. jon-YAKITORY has been writing songs across a wide range of genres for his entire career, which spans more than a decade. What was behind his creation of “Konton Boogie,” and how does he feel about it reaching hit status? Billboard JAPAN delved into his convictions and beliefs as a creator.
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You released “Konton Boogie” last August, and its play numbers have been steadily climbing ever since. It reached hit status this year. How do you feel about this?
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Personally, I don’t feel very different than I did before, but long-time listeners have been happy to see the song’s success, and I’ve seen people surprised that “The guy that wrote ‘Konton Boogie’ is the same one that wrote ‘Shikabanese’!” or “Oh, that’s the person who wrote ‘Rasen’!” It’s wonderful to see I’ve become a source of joy for many people.
According to audio commentary you uploaded to YouTube, you started writing “Konton Boogie” with the intention of making a funny, high energy song like “Unwelcome School,” an incidental tune used in Blue Archive. What led you in that direction?
I write music in all kinds of genres, and a lot of times what gets me writing a song is music I’ve recently heard, a movie I’ve just watched, or a manga I’m in the middle of reading. I happened to be listening to a song like “Unwelcome School” and I thought “There aren’t a lot of songs nowadays that are like this kind of music, which was so popular in the 2000s.” I thought it would be nice to write a song that just got you amped up, like the kind of music I heard a lot when I was a kid, and what I created was “Konton Boogie.”
You love all kinds of genres, and you’re knowledgeable about all kinds of creative expression, not just music. I feel like that combines to provide a wide range of input for your music. I’ve heard you got interested in music because of RIP SLYME?
When I was in junior high school, I saw DJ FUMIYA scratching on TV, and I used up my saved-up allowance and New Year’s money to buy a turntable. I started listening to different kinds of hip-hop, but the ones that really made a lasting impression were unique, fun groups like RIP SLYME or Scha Dara Parr. Then, in technical school, I got into bands like RADWIMPS, ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, and BUMP OF CHICKEN through music club, and I was exposed to Vocaloid through Niconico. These roots may have contributed to my genre-spanning music composition style.
It feels like you approached “Konton Boogie” in a different way than your previous work.
I want to make what I’m interested in. When I was in my teens, I was really excited about jimmythumbP. I was like “I wonder what kind of song he’s going to make next?” and “Wow, he makes music like this, too?! What a great song!” Looking back, when I was in elementary school, I really got into magic tricks, so I guess at heart that’s always been an aspect of my personality. So now, I thought if I made a super-uplifting, 2000s-style song, it would make people laugh. I also knew I had to put in an air horn. That decision was influenced by a TV show.
A TV show?
It’s a Netflix sitcom called Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. There’s a scene in which the head of a cult, which has held the main character captive for 15 years, plays an air horn at a wedding. It’s so ridiculous you can’t help but laugh (laughs). That scene opened my eyes to how well air horns and comedy went together.
So you put in air horns as a bit of a joke?
It’s the same reason I put “Get Down” in the lyrics. It can mean “let’s dance,” but it can also mean “let’s get down lower,” so basically “let’s get stupid.” Also, back in the 2000s, there was a ‘geddan’ meme on Nico Nico Douga. It was net slang, like the ‘What’s that? Is it tasty?’ meme or the famous ‘Pure-hearted? Proper? Turtle’s on the scene’ line from Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo‘s “Turtle Rap,” so I was calling back to that, too. I think thing that influenced my approach, drawing from all kinds of different sources, is the way PUNPEE references American comedies and cartoons in his lyrics.
Looking at the internet response, it seems like a lot of people are interpreting the song as saying “we live in a chaotic (‘konton’) world, but let’s bravely dive in, always staying true to ourselves.”
I think once a creative work—not just a piece of music, but also a movie or an anime—is released, then the director’s or writer’s interpretation is no longer the only “correct” interpretation. I had just intended to write a playful, goofy song, so I think it’s fascinating to see it being taken as having that kind of message, and it makes me really happy. However, as a creator, I don’t want to hurt people. I won’t stand for interpretations that do that. Konton Boogie is a stupid song, but it’s not a song that’s calling people stupid. I don’t want to reject or scorn anyone through my music.
With “Konton Boogie” attracting so much attention, I think that now when people hear “jon-YAKITORY” they’re immediately going to think of “Konton Boogie.” How does that make you feel?
I have no problem with that whatsoever. In the past, if you wrote a song and it generated a lot of buzz, people would demand that you write more music with that same sound, but now, with hit songs, I don’t think a lot of importance is assigned to who wrote the lyrics or the music, or who did the vocals, or when it was released. I don’t think there would be any particular problem if the music I release in the future doesn’t sound anything like “Konton Boogie.” But while this change is freeing, the question of whether or not you’ll have the same listener numbers for the next song is something you’ll only find out when the time comes. You can’t turn back the clock, so I think what’s important is what kind of actions you take when you release new music.
“Konton Boogie” is packed with your ideals from back when you were in your teens, deeply absorbed in the Niconico scene. I think music might be the key to dealing with the different things you were feeling at the time.
