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Creepy Nuts’ new song “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” is blasting its way up the charts — not only in Japan, but on a global scale.
Creepy Nuts is a hip-hop unit consisting of R-shitei (R-rated), the first MC in J-rap history to win the country’s top MC battle competition UMB Grand Championship three times consecutively, and DJ Matsunaga, who won the world’s largest DJ competition DMC World DJ Championships in 2019 and performed at the closing ceremony of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. While they both have such impressive titles under their belts, both members of Creepy Nuts are known in their home country for their laid-back personalities and talk skills, making them popular staples in TV variety shows. They have also been regular hosts on the historic All Night Nippon radio program for five years, and many people probably recognize them as radio stars as well.
Music-wise, their mini-album To Us Former Prodigies, released August 2020, reached No. 2 on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart. Also, their track “Nobishiro” from the album Case became their first song to surpass 100 million streams (as of Dec. 1, 2022), and “Daten” — the opener for the anime Yofukashi no uta, which is based on the duo’s song of the same title — released in 2022, reached No. 35 on the Japan Hot 100, the highest position for them at the time. On their tour promoting the album Ensemble Play that includes this track, they sold out the Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo, the largest capacity venue in their career up to that point.
Then, “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” shot to No. 5 on the Japan Hot 100 on the chart dated Jan. 24, the week after it debuted No. 27, which was already higher than the duo’s record for “Daten.” The following week, “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” became Creepy Nuts’ first-ever No. 1 hit.
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This track is actually gaining more traction outside of Japan. Featured as the opener for the anime series MASHLE Season 2, the comical dance by the protagonist Mash set to the refrain of the song’s title attracted attention on TikTok. The song was downloaded and streamed on a global scale before it reached Japanese audiences. As a result, “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” hit No. 8 on the Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan chart (Jan. 18), which ranks “songs from Japan” being listened to in more than 200 countries and regions around the world outside of the country. In its second week on the tally, the viral hit hopped over the top seven songs from the week before to take the top spot. Total points and streams earned by “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” that week broke the chart’s all-time high, and the following week it quickly rewrote its own record to hold at No. 1 for the second week in a row (Feb. 1). The track is still at No. 1 for the fifth week on the chart dated Feb. 22.
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Looking closer at the rankings for each country calculated from the Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan chart’s data, we can see that “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” has accomplished an unprecedented feat, dominating seven of the nine countries currently included in the tally: Thailand, Singapore, France, the U.K., South Africa, the U.S. and Brazil. In terms of points gained, the song’s popularity in the U.S. is exceptionally high, followed by France.
The duo’s breakthrough didn’t stop there. The following week, “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” debuted at No. 77 on Billboard’s Global 200 chart (Jan. 27) that ranks streaming and downloads on major digital platforms in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. It surpassed even YOASOBI’s “Idol” and King Gnu’s “SPECIALZ” — two recent J-pop hits with an established global following — to become the highest-ranking song on that week’s list by Japanese artists. It also bowed at No. 48 on the Global Excl. US tally that week. “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” continued to ascend, and is currently at No. 12 on the former and No. 2 on the latter (Feb. 24) — again the highest position for Japanese artists on those weeks, indicating that the growing support in the Japanese market played a significant role in the breakthrough on both global charts.
Why did “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” suddenly attract so much attention on a global scale? The reason is simple: the synergistic effect of TikTok, dance, and animation. Encouraging users to participate in TikTok dance challenges is now a promotional standard, but that alone isn’t enough. Adding the element of a tie-in with an anime series, especially one being distributed worldwide on Netflix and other global platforms, to the synergy brings a song to the forefront of public attention.
