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MIYAVI released his newest album, Found in Pain, on Oct. 23. This new album is a companion album to Lost in Love, which he released in April.
The theme running through these two albums is “Duality.” The albums mark the first time that MIYAVI has created a set of albums with a single united concept. They are also the first original album releases in three years for MIYAVI, who has been traveling around the world as a rock musician, actor, and humanitarian aid worker. With this pair of albums, MIYAVI has nimbly transcended his past public image, boldly exploring new territory. He has created an explosive and ambitious work that suddenly opens a new chapter in this artist’s life.
What led him to want to explore this theme? MIYAVI’s motivation lies in giving people courage, energy, and a zest for life, both through the music that he writes and plays and through his humanitarian aid efforts. His goal is to be someone whose path in life moves others to find their own strength to carry on. That’s why MIYAVI goes out on stage, a samurai guitarist, exuding the aura of a rock star. It’s why he makes such a striking impression as he plays his guitar, his powerful and energetic vocal delivery combining with his stage performance to excite the audience and elevate their spirits with his positivity. But while some people are receptive to that kind of straight-forward encouragement—to being told “you can do it”—there are also people who feel crushed by the reality around them. People who can’t put their chin up and push forward, even though they might want to. In his humanitarian aid work, there have been times where MIYAVI couldn’t simply tell someone “You can do it.” In these albums, he wanted to share the loneliness, pain, fear, and conflict he has faced as a rock star. He wanted to show people how he struggled with these issues and how he overcame them by grappling with his own weaknesses and overcoming them, discovering new sides of himself. By depicting this process, he wished to send out a message to those facing their own struggles. That is what led him to create these two albums.
One of the noteworthy things about the albums is that they use a lyrical approach that differs completely from past albums. What’s more, the music and sound of the songs, depicting subtle changes in states of mind, are unlike anything in his previous work. MIYAVI created the songs on the two albums by jamming with a prodigious number of collaborators, beat-makers, and producer. He has taken on the challenge of writing songs in previously unexplored veins. While Lost In Love has darker songs and opulent mid-tempo tunes, Found In Pain has everything from cheery dance numbers to full-fledge ballads. To convey subtle changes in states of mind using a storytelling approach, all of the lyrics on the songs on both albums are entirely in English. Another notable feature of the albums is that, along with these English lyrics, the music itself has a consistently Western groove, with no effort to include J-pop-like melodies.
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Even on first listen, the most striking aspects of the albums are MIYAVI’s vocals. Falsetto, multilayered harmonies, sultry vocals, whispered singing that is almost like speaking directly to the listener—MIYAVI’s talents as a front man are on clear display as he switches between diverse vocal styles not seen on previous albums, acting out the emotions depicted in the varied songs and lyrics. His talent can be stunning. The listener will find themselves thinking “Is this MIYAVI singing?” “I knew about the expressiveness of his guitar playing, but I had no idea that he had such emotional range in his singing, too.” MIYAVI has clearly awakened as a vocalist and singer on these two albums.
MIYAVI has been able to showcase his abilities as a vocalist, sharing his message through his melodious singing, precisely because he has so thoroughly established his identity as a musician through his main instrument of choice, the guitar. As if to demonstrate this, on these two albums, one seldom hears his past approach of singing through his guitar, or focusing on the kinds of phrases that would best highlight his guitar-playing. On these two albums, the highest priority is arranging the songs to best showcase the essence and flavor of their melodies. While on previous albums, keyboard parts or guitar parts by other musicians would be replaced by MIYAVI’s own guitar playing on the final song, on these albums, he kept these parts as-is when they worked well. It’s one of the things to listen for on the albums. The delicate phrasing and tone of MIYAVI’s guitar parts, and each of his performances, stands out with an even greater sense of presence, arranged with pinpoint accuracy.
The best way to listen to MIYAVI’s two latest albums is back-to-back.
The first album, Lost In Love, starts with “Intro,” which opens the gates to the darkness within ones heart. This is followed by “Broken Fantasy,” with its memorable head-shaking choreography. The hip-hop-styled “Real Monster” starts out with falsetto vocals before launching into rap. Then there is “Tragedy Of Us,” a song with a dark, heart-wrenching melody, followed by “Last Breath,” which, through its piano and whispered vocals, punctuated by MIYAVI’s lightning-like guitars, bids a farewell to pain, smothering love, and the darkness within. Heading into the second album, Found In Pain, the first track is the eponymous “Found In Pain,” which starts with a gospel-like chorus and evolves into a dance beat, like a phoenix being reborn and taking flight. On “You Already Know,” MIYAVI, Fender in hand, tells the true story of his own life, starting with his struggles as a teen. “I’m So Amazing” is a collaboration with one of the legends of funk, George Clinton. Later comes “Put Your Hands On Me,” a ballad with sensual lyrics and vocals. The album comes to an end with “One More Time” and “Sanctuary,” through which MIYAVI shares that no matter how his dreams might be dashed and his hope might be lost, his guitar gives him wings to fly, and every time he sings he soars up into the air. For him, music is a holy place. It is a place where he can rediscover his dreams and his will to live, bringing him face to face with himself and allowing him to discover new sides of himself.
One can only hope that this masterwork, in which MIYAVI constantly explores new territory, reaches the people who truly need to hear it, so that MIYAVI’s music can help give them hope and a renewed will to live.