When I was a teen, I was a gloomy kid, focused on saving money (laughs). When other people with the same psychological complexes turn those complexes into entertainment, it’s really encouraging. I think everyone wants there to be people like that. Ironically enough, the complexes I built up so much when I was in my teens are now the tools that I use. Now, I just keep creating the music that I like.
“Konton Boogie” has performed well on the “Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan” chart, which ranks Japanese music outside of Japan. It’s enjoyed particularly steady support from Korea.
K-pop has a lot of stylish, high quality songs, and it tends to feature just flawlessly cool people climbing their way to the top. Japan is also being influenced by this, which has resulted in this vibe where people don’t just want cool entertainment, but also comedic entertainment. They want a change of pace. I think that’s what’s behind the popularity of “Konton Boogie” and Yoshida Yasei’s “Override.”
Now that you mention it, there do seem to have been a lot of comedic Vocaloid hits in the past six months or so.
Sasuke Haraguchi’s “HITO Mania,” has really cool music and deep lyrics, but the sounds used in the song and the way the lyrics are used are funny, and the song is a pleasant listen. It came out in the second half of 2023, but I think there’s a trend of people being more receptive to songs with those kinds of amusing elements.
Do you have any plans for what you’re going to do as an artist in the future?
I try not to think about things like that. I’ve never had any success even planning what I’d be doing three years into the future, let alone five…(laughs). It seems to me that instead of thinking about an unknowable future, it’s more important to just do your best at what you want to do in the here and now, and to think deeply about it. There’s no point in trying to do everything indiscriminately. Instead, I want to really focus my attention on each thing I do, reflecting on what I’ve done so far, and to use approaches that produce interesting results.
That said, “Konton Boogie” is resonating with listeners around the world. A global approach would seem like one effective way to move forward.
Actually, on the contrary, that’s something I’d rather avoid (laughs). The number of people enjoying my music in other countries is rising, and I’m very grateful for that. Because of this, I’ve been getting more and more comments asking me to add subtitles in this language or that. But we live in an age where you can easily translate things with your smartphone, and when you’re like “What does this mean??” and you look it up yourself, that’ll often end up benefitting you down the road. I translated Sum 41 and Green Day lyrics myself, dictionary in hand, and the effort I put in made the whole thing even more interesting and fun. I don’t want people to lose that feeling of discovering things on their own.
–This interview by Sayako Oki first appeared on Billboard Japan
ATARASHII GAKKO! is set to digitally release its third full-length album called AG! Calling on June 7 through the group’s U.S. label 88rising.
The project is the four-member girl group’s first full-length set in five years since their last album Wakage ga itaru, and includes “Tokyo Calling,” which the women performed live at this year’s Coachella, and “Fly High,” the theme song for the recently released animated Netflix movie Hanma Baki VS Kengan Ashura, and more. The alternative Japanese girl group made its worldwide debut under 88rising in 2021.
ATARASHII GAKKO! will kick off its World Tour Part I in June at the Primavera Sound 2024 in Madrid and perform in 13 cities across Europe and Asia. The group will also hit 11 cities across North America beginning in September for its World Tour Part II promoting the new album. Tickets will be sold in advance from 10:00 a.m. on May 9 in each city, and will go on sale to the general public from 10:00 a.m. on May 10 in each city.
Check out ATARASHII GAKKO!’s tour dates below:
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World Tour Part IJune 1 – Barcelona, Primavera Sound FestivalJune 3 – Brussels, La MadeleineJune 5 – Paris, BataclanJune 7 – Cologne, Live Music HallJune 8 – Berlin, MetropolJune 10 – London, Indigo at The O2June 12 – Amsterdam, Melkweg MaxJune 19 – Seoul, Yes24 Live HallJune 21 – Kuala Lumpur, ZeppJune 23 – Bangkok, Samyan HallJune 25 – Hong Kong, MacPherson StadiumJune 27 – Taipei, Zepp New TaipeiJune 29 – Singapore, The Theatre at Mediacorp
World Tour Part IISeptember 26 – Vancouver, PNE ForumSeptember 27 – Seattle, Showbox SoDoSeptember 29 – San Francisco, The WarfieldOctober 1 – Mexico City, Pepsi CenterOctober 3 – Chicago, Byline Bank Aragon BallroomOctober 6 – Toronto, HISTORYOctober 9 – Boston, RoadrunnerOctober 11 – Washington, D.C., The AnthemOctober 13 – Atlanta, The EasternOctober 15 – Austin, ACL LiveOctober 17 – Dallas, The Factory in Deep Ellum
Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” returns to No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated May 8, extending its record to 14 weeks atop the tally.
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The hip-hop hit dominated the chart for most of this year after it first hit No. 1 on the chart released Jan. 31 and stayed there for 13 straight weeks. The MASHLE Season 2 opener slipped to No. 2 last week (May 1) but returned to score its 14th week atop the list. The track has increased in all metrics of the chart’s methodology except streaming compared to the previous week. Downloads for the long-running hit are up by 117%, radio airplay and video views by 105%, and karaoke by 120%. And it’s far from doing poorly in streaming as well; weekly streams remain almost the same as the week before and the total has surpassed 300 million at the second fastest pace in Japan chart history.
