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MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN has unveiled the nominees for all 50 categories to be honored at the inaugural event set for May 21 and 22 in Kyoto.
The finalists were selected from the approximately 3,000 entries revealed in March, through a preliminary vote by artists, creatives, media-related and other music industry professionals, with some awards open to general listeners. After a final vote including overseas voting members, the winners will be announced at the award ceremony next month.
In the six main categories — Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year, Top Global Hit from Japan, Best Song Asia — artists and acts that have graced the charts and excited music listeners are up for awards: Creepy Nuts (“Bling-Bang-Bang-Born”), YOASOBI (“Idol”), Mrs. GREEN APPLE (“Lilac,” ANTENNA), Fujii Kaze (“Michi Teyu Ku (Overflowing),” LOVE ALL SERVE ALL), Rosé & Bruno Mars (“APT.”), Kenshi Yonezu (LOST CORNER), FRUITS ZIPPER, Kocchi no Kento, Number_i, and aespa (“Supernova”), to name just a few.
Kazutoyo Koyabu, Asuka Kijima, Ko Matsushima, the Founder of arne inc. and music critic Tomonori Shiba took to the stage at the event announcing the nominees. Koyabu, a popular comedian and musician, noted, “These are artists that even an old guy like me has heard of,” while Kijima, a model and actress, said, “Everyone will be satisfied no matter who wins, because they’re all outstanding artists.” The nominees in the Top Global Hit from Japan category selected by overseas listeners include a diverse range of tracks, such as songs featured in games, anime show openers, songs familiar from TikTok, and tracks by artists with a notable global presence. Check out all the nominees at the official MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN website.
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Find the nominees of the six main categories below:
Song of the Year
(Recognition for the song with the most outstanding musical creativity and artistry.)
Rosé & Bruno Mars “APT.”
Creepy Nuts “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born”
YOASOBI “Idol”
Fujii Kaze “Michi Teyu Ku (Overflowing)”
Mrs. GREEN APPLE “Lilac”
Album of the Year
(Recognition for the album with the most outstanding musical creativity and artistry.)
Mrs. GREEN APPLE, ANTENNA
Kenshi Yonezu, LOST CORNER
Fujii Kaze, LOVE ALL SERVE ALL
Vaundy, replica
Hikaru Utada, SCIENCE FICTION
Artist of the Year
(Recognition for the artist with the most outstanding musical creativity and artistry.)
Creepy Nuts
Mrs. GREEN APPLE
Vaundy
YOASOBI
Fujii Kaze
New Artist of the Year
Recognition for the new artist who demonstrated outstanding musical creativity and artistry.
FRUITS ZIPPER
Number_i
Omoinotake
tuki.
Kocchi no Kento
Top Global Hit From Japan
(Recognition for the Japanese song that became a global hit.)
Lotus Juice/Azumi Takahashi “It’s Going Down Now”
XG “WOKE UP”
YOASOBI “Idol”
Fujii Kaze “Shinunoga E-wa”
Miki Matsubara “Mayonaka no Door – stay with me”
Best Song Asia
(Recognition for the Asian hit song that was popular across Asian countries.)
Bernadya “Satu Bulan” (Indonesia)
REGINA SONG “the cutest pair” (Singapore)
aespa “Supernova” (South Korea)
PLAVE “WAY 4 LUV” (South Korea)
JEFF SATUR “GHOST” (Thailand)
MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN 2025 KYOTO
Date of the ceremony: Wednesday, May 21 and Thursday, May 22, 2025
MAJ Week: From Saturday, May 17 to Friday, May 23, 2025
Venue: ROHM Theatre Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
Domestic live broadcast of May 22 event on NHK; global stream of events on both days on YouTube scheduled (some regions excluded).
The inaugural MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN ceremony, the largest music awards in the country, is set to take place in May in Kyoto. Embodying the theme of “Connecting the world, illuminating the future of music,” the new international music awards is hosted by the Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA), an association jointly established by five major organizations in the Japanese music industry.
This year’s MAJ will recognize works and artists in more than 60 categories, including the six major awards for Song of the Year, Artist of the Year and more, which have gained significant attention and recognition from Jan. 29, 2024 to Jan. 26, 2025. The entries for each category were announced last month and the nominees for each category was revealed Thursday (Apr. 17).
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The third installment of Billboard Japan’s series exploring the trends and characteristics of MAJ will focus on the entries in the Best Cross-Border Collaboration Song category that honors songs written in collaboration between domestic and overseas artists. Let’s take a look at how Japanese music interacts with the world, using data of the entries for this award.
The Artists’ Involvement in the Creative Process is Key
We divided the 50 entries into five types and calculated the percentage of songs in each. “JOINT PERFORMANCE” refers to co-writing as well as joint performances, and “FEATURING” refers to guest appearances (remixes of existing songs fall under “REMIX”). More than half the entries fall under JOINT PERFORMANCE or FEATURING.
