Global
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The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts have been home to wide a variety of international hits, across many genres, cultures and languages. Dance music has been able to seamlessly float across cultural and geographic lines, including on the latest, July 1-dated rankings, as three artists, each from a different continent, debut with their own high-energy boosts.
Kylie Minogue, one of Australia’s most enduring stars, debuts on the Global 200 with “Padam Padam” at No. 190 while climbing to No. 169 on the Global Excl. U.S. list. Since its May 18 release, the thumping track has increased its weekly streams each week, culminating in a 17% bump to 9.6 million worldwide in the frame ending June 22, according to Luminate.
The song is Minogue’s first non-holiday entry on either global chart and continues to build months before the expected September release of parent album Tension; no tracks from her 2020 set Disco appeared on the surveys.
Elsewhere, South Korea-born, Germany-based singer, DJ and producer Peggy Gou makes her global chart debut, at No. 137 on Global Excl. U.S. with “(It Goes Like) Nanana.” The house single drew 9.6 million streams worldwide June 16-22, its first full week of release.
Plus, Germany’s Purple Disco Machine teamed with France’s Kungs on “Substitution,” new on Global Excl. U.S. at No. 199, up by 3% to 7.9 million streams around the world. Neither act has made the Global 200, but “Substitution” is the second entry for both on Global Excl. U.S., following the former’s “Hypnotized,” which hit No. 121 over a 23-week stay in 2020-21, and the latter’s “Never Going Home,” which reached No. 107 amid a 15-week run in 2021.
The burst of dance music on this week’s global charts is diverse, both geographically and stylistically. These tracks join others by chart mainstays including David Guetta and Calvin Harris, as well as such pop artists drawing from the dance world as Dua Lipa, whose “Dance the Night” holds in the Global 200’s top 40, and Jain, who jumps from 68-41 with 2016’s resurgent “Makeba” (which is now being promoted to pop radio).
YOASOBI‘s “Idol” extends its stay atop the Billboard Japan Hot 100 to 11 weeks on the chart dated June 28, tallying the week from June 19 to 25. The CD version of the Oshi no Ko opener went on sale during this chart week, selling 53,589 copies to come in at No. 2 for the […]
J-pop vocalist Daoko was tapped to sing the theme for Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos The Movie, a two-part animated feature due to hit Japanese theaters June 9 (Part 1) and June 30 (Part 2).
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The film depicts the final story of the Sailor Guardians, known as the Shadow Galactica arc. Daoko wrote the theme song “Tsuki no Hana” (“Moon Flower”) for this movie, set to be included in the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos The Movie Theme Song Collection, scheduled for release on the day Part 2 drops in theaters.
Daoko sat down with Billboard Japan to chat about the new song and her thoughts on the Sailor Moon franchise, which existed before she was born, the songwriting process for the movie theme, and where she expects to go next in her musical journey.
When did you first come across the Sailor Moon anime series?
I wasn’t born when the original series first aired, but reruns were being broadcast on cable TV when I was in kindergarten and that was the first time I watched it. The transformation scenes were cute, and from a kindergartener’s point of view, the characters were older young women and that also stands out in my memory. I see now that the items on the show like the rods are beautifully designed, but when I was little I just thought they were cute. We also pretended to be the Sailor Guardians in kindergarten.
What do you think is the appeal of the Sailor Moon franchise?
When I was little, I liked the visuals, transformation scenes, and worldview as a whole because I just thought everything was so cute. But now that I’ve grown up, and after watching the entire series over again, I thought it was cool how the concepts could be seen in the details of the design, like the planets being used as motifs. When I went to the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Museum (a major exhibition held in 2022), I took a long time looking at the transformation gear from each era.
You’ve mentioned that you “read the original manga and watched the anime series over and over again to take in the worldview more deeply” when creating the music for the movie.
Yes. I reread all the manga, watched the anime, and bought books containing model sheets and books geared towards fans to gaing new perspective on the work.
What part of “Tsuki no Hana” reflects what you took in through that process?
