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Indian bassist Mohini Dey, who just performed at Billboard Live Tokyo and Osaka, spoke with Billboard Japan for its Women in Music interview series featuring female players in the entertainment industry. The WIM initiative in Japan began in 2022 in the same spirit as Billboard’s Women in Music that launched in 2007, honoring artists, producers and executives who have made significant contributions to the music industry and empowered women through their work.
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Dey, known for her technical brilliance, has worked with veteran artists such as Quincy Jones, Steve Vai, Mike Stern and Simon Phillips, as well as toured with Willow and Japanese rock legends B’z. Described as the “Most Successful Musician Under 30” by Forbes India, the bass virtuoso shared (via an email interview) her experience working in the male-dominated industry in her home county and her hopes to bring positive change.
Growing up, who were some women you looked up to? Who were some of your female role models?
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My mother was my first role model as she is a singer and worked professionally in my early years. There are several women I looked up to such as Carole King, Carole Kaye, Joni Mitchell and Sheila E., as they all made a huge difference in the music industry.
My original dream was to become a fashion designer. It was actually my dad who forced me in a way to practice after he released that music was my true talent. Music has always been the only option in my family. What’s amazing about life is that now, I design most of my stage outfits and so I have been able to live my childhood dream as a fashion designer as well as my father’s dream for me as a professional bassist.
According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2024 by the World Economic Forum, India ranked 129th, Japan ranked 118th out of 146 countries. Since Indian culture is much more conservative than Western culture, were there any cultural differences regarding gender you were surprised by as you started to play outside of your home country?
Yes, playing outside of India exposed me to various cultural differences regarding gender. In many Western countries, I noticed a more progressive attitude towards women in music. There was a greater acceptance and support for female musicians, which was refreshing. However, this also highlighted the conservatism in Indian culture, where women are often expected to conform to traditional roles. It was surprising but also motivating to see the potential for change and how different cultures are tackling gender issues in music. That being said I always like to reinforce the truth that there was an army of progressive and forward-thinking men who have helped me achieve the heights that I am at today: most of them being Indian men. There are forward thinking people in every culture, it just is a challenge to find them. I am proud to say men like Ranjit Barot and my father, Sujay Dey, were more progressive in their thinking than the average person in my country
Through talking to female Japanese artists for this interview series, an issue that often arose was how they were hesitant to speak out on social issues including gender, because of backlash or this thinking that art and politics shouldn’t mingle. Is this the case in India too?
This is quite prevalent in India as well. Many artists, including women, are hesitant to speak out on social issues due to fear of backlash. There is a strong belief that art and politics should remain separate, which can stifle important conversations. However, I believe that art is a powerful medium for change, and we should use our platforms to address and challenge societal issues, including gender. My hope is to create and maintain respect with political leaders so that we can affect positive change in our cultures. We should aspire to bring back the best of other cultures into our home.
How has being a woman affected your career?
Being a woman in the music industry comes with its unique challenges and advantages. On one hand, I’ve faced skepticism and bias simply because of my gender. On the other hand, being a woman has also set me apart and brought a unique perspective to my music. It has made me more resilient and determined to break barriers. Ultimately, I believe my gender has enriched my journey, making me a stronger and more empathetic musician.
Have you personally encountered gender bias or sexism in your career? What are some of the biggest challenges Indian female artists or creatives face?
Indian female artists face numerous challenges, including societal expectations, lack of representation, and limited opportunities. There is a significant gender disparity in various genres, with women often being underrepresented in Indian classical, rock, and even mainstream music. Additionally, societal pressures to conform to traditional roles and the lack of support for women pursuing creative careers add to the difficulties. Breaking these barriers requires continuous effort, support from the community, and systemic changes in the industry.
I have largely broken out of that gender bias by making myself as different from everyone else in the Indian music industry as possible. No one else sounds like I do on the bass and that was a very intentional thing. I tell students when I do masterclasses that regardless of male or female, old or young, a person needs to make themselves undeniable. That is to say that someone has practiced their craft so much and accepted exactly who they are and what they are trying to do. Once your confidence and skill are at a high level, opportunities will create themselves.
I would also argue that India didn’t fully embrace me until I started achieving success outside of the country. Growing my audiences in the USA, Japan and Europe inevitably showed my Indian audience the caliber at which I am able to operate. Since then, I have been given far more opportunities in my home country with a much greater degree of respect.
The touring scene, in which you’ve spent quite a lot of time during your career, has been predominantly male dominated. Although there has been some progress, it can still be hard for women to get their voices heard. What still needs to be done to make it even more inclusive and diverse?
I think that it starts in the home. Families need to encourage their daughters to pursue music. This will increase the number of female music students of which a percentage will enter the music industry. This is a numbers problem as more boys in India study music than girls. I think we also need more prominent female musicians to encourage young students to be competitive with the boys and not fear being better than them. Some girls in school want the boys to like them and so they don’t want to show off or upstage the boys. This mentality needs to be eradicated completely. Girls are powerful and should be treated as such.
