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Achille Lauro has had many different lives: that of a “street boy” in the Roman crew Quarto Blocco, then as protagonist of the Sanremo Festival and Eurovision Song Contest, a performer in sold-out arenas, entrepreneur and now a judge on The X Factor Italy. He is a person with solid, sincere and passionate convictions, who put their idea of an artist at the center of attention, capable of overlooking everything but never their own abilities and determination. Meeting Achille Lauro for this interview on a nice afternoon in Milan — after the release of his latest single “Amore Disperato,” with the delicate sound of a piano lesson in the background — was just the confirmation of all this.
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As an artist, but not only, you reinvented yourself several times. You are like a cat: you have nine lives.
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I hope, so I still have some to spend! For me, life is always full of opportunities for change. I don’t think I’m the only one. There are people who live just like this, changing their skin and their lives, chasing an idea, aiming for an increasingly distant goal. My curse, but also my blessing, is all of this. I often feel so projected toward the future that I can’t live well in the present. However, this is also my strength: being beyond the contemporary. The worst thing they wrote about me was that I always tried to amaze people, but instead I just tried to surpass myself, often ending up in territories I didn’t know. I don’t want my job to turn into an assembly line.
After all, you are artistically omnivorous and have nothing to defend other than your talent.
I like “omnivorous,” but I believe that talent is ultimately not enough. Dedication toward what you love and extreme commitment count. In the end, all this leads to great results, as well as always seeking innovation. It’s true, I’ve never been afraid of losing anything. Each of my albums is always different from the previous one, because I am looking for a new universe to immerse myself in. I think it was harder initially for a listener to understand my direction. But I’m not reassuring, I don’t want to bring you into a comfort zone by always doing the same thing.
You’ve been on the scene for 10 years, and in this decade, everything has happened musically in Italy: a real generational revolution in the charts, but also the renewal of Sanremo – and you have been the protagonist of the festival several times.
They have been 10 intense years because there has been a great evolution of our music scene, especially thanks to younger artists. Many of them have understood that the more unique and particular they make themselves, the more they strike the chords of the public’s feelings. I’m not even completely convinced that Auto-Tune was the stylistic hallmark of this era. Already in the ’70s funk bands used the Vocoder, then there were Daft Punk in the ’90s…. When I started, it was the era of street rap, in which you had to say certain things and maybe you were ashamed to show your feelings, your weaknesses. Today, however, there is room for emotions, which is very important for me. However, there has been a great evolution in the trap and urban scene. We went from a very dark production to something lighter. Above all, those kids who come from the suburbs didn’t ape the Americans but chose their own narrative path, going much higher in quality. They tell of miserable realities that are in contrast with the luxury that glitters 15 minutes away from them. Milan is the place par excellence to describe this discrepancy. For them, as for me, music is a path to redemption and redemption. Then it’s nice that pop is no longer considered synonymous with poor music, and this allows many young artists to try their hand at this genre without fear.
Achille Lauro
Marcello Junior Dino/Billboard Italy
What do you think about the fact that electronic dance music is connecting more and more with pop? It is a process that began many years ago but continues at a mainstream level in Italy, too.
True. I would like to open the top 50 and hear globally competitive productions and also an acceleration toward the contamination between dance and what really characterizes one’s culture, one’s country. Look at what is happening in Spain with Rosalía or C. Tangana, who take their tradition and mix it with something new.
What are you finding as a judge of The X Factor?
I’m trying to find something strong in identity in my team. My final three choices are slightly unconventional talents. I’m delighted to be able to try to do something different for the program. In the end, in Italy, only The X Factor and Sanremo are left to give great motivation to kids, to new talents…. Only in these contexts does something different and important really happen.
And you know a lot about Sanremo.
Let’s say that I was part of a change for the better. The festival was more permeable to the innovations seen in our music scene. It approached very distant worlds that never paid attention to before. Standing on stage with 10 million people watching you is an opportunity that I have always taken advantage of, even when I made mistakes.
Now, after four times at the festival, would you like to do Sanremo more as a guest or as a competitor?
If I have the right song I would go as a contestant. I love what I do and I want to take it to the top, but not in a grimly economic sense. I’ve always found my way, now I’m also an entrepreneur, I’ve opened a real estate company, so I’m not thinking about Sanremo for an economic question. But I’m ambitious: Sanremo is like the Champions League for a footballer. If you go there, you do it not only to participate but to win.
In your movie Ragazzi Madre: L’Iliade there is a passage where you reveal your great love for ballads, and the new single “Amore Disperato” is an intimate song, with acoustic sounds and a melancholic flavor.
I love ballads because they allow me to talk about my personal stories, to tell my experience, without inventing details to embellish them or make them more authentic. It’s all in that song. I want to maintain a certain simplicity, which for me goes hand in hand with authenticity. “Amore Disperato” is about a true story, so it was very easy for me to make it.
You recently went to the United States and talked about a future collaboration with Arturo Fratini, aka Lester Nowhere. We know he worked with Kanye West after giving him a CD with his phone number.
We did some things together during my work trip to Los Angeles, which was a very interesting and profitable period for me. Lester Nowhere is a very interesting artist and another demonstration that between obsession and attraction something incredible can happen. As in his case: meeting and then working with a great artist like Kanye West.
Achille Lauro
Marcello Junior Dino/Billboard Italy
There’s no stopping Kylie Minogue, with her latest album, Tension II (via BMG), on track to become her landmark 10th U.K. No. 1 album on the Offical Albums Chart, according to their latest midweek blast.
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After just 48 hours of sales, the album has moved over 28,800 chart units, placing it far ahead of its nearest competitor by more than 2:1. If she secures the top spot, this will mark yet another major milestone for the Australian pop star, whose previous album, Tension (also via BMG), also topped the U.K Chart in 2023.
It comes after the singing legend announced the North American leg of her tour in support of the new album, which is slated to kick off on March 29 with a gig at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto and take the “Lights Camera Action” singer to Montreal, Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, Austin, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver and Denver before winding down with a May 2 show at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
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The midweek blast also sees British singer-songwriter Rag’n’Bone Man’s soulful third album What Do You Believe In? (Columbia) aiming for a No. 2 debut, which would follow on from the success of Human and Life By Misadventure (Columbia).
Another exciting new entry comes from Australian dance group Confidence Man, whose third record 3AM (LA LA LA) (via HAOS/Polydor Records/I OH YOU Records) is eyeing a Top 5 debut. The band’s infectious sound is already a festival favorite, and their climb to No. 4 on the midweek charts suggests they could make their Official Albums Chart debut in a major way.
National Album Day has sparked a resurgence for some of Britain’s biggest musical legends. Oasis’s 1994 classic Definitely Maybe (via Creation Records) is making a triumphant return, set to break back into the Top 10. Suede’s Dog Man Star (Nude Records), The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night (Parlophone), and Take That’s Everything Changes (RCA) are all experiencing a midweek surge in the wake of the celebration.
In a nostalgic twist, Bronski Beat’s groundbreaking album The Age of Consent (via London Records) could return to the Top 10 for the first time in nearly 40 years, following its 40th anniversary reissue. Originally peaking at No. 4 in 1984, this synth-pop classic is making waves once again.
Finally, Gracie Abrams’ The Secret of Us (via Interscope) has soared back into the Top 10 after the release of its deluxe edition, climbing an impressive 26 spots to land at No. 10 in the midweek update.
