Billboard Japan

The animated film THE FIRST SLAM DUNK has become a smashing success in Japan, bringing in over 12.2 billion yen in box office revenue (as of March 21, 2023). Fueled by its success, the ending theme of the film, “Dai Zero Kan” by 10-FEET has remained in the top 10 on the Billboard JAPAN’s Hot 100 song chart for 12 consecutive weeks. 
Billboard Japan spoke with TAKUMA, vocalist and guitarist of 10-FEET, about the thought he put into creating the film’s theme song and incidental music, his experience working with director Takehiko Inoue, his music co-writer Satoshi Takebe, and more, as part of its Monthly Feature series, focusing on today’s standout artists and works.

Your “10-FEET ‘Collins’ TOUR 2023” began on January 16. How excited are the fans, and how motivated is the band feeling?

For about three years, entertainment wasn’t really what it should have been, so now it feels like all that pent-up excitement has really come to the fore. I think there are fans out there who are having fun, wrapping their heads around the fact that live shows are possible again, and there are others who are coming to the shows with more of a passionate spirit — more impulsively. It feels like the live show scene is making a comeback.

Have there been any changes in how you feel about live shows, or how you approach them, because of the pandemic?

It’s been three years since people could really be packed shoulder to shoulder at a show. I’m sure there are some people out there who are like, “Is this really okay?” So we need to play music and put on really powerful shows that sweep away those fears and tension. I think if we succeed in doing that, we can turn those fears and tension into drive and excitement.

It’s been about three months since the film THE FIRST SLAM DUNK came out. What’s the reaction around you been like?

Some friends from way back got in touch with me again, which was great.

Looking at the comments on the music video, it seems like there are listeners all around the world. What do you think about the fact that your music has extended beyond Japan’s borders and is reaching people worldwide?

The lyrics are almost entirely in Japanese, so it seems strange to me that people are listening to it outside Japan.

It’s been in the top 10 in the Billboard JAPAN charts for several weeks. I think that shows that it’s brought you a lot of new listeners.

I’ve been hearing a lot of people saying they’d never heard of us before, or that it was the first time they’d heard one of our songs, which is a real honor. We’ve been playing music all this time in the hope that lots of people would hear and enjoy our music.

You had a few other potential theme songs, like “SLAM,” “Blind Man,” and “Shinkaigyo.” What made you feel that “Dai Zero Kan” was the best fit for the theme song?

Personally, I think they’d all have been great. We presented like eight or ten songs to the movie production team as potential theme songs. However, each time, the director and the music director said that the song didn’t fit their image for the movie. Then, one day the music staff asked us for music for one of Rukawa’s scenes. So we renamed “Odanshi” (the song that later became “Dai Zero Kan”) as “Rukawa Odanshi” and sent it in. (laughs) The director, Inoue, said that “Rukawa Odanshi” was like a bolt from the blue. It seems like both the music director and the music producer were also both like, “This is it.” We made some additional changes to the arrangement of “Rukawa Odanshi,” and that’s how it became the “Dai Zero Kan” we have now. Initially, I hadn’t planned for “Dai Zero Kan” to be performed by 10-FEET or as a solo song, so I just wrote it how I felt, without giving it any additional thought. I wrote it just after the pandemic started, and I just wanted something really danceable and hard.

For a while, it was in the Billboard JAPAN “TikTok Weekly Top 20” top 20 for weeks on end. Looking back, what do you think about how it was received?

We were lucky that, thanks to the film, the catchy melody got popular on TikTok. I think the key part of the chorus’s melody is its rhythm. For example, in “Scatman,” the melody and rhythm of the “ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bop” part are really unique, right? Since I first started playing in a band, I’ve always liked those rhythms and melodies where, if you hear them all day, you’ll remember them for the rest of your life. That’s why I was able to take those kinds of rhythmic sensibilities from Western music, write lyrics in Japanese, and create more original-feeling music with 10-FEET. I think the rhythm, together with the pacing of the lyrics, make up like 90%, and melodic elements make up the other 10%.

I see. I’d also like to ask you a little bit about the incidental music. When you wrote the music, did you intend it to express the feelings of the members of the Shohoku and Sannoh teams, or to convey the feel of the game itself from a more objective perspective?