“PRODUCE” refers to tracks where artists from overseas participate as producers in songs by Japanese artists, and accounts for 24% of the total. This includes Fujii Kaze’s “Feelin’ Go(o)d”, f5ve’s “UFO” (both produced by A.G. Cook), and ONE OR EIGHT’s “Don’t Tell Nobody” (produced by Ryan Tedder of One Republic).
For many of the songs that fall under JOINT PERFORMANCE, FEATURING and PRODUCE, the artists themselves participated in the creative process, such as writing the lyrics and composing the music. In the second installment of this series, we noted that the entries in the Top Global Hits from Japan category seem to be slightly more oriented towards artists who write and perform their own works compared to those up for the Song of the Year award, which honors songs popular in Japan. The same can be said for collaborative works that span countries and regions. It seems that, compared to within Japan, it’s more important for artists to be actively involved in the creative process overseas, both from the perspective of listeners and creators.
Affinity With the Collaborators’ Nationalities
The above shows the share of each country/region excluding Japan, calculated by adding up the number of streams of all entries in the Best Cross-Border Collaboration Song category during the tallying period. The country with the highest share was the United States, and it also leads the list of the collaborators’ nationalities, which we’ll touch on later, but the order below second place didn’t match the collaborators’ nationalities at all. This shows that the collaborators’ nationalities and the countries/regions where the songs are actually listened to do not necessarily match.
For example, “Bekhauf,” the collab between BABYMETAL and the Indian metal band Bloodywood, accounted for 1% of the streaming numbers in India. Meanwhile, “RATATATA,” the collab between BABYMETAL and the German metal band Electric Callboy, accounted for 49% of the streaming numbers in Germany. One reason for this difference is that the market for metal music in Germany is more mature than in India. From this trend, we can see that affinity with the collaborators’ nationality is also an important factor in maximizing the effect of collaborations.
Countries/regions Interested in Collabs Between Japanese and Foreign Acts
Megan Thee Stallion’s “Mamushi (feat. Yuki Chiba)” was the collaborative number with the most streams among this year’s entries, with an large share in multiple countries/regions including the U.S. (68%), the Philippines (79%), India and South Africa (both 87%). When there’s a song with such an overwhelming share, the overall share is greatly influenced by the trend of that song.
So to identify countries/regions with high interest in collaborative songs in general, rather than a specific one, we extracted the top 10 countries/regions for each song’s streaming numbers and compiled the number of songs that charted in the top 10 by country/region. Countries/regions ranked multiple times in the top 10 of each song’s list likely have strong tendencies to consistently support collabs between Japanese and overseas artists.
Top Countries Excl. Japan by Streams According to Luminate
Total Number of Entry Songs in Top 10 by Country/Region
Canada, Indonesia, and Taiwan came in at Nos. 2, 3, and 4. These are all countries/regions that didn’t rank high in terms of collaborators’ nationalities and streaming numbers. These countries/regions are considered to have high interest in songs featuring Japanese artists, regardless of who they collaborate with. Taiwan, in particular, had 32 songs in the top 10 despite its relatively small population.
The Properties of Collaborative Songs
Next, looking at the domestic and international streaming shares of the entries in the Best Cross-Border Collaboration Song category during the tallying period, 78% of the total streaming count for all 50 songs combined came from outside Japan. This is higher than the percentage of overseas streams for the entries in the Top Global Hits from Japan category, an award for Japanese music being listened to outside the country (59%), indicating that collaborative songs are more actively listened to overseas. Approximately 80% of the songs weren’t linked to other works or products, suggesting that whether or not a collaborative song is a tie-in doesn’t influence its popularity.
The chart above shows the genre breakdown of the entries. Soul/R&B accounts for 22% of the total, largely due to the six songs by SIRUP that made the list. Hip-Hop/Rap accounts for 20%, and here, all tracks except for two by Chanmina are by different artists. Notably, the share in this genre is 15% more than the 5% in Top Global Hits from Japan.
The percentage of the collaborators’ nationalities was calculated based on the number of artists. The United States (27%) had the highest percentage, with many collaborations with rappers such as Megan Thee Stallion and Big Sean. The United Kingdom (18%) featured artists associated with Hikaru Utada, such as Sam Smith and A.G. Cook.
South Korea has entries featuring rappers such as ASH ISLAND and Zion.T, as well as collaborative tracks with dance and vocal groups like ATEEZ. Three songs have entered from Thailand: BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE’s “Meant to be feat. F.HERO & BOOM BOOM CASH,” ATARASHII GAKKO!’s “Drama (feat. MILLI),” and HYBS x SIRUP’s “I’m Blessed.”
Cross-border collaborations are becoming an important channel connecting Japanese music with the world, and the Best Cross-Border Collaboration Song award is a symbolic category that captures this global trend. We hope this award will serve as an opportunity to further enhance the presence of Japanese artists in the international music scene.
Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “KUSUSHIKI” rises 6-1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, on the chart released April 16.
