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

J-pop boy band ONE N’ ONLY dropped a new single called ”We’ll rise again” on March 8, the third in the group’s five-month streak of new releases currently underway celebrating the group’s fifth anniversary, following “YOU???” and “Get That (PT-BR ver.).” “We’ll rise again” is also the six-member group’s first single in about four years to be released in physical form since “Category/My Love” from 2019.
Members EIKU, TETTA, REI, HAYATO, KENSHIN, and NAOYA chatted with Billboard Japan about their March offering and broke down each of the tracks included on the CD single.

“We’ll rise again” is featured as the theme of the your movie Battle King! -We’ll rise again-, set for release in Japanese theaters March 10.

HAYATO: This song has been around for a while, but when we were casted as a group in our first starring movie, we changed the lyrics to link it to the film’s content.

Since you knew it would be the theme of the group’s first starring movie, it must have felt different than usual when you were recording it.

EIKU: Yes. We recorded the first verse before we started filming. Then we recorded the second verse after we wrapped, so it helped us put more feeling into it because we could see how faithful the song was to the film and it was like the meaning of the lyrics became clearer.

HAYATO: The scenes came to mind, didn’t it?

EIKU: Yeah. We later re-recorded the first verse and made it even better. The character I play, Genjiro, used to be a delinquent, but he gets into hip-hop dance and finds his dream. There’s this scene where he expresses his determination to the art school principal and it’s a really touching moment. I sang my part with that scene in mind, so my voice sounds more emotional.

TETTA: The movie depicts a future where the characters aim for global success, and singing with that feeling is the same as where we’re at right now as ONE N’ ONLY, so it was easy for me to get into the feeling.

REI: The lyrics are really linked to the story, so I think you can enjoy it twice!

Will fans be able to check out your movie outside of Japan?

TETTA: Unfortunately, there’s no plan for international theatrical release.

HAYATO: But on-demand video streaming services are everywhere now so it’d be nice if people could catch it.

TETTA: We could do our own voice-overs.

NAOYA: Come on, there will be subtitles! [Everyone laughs]

HAYATO: But if it’s dubbed, I’d love to see who does our voices.

NAOYA: The movie version of the drama series I was in called his – Koi suru tsumori nante nakatta – (“I didn’t intend to fall in love”) is being distributed in Brazil with subtitles. I know someone from Brazil who got to know ONE N’ ONLY because of that.

KENSHIN: We could do a Portuguese version of the first rap battle scene.

EIKU: Then we’d have to ask everyone who performed with us to learn Portuguese.

KENSHIN: Sounds like a lot of work, but fun!

“We’ll rise again” will be released on CD along with its digital formats. How do you feel about that?

NAOYA: The last time was “Category/My Love” in 2019, so it’s been a long time.

HAYATO: Putting songs out in physical format is always a great feeling.

Two other songs are included in the CD single. Tell us about “GIFT.”

HAYATO: It’s a gentle love song, following “My Love.” I think our SWAGs also enjoy these kinds of straightforward J-POP numbers. It has a more mature worldview than “My Love,” and the chorus contains a message about the importance of the ordinary things in life. We performed it at our Christmas concert last year, so I’m really looking forward to sharing it with everyone.

REI: The lyrics are straightforward, and the song changes keys so it’s not boring. We sing the lyrics clearly so the message probably comes through.

HAYATO: The choreography is cute too.

REI: It’d be great if people could remember the hand-waving at the end and the hugging gestures since they’re easy to imitate.

NAOYA: The other song, “QUEEN,” is pretty daring for us. It’s the sexiest song we’ve ever done.

HAYATO: It depends on how you look at it, but it’s steamy! [Laughs]

NAOYA: No doubt about it. I want people to see our performance after memorizing the lyrics.

HAYATO: We did a performance using a microphone stand as one of the highlights of our tour, and when you hear it with the song’s content in mind, it’s definitely different!

REI: The lyrics are hard to understand on first listen, aren’t they?

TETTA: We encourage everyone to read the lyrics while listening to it.

REI: People will be like, “Ooh la la!” [Laughs]

TETTA: It’s a song that we can sing because we’re who we are today.

REI: You don’t find many songs like this in Japan. Content like this would be glossed over in other J-pop songs, but here it’s up front, which I think is a message from our songwriters that they expect us to express these kinds of things and compete with our musicality.