Of the top 20 songs on the Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan chart, about half are anime tie-ins most weeks, indicating that being attached to a major anime title is enough to draw worldwide attention to new J-pop songs. Anime songs are particularly popular in France; about 14 songs out of the top 20 and over 65% of the total data collected are tracks linked to anime titles. Other such anime tie-ins that have made the Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan top 3 include YOASOBI’s “Idol” (Oshi no Ko opener), Tatsuya Kitani’s “Where Our Blue Is” (Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 opener), and King Gnu’s “SPECIALZ” (Jujutsu Kaisen Shibuya Incident story arc opener), all of which became hits in Japan and began climbing the charts worldwide at about the same time, then suddenly spread explosively on a global scale. This trend of simultaneous sharing is likely to become more prominent in the future, and not only with anime tie-ins.
But the reason “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” became such an breakout hit can be attributed to the fact that in addition to its link to a popular anime title, it became a TikTok favorite where non-anime fans could share the song, combined with the element of dance, which has strong distribution potential. Plus, the original manga that the anime was based on was serialized in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, released worldwide in multiple languages via the official MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA app, so the already established global fan base for the original manga gave “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” an advantage.
The track also adopts the Jersey club sound, a global trend originating in the U.S. used in music by other recent breakout acts such as NewJeans (“Super Shy” etc.) and LE SSERAFIM (“Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard’s wife”), and this is probably another reason why it caught the attention of listeners around the world, centering around the U.S.
The fact that the part used for the TikTok dance challenge was the refrain of the simple and catchy title may also have contributed to the song’s widespread popularity. The aforementioned NewJeans’ “Super Shy” and LE SSERAFIM’s “Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard’s wife” were also popular dance challenges on TikTok, and the viral snippets featured short rhymes in the lyrics or refrains of the same word, not limited to the songs’ hooks. While equipped with this type of TikTok-friendly refrain, the lyrics of “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” as a whole overlap sympathy with the position of MASHLE’s main character Mash with the rapper’s own braggadocio in a clever way. It’s brilliant as an anime theme song and a hip-hop single, a high-quality number that can satisfy both fans of the original work and fans of hip-hop.
After making an unexpected, yet understandable impact on a global scale with their first release of 2024, Creepy Nuts followed up with another Jersey club-infused track called “Nidone” (“Back to Sleep”) on Jan. 27, which is being featured as the theme song for the time-traveling drama series Futekisetsu nimo hodo ga aru! (which loosely translates to “That’s so Inappropriate”). As they begin to expand their reach beyond their home country, we can look forward to more “Nobishiro” (“Room for Growth”) from the duo.
—This article by Maiko Murata first appeared on Billboard Japan
Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” holds atop the Billboard Japan Hot 100 on the chart dated Feb. 21, extending its record to four consecutive weeks at No. 1.
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The MASHLE Season 2 opener continues to rule downloads and streaming, with the former increasing by 21.4% from last week to 19,980 units and the latter by 8.4% to 21,812,337 streams. The hip-hop banger also climbed 13-7 for radio airplay and jumped 32-9 for karaoke. The song’s momentum continues to grow as it draws increasing attention, with overall points gaining 11.7% from the week before.
Snow Man’s “LOVE TRIGGER” debuts at No. 2 on the Japan Hot 100 after launching with over a million CDs. The boy band’s 10th single called “LOVE TRIGGER / We’ll go together” dropped on Valentine’s Day and sold 1,224,902 copies in its first week, a record for the nine-member group. The CD is also the first by the group to launch with more than a million copies. The two tracks are the theme songs for drama series featuring members Hikaru Iwamoto and Shota Watanabe, respectively in their first starring roles. The single is off to a good start, coming in at No. 3 for radio and No. 7 for video views.
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Hikaru Utada’s “A Flower of No Color” debuts at No. 4. The theme song for Fuji TV’s latest “getsu-ku” (Monday nights at 9:00) drama series is the J-pop superstar’s first new release after celebrating the 25th anniversary of her debut. The song was unveiled during the drama’s premiere, then digitally released on Feb. 12. It launched at No. 2 for downloads with 11,704 units, No. 1 for radio, and No. 10 for video views. It’s still at No. 40 for streaming with 2,793,660 weekly streams, but the track is expected to gain in this metric as well in the coming weeks.