—This article by Sachie Tokito first appeared on Billboard Japan
Rosé and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” hits No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, becoming the first song by a Western act to rule the Japan song chart in 11 and a half years.
“APT.” debuted at No. 96 on the chart released Oct. 23 after dropping digitally on Oct. 18 and has continued to perform increasingly well, especially in streaming. Streams for the track have earned a 107% increase this week compared to the week before, while downloads gained 113%, radio 102%, and video 110%. The pop-punk duet rises a notch to No. 1 on the Japan Hot 100 dated Nov. 20, becoming only the fifth song by Western artists to top this chart.
The previous song by a Western act that hit No. 1 on the Japan Hot 100 was The Wanted’s “Glad You Came,” more than a decade ago. Here’s a list of the Western numbers that have topped the tally so far:
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Artist/Title/Chart Release DateLeona Lewis, “Bleeding Love” (April 30, 2008)MIKA, “Blame It on the Girls” (Sept. 23, 2009)Lady Gaga, “Born This Way” (April 6, 2011)The Wanted, “Glad You Came” (May 15, 2013)Rosé & Bruno Mars, “APT.” (Nov. 20, 2024)
CUTIE STREET’s “Kawaii dakeja damedesuka?” rises 19-2. The debut single by the ASOBISYSTEM girl group dropped digitally on Sept. 8 and bowed at No. 84 on the chart dated Oct. 16. The track gained popularity in video and streaming, topping the TikTok Weekly Top 20 chart for five consecutive weeks. The CD version arrived Nov. 13 and launched with 61,384 copies. The track comes in at No. 5 for physical sales, No. 38 for downloads, No. 13 for streaming, and No. 9 for video views this week.
Creepy Nuts’ “Otonoke” is at No. 3. While the track holds its position from last week, points have increased: streaming has gained 105%, downloads 102%, radio airplay 159%, karaoke 104%, and video has also increased slightly as well. The “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” hip-hop duo consisting of R-shitei and DJ Matsunaga is set to perform at the prestigious year-end live music program, NHK’s 75th Kohaku Uta Gassen.
NEWS’s “Acchi muite hoi” debuts at No. 4. The title track of their 31st single is being featured as the theme song for the drama Takasugi-san-chi no Obento, starring member Keiichiro Koyama. Looking at the metrics of the chart’s measurement, the track rules sales with 137,887 first-week copies, which is more than the group’s previous single, and comes in at No. 71 for downloads and No. 12 for radio.
Elsewhere on the Japan Hot 100, Chanmina’s “FOREVER” debuts at No. 33 after hitting No. 1 for radio. The theme song for the drama Monster was produced by South Korean rapper/music producer GRAY, who also worked with the trilingual rapper on her fourth album Naked.
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 Nov. 11 to 17, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
As Billboard speaks to British dance duo Maribou State, who are readying to release their third album Hallucinating Love, an epiphany strikes the pair. Liam Ivory reminds his longtime friend and bandmate Chris Davids, that we’re speaking on the year anniversary of the day that Davids had life-changing brain surgery.
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In late 2021, Davids began suffering from debilitating headaches and was often struck down with crippling pain. He was eventually diagnosed with a chiari malformation which, he explains, is when the lower part of the brain herniates into the spinal canal putting pressure on the brainstem and spinal fluid. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons estimate it impacts less than 1 in 1000 people. It is an injury that is perhaps not well suited for someone who needs to be locked to the intricacy of music production, or peering into a laptop screen trying to piece the whole song together.
“It had a profound effect on the music,” Davids tells Billboard of the LP, which was written and recorded as they worked their way through multiple challenges on the personal front. “A lot of the music was shaped around the theme of struggle, and creating to remove yourself from a difficult period and projecting into something that’s brighter and more hopeful.”
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Hallucinating Love arrives after a particularly torrid period since their last LP, 2018’s Kingdoms in Colour. That record, which included a collaboration with Khruangbin, landed at No.25 on the U.K. Official Albums Charts and its songs collectively boast over 271 million streams on Spotify. The tour ended with a sold-out show at London’s O2 Academy Brixton (5,000 capacity) and saw growing headline gigs in North America and mainland Europe.
Maribou State
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The pair got their start in 2011 releasing their Habitat EP on Fat Cat Records, and would later release singles and EPs on Fatboy Slim’s Southern Fried label. They later signed to beloved London-based dance label Ninja Tune, home to releases by Bonobo, Barry Can’t Swim and Peggy Gou, and released their debut album Portraits in 2015, which stars “Midas,” a single was certified Silver by the BPI and sits at 152 million streams on Spotify. Elsewhere they’ve remixed records by Lana Del Rey and Radiohead during their decade-long career.
When Maribou State’s last tour concluded in late 2019 and the world went into lockdown soon after, the problems began. The pair had lived a high-octane life on the road, hopping from city to city, partying, neglecting themselves but putting on bigger and better shows. The confines of being at home impacted their wellbeing and pulled into focus mental health challenges that had been pushed to one side. Davids was battling insomnia and was coming to terms with an ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), while Ivory was living with increased anxiety.
Even so, their star grew on social media and streaming despite a period of inactivity; next year, they’ll headline three shows at London’s 10,000-capacity Alexandra Palace, and take in prestigious North American venues including New York City’s Terminal 5 and Toronto’s History.