On the industry side, I have been seeing a lot of improvement regarding women having opportunities especially on stage. One massive area where I would like to see improvement is the presence of female producers, film composers and mix/master engineers. These fields are predominantly male occupied.
Another challenge women in music face is restarting their career after prolonged leave of absence, whether it’s maternity leave or for personal reasons. Are there any support systems or safeguards you wish were in place so that female artists can enjoy lengthy careers?
While I can’t personally speak to this point as I don’t have children, I understand why it is important. I first would reach out to women globally and implore them to become a leader of a band, write your own music, own your brand, or own your company. If you spend your time as a side musician only, eventually your gig will go away because your name isn’t on the bill. So there is an accountability aspect that while everyone should play gigs for other artists, every other waking moment should be spent making your profile as big as possible. When the moment comes to transition to a solo career, go all in.
Regarding maternity leave, yes, this is a tough situation. I think it probably needs to be a political decision and that subsidies would need to be provided for the government in a social program.
On Billboard Japan’s 2023 Hot 100 year-end charts, 64 songs were by men, 19 were by women, 16 were by mixed-gender duos or groups and one song was by an artist who hasn’t disclosed their gender. What are your thoughts on these results, and would you say the situation is similar in India?
I would say that the percentage is similar if not more male and less female in India. There are many female artists but most of those artists do not write their own music and most of the songwriters, composers, producers and arrangers are male.
In India, the music industry is dominated by Bollywood cinema. Most of the directors are male and as a result most of the directors have historically hired male music directors who hire male arrangers, engineers and on and on. The only one who is female is possibly the singer and maybe a fraction of the instrumentalists who may work on the project.
To change the industry, we need more female representation in the entire entertainment world from cinema, art, music, graphic design, animation and more.
In the last 20 years in Europe and the U.S., more opportunities have been given to women, LBGBTQ+ persons, as well as other races besides the majority race in film and music. This was because there was an audience that demanded something different, and the companies had to invest in products that would give the audience what they wanted.
If audiences in Japan and India speak up and say that they want more female representation in film and music, the companies will deliver. So, I see this happening at a grassroots, political level.
As a role model yourself, is there any advice you’d like to have given yourself at the start of your career?
If I could give advice to my younger self, it would be to trust your instincts and stay true to your passion. The journey won’t be easy, and there will be challenges, but perseverance and dedication will lead you to your goals. Surround yourself with supportive people who believe in you and your talent. Don’t be afraid to take risks and embrace your uniqueness. Your voice and your music matter, and they can inspire others.
Newspeak, a three-piece band made up of vocalist Rei, drummer Steven, and bassist Yohey, have released their third full album, Newspeak. Newspeak has been praised for its bold, borderless sound, influenced by UK and US rock. It’s drawing attention from all corners, having been selected as an opening act by artists such as The Fratellis and Mando Diao. Billboard Japan talked to the trio about what went into their new album.
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Since you named the new album Newspeak, I get the strong feeling that you see it as a crystallization of what you are as a band.
Rei: After we finished our last album, Turn, we decided to work with Warner Music Japan. We were thinking about what kind of album to make next, and our minds kept turning to why we started Newspeak in the first place and why we were making music. We kept thinking about how we started this band because we wanted to make this kind of music and to share this kind of message, so what else could we do besides making it a self-titled album?
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Starting with this album, I get a feeling of hopefulness and expectation for the future from you for the first time. The songs are powerful, positive, and energetic. It’s like they have the power to just blow away any uncertainty or worry. I think that you can especially feel that strength in what is, effectively, the album’s first song, “White Lies.”
Rei: We wrote “White Lies” after “Be Nothing,” and the director of the music video asked us to send pictures of times when we found ourselves at crossroads or critical moments in our lives, along with pictures of people who are important to us. Looking back on my own photo albums, I remembered how I felt back when I was 20 years old, in America, looking down at the scenery below me from the top of the Empire State Building. I think everyone feels that way, when you go up somewhere high: “I’m going to make it big!”
That hallmark of youth!
Rei: Yeah, exactly. Like, I had no particular foundation for that belief, just this vague desire to make my mark on the world. I was like, “I’m going to achieve something!” [Laughs] But even now, looking back on it, I feel like that’s the way it had to be. Now, I want to express that unfounded confidence.
The songs are so powerful, it’s like they could rekindle that motivation slumbering inside — tap that well of energy deep within.
Rei: That’s why the album starts with the question “What would you do if you weren’t afraid at all?” That concept is at the root of everything I do, and I feel like I’ve finally been able to express it really well.
Having a powerful will is important for anything you do.
Steven: I like powerful songs with that confidence of “I am the best!” “Nobody stop me!” with no deeper thought, but the songs that speak to me even more are the ones that demonstrate an understanding of the darker aspects of reality. In that sense, Newspeak’s songs, like “White Lies,” are well-balanced, showing that we see the negative parts of reality, too.
Most of Newspeak’s lyrics are in English, and your sound is heavily influenced by the UK and US rock scenes. There’s a strong sense of focus on the foreign music scene, but you’ve also established a unique position in the Japanese music scene. How much attention do you pay to trends or fashions?