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Omoinotake snags its first top 10 hit with “IKUOKU KONEN,” the theme song for the TBS Tuesday drama Eye Love You. The track moves 13-8 this week, coming in at No. 10 for downloads with 4,441 units, No. 7 for streaming with 6,058,030 streams, No. 11 for radio, and No. 25 for video, collecting points in a balanced way. The piano trio performed this love song on YouTube’s “THE FIRST TAKE” and the video has racked up 1.36 million views in four days after dropping Feb. 16.
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WOLF HOWL HARMONY from EXILE TRIBE’s “Frozen Butterfly” debuts at No. 9. The four-member group’s second single hits No. 2 for physical sales with 40,160 CDs sold in its first week, No. 4 for radio and No. 39 for downloads.
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The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Feb. 12 to 18, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
Singer-songwriters Leo Ieiri and Miliyah Kato graced the stage for a double-headlining show at Tokyo City Hall for Billboard Japan’s Women In Music Vol. 2 concert on Feb. 8. The two J-pop stars collaborated with the Tokyo Philharmonic Billboard Classics Orchestra, led by conductor Yukari Saito, for a one-night-only performance featuring special renditions of familiar hits and uplifting messages with an underlying theme of inspiring and empowering women.
First up was Ieiri, who appeared onstage dressed in an elegant beige top with puffy translucent sleeves and matching pants, following the members of the orchestra at the start of the show. As the 29-year-old singer bowed deeply and greeted the audience, the piano sounded and the concert kicked off with “Zutto, Futari De” (Always, Together). The combination of Ieiri’s clear vocals and the orchestra’s solid performance instantly filled all corners of the venue with a luscious soundscape. The next song, “Kimi Ga Kureta Natsu” (The Summer You Gave Me), also sounded more dramatic than usual thanks to the orchestral arrangement. It was clear from the beginning of the show that everyone in attendance was in for a special evening that they couldn’t miss for a moment.
The singer addressed the crowd in the middle of her set and shared some thoughts on gender, inclusivity, and diversity, noting, “These past few years, I’ve been writing and singing songs while being mindful about how to carve out a path as a woman.” She also mused, “Since we live in times of diversity, I think we should expand our sexuality more.” Also, her remark about how “female empowerment can’t be achieved without cooperation from men, so I think it’s actually a theme for all human beings” left an impression, reminding that while the recent move towards gender equality encourages men and women to live under the same conditions, the important thing to remember is to respect each other’s differences and to help each other.
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Ieiri also performed “to U” by Bank Band with Salyu in the second half of the set, launching into the song a cappella and gradually adding minimal sounds of piano and harp in the first half, then building up the second half with a grand string arrangement. Ieiri’s voice and the orchestra’s performance showered the venue with a lush sound, creating an immersive environment that drew the crowd into the world of the song. During “Taiyo No Megami” (Goddess of The Sun), she turned her body left and right as she sang, visually accentuating the fact that she was singing for each and every person in the audience. Ieiri closed her set with the uplifting “Sora To Ao” (Sky And Blue), spinning around during the interlude while the crowd clapped along to the beat, leaving fans feeling euphoric by the end of her hit-filled stage.
After a short break, Miliyah Kato appeared on stage decked in a flowing black tiered tulle dress for the second half of the concert. After opening her set with “Respect Me,” the 35-year-old songstress addressed the crowd, saying, “I’m sure there will be many moments when (the music) will pass through your skin and cells and make your heart tremble. It’ll be an evening where something will reach you through this air. Please enjoy it to the end,” then went on to perform “Goodbye Darling,” “With U,” and other familiar hits in succession. Kato’s sultry vocals and the orchestral performance combined resulted in a more dynamic sound than the original versions of her recordings. Like the singer said, it felt like we were taking in the gorgeous sound through our skin and it was settling deep into the cells of our bodies.