For the incidental music, I thought about how I would express Inoue’s film concepts in the form of music. For example, when Inoue asked me to write music for use when Kohoku was on the ropes, I wrote what I envisioned as music that embodied being in the middle of a crisis. Then, when I played it for Inoue, he’d expand on his concept for the scene, saying, “The feeling of Kohoku being in a crisis really comes across well, but this scene is also one where Sannoh is going on the offensive. Sannoh aren’t just villains, they’re a really powerful, cool team. So this scene is also an exciting scene in which Sannoh has gotten into the zone in their offense, going all out.” So then I’d come back later with new music and be like, “I think this has the feel you’re going for. What do you think?”

In “Slash Snake,” the snare sound felt reminiscent of dribbling.

The sound designer, Koji Kasamatsu, edited the incidental music I provided. For example, drum snares often occupy the same frequencies as people’s voices — the lines characters are saying. I think he paid a lot of attention to where the snares would be heard and to adjusting their volume, levels, equalization, range, and the like. In rock and music like ours, you’ll often hear the snares going the whole time, but he did a great job on making adjustments and editing elements like that. If there were scenes where it felt like the snare was synching with the dribbling, that would have to be Kasamatsu working his magic.

In the climax of the movie, the scene where “Double crutch ZERO” is used stands out for how it uses “stillness” and “movement” to different effects.

I guess there needs to be a lot of switching between times when the instrumentation is really packed and when it’s sparse, where the sound really pushes down on you and when it’s more open, when it’s quiet and when it creates a dramatic, soaring impression. It was my first time making this kind of music, but no matter how much time it took, it never felt like a chore. It was time-intensive, but also extremely rewarding, so I created and submitted a lot of music.

So, it was your first time writing incidental music.

This time, I was writing incidental music for SLAM DUNK, which is a manga that I really loved. If I got an offer to create incidental music for an adaptation of a work that I wasn’t already familiar with, I’d want to check out the original it was based on, movie adaptations, TV adaptations, anime adaptations, and the like. I’d want to really internalize that story — make it part of myself — before writing music for it. I don’t have any experience yet with starting from ground zero along with the production team and creating output using my own sensibilities. If any opportunities to do that present themselves, I’d love to give it a shot.

When you wrote music with Satoshi Takebe, was there any direction or were there any discussions that stick in your memory?

He was truly a wonderful teacher. I was a bit nervous going in, thinking that if I got too excited and passionate in answering, I could come across as rude, and I’d annoy or upset him. But Takebe took the lead, saying “You’ve got to speak up more.” He started out by creating this environment where I felt free to speak, and from then on we were able to really exchange ideas.

In closing, what kind of year do you hope to make 2023?

In 2023, I want to go back to the basics and study music from the ground up again, retraining myself musically. If you’re always working with music, you can lose sight of that passion and impulsiveness. I want to really bring those feelings to the fore again.

—This interview by Tatsuya Tanami first appeared on Billboard Japan

BABYMETAL recently returned to music after a two-year hiatus and is set to release its much-anticipated new album THE OTHER ONE on Friday (March 24). The duo’s first new project since METAL GALAXY from 2019 revolves around the concept of “restored BABYMETAL music that was previously unknown.” The overall tone of their comeback is entirely dark and serious, and the project may be remembered as the most unconventional and mysterious in BABYMETAL’s history.

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But while SU-METAL and MOAMETAL elaborate on the album’s enigmatic concept in this brand-new interview, they also offer different perspectives on this project. SU-METAL’s deep reflection that includes a synesthetic sensitivity and MOAMETAL’s interpretation filled with physicality and tenderness will surely provide a number of hints and insights for those who are perplexed by this work and serve as a companion piece to THE OTHER ONE.

In your BABYMETAL RETURNS – THE OTHER ONE – comeback concert back in January and this new album, there are two major keywords: “METALVERSE” and “previously unknown BABYMETAL.” Could you explain to us how you two interpret these concepts?