Since I knew that the song should exist alongside and support the world of Sailor Moon, I searched for a common language between my own worldview and that of the series. I tend to be too meticulous about being faithful to the source material and the original work, but Seiichi Nagai — who co-wrote the song with me — helped to loosen that up a bit, so that people who don’t know that “Tsuki no Hana” is from Sailor Moon will think it’s good when they hear it on the street. We aimed to please Sailor Moon fans while also adjusting the wording and the expression to make sure it also resonates with a wider audience. One of the themes was the nobility of the Sailor Guardians overcoming hardships.
Did the producers of the movie ask for the kind of music they wanted?
Since it was for the ending of the final chapter of the series, I initially had a ballad in mind, but as we discussed it further, it became clear they wanted the song to represent the strength of women and the thoughts of the Sailor Guardians as they confront their vicissitudes. Not mellow, but glorious. So the arrangement has powerful and dreamy elements to it.
Seiichi Nagai is the guitarist of TESTSET and also a supporting member of your backing band.
He’s been supporting me as a band member for my solo endeavors for a long time. We decided to form a new band called QUBIT with those same members, meaning he and I are now really bandmates. So we’re close like that, and I’ve also worked with him on several songs before. When he’s backing me in my solo projects, he peppers his performances with metal guitar flavors and I like his intense, cool playing style. His guitar playing also has a kind of starry sparkle to it that only he can create. I thought that would match the world of Sailor Moon and that’s why I invited him to collaborate.
The arrangement is credited to kensuke ushio, who also produces music under the name agraph. He’s worked on lots of anime-related music before.
Mr. Nagai introduced us, and it was the first time I worked with Mr. ushio on a song’s arrangement. I thought he was so proficient. He made the song sound cool, and he scattered lots of sounds that would resonate nicely in a movie theater. The interlude is majestic, reminiscent of outer space, and we all had a lot of fun thinking about the song’s impact in theaters while working on it. I was in charge of singing and lyrics this time, so I didn’t get to see the entire exchange between the composer and arranger. It did kind of feel like something awesome was done before I knew it, and the demo came to me pretty much completed.
Have you received any response from your fans outside of Japan about releasing a Sailor Moon theme?
Sailor Moon is also very popular internationally, so I did receive many comments from people living in other countries when it was announced that I would be doing the theme song. My fanbase expanded internationally after working on anime music so I currently have quite a few fans in different countries. It seems they’re happy about my latest collaboration and looking forward to the movie’s release. I hope it’ll be a chance for people who like Sailor Moon to get to know Daoko. I’m sure people from many different countries will see the movie, and I wonder how “Tsuki no Hana” will sound to them.
When you perform outside of Japan, do you find the reactions of the audience different from those back home?
It depends on the country, and I do think there are individual differences, but people tend to be more expressive in a physical way. I guess it depends on the type of music, but in Japan, people are generally shy and seem to enjoy themselves internally, but elsewhere, people dance like crazy and that was also fun. I’d never seen anything like that before, so it left a big impression on me. Now I want the Japanese audience to dance, too, so I’ve been trying to build my shows to make it happen.
Are there any genres you’d like to try moving forward? Also, are you working on any new songs?
I think bands have their own cool ways of presenting themselves, but I decided to quit my former management to pursue what I like as Daoko the solo artist. I want to write cute anime music that falls under the “denpa song” genre (intentionally strange and catchy pop music). I want to write music that everyone can dance to at clubs, like “four-on-the-floor” stuff and house. I also want to expand the world in my demos, and since I’ve been practicing guitar recently, I’d like to write songs I can perform live “unplugged.” I like lots of music regardless of genre and want to keep doing music that I like. Right now, I have a strong desire to expand overseas, so I’ll probably make music with an overseas audience in mind, which probably means stuff people can dance to. I’d love to collaborate with artists from different countries, and am exploring various avenues at the moment.
—This interview by Akihiro Watanabe first appeared on Billboard Japan
Barring any unforeseen hurdles, Dave and Central Cee’s “Sprinter” (Live Yours/Neighbourhood) is bolting to a fourth week atop the U.K. chart. The record-breaking British hip-hop collaboration soaked up another 9 million streams last week, for a third consecutive cycle at the top. Based on sales and streaming data for the first half of the latest […]
Maisie Peters’ The Good Witch (Atlantic/Gingerbread Man) is working its magic on the United Kingdom.