One Direction fans are also making their voices heard in the charts as they continue to mourn the passing of Liam Payne. All five of the band’s studio albums are set to re-enter the Top 40, a poignant tribute to their lasting impact on pop music.
Listen to Kylie Minogue’s Tension II below.
In one of their first performances nearly two decades ago, a modest gig along the banks of the Nile in Egypt, Cairokee played to a silent crowd – no applause, no cheers. Reflecting on this moment in a recent interview, Cairokee’s lead singer Amir Eid shared this story to illustrate the mindset that has defined the band from the start. The band didn’t interpret the audience’s silence as failure; instead, they heard the hum of something new. Rather than retreat, they pushed forward, knowing deep within that they were planting the first seeds of a new musical landscape. What began that night wasn’t just a performance. It was a turning point for Arabic indie bands, signaling the potential to rise from the underground and become charting artists with a sound that would echo far beyond the river’s shores.
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Fast forward to today. These echoes eventually reached Europe and North America, where Cairokee embarked on various successful tours. The first one, in 2019, was followed by 2022’s tour which saw them perform in cities like New York, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco. More recently, they completed a multi-city tour across Europe, the U.S. and Canada, which wrapped up on Sept. 30, further solidifying their global presence. Meanwhile in August 2024, at the Alamain Festival on Egypt’s North Coast, they sold out a show of upwards of 27,000 fans, suggesting their echoes have become something of a roar, reverberating globally.
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Founded in 2003, and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Amir Eid, the Egyptian rock-pop band has maintained its original band members with Tamer Hashem on drums, Sherif Hawary on lead guitar, Adam El Alfy on bass and Sherif Mostafa on keys. While their early music carried political undertones, it was in 2011, during Egypt’s revolution, that Cairokee’s breakthrough single, “Sout El Horeya” (The Voice of Freedom), turned them into a voice of a generation, where the song became an anthem for Egypt’s youth and later found resonance with youth culture around the Arab region.
Cairokee’s Momentous Discography
In the time since, Cairokee has released six additional studio albums, each evolving musically: Wana Maa Nafsy Aaed (When I Sit Alone, 2012), Nas W Nas (Some People, and Others, 2015), El Sekka Shemal (Wrong Way Blues, 2014), Noaata Beida (A Drop of White, 2017), The Ugly Ducklings (2019) and Roma (2022), along with two compilations of their biggest hits. While every album carries with it Cairokee’s sonic fingerprint — largely driven by lead singer Amir’s Eid’s distinctive vocal quality — over time they broadened their sound to include a mix of rock, pop, elements of hip-hop and traditional Arabic sonic textures, showcasing their versatility.
In many ways, Cairokee have often been like a mirror to the times in which they exist, reflecting the sentiment of not only Egypt’s youth, but millennials and Gen Z across the Arab world. They weren’t the only band to launch at the time, alongside them we saw the rise of Massar Egbari, Jadal, Adonis, to name a few, but Cairokee have managed to achieve a level of pop and mainstream success with several songs finding a home on Billboard Arabia’s charts.
In early albums like Matloob Zaeem (A Leader is Wanted), we hear the political undertones they were first known for, particularly in songs like the title track, or “Ethbat Makanak” (Hold Your Position) and “Ehna El Shaab” (We Are the People). Musically, this album was driven by Amir and Hawary’s swirling soft rock guitar licks and riffs and sardonic political commentary. We find this sound continuing through to their follow-up album, Wana Maa Nafsy Aaed (When I Sit Alone), which sonically oscillates between heavily reverb guitar driven tracks like “Kol Youm Momken Yekoon Bedaya” to songs teetering on pop anthems like “Mestany.”
Their 2014 album, El Sekka Shemal, marked a turning point for Cairokee, presenting a more refined sound, while introducing an eclectic blend of musical references. El Sekka Shemal presented a fuller sound, both with atmosphere production and a deeper integration of Arabic textures, including the rababa and percussions, as heard in songs like “El Khat Dah Khatty.” This album sees Cairokee pushing the boundaries of genre while expanding their collaborations, as heard in “Agmal Ma Andy” featuring Souad Massi, and later the genre-bending “Ghareeb Fi Belad Gareeba” (Stranger in a Strange Land) with shaabi music icon Abdel Baset Hammouda.
In Nas W Nas, Amir Eid’s vocals come into focus, with different production elements supporting a more polished studio sound. The gentle guitar lines and keys in tracks like “Walla Ma Aayez (All I Really Want),” along with subtle Arabic textures – such as oud lines and percussions in “Geina El Dounia Fe Laffa” – create a fuller sonic backdrop. However, it’s in “Kol Haga Betaady” (This Too Shall Pass) that Eid’s pop sensibility shines, featuring Shahira Kamal. Their memorable duet presents an earworm exchange with memorable lines like “Everyone is scared of tomorrow/Tomorrow comes and they are still scared/Tomorrow isn’t a day/It’s an idea.” Amir Eid again manages to hold a mirror to the times, in 2015 reflecting the era’s political uncertainty.
Eid’s introspective lyricism drives Noaata Beida (A Drop of White, 2017), as seen in the title track featuring Abdelrahman Roshdy, which reflects a dualistic struggle playing out between the two vocal lines. Politically weary themes resurface in “Kont Faker” (I Thought) and “Hodna.” Musically, we see Cairokee embracing more eclecticism, offering diverse tracks like the rhythmic “Layla” and anthemic “Dinosaur” while nudging more into a pop sound.
This dynamism culminates in The Ugly Ducklings (2019), where a multiplicity of genres is presented, expanding Cairokee’s audience base by offering them each something. The album spans alt-rock tracks like “Benkhaf” (We Get Scared) to hits like “Ya Abyad Ya Eswed” (Either Black or White), which draws from popular Egyptian genres like shaabi and mahraganat. This cross-genre approach continues and peaks in Roma (2022). However, we see another turning point for Cairokee in the high production value, and synthpop influences as heard in the hit song “Samurai” to the beat driven “Basrah We Atooh” (Lost in My Headt), both of which continue to chart Billboard Arabia’s Hot 100. Meanwhile, seven songs from Roma continue holding ground on various Billboard Arabia lists, cementing Cairokee’s place as a pioneering force offering an alternative to the traditional pop landscape.
The Voice of Cairokee, Amir Eid
Amir Eid’s voice has a deep rasp in it, the kind of guttural texture that makes it feel like it has traveled from a far-off time to deliver a very important message. It’s not a prophetic voice, but rather one that transmits the timbre of falling in love in one song, and in another, cutting socio-political commentary. His vocal quality and lyricism have been central to Cairokee’s identity, and through his words, Eid expresses the frustrations, hope, and loneliness of a generation navigating everything from political uncertainty to personal challenges. His side passion projects, including the soundtrack for the hit series Rivo, andmhis EP Roxi (2024), have further showcased his artistic evolution.
Envisioned by Eid, Roxi’s elaborate and cinematic video rollout was presented in three chapters, where we see the artist blending his penchant for visual storytelling, distribution and a body of hit songs. Roxi takes on a different sonic aesthetic than Cairokee’s big band, rock and pop sound, where we see Amir’s songs like “Hagat Gowaya” (Things Inside Me) take on a darker, synthpop sound than what we heard on Roma’s “Samurai.” Lyrically, Amir combines his penchant for storytelling in this three-chapter cinematic story of falling in love, with lyrics bordering on existential explorations deep within himself. Shortly after the EP’s release, songs like “Esmek Eh” (What’s Your Name?), “Hagat Gowaya” and “Nasy Kol Haga” (I’ve Forgotten Everything) landed on Billboard Arabia’s Arabic Indie chart and remained in the No. 26, 36, and 44 positions, respectively. Meanwhile, Eid currently holds the No. 56 position on Billboard Arabia’s Top 100 Artists chart at the time of publishing this article.
