Global
Page: 66
On Wednesday (Oct. 25), Vicke Blanka released his Worldfly EP. Since the spring of 2023, he has been playing numerous live shows and events around the world. The songs on Worldfly were inspired by these experiences. Billboard Japan spoke with him about the songs on his new EP and his impressions from his time abroad.
You’ve said before that the songs on this EP were inspired by your time overseas. Specifically, what kind of inspiration are you talking about?
The mindsets I encountered. I’m not saying I was inspired by the types of instruments that people were using or anything like that. It’s the way people live. How they think. For example, people in Sicily have a very “take it easy” approach. The people of Saudi Arabia can’t keep up with how the country has evolved, but they don’t see their inability to keep up as a bad thing. In France, people still feel a sense of pride in being French, and that sense of pride is separate from the country’s morals. But because the country has kept apace with people’s pride as Frenchmen and Frenchwomen, it seems to function as a noble and majestic country. I was inspired by those trends and the humanity of the people in these countries.
When did you sense these things?
I often felt them when communicating with event staff or fans. These experiences didn’t just affect my music, they also had a huge impact on my own values. For example, I think Japanese overthink things.
What made a particularly big impact on you?
The people of Sicily, I guess. They seemed to live really happy lives. It was wonderful. Sicily has this image of luxury, and of time flowing slowly, right? And that’s really how it is. The people are really kind, and there’s this feeling of “always being homies with people from your hometown (laughs).” You don’t really see that in Japan much. It’s amazing that you have those kinds of values right in the heart of Europe. There’s just so much room to breathe.
I’m sure the live shows are different, too. You’ve played a lot of shows in Japan. What big differences have you found?
It’s totally different. Everybody’s doing different things. In Japan, everyone in the audience does the same thing. But with overseas crowds, people aren’t swayed by what other people are doing. Even if other people are grooving along with the music, when there’s a part that someone likes, they’ll jump in, like “Yes! I love this part!!” People are true to themselves — to their own happiness and joy.
Are there any countries where performing live is especially easy?
Based off my recent experiences, I’d say Italy. Playing shows is fun, whether it’s overseas or in Japan. Sometimes I felt extraordinarily welcome. France was unbelievable. The French soccer powerhouse, Paris Saint-Germain, has a fight song, and if people sing it, it means they’re giving you the ultimate praise. I was overjoyed when they sang that at one of my shows. Italy is more upfront, though. I had one audience about half the size of my Parisian audience — a little under 2,000 people. But the crowd had just as much power as the Parisian audience. When I finished the show, I went into the audience to sign autographs. When I did, this woman in the audience started hitting on me, using local slang. At the time, I didn’t know what she was saying, but later I looked it up and understood. I felt like I’d unwittingly gone fishing and let a big one get away (laughs).
I’m sure you’d already had some overseas experience in the past, but this year’s experiences made an even bigger impact, right?
Yes. Playing live shows really made a big impression on me. I’d say that was the biggest change — connecting with people through music. It reinforced my belief that music has no barriers. It even crosses language barriers. Everybody wants to hear Japanese. When I played in China, too, the local show staff told me, “everybody wants to hear Japanese, so speak in Japanese.” I’d heard that, overseas, people are more moved when they see people being as they truly are.
You can see people’s national character come out in that respect. You’re really popular with overseas audiences. Have you ever analyzed what it is about you that resonates with audiences?
The first thing is, of course, the music. But given just how much praise there was for my shows, I guess personality also plays a bit of a part. I happen to be able to speak English, so my shows aren’t recitals, but real live shows. When I say “recital,” I mean, for example, going to France, giving a little greeting to the audience in French, saying the lines in the show script, performing, and then ending with “Au revoir, Paris!” My shows aren’t like that. I can actually engage in conversation up on stage. Like I can say “You’ve got some songs you want to hear, right? Shout the titles out to me!” So it’s a truly live show. I think that’s what led to the Paris Saint-Germain song tribute.
So your language ability makes a really big difference.