SU-METAL: BABYMETAL is fiction, but it’s also something that’s happening simultaneously in reality. The two of us were growing in the world of BABYMETAL and the audience enjoyed that. But as times changed and we have access to a variety of information, I think everyone now has their own reality or way of looking at the world. So the phrase “previously unknown BABYMETAL” raises a certain question: “Is the BABYMETAL you know really BABYMETAL?”

And since our last album METAL GALAXY in 2019, we’ve been working to destroy the “stereotype of BABYMETAL” in order to continue taking on new challenges as the group. So I think that also leads to the “different universe” that is THE OTHER ONE.

MOAMETAL: When I first heard the words “METALVERSE” and “previously unknown BABYMETAL,” I was like, “Seriously, what are they talking about?” [Laughs] But I really love Disney and after sensing something similar to the movie Doctor Strange, I got more and more excited while working on the project. So I’d like everyone to think about BABYMETAL by connecting what they’ve gained from various other works of art.

Since this album is based on concepts depicting other possibilities for BABYMETAL, it’s an album that expands the way we think about the group, including where it’ll be headed in the future. How do you want your fans to enjoy this work?

SU-METAL: I consider this album to be a BABYMETAL spin-off while also being like an art museum. There’s a phrase in the lyrics of “Mirror Mirror” that means, “The real me / doesn’t exist.” I think the songs on this album are like that in a way and it’s also what art is all about. Of course, I’m sure there will be those who want to pinpoint what each song is about, and that’s fine, but there’s no real right answer and discussing it is also part of the fun. THE OTHER ONE has lots of songs that have strong messages even for BABYMETAL, so I’d be happy if people could feel them out and use these songs as an opportunity to take another look at themselves.

MOAMETAL: When I first heard the songs, I thought there weren’t any elements that made them typically like our previous numbers, so I think many of our fans may initially feel the same way. But after seeing these songs live with our dance choreography and discussing them with other people, I think you’ll find things about them that remind you of past BABYMETAL songs and find parts you like. So, if you find a song (on the new album) that you like, I’d be glad if you listen to it multiple times and think about the things you value, and also about that feeling of valuing something itself.

Since your new album is based on the concept of “another BABYMETAL,” the question a lot of fans will probably have is, “Where did the original BABYMETAL go?”

SU-METAL: First of all, THE OTHER ONE isn’t the main story of BABYMETAL. It was made during the time we took a break from doing concerts after our ten-year METAL RESISTANCE saga, so the album is about “an alternate BABYMETAL.” At the same time, we’re sometimes called “Kawaii Metal” but don’t think that’s the only thing we’re about. We want to make new music, so we don’t want to be tied down by that image. We want to show another side like this and hope people will enjoy this, too. On top of that, BABYMETAL’s new main story will begin again, so please look forward to that as well.

Can you tell us anything about what you have planned for your fans outside of Japan?

MOAMETAL: For now, we’ve announced plans to tour Europe from April to May with the Swedish band Sabaton. We think 2023 has only just begun and have no intention of stopping. We hope to create opportunities to visit not only Europe but also various countries to meet people we haven’t been able to see recently. So please look forward to seeing us.

SU-METAL: BABYMETAL has a ten-year history, and speaking for myself, I gave that decade everything I had and crossed the finish line once. I actually stepped away from music for a while during our hiatus.

But I came back because I still genuinely felt that I love BABYMETAL and that I love music. I feel like I’m in a new band right now, and my current mode is, “I want to purely enjoy the music.” So while I do want to bring back the kind of concerts that we did up until our break with our overseas fans, I also want to create new BABYMETAL shows.

You stepped away from music? I’d imagined you were forced to delay the start of your next phase after your tenth anniversary because the pandemic began around that time.

SU-METAL: Actually, we’d already decided about five years ago that we would make the tenth anniversary our goal. When we became a two-member group in 2018, we weren’t sure how to proceed, and even wondered if it was right to keep going but decided to carry on until the tenth anniversary. We received some tough feedback from fans at the time, which I’m sure came from a place of love for our group. I think it made us stronger, and we gained a lot of confidence knowing that most people appreciated our music even though our appearance had changed. We took a break because we felt we’d reached our goal, including going through such experiences.

That’s interesting to know.