Rei: Just trying to revive old music all the time would be fruitless. As a musician, I think it’s important to enjoy music, to convey a message, and to create a new sound, so I listen to new music, and when I hear new or interesting sounds, I try to incorporate them.
Yohey: I don’t just listen to rock. Lately, I’ve even been thinking about going to see Dua Lipa (Editor: She is scheduled to perform in Japan in November). Trying to incorporate every kind of different sound in our own style of music would be impossible, but there are some sounds where I think “this might be interesting to work into our music.”
Rei: We like sounds that are really striking. Not things we’ve heard before, but more sounds like “booooiiiing.” [Laughs]
Steven: Sometimes we use modern synth sounds, but sometimes we go the other way, using old-school drums or old bass sounds. It’s a mixture of classic and modern. I think there’s some originality in that approach.
“Alcatraz” is a danceable song with a catchy melody. The phrase “So many faces and faces to please” stands out.
Rei: No matter where you go, there are always faces to please, whether they’re other band-mates or even in situations like this interview. In “Alcatraz,” we’re singing about how you can’t let yourself always get caught up worrying about that. You have to make yourself happy, or what’s the point?
We’re in an era in which there are a lot of “faces to please” online.
Rei: That’s true, of course. But the message of this song is more about “let’s enjoy the music.” The main message is to have fun and set yourself free.
The song “Tokyo” has a line that stands out: “This city can hurt you or ignite you.” What’s your image of Tokyo?
Steven: It’s huge — I think it’s the world’s biggest city. It’s always busy, and so many people come to Tokyo from the countryside to make money. I think that’s why even for people who love Tokyo, there are times when it’s hard. The song “Tokyo” sends the message to those people that “We understand. We think the same way. I know it’s hard, but you’re not alone.”
Rei: There are a lot of songs about how hard it can be to live in Tokyo, but what I wanted to convey through this song is that no matter what city or community you’re part of, it’s the same. I mention it in the lyrics, too, but we’re using Tokyo as a symbol to represent being a member of a community, so instead of Tokyo it could just as well be London or New York or Kuala Lumpur. No matter where you go, there’s stress. How you respond to that is up to you. You may find your school or your company tedious, but then when you go outside, you realize that you were agonizing over something inconsequential. So what I wanted to say is that all you have to do is just go out. Why are you clinging on so tenaciously? Why do you look at the world like it’s your enemy? I think the same about myself. Just because I’m in Tokyo, or just because I’m in Japan, doesn’t mean I can’t go overseas.
The last song on the album, “Nokoribi,” closes with the line, “A wingless believer on the night before the revolution.” It feels like here you’re singing about Newspeak itself.
Yohey: The lyrics to this song are an answer to the question posed in the intro to “White Lies.” It’s the kind of song you’d expect from Newspeak, but surprisingly, we’d actually never written a song like this. We have a lot of songs that are like “just be yourself” or “don’t give up,” but we hadn’t written any songs that praised the beauty of striding forward. It’s a song with the power of self-affirmation, like saying “we shine because we act.”
Rei: It’s a song about how there’s a beautiful world out there, so why don’t you go set out into that world? You’ve got “Tokyo,” about being stuck within a community, unwilling to step out, and then that’s followed with this song, the final one on the album, about the moment when you finally take that step forward. We thought it would bring the album to a nice close. We actually wrote the song a long time ago, but it just happened to fit here really well, so we were like “Now’s the time to use it.”
In closing, what kind of future do you want to see for the band?
Yohey: I want to play at Coachella.
Rei: I used to perform as a musician in Liverpool, so I’d like to make a triumphant return by playing at the Glastonbury Festival.
Yohey & Steven: Yeah!
—This interview by Azusa Ogiwara first appeared on Billboard Japan
On June 29 and 30, Revo put on a series of concerts, “Revo’s Orchestra Concerts,” at Hitomi Memorial Hall, in Tokyo’s Showa Women’s University. Revo leads two groups of artists: Sound Horizon, which tells original stories through the use of musical suites and is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its debut this year, and Linked Horizon, which he created for collaborations and tie-ups with other works, such as the Attack on Titan anime. In this concert series, Revo performed pieces from both groups along with a full orchestra. There were four shows over a two day period—two during the day and two at night. In this article, we’ll be looking at the June 30 performances.
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The “Revo’s Orchestra Concert” series presented not only works by Sound Horizon, but also Linked Horizon’s “Guren no Yumiya” and “Akatsuki no Requiem,” from the TV anime Attack on Titan, “Onward Into the Light: An Overture,” used in Square Enix’s fantasy RPG BRAVELY DEFAULT, “MOON PRIDE,” a Momoiro Clover Z song for which Revo wrote the lyrics and wrote and arranged the music, and more. It was almost like a retrospective of the best pieces Revo had created over his long career. Conductor Hirofumi Kurita led the 70 members of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra in a powerful performance that conveyed Revo’s sweeping worldview.