Yes, the ability to speak English is an advantage. That said, Italians don’t really care about what language you’re speaking. I don’t speak Italian, so I’d speak in English, but there aren’t that many English-speakers in Italy. But that didn’t make a difference. People would chat up a storm anyway — so did I. It’s just part of the national character, I guess.
As we mentioned earlier, your music is heavily inspired by your overseas experiences. How do you reflect that inspiration in your actual music?
I put the essential human nature of the people into the music. Take “Luca,” for example. The theme of the song is Sicily, and the only instruments are drum, bass, and piano. If you look at the lyrics, it’s about how life is essentially meaningless, so it’s okay to just go with the flow. The reason the song is like that is because that’s really how Sicilians live. They don’t search for meaning in life, they’re good with enjoying the individual moments of their lives and being surrounded by friends. People like that aren’t going to be making really involved music, which is why the song only has three instruments.
I see!
“Sad In Saudi Arabia” reflects a Saudi Arabian mindset. It’s quiet, but there’s a deep-seated passion, the powerful energy of Saudi Arabia. That’s why the theme is “the flame that smolders beneath.” The same is true of the people of Saudi Arabia. When I put on a show, no matter how excited people got, they all remained seated. It was like they were watching a play. But when I finished, there was this huge standing ovation. That’s just considered proper manners there. They’re very calm, or I guess self-disciplined. To reflect that, I used a very regular rhythm. The air is really dry, too, which I expressed through the use of reverb.
You were able to express things like this through the skills you’ve built up through the years.
That’s probably true. I know a lot of different musical approaches, so I’d pick the ones that were the best fits and build up the songs that way.
How do you expand your repertoire of musical approaches?
By listening to music, I guess. Yesterday, I had ramen, even though I knew it would leave me bloated. The music that was playing in the ramen restaurant was great. In situations like that, I kind of take mental note that the melody is interesting. When I was taking a taxi in Italy, there was an Italian song playing on the radio. I asked the driver if this kind of music was popular in Italy now. He said “It’s an old song, but everyone still loves it. Young people love it, too.” That’s how I learned that in Italy, simply being old doesn’t make a song uncool. So I build up experience like that. The longer I live, the more experience I accrue.
So you’ve always got your eyes and ears peeled. Were there any songs you struggled with?
“Snake” was hard. When I was writing the song, I was really busy, plus I was jetlagged and sleep deprived. But I think that’s what enabled me to make a song with that kind of frantic feel.
So you reflect everything in your music. You don’t let anything go to waste.
I let myself go with the flow. There are songs that I can only create when I’m in a bad mood. On the other hand, the last song, “Worldfly,” went really smoothly. I wrote it in two hours. Or, more accurately, I had three days to work on the song, but for the first two days I just slept and did other things while kind of thinking about the song (laughs).
Do you use that kind of approach a lot?
Yeah. I tend to slack off until the last minute. I’ve had a lot of successes with that approach, so going forward, I’m sure I’ll still be writing songs at the last minute. My staff is always saying “Hurry up and turn in the song (laughs).”
—This interview by Azusa Takahashi first appeared on Billboard Japan
The rock band WENDY consists of four members, all of them men, with an average age of 19. Ranging from age 18 to 20, the teen band overflows with youth and vitality.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Last year, they performed at SUMMER SONIC 2022, following up this year with a performance at METROCK 2023. They also performed a solo show at Shibuya CLUB QUATTRO in August of this year. Their shows are attended by listeners of all ages who keenly seek out new music, and they have a growing throng of fans who love the passion they pour into their live shows.
WENDY is establishing a big presence in the live scene, and everyone who hears them says the same thing: “I can’t believe they’re in their teens.” If you listen to their music, which is highly influenced by 1970s and 1980s roots music and hard rock, you’ll hear a fierceness and edge seldom found among Japanese artists, or even bands in other countries. Their melodies and lyrics are peppered with the essence of what it is to be a teenager, so they fit right into the 2020s. The band pairs its own unique originality with a sense of universality.
WENDY is made up of vocalist and guitarist Skye McKenzie, guitarist Paul, bassist Johnny Vincent, and drummer Sena. It was formed in Setagaya, Tokyo, in October 2020. Skye’s parents are British and Japanese, and Paul’s are Russian and Japanese. Skye is a native English speaker, so all of their song lyrics are in English. However, that’s not the only reason that their songs are in English.