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Moving 4-2 this week is Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac.” The song gained 130% in downloads, 127% in karaoke, and notably, 425% in radio from the week before, hitting its highest position yet.
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Debuting at No. 3 is SixTONES’ 12th single “Neiro.” The theme song for the drama series Omukae Shibuya-kun starring member Taiga Kyomoto launched with 540,564 CDs sold, outselling the group’s previous single “CREAK” (471,285 first-week sales). The track tops sales and comes in at No. 9 for radio and No. 18 for video.
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In other chart moves, the theme song of a project by TOBE’s artists, called “Be on Your side,” re-enters the chart at No. 12 after selling 75,157 copies in its first week, and the first single “MORNING SUN” by EXILE B HAPPY — the new EXILE TRIBE music group led by EXILE TETSUYA — bows at No. 15.
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 Apr. 29 to May 5, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
BE:FIRST’s “Masterplan” blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated May 1, ending Creepy Nuts’ consecutive run atop the chart at 13 weeks.
The title track of the septet’s concept single released April 24 on CD, “Masterplan” debuts at No. 2 for CD sales with 115,963 copies sold in its first week, and comes in at No. 7 for streaming with 7,955,802 weekly streams. It also rules downloads (35,174 units), radio airplay and video views, dominating three metrics to take the top spot on the Japan Hot 100 like the group’s previous release, “Mainstream.” This is BE:FIRST’s sixth No. 1 hit, having previously ruled the tally with “Gifted,” “Bye-Good-Bye,” “Scream,” “Boom Boom Back,” and “Mainstream.”
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Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” slips to No. 2 after 13 straight weeks atop the Japan Hot 100. While it yields the top spot this week, the number of downloads for the MASHLE Season 2 opener increased by 105% from the week before, and points for karaoke and radio also increased, resulting in only a slight decrease in overall points.
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Omoinotake’s “IKUOKU KONEN” rises 5-3 this week. The three-man band hit the stage for its first headlining show at the Osaka Jo Yaon outdoor concert hall on April 28, celebrating the day the band was formed, and downloads increased slightly probably due to this event. Omoinotake is set to digitally release a new single called “Tsubomi” (Bud) on May 5, to be featured as the ending theme of the anime series My Hero Academia Season 7.
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WEST.’s “Heart” bows at No. 6. “Heart” is the anniversary single commemorating the tenth anniversary of the seven-member boy band’s CD debut on April 23. The track ruled sales with 263,585 CDs sold in the first week, while also coming in at No. 19 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 April 22 to 28, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” holds at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, now at 13 consecutive weeks on the chart dated April 24.
The MASHLE Season 2 opener continues to rule streaming for the 13th straight week, video views and karaoke for the 6th straight week. Downloads also climbed 5-3 and continues to coast along at over 10,000 total points (13,626).
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Jumping 26-2 this week is “Click” by ME:I, the debut single by the 11-member girl group born from the audition program PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS. After being released on April 17, the single launched with 263,399 copies to rule sales, while also coming in at No. 2 for radio airplay, No. 10 for downloads, No. 17 for streaming, and No. 28 for video, collecting points in a balanced way. The track is off to a great start, debuting with a total 12,366 points, only 1,260 points behind “BBBB.”
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Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac” rises 11-3 after bowing on the Japan Hot 100 last week. The opener for Oblivion Battery went on sale on April 12 after the anime series premiered on April 9. The track rises overall metric-wise, jumping from outside the top 100 to No. 8 for radio, while climbing 15-4 for streaming (11,059,001 streams) and 8-3 for video (2,157,523 views) this week.
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ILLIT’s “Magnetic,” which topped the TikTok chart this week, holds at No. 6 on the Japan Hot 100. The new HYBE group’s first single reportedly surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify recently (April 22), and overall streams increased by about 16.4% to 12,305,862 streams (3-2). Downloads also rose by about 48% to 2,936 units (25-13), and video by about 24% to 942,054 views (20-15). ILLIT is set to travel to Japan in May to perform at Rakuten Girls Award 2024 SPRING/SUMMER and KCON JAPAN 2024, likely fueling the group’s popularity in the country where two of its five members hail from.
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aiko’s new single “mutual love” breaks into the top 10 this week at No. 9, soaring from No. 46. The theme song for the latest Case Closed movie (Detective Conan: The Million-dollar Pentagram) dropped digitally on April 12 — the same day the anime movie hit domestic theaters — prior to the CD version’s release set for May 8. The track comes in at No. 5 for downloads with 5,736 units, while rising significantly from No. 95 to No. 12 for streaming and from No. 21 to No. 3 for radio, probably due to the movie’s release.
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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 April 15 to 21, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.
The four finalists of PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS, one of the largest audition programs ever held in Japan, are set to make their Japan debut from Universal Music on June 19 as the brand-new group IS:SUE. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The members are RIN […]