The three-man band’s latest single is being featured as the opener for the anime series The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Part 2. The song was digitally released on April 5 and debuted on the chart last week at No. 6 despite having only two days to count towards the chart week. Looking at each metric, the track rules streaming (313% week-over-week) and comes in at No. 2 for downloads (92%) and video views (275%), and No. 4 for radio airplay. Other songs by the hitmakers also only saw slight decreases in points and 17 continue to chart on the Japan Hot 100.
HANA’s “ROSE” drops a notch to No. 2 after bowing atop the chart last week. Downloads and video views for the brand-new girl group’s debut single are down to 42% and 78%, respectively, but streaming and radio have gained to 131% and 168% week-over-week. Perhaps due to the impact of its debut at No. 1 last week, the track is spreading across various platforms.
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Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac” slips to No. 3. Logging its 53rd week on the Japan Hot 100, downloads for the Oblivion Battery opener have gained to 112% and only show slight decreases in other metrics: streaming at 99%, radio at 73%, video at 94%, and karaoke at 87% compared to the week before.
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NMB48’s “Chu Strike” bows at No. 4. The group’s 31st single launches with 253,080 CDs, more than its predecessor, to rule sales this week and comes in at No. 63 for radio.
Sakanaction’s “Kaiju” follows at No. 5. Radio airplay for the track is up to 114% compared to last week and karaoke to 118%. The Orb: On the Movements of the Earth opener comes in at No. 14 for downloads, No. 5 for streaming, No. 22 for radio, No. 4 for video, and No. 18 for karaoke.
Snow Man unleashed its catalog on digital platforms during the chart week (April 7) and six tracks by the popular boy band have charted. “Brother Beat” currently leads the pack, hitting No. 48 on the Japan Hot 100 (No. 12 for downloads, No. 51 for streaming), “Tapestry” is at No. 52 (No. 8 for downloads, No. 62 for streaming, No. 93 for video), “Dangerholic” is at No. 64 (No. 23 for downloads, No. 66 for streaming), “D.D.” is at No. 77 (No. 26 for downloads, No. 79 for streaming), “EMPIRE” is at No. 87 (No. 19 for downloads, No. 88 for streaming), and “SBY” is at No. 98 (No. 21 for downloads, No. 57 for streaming).
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 April 7 to 13, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.
Billboard’s data partner Luminate has signed a new partnership with South Korean firm KreatorsNetwork, granting the company exclusive rights to distribute Luminate’s global music streaming data, consumer insights, and metadata products via its CONNECT platform in South Korea.
The agreement, announced on Tuesday (April 16), positions KreatorsNetwork as Luminate’s sole authorized reseller in the Korean market, providing localized access to global streaming analytics and music intelligence tools for labels, distributors, and music marketers.
“At Luminate, we are dedicated to working with partners across the entertainment industry at a global level, helping them to make data-informed decisions in an ever-evolving media landscape,” said Luminate CEO Rob Jonas in a statement. “We’re glad to enter this new partnership with KreatorsNetwork, which allows us to amplify our service within such an influential and forward-thinking international market.”
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Steve Shin, CEO of KreatorsNetwork, added: “After serving K-pop labels for the past five years via data-driven promotional strategies, we are confident that Luminate’s expertise will help us pave the way for the Korean music industry’s move to the next phase of global expansion.”
The deal comes at a moment of continued global growth in music streaming, particularly across Asia. According to Luminate’s 2024 Year-End Music Report, global on-demand audio streams reached 4.8 trillion last year — up 14% from 2023. While the U.S. saw a 6.4% increase, ex-U.S. markets grew by 17.3%, with Asia leading the way in premium (paid) streaming growth. South Korea, in particular, was among the top ten countries globally for premium streaming expansion, up 14.7% year-over-year.
For Luminate, the partnership strengthens its presence in one of the world’s most influential music markets, while offering Korean music companies more robust access to tools for analyzing streaming performance, audience behavior, and cross-border trends.
Luminate’s CONNECT platform — launched in 2024 — provides a centralized dashboard for global music data, consumer insights, and metadata delivery, and is designed to support music clients with real-time intelligence for campaign planning and market expansion.
04/14/2025
Being in one of the world’s biggest girl groups has its fair share of haters, but both BLACKPINK divas came ready to show the world what they could do in the desert.
04/14/2025
ENHYPEN, a group formed through a Korean survival competition show in 2020, headlined its first offline concert in September 2022 before mounting a world tour with record-breaking speed. Its performance at Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan, came less than three years after its Korean debut and 18 months after its Japanese debut, marking the shortest time it has taken for any K-pop boy group to reach such scale.
The group’s 2024 album, Romance: Untold, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. In April, it took the stage at Coachella — one of the largest music festivals in the world. But ENHYPEN isn’t stopping there. Billboard Korea sat down with the seven-member group to find out what’s next.
Last year was a memorable one for ENHYPEN in many ways, especially since you reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with Romance: Untold.
