Billboard Japan
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On Dec. 23, 2023, fans were fortunate to see “Thanks,” a final, additional performance by GARNiDELiA at Tokyo’s EX THEATER ROPPONGI as part of their GARNiDELiA stellacage 2023 -stella ship- Re:CoNNeCT world tour. Six months later, on June 30, 2024, GARNiDELiA premier stellacage ‘TOKYO’ World Tour 2024 -TEN- [MAKUAKE] was held. This was the opening show of their world tour and their first time performing in Tokyo’s Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall. The mood of the show was dramatically different from the previous show, and you could immediately see and feel the support GARNiDELiA enjoyed from its passionate Chinese fanbase. The first thing one saw upon stepping into the outdoor theater was the huge number of Chinese-speaking fans.
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The popularity of GARNiDELiA’s songs exploded throughout China with member MARiA’s performance of “Gokuraku Jodo” on the Chinese audition show Cheng Feng 2023, launching the band into stardom. MARiA now enjoys overwhelming popularity in China, even serving as the advertising face of various brands.
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Unfortunately, it was rainy on the day of the outdoor show. In the midst of the drizzle, sound effects with a distinctly Asian feel began playing and toku and the band’s supporting members took to the stage. Then MARiA appeared, wearing a dress evocative of the Middle East and a long veil covering her face. The show began with “-TEN-,” a song from their latest album, TEN, which represents GARNiDELiA’s resolve to reach the pinnacle of all they survey. The sound production featured deep bass, the product of the band’s experience in China. This combined with MARiA’s singing voice, whose emotional strength had reached new heights, to produce a chemical reaction that resulted in a simply overwhelming performance. During the band’s performance of “Diamond,” she removed her veil and was joined by a team of dancers. For the rest of the show, they put on intricate dances as MARiA commanded the stage. The crowd shouted along and banged their heads to “COLOR,” bringing the audience even closer together, and then the band launched into “True High.”
After toku and MARiA’s self-introductions, MARiA loosened up the audience with her cheery personality, saying “What a wonderful, sunny day, huh! (laughs) We’re really fortunate to have such great weather! Okay, everybody, I want you just as soaked as me by the time you leave today!” She mentioned that they had added music with a “sky” theme to the set list because of the Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall location.
Her soft voice as she sang the line “a blue sky, free of clouds” in their performance of “ONE,” accompanied by the gorgeous, melodious synth line played by toku, was so powerful it felt like it could even part the rainclouds. MARiA’s piercing eyes glittered, showing the sincerity and honesty she always brings to her songs, as she performed “Soten.” This was followed by “Akatsuki Zakura” and “Oka Ramman,” whose Japanese tones took the splendor of the music to a new level.
MARiA, wearing a cat’s ear headband, and toku, donning a cat’s ear cap, then performed “CAT PLANET” (with a quick detour to perform a cover of Anri’s “CAT’S EYE”). The choreography, featuring cat paw gestures, was a stand-out, and the audience sang along to the “nya nya nya” (“meow meow meow”) part. Still wearing their cat’s ears, GARNiDELiA then played “PiNK CAT,” “Gen Ai Yugi,” and “QUEEN(S) GAME,” all accompanied by their dancers. The active back-and-forth with the audience is one of the hallmarks of the band’s live performances, marked by its global sensibilities.
The rain, however, showed no signs of stopping, instead growing fiercer and fiercer. MARiA, having changed into a black costume with gold decorations, sang a lush rendition of “Fiction,” a song of heartbreak with a piano refrain that lingers even after the song ends. Then the band performed “Hoshi No Uta” and “Suzuran.” The ‘80s flavor created a soundscape that felt both nostalgic and new, drawing out both the wistfulness and beauty of MARiA’s voice. The rain, now pouring down, was perfectly matched to MARiA’s emotional performance. The struggles and hard work beneath her artistry were highlighted even more sharply than in the band’s usual concerts, creating an overwhelming sense of authenticity.