SU-METAL: So during my time away from music, at first I was like, “Nope, not gonna listen to metal anymore.” But before I knew it, I was back and singing again. [Laughs] Probably like how a teenager takes up playing guitar, I found myself singing, and before we realized it, MOAMETAL and I were getting together and dancing again.

So I really enjoyed our first lesson in a while. Before then, I used to think things like, “I’m a little off pitch here,” or “I should have done this rhythm better” whenever I sang, and when I listened to other artists’ music, I’d study the way people sang from a professional perspective. But now, music really feels like a hobby to me.

Like a teenager, as you mentioned earlier. So that must be why you feel like you’re in a new band.

SU-METAL: Right. Of course, a part of us wants to expand on what we’ve accumulated over the decade as BABYMETAL, but at the same time, we also just want to have fun again. BABYMETAL started off as a group that did interesting stuff that made people go, “What the heck is this?” We’re trying to get back to that basic feeling.

It must have been important for you to take that break to recover those feelings.

MOAMETAL: SU-METAL and I always had each other’s backs, but in some vague way we also felt that something was missing. So there were times when things were pretty tough, and we had to force ourselves to be like, “We got this!” But now, we’re still a duo but we want to deliver our music because we love what we do. We needed to take some time off to reaffirm that feeling.

When you returned to music, did you discuss it and decide to come back, or did it happen naturally?

MOAMETAL: We did discuss it, but my feeling was that if SU-METAL was going to be there, then I’d be willing to give it a shot again, so for me it was like I came back without much thought.

SU-METAL: It wasn’t like we’d promised each other that we’d definitely get back together when we said our goodbyes. We sort of came back before we knew it. It feels strange even to us. [Laughs]

That shows how strong you two connected over the ten years you worked together.

SU-METAL: Especially since we spent our important teenage years together. During our tours, we’re together for two to three months, so we feel like a family. It’s natural for us to be together. So even when we were apart, it wasn’t like I wanted to see her every day, but I still wondered what she was doing in the corner of my mind. It’s a strange feeling like that.

—This interview by Kenta Terunuma first appeared on Billboard Japan

The VOCALOID Collection, also known as VocaColle, is a biannual event featuring Vocaloid submissions, held every spring and autumn. Entrants compete to claim top rankings in five different categories: “TOP100,” “Rookies,” “REMIX,” “Enso Shitemita,” and “MMD&3DCG.” The number one songs in the TOP100 and the Rookies categories are included in the “Project SEKAI Colorful Stage! feat. Hatsune Miku” smartphone game. There is also a Chokaigi 2023 Theme Song contest, a VocaColle & UtaColle & OdoColle collaborative project, and many other ways to enjoy Vocaloid culture.

We interviewed Yuri Kuriyama, a Vocaloid producer and a member of Van de Shop, in the days leading up to this year’s VocaColle. He talked about the Vocaloid songs and producers that influenced him, the future of the Vocaloid scene, and more.

We asked you to pick out which of the countless Vocaloid songs have made a big impression on you and influenced your own work. One song you mentioned was “Melt” (2007). This was the song that led to the formation of supercell, a group of creators led by Vocaloid producer ryo.

Yuri Kuriyama: A lot of the first Vocaloid songs had really fast vocals or had vocal melodies that hit notes human singers couldn’t reach. In other words, there were aspects of them that leveraged the unique capabilities of the software. “Melt” was different. It was a somewhat laid back song. It’s a wonderful song that would be great even if sung by a human singer, and I think it really shows what makes ryo such a talented producer. Hatsune Miku’s pitch in the song is also wonderful. In the early days of the scene, there were a lot of songs where the pitch was a little bit off, and that always felt awkward to me. There’s none of that in “Melt.” It feels very natural. Among supercell’s songs, I particularly like “Juuzoku Ningen” and “Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari.” ryo was one of the first artists to break out from the Vocaloid scene to the major music scene.

“last Night good Night” (2008) is a song from livetune, kz’s solo unit. “Matryoshka” (2010) is one of Hachi’s most famous songs. Hachi later began releasing songs as Kenshi Yonezu, becoming one of Japan’s top artists.