Midway into her set, she opened up about her stance as a woman in the music industry. “I’ve always been very aware that I’ve lived my life as a woman. I love it, I enjoy it, and sometimes I’m sad about it,” she said. “I struggle with it every day, but music is what helps me during those times. Female artists were the reason I started music in the first place.” She then covered Hikaru Utada’s “First Love” as a tribute to one of the female artists who inspired her. She drew in the audience with her majestic performance, singing the longing ballad beautifully with both hands clutching the microphone against the backdrop of an orchestra. Each lyric seemed to linger in the air, showering over the audience in a luxurious blend of voice and sound.
Kato then launched into her iconic hit from 2009, “Aitai” (I Miss You). The evergreen, poignant love song is definitely heartbreaking yet sonically comforting, making you wish it never ends. Kato closed the evening with “JOYRIDE,” a song half in English and half in Japanese that she wrote with her hometown in mind. Kato’s vocals, the orchestra’s performance and the audience clapping along to the elevating single ended the show on a joyous note.
The aim of Billboard Japan’s Women In Music concerts is to play a part in encouraging women’s empowerment, and the Vol. 2 show delivered energy in various forms including the mesmerizing vocals by the two songstresses, the performances by the orchestra, the words spoken by the artists, and the sense of unity in the venue. People in the audience enjoyed the concert in different ways, with some rocking back and forth to the music while others listening intently, and many probably were inspired by what the artists had to say.
The synergetic effect of J-pop and orchestral music was more than expected, and was a good reminder that there are no barriers between musical genres. The people who gathered at the venue that day were probably diverse in terms of gender, age, and the music they like. But the fact that they were united by listening to the same music at the same place on this day will surely be an unforgettable memory for all.
—This article by Misaki Ito first appeared on Billboard Japan
The rumors arrived on Thursday (Feb. 15) evening, and now everything is confirmed officially. Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign will be in Italy next week to present their joint album Vultures 1 at two listening parties, one in Milan (Feb. 22) and another Bologna (Feb. 24). Explore See latest videos, charts and news See […]
Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” extends its reign over the Billboard Japan Hot 100 to three weeks on the chart released Feb. 14.
The MASHLE season 2 opener saw an increase of about 13.8% in streams from the week before, racking up a whopping 20,118,604 weekly streams and holding at No. 1 for the metric. This figure ranks fourth on the all-time list for weekly streams, following BTS’ “Butter,” YOASOBI’s “Idol” and Official HIGE DANdism’s “Subtitle.” “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” also ruled downloads with 16,450 units, up 26.7%, and karaoke soared 63-32. Overall points for the hip-hop banger have gained 14.5% from the week before.
On the chart tallying the week ending Feb. 11, seven songs in the top 10 stayed in the same position as the week before. tuki.’s “Bansanka” at No. 2 collected 2,218,839 video views (up 1.4%) to rule the metric for the first time, and both downloads and streaming for the poignant ballad remain relatively unchanged.
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Then three of the biggest hits of 2023, Ado’s “Show,” YOASOBI’s “Idol” and two songs by Mrs. GREEN APPLE (“Que Sera Sera” and “Nachtmusik”), follow suit.
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OWV’s eighth single “BREMEN,” the only top 10 debut this week at No. 9, sold 48,912 CDs in its first week to earn the group its first No. 1 in CD sales and the highest position yet on the Japan Hot 100. The figure is up by about 6.3% over the four-member boy band’s previous single, “Let Go.” The latest track also collected points in radio airplay, coming in at No. 12 for the metric.
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The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Feb. 5 to 11, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
As Elyanna steps into a warehouse in downtown Los Angles for Billboard Arabia’s February cover interview and shoot, the weight of anticipation hangs heavily in the air. Despite battling nerves a mere 24 hours before her Dallas gig, the first show in her debut North America tour, Elyanna exudes a quiet determination characteristic of her rapid ascent in the music industry. With only two EPs to her name and a handful of singles, she’s already achieved the remarkable feat of selling out nearly every venue on her tour circuit – a testament to her burgeoning fanbase, undeniable talent and her unique sonic proposition, driving a future sound of global pop music unbound by language.