“Sometimes your voices and your love feel like my wings. When I’m with you, nothing can stop me,” said MARiA before diving into the song “Future Wing.” This was followed by the hard-edged rock songs “SPEED STAR,” “ambiguous,” and “BLAZING.” The show’s finale was a special version of “FRONTiER,” which also felt like a beginning. In the encore, which began with “Gokuraku Jodo,” MARiA talked to the Chinese-speaking fans, who cheered in response. It was a truly international moment. “I want my fans in Japan to feel the Chinese vibe,” said MARiA, and the band covered Ikimonogakari’s “Blue Bird,” a song that enjoys a lot of popularity overseas. Many of the Chinese-speaking fans sang along with the chorus in Japanese. Seeing the success GARNiDELiA is achieving around the world, such as the growing range of reactions from the audience, with my own eyes, I was sure that GARNiDELiA’s music was poised on the edge of a dramatic transformation.
“No matter how hard things were, no matter how I struggled, no matter how dark the future looked, I kept pushing forward. I kept fighting. I knew that if I kept doing that, a miracle would happen. Our life, and the love you have all given us, is a testament to that,” said MARiA.
The Hibiya show was the opening of a five-month tour starting in summer that would see GARNiDELiA playing roughly 50 shows, mostly in China and nearby areas. The duo shows true strength, taking change head-on, unflinchingly, in the midst of our rapidly changing environment. This strength was demonstrated again by their performance in the middle of a merciless rainstorm.
The show came to a close with toku, a keytar over his shoulder, leaping to the front of the stage to perform “G.R.N.D.” MARiA and toku’s paths crisscrossed as they listened to each other’s music. Enveloped in generous applause and cheering voices, the duo left the stage.
This article by Mio Komachi first appeared on Billboard Japan.
Billboard Korea’s CEO Yuna Kim spoke with Billboard Japan for its Women in Music interview series featuring trailblazing female players in the country’s music industry. Billboard Japan launched its WIM initiative in 2022 in the same spirit as the established example of Billboard’s event that began in 2007, honoring artists, producers and executives who have made significant contributions to the music industry and empowered women through their work, the highest accolade being Woman of the Year.
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Kim is the CEO of Billboard Korea, which joined Billboard’s international editions in June 2024. Reflecting on her career and the Global Women Leader Forum she launched in 2022 to empower Korean businesswomen, Kim spoke candidly about the challenges and issues surrounding female artists in Korea and the need for independent female leaders.
We’d love to hear about how you started your career and became the CEO of Billboard Korea.
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I started my own business in Shanghai 15 years ago. I had an entertainment company called GMI Entertainment and brought many K-pop stars, Korean actors, and celebrities to China to make TV programs, dramas and movies. I then moved to South Korea in 2016 and joined a big company Shinsegae Group, where I was head of global marketing. I then signed a licensing agreement with Penske Media Corporation, which owns WWD in the U.S., to launch WWD Korea in 2019 and then Billboard Korea this year.
Not only have you worked in the music industry, you have worked in different areas in the entertainment space.
Yes, exactly. In Shanghai, I had my TV program at Anhui TV, a major broadcasting company. I also launched my social media channels on Douyin, and Xiaohongshu, called Meet The Idol when I was there. So, I have a good understanding of the media and the entertainment business.
You are now the CEO of Billboard Korea. Do many women hold executive roles in Korea?
It is gradually increasing, but still low. In the Korean music industry, the proportion of female executives is only 6%. As you know, South Korea is a very conservative country.
Yes, Japan is the same way.
So, like women in Japan, it is tough to become an entrepreneur in South Korea. This is why in 2022, I invited global women leaders from the U.S. and organized the Global Women Leader Forum in South Korea. I wanted to teach the women leaders in Korea, about what it means to be a female leader. And to do this, we thought we needed to learn from other countries. We invited Maye Musk to speak at the forum because we wanted to focus more on independent women. She is well known as a single mother, having raised three children, including Elon Musk. She is very independent and has many beautiful stories to tell, and we hope to have a second forum by the spring of 2025.
Did you see any changes since holding the Global Women Leaders Forum?