Kuriyama: With “last Night good Night,” kz applied Auto-Tune to Hatsune Miku. When I met him in person and asked him why he used Auto-Tune, he told me “because the pitch was bothering me,” which made a lot of sense. This song is what made me like Hatsune Miku’s voice, and what got me really into the Vocaloid scene. It influenced me a lot, to the point that I think it would be fair to say that if this song hadn’t existed, I wouldn’t have listened to Vocaloid music.

Hachi’s “Matoryoshka” is, for me, the platonic ideal of the kind of Vocaloid song I like. It uses the “MaruSa chord progression” (a chord progression frequently used in J-pop songs like Shiina Ringo’s “Marunouchi Sadistic”), but it’s doing something really new with it.

I think the drum line of “THE WORLD END UMBRELLA” is really interesting. 

 You’d need four arms to actually play it live (laughs). The arrangement is one that’s only possible because it was made on a computer. I like how the emotions of the song come across so directly. “Wonderland to Histujinouta” is another example of how much of an impact Hachi has had on the Vocaloid scene.

There’s also “Nihonbashi Koukashita R Keikaku” (2012) by Shizen no Teki-P (Jin) and “Kimi no Taion” by Kuwagata-P.

Kuriyama: Jin’s Kagerou Project was just amazing. (The Kagerou Project is a mixed-media project with novels, comics, and anime all based on Jin’s music.) Plus, none of the songs sound alike. The chord progressions are different, the sounds are different, and they’re all great songs. “Nihonbashi Koukashita R Keikaku” was a wonderful fusion of a song and an anime music video. The music videos for the Vocaloid songs that came out before that were generally single static illustrations or very handmade-feeling animations, and I mean that in a good way. When I saw the “Nihonbashi Koukashita R Keikaku” music video, I thought “Wow, that’s professional!” (laughs)

“Kimi no Taion” featured both piano and guitar. I think it also used the MaruSa chord progression, but it put the piano part out in front, and that showed me a new approach. I think that it affected my own arrangements.

You also listed Sasanomaly and sasakure.UK as artists from the Vocaloid producer scene that you liked.

Kuriyama: Sasanomaly used to be a Vocaloid producer going by the name Neko Boro. His songs are great, but so is his sound production and mixing. Mixing involves several stages, and when you do it you’re thinking about different ways the music will be heard — from earphones, headphones, speakers, etc. Sasanomaly sounds good no matter how you’re listening. I like a lot of his songs, but last summer I had “game of life feat. Boku no Lyric no Boyomi” on repeat. He was also in a band called Dios, and I’ve been impressed by the breadth of his musical activities.

I also love sasakure.UK! Everybody in our band (Van de Shop) really likes UK Rampage (the band headed by sasakure.UK). He’s both a Vocaloid producer and a band member, and his technique in both is great. I’ve always wanted do the kinds of things Sasakure.UK is doing, and I had so many questions for him when I actually met him. (laughs)

You also said that syudou, Yoh Kamiyama, nulut, and Harumaki Gohan resonate with you.

Kuriyama: They’re active Vocaloid producers, active as soloists using the same name, creating new units with different names, and the like. They’ve all got their own different approaches, but what they all share in common is that they write and sing their own songs.

I’m sure they have varied reasons for that, but for me there were definitely sounds I could learn while working with Vocaloid and sounds I could learn from changing my approach and environment, which made me realize that I can enjoy music at an even deeper level.

I think the broader your music horizons are, the better. I want to create Vocaloid songs that reflect what I’ve learned, not just following some template.

For units made up of a Vocaloid producer and a female singer, like YOASOBI or DUSTCELL, if you simply look at their structure, it’s the same as a music producer and the Vocaloid software, but it feels like they’re creating new sounds that you can’t hear in typical Vocaloid songs. If people gain an appreciation for Vocaloid by learning of it through them, that would be wonderful.

Who knows, one day Yonezu might be like, “I’m back!” and release another Vocaloid song. The Vocaloid scene is a really free, fun scene right now.

The number of Vocaloid producers who are making music for idols and bands is on the rise, and we’re seeing a lot of genre crossovers.