From Cairo to North America, Cairokee’s Live Shows
It is only possible to tell the story of Cairokee and Amir Eid by also discussing the resonance of their live shows. After concluding their third multi-city North America tour, Cairokee has found an audience both at home and abroad. In August 2024, Cairokee sold out their show in Jeddah, and the very next day at the Al Alamein Festival on Egypt’s North Coast, Cairokee saw over 25,000 attendees, according to the artist’s team. Upon returning to Cairo in the aftermath of their tour, they sold out another show with upwards of 27,000 in attendance at ZED EAST in October 2024. Their concerts are riveting experiences, with iconic collaborative moments, in the past they have featured guest artists on their stage such Marwan Pablo, and later Muhab and Tult8e, highlighting their ability to blend genres and connect with a diverse audience.
After two decades of pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo, Cairokee’s journey is far from over. They continue to evolve musically while staying true to much of their original fan base, while their impact on the Arabic music scene only grows stronger with time.
Cairokee
Courtesy of Cairokee/Billboard Arabia
Billboard’s “International Power Players” list recognizes leaders who are driving the success of the music business in countries outside the United States. Universal Music Japan’s president and CEO, Naoshi Fujikura, was chosen from the music industry leaders of the world for inclusion in the list a fourth consecutive time, making this his fifth appearance. Billboard Japan interviewed Fujikura in recognition of his selection in which he looked back on his decade as the company’s president and the challenges it faces in its global expansion.
This is your tenth year as president of Universal Music Japan. During your time in office, the company has recorded record profits. Looking back, what are your impressions of this past decade?
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A lot of things happened, but the one thing they all share in common is “connection.” When I was first appointed, Japan had less visibility within the industry as part of its global music strategy, so coming into UMG it was always important to me to push the narrative forward around the overall importance and commercial scale of the Japanese music market.
Working under the leadership of Sir Lucian Grainge definitely helped with this, as before he took over as global Chairman & CEO, Lucian had run UMG’s international business for many years and he was very familiar and supportive of our dynamic physical-led market. One of the major benefits of working very closely with UMG’s leadership team in Santa Monica and around the world has been that we have had access to strategic insights around the broader shifts in the global industry, helping us to shape our own path over the last decade to stay ahead of the curve, navigating the arrival of streaming in the marketplace, and maintaining our physical business.
At the time, industry people would say things like, “Physical product sales are going to continue to decline, so we should just get rid of that whole segment.” I felt the need to strengthen our connections with the head office in various areas of my work. Back then, in 2014, Apple Music had yet to arrive in Japan, and CDs accounted for 80% of sales. Japan also had a price maintenance system, so products could be sold at set prices. That’s why I told people that in Japan, we were going to put our weight behind both growing our digital business for the future and continuing to support the traditional physical sales market. When I first took this position, I was traveling to the US on what felt like a monthly basis, taking advantage of every opportunity to explain the Japanese market to my new colleagues, introduce our artists, and integrate our vision for the future of the market into UMG’s global plans.
You were trying to help them understand the situation in Japan?
Right. My English wasn’t the best, but I would meet directly with overseas colleagues and reiterate that in Japan, unlike the rest of the world, there was still high demand for physical products, so we weren’t going to switch over completely to streaming, but instead advance on both fronts. Ultimately, we put out multiple million-sellers, like DREAMS COME TRUE THE BEST! Watashi no Dorikamu in 2015 and Hikaru Utada’s Fantôme and RADWIMPS’s Your Name in 2016. Thanks to successes like these, they came to understand that our approach was the right one. I think these successes also led to us signing new artists such as BTS (for Japanese language recordings) in 2017 and King & Prince in 2018.
What do you mean?
We are a global company, and we’re often seen as being focused on digital sales, but our track record of successes showed artists that we also still place importance on physical sales and we have the power to move significant physical units for our artists. I think that helped us connect with new artists and make UMJ an attractive home for Japanese domestic and Korean K-Pop talent, with broader ambitions for both regional and global success.
Spotify was launched overseas in 2008, but Japan was a latecomer, with Apple Music and LINE MUSIC becoming available in 2015 and Spotify arriving in 2016. You took office during a time when the situation in the U.S. was very different than the situation in Japan.
Right, so I think the fact that we had that kind of success is connected to our efforts to grow for the future. Universal Music Japan and the former EMI Music Japan merged in 2013, the year before I became president. Every aspect of how these companies did business was different, so when they merged there were initially a few voices of frustration and confusion, and the company needed to find better ways to “connect” with employees. When I took office, I wanted to remember everyone’s faces and names, so I made a chart in my office with photos of every employee alongside their names.
How many employees did the company have at the time?
I think it was around 500 or 600. Thinking back on it now, there were probably some more efficient approaches I could have used, like putting them on magnets, but at the time I did it by putting the photos on four sheets of butcher paper and writing their names directly on the paper (laughs). I thought it would truly be a waste to end up with the company divided between two antagonistic “ex-EMI” and “ex-UMJ” factions, so whenever I met someone in the elevator, or anywhere in the office, I tried to address them by name.
One of the major initiatives we conducted over the past ten years was having the employees become full employees. Previously, the majority of our staff were contract employees, and because of that it felt like everyone was focused on playing it safe, avoiding any potential failure, in order to keep their contracts from being terminated. I was one of them, and I sometimes felt like I was applying a short-term perspective in my work. Furthermore, starting in 2015, the business of the music industry was on the brink of a major shift as the rise of streaming began to increase consumption and access to music globally, even though this came later to Japan.
For physical CDs, the sales peak for a product is when the CD is released, but with streaming, the number of streams will rise over the course of several months. In some cases, people will continue to listen to a song or album years after it’s released, sometimes even decades if it is a catalog song or album from an artist. Because hits can take all kinds of different shapes, I didn’t think our approach of having employees rotate every year or two and focusing exclusively on single fiscal year periods was a good match for our long-term growth as a company, or for us to innovate and help lead UMJ and the industry into the streaming age.
Did changing over to full employees have a major effect on the atmosphere in the company?
There was a huge change in the year when we switched over to full employee status (in 2017). We held an all-company meeting where we announced that anyone who had been working at the company for a year or longer that wanted to become a full employee could do so. I expected there to be huge cheers from the audience, but it was surprisingly quiet (laughs). I thought people would show their happiness right there on the spot, but I heard later that, after the meeting, those in attendance were happy to be able to tell their families and partners the good news.
At the same time, I didn’t want people to lose their drive upon becoming full employees, so we reviewed and revised our HR evaluation system and established a multi-label system to grow our domestic business. Employees on the same label would compete with each other and help each other reach new heights, and I think that is what helped us to produce all of these different hit artists.
And the last important “connection” is the one we’ve been establishing with listeners and fans. Our business is a B-to-B-to-C business. We provide people with music through retail shops and streaming services. However, the nature of fandom has changed over the last decade. That is why we opened the world’s first Universal Music Group concept store, UNIVERSAL MUSIC STORE HARAJUKU, as a place where fans can come together. Last year, we worked to bring music to people using experiential events, other than just traditional live shows, such as producing shows that combine fireworks with Disney music and music from diverse artists like King & Prince. We have also done these experiential events with international acts including Queen and Bon Jovi.