Before organizing the forum, many of my friends told me, “Korea is a very conservative country, so many women leaders wouldn’t want to participate. So there is no point in doing it.” As you know, it’s a very sensitive topic. Many women in Korea feel they are not capable of holding executive positions, such as a CEO. They feel that they should give up because many women think they need to fight against men for these positions. But my view is different. Women have their unique strengths and personalities. Instead of fighting against men, they should be able to utilize their unique styles and strengths.
Approximately 300 women leaders attended the forum, which changed their thinking dramatically. Even older women leaders said that women leaders are necessary, not just for women, but for the company. Since then, other media outlets have started similar campaigns for female leadership. At Billboard Korea, we would also like to launch initiatives to empower female leaders and entrepreneurs in the music industry.
It’s a great initiative. Japan is gradually changing from an era in which women were expected to work in the same way as men, or even more than men, to an era in which men and women support each other both at work and at home. Since it takes time to change people’s values, it’s a gradual change, yet I believe entertainment can play a major role in this process.
Let’s talk about the challenges surrounding female artists. When you look at the year-end charts in the U.S. and Japan, men continue to outnumber women. When we spoke to Billboard‘s editorial director Hannah Karp for this interview series, she said there are still issues that need to be resolved, such as safety for women in recording studios and sexual harassment. What problems do you see in South Korea?
There is harassment in South Korea as well. Many men don’t want to get involved in such issues, so it doesn’t get covered in the news, especially in the older media. I feel it’s a major problem when voices of female artists and creators are not heard. There are also issues surrounding the way women look. We are all under huge pressure to be slim and pretty or expected to look like dolls, not human beings. So young K-pop celebrities invest heavily in their faces and bodies, trying to be younger and more beautiful. This is an issue in the Korean entertainment industry.
Everyone’s appearance changes as they grow older. Do K-pop fans continue to support their favorite artists as they age gracefully or do they move on and support younger artists?
I think it is 50-50 among K-pop fans. BTS fans continue to support them even after they have gone to military service, and they seem to enjoy the fact that they are growing with age. However, the same cannot be said for girl groups. I feel there is a lot more demand for female artists to be younger.
What can we do as a media outlet to support female artists and ensure that they can continue to perform and make music for a long time?
For this reason, I would like to focus more on independent women and female leaders. If we understand and empathize with our idols, not only with their appearance but also with their thoughts and philosophy, we will want to continue supporting them no matter how old they are. As a media outlet, we can listen to the voices of the fans and the artists, right? By helping artists and fans to build a relationship, artists can continue to grow.
The most popular Korean acts in Japan are male and female groups. Are there any female solo artists outside of the mainstream who have enjoyed long careers in Korea?
That is a good question. As you say, there are artists from various genres in South Korea, but only girl and boy groups have had global hits. The reason being, it is more difficult for solo artists to gain a dedicated fandom compared to groups. Therefore, many agencies produce groups. There are many talented female solo artists in Korea, and Billboard Korea wants to introduce all genres to the world, such as K-R&B, jazz, classical, hip-hop and trot.
We also want to introduce artists of different genders and genres to the world. I believe this can change the world view of the Japanese and Korean music scene.
Billboard is launching its media all around the world. We have different cultures and ways of thinking, but women should be independent in every country. We want to think about what needs to be done in each country to support women and implement it.
This interview by Naoko Takashima first appeared on Billboard Japan.
Fans around the world will be able to livestream this year’s Fuji Rock Festival free of charge on Prime Video and the three official Amazon Music channels on Twitch.
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One of Japan’s pioneering music festivals, Fuji Rock ’24 is slated to hit Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata Prefecture from July 26-28. The livestream will feature performances and interview footage of the acts billed on this year’s lineup set to appear on the Green, White, Red Marquee and Field of Heaven stages.