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Guided by her artist management team at SALXCO and her family, Elyanna navigates the shoot with a delicate balance between preparation and preservation, immersing herself in a playlist with unreleased tracks off her forthcoming LP, shuffling alongside tracks by Ice Spice, Sherine and Doja Cat. The 22-year-old artist starts to find her groove, but she does this silently. In the hush of a prescribed, pre-tour vocal rest, moments of introspection emerge – and it is in these moments of silence we hear Elyanna’s message to the world.
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Elyanna aims to elevate Arabic pop music onto the global stage while using her art to depict her homeland and culture beyond the lens of conflict. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, and moving to L.A. with her immediate family at the age of 15, she seeks to showcase her culture’s beauty in its entirety – its layers, textures, multi-colors and history – countering the media’s portrayal, dominated by the specter of war and destruction.
This carries into every one of her songs and live performances. Whether expressed through her instrumentation, lyrics or Arab-inspired fashion and accessories, we see Palestine through Elyanna’s eyes but also through that of her family. One cannot tell the story of Elyanna without also talking about how each family member plays a pivotal role in her career. Her sister Tali is her stylist, her brother Feras is her co-producer and video director, whereas her mother Abeer contributes to her songwriting. Meanwhile, her father, Amer, is the glue that holds the operations together.
“I would say that takes people who believe in you,” says Elyanna. “So I just surround myself with people that believe in me…. Like my family, like my friends, the people that believed in me and put time in me.”
It is not an exclusively Arab thing to keep your family close by, but it is very Arab to tell a story of generations in one song. We hear this in many of Elyanna’s tracks, first with the ambitious cover of Abdel Halim Hafez’s “Ahwak” (I Love You), a song that consistently permeated every generation since it was released nearly six decades ago. Elyanna’s rendition of “Ahwak” is a mesmerizing homage that breathes new life into the classic by setting the original lyrics against an acoustic piano, as her reverent vocals feel as though they are coming from another time.
“I know it’s a cover,” she says. “But I felt I brought it into my own world. I think that was the point where I knew what I should do next.”
On her 2019 debut original release, “Oululee Leh” (Tell Me Why), Elyanna unveiled her sonic potential to the world. Co-written by her mother Abeer Margieh, her brother Feras Margieh and songwriters Nasri Atweh, Sari Abboud and Martine Sinotte, the song delves into the profound loneliness born from loss and distance. Its poignant lyrics and haunting instrumentation evoke an intimacy that resonates with anyone who has ever felt like a stranger, offering solace in shared experience through a chorus that sings, “Ouloulee lee” (tell me why).
When I asked Abeer, her mother, whether the song was about the loss of a place or a person, she quickly responded with “a place.” But for Elyanna, it has a double meaning, one that the listener is left to decode independently. It is in this co-writing with her mother and brother that Elyanna’s songs cut across the temporal spectrum, collapsing past, present and future in a single note.
In 2020, Elyanna released her debut album, a self-titled body of work made up of six songs, including “Ouloulee Leh,” “Ahwak” and viral hit “Ana Lehale” (I’m on my Own) feat. Massari, showing an artist on the brink of finding her voice. Two years later, Elyanna dropped her follow up EP, Elyanna 2, driven by hits like “Ala Bali,” also featured in Mo Amer’s Netflix show, and “Ghareeb Alay” feat. Balti, which went on to amass over 50 million views on YouTube with its blend of Latin rhythms and relatable lyrics. With a steady flow of singles, including Elyanna’s 2023 release of “Sokkar,” an Arabic cover of the song by Zubi and Anatu, followed by “Mama Eh,” she continued to underscore her budding pop prowess.
In a short time, the artist managed to land a coveted spot in Coachella’s April 2023 lineup, where she performed the first ever complete Arabic set in the festival’s history. In another milestone moment, Elyanna’s heart-wrenching original song “Olive Branch” (co-written with her brother Feras) was performed live at the 2023 edition of the El Gouna Film Festival. It spotlighted the artist’s unique ability to use her music to drive awareness, while celebrating the richness and beauty of Palestinian culture.