Just like the rest of UMG, we always strive to be the company of choice for artists, and with our successes in breaking new artists, embracing streaming technology ahead of the curve, as well as nurturing the traditional lucrative physical business here in Japan, our market share has also grown consistently. I think we’ve now been able to achieve ten consecutive years of market growth because of our track record in breaking new artists and also because our artists recognize our commitment to helping them have long careers, connecting them to the world outside of Japan as part of the world’s leading music company. This has made them want to stay with Universal Music Japan for the long-term..
Is there any advice you give to employees about how to remain the company of choice for artists?
UMJ’s creed is “Love People, Love Music, and Deliver Excitement.” I always tell employees that, no matter what department they are in, it’s important that they never forget that they joined our company out of a love for people and music. At the global level, as well, UMG places great importance on its message: “We are the home for music’s greatest artists, songwriters, innovators, and entrepreneurs.” It’s important that we continue to focus our efforts on putting our artists, labels and businesses first so that we continue to push the entire industry forward for the benefit of our artists.
Mrs. GREEN APPLE has demonstrated a tremendous presence in this year’s Billboard JAPAN Hot 100. What do you think is the key to their hits?
It may seem like a trite answer, compared to the kind of answer you might be hoping for, but, at the end of the day, it just really comes down to their talent. First and foremost, we’ve kept on believing in the great music written by Motoki Ohmori and the talent of the whole band. I think that’s what’s led to this success.
They did two days of shows at Yokohama Stadium in July, and later this month (October) they’ll be playing eight days of shows at K-Arena. They don’t set aside time as “input time” to create new work. They don’t stop. They just keep on going, and looking at them, you know you’re looking at a new superstar phenomenon that will continue to grow and inspire fans in this new era.
In September 2023, we launched the Global Japan Songs excl. Japan chart, which ranks Japanese music that’s become a hit overseas. I feel like the Japanese music industry has kicked it into higher gear as we can now see the global success of hits by artists like Fujii Kaze and imase. Physical media sales still account for a lot in Japan. Do you think there’s any potential for physical media sales in the global market?
I do. We’re now exporting CDs and vinyl records of the Japanese versions of albums by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to the U.S. and the U.K. I think there’s more demand for physical media. Fujii Kaze, Joe Hisaishi and Ado have toured the U.S. in the last year, selling out large venues and arenas and as discovery and demand grows, there will hopefully be opportunities to reach those fans with physical media too, like K-Pop artists have experienced.
In July, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry released its Report on Music Industry Business Models for a New Era. Do you think that collaborations with the national government are going to be accelerating going forward?
In April, as a member of the music industry, we gave a presentation to the LDP’s Special Committee for the Promotion of the Cool Japan Strategy. We want to keep on taking on new challenges, and working together with diverse artists, so it’s very reassuring to know that people in various positions are supporting the sharing of Japanese talent and culture with overseas audiences.
Japanese anime and games have achieved some degree of market share worldwide, but for music, there’s still a long way to go. What challenges do you think the Japanese music industry still faces?
Maintaining a high level of originality. There’s no substitute for ONE PIECE. There’s no substitute for Jujutsu Kaisen. There’s no substitute for BTS. It’s extremely important that you can’t just swap out an artist or collaborate with someone else to make a hit. K-pop has an originality, such as in its group choreography and visuals, that transcends language barriers to move people’s hearts. That’s why carbon copies of BTS or NewJeans fail.
Another key challenge in localization is communicating with fans in various languages, including English. I think that an important part of globalization is close coordination not only inside the company but also with overseas promotion and creative teams. At UMG, one of the core strengths of the company is that it has huge global reach. Offices in sixty countries and all of our markets and business units work in unison to create the best possible environment for artists and projects to succeed.
BTS changed their name from Bantang Sonyeondan to BTS. They made music for the Japanese market, and they made English songs. Step by step, they expanded their reach and audiences, and built a loyal army of fans around the world.
There is no single formula for achieving success for an artist. Instead, I think you’ll now see a lot of different paths to reaching that level. For example, Fujii Kaze’s first wave of global recognition was in Thailand, before catching on in other markets. There are always a lot of different potential scenarios, and it’s important to take immediate action whenever you see the seeds of a future hit starting to sprout.
One last question: Which do you think constitutes a hit, a song that 100 people listen to 100 times, or a song that 10,000 people listen to one time?
This might seem like cheating, but both. We live in an age where there is no single standard of value—not just in music, but in many areas. As far as whether a CD that 100 people each bought one copy of could be called an equal hit as a CD that one person bought 100 copies of, I don’t even know myself.
I’ve asked a lot of different people this same question, and most people who work in record companies or management pick “100 people listen 100 times.” But when I ask people in the media, most pick “10,000 people listen one time.” I think it’s fascinating how people have the same shared understanding of actual hit songs, but this gap when it comes to the actual definition of a hit.
That is interesting. If I can ask you a question, then, do you think if the sensibilities of music companies and the media were better aligned, it would result in bigger hits being made?
Hmm, I’m not sure. I think for each artist there are times when they’re listened to one time each by 10,000 people and other times when they’re listened to 100 times by 100 people.
I agree completely.
—This interview by Seiji Isozaki and Naoko Takashima first appeared on Billboard Japan
The Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA) has announced the launch of a new music award called MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN, with the inaugural event set for May 22, 2025, at the Rohm Theatre Kyoto.
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This award will recognize more than 60 categories, led by the six major ones including Song of the Year and Artist of the Year, for works and artists that have been popular from January 29, 2024 to January 26, 2025. Candidates will be automatically selected using objective metrics linked to data from Billboard Japan and more. Five nominees will be selected from these candidates by domestic voting members, and the award winners will be decided from among the nominees through a rigorous selection process by domestic and overseas voting members.
The categories include genre-specific ones including J-pop, hip-hop and idol culture, special categories such as dance performances, music videos, Vocaloid culture and DJing, and global categories by regions such as Asian countries and Europe. The best work and artist will be revealed at the awards ceremony on May 22.
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The voting members consist of around 5,000 music industry professionals from various fields, including artists, creatives, managers, recording directors, engineers, promoters, music video directors, music distribution businesses, dealers, distributors, music critics, writers, media, music publishers, judges of overseas music awards, plus creatives, promoters, and music distribution businesses based overseas. There will also be a category inviting votes from general music listeners.
“Post-COVID, the way we enjoy entertainment as a whole has changed,” says CEIPA’s Chair of the Board Shunsuke Muramatsu, who believes that with the recent wave of digitalization, global success and possibilities are expanding within the music industry. “We have seen that the way hit songs and artists emerge has changed with the growth of the digital landscape and the increasing popularity of streaming services. Having witnessed a rapid, borderless connection to the rest of the world, we are now focused on supporting young, talented Japanese creators through an awards show with a global reach.”
The five major organizations in the Japanese music industry — Recording Industry Association of Japan, Japan Association of Music Enterprises, the Federation of Music Producers Japan, Music Publishers Association of Japan, and All Japan Concert & Live Entertainment Promoters Conference — have transcended boundaries to collaborate with the global music industry to establish this award, which is based on the concept of “connecting with the world and lighting the future of music.”