Hallucinating Love (released Jan. 31, 2025) has emerged as their most thematic and sonically cohesive record to date. Their sound, which fuses psych-rock, funk, retro-soul and banging beats, is warmer, looser and more attention-grabbing than anything before. “Other Side” with key collaborator Walker is as direct a pop moment they’ve ever had, while “Peace Talk” has the feel of an undiscovered cult classic, such is the majesty of the swelling string refrain.
As they release their new single “Dance On The World,” the pair tell us about their difficult period, the pressure of being on the road and staying loyal to their collaborators.
It’s been a six-year gap between the release of your last two studio albums. When you finished touring Kingdoms In Colour, were you anticipating a break like this?
Liam: It took us by surprise. Historically we have taken quite a while to write albums compared to other artists, but through a number of things happening in the world and in our lives personally it just took a hell of a lot longer than we anticipated. There were times where it felt like it was never going to happen.
A lot has happened between lockdown, medical issues and focusing on your mental health. How do you look back on the experience in totality?
Chris: With mixed feelings to be honest. It was a really important process for us to go through, personally and creatively. We learned a lot about ourselves in that time. We’re grateful that we were in a position where we were able to press pause for a minute during the writing process, and to look after ourselves and not just push through and break ourselves when doing it.
Liam: We’re also lucky to be able to say that things are in a good place for us now. It’s easier to look back with rose-tinted glasses on as we managed to find a way through that period which we might not be able to do if we were still struggling. It’s nice to be able to box that off.
The adjustment from being on the road to being back home was clearly difficult…
Liam: When we were touring we weren’t looking after ourselves very well and we were partying quite a lot. So transitioning back to normal life either way would have been difficult, but we landed right at the start of the pandemic. We went from touring on a super high-octane lifestyle to being shut at home.
We were quite separate at that point, too. I’d just moved in with my partner and friend; Chris was back home with his family. We came back together when things eased up and started working together and then it became a very supporting relationship.
Chris, can you share more details on what you’ve had to go through?
Chris: In 2021, I started getting these chronic debilitating headaches. We were staying over at the studio one time, and I remember I woke up one morning and when I stood up I was bent over in pain. I got an MRI scan and a few months later I got diagnosed with a chiari malformation.
That was a shock. We’d been going really hard to make this record but we were both not really in the right place to be doing that. We weren’t feeling super creative and we were doing it for the sake of doing it rather than because we wanted to. Getting that diagnosis gave me a reason to take a break, so we both had a good few months out at that point.
I was trying to plough through and I’m someone who doesn’t like to admit defeat. In reality, it’s something I should have just got sorted and then came back. But it’s hard to push aside something that you love doing.
Liam, It must have been hard to see your friend go through that?
Liam: Yeah, the thing with Chris is that he’s so bloody stoic so he would just push on. We’d be in sessions and then he’d keel over in pain and just say ‘give me a minute’ and then shrug it off. I didn’t know what to do as it didn’t feel like we should be carrying on… but he was up for it and there was a deadline looming. Some additional insight into how little Chris will admit defeat: when he was in hospital, he was commenting on the artwork, replying to emails like a week or two after surgery. Just crazy.
How did this period inform the music you ended up writing for Hallucinating Love?
Liam: When we write we usually hire an Air BnB, take our studio and some collaborators and hash it out until we have the ideas. Those trips are peppered throughout the period that we recorded the album in. Looking back, one or two of those trips were really difficult; none of us were in a good headspace at all, really low mental health, really struggling. Ironically the songs that came from those sessions are some of the most hopeful and uplifting, but they’re really specific to a moment and you can put yourself back into that time.
You’ve mentioned that “Blackoak” is a bit of a love letter to the British dance scene. How did that manifest itself?
Chris: Over the years mine and Liam’s tastes have been very broad. We were into lots of different things and Liam was into loads of hardcore, metal and punk, but the one thing we always aligned on was dance music and artists like Prodigy, Aphex Twin and some British scenes like happy hardcore. We went to [Warwickshire dance festival] Global Gathering, to [London club] Fabric and then also saw Daft Punk live together. Over the years we’ve made club-influenced music but influenced by more contemporary stuff like future garage, but “Blackoak” felt like more of a homage to what we listened to growing up.”
There’s also familiar collaborators like Holly Walker, but new names too with Andreya Triana. It must be nice to have developed a consistent community around yourself?
Liam: We’re not ones for setting up random sessions with people and seeing how it goes. We need to have a relationship with them first. The way we write music is quite a long arduous process for us, and you need to be around people you really connect with.
Chris: The whole connection thing is so important. Because we’ve tried lots of sessions with other vocalists and nine times out of 10, it doesn’t work. We had a collaboration with Khruangbin on the last album and I’m so glad we got it to work in the end, but it was lots of sessions we had to do over a long period of time. Like Liam said, there’s something to feeling comfortable and once we’ve established a friendship, things can be so much more fluid.
Holly takes the lead on a number of tracks, and you’ve worked together on several songs now. What is that bond like?
Chris: We just clicked with Holly. She’s incredibly funny, really intelligent and an amazing lyricist. We wrote a couple of songs that got put on the first record, and we struck up a good writing relationship from there. And it’s definitely not been a totally easy relationship over the years, there’s been a lot of push and pull and quite strong creative forces on both sides, but I think that’s what has created such great music between us.
You mentioned touring taking its toll last time. How are you feeling about getting back out on the road?