Kuriyama: Right. When I’m writing music for my band, I’m often thinking “I want to make a Vocaloid song,” and vice versa. It’s fun bouncing back and forth between the expressive styles of people and the expressive styles of software. It’s like switching back and forth between eating potato chips and chocolate. (laughs)

Let’s talk a bit about your own music. First, there’s “Limelight” (2017). You posted this under the artist name “Hachiya Nanashi,” and it was your first song to reach one million plays. It’s an electroswing song, a genre you’re particularly fond of.

Kuriyama: Electroswing was originally made by taking swing jazz samples or new songs based in swing jazz and then reworking them with an electro feel. Recently, there’s been a lot of pop with a swing feel that’s created entirely on the computer, but I’m more interested in the former approach. I like actually performing the music, using an old mic to record it, and then intentionally degrading the sound quality. I made “Limelight” that way, on my own. Of course, I got help from some musician colleagues, but I wanted to take on the challenges of songwriting and arrangement on my own, working off only my own ideas. There are elements of glitch hop and dubstep, and I think it came out as an interesting song.

When you uploaded “Neurosis” (2019), you commented that it was your “first love song.” “Jitterbug” (2019) was a fun song, a new evolution in electroswing.

Kuriyama: I wrote “Neurosis” when I was suffering from a broken heart. As far as genres go, it’s 200 BPM rock. I didn’t really think too deeply about it, I just did what I felt like when I made the song. I used a Les Paul guitar, and it had a bit of a strange tone.

With “Jitterbug,” I decided to back to electroswing again, based on what I’d done with “Limelight.” The rhythm was really difficult, and when the song was included in the game “Project DIVA MEGA39’s,” there were people complaining on Twitter that “Jitterbug” was too hard. I’m not very good at rhythm games, so I was thinking “I know how you feel!” (laughs)

In March 2022,  you uploaded “Pheles,” which had elements of both jazz and rock. The mysterious lyrics and feeling also really stand out.

Kuriyama: I wrote the song for “GABULI,” a masked battle manga project, and I think I really conveyed the feeling of GABULI’s world. I put distorted guitars front and center, and gave the song a swing feel. It’s got a “rock-swing” groove, so I think I was able to achieve something new with it. I don’t want to repeat myself if at all possible. I want to try new approaches, and if there’s something I was unable to do in the past, I want to overcome that hurdle.

You have a lot of songs with a live instrumental feel to them, which must take a lot of time and cost a bit of money.

Kuriyama: I might be a bit of an outlier in the Vocaloid world. My friends will tell me, “Instead of going into the studio for hours and paying all that money to record live parts, wouldn’t it be better to just go online and look for samples?” Or they’ll say, “You’re really focusing and working on that part, but do you really think listeners will even notice?” I end up thinking, “Yeah, maybe,” and I sometimes feel a bit dumb for focusing so much on some details (laughs), but I’m confident that there are people out there who will understand what I’m doing.

What future do you see for the Vocaloid scene?

Kuriyama: I feel like Vocaloid fads and “meta” templates change in two year cycles. Of course, there are some wonderful chords and styles that never change. Over the last few years, I’ve been feeling like there’s been a lot of programmed melodies and EDM-like songs, and not much live instrumentation. But lately there’s been a rise in the number of songs that are trying new things, and I’m discovering songs that fit my current tastes. I like the feeling right now that everyone’s doing what they do because they truly want to. They’re all bringing their passion and putting out what they really like. I feel like we’re going to be seeing a lot more new things coming out soon.

In closing, could you share your own expectations for VocaColle?

Kuriyama: I’ve always felt that Nico Nico Douga is the true home of Vocaloid. I’m happy that this event that sprang from Niconico Chokaigi is still being held. However, it’s also come to feel like a gateway to success for people who want to make a living through music, and getting all uptight and focusing on views and likes takes away from the fun magic of the event. It takes the thrill away. People can enjoy it however they want to, of course, but I’d like it to be more of a carnival, more of an uninhibited party.

I like carnivals myself, and when people who like Vocaloid come together because they think something’s fun or interesting, it really makes the atmosphere electric.

—This interview by Tomoyuki Mori first appeared on Billboard Japan