The awards show is said to be an “Asian version of the Grammy Awards,” as Commissioner Shunichi Tokura of the Agency of Cultural Affairs has said in the past. “We established the awards as a way to increase interest in Japanese music and to have Japanese music heard globally,” Tatsuya Nomura, board member of CEIPA, explains. He notes that CEIPA will also focus on promoting the awards outside of Japan. “Additionally, we will also promote the awards in other Asian countries and the world through terrestrial broadcasting stations, livestreaming on YouTube, news coverage, and more.”
Nomura says the awards will also provide an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of overseas artists and bring more attention to them. “The Japanese music market has traditionally been economically viable only within Japan. I believe it is necessary to change this and cultivate a global mindset among artists. Japanese artists are becoming increasingly active abroad, which we will continue to support. At the same time, we aim to establish categories that focus not only on K-POP (which is highly popular in Japan) but also on Western and other Asian music. As a result, there is a possibility that artists from around the world will be honored at MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN.”
The MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN ceremony on May 22 is also set to be broadcast live on terrestrial TV. The event will also be streamed worldwide via YouTube (excluding some regions). MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN week will take place Saturday, May 17 through Friday, May 23, and there will be seminars and showcases by people involved in the music industry from Japan and overseas during this period.
MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN 2025 KYOTO
Date of Ceremony: Thursday, May 22, 2025
Venue: ROHM Theatre Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
Live broadcast on terrestrial TV and global livestream on YouTube scheduled (some regions excluded)
Eligible Works & Artists
Works and artists popular from January 29, 2024 through January 26, 2025 (regardless of release date, including older works)
Awards: More than 60 categories planned including the six major categories
Six major categories: Best Song, Best Album, Best Artist, Best New Artist, Best Global Song, Best Asian Song
Awards
Song of the Year: Domestic and international songs are eligible.
Album of the Year: Domestic and international albums are eligible.
Artist of the Year: Domestic and international artists are eligible.
New Artist of the Year: Domestic artists are eligible.
Top Global Hit from Japan: Honors domestic songs that have become hits around the world.
Best Song Asia: Honors Asian songs that have become hits around the world.
Voting Process
Candidates will be automatically selected using objective metrics linked to data from Billboard Japan and more. Five nominees will be selected from these candidates by domestic voting members, and the award winners will be decided from among the nominees through a rigorous selection process by domestic and overseas voting members.
Voting Members
Voting members will consist of around 5,000 artists, creatives, managers, recording directors, engineers, promoters, music video directors, music distribution businesses, dealers, distributors, music critics, writers, media, music publishers, judges of overseas music awards, plus creatives, promoters, and music distribution businesses based overseas. The nominees and award winners will be selected and honored through a rigorous voting process by these members. There will also be a category with a different selection process.
About CEIPA
Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA)
President: Tatsumi Yoda
Chair of the Board: Shunsuke Muramatsu (President, The Recording Industry Association of Japan)
Deputy Chair of the Board: Takeo Nakanishi (President, All Japan Concert and Live Entertainment Promoters Conference)
Senior Board Member: Hideichi Kurita (Vice President, Music Publishers Association of Japan)
Board Members: Masatomo Takito (President, Japan Association of Music Enterprises), Tatsuya Nomura (President, The Federation of Music Producers Japan), Yutaka Inaba (President, Music Publishers Association of Japan)
CEIPA Members: Japan Association of Music Enterprises (JAME), Federation of Music Producers Japan (FMPJ), Music Publishers Association of Japan (MPA), All Japan Concert and Live Entertainment Promoters Conference (A.C.P.C.), Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ)
At Travis Scott’s Circus Maximus show in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 18, fans were treated to a massive surprise when The Weeknd, who also happened to be in the country, joined him on stage for four of their collaborative tracks.
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Scott had teased the surprise during his first Sydney show on Oct. 17, telling the crowd, “I’m gonna see my friend tomorrow morning and see if he can get on the stage. I was trying to get him today.”
He then performed “CIRCUS MAXIMUS,” a track featuring The Weeknd, fueling the excitement for night two.
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Both artists also dropped cryptic videos from Sydney’s iconic Luna Park before the performance. The park’s enormous, illuminated face at its entrance bears an uncanny resemblance to the imagery from Scott’s ASTROWORLD—a carnival vibe that’s been a major part of his branding. Fans quickly caught on, adding to the buzz that something big was brewing.
True to his word, The Weeknd made his appearance on stage the following night (Oct. 18), performing alongside the rapper for an assortment of their numerous collaborations together, including, “CIRCUS MAXIMUS,” “Pray 4 Love,” “SKELETONS,” and “WAKE UP.”
The pair’s long-standing collaboration and chemistry were evident as they lit up the stage, much to the crowd’s delight. Scott introduced The Weeknd to the audience as “the greatest of all time.”
“This man right here gave me my first arena tour ever,” Scott told the audience of the Weeknd. “If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be on this stage right now.”
Scott’s Circus Maximus Australian and New Zealand tour continues through Oct. 31, with a final show in Auckland, New Zealand. After wrapping up his tour Down Under, Scott and his Cactus Jack crew are set to take over Complexcon in Las Vegas on Nov. 17.
The rapper’s Circus Maximus tour continues to break records, following the global success of Utopia, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard 200 chart, earning 496,000 album-equivalent units (including 252,000 in pure album sales) in its first week.
Meanwhile, The Weeknd is in Australia for his After Hours Til Dawn tour, with upcoming shows at Sydney’s Accor Stadium on Oct. 22 and 23. This marks his first return to Australia since 2017, with fans eagerly awaiting his next album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, which has already teased singles like “Dancing in the Flames” and “Timeless.”
“I feel a strong pull to perform in Australia before moving on to the next chapter and want to make sure you all know I hadn’t forgotten about you,” The Weeknd said in a statement announcing his new Australian tour dates back in August. “When I return now, it will be the right time, and I promise it will be such a special experience. I can’t wait to see you all!”
Mike Dean, Chxrry22 and Sydney’s own Anna Lunoe are currently supporting The Weeknd on the four Australia dates.
Check out The Weeknd’s surprise performance with Travis Scott below.
RADWIMPS frontman Yojiro Noda took the stage at Tokyo Garden Theater for his first concert as a solo artist under his real name on Sept. 27. This show, aptly entitled “Yojiro Noda welcomes you to WONDER BOY’S AKUMU CLUB,” marked the release of the album by the same name — WONDER BOY’S AKUMU CLUB — and treated fans to a glorious evening with guest acts kZm, Awich and iri.
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The 39-year-old hitmaker had previously teamed up with each of his guests, with rapper kZm — pronounced Kazuma — collaborating on “EVERGREEN” off Noda’s solo album, and rapper Awich and singer-songwriter iri collaborating on “SHIWAKUCHA” and “Tokyo,” respectively, off RADWIMP’s album FOREVER DAZE from 2021.
Noda’s solo project had dropped two days before the show, meaning the people who came that evening were die-hard fans who bought tickets before they knew the full scope of his album. His followers probably also knew that he had recently been leaning into hip-hop. So while not too concerned about the potential difference in level of interest in the audience, it was interesting to see how Noda’s fans, who knew him as the face of a veteran J-pop band, would react to the rappers opening the event. But the crowd clapped eagerly along to the first track kZm performed on stage, “Aquarius Heaven,” and the excitement was even greater than expected.