The Killers, Kraftwerk and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds will headline this year’s Fuji Rock, while acts including Awich, Beth Gibbons, girl in red, Hiromi’s Sonicwonder, Kenya Grace, Kim Gordon, Tatsuya Kitani, MAN WITH A MISSION, Omar Apollo, Taeko Onuki, Noname, Peggy Gou, RAYE, Remi Wolf, Rufus Wainwright, Sampha, Teddy Swims, 10-FEET, The Allman Betts Band, The Last Dinner Party, TOKYO SKA PARADISE ORCHESTRA, Turnstile and more have been announced to perform. The schedule and lineup for the online livestream will be announced later.
Prime Video, which is free for those with an Amazon Prime account, can be streamed on the website and on a variety of compatible devices by using the Prime Video app including smartphones, tablets, cable TV devices, gaming devices, smart TVs, Fire TV, Fire TV stick and Fire tablets. The livestream will also be available for free on the three official Amazon Music channels on Twitch.
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To commemorate this exclusive live broadcast, five official Amazon limited color T-shirts are now available on Amazon Merch on Demand.
NewJeans took the stage at Tokyo Dome for its Bunnies Camp 2024 fan meeting on Wednesday (June 26), the first of two days the breakout K-pop group performed at the venue for its first-ever headlining show in Japan.
The five-member girl group set a record as a non-Japanese act for shortest period of time since debuting to perform at Tokyo Dome. Tickets for the two-day event quickly sold out to draw a total of 91,200 fans, proving the “Supernatural” group’s overwhelming popularity in Japan where various talented K-pop acts seek to expand their influence.
K-pop fan meetings often feature segments other than live performances, such as games and chatting among members, to focus on interacting with fans. But NewJeans’ event opted to forgo such frivolities for a more music-oriented showcase based solely on the idea of entertaining fans (Bunnies) through song. In addition to all the tracks from their past EPs and singles — “New Jeans,” “OMG,” “Get Up,” “How Sweet” — the girls performed two off their brand-new Japanese debut single, “Supernatural.” This stance was reflected in the mysterious DJ set by the opening act, South Korean music producer 250 (Lee Ho-hyeong), which focused on remixes of NewJeans songs, but with an emphasis on ambient moods.
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The venue brimmed with intense anticipation before the show began, and when NewJeans actually appeared on stage, the crowd erupted into a fierce frenzy that felt like it would blow off the roof of the stadium. But the five members — including Hyein, who had been on hiatus to recover from a foot injury — showed no signs of nervousness in the face of such a spectacle and went on to hype up the audience with live renditions of their signature songs such as “Attention” and “Cookie,” amplifying the energy of the original songs many times over with assistance from a band consisting of guitarist Kazuki Isogai (SANABAGUN.), bassist Kazuki Arai (King Gnu), keyboardist Yudai Ohi (SANABAGUN.), and drummer Soy. Although there were concerns about Hyein’s condition, she looked well and made a strong comeback, impressing fans with her vibrant, cool performance.
In addition to popular songs like “Hype Boy” and “Super Shy,” the highlights of the day were the solo performances that showcased the charms of each member through a fresh approach — Danielle and Hanni’s sweet duo performance of the unreleased song “Hold It Down,” a strong solo dance by Haerin, and Danielle debuting her beautiful R&B-inspired original track “Butterflies (With U).”
The girls also covered J-pop songs ranging from classic to contemporary to the delight of the audience, including performances of Vaundy’s “Odoriko” (Dancing Girl) by Minji, Mariya Takeuchi’s “Plastic Love” by Hyein, and Seiko Matsuda’s “Aoi Sangosho” (Blue Coral Reef) by Hanni. Moreover, the girls not only sang these songs, but also created a unique space where the content of each song and the members’ personalities were fused together, as in the performance of “Odoriko,” where Minji threw down her bag with a determined look on her face and started running, a complete change from the cool demeanor she maintained in the first half of the set. NewJeans is known for its beautiful and fragile image, spearheaded by label head Min Hee Jin, and this aesthetic was brilliantly carried through here as well.
The fan meeting also featured guest acts on both days, and J-pop duo YOASOBI appeared on Day 1 (Rina Sawayama took the stage on Day 2) — not as an opening act, but incorporated into the main set. YOASOBI singer ikura joined the group for “Right Now” as if she were the sixth member, surprising the audience with their coordinated formation. The two acts then segued into YOASOBI’s song “Biri-Biri,” smoothly performing the Pokemon-inspired number featuring a cute melody and solid drum and bass beat that perfectly matches NewJeans’ style.