KENSHIN: The song is finely broken up for each of our parts, and we try new expressions down to our fingertips, so I’d like people to look out for that, too.

I look forward to seeing these songs live again.

EIKU: They’re tracks that will definitely add more power to our live performances, so I hope everyone enjoys these three songs this month.

—This interview by Kana Yoshida first appeared on Billboard Japan

YOASOBI shared the new music video accompanying its new release “Adventure,” a song written for Universal Studios Japan theme park.

“Adventure” was released Feb. 15 as the theme for USJ’s limited-offer spring campaign that encourages students to “make unforgettable spring memories” — the season of graduation and new beginnings in Japan where the school year begins in April.

The uplifting track is based on an episode that took home YOASOBI’s Grand Prize last year in a competition that invited submissions about “unforgettable memories from school days at the (USJ) park.” The title of the winning episode by Nagi can be roughly translated to “sparkling moments beyond the lens.”

The music video directed by Jun Tamukai is a fusion of live-action and animation, featuring imid’s illustrations of a girl dancing around the actual Universal Studios Japan theme park embellished with CG effects by KASSEN.

Billboard Japan launched its Women in Music initiative last year to celebrate today’s female achievers who continue to break new ground in Japan’s music industry, in the same spirit as Billboard’s Women in Music event that began in 2007. Billboard has recognized many influential women over the years — the highest honor being Woman of the Year, awarded to some of the industry’s top artists including Beyoncé, Madonna and, this year’s recipient, SZA.
Billboard Japan’s Women in Music consists of a string of projects including interviews, concerts, panel discussions and more. On Friday, March 3 — which also happens to be the traditional annual day celebrating girls in Japan — the inaugural Women in Music concerts took place simultaneously at the Billboard Live venues in Tokyo, Osaka and Yokohama, headlined by three female artists who represent today’s music landscape in Japan. Each artist performed two shows on that day, with the second being livestreamed for fans who couldn’t attend in person.

Rapper and singer Chanmina took the stage at Billboard Live Tokyo in Roppongi, appearing onstage accompanied by four dancers to the striking refrain of her track “Lucy.” Leading an all-female team of performers including the DJ in keeping with the evening’s theme, the trilingual artist performed a hard-hitting set of songs with lyrics mixing Korean, English and Japanese. The WIM setlist included “I’m a Pop,” featuring intense rapping and deep, dynamic vocals, and “Harenchi,” a sultry number with an urban sound and whispery vocalization.

The 24-year-old artist took a moment during her set to address the packed Billboard Live crowd, briefly explaining why she does what she does. “You’re all so beautiful, more so than you probably think,” she said, “I want to keep telling you that no matter how old I get.” She also paused during her song “Angel” later on to express her deep gratitude for her fans’ support. “To tell you the truth,” she shared, “I wasn’t fine during the COVID-19 pandemic! I missed you all so much.”

The “Bijin” rapper closed her WIM set with a raw, passionate performance of “Dahlia.” She stopped mid-song to say earnestly, “Singing was the only thing I had. So I kept singing and waited. Thank you for finding me, everyone!” When she finished the number, Chanmina bowed deeply to the audience and left the stage with a smile.  

UA

Shino Hamada/Billboard Japan

Headlining Billboard Live Osaka was UA, a veteran artist hailing from this city who has balanced her alternative music career and motherhood over the years. The 50-year-old songstress painted the venue with her signature sound, with dreamily melancholic numbers like “Kiokusoushitu” (“Amnesia”) and “Senkou” (“Blaze of Light”), and “JAPONESIA” with its effective combination of scat and harmonies. In particular, the audience was treated to the breadth of UA’s musicality through her breakout hit “Jounetsu” (“Passion”) and “AUWA~TIDA,” a track with a danceable groove developing with increasing intensity. After her main set, she returned to perform “Mizuiro” (“Light Blue”) for the encore — a song the mother of four said she wrote when she was pregnant with her first child — bringing her WIM show to a close with her beautifully unique vocals.