Liam: One thing we navigate is being several years older and being in very different places in our lives and trying to protect a quality of life. Although we’ve not been out touring yet, there’s a lot of conversations about what it’s going to be like and how we’re going to get through it. It’s going to be a very different affair to when we were out last time in 2019.
And you want to create as great a show as you can, right?
Chris: There’s such high expectations of what a show should look like in terms of production and everything that’s put on both on stage and behind the scenes. Not just musically. It’s also more of a challenge to create content because labels want so much more from the gigs, so there is that pressure that touring costs a lot more but also you need to spend a lot more to meet the standard. You can’t just do an Oasis and go out and stare at your shoes and a couple of lights in the background.
Liam: We’re also so fortunate that the fanbase feels more tangible than it ever has. We’ve been lucky that over the years, even when we’ve taken a break, it’s just grown and gone from strength to strength in parallel while we were struggling personally. It’s made us even more committed.
When Lola Young is on stage, all eyes in the room drift toward her like iron filings to a magnet. Look closely at online footage from the south Londoner’s recent North American tour, and you’ll notice hundreds of people crying, headbanging, screaming – enjoying moments of release, letting go of inhibitions with abandon. Young matches their energy, growling and belting her lyrics as though she’s feeling the pain of her songs for the very first time.
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Each time the 23-year-old performs live – she’s completed two stateside treks this year, and has dates in the U.K., Europe and Australia booked through early 2025 – she shares an emotional exchange with the crowd. After coming off the road last month, having played dozens of headline shows plus festivals such as Austin City Limits and Lollapalooza Chicago, the first thing Young did was “cry a lot,” as she told her 620,000 TikTok followers in a recent post.
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“I know you’re not my therapist,” she jokes to Billboard over a video call, “but it’s important to be honest and say that I’ve felt quite low. Leaving tour is like a big comedown. After being so active by performing my heart out every night and receiving so much love, it’s quite hard to adjust to reality again. It’s been difficult, but I am getting there – I’m on my way up.”
Young’s smoky voice and catalog of witty, elastic pop songs speak to something deep within her fanbase. There are the devotees who mimic her blush-heavy makeup, as well as the more casual listeners who have created so many clips featuring the glorious single “Messy” that her Spotify streams have increased tenfold in recent weeks, which, at the time of writing, currently stands at 12.7 million monthly listeners. Her debut LP This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway, released in June via Island Records, was characterized by its brutal honesty: “I can dance in the mirror and feel seen without being watched by someone / Especially not no ugly man, or woman,” so goes its spoken-word outro.
Even with her camera off, Young stays true to form throughout our conversation. She laughs a lot. She swears a lot. She says “f–k” in nearly every sentence, eager to emphasize that she’s still coming to terms with how dizzying the past few months have been. Having chased her dreams since she started writing songs at 11, she’s now moved beyond ravenous early career ambition and is eyeing a new level of global superstardom.
“What I’m realizing about myself as an artist is that I’m not about the glitz and the glam — I don’t scream ‘Hollywood’,” she says. “For a long time, I wanted to represent this ideal of Westernized beauty – but then I realized I’m not that. I now choose to give realness and truth. I’ve got a bit of a belly out, I f–cking swear a bunch and I have fun. And that’s what people are resonating with.”
Young is dialing in from Paris, where she is in the studio already working on her next project. She has leveraged a tireless, laser-focused work ethic into an ascendant career: Beginning with 2023’s My Mind Wanders and Sometimes Leaves project, in the past 18 months she has drip-fed a slew of extended releases and one-off singles (from “Flicker of Light” to recent Lil Yachty team-up “Charlie”). This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway comprised entirely new material, while her unique, wildly popular live performance clips have introduced her to a global audience via social media. With a vintage mic to hand, she has done everything from getting kicked out of a London Underground station to dancing gleefully in front of the Golden Gate bridge.
It’s this industrious spirit that has caught the attention of some of contemporary music’s most revered names. In the summer, Young briefly hit the studio and shared egg rolls with SZA, who regularly leaves flame emojis on her Instagram posts. “This is insane and I live for it,” commented the “Kill Bill” singer when Young shared the news of “Like Him,” her stunning feature on Tyler, the Creator’s recent Billboard 200-topping LP Chromakopia.
The rapper had previously praised Young via DM, and when he messaged asking if she would contribute vocals to his song, her response was an immediate, resounding yes. “When I first heard [Tyler’s] ‘Yonkers’, it totally changed the way I viewed music,” she adds.
Young’s gorgeously subtle, stirring delivery during the chorus heightens the song’s poignant mood, a meditation on complex familial bonds. “Like Him” peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard 100, further cementing Young’s fast-growing stature in the U.S: in October, she performed at L.A.’s 1,600-capacity Bellwether concert hall, twice the size of her April gig at the city’s Echoplex venue.
Young’s journey is a lesson in how, for newer artists, being given the space and time to find their footing can result in truly fresh, singular music. Yet her transatlantic success hasn’t come without its qualms. To an extent, she remains unfairly associated in some listeners’ minds with the commercial balladry of her early days, as well as the cover of Philip Oakley and Giorgio Moroder’s “Together in Electric Dreams” she recorded for the British retailer John Lewis’ 2021 Christmas advert. At age 16, she was a shy but ambitious finalist on the now-defunct reality television competition Got What It Takes.