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JUNGWON: We spent a lot of time touring overseas last year, meeting ENGENEs [ENHYPEN fans] from all over the world during our Fate Plus tour and kicking off a new one called Walk the Line. 2024 was a year full of touring, and our schedule was incredibly busy. We learned and accomplished so much — especially by visiting places we hadn’t been to before, like Japan. We’ve grown in many ways, from stage performances to music video direction and interpreting songs more deeply. Never satisfied, ENHYPEN continues to evolve and dream of eternity.
Speaking of Japan, it must have been especially meaningful for NI-KI, since it’s his home country.
NI-KI: We give our best at every concert, but performing in my home country definitely puts me in a different mind-set. Since I’m the only member who speaks fluent Japanese, I feel a stronger desire to make the atmosphere feel more natural — to connect with the crowd, respond to them in the moment and help everyone enjoy the experience even more.
Your group became the fastest K-pop boy band to perform at the Tokyo Dome, performing there less than three years after debuting.
JAKE: We’ve had the honor of achieving a lot of firsts, and that’s all thanks to the incredible love and support we’ve received from our fans — we’re truly grateful. Of course, there’s pressure that comes with it, but it’s the kind of pressure that pushes us in a good way. Our goal isn’t just to be the first — it’s to keep growing and reaching even greater heights.
What does being “high up” mean to you?
JUNGWON: No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. (Everyone laughs.)
JAKE: It was really cool to see the Billboard sign above our photo today. At our company, the trainees print out the Billboard Hot 100 every week and post it in the lounge so they can watch how trends change. It’s kind of surreal because I went through that process myself not too long ago.
ENHYPEN recently headed to California to take the stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
JUNGWON: Maybe it’s just me, but it really feels like the culmination of everything we’ve been working toward. We’ve all contributed so much — not just to the performance, but to the entire production and rehearsal process. We had a lot of discussions about the setup and the elements involved in each part of the show. I think this performance holds a piece of ENHYPEN’s history.
I’ve heard there was a mobile gaming craze within the team at one point. Who’s the one driving that trend?
SUNGHOON: It kind of depends on the category. For example, when it comes to buzzwords, HEESEUNG usually takes the lead. But when it comes to mobile games, that’s definitely JUNGWON.
JAKE: When we’re on tour, we have a lot of downtime, so we end up playing a lot of mobile games, cracking jokes and things like that. JUNGWON will usually recommend a game, and then we all get into it.
JUNGWON: Because I like nerdy stuff. (Laughs.)
So who’s the least fashionable?
Everyone: SUNOO? (Everyone laughs.)
SUNOO: I guess I just don’t put that much thought into fashion. I usually focus on other things, like gaming, so I tend to keep it simple.
NI-KI is best-known for his group Shiny Kids, and he performed with Taemin at the 2024 MBC Music Awards, which were recorded Dec. 31 and aired Jan. 30.
NI-KI: My parents were more excited than I was. They kept calling and messaging me. They were actually my introduction to K-pop, so it felt kind of surreal to be onstage in front of SHINee fans and ENGENEs.
I read somewhere that JAY, JAKE and JUNGWON don’t really have anything in common — aside from their names all starting with the letter “J.”
JAKE: He’s different in pretty much every way — what he eats, what he wears — he’s basically my polar opposite. He’s incredibly conscientious when he’s focused and incredibly lazy when he’s not. He definitely has his ups and downs. One day, he’ll be completely immobile, barely eat and stay really quiet. Then the next day, he’ll be super active: going out at dawn, staying out for three hours and coming back in like nothing happened.
JAY: He’s like most people; he’ll suggest something, then not do it. He’ll be like, “Want to play a game after work?” and then go to sleep first. (Laughs.)
JAKE: I just don’t find it easy to do things spontaneously. I’m more of a “set in stone” kind of guy.
JUNGWON: Jay’s the opposite. He has tons of hobbies and endless curiosity. He dabbles in all sorts of things. Right now, he’s studying French and playing guitar. He’ll get really into something for a while, then stop and later come back to it. But to be honest, I don’t think I fully know his personality. He’s very different when he’s working and when he’s not.
We can’t talk about ramen without mentioning HEESEUNG. Do you have any new recipes you’d like to share with ENGENEs?
HEESEUNG: I made seafood ramen the other day, and I highly recommend it. I used oyster sauce, chili oil, sesame oil and chili powder. It turned out really flavorful.
HEESEUNG, you’re known as one of ENHYPEN’s most dedicated members. Do you have anything new in store for ENGENEs?
HEESEUNG: Whenever we create a good song, we’re always eager to share it with ENGENEs, and we’ll continue making more. There are so many things we want to try. Each of us works on music individually — whether that’s collaborating with a producer we’re close to or creating tracks on our own, like Jay does with his guitar. Of course, there’s the process of producing a song, but for us, it’s also about giving each other feedback and discussing direction. We’re working on making our musical communication more three-dimensional and diverse.
SUNOO, you mentioned 2023 as a turning point and 2024 as a year of growth and experience. What do you think 2025 will look like?