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When asked about her role as an Arabic artist, Elyanna articulates a pressing imperative: to disseminate her culture worldwide. While such inquiries often provoke polarizing responses, she gracefully infuses each of her songs with glimpses of cultural richness of her heritage, but she does so in an accessible way.
Much like the intricate stitches of “tarteez” (Palestinian embroidery), Elyanna’s music weaves various influences into a harmonious whole. Each musical passage is akin to uncovering a hidden image as if each thread holds a story waiting to be explored, inviting listeners around the globe to find the patterns that speak to them while resonating with the whole. Now, on the brink of releasing her debut LP, Elyanna continues to blend her multiple cultural influences, be it the Latin textures inherited from her Chilean grandmother or the power of her Palestinian grandfather’s pen, all the while creating an entirely new pop sound.
“It’s really just taking things from life that I love, and now I want to do it in a project that I would call a piece of art,” says Elyanna. “And this project is really experimental.” Lead single “Al Sham” from her upcoming album embodies various cultural elements from the region, showcasing her spirit of experimentation. Fueled by electronic-dabke rhythms, she ingeniously interprets lyrics from Syrian singer Sabah Fakhri’s classic “Khamrat El Hob.” In Elyanna’s version, we dive into the song’s iconic line, “A life without love is like a river without water.” But it’s somewhere within the music video where we get a sense that Elyanna is not a victim of unrequited love or anything else. Instead, she is a formidable force, surrounded by her crew and imagery evoking empowerment, marking a pivotal moment in the lead-up to her debut North America tour.
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“I’m on a Billboard cover, and we have a sold-out tour, and I have an album coming,” says Elyanna. “It feels insane to me. I’m doing things I dreamt of my whole life.” She goes on to mention that the tour has the ability to gather Arabs in America together, which is something she looks forward to most.
After postponing her debut tour due to the war in Gaza, Elyanna eventually announced new dates, with 10 stops through the U.S. and Canada. Within 20 seconds of watching her perform, Elyanna’s star potential is undeniable. It’s not just her voice, message or rich influences, but the combination that shapes her artistry, its impact and the future sound of Arabic pop.
This is a translation of a cover story that originally appeared on Billboard Arabia.
Elyanna
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Billboard Japan spoke with singer-songwriter Ai Higuchi for its Women in Music interview series featuring female players in the Japanese entertainment industry. The WIM initiative in Japan began last year to celebrate artists, producers and executives who have made significant contributions to music and inspired other women through their work. The first 30 interviews in this series were published in Japan as a “Billboard Japan Presents” collection by writer Rio Hirai.
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Higuchi was in high demand last year and brought her music to a wide range of listeners through numerous opening and ending themes for movies and TV, plus songs accompanying commercials. What she values in her songwriting is being true to her honest feelings, and the 34-year-old artist — who dropped her fifth album Miseisenjo (“On the Unfinished Railway Line”) on Jan. 24 — opened up about her stance on what she considers to be her mission in work and the feelings of hesitation she currently faces.
Tell us about your latest album, Miseisenjo.
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It’s a bright album that’s like a collection of singles, with many tracks that were featured as tie-ins. Ever since I released “Akuma no Ko” (“Devil’s Child”) in January 2022 as the ending theme for the Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 2 anime series, the range of people who listen to my music has expanded immensely. I’ve enjoyed opportunities to write music for movies and other projects, and received requests for songs that make moviegoers feel cheerful when they leave the theater. So the album is a collection of songs that let listeners settle into a mellow mindset without making them feel all doom and gloom.
How do you feel about the increase in new listeners?
At first I was really just happy, but I did feel pressure at one point and it was hard for a while. I was brought up as the eldest daughter in between two brothers, so personality-wise, I have this sense of responsibility to balance things out between people and feel a strong urge to do things properly. I worked really hard to live up to expectations from 2022.
I get the impression that you carefully deliver the voices of women as they really are in your songs, even in the ones meant for a wide audience. What are you mindful of in music production?