In between songs, the artist currently based in Canada looked back on her upbringing and shared anecdotes about the women she grew up around, making the 300-capacity venue feel even more intimate than usual. “Wouldn’t it be great if we could start each day thinking, ‘I want to start off by embracing and loving myself,’” she said, and added, “I’m happy to have been born a woman, and intend to continue moving forward without losing my passion and curiosity, and without being afraid of experiencing lots of things.”

eill

Junichi Itabashi/Billboard Japan

Singer-songwriter eill headlined the stage over at Billboard Live Yokohama. One of today’s hottest young music producers who gives voice to the honest feelings of the youth of her generation, eill delivered some of her popular numbers with her silky, soulful vocals, fronting a band of accomplished musicians (Katsushiro Sato on guitar, Shunsuke Ochi on bass, nabeLTD on keyboards, Yosuke Minowa handling computer manipulation, and Yukino Matsuura on drums). Appearing on stage dressed in all white, the 24-year-old artist kicked off her set with “Koko de iki wo shite” (“Breathe Here”), and went on to perform “FAKE LOVE/” and “((FULLMOON))” back-to-back, showcasing her signature mellow groove accented with delightful charm. The special WIM set also featured strings (Leina Ushiyama on violin, Yasuko Murata on viola and Kaori Imai on cello), adding a lush layer to her performance of “Finale,” which she explained she wrote “around this time last year while thinking about summer,” and on to “Hana no youni” (“Like a Flower”).

In between songs, eill emphasized the importance of being true to yourself, telling the audience to “love yourself and embrace yourself even when you’re not your best self.” Reassuring fans that “whenever you’re having a hard time, I’ll always give you a little push from behind. I’ll be your light at any time,” she launched into a groovy performance of “Spotlight.”

True to her words, she uplifted the crowd and created a sense of unity in the venue through numbers including “20,” which she accompanied herself on the piano, and the last song “Odorasenaide” (“Don’t Make Me Dance”). During the encore, she announced the release of a new song called “WE ARE.” “We’re all alone, but we’re all not alone. We can use our loneliness as our shields. We’re not alone, everyone,” she said, and after treating the WIM audience to the premiere live performance of the brand-new track, eill left the stage with a big smile on her face.

INTO1 RIKIMARU stepped into the global spotlight as a member of the boy band INTO1, which was formed through the Chinese TV show, CHUANG 2021. He’s generating buzz not only for his superb performing abilities, but also his personality and vibe. INTO1 RIKIMARU recently released a new single, “UP and DOWN.” In this dance tune, he expresses his own philosophy regarding the ups and downs we experience in our lives. He created the choreography for the song and took part in writing the lyrics and music, as well, once again demonstrating his self-production capabilities.

Billboard Japan spoke with INTO1 RIKIMARU about the meaning and message behind the new song.

What led you to write “UP and DOWN”?

I’m not a great speaker, and I’ve had a lot of trouble communicating what I want to convey. I’ve used dance to relieve stress, but I’ve started to feel like I want to talk to more people about my own life. I also sing now, so I thought that I could express what I wanted to say through my lyrics.

So when you were writing the lyrics, the first thing you did was decide what you wanted to sing about?

That’s right. I wrote it all out, in detail. Then I picked out the parts that were particularly important to convey and built up on them. For example, the bridge starts with “hēiàn duózǒu guāngmáng” (“the darkness steals the light”). I used the word “darkness,” but everyone has times when they’re stressed or full of negativity. I want people to keep fighting and break through that shell of darkness.

The lyrics of “UP and DOWN” hint at unlimited potential, with a message that “Life doesn’t always go smoothly. There are times when it’s smooth sailing but also times where everything comes crashing down. However, all of these experiences, good and bad, are part of our lives, and by experiencing them we grow as people.” Was there something specific that led you to want to write about that?

Yes, there was. When I first started as a choreographer, everything was going well, but then at one point I found myself simply unable to come up with anything. At the time, I had to come up with choreography for 13 songs to be performed in a concert, and I only had one week. There was this dance break, about 20 seconds long, and I just couldn’t come up with anything good. I redid that section 47 times over the course of a week. That, combined with a few other things, left me feeling really down, thinking that I could no longer do anything. I wanted to throw my hands up in the air, but I decided to just choreograph the section one more time, and it turned out surprisingly well. I realized that I could have given up, but that simply taking a break and trying again can really raise your spirits.

Even someone at your level has times when they can’t come up with new choreography?

I don’t know what you mean by “my level” (laughs), but, yes, it definitely happens. I used to believe I could do everything, but now I’ve realized that when I hit a roadblock I just can’t make any progress. Maybe that’s just the way I’m built.

Did you encounter any difficulties when writing the lyrics?