“A lot of strings were being pulled when I was starting out. It all felt fake. It felt forced,” she says. Notably, in her live sets, she doesn’t perform any material from her 2019 EP Intro or its follow-up, Renaissance. “This isn’t about blaming anybody, but nothing was really clicking at the time. Now, I have creative control alongside an understanding of who I am and where I want to go.”
Young has survived her own trials in selfhood. Her anxieties, frustrations and pride now fuel her music. She says the light-bulb moment arrived when she started rocking a mullet two years ago, a look that has boosted her confidence “massively”. She has since explored themes of identity and self-destruction in her work, recovered from an operation on her vocal cords and spoken about her schizoaffective disorder diagnosis on Instagram.
When she talks about these experiences, Young affirms that she abides by the old adage that small actions can lead to big changes in one’s life. “I kept holding faith in the fact that if I cut my hair, the music would follow” she says, evidently thrilled that her own prophecy came true.
As K-pop continues its meteoric rise on the global stage, the industry’s biggest award show sets a new milestone with its first-ever U.S. date for its 25th anniversary.
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This week, on Nov. 21, 2024, the MAMA Awards will be held at Hollywood’s iconic Dolby Theater, marking the first time the event has crossed over to the States since its introduction in 1999. Widely regarded as one of the premiere K-pop events of the year, the MAMAs have spent the last 25 years growing from a music video awards ceremony in a Seoul theater to a multi-day, international affair across Asia. This year, the 2024 MAMA Awards will kick off with one night in Los Angeles before jumping to two days at the massive Kyocera Dome stadium in Osaka, Japan.
“Taking a first step is challenging, but at the same time, it’s meaningful,” MAMA’s chief producer Yoon Shin Hye shares with Billboard. “We strive to present various stages with an unmatched scale and provide unique experiences to global fans.”
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This year’s theme, “Big Blur: What is Real?,” encapsulates MAMA’s commitment to pushing boundaries and exploring ways to reshape and rethink the music industry. Meanwhile, legendary K-pop producer and music executive J.Y. Park will link with Anderson. Paak for a meeting of the musical minds, as HYBE and Universal Music’s LA-based girl group KATSEYE will team up with another local troupe in the Los Angeles Rams Cheerleaders.
In this exclusive preview of this year’s show MAMA’s chief producer Yoon Shin Hye, delves into the vision and execution behind this year’s event. From overcoming the logistical challenges of hosting in two countries to crafting unique collabs that embody the MAMA spirit, the CJ ENM executive offers an inside look at the dedication and innovation driving the award show to evolve at its 25th anniversary.
Congratulations on what’s sure to be the biggest MAMA Awards. While I know having a ceremony in the U.S. was spoken about in the past, what happened to make it officially occur this year?
Yoon Shin Hye: Looking back on our 25-year MAMA heritage, MAMA has been held across Asia including Macao, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Japan and evolved to become the world’s No. 1 K-Pop awards, which started as the “Mnet Asian Music Awards.” Over the course of our 25-year journey, MAMA Awards has realized the value of “MUSIC MAKES ONE” with the growth of K-pop, and has established our own unmatched system and know-hows through facing and overcoming countless challenges. This has paved the way to host MAMA Awards in the U.S.
How long did it take to confirm MAMA in LA?
Every year as we hold KCON LA, I could feel the strong passion of fans in the U.S. and thought 2024 would be the right time to take a first step in the U.S. with the growth of K-pop. In the planning phase, we came up with the concept of “BIG BLUR,” as it’s about blurred boundaries between time and space, online and offline, imaginary and reality, language and culture, I thought it would be fun to run the MAMA Awards in relays from U.S. to Japan, and this perfectly fits to this year’s story.
How did the Los Angeles lineup come together?
As MAMA Awards is taking a significant first step in the U.S., we thought it would be meaningful to have rookies. So, we made a lineup for the first MAMA Awards in the U.S. with rookie artists. Plus, we have J.Y. Park, who marks the 30th anniversary of his debut, and RIIZE, who have special memories in the U.S. The group debuted in LA, and this year marks the first year of their debut and they are set to show something about their debut stories at MAMA Awards.
What went into the collaborations between J.Y. Park and Anderson .Paak, and KATSEYES with the LA Rams Cheerleaders? Take us through the process.
We wanted to show and present collaborations that have never been seen anywhere else only at MAMA Awards, and what only MAMA can make it happen. This year marks the 30th anniversary of J.Y. Park’s debut — he’s a renowned K-pop producer and K-pop artist — and Anderson .Paak is a Grammy Award winner. Anderson .Paak also has a strong interest in K-pop and recently directed a film about K-pop titled K-Pops! and, as it happens, the two artists are of the same Miryang Park clan [a Korean clan originating from the southeastern city of Miryang in South Korea].
On top of that, we have another special collaboration between the global girl group KATSEYE and the Los Angeles Rams Cheerleaders. We brought ideas about what we can only do in LA, what can be seen only at MAMA and to present performances with a diverse group of artists and become one through music at MAMA.
Actor Park Bo Gum will be the host for the U.S. date. How are you and he preparing?
Park Bo Gum has been with MAMA as a host since 2017 and he hosts the show with sincerity and delivers what MAMA wants to tell about its value and story. We’re confident that we can deliver our message and story well with our host, Park Bo Gum, at the MAMA Awards US. Park is also looking forward to hosting.