The English pop singer and songwriter’s sophomore set leads the midweek chart, ahead of Harry Styles’ Harry’s House (via Columbia up 5-2) and Tom Grennan’s What Ifs & Maybes (down 1-3 via Insanity), respectively.
The Good Witch is the followup to Peters’ 2021 debut You Signed Up For This, which peaked at No. 2 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart. A chart crown would cap a huge half-year for Peters, who supported Ed Sheeran for stadium shows across Australia and New Zealand earlier in 2023.
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Also set for high entries this week are Young Thug’s Business Is Business (300 Entertainment), which could become his second top 10 appearance, at No. 9; and Kelly Clarkson’s Chemistry (Atlantic), which could net the U.S. singing star her sixth U.K. top 10, at No. 10.
The “Glastonbury effect” can be seen up and down the Official Chart Update.
Scottish singer and songwriter Lewis Capaldi is one of the beneficiaries of a high-profile slot at Glastonbury Festival last weekend, which powers his albums Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent (up 16-4 via EMI) and debut Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent (up 34-12) on the midweek tally.
Elton John is winding up his touring career in the coming weeks, and enjoyed a boisterous send-off at Glastonbury. Now, his hits compilation Diamonds (Mercury/UMC) is on track to appear in the top 5 again, up 15-5.
Celebrated British alternative rock act Arctic Monkeys are hanging high on the midweek chart, with AM (No. 6), Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (No. 20) and Favourite Worst Nightmare (No. 38) — all via Domino Recordings — on the bounce following their Friday night performance at the Eavis’ famous fest.
Other Glastonbury performers enjoying a post-event albums blitz include Foo Fighters (But Here We Are at No. 16 via Columbia and The Essential Foo Fighters at No. 28 via Sony Music CG), Lana Del Rey (Born To Die at No. 36 via Polydor) and Guns N’ Roses (Greatest Hits at No. 37 via Geffen).
Finally, Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour hasn’t yet reached the U.K., but anticipation is causing her hit albums to spike. According to the Official Charts Company, former leaders Midnights (No. 7), 1989 (No. 11), Lover (No. 14), Reputation (No. 22) and Folklore (No. 31), all via EMI, are on the climb.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published Friday, June 30.
J-pop hitmaker Kenshi Yonezu released his new single “Tsuki wo Miteita” on Monday (June 26), also unveiling the cover artwork he illustrated himself.
Yonezu wrote the track for the new video game FINAL FANTASY XVI. The song was written in pursuit of music that would resonate specifically within the story of FF16, and is a moving number with deeply layered sound and emotional vocals.
The artwork was designed by the multi-talented 32-year-old himself and depicts a wolf with blue fur staring straight ahead unflinchingly.
Listen below:
Dave and Central Cee‘s supreme chart run can’t be halted as “Sprinter” logs a third successive week at No. 1 in the U.K.
“Sprinter” (via Live Yours/Neighbourhood) is already a record-breaker in the U.K., where, on debut, it accumulated a history-setting volume of streams for a rap track.
For the recently completed chart cycle, “Sprinter” notches over 9 million streams, according to the Official Charts Company, to outrace J Hus and Drake’s “Who Told You” (Black Butter/OVO/Republic) and Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding’s “Miracle” (Columbia), respectively. “Sprinter” also stays on top of Australia’s ARIA Chart.
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Harry Styles’ is feeling the love on the Official U.K. Singles Chart. As the former One Direction star’s Love On Tour show works its way around his homeland, Styles climbs with a trio of Harry’s House numbers, led by former leader “As It Was,” up 7-5. Meanwhile, “Satellite” cracks the top 20 for the first time, up 31-18, and “Late Night Talking” lifts 30-22.
Kylie Minogue‘s comeback gathers pace with “Padam Padam” (BMG). The pop legend’s steamy EDM-infused comeback track improves 9-8 for a new high on the latest tally, published Friday, June 23. “Padam Padam” matches the position of the Australian singer’s last U.K. top 10 appearance, 2011’s “Higher” with Taio Cruz and Travie McCoy, and is her 35th U.K. top 10.