Phrasing and length were difficult. I had to share my ideas within the boundaries set by the rhythm and melody. First, I just wrote out everything I was thinking, and then I thought about how to shorten it. And, what’s more, this time I wrote the song in Chinese, and I still don’t know what kinds of turns of phrase are cool. So I wrote the lyrics in Chinese, matching the melody, and sang through it. Then I changed any parts that didn’t sound good. I also asked my Chinese friends if certain words or phrases sounded cool or if they meant what I thought they meant.

Japanese and Chinese pronunciation are totally different, too, right?

Right. I’ve spoken Japanese all my life, so I could instantly come up with different ways of saying things, but with Chinese there were words I didn’t know, or times when I couldn’t think of other ways to phrase things. It was hard, but it was also fun taking on a new challenge.

You also helped write the music.

The music was mainly written by music producers Koshin and NONE, but I also worked on it by pointing out things like “I want to use these kinds of dance moves, so could you put in some sounds like this?” I’m still a beginner when it comes to songwriting, so I don’t know what would sound good. So when I made suggestions, I’d phrase it like, “What would it sound like if we did something like this?”

So during the songwriting stage, you were already thinking about the choreography?

I tried creating choreography for the melody written by Koshin and NONE, but it didn’t quite click. So then I just let myself create the choreography freely, and I came up with ideas about how to make the choreography work well with the melody by adding certain sounds. I then suggested these changes to Koshin and NONE. For example, in the rap section of the second chorus, at first the beat was the same. But if the beat were the same, then the dance would be too energetic, and it would feel like I was going overboard, so we dropped the beat. I think that really changed the feel of the song.

So you tried to include some changes of pace.

I’m a little fickle, so when I’d think, “I’d get bored around this part of the song,” I’d change things up (laughs). I also tried to match the languages. My Chinese lyrics didn’t match the initial melody very well, so we changed the melody a little, and we changed the beat a little…and in the process we ended up really refining the song.

What were the key points when it came to the choreography?

I always want the lyrics, melody, and movements to match. This time, the lyrics were in Chinese, and the melody also felt Chinese, so I used dragon-like hand movements. I love dragons — my dog’s name is even “Lóng” (Chinese for “dragon”). I also love the Great Wall of China, because it looks like a dragon. The way the Great Wall climbs up and down mountains also shares something in common with the “UP and DOWN” concept. And it just keeps going on and on, you know? The lyrics include the phrase “wúxiàn xiǎngxiàng” (“limitless imagination”). So, in that sense as well, the dragon was a key point of the choreography.

You not only choreograph your own songs, like “UP and DOWN,” but you also provide choreography for other artists. How does it differ when you’re creating choreography for others and when you’re creating it for yourself?

To be honest, creating choreography for other artists isn’t that hard. That’s because they already have an image. I know the style and feel of the artist, so I just have to mix my own style with the requests of the artist. When it comes to my own music, though, I don’t really have a clear image of what would fit best. Also, because I’m doing the choreography myself, there are no constraints, so it can get messy, with too much in the mix. I’ll look at the choreography and think, “that’s a little extra,” so I’ll take things out, but then when I do that, I look at the results and think, “now it feels threadbare.” Getting that balance is hard.

People often understand others more than they understand themselves.

Right. When I write choreography for myself, I hire dancers. If I’m dancing while choreographing, I lose sight of things, so I find someone who can dance my part, and I get an overall view so I can decide on what works and what doesn’t.

I see.

It must have been hard for the dancers in the music video for “UP and DOWN,” because I’m the type of person who’s always suddenly saying “I want to do this” or “I want to try that.” I didn’t meet the dancers until the day before filming. My sister made a video for the dancers that explained the choreography, so the plan was for them to watch that, learn the choreography, and then perform it on filming day. But the day before filming, I suddenly decided I wasn’t happy with the choreography (laughs). I changed like 70% of it all of a sudden. We didn’t have much time, so I mentally pictured the choreography and thought about its structure, and then we tried it out on the day of filming. So the dancers learned the whole thing in about seven hours.

70%?!  INTO1 RIKIMARU, with that approach we’re talking about the work of a genius. The dancers who were able to relearn all of the moves that fast were also impressive.