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“Most of you probably don’t know me, but I’m kZm, a rapper from YENTOWN,” the MC introduced himself after finishing his performance of “Aquarius Heaven.” The 30-year-old rapper went on to explain that he’d only listened to hip-hop before discovering RADWIMPS when he was in junior high, and that he’d been a fan of the band ever since. He told the audience that Noda had been a kind senior artist and friend ever since they’d gotten to know each other, and was met with a cheer from the crowd when he noted, “I heard Yo-chan would be going on stage by himself today, so I came to support him.” kZm’s respectful monologue showed a sign of respect for Noda and his effort to make this a special evening. From there, the rapper gave a solid performance, with the audience cheering from the intro to “DOSHABURI” and the excitement continuing throughout the set, right up to the last song, “Sakebi,” which he said was one of his favorites.
Next up was Awich, who got the crowd jumping from her first track, “Remember (Solo ver.).” After finishing “Are you serious?,” the theme song for the Netflix series The Queen of Villains, she introduced herself, also saying, “I imagine a lot of people here are seeing me for the first time.” The 37-year-old rapper went on to explain that she is also a member of the hip-hop collective YENTOWN, like kZm, who introduced her to Noda. She said she wrote a song with the RADWIMPS singer and asked to take part in the band’s arena tour in 2021, and the experience of touring the country helped her mentally prepare for her own headlining concert at the prestigious Nippon Budokan in 2022. “(Noda) leads us and I’m truly grateful for his generosity,” said Awich. The “Bad B**** Bigaku” MC, who has since broken out of the rap scene and is now active in a genre-bending way, had full control over the room as she ran through a fierce set from “Kakurembo” (Hide and Seek), performed after mentioning that RADWIMPS have a song of the same name, up to the last song, “LONGINESS REMIX (Soo ver.).”
The final guest, iri, performed a short-but-sweet set consisting of “friends,” the four-to-the-floor number ideal for large venues, the similarly danceable “Corner,” and “Wonderland,” which got the crowd raising their hands in unison. The compact set showcased iri’s smoky voice and her breezy performance captivated the audience. “Yojiro-san’s album is so cool and I was talking with DJ TAAR about how amazing it is,” the 30-year-old singer said, her words brimming with respect for Noda. “So cool that I’ve been really looking forward to his show, and I’m really grateful to be able to sing like this at such a fabulous time.”
The current Japanese rap scene has gained wide popularity as a new youth culture, and since both Awich and kZm are stars of the genre, it feels somewhat uncomfortable highlighting “the band scene” and “the rap scene” as if they are incompatible. But to be honest, the impression is that while it does happen underground, in the mainstream, bands and hip-hop artists in Japan still have a long way to go in coming together in a notable way, as can be seen from the fact that the number of street-born rap acts appearing in mainstream rock festivals not being that high. So from that standpoint, it might be fair to say that the enthusiastic way the audience welcomed the three guest acts at Noda’s show without making them feel out of place was something special.
The “Grand Escape” artist made this possible because he had approached the rap scene early on in his career. WATTER, the DJ who supported Noda during his headlining solo set, is an artist close to 5lack, a rapper featured on Noda’s “Hilight” released under the name illion in 2016. The “Zenzenzense” hitmaker’s strong curiosity and love for music and people, evident from such works as “TIE TONGUE (feat. MIYACHI & Tab Zombie)” from 2018 and “DAI-DAN-EN (feat. ZORN)” from last year, were an important backdrop to this precious night.
Yojiro Noda
Takeshi Yao/Billboard Japan
After the fine opening performances by his three guests, Noda appeared onstage for the main set. As this was his first concert as solo artist Yojiro Noda, the audience didn’t know if he’d be performing with a live band or DJ until that day, but as mentioned above, he took the stage with WATTER for a DJ set, which at that point promised something novel. From the time the venue opened, there was a space surrounded by a gauze curtain in the center of the stage, and Noda kicked off his set with “SHEETA” from within that space. A team of dancers performed theatrical choreography inside and outside the gauze curtain, creating a mysterious atmosphere. These dancers were members of choreographer Seishiro’s team, and they also appear in the music video accompanying RADWIMPS’ “NINGEN GOKKO” from 2022. The concert was clearly being supported by the creatives that Noda had built relationships with over the past few years, just like Awich and iri.
At the end of the vintage soul-tinged performance of “PIPE DREAM,” Noda emerged from behind the curtain and finished the song by playing the piano. “Please give a big round of applause to the three guest artists, kZm, Awich and iri,” said the singer-songwriter, and elicited huge cheers from the crowd by asking, “I want to make this a party where we can all savor this brand spanking new album together. What do you say?” The five-stroke-roll dance beat of “PAIN KILLER” showcased the compatibility with kZm’s raps, and Noda showed off his own clever flow in “PEACE YES,” not to be outdone by the rappers. Hip-hop-like elements were incorporated in the staging as well, with the screen behind the singer highlighting a section of the lyrics of the track by visually sampling the cover art for the album RADWIMPS 4 that has the song with the same word (”Iindesuka?”) as the title. The breadth of his melodies is also worth noting, as evident from the way he built up a celebratory mood by putting a gospel chorus together with breakbeats on “HOLY DAY HOLY” and created a melancholic ambience on piano for “KATATOKI,” his collaborative track with Atlanta rapper J.I.D.
Yojiro Noda
Takeshi Yao/Billboard Japan
“Before, I thought that if I were to do a show as Yojiro Noda, I’d be doing something completely different, like playing by myself, or with a band, or with an orchestra. But I made songs mainly using beats this time and was really worried,” Noda opened up to the crowd. “Right now I’m so incredibly happy that everyone’s listened to the album and my favorite musicians are supporting me. Thank you for coming.” After expressing his gratitude, he mused, “Since kZm is here, we have to do this one,” and the rapper came back onstage to perform the remix version of their collaborative number “EVERGREEN” together. The two artists’ well-coordinated performance set to the anthemic track was one of the biggest highlights of the day. Noda then performed “STRESS ME” featuring rap verses over a post-trap beat, and sat on a sofa to sing “BITTER BLUES,” which vividly conveys his current, genuine sentiments. The team of dancers appeared again for “WALTZ OF KARMA,” followed by the introspective “HAZY SIGH,” and the memoir-like mood of the solo work was faithfully recreated in the show.
During the second half of his set, he expressed his gratitude to HOLLY, the producer/beat maker from Portugal who had been DMing beats to Noda for several years and had motivated him to make his solo album. He then thanked the audience again, saying, “Standing here today, I felt like I can continue my musical journey from now on. Thank you, I owe it to you.” The stage then floated up into the air to the intro of “HYPER TOY,” and Noda sang the lyrics “We’re Wonder Boys on a runner’s high” over an exuberant hyper-pop track featuring the most electric guitar in the album, like the Wonder Boy he clearly was. Before the last song of the main set, he said, “I’m a little embarrassed, but can I sing this song for the finale?” and went on to sing “LAST LOVE LETTER,” which is also the last track on the album, and closed his first solo concert by communicating his love through the lyrics: “If we were to meet, could it be now? Cause I don’t think can wait any longer.”
Yojiro Noda
Takeshi Yao/Billboard Japan
The excited crowd wanted more, of course, but the singer had performed all 13 tracks off the album, and there was no mention of an encore in the set list that had been distributed to the press. However, Noda appeared on stage after a brief break. He sat down at the piano and touched on the news from that day that Sayuri, a singer-songwriter that he had written and produced a song for in the past, had passed away. He chose the song he had written for her, “Furaregaigirl,” for the encore, and sang through to the end while tearing up during parts of his performance. He finished his concert with the words “Thank you, Sayuri,” and the venue resonated with heartfelt applause.