What challenges have you faced or do you anticipate facing to successfully hold the MAMA Awards in LA for the first time?
MAMA tries a new thing every year. We strive to present various stages with an unmatched scale and provide unique experiences to global fans. This year, the MAMA Awards will take place in the U.S. and Japan in relays and be broadcast live around the world. This reflects our commitment to bringing people together around the world. This year’s concept especially means opening and creating a new world of MAMA that transcends dimensions of time and space. We decided to host MAMA Awards in two different regions, starting in LA on the 21st and then moving over to Osaka for two days. Taking a first step is challenging, but at the same time, it’s meaningful. Given the time difference and distance, it wasn’t easy to arrange a meeting to prepare and discuss, but the whole process was meaningful and fun to work toward the same goal with artists and staff to create a great show.
The Dolby Theater in Hollywood is a very different venue than the Kyocera Dome. How do you create a seamless experience between a theater and a stadium?
LA Dolby Theatre is a symbolic place to many and home of the Oscars, where the Academy Awards is held every year; it’s like the heart of Hollywood. For the past few years, MAMA Awards has been held at a dome-style venue, and Dolby Theatre has its own mood as a venue and different characteristics. We are going to show something different from our previous MAMA stages and artists will take the stage in a different way at the distinctive venue.
With Los Angeles opening the MAMA Awards this year, can you share the ways you’ll establish the “Big Blur: What is Real?” theme? It’s very interesting but somewhat abstract.
MAMA has always wondered what kind of a new thing will be created when new technology meets art, and has visualized and created stages with that idea. MAMA’s concepts have been comprehensive ones, reflecting trends and environmental changes like the world shifting from analog to digital age, and globally being connected online in this digital era. At this year’s MAMA, we wanted to talk about chaos caused by rapid technological change in our time, which is happening faster than ever and how technological advancement and convergence across industries are affecting the music industry. We also reflected our willingness to create MAMA’s own “NEW THING” that crosses boundaries between imaginary and reality, time and space and online and offline. And we wanted to ask a question of “What is Real?” and make people think about what kind of music they really like.
Historically, MAMA has been a place for new TV projects or teasers to be announced, like Produce 48 or Boys Planet. Are there any surprises for audiences this time?
As we have been taking an uncharted path, MAMA will be full of ever-evolving performances. We are working hard to meet high expectations. MAMA is one “big live show,” and will have many surprising moments. Although watching performances in clips is becoming more common these days, I’m sure it will be much more fun to watch it live.
Philosophy no Dance’s Mariri Okutsu chatted with Billboard Japan for its Women in Music interview series featuring female players in the Japanese entertainment industry. The WIM initiative in Japan launched in 2022 to celebrate artists, producers and executives who have made significant contributions to music and inspired other women through their work.
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Okutsu made the transition from being a singer-songwriter to an idol group member nine years ago. On the podcast “B-side Talk – Are you taking care of your mental health?” she advocates the importance of mental well-being. Okutsu, who says she was able to find “what’s most important” after going through mental health problems, shares her thoughts on the value of being herself as an idol singer and in her private life.
Tell us how you became an idol group member.
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Before I became an idol performer, I was a singer-songwriter and also played in a band. I was asked if I’d be interested in doing idol work, and although it was a world I knew nothing about, you only live once so I figured I’d give it a try. I’d never even danced before, but took the plunge.
What was your personality like before you became an idol?
Before I became an idol, I think I was more particular about things. I liked rock music and thought I was badass when performing, so when people said stuff like, “You have a good figure” [mentioning the size of her breasts] and “You should sing cuter songs,” I resented that people didn’t see the things I wanted them to see. I was more heavily into the rock mentality back then than I am now, so when people said things like that, I turned up the volume on my guitar even more and distorted the sound, just to be rebellious. [Laughs] In terms of clothes, too, I want to wear my favorite gear for “battle” on stage, and to be the way I need to be in order to shine the most.
Did you ever feel bewildered by the idol scene, since it’s so different from your career up until then?
I’m now in my ninth year of being an idol performer, and feel that it’s a very warm world with passionate fans. At first, I searched for ways to live up to the expectations of what an “idol” should be like. I tried wearing big bows and frilly clothes, and even chose “cute” drinks and food. [Laughs] I tried really hard to figure out what my character should be like, but couldn’t keep trying to be someone I’m not. So I went, “Nope! Not gonna work!” and just showed who I really am, and things became so much easier. After I realized that it’s important to be myself, both in my idol career and in life itself, I try not to put on a front and make sure my true self is as lovely as it can be.
I think it takes courage to show your true self. What advice would you give to someone who can’t muster up the courage to do that?
Being able to create your own character by wearing “armor” is also a wonderful thing. It means you have the physical and mental strength to keep wearing that armor. It’s not about which is better or worse. Whichever you choose is fine.
Those are very convincing words coming from someone like you, since you chose to take off your armor and experienced the relief that comes along with that. What kind of person is the real you?
Well… Another thing that confused me when I became an idol was that it became harder to sing songs about romantic relationships. Until then, I thought it was good to sing about things I felt based on my own experiences. But our fans support us with such enthusiasm and romance is considered taboo for idol singers, and I don’t want to make my fans sad. It’s about establishing a relationship of trust with them. So I overcame this barrier by being up-front and declaring loudly that “I want to get married someday!” [Laughs] Because it’s true that I want to marry and have kids someday. Rather than suddenly announcing it and shocking people, my plan is to get my fans used to the idea that “she wants to get married.” At this point, my fans seem to worry about me and ask, “Aren’t you marrying yet?” [Laughs]
You’ve been an idol for nine years, keeping at it while resolving the things you feel confused about in your own way. Is there anything you take care to do to continue working for a long time?