The dancers were really flustered. I feel terrible about it (laughs). The music video is going to be released soon, too, so don’t miss it. I wore three different outfits in the video, and the dance that went with each one was different. In the parts where I’m playing a twisted character, the dance moves are weaker. When I’m representing peoples’ dark sides, the dancing is more powerful. In the confident parts, the moves are brasher and more aggressive. I hope these differences come across to the viewer.

Now, I’d like to ask you a little bit about yourself. Your first overseas work in the dance field was in America. What led you to switch your base of operations to Asia?

When I started learning to dance, with a teacher in Japan, it didn’t resonate with me. Then I started watching American dance videos on YouTube, and I went to the U.S., and I was blown away.  Everybody had completely dedicated their lives to dance. They were more interested in dance than fashion. They were more interested in dance than eating. The dancers I was surrounded by, who really worked hard, are now achieving success around the world. I wanted to do the same, but since I’m Asian, I thought it would be better to pursue the Asian dream than the American dream, so I chose Asia. I’d also always dreamed of dancing to music that I wrote, singing songs I wrote, so I practiced my singing, too. I’d go to karaoke, turn off all the microphone reverb, and practice singing, recording myself at the same time. I went to voice training. And that wasn’t enough, so I practiced at home, too. Eventually, I got decent at singing, and that’s where I am today.

So behind your great performances, you’ve poured a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into your craft.

I don’t really feel like I’ve worked that hard, though. I do what I do because I enjoy it. It’s like an extension of what I do for fun.

You’re an artist now, and until now you’ve been a choreographer. What have you placed importance on in each of these activities?

As a choreographer, what’s important is having new ideas and surprising viewers. I think that a choreographer’s job is to create routines that visually surprise the audience. However, as a performer, what’s important isn’t just having surprising choreography, but also how you present that choreography. If you present it wrong, you could spoil the surprise. When I was a choreographer, I’d tell Korean artists, “please do it more like this.” Now that I’m doing the dancing myself, I can’t do that anymore (laugh). I don’t like dancing that’s just cool. I want it to be more like the music is flowing out from my dance. As an artist, it’s important to express that. I think that’s the hardest part. I learned about that from Michael Jackson. Unlike nowadays, Michael hit those notes exactly, without autotuning, and his voice had so much emotion. He’d make people faint just by standing there and pointing. Seeing him simply singing is such a moving experience.

So many artists say they were inspired by Michael Jackson.

Sure. Just think about his clothes: a tank top, high-water black pants, a button-up shirt — none of it’s all that cool looking. But when Michael wore them, he looked so cool. He wasn’t influenced by others; he had his own style.

What do you do to make it like the music is coming from your dancing, like you mentioned earlier?

When I practice, I always think about about how well my dancing is matched up to the music. But it’s not just about matching the music…It’s hard to put in words. Like, right now, I’m hungry, so it would be like putting that feeling of hunger into my moves. But when I record it and then watch the video later, most of the time I’m overdoing it. So I try to keep it a bit more subtle, making little adjustments.

You look at yourself objectively.

I think about the filming of the music video when I’m creating the choreography, so I think things like “right now, the camera’s pointing at me from over there.” That changes things. Lately, all of the successful dancers around the world are all about equally skilled. Going beyond that requires expressiveness. I’m sure you’ve experienced this from time to time — a dancer whose dancing isn’t all that good, but who catches your eye more than a better dancer. If you talk with someone like that, they’ll tell you how when they practice, they go into their own world. I think that people who have that kind of expressive ability and who can use it in front of others make great performers.

I see. You’ve been active in a lot of parts of the music scene. What kind of relationship do you want to have with the scene going forward?

I’m the kind of person who wants to take on a lot of different genres. I’m still in a state of flux. So first, I want to discover my own style. You know how you can be like “BLACKPINK is like this. Billie Eilish is like this. Beyoncé is like this,” that kind of thing? I want to create my own style and have it recognized by people around the world.

I look forward to seeing what that style ends up being. Do you have any closing message for your fans?

My new song, “UP and DOWN,” is only part of my story, but please give it a listen. If you’re struggling with anything in your own life, I hope that listening to it and to the meaning behind the lyrics will raise your spirits. I already uploaded a video for the song to YouTube in 2022, but with the new video I’ve made some changes and put in some surprises, so I think it’ll still feel fresh and interesting. This song is just Episode 1, so you won’t want to miss what comes next.

—This interview by Azusa Takahashi first appeared on Billboard Japan