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In the first part of the show, all the pieces were performed entirely by the orchestra, except when Revo took the stage to speak. Toward the middle was a discussion between Revo and a music critic. For the daytime performance, he spoke with Akihiro Tomita, and at night he spoke with Akimasa Munekata. In part 2, guest singers performed “Guren no Yumiya,” which Revo himself sang in 2013 on NHK’s 64th Kohaku Uta Gassen. The guest singer for the daytime show was SAK., while for the nighttime show it was voice actor Yui Ishikawa. The show came to a close with Revo inviting guest performers and guest speakers to join in a performance of “Sunawachi…Hikari wo mo Nigasanu Ankoku no Chou-juu-ryoku” and “Eikou no Idou Oukoku – The Glory Kingdom.”
Revo makes use of his classical music background in both his Sound Horizon and Linked Horizon pieces, but with this concert series performed entirely by an orchestra, these sensibilities have finally come into full bloom, elevating expectations for Revo’s future as a musician. The great cheers of “Bravo!” from the audience of fans were a testament to this.
—This article by Akimasa Munekata first appeared on Billboard Japan
On June 29 and 30, Revo put on a series of concerts, “Revo’s Orchestra Concerts,” at Hitomi Memorial Hall, in Tokyo’s Showa Women’s University.
These performances by Sound Horizon, the collective of artists led by sound creator Revo, were part of a series of events held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Revo’s major label debut. One of Revo’s projects is Linked Horizon. He launched Link Horizon to carry out collaborations between Sound Horizon, which tells original stories through the use of musical suites, and other works such as the Attack on Titan anime. The concert consisted of orchestral performances of Revo’s works—not only those of Sound Horizon, but also pieces by Linked Horizon. The pieces were played live by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, led by conductor Hirofumi Kurita. Kurita and the Tokyo Philharmonic have enthralled countless audiences not only with their numerous classical music concerts, but also concerts in which they play orchestral arrangements of modern music, such as their Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba orchestral concerts, the FINAL FANTASY XIV ORCHESTRA CONCERT 2022 -Eorzean Symphony concert, Galaxy Express 999 cinema concerts, and more.
Sound Horizon is known for its distinctive musical style, but this two-day concert series showed Revo’s talent as a composer and his pride as an entertainer. First, let’s look back at the daytime and nighttime shows of June 29, the first day of these joyous opportunities to experience the superb music prepared by Revo.
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“Revo’s Orchestra Concerts” consisted of a total of four shows over a two day period—two during the day and two at night. The venue was Showa Women’s University’s Hitomi Memorial Hall, which has a reputation for excellent acoustics. Each show was divided into two parts. The first part was a pure orchestral concert, which began with “Onward Into the Light: An Overture” from BRAVELY DEFAULT, a classic RPG-like theme well-suited for orchestration. After this, the program was like a chronology of Revo’s works, with early pieces such as “Chronicle 2nd,” from Revo’s indie album era, followed by songs that marked his debut into the majors. These included performances of music that he created for Momoiro Clover Z and for the anime Attack on Titan.
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Speaking to the audience, Revo said “Even one-hit wonders have a history.” Compared to his early period, which was characterized by dreamy, mysterious short pieces, the latter pieces, closer to his more recent compositions, were longer and more classical. Their structures grew more diverse, with dynamic shifts within individual pieces. At the same time, they also became more melodic and had more of a pop feel. One of the charms of this instrumental music was how well one could feel Revo’s evolution as a composer and gain a true sense of his history.
The vocal portions of songs were replaced with various instruments, such as flutes, violins, and harps, bringing smiles to the faces of everyone familiar with the original versions. Some of the concert’s more famous pieces included “Akatsuki no Requiem,” which took the completely opposite approach, using majestic horns to perform the fevered soprano part while maintaining the original piece’s dignity. In addition to pieces which used the tried-and-true technique of performing vocal solos with instruments, there were also pieces like “MOON PRIDE,” with castanet triplets evocative of the floor tams of “Moonlight Densetsu.” The playful approach, brimming with love for the source material, provided a cornucopia of joy for listeners.
Another example of Revo’s playfulness was “Gyoukou no Uta.” In the original version, the song ends with the lines “Mutti. The light. It’s so warm,” and then the sound of a book being closed. In the concert, this sound was created by all the musicians on stage turning their sheet music over at once. This performance instruction was even written directly in the conductors’ and performers’ sheet music. This was evocative of the famous final page of the sheet music for Mauricio Kagel’s “Concert Piece for Timpani and Orchestra,” which directs the percussionist to plunge head-first through a drum. In “Shinwa -Μυθοs-,” the sound of a chirping bird was performed using a bird call, and in “schwarzweiß -Kiri no Mukou ni Tsunagaru Sekai-,” a wind machine replicated the sound of wind. Both of these instruments are used in classical concerts, but they also tickle the ears and open up the gates of classical music to a wider audience.
The first part of the concert ended with a discussion by Revo, which provided the conductor and orchestra with a break. Revo was able to engage closely with his “Laurants” (Sound Horizon fans), after which the second part of the concert began with a vocal piece featuring a guest vocalist well known to the audience and singing by Revo himself.