I think I was always worried about the shelf life of an idol, thinking that if I didn’t achieve results after making my major label debut, I’d be replaced by the younger next generation. But somehow I’ve been able to continue for nine years. The key to that has been not to overwork myself. Even if the other person has no bad intentions, you should be ready to say “No” and take care of yourself when you feel mentally tired or when you feel like you’re not heading the way you want to go.
It’s true that being young is still considered important in today’s idol scene.
Youth is a really powerful thing with its boundless energy and enthusiasm, but I think Philosophy no Dance right now is also in really good condition. We might not have that drive of being young, but we’re calmer grownup women, you know? We’d really like people to check us out.
Why are you able to continue doing what you do with such sincerity?
I went through some mental health problems once. When that happened, I stopped and thought about what I really wanted to do, and decided that the biggest goal in my life was to keep doing music. I figured out what’s most important to me, so I quit all my part-time jobs and the priorities of my various choices from that point on became clear.
You advocate mental well-being in the podcast “B-side Talk” which you host. Are there any episodes you remember in particular?
They’re always interesting, but during the episode on “Sports and Mental Health,” I learned that placing winning above all else can be one of the factors that causes mental distress for athletes, and thought that the concept also has a lot in common with the world of idols and entertainment. The desire to “make it big” can be an effective stimulant, but it can also wear you down mentally. So it’s important to enjoy what you do without being too obsessed with achieving results. I was surprised to find that many of the things I thought were far removed from my own genre were actually connected in terms of mental well-being.
Sony Music Entertainment Japan has been expanding a project called “B-side” that provides support for artists and creators in the entertainment industry, both mentally and physically. I understand that they offer a variety of programs, including counseling. What did you think when you first heard about this system?
I was genuinely happy. As an artist, it’s something to be grateful about, and it’s reassuring to know that we’re being cared for as people, rather than being consumed as products. I actually went in for counseling. I’d never really heard of counseling before, and didn’t have any particular problems, so I was wondering if it was OK to go ahead with it. I thought counseling was something you went to receive advice on whether or not your concerns were right or wrong, and what you should do about them. But when I actually experienced it, counseling felt more like a conversation with myself. Talking to myself helped me to organize my thoughts, and it was like the counselor paved the way for me to find answers like the things that were bothering me or that I was worried about. If anyone has vague, unsettled feelings, I think counseling can help you untangle the knots in your mind.
—This interview by Rio Hirai (SOW SWEET PUBLISHING) first appeared on Billboard Japan
SXSW London has shared details about the ticket sale for 2025’s upcoming inaugural event in the U.K. Taking place in east London’s Shoreditch neighborhood from Jun. 2-7, the upcoming event will be the first time that SXSW has taken place in Europe, in addition to its home in Austin, Texas, and expansion into Sydney, Australia.
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Passes for the entire event across the Conferences, Music and Screen Festivals will be available to purchase, as well as for individual separate programming strands. Tickets will go on sale on Nov. 21 and a 25% discount will be applied to those who purchase a pass from the general sale before Dec. 19. With the exclusive price offer, prices range from £488 for the individual programme strand passes, to £975 for platinum passes. For further ticket information, head to the SXSW London website.
SXSW London has also announced additional details about the venue partners throughout Shoreditch. These include Truman Brewery, Village Underground, Rich Mix, Shoreditch Town Hall, Shoreditch Church, Christ Church Spitalfields, Dream Factory (Chance St & Rivington St), Kachette, Bike Shed Moto Co, Shoreditch Studios / Over the Road, and Protein Studios.
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Billboard has been confirmed as the event’s first official partner, and will host a night of music during the festival with a globally-renowned artist performing at the event. The show will also be ticketed to the general public.
Mike Van, president of Billboard said, “We’re thrilled to partner with SXSW London for the inaugural 2025 event. This collaboration underscores our shared commitment to supporting and celebrating the global music community. Billboard will bring a night of live music celebrating world class artists, both established and on the rise, and will offer fans a truly unique experience within the festival.”
The festival will partner with local charities and community groups to provide 500 complimentary passes to ensure “the rich diversity” of the city is represented throughout the events and programming.
“We’re thrilled to share how many incredible venues are working with us already for SXSW London’s Shoreditch takeover next June,” said Katy Arnander, director of programming for SXSW London. “Shoreditch is renowned as a vibrant centre for creativity and technological innovation, as well as for its diversity, energetic youth culture, global cuisine and nightlife. We’re excited to be working closely with local stakeholders to ensure the festival creates a positive impact for the community it will take place in.”
In October, SXSW London announced that it would begin the process of accepting session proposals from the public across the various programming strands. The festival says that “thousands of session proposals have already been submitted from over 50 countries across the world.” The submission portal will remain open until Nov. 29 at the festival’s website.
Back in April 2021, it was announced that SXSW had signed a “lifeline” deal with P-MRC, a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and MRC, making P-MRC a stakeholder and long-term partner with the Austin festival. P-MRC is the parent company of Billboard.