SUNOO: When you’ve put in the preparation and hard work, I think it’s time to make an impact. There’s still a lot I want to improve, but in 2025, I hope to show a version of myself that’s even more ready.
You’ve become almost synonymous with hard work. By the time of your last tour, you must have gained a lot of experience. What keeps you going?
SUNGHOON: It’s a job where you’re constantly being seen by others. I’m not a perfectionist by nature, but I always want to present the best version of myself in the moment. So when I’m filming, I sometimes ask to reshoot because I’m not satisfied with how it turned out — even if it means the other members have to redo it, too, which makes me feel a bit sorry. Still, I think I’ve grown little by little, just doing a bit of everything every day over the past four years. It’s the small efforts I’ve built up, day by day, that have brought me to where I am now.
You’ve mentioned that ENHYPEN albums and music videos have a clear story and concept. How involved are you in shaping them?
JUNGWON: Those elements are mostly decided by the company, while we focus more on the music and performances. We often talk about this during award shows and year-end concerts, but the truth is, there are so many people working behind the scenes, often getting even less sleep than we do. It’s our job to bring their concepts to life and execute them as best as we can.
Are you working on something new with them?
SUNGHOON: All the time. There’s always a lot going on.
JUNGWON mentioned earlier that your goal is to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. If that day comes, what do you think the members would be talking about?
JAKE: When I imagine that moment, I just hope we get to celebrate and have a chill party with the guys.
SUNGHOON: I think we’d definitely talk about the past. We’d probably start from the beginning and go all the way back — like, even 10 years ago. I’m pretty sure some of us would cry.
JUNGWON: SUNOO might be crying, and HEESEUNG.
When do you think you’ll hit No. 1?
Heeseung: Soon. (Laughs.)
Yu Sakai has recently released his eighth album, PASADENA. The album’s title comes from Pasadena, a city on the outskirts of Los Angeles where he lived when he moved on his own to the U.S. to become a musician. Four of the songs on the album were recorded in L.A., which he has such fond memories of, and the other four songs on the album were created in Tokyo and produced by Shingo Suzuki (Ovall), a musician whom Yu engaged in friendly rivalry after returning to Japan. There are also three bonus tracks, which he recorded in New York last year and which have only been available on streaming until now.
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In October of last year, Yu celebrated the 15th anniversary of his debut. Billboard JAPAN talked to him about his hopes for his new album, which represents a return to his roots. He also spoke about his recent performance on Tiny Desk Concerts in Washington D.C.
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What led you to start working on the new album, and when did you begin?
It was after we’d finished all of our work on my best hits album (Yu Sakai’s Playlist [White and Black]). I finished the album tour in March of last year, and then beginning in the summer, I starting recording in both L.A. and Japan.
Could you start by talking a bit about recording in L.A.? The producers and songwriters on the new album have worked with world-famous artists like John Legend, Usher, TLC, and Anderson .Paak. Did you co-write the songs?
We co-wrote everything from scratch.
So it started with you going into the studio and playing the piano?
Right. Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but the tracks that they’d prepared for me just weren’t what I was looking for, so I ended up rejecting all of them. They’d created the songs with me in mind. They were all really cool songs, but they didn’t have clear features that shouted “Yu Sakai.” Trying to add those features to the songs they’d already made would have just resulted in a confusing jumble, so I thought it would be faster to start from scratch. We co-wrote the four songs from the ground up.
Were there any creators involved in the L.A. recordings that particularly stood out?
Sam Barsh, who co-wrote “Amakunai Kikenna Kaori,” is a great pianist. I just wanted to hang out with him for a whole day, playing piano, just the two of us. His good qualities really come across in the song. It has this funky, jazzy, urban harmony with a solid beat.
What kind of song were you going for with “PASADENA,” which you digitally released as a single?
L.A. It’s not the kind of song you could make in New York (laughs).
So it has that crisp, fresh groove because you wrote it in L.A.
Exactly. From the start, I’d decided three things: I wanted the listener to be able to picture the scene the moment they heard the music, I wanted this song to be the first song on the album, and I wanted to end the album with a ballad. I decided on the album title, PASADENA, on the same day when we co-wrote the song. I was like, “This album’s got to be called PASADENA!”
You released the song “PASADENA” last December, and this January, the city of Pasadena was hit by wildfires.
I never expected to see anything like that.
The whole situation is so heart-breaking. But the song “Pasadena” starts with the line “I’m back,” and then in the chorus, you’re singing “Pasadena Beautiful,” so it’s also like a song of encouragement for the city.
Yeah, you’re right. I’m still worried about Pasadena, and my heart goes out to everyone affected by the fires. It’s become an unforgettable song for me.
What is the theme of “What About You?”
Politics. It’s asking “What are you going to do?” My own stance is one of active resignation, and my way of thinking can be summed up with “Amakunai Kikenna Kaori” and “Gotta Get Up.”
So the message you were trying to convey was that people should get actively involved with politics?