—This article by Atsutake Kaneko first appeared on Billboard Japan
Meet RIWOO
Image Credit: JoongSan Yang
“When we learn the choreography for the first time, we usually learn choreography that is almost complete, but I feel like we have to include our own style,” RIWOO says of his creative specialty in the group. “If our members want to show something, I want to make sure we can express it and edit it a little so that it’s more BOYNEXTDOOR.”
BOYNEXTDOOR‘s latest single, “Nice Guy,” begins with the K-pop group crooning, “Don’t be such a wuss, Seoul is mine tonight/ Let’s rizz up all night” for a synth-pop anthem of declarative self-confidence. While it seems like a stark contrast from “Dangerous,” the rebellious pre-released buzz single about teens pushing curfew which kicked off the group’s 19.99 album, it all connects into BOYNEXTDOOR’s multifaceted world of limitless freedom and friendliness.
With less than a year and a half since their debut, Billboard’s K-Pop Rookie of the Month for October 2024 is seeing its message reaching audiences worldwide. 19.99 scored BOYNEXTDOOR’s first No. 1 on Billboard’s World Albums chart and top 40 entry on the Billboard 200, while the group has performed on festival stages in South Korea, Spain, Japan, Hong Kong, and the United States. The sextet has modeled for Korea’s most prominent brand, Samsung, but is also the face of Japan’s popular casual clothing brand, WEGO, and has competed for best new artist recognitions at the MAMA Awards, iHeartRadio Music Awards, Asian Pop Music Awards and beyond.
During a weekend morning interview and photoshoot with Billboard in Seoul, any understandable tiredness from BND takes a back seat as members Jaehyun, Sungho, Taesan, Riwoo, Leehan, and Woonhak excitedly emphasize their desire to connect with audiences through authenticity rather than just chart placements and awards. “Rankings aren’t everything,” Taesan says in the Zoom call. “Our priority is really talking about what we want to and conveying that to the audience in a very free kind of way. So, that’s what we try to do and I’m happy that is actually connecting with a lot of people out there. It makes us really proud.”
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Those themes are present in the narrative structure of 19.99, which is grounded in the guys’ real-life experiences. Without fixed roles within the group, BOYNEXTDOOR pride themselves on a collective creativity, where members can contribute across different areas like music, storytelling, choreography, stage direction and more. While half the group is credited as lyricists, and Riwoo added personal touches to their new choreographies, 19.99 has the DNA of all six stars divided throughout the EP.
That philosophy of artistic expression and prioritizing personal experiences and creativity over external pressures feels like a founding block of BOYNEXTDOOR’s label KOZ Entertainment, founded by boy band member-turned-chart-topping soloist-producer ZICO, that’s housed in the HYBE LABELS system. While ZICO has been a presence on the Billboard charts for over a decade (earning his first No. 1 on a U.S. sales chart earlier this year), BOYNEXTDOOR says his mentorship and tips have been crucial to the group’s impressive and quick takeoff.
“He always told us that you have to have a really good attitude and be cautious of how people would see you,” eldest member Sungho says of their mentor. “He always cared so much for us and gave us a lot of advice even before we debuted.”
With BOYNEXTDOOR’s first tour on the horizon and a growing global fanbase awaiting the group’s next steps, the “Nice Guy” singers remain ambitious to make Seoul — and every other city — their own by doing it their way. Read more on BOYNEXTDOOR’s story as the next group to watch as Billboard’s K-Pop Rookie of the Month for October 2024.
Congratulations on the latest chart success with 19.99, BOYNEXTDOOR! Do you feel the impact and that you’re growing your audience overseas?
TAESAN: Yes, we feel like more and more people are starting to like and enjoy our music, which we are very happy about. But you know, grades and rankings aren’t everything; grades aren’t our priority. Our priority is really talking about what we want to convey to the audience in a very free kind of way. So, that’s what we try to do and I’m happy that is actually connecting with a lot of people out there. It makes us really proud and gives us the confidence to stride forward.
19.99 starts a very different musical chapter from your previous trilogy of EPs. What are some of the differences between your past releases and this project?
SUNGHO: So, I think the “First Love” trilogy [the Who!, Why.., and How? EPs] was a big narrative that we had and tried to follow. When we were recording, creating and on stage, we tried to follow the overall kind of narrative and scenario that we had for the trilogy. But after that, with 19.99, rather than going with a narrative, this was an album where we really infused our experiences and the members’ stories. What we experience in our daily lives and what we go through is really infused in the tracks.
So, when we were recording or on stage, we felt like we were speaking our own language and just talking about what we experienced as boys. Even when we were performing, I think we focus more on our individual style and vibes… it’s more grounded and more heartfelt this time around. We paid more attention this time.
How do you express your stories? Is it sharing your experiences with each other? Writing lyrics? The concepts? Performing on stage?
JAEHYUN: I think my answer to that is really all of the above. It really starts at the very beginning of the creative process: we discuss a lot about what we want to talk about in the songs and in the album, so I think that naturally infuses into the songs — both in the songwriting and performance. So, we would talk a lot with the performance director and the music producers so that we could add our input into the lyrics and the overall concept of the performance as well. So, yeah, I think it’s all parts of what you brought up.
I see BOYNEXTDOOR as having a lot of freedom. There are no fixed positions within the team. Does that freedom allow you to be more creative, or is it difficult to balance that in a group dynamic?
TAESAN: As JAEHUYN said earlier, we are very heavily involved in the creative process; we have a big say. And as you said, we have a lot of freedom. Instead of thinking of that as a stress factor, we enjoy it because it gives us the freedom to be more creative and I think we’re even more eager to participate more in the creative process. So, rather than finding it difficult, I think it’s our fate to make these stages.
Even from your teaser videos, “friendliness” feels like a keyword for BOYNEXTDOOR. On one hand, artists who are so friendly can come off as less mysterious and intriguing. Do you have ideas or methods for bridging that gap?
JAEHYUN: I guess the secret lies in our music. So while we are friendly as people, our music can be mysterious; people can always wonder what’s coming next. You said that the name BOYNEXTDOOR is a very “friendly” name, but you never know who’s living next door. That boy might be a hip-hop lover, that boy might be a rock lover or love ballads. So, I think there is an air of mystery to that name as well. So, we kind of have both.
You deserve a lot of credit because not many rookies can say that and it feels like you’re sharing even more on 19.99. Can you share more about the title and what the EP represents?
WOONHAK: The six of us talked about what kind of album we wanted to make and what kind of music we wanted to do…
TAESAN: The producer asked us to talk about how we felt about our 20s one by one — [asking] “What was it like for you?” or “What do you expect from turning 20?” — and we gradually came up with the theme. After we came up with the theme of the number “20,” we discussed what kind of stories each of us wanted to incorporate into the album. JAEHYUN, WOONHAK and I actually wrote the lyrics based on that. We tried to capture 20 as much as possible in our own way.
When it comes to 20, the youngest member of BOYNEXTDOOR, WOONHAK, will soon be turning 20. Have your members shared any advice for you?
WOONHAK: So, instead of giving me advice directly in words, I think I just learned from them vicariously and naturally. Seeing them, I can understand that there are certain things that people don’t see or understand because I’m underage, you know? They recognize when I tell them I’m facing certain challenges and say, “That’s okay.” But when I do turn 20, there will be more responsibilities as an adult — and I see that through our leader JAEHUYN, our oldest SUNGHO, RIWOO, as well as TAESAN and LEEHAN. So, I think I kind of learn by looking at how they behave and take on different tasks. They continue to teach me a lot.