At the very least, I try to be careful not to use strong language and force my way of thinking on others. Personally, I’m not good at dealing with people who use strong language or express anger. Trying not to make enemies is a weakness of mine, but I think there are many people who feel the same way, so I want to be careful about that.
When I read your lyrics, I can see that you have your share of conflicting thoughts, but you express them with great care. So you consciously avoided using strong language when writing them.
I think you should try to find your own answer when forming an opinion on something. Having someone else’s idea forced on you isn’t a good influence, both for the person hearing the song and for myself as a songwriter. So my stance is to simply present options, and then let each listener make their own choices. I try not to give too many answers.
I also want to avoid imposing ideas about how women “should be” in these interviews. The reason we’ve been collecting many women’s voices is because our intent is to visualize the diversity of opinions. When we ask the same question to 30 people, we receive 30 different answers. And this next question is one I’ve asked everyone throughout the series: Has being a woman affected your current activities?
Well, I’m not sure because I’ve never been a man, but… I’m fortunate in that I’ve never been slighted because I’m a woman. I have a hard-featured face so maybe people don’t bother messing with me. But I have felt that it’s hard to ask men in high places in the industry out to chat about work over dinner or something and thought that if I’d been a man, it might have been easier to get along with such people without giving it so much thought. “Going out to dinner one-on-one with a man” could be taken in a different way, and I sometimes give up on the whole thing because it’s too much of a hassle. So I do feel inconvenienced by the fact that most of the people in upper management are men.
Why do you think there are so few female executives in the Japanese music industry?
I think the reality is that women leave the industry when they become a mom. Even if they return to work, I imagine parenting gets in the way of career advancement. When I look around, a lot of the women in their 50s or so who are successful in their careers are really tough. I think it demonstrates that they had to become tough in order to make it in an environment full of men.
As a female singer, what do you take care to do so you can keep working for a long time?
I try to take care not to write “fast-food” songs. I want to write songs that I can sing for the rest of my life.
When did you start thinking that way?
I’ve always thought that way. I’m very bad at keeping up with trends and find it hard to change my mind quickly. I’ve always made songs by thinking about what my point of view is, and don’t think that will change anytime soon. As a result, I think I’ve created songs that can be listened to years from now.
The drama series such as Hatsukoi, Zarari and Ikiru toka Shinu toka Chichioya toka that you wrote ending themes for depict different types of women, and your independent project called Ufufu Project* also collects many women’s voices. Have you found themes you’d like to write songs about through these projects?
(*Ai Higuchi’s independent project launched at the end of 2019. She has published magazines featuring interviews and essays and also runs a cultural salon.)
I want to shine a light on young people who normally wouldn’t think of themselves as being in the spotlight and turn their thoughts into songs. I’ve always wanted them to know that life can be a song. If the people who live and work in ordinary ways give up, then the things that need to change will never change.
For example, this is something my mother told me, but she quit her job when she had her first child. She said, “I didn’t even question (quitting her job) because that was the norm at the time.” If a person thinks that the thing that happened in their life is insignificant, then nothing will change from there.
I think you’re creating a really nice cycle by writing songs based on what you hear in your interviews which then change the mindset and actions of those who hear them. Is that something you aimed for when you started the Ufufu Project?
Yes. When I turned 30, I made a magazine about the Ufufu Project, and I was dealing with my own loneliness at the time. While more and more of my friends and peers were starting a family, I was on my way to living on my own as a singer-songwriter without getting married or having kids. When I thought about this, I felt myself being shaken by the loneliness inside. No one could show me the way, so I wanted to hear from different people.
Did the loneliness disappear by hearing people’s stories?
Four years have passed since then, and I don’t feel lonely as much anymore. I’ve been fortunate enough to continue my career and have come to realize that I’m the kind of person who’s dependent on work. So as I feel less lonely, I may start dwelling on futility next. [Laughs]
I guess you won’t run out of inspiration for new music then.