Also on the rise is Scottish DJ Hannah Laing and rising singer RoRo, as their club track “Good Love” (WUGD) rises 13-9. It’s the first-ever U.K. top 10 chart appearance for both artists.
The best-placed new release belongs to former Little Mix singer Leigh-Anne, who gets her solo career away with the U.K. garage number “Don’t Say Love” (Warner Records). It starts its chart journey at No. 11.
Finally, South Korean DJ, singer and producer Peggy Gou bags her first U.K. top 40 single with floor filler “(It Goes Like) Nanana” (XL Recordings), which leaps into the chart at No. 14.
There are no ifs, no buts about it — Tom Grennan has the U.K. chart crown with What Ifs & Maybes (Insanity).
The leader at the midweek point, What Ifs & Maybes holds on to give the British singer and songwriter his second U.K. leader.
It’s the followup to Grennan’s Evering Road, which led the chart in 2021, and debut Lighting Matches, which peaked at No. 5 in 2018.
Grennan outmuscles some heavy rock in the form of Queens of the Stone Age, whose eighth studio set In Times New Roman (Matador) bows at No. 2. In Times New Roman becomes the sixth U.K. top 10 appearance for Josh Jomme and Co., and is the followup to Villains, which led the national chart following its release in 2017. In Times New Roman also starts at No. 2 on Australia’s ARIA Chart, behind homegrown blues-rock outfit The Teskey Brothers’ The Winding Way.
Closing out the U.K. top three is Harry Styles’ Harry’s House (Columbia), up 4-3.
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Meanwhile, London synth-pop veterans Pet Shop Boys check in for an 18th U.K. top 10 with their career retrospect, SMASH: The Singles 1985-2020 (Parlophone). It’s new at No. 4. Close behind, at No. 5, is Far From Saints’ eponymously titled album, via Ignition. Far From Saints is a project featuring Stereophonics singer Kelly Jones, along with the Wind And The Wave’s members Patty Lynn and Dwight Baker.
The top end of the latest Official U.K. Albums Chart, published Friday, June 23, is stacked with new releases. Among them, Texas’s compilation The Very Best Of – 1989-2023 (PIAS Recordings). The pop-rock outfit drops in at No. 6, as fans tune-in ahead of the Texas’ performance at Glastonbury’s main Pyramid Stage.
Further down the list is Gunna, who fires away for his third U.K. top 10 spot with A Gift & A Curse (Warner Records), new at No. 9.
There’s a touch of history on the chart as ATEEZ becomes just the second male K-pop band — after BTS – to snag a U.K. top 10 album appearance, with The World Ep.2: Outlaw (KQ Entertainment). It’s new at No. 10. The pop act — Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho — recently toured the U.K. with The Fellowship: Break The Wall Tour, an itinerary that included a sold-out concert at London’s The O2.
Finally, Taylor Swift fever is sweeping the U.K. once again as five of the American pop superstar’s albums impact the top 40, led by Midnights (EMI), unchanged at No. 8. The latest outbreak is triggered by the announcement last week of the U.K. leg for her The Eras Tour.
On June 4, YOASOBI played the last show of its first arena tour, YOASOBI ARENA TOUR 2023 “DENKOSEKKA,” at Saitama Super Arena, Japan.
With 19,000 fans in attendance, this was YOASOBI’s largest-ever solo show — and it was also being broadcast live around the world. YOASOBI’s newest single, “Idol,” has broken countless records in the charts, and is maintaining tremendous momentum, even taking the number one spot on the Billboard’s Global Excl. U.S. chart. The Saitama Super Arena show was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience that power first-hand.
Watching the show, the first things that stood out to me were the bold presence of vocalist ikura and composer Ayase, and their solid performance. YOASOBI is a musical unit that produces music inspired by novels. Their big break came with an animated music video. Partly because they debuted during the pandemic, their first stage performance was an online show. They later began performing at shows and festivals with live audiences, but it wasn’t until this tour that they finally began to have normal shows where audiences shouted or sang along. They’re not a unit forged in the fires of frequent live shows. However, the indelible impression the show left me with was of the physical strength of the duo. The passionate vocals and performance, which the two threw themselves into with every fiber of their being, brought the whole arena together as one. Their show packed a tremendous punch.