Along with JAEHYUN, TAESAN, and WOONHAK’s songwriting, how do you all collaborate creatively?
JAEHYUN: Although there are just three of us in the album credits, I think it really should be the six of us together because we talk a lot amongst ourselves and are sources of inspiration to each other. So, we would talk to other members and gain insight from their experiences and stories. So, all six of us are actually involved in the creative process.
SUNGHO: While JAEHYUN, TAESAN and WOONHAK are involved in the songwriting, in terms of the stage, RIWOO is really involved a lot in terms of the stage; when we actually go perform, he can lead the crowd. When we need to rehearse, we practice together under RIWOO’s guidance. He even creates and organizes the setlist and has a lot of input and ideas about the setlist. RIWOO is the one who has the most to say about our performances; each of us has such different personalities and individual styles, but RIWOO is the one who kind of becomes the anchor to help us combine and blend together as a group.
RIWOO: When we learn the choreography for the first time from choreographers, we usually learn choreography that is almost complete, but I feel like we have to include our own style into it and tweak it a little bit to make sure that it really fits our own style and not the choreographer’s style. From facial expressions to gestures and movements, I personally think about it a lot. If our members want to express something, I want to make sure we can express it and edit it a little so that it’s more BOYNEXTDOOR and our style.
Talking about stage performances, you recently announced your KNOCK ON Vol.1 tour. What are you preparing for your first tour? Do you think you’ll have more “volumes” or dates beyond Asia?
JAEHYUN: Our first concert is in the planning process, but there are a lot of stages and performances that we’ve saved for the concert. The stages that you’ve wanted to see and the performances that you wanted us to do, we’ve been saving them all to show you at our first concert so I think there will be a lot of stages that our fans, ONEDOOR, will really like.
LEEHAN: We’ll go anywhere. We’re willing to fly to anywhere where ONEDOOR exists. And we hope there are many more opportunities going forward to share these great times with ONEDOOR.
Do you have any worries ahead of the tour?
TAESAN: There will inevitably be some challenges because it’s our first concert and first tour, but I think we need to focus on how to overcome those difficulties. But I think what’s always on our mind is our next step forward — what we’re going to talk about in our next album.
I recently met with ZICO, and he spoke so affectionately about you. Do you notice that affection or is this his everyday self? Any fun stories you can share about your time with him?
SUNGHO: We actually noticed his affection ever since when we were trainees. He was always very worried about us. He always cared so much for us and gave us a lot of advice. Even before we debuted and after our debut, when we became “professionals,” he always told us that you always have to have a really good attitude and be cautious of how people see you. But the difference between the days when we just debuted and now is that in the early rookie days, he would try to really help and assist us in all kinds of ways. But now I think he really respects us as professionals and that we have our own way of communication and style. And then when he thinks we need help or if there are parts where he can help us, he will kind of jump in. I don’t really remember any specific anecdotes to share…
WOONHAK: I actually do remember one! He said, “I regret taking really bad selfies.” [All laugh.] So, we should really make sure that we take nice selfies.
JAEHYUN: My father! There are so many funny moments. Recently, ZICO has been telling me to show him some aegyo, like doing something cute or adorable, because he said that JAEHYUN as a trainee and JAEHYUN as a member of an idol group is really different. So, he wants me to show him those aegyo moments like I do with ONEDOOR, but for him. So, he’ll kind of tease me, telling me, “Can you show me some aegyo?!?” [Laughs.]
Any other messages you want to share with international fans or Billboard readers at this time?
JAEHYUN: Thank you for loving our tracks. I’m happy to see our songs on the Billboard charts and I hope you all keep loving them.
TAESAN: Please stay tuned for our tour and our concert. I hope that we’ll have more opportunities to go to other continents and other countries as well!
WOONHAK: Love you!!!
As the last rays of sunlight illuminated the facade of CasaSur Palermo Hotel on Wednesday night, the first fans began to arrive. News spread like wildfire on social media: Liam Payne, former member of the boy band One Direction, had died after falling from a third-floor hotel room. The shock was immediate, and within hours, dozens of followers gathered at the makeshift shrine in front of the place where the 31-year-old British singer met his tragic end. Buenos Aires, the city that embraced him in life, was now bidding him farewell in death.
Payne, one of the voices that defined a generation of pop music, had arrived in Argentina to attend former bandmate Niall Horan‘s concert at the Movistar Arena, amid a resurgence of fame following his recent solo musical projects. However, no one could have imagined that this trip would become his final goodbye. The fateful fall from his hotel room left his followers engulfed in collective grief, which most are trying to process from the sidewalk on Costa Rica Street, where candles, flowers and letters have filled the scene.
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A vigil that never ends
“I can’t process it; I’m still in shock. He was a fundamental part of my childhood, he meant everything to me,” says 22-year-old Martina, one of the first fans to arrive at the makeshift shrine. With a trembling voice, she recalls the moment she first heard the British band: “I was in the car with my dad when I heard ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ for the first time, and from that day, I never let them go. From that moment on, their music became an essential part of my life. Every song accompanied me through different stages, from happy moments to the hardest times. It was as if they always had the exact words for what I was experiencing,” she continued. “One Direction was much more than a band for me; they were my refuge.”
The area in front of the hotel transformed into a space of catharsis for Payne’s followers. The pain is palpable, but so is the sense of camaraderie. Twenty-five-year-old Felicitas, wearing a Harry Styles shirt, arrived with flowers to pay tribute: “When I found out, I couldn’t process it. I felt like the world stopped for a moment. Everything he had meant to me crumbled in seconds. The idea that someone so present in my life was no longer here was devastating,” she says, tears streaming down her face. Like her, dozens of young fans gathered to remember the singer’s life, singing his songs and sharing anecdotes that connect them to the British artist.
Billboard Argentina
The Impact of His Death
Payne’s sudden death shook the entertainment world, especially among One Direction fans who had grown up listening to their songs. The group, formed on The X Factor in the U.K. in 2010, quickly became a global phenomenon. Their music became the soundtrack to the adolescence of millions of young people worldwide. According to Spotify, One Direction has more than 40 million monthly listeners on the platform, even years after their breakup. Songs like “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Story of My Life” continue to be anthems defining a generation.
Twenty-three-year-old Ludmilla explains it succinctly: “Every song was part of our story, a reflection of what we were living. They helped us feel understood, find comfort, and above all, connect with each other. They were not just a band; they were the thread that united us and accompanied us as we grew and discovered the world.”
The latest police report revealed disturbing details about the state of the room where Payne died. According to sources, pills, a nearly empty whiskey bottle, and other substances suggesting possible drug abuse were found. Investigations are ongoing, but these details have added another layer of tragedy to an already painful loss. The exact circumstances of his fall remain a subject of debate, but for the fans gathered at the shrine, the details matter less than the void he left behind.
The vigil on Costa Rica Street continues. Television channels broadcast live, but for the young women who remain there, the focus is on remembering the good times and bidding farewell to their idol with the music that united them. “I don’t know how I’m going to get through this,” says 25-year-old Candela, a Chilean fan living in Buenos Aires. With a notebook in hand, she wrote a letter now resting at the makeshift altar alongside flowers and photos. As the candles burn low and the noise of the city begins to envelop the scene once again, the words of one fan resonate in the air: “With his absence, he took a part of our existence.”
Billboard Argentina