Yes. Even if you choose to have no interest in politics, you can’t choose to live a life unaffected by politics. Both “What About You” and “Gotta Get Up” have the same message. I think there are a lot of people who are faced by this impossibly huge foe and can’t imagine any way to solve the problems we face, so they feel powerless and they give up engaging with politics. They feel that there’s nothing that ordinary people like us can do. But even if politicians lie, I don’t think government data lies, so one thing we can do is keep a close watch on the data and speak up. Even simply doing that will shine a little light on them.
What were you thinking about when you wrote “Amakunai Kikenna Kaori?”
I wrote about all the nonsense in the world, putting it in song form for people to have fun with. There’s this strange smell all around us, you know? Something you can smell, but you just can’t see. But people are fighting about it. “Look, I told you you could see it!” “What?! Why can’t you see it?!” That’s what the song is about. Arguing is fine, but they’re creating division so we fight each other. We’ve all got to come together.
That ties into “Understanding” and its theme of mutual understanding.
Exactly. “Understanding” is also about politics and history. I guess that’s the mindset I was in with this album.
Changing topics, this March you recorded a Tiny Desk Concert in Washington D.C. Honestly, how was it?
It was and will always be one of the most fun trips I’ve ever taken. It was three nights and six days, though, so it was hard (laughs). I was so nervous and excited that I didn’t catch a wink of sleep the night before. I wanted to keep my vocal cords in good condition, so I didn’t talk to anyone. I just lay in bed thinking, “I’m looking so forward to this. I wonder what it’s going to be like. It’s an office, so does that mean the sound is going to be deadened? Whatever, I get to sing along to Nate Smith’s drumming. I can’t wait.”
Which songs did you perform?
“Get it together,” which is a song I recorded in L.A. a while ago. It’s a laid-back song, but we upped the tempo a bit to make it a good fit for a set opener. I also wanted to do a J-pop medley, so we performed a medley of “Story,” “Gaze, Daydream,” and “Rose & Rhodes,” featuring about a minute and a half of each song, and then we ended with “Sinatra, The Darkness Of Cherry Blossom.” The song is about New York, but Washington is famous for its cherry blossoms, so I wanted to perform it. It was like a 20 minute show. Those 20 minutes went by in the blink of an eye, though.
Yu Sakai
Billboard Japan
What should people watch out for when they see your Tiny Desk Concert?
Playing J-pop in an office right there in Washington D.C. I hope true music fans in America will feel the joy of listening to J-pop.
You started recording overseas around 10 years after your debut, and you began doing more collaborations with overseas musicians. What aspects of you, as an artist, do you think this brings out?
It’s hard to put into words, but it’s not like I think that anything that’s foreign is superior. Japan has its own distinct sound. I like American music, but I’m not a fan of just one specific nationality. If I was head over heels for American music, I’d move to New Orleans, like guitarist June Yamagishi. I’d live over there and make it my base of operations. But I prefer Cape Ashizuri (in Kochi Prefecture) to America. It’s more like when an opportunity arises and the stars are aligned, I’ll go and jam, weaving the tapestry of my own music.
—This interview by Takashi Inomata first appeared on Billboard Japan
Awich dropped a new song called “Butcher Shop feat. FERG” on digital platforms last Friday (April 11) at midnight Japan time.
RZA, founding member of Wu-Tang Clan who has greatly influenced hip-hop history, produced the track, the first single from Awich’s album that he produced in full. The collaborative track is a bold number with a global and classic hip-hop feel.
The “Bad B***h Bigaku” rapper and Gravediggaz artist first met when the latter visited Japan a few years ago. They felt a deep resonance both musically and spiritually from the beginning and hit it off immediately. For RZA, who has incorporated Asian culture into his work with Wu-Tang Clan, and for Awich, who was preparing to make her U.S. debut, it was a natural progression from there to start collaborating. The YENTOWN MC spent time at RZA’s base, Wu Mansion, to take in his ideas and sound approach, and over time she built the foundation for her new album.
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Awich had been interacting with FERG, the featured artist on her new release, since before, when she performed at music festivals overseas and visited New York. At a live event hosted by Jordan Brand earlier this year, the rapper made a surprise appearance on stage with Awich and the two performed this song for the first time. Awich and FERG’s the backgrounds and skills clash in the mic relay of this track, thrillingly developed by RZA’s precise and cinematic production.
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“Butcher Shop is a place where the three realities of Okinawa, where I was born and raised, Tokyo, where I live now, and New York intersect,” says Awich about this single. “Together with the legendary RZA and FERG, a supreme artist who embodies the streets, we’ve carved out today’s borderless atmosphere with cutting words and beats. This song is a crossroads where everything collides: Japan and New York, culture, fashion, luxury, fun, sin and its price. Everyone brings their own ‘meat’ and carves up the truth. Welcome to our Butcher Shop.”
The accompanying music video, which the press release says is immersive like a short film featuring performances by Awich and FERG set to RZA’s signature dark and majestic worldview, was unveiled Monday (April 14) at 8 p.m. Japan time.