At the June 29th daytime concert, the guest vocalist was RIKKI. The original version of “Ishidatami no Akaki Shaytan” was sung by RIKKI and three other female vocalists, joined by one male vocalist. In the concert performance, RIKKI and Revo performed multiple people’s parts. Revo showed a deft ability to instantly switch between falsetto and his normal singing voice. Likewise, in the “eleven letter message” sung by RIKKI in the original song, backed by the tide of emotion provided by the orchestral backing, she now brought out a more motherly voice, having matured over the 17 years since the song was originally recorded.
At the nighttime concert, the guest vocalist was Fuki. Her performance featured numerous highlights, among them her performance of “Star Dust,” in which she directed the line “Tell me why?” at conductor Kurita. This was an ad-lib direction from Revo. Kurita responded in top form, “That’s what I want to know. Why?” It was a striking example of Revo’s dedication to entertainment, seeing live performances as carefree, liberating spaces. The show’s finale used a racing starter pistol to reproduce the sound of a gun, causing those in the audience who knew the original piece to break out in grins.
The encore began with Revo asking the audience, “Has anyone here sung with an orchestra before?” He sought to provide the entire audience with the opportunity to form a giant chorus. From start to end, beautiful music flowed through the hall, while various clever ideas, both within songs and within the show’s performance direction, broke the tension and opened the audience’s hearts. Kurita encouraged the audience to show their feelings without reservation, applauding until their hands turned red. It was evident that he, too, felt the enthusiasm of Revo, ardent explorer of the arts. Every moment of the two performances was a testament to Revo’s talent as a creator.
—This article by Koji Shimizu (Seven Days War) first appeared on Billboard Japan
Billboard JAPAN interviewed Official HIGE DANdism for the latest edition of its “MONTHLY FEATURE” series, highlighting today’s leading artists and works. The four-man band recently released Rejoice, its first album in almost three years.
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Starting with their breakout 2019 release “Pretender,” they have created countless hits, become a beloved band throughout the country. Their October 2022 release “Subtitle” was an especially big success, claiming the No. 1 spot on five of Billboard JAPAN‘s charts for the first half of 2023, such as the “JAPAN Hot 100” chart. Rejoice, their new album, contains a total of 14 songs, including “Subtitle” and “Mixed Nuts,” the opening theme of the SPYxFAMILY anime.
Billboard Japan spoke to all four members of the band about what led to the creation of this new album and the growing support they’re enjoying from overseas fans.
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When did you first start working on the overall image and concept of your new album?
Satoshi Fujihara: When we finished our last album, Editorial, we were talking about making our next album a more joyful one. The last album had shined a spotlight on deep-down feelings and melancholy about the future, we wanted to change the mood and go in a happier direction next.
How have the past three years, since your last album, been for you, as a band?
Fujihara: Our fan base has been growing since 2019. When we started out, I thought I might find that uncomfortable, but over the past three years, I’ve become comfortable with the fact that I live a kind of unusual life, in a good sense. A very blessed life. At the same time, it’s also felt like we’ve been able to expand our potential, always striving to create even better music, but not in a stoic way — instead, we’ve been able to do that while having fun. It’s been an extremely fruitful and pleasant three years.
Daisuke Ozasa: I think over these years we’ve become more confident in the music we like, our own individual character, and the kind of music that has shaped us through the years. I think that all comes out through the music on the album.
Masaki Matsuura: The discussions we had while creating the new album were relaxed and at ease. I think that was a sign of just how much we grew over those three years.
Makoto Narazaki: Of course, I want to get better, and I want to record good songs. But in the past, I felt like I had to hold myself up to a really high standard, while now I feel like I can just be myself. I think that the whole group’s atmosphere has changed in the same way. It feels more open, with more room to breathe. There’s this sense of “Why don’t we just try to have fun with everything we do?”
I’m sure you put a lot of care into the arrangements of the songs on the album, and how the songs develop, but you’re saying that one of your driving forces was a more simple sense of “It might be fun if we did this” or “It could be interesting if we did that”?
Fujihara: Exactly. Without that, it would just be a copy-and-paste job. I think that approach of arranging songs is a more natural style for us.
I think one of the things that makes Official HIGE DANdism’s music so appealing is that it goes in directions that the listener isn’t expecting. Your songs take on all kinds of musical challenges.
Narazaki: One of the biggest and most prominent examples of that is the structure of our songs, but we’re also taking on new challenges with our tone and in other areas which maybe listeners won’t notice. Songs are more fun if there’s some playfulness to them, and it’s great to listen to a completed song and be like, “that sounds really cool.” When you can do that, there’s the potential for doing it with different concepts, as well, which presents its own new challenges. I find that really satisfying.
Which are each of your favorite songs on the album?
Narazaki: For me, it’s probably “TATTOO.” We all got together in the studio, started up the DAW, and we were looking at the demo data on Satoshi’s computer, talking about how we wanted the song to sound. The demo had these vintage synth and keyboard sounds. It may just be me, but I find those kinds of sounds cheesy but at the same time kind of cool. Like, they put me at ease when I hear them, or they strike my fancy at the time. They’re timely, in an odd way. That’s why I like “TATTOO.” “Nichijo” and “Get Back To Jinsei” have a similar feel. If you think of each song as a stew, then it’s like they’re different stews but they have similar spices. They have that same sense of place in time, that same kind of nostalgic flavor. After working on them, when we worked on the other songs (on the album), I got that same sense of cool cheesiness and that same nostalgic feeling.