After YOASOBI led the audience to a spectacular climax with its performance of “Idol,” Billboard Japan’s 2023 Song of the Year — unfortunately sans members of NewJeans — the five girls returned to the stage and upped the excitement with an energetic performance of their upbeat hit “ETA,” the audience erupting into a thunderous chorus of “What’s your ETA?” By this time, the band’s groove and the members’ cute but powerful voices and vibrant dance moves were perfectly integrated, and a unique exuberance typical of NewJeans filled the entire venue. Even during the laid-back “OMG,” which the members performed on a moving float, the venue was charged with a strange excitement that had nothing to do with relaxation. To be honest, I was personally concerned that the group’s musicality and a venue with tens of thousands of people might not necessarily be a good match, but on this day, NewJeans completely took over the stadium, a promising result in light of the group’s future performances at large-scale music festivals overseas.
The members closed the main set with “Ditto,” bringing the show to a happy ending with its pleasant groove and familiar dance moves. Answering calls for an encore, the group returned to perform the last song of the evening, “ASAP,” ending the fan meeting in style covered in a huge amount of confetti. The overwhelming satisfaction from the live performance itself — hard to believe it’s only been two years since the group was formed — as well as the tremendous response on social media after the show (with focus on the unexpected covers), will no doubt lead to even greater enthusiasm for the group.
–This concert review by neu_mura first appeared on Billboard Japan
Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” continues to rule the Billboard Japan Hot 100 for the 19th week on the chart released June 26.
The viral hip-hop hit comes in at No. 2 for downloads, streaming, video views, and karaoke this week. Downloads for the MASHLE Season 2 opener increased slightly compared to last week and overall points decreased only slightly, perhaps due to the duo wrapping up its headlining tour over the weekend (June 23) after having been on the road since March.
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Now in its 19th week atop the Japan Hot 100, “BBBB” is closing in on the all-time record for most weeks at No. 1 held by YOASOBI’s “Idol,” which ruled the tally for 22 weeks.
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IS:SUE’s “CONNECT” debuts at No. 2. The four-member girl group made its major-label debut on June 19, and “CONNECT” is the lead track off its first single. Launching with 133,769 CDs, the track rules sales and also radio, while coming in at No. 28 for downloads.
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Bowing at No. 3 is JEONGHAN X WONWOO’s “Last night (Guitar by Park Juwon)” by two members of the K-pop group SEVENTEEN. The single sold 99,154 CDs in its first week and hits No. 2 for sales, while hitting No. 29 for downloads, No. 36 for video and No. 58 for streaming.
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Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac” slips 3-4 this week, but the track has reached No. 1 for streaming after steadily climbing the ranks for weeks. The song has been hovering in the top five on the Japan Hot 100 for ten consecutive weeks.
Outside the top 10, MY FIRST STORY x HYDE’s “Mugen” climbs 21-13. The opener for the Hashira Training arc of the popular anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba saw increases in downloads (158% week-over-week), streaming (114%), and radio (132%) ahead of the final episode of the season airing this Sunday (June 30).
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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 17 to 23, here (https://www.billboard.com/charts/japan-hot-100/). For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account (https://twitter.com/BillboardJP_ENG).
By: Billboard Japan / Photo: Courtesy Photo
Kenshi Yonezu is set to drop his highly anticipated sixth studio album, entitled LOST CORNER, due Aug. 21. The project will be the J-pop hitmaker’s first album in four years since his previous set, STRAY SHEEP. All versions of the new album will include many of the singer-songwriter’s recent hits, such as “Sayonara Mata Itsuka!” […]
MILLENNIUM PARADE is set to launch its first-ever global tour called the WHO AND HOW TOUR 2024 in November, traveling to nine cities around the world for 10 shows. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The band, led by Daiki Tsuneta of King Gnu, will kick off […]
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