Awich’s new single follows her recent collaborative track called “ASIAN STATE OF MIND” featuring South Korea’s Jay Park, India’s KR$NA, Masiwei, the leader of the Chinese group Higher Brothers, and Cambodia’s VannDa released at the end of February.
The rapper has also been giving back to the community, organizing the Know The World – Awich Global Education Project – (Study Abroad in Atlanta & Study Abroad in the City) program for the second year in a row. This project reflects her wish to contribute towards solving the issues of child poverty, experience discrepancy and education in her home prefecture of Okinawa by providing free English learning opportunities to young people.
The program aims to foster a spirit of “turning adversity into strength” through international exchange experiences and studying abroad. 100 young people from low-income households in Okinawa, from first year high school to those aged 22, will be provided with free “study abroad in the city” homestay experiences with foreign families in the prefecture, and three people will be provided with free short-term study abroad experiences in Atlanta, where Awich studied, after the local homestay stint.
After more than a decade of building one of Australia’s most beloved indie catalogues, Ball Park Music has officially reached the top.
The Brisbane five-piece scores its first-ever No. 1 album on the ARIA Albums Chart with Like Love, debuting at the summit on the chart dated April 11. It’s the band’s eighth studio album — and the first to reach the top spot after a long streak of near-misses. Until now, three of the band’s releases had stalled at No. 2: Puddinghead (2014), Ball Park Music (2020), and Weirder & Weirder (2022). Seven of their albums have landed in the top 10.
Like Love also claims a key milestone as the first Australian-made album to top the ARIA Albums Chart in 2025.
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The last local release to hit No. 1 was Kylie Minogue’s Tension II, which opened at the summit in late October 2024. That was one of six Australian albums to top the chart last year — an achievement that speaks to the rarity of homegrown titles hitting No. 1 in today’s global streaming-dominated landscape.
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The band will celebrate the release of Like Love with a massive 30-date tour across Australia and New Zealand, kicking off May 2 at the Forth Pub in Tasmania. The album was released independently via the band’s own label, and continues their streak of success as a self-managed, self-releasing act — a rarity in an industry dominated by major-label machinery.
In this week’s top three, Ball Park Music holds off strong international competition from Sabrina Carpenter’s Short N’ Sweet at No. 2 and Tate McRae’s So Close to What at No. 3.
Melbourne metalcore band Thornhill enters the ARIA Albums Chart at No. 4 with BODIES, continuing their upward trajectory. The band’s debut album The Dark Road peaked at No. 20 in 2019, followed by Heroine, which hit No. 3 in 2022.
Elton John also enters the chart this week at No. 26 with Who Believes in Angels?, a collaborative collection with Brandi Carlile. It marks his 42nd top 40 album in Australia. His first ARIA top 20 entry dates back to 1971’s Elton John (No. 2), and his last studio effort to crack the top 20 was The Lockdown Sessions, which peaked at No. 2 in 2021.
Folk legend and ARIA Hall of Fame inductee John Williamson also makes a new chart appearance at No. 51 with How Many Songs. The prolific songwriter has released over 20 studio albums and first hit No. 1 in 1989 with Warragul. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010 and remains one of Australia’s most enduring voices in country and folk music.
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Alex Warren’s breakout hit “Ordinary” holds the No. 1 position for a third straight week, continuing its impressive reign. Rosé and Bruno Mars’ collaborative single “APT” holds steady at No. 2, while Chappell Roan’s viral anthem “Pink Pony Club” climbs to a new peak of No. 3, up one spot from last week.
The highest new entry belongs to Ed Sheeran, whose latest single “Azizam” lands at No. 30. The track — the lead single from his forthcoming album Play — becomes Sheeran’s 51st top 40 single in Australia. He’s already claimed six No. 1 hits on the ARIA Singles Chart across his career.
Despite a strong week for international artists, just one Australian song appears in the ARIA Singles Chart’s top 50: Vance Joy’s enduring 2013 hit “Riptide,” which slips from No. 36 to No. 42.
“What is rightness? What is stupidity? I’ll show you what they are!”
Ado’s song “Usseewa” that begins with these lyrics made a huge impact not only on the Japanese music scene but also on society as a whole at the time. The explosive vocals of the then-17-year-old, the way she led a kind of rebellion on behalf of the people by voicing their frustrations, and her style of never showing her face were all new to listeners, and the mystery singer shot to superstardom. The now-22-year-old songstress voiced the songs for the character Uta in the blockbuster anime movie ONE PIECE FILM RED in 2022, which recorded 31.9 billion yen (approx. $214 million) in global box office revenue, and the film’s theme song “New Genesis” became another domestic mega-hit that later spread around the world.
The enigmatic vocalist, who has quickly grown to become one of Japan‘s leading acts, is set to unleash her first greatest-hits album, aptly titled Ado’s Best Adobum, an exhaustive collection featuring songs from her electrifying debut in October 2020 to the present day. Ado is also about to kick off an unprecedented tour that will take her to 33 cities around the world and draw over 500,000 fans, the biggest global trek by a Japanese artist ever. For more information on the tour, click here.