Fujihara: For me, it’s “Sharon.” In terms of musical theory, what we’re doing is a little fiddly, but the end result is incredibly natural. I’m very happy with how it came out. Now, we’re rehearsing it in preparation for live shows, and the power of the band really comes across. In a way, it’s a very dependable song — I can feel comfortable giving myself up to the music, which makes it one of my favorites.
Ozasa: I like “B-Side Blues.” It’s the first song that the whole band has recorded in a single take in about five years. The whole album isn’t exactly packed with notes, but this one has even fewer notes than most, so the feeling of each of our performances comes across very vividly. It’s also a beautiful song for bringing the album to a close. The word Rejoice has this image of profound, powerful joy. The album starts off with extremely energetic songs, like “Get Back To Jinsei.” But as the album progresses, the joy it expresses comes closer to home. Little by little, it becomes more personal, more about the things we value in our own lives. The album ends with “B-side Blues,” which truly expresses this personal joy.
Matsuura: Of all the songs on the album, the process of recording the drums took the longest for “Mixed Nuts,” so it left the strongest impression on me. It has a lot of jazz elements, and the tempo is fast, making it a hard song to play. I don’t have a jazz background, so I had someone who used to play jazz show me the ropes. There were a lot of cases like that, where I was studying new things, and when I’ve jammed with other musicians, sometimes they’ll ask how I played my part on “Mixed Nuts,” or they’ll say they think it’s a really interesting song. It’s the kind of song that spurs a lot of talk as a drummer, and was a ton of fun to play.
I expect you’ve been hearing from overseas audiences, too. Tell us about what their reaction has been like.
Fujihara: Yes, we’re getting a lot of messages on social media from overseas fans, in languages we can’t read, asking us to come to their countries and perform. It’s a strange feeling, but also a wonderful one. We did once play in Korea, a long time ago. There were only like three people in the audience. That makes all the feedback we’re getting from overseas audiences now feel that much stranger.
On Billboard JAPAN’s Global Charts, songs like “Pretender” are also very popular in Korea. They’re ranking highly in various countries throughout Asia.
Fujihara: Every time we hear a fan saying they’re waiting for us to play a show in their country, it makes us want to go there and perform even more. We haven’t done any overseas shows since that show in Korea, but lately we’ve been talking about how it would be nice to perform overseas sometime in the near future.
—This interview by Tomonori Shiba first appeared on Billboard Japan
THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE’s “24karats GOLD GENESIS” soars to No. 1 on this week’s Billboard Japan Hot 100, rising 49-1 on the chart dated July 31.
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Digitally released in June, the track debuted at No. 40 on the list dated June 19 after collecting points in downloads, streaming and radio airplay. The CD version went on sale July 24 and sold 326,342 copies in its first week, powering the track to No. 1 after seven weeks on the Japan Hot 100 where it consistently performed well mainly in radio leading up to this week.
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Mrs. GREEN APPLE‘s “Lilac” holds at No. 2, still leading streaming for the sixth straight week. Overall points for the Oblivion Battery opener have increased slightly, with the track coming in at No. 7 for downloads, No. 3 for video, No. 98 for radio, and No. 9 for karaoke.
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Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” is back at No. 3, rising a notch after points for radio increased from the week before. The viral hit has been charting in the top 5 for 28 consecutive weeks.
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STARTO for you’s “WE ARE” rises to No. 4. The charity single by the project featuring 75 members from 14 groups under STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, including King & Prince, SixTONES, and Snow Man, launched with 209,847 CDs to hit No. 2 for sales, but didn’t chart in any of the other metrics of the Japan Hot 100’s methodology.
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Kocchinokento’s “Hai Yorokonde” continues to rise, moving 10-8 on this week’s chart. The track continues to hold at No. 1 for video for the fourth week in a row, and climbs 12-9 for downloads, 16-13 for streaming, and debuts at No. 75 for karaoke. Incidentally, while the video for “Hai Yorokonde” is being watched mostly in Japan (60%), it’s also being consumed in other countries including South Korea (8%) and the U.S. (5%), and the number of views in the latter two countries has been increasing in recent weeks, according to Luminate.
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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 July 22 to 28, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has published a report on its music industry. The report is part of the Japanese government’s “Grand Design and Action Plan for a New Form of Capitalism 2024.” In this plan, several strategies for revitalizing the industry are listed, including “strengthening command structures within content creation industries,” […]
INI will return to California later this week to hit the stage at KCON LA 2024, the third time the group has participated in this event since their first appearance in 2022. This year’s KCON takes place Friday (July 26) to Sunday at Crypto.com Arena, L.A. Convention Center and Gilbert Lindsay Plaza in Los Angeles.