Actually, futility can’t be made into song. People gravitate toward things with energy, so if something is too lifeless, I have a feeling they’ll think it doesn’t matter. I’d have to extract vitality from the futility.
Related to what you mentioned earlier, I think there are many people out there who feel exhausted in the face of strong language or who think they don’t deserve to be in the spotlight and have given up. I kind of feel that songs about loneliness or futility would be a lifesaver for such people. Do you feel that you are empowering others by writing songs and singing?
Well, to begin with, I feel like I’m excluding a lot of things when I write a song. For example, when I sing, “I want to walk hand in hand with you,” that excludes people who don’t have arms, right? If the “other person” in a love song by a male protagonist is clearly a woman, then it’s not about homosexual love, and it’s definitely not about someone who doesn’t fall in love in the first place. I’m aware that I write songs for the majority by cutting out a lot of things and it’s scary. So it’s more of a negative thing for me than trying to empower people, but I have to come to terms with that feeling. I write about my own feelings, so I can’t make something that will be understood by everyone. As long as I’m in the majority, in that I identify as a woman both in body and mind and that I’m heterosexual, I have to cut off minorities to write about my feelings.
When did you start seeing things that way?
Probably the last few years. As more and more movements properly focusing on the rights of minorities started taking place, I also began noticing and thinking about it more. I said at the beginning of this interview that I’m not good at dealing with people who use strong language or express anger, but I also understand that there there must be many things that have changed for the better because of people who can use strong language or express their anger, so I also feel like saying thank you to those people who got angry for the right reasons. But while I’m sometimes encouraged by such expressions when I have the energy, they scare me when I’m not feeling very energetic.
So for you, people who can use clear-cut, strong language are like double-edged swords in that they give you courage but are also sometimes a little hard to accept.
I find myself thinking, “I’m feeling bad about myself because I don’t feel so strongly about such-and-such.” Maybe not so much feel bad about it, but just that I can’t be that way. So I feel like I’m in charge of taking the first step, then maybe walking three steps up the staircase. I want to ask someone else to take it from there to the 100th step or so. In other words, I’ll leave the leadership to someone else and keep up from the back, and be like, “Let’s climb together and one day reach the top, even if we’re slow.”
—This interview by Rio Hirai (SOW SWEET PUBLISHING) first appeared on Billboard Japan
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Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa died at his home in Tokyo on Feb. 6, 2024, due to heart failure. He was 88 years old.
A private funeral was held with his close family in accordance with the deceased’s wishes, with a memorial service scheduled at a later date.
Ozawa was born in 1935 in Shenyang, China. After studying under Karajan and Bernstein, he served as the assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic, and music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Ravinia Festival, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the San Francisco Symphony.
In 1973, Ozawa was appointed as the thirteenth music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He became the first Asian music director at Wiener Staatsoper in the autumn of 2002, a position he held until spring 2010.
Among the many awards and accolades Ozawa has received in Japan and internationally include the Asahi Prize (1985), the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class (2002), the Mainichi Art Award (2003), the Suntory Music Award (2003), honorary membership of the Wiener Staatsoper (2007), France’s Officier de la Légion d’Honneur (2008), Foreign Associated Member in the Académie des BeauxArts de l’Institut de France (2008), the Order of Culture in Japan (2008), Giglio D’Oro by Premio Galileo 2000 Foundation of Italy (2008), the Praemium Imperiale from the Japan Art Association (2011), the Akeo Watanabe Foundation Music Award (2011), and the Kennedy Center Honors (2015), as well as an honorary doctorate from Harvard University (2000) and Sorbonne University (2004).
In 2010, he also became the first Japanese to be bestowed an honorary membership to the Vienna Philharmonic.
Ozawa won Best Opera Recording at the 58th Grammy Awards in 2016 for Ravel: L’Enfant et les Sortilèges, recorded at the 2013 Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto, in which he conducted the Saito Kinen Orchestra.
The same year, he was named an honorary member of the Berlin Philharmonic and an honorary citizen of Tokyo.
He has been an elected member of the Japan Art Academy since March 2022.