What has left the biggest impression on you since your major label debut?
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I remember so many things, but I think my show at the Saitama Super Arena in 2022 was definitely a highlight. Performing there had been a dream of mine, so that day made big impact on my life.
Ado’s Best Adobum includes two new tracks, “Bouquet for Me” and “ROCKSTAR.” Could you tell us a bit about them?
“Bouquet for Me” is a song written by HoneyWorks as a collaboration with Georgia (Coca-Cola Japan). I’d like you to listen to it in the morning, before going to work or school, when you want a little oomph. It’s a lovely song full of energy that’s sure to encourage you, and I hope people of all ages will listen to it.
The other song, “ROCKSTAR”, was written by a music producer I’ve worked with a lot, jon-YAKITORY. This one was a collaboration with Marubeni, and is still being featured in the corporation’s commercials. jon-YAKITORY has written songs for me in the past and I’ve been featured in theirs, and I’m so grateful to work with him again because when I think of rock music, I think of jon-YAKITORY. There’s a scene in the commercial where I sing “ROCKSTAR” onstage, and it’s a cool song that looks great performed live that will fill your heart with excitement when you listen to it. I’m really looking forward to performing it live one day.
What do you feel has changed or that you’ve grown over the past five years in terms of music production and live performances?
My way of thinking has changed a lot. I’ve become more objective about myself and my career. I have a wider perspective now, and recently have had more opportunities to re-evaluate not only myself but also my fans, the staff who support me, and the environment I am in, and to work through my activities and the many opinions I receive from everyone. I think I’m a lot more put-together now than I used to be.
I also think that my live performances have improved. I feel like I was a bit more awkward when I first debuted. Thankfully, I’ve been able to do a lot of shows and have grown through my experiences. I think my concerts are more impressive now. On the other hand, there are elements of youth and inexperience that can only be felt in my shows in the past, perhaps my fans can find entertainment in my growth as well.
Which of the songs on the album you would like to share with yourself from back when you first made your major-label debut and why?
It’s quite hard to choose, but the 20th track on Disc 2 called “Sakura Biyori and Time Machine with Hatsune Miku” is one I’d like to share with myself when I was just starting out. It’s that kind of special song for me. Mafumafu, one of my favorite “utaite” (cover artists), wrote it for me, and I’d never be where I am without the Vocaloid songs that have supported me, so singing it with my idol Hatsune Miku was like returning to my roots. If I were to listen to it back then, it would blow me away. I might keel over from the thrill.
How has your attitude towards singing changed?
Around the time I made my major-label debut—and even before then—I really wanted people to listen to my songs and see my thoughts, ideas, and who I am. I used to express emotions like anger very directly, but as I sang more and more songs, I began to notice that each one felt different depending on the lyrics and how much I empathized with them. Now, there are more moments when I confront various emotions by reflecting on my own views on life or by applying my personal experiences to the songs. While I still value both input and output, lately I’ve been feeling more and more drawn to singing a variety of songs in different kinds of “languages”. “Elf,” in particular, is sung in a way that invites more people to enjoy Ado’s music.
What’s your current dream?
My current dream and concrete goal is to win a Grammy. Another goal and dream of mine is to someday do a world tour that will be even bigger than my upcoming Hibana tour.
And you’ll be kicking off that Ado WORLD TOUR 2025 “Hibana” Powered by Crunchyroll, from April.
It’ll be my second world tour, and will also be an unprecedented scale as a Japanese artist, so I’m really looking forward to it. As a Japanese “utaite” and artist, I want to convey the appeal and culture of Japan and the strength of Japanese music to people around the world through performances in over 30 cities. I hope that this world tour will be like its title, “Hibana” (spark), like a small flame that sparks a bigger fire.
Tell us what you’re looking forward to on this tour and what you remember from your previous one, Ado THE FIRST WORLD TOUR “Wish.”
I’m particularly looking forward to Italy on this tour. I really look forward to seeing with my own eyes the scenery that I’ve only seen in books, films and textbooks. I had time to do some sightseeing in Europe on my last world tour, and really enjoyed France. I visited the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, then walked to the river Seine, and after visiting the Louvre, I went to the Chanel flagship store. I have a lot of respect for Coco Chanel, and after seeing the famous staircase where fashion shows were held, I walked along the main street to the Arc de Triomphe. I was wearing stylish boots with heels, so it was hard work climbing the hundreds of steps at the Arc de Triomphe. I remember walking a total of 30,000 to 40,000 steps that day.
Send a message to your fans.
It’s a bit of a shock to think that five years have passed since I made my debut with “Usseewa.” Five years may not be such a long time, but I’m truly grateful that I’ve been able to continue my activities for so long and that so many people know about Ado. I’m supported by everyone who listens to my music, as well as the media that features me and staff who work with me. Thank you all so much.
—This interview first appeared on Billboard Japan