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INI — pronounced “eye-en-eye” — is an 11-member global boy band born from the survival audition program Produce 101 Japan Season 2 (GYAO!/TBS), broadcast in 2021. The group has been popular from the start — a special program with a title that roughly translates to Nice to meet you! We are INI! (GYAO!) aired in Japan before the band’s debut, and the members were featured on a segment on the TV show Yoru no Brunch (TBS) from the day they debuted. The group’s fandom has grown steadily since then, and while its continued popularity can mainly be attributed to the appeal of each member, another major reason behind the group’s breakthrough is that in the early days of the group’s formation, it took measures that had rarely been implemented in Japan before.
For example, prior to the release of their debut single “A,” INI released teasers of two songs, “Rocketeer” and “Brighter,” and invited fans to vote for their favorite. As a result, the powerful dance number “Rocketeer” came out on top, which helped set the image of INI being a group skilled in hip-hop-tinged dance tracks. When launching this voting system, INI announced on its official website: “We adopted a new system where fan votes determine the group’s music, since INI is a group chosen by popular vote.” This message suggests that the band wanted to welcome its fandom — collectively called MINI — that had been watching over them since the audition as part of its team. In fact, the hashtag “#TeamINIandMINI” has recently been created on social media.
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All of INI’s singles released since have reached No. 1 on Billboard Japan’s weekly Top Singles Sales chart. Also, the group’s sixth single “THE FRAME,” which dropped June 26, launched with 812,184 copies in its first week and became its best-selling single to date, far exceeding “I,” the second single that had been the group’s previous best-seller at 742,208 first-week copies. “THE FRAME” went on to hit No. 1 on the Japan Hot 100, the comprehensive song chart that includes six metrics in its methodology including downloads, streaming, radio airplay and more. The music video for “LOUD,” the lead track off “THE FRAME,” has been viewed over 11.8 million times as of July 24 after being released June 17 on the group’s official YouTube channel.
The members are gradually becoming more and more involved in the production, beginning to present their individualities. Hiroto Nishi took part in writing the lyrics for “SPECTRA,” “DROP,” and “LEGIT,” and the songwriting for “Walkie Talkie.” Xu Fengfan was involved in the lyrics for “I’m a Dreamer,” Hiromu Takatsuka for “My Story,” Shogo Tajima for “Runaway,” “TAG,” and with Takatsuka for “Dirty Shoes Swag,” Kyosuke Fujimaki for “YOU IN,” Rihito Ikezaki for “10 THINGS” with Tajima and “Ferris Wheel” with Fujimaki. Furthermore, Masaya Kimura choreographed “Moment,” “YOU IN,” and “KILLING PART” (with Nishi).
The group’s popularity lies not only in each member’s creative abilities, but also in their performance skills — when all eleven members perform together, the result is powerful and bold. The word “flamboyant” is probably the most apt description, and their gripping performance has the strength to captivate a wide audience. The members come from different backgrounds — some are good at dancing, others at singing. In particular, Ikezaki and Yudai Sano participated in the audition with no prior experience in singing or dancing, but have both now reached the level of uploading their own dance videos on TikTok, and now all eleven members make their presence felt in their stage performances. That the traces of each member’s hard work can be seen adds to the appeal of their performances.
INI has also gained experience by performing on numerous stages. The INI 1ST FAN MEETING took place right after their debut, and showcase events have accompanied every CD release. The band successfully completed a hall tour in 2022, an arena tour in 2023, and on February 24 and 25, 2024, they performed at Kyocera Dome in Osaka for the INI 2ND ARENA LIVE TOUR [READY TO POP!] IN KYOCERA DOME OSAKA concerts. The [READY TO POP!] arena and dome tour drew a total of 200,000 fans.
The group has also performed in many outdoor rock festivals including the 1CHANCE FESTIVAL 2022 presented by power trio WANIMA and JAPAN JAM 2024, steadily gaining fans by showcasing its unique appeal in situations where not all the people in the audience are familiar with the group. This summer, INI will take the stage in some of Japan’s premier music festivals such as ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2024 and SUMMER SONIC 2024, and will likely expand its fandom through its overwhelming performances.
INI has also become a fixture at KCON, not only at the L.A. event — again, their third consecutive year to perform — but also at KCON 2023 THAILAND, KCON in South Korea, and the music program M COUNTDOWN, gradually gaining experience performing outside of Japan. After almost three years since the group’s debut, INI is on its way to winning the hearts of new MINIs around the world.
KCON LA, including INI’s performance, will be broadcast on The CW.
—This article by Azusa Takahashi first appeared on Billboard Japan
Dua Lipa dropped a remix of her single “Illusion” featuring Creepy Nuts, Japan’s breakout hip-hop duo that made waves with its viral hit ”Bling-Bang-Bang-Born,” the No. 1 song on Billboard Japan’s mid-year tally for 2024.
“Illusion (Creepy Nuts Remix)” is the latest remix of the track off the “Houdini” artist’s latest album Radical Optimism, released in May. The original, a song about a character that breaks away from her formerly weak self and is now assertive when faced with another potentially toxic relationship, reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart and also reached the top 10 of the U.K. Official Singles Chart. The song has been streamed more than 250 million times worldwide, and the music video viewed more than 35 million times.