At curtain time, laser light danced through the air and a four-on-the-floor beat and electro melody began ringing out through the venue. The set, suspended from the ceiling, rose up, and Ayase, ikura, and their band members appeared, dressed in yellow track suit-like costumes. “It’s time for YOASOBI to start things up!” declared ikura, and they launched into the first song of the night, “The Blessing.” The audience began chanting out the rhythm of the exciting electro number. They followed this up with their hit song “Into the Night.” ikura shouted “Get up and jump around!” and the audience’s energy suddenly reached fever pitch. When Ayase yelled “Let’s make this a night to remember!” and the band began performing “RGB,” the audience swung their towels above their heads. From the very start, the air was filled with excitement.
After some call & response between the band and the audience, YOASOBI shifted into the middle of their show, playing the songs “Seventeen,” “Mister,” “Umi No Manimani,” and “Suki Da” from their Hajimete no EP. Each of these songs was based on a story by a leading Japanese novelist, and the colorful visuals on the massive LED screen behind the band wove the aesthetics of each story.
Ayase then introduced the band — guitarist AssH, bassist Hikaru Yamamoto, keyboardist Zakuro Misohagi, and drummer Honogumo. He reflected on the tour, deep emotion in his voice as he recalled, “We’ve had lots of difficulties and struggles, but looking back, it was all fun. This experience has really been a tremendous support, and I’m truly happy that we’ve been able to make each new day a great one.”
ikura gave a moving speech to the crowd, expressing the joy and gratitude she felt as she realized one of her dreams. She recalled the first time she came to Saitama Super Arena, ten years ago, at the age of 13. She watched one of her very favorite musicians, Taylor Swift, from the very last row of the second floor stands. “I remember being amazed by just how moving music could be. I was moved, and at the same time, I thought about how much I wanted to stand on this same stage — how I wanted it to be my own voice that enveloped the crowd. And today, here I am!” She continued, “I want YOASOBI to be the kind of band that you dream about, and for us to keep putting on shows that are dreams come true for all of you, too!”
In the second half of the show, YOASOBI sang wistful ballads, starting with “Comet” and leading into “If I Could Draw Life.” The pop tune groove of “Haven’t” got the audience swaying and vibing. Then, after a quick introduction of the show’s merch and the staff, which provided a glimpse of the duo’s friendly and approachable personalities, Ayase and ikura performed a run of light, cute, popular songs: “Halzion,” “Haruka,” and “The Swallow.”
The show then headed towards its climax. Over the electro sound effects, ikura yelled out “Everyone, raise your voices and shout it out with me!” and launched into “Monster.” The audience’s fists pumped and their shouts filled the air as bright red lasers flittered across the arena. This was followed by “Blue,” and the whole audience lifted their voices together as the chorus rang out, “See what, see what, covered deep inside.” The show ended with a performance of “Adventure,” a rapturous closer that brought the whole audience together as one.
The audience began chanting for an encore, and Ayase, ikura, and the rest of the band took to the stage once again. The last song they played was “Idol.” During the intro, which had extended for the live set, ikura shouted out “Now let’s give it all we’ve got and dance till we drop!” and filled the arena with feverish excitement through the powerful song, switching between rapping and rapid-fire vocals. As silver confetti flittered through the air, ikura, a huge smile on her face, shouted “We are YOASOBI! Thank you!” took a deep bow, and left the stage.
The show was intense — the kind of show that leaves your heart racing with excitement even after it ends. For each and every one of the 19,000 people in the audience, it must have been like a dream coming true.
On August 5 and 6, YOASOBI will be performing at Head In The Clouds festival in Los Angeles. It is certain to show their unparalleled momentum and their tremendous potential as a live act.
—This article by Tomonori Shiba first appeared on Billboard Japan
YOASOBI‘s “Idol” continues to blaze the trail as it adds another week to its record-breaking run atop the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, released June 22. Scoring its 10th consecutive week at No. 1, the points for “Idol” in streaming, video views, karaoke and radio airplay began increasing again this week after showing a slight […]