11/15/2024
See how we broke down every song from the BTS superstar’s long-awaited solo album.
11/15/2024
With a simple but hearty title, Happy is not just Jin‘s debut album — the seventh and final member of BTS to release a full-fledged solo project — but a statement on his creative journey and his fans’ significance throughout it.
While the 31-year-old is known to keep BTS’ ARMY at the forefront of his work, mind and in interviews, making his first public appearance after completing his mandatory military service at an event to hug 1,000 fans this past summer, Jin shares his love of rock music in hopes to inspire joy within listeners further. Described as an “organic and seamless” process, Jin tapped a range of international collaborators to complete his musical vision on Happy: New York City singer-songwriter and past BTS collaborator Max co-wrote the buzzy single “I’ll Be There,” Gary Barlow of British boy band Take That worked on the focus track “Running Wild,” Taka and Toru of Japan’s ONE OK ROCK co-produced and played instruments on “Falling,” while “Heart on the Window” is a duet with K-pop girl group member Wendy of Red Velvet, who grew up in South Korea, Canada and the States.
“Putting the album together has allowed me to pause and reflect on just how much ARMY means to me,” Jin tells Billboard. “As I worked on each track, I thought about what I wanted to convey to them, how I want to bring joy and happiness to them, while also expressing how much I missed them during our time apart.”
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With Happy, Jin proves his capacity to creatively grow and explore fresh musical landscapes while still staying deeply connected to the roots of his BTS journey. With warmth, optimism and universal messages, Happy has the qualities to not only enchant loyal fans, but entertain entirely new audiences — and does so while conveying his most authentic self.
Read on to see what the “Worldwide Handsome” superstar tells Billboard about Happy‘s sounds, timing and meaning, and much more.
How are you doing at this exciting time? Was making your comeback to music after a break difficult, or was it a natural return?
JIN: I’m happy to be back with my first solo album, Happy. Making this comeback, my first thought was to reconnect with ARMY. Creating the album was a way for me to share something with them, and the whole process just felt like a return to something natural.
With the release of Happy, all of BTS’ members will have officially released a full solo project! While we’ve got a lot of great solo singles from you, can you share insight as to why we are getting your first solo album now?
Before enlisting, I was focused mainly on our group activities, so a solo album didn’t feel right at the time. But with all the members now taking turns serving, it felt like the right time to share something personal with ARMY who have supported us all along. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I’ve enjoyed making it.
I know you’re a big fan of and emotionally connected to BTS’ 2016 single “Spring Day.” Was finding music that resonated with you like “Spring Day,” whether emotionally or with rock influences, an inspiration?
“Spring Day” has always had a special place in my heart, but for this album, I wanted to explore something a little different. I set out to create a more vibrant, upbeat atmosphere, so the overall feel of the album is more lively and energetic. I’d probably consider exploring the emotional tone of “Spring Day” in the future.
Happy is described as “Jin’s journey to true happiness” and “an authentic portrayal of Jin as a solo artist.” What did that journey entail?
The journey behind revolved heavily around my connection with ARMY. As I worked on each track, I thought about what I wanted to convey to them, how I want to bring joy and happiness to them, while also expressing how much I missed them during our time apart. Putting the album together has allowed me to pause and reflect on just how much ARMY means to me.
You introduced the LP with “I’ll Be There,” which has a rockabilly and rock n’ roll sound. Why was this the song to reintroduce yourself?
I just really connected to the track and felt it was the right one to share with ARMY first. The fun, catchy vibe of the track felt like a good way to start things off. I wanted to bring joy and comfort to those who might be feeling down, and it’s my way of offering a little cheer before the full album comes out — sharing a song I like.
“Running Wild” has a lot of energy and universal themes that will appeal to so many people. What are your goals or hopes for Happy‘s main single?
With “Running Wild,” I wanted to create a track full of energy. I hope it inspires people to keep moving forward — whether that means running, working out or just pushing themselves to overcome a challenge.
You brought a range of international collaborators on Happy. What were you looking for in your collaborators?
That’s a tough question since I simply wanted to work with people whose music and talents I admired. Each collaborator brought something unique to the table, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have worked together with such talented artists to bring Happy to life.
As I listened, I wondered if you had ever considered creating your own band in the past or teaming up with a rock act as a side project.
The only band I, now and forever, will be part of is BTS. Band music is a genre I’m personally interested in, and I enjoy exploring different styles as a solo artist. But at the end of the day, my roots and connection to music will always be with BTS.
Thinking about your solo songs — including four No. 1s on Billboard‘s World Digital Song Sales chart with “Astronaut,” “Super Tuna,” “Yours” and, last week’s chart-topper “I’ll Be There” — are you able to pick a favorite?
All of my solo projects are meaningful, but if I had to choose a favorite, it would be “The Astronaut.” It is especially close to my heart, thanks to the incredible opportunity I had to collaborate with Coldplay, whom I deeply admire. I’ll never forget the moment when I first heard the song, the things I felt when Chris [Martin] first played the song.
Anything else to share with international ARMY at this time?
I’ll keep giving my all so that I can connect with all of you in person soon!
Gracie Abrams has landed a second week at No. 1 on the U.K. Singles Chart with “That’s So True,” the breakout song from the deluxe edition of her sophomore album, The Secret of Us. Last week “That’s So True” gave Abrams her maiden chart-topper in the U.K., and follows The Secret of Us debuting at […]