Why was Creepy Nuts tapped to collaborate with Lipa, a Grammy-winning star who recently headlined this year’s Glastonbury? It all started when Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” reached the top 10 on the Billboard Global 200 chart in March. The catchy hip-hop banger peaked at No. 8 and became the fourth song by a Japanese artist/act to break into the top 10 on this tally. The other three are “Glimpses of Us” by Japanese-Australian artist Joji (No. 2 in 2022), “Homura” by LiSA (No. 8 in 2020), and “Idol” by YOASOBI (No. 7 in 2023). “BBBB” also hit No. 3 on the Global 200 Excl. US chart that focuses on all territories outside the United States, and the track’s global breakthrough caught Dua’s attention.
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Lipa asked Creepy Nuts to do the remix via her team in Japan and the duo consisting of rapper R-shitei (“R-rated”) and DJ Matsunaga readily agreed to the offer, resulting in the exciting collaboration between two chart-topping global acts. The remix — surprisingly, it was the “Nidone” pair’s first collaboration with an artist from outside their home country — combines Matsunaga’s catchy track with R’s signature rapid-fire bars and lyrics paying homage to the “Levitating” singer’s past works by including their titles.
“The track turned out well, and it was a fresh challenge that brought out a new side of us as well,” says Matsunaga, while R notes, “I looked to the original lyrics of Dua Lipa’s ‘Illusion’ and participated in the world it depicted, letting the illusionist in me appear in the lyrics that I wrote.”
Dua Lipa is set to return to Japan for the first time in six years this November for two arena shows, which sold out on the day tickets went on sale. The “Dance the Night” songstress has been recognized by Spotify as “the first artist in history to hold five songs with over 2 billion streams” and “the 25th most listened-to artist of all time.” Her album “Radical Optimism” has been streamed over 2 billion times worldwide and topped the Official UK Albums chart, making her one of the world’s top artists in both name and reality.
Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” recently dominated Billboard Japan’s mid-year Japan Songs chart — a tally that tracks songs from Japan being listened to in countries around the world — by topping the lists for six countries. On July 20, the “Nobishiro” duo performed at the AFEELA Pregame Performance at Dodger Stadium Center Field in Los Angeles, performing live for the first time in the U.S. Creepy Nuts will hit the stage in Tokyo Dome for the first time for their LIVE at TOKYO DOME concert on Feb. 11, 2025.
“[The remix] is precisely us, and it’s also a new side of us that was brought out because the song was Dua Lipa’s ‘Illusion,’” say the duo. “It’s in both English and Japanese but turned out smooth; we hope you enjoy it.”
Dua adds: “Be sure to listen to the remix by these two amazing talents.”
Stream “Illusion (Creepy Nuts Remix)” here: http://dualipa.lnk.to/illusioncreepynuts
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back number’s “to new lovers” (Japanese title: “Atarashii Koibitotachi ni”) debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated July 24, giving the veteran three-man band its fifth No. 1 on the tally and the first in almost five years and eight months.
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The “Suiheisen” (meaning “horizon”) trio’s latest hit is being featured as the theme song of the ongoing drama series called Umi no Hajimari (“beginning of the sea”) being aired on Fuji TV’s popular Monday nights at 9 p.m. time slot. The track tops downloads (24,432 units) and radio airplay, while coming in at No. 4 for streaming (7,532,578 weekly streams) and No. 32 for video views. The song collected 1.9 times more first-week downloads and 1.7 times more streams compared to the previous single by the J-pop band, “Fuyu to Haru” (“winter and spring”), released in January.
This is the fifth time back number has topped the Japan Hot 100, having previously scored No. 1s with “Omoidasenakunaru sonohimade” (“until the day I can’t remember”) in 2011, the band’s seasonal staple “Christmas Song” in 2015, “Boku no Namaeo” (“(you called) my name”) in 2016, and “Old Fashion” in 2018. Other songs in the band’s catalog are also on the rise, with “Suiheisen” rising a notch to No. 38, “Takaneno Hanakosan” moving 42-39, and “Hanataba” (“bouquet”) 84-82.
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Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac” slips a notch to No. 2 after reaching No. 1 last week, but streams for the track are down only by about 5% from the previous week (No. 1 for the fifth week in a row for the metric), and the single is at No. 7 for downloads, No. 3 for video, and No. 12 for karaoke.
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AKB48’s “Koi Tsunjatta” bows at No. 3. The J-pop girl group’s 64th single, released four months after the previous single “Karakon Wink,” launched with 411,100 CDs in its first week, about 50,000 fewer than the predecessor’s 463,564 first-week copies.
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ONE OK ROCK’s “Delusion:All” jumps 21-7, breaking into the top 10. Streams for the Kingdom: Return of the Great General theme song are up by about 1.9 times the week before, radio up 7 times, and video up 1.5 times. Kocchinokento’s “Hai Yorokonde” also enters the top 10 for the first time, topping the video metric. Streams are up by about 1.2 times the week before (No. 16), while downloads and karaoke for the track also increased, with the former coming in at No. 12.
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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 July 15 to 21, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.