The other reason for this choice is that every member of WENDY has their sights set on the world. From the very start, the members have shared a common dream: global success. But what does that entail? Winning a Grammy? Playing shows in huge overseas venues? We’d love to talk to the band and find out more.
In a previous interview, Skye has stated that he wants to play at London’s Wembley Stadium. There have been some recent new developments that are sure to put a smile on the faces of these ambitious musicians hoping to take on the world. The songs “SCREAM” and “Chasing a song,” which are featured on their first album, Don’t waste my YOUTH, released on August 23, 2023, have appeared in many Spotify playlists in countries such as the U.K., the U.S., and France, and the number of Spotify monthly listeners is soaring. Monthly listener numbers have grown more than ten-fold compared to before the album’s release. More and more of the comments on their socials are from overseas listeners, and they’re starting to draw steady attention from the global rock scene.
Despite being their debut album, Don’t waste my YOUTH was produced by Marc Whitmore, whose past production credits include Jon Batiste’s We Are, winner of the Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards, and The Black Keys’ album Let’s Rock. In the “RECORDING MAKING with Marc Whitmore” feature of the album’s limited edition DVD, Marc has high praise for their musical sensibilities, saying, “They truly understand what rock and roll is, and that’s why they have to play it.”
In September, they performed in W24&WENDY: Rock n Roll is Back, a two group event at the Rollinghall club in Seoul, South Korea, playing alongside the up-and-coming K-pop band W24. This was their first overseas show, at a venue with a capacity of 500 people. However, the played their hearts out, undaunted, and Skye engaged with the audience in English, taking full command of the show’s tone.
Each show they put on, not only does the band get better at performing, but they also get better at confidently MCing. At the Korean show, the audience shouted and applauded as Skye talked, spurring them on. Their performance was a roaring success. With this show, WENDY has started building up a track record of success in their overseas performances. They’ve taken one step closer to being a global band.
However, WENDY is taking on the world through rock, and if you’ve looked at the music charts, you’ve seen that the rock genre has been struggling, not only in Japan but globally, as well. This is sure to be putting pressure on the band as they take the road of playing the kind of music they truly want to play, but you don’t get even the slightest sense of worry from the band members or their music. Perhaps the secret is hidden in the chorus of “SCREAM.”
————-
Don’t waste your time
Think about what people think of u
I don’t wanna be
Just a kid that sits around
I’ll scream out loud
[embedded content]
You get a strong sense of their commitment to doing what they want to do, regardless of what others might think. When you listen to the song, it’s clear where their bold stance, their energetic live shows, and their repertoire comes from. But it isn’t just their strong wills. Their fundamental love of music, rock, and live shows shines through to listeners, and it might be what’s behind the excitement of the audience at their Korean show and their positions on overseas playlists.
That’s not enough for WENDY, though. They understand that they’re only at the starting line of their efforts to take the world head-on with rock music. They’ll be refining their live performances and polishing the quality of their music, because the world they’re aiming for is a huge one.
It’s a great joy to be able to see WENDY take on the world with their brave, confident style, and hopes are high for their future success in the Japanese and global rock scenes.
Sakurazaka46’s “Shoninyokkyu” hits No. 1 on this week’s Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Oct. 25, ending Ado’s consecutive reign atop the list at four weeks.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The girl group’s seventh single — the title means “esteem needs” — features second-gen member Hikaru Morita in center position of the choreography, and is the last song including first-gen member Mizuho Habu, who is set to leave the group in November.
[embedded content]
The song launched with 545,944 CDs, surpassing the group’s own record set by the previous single (“Start Over!,” 523,606 first-week copies) to rule physical sales. Streaming for the new single also surpassed its predecessor by 25 percent, racking up 7,882,683 streams to hit No. 5 for the metric. The track is at No. 13 for downloads (3,343 units) and No. 51 for radio.
Ado’s “Show” slips to No. 2 after holding at No. 1 for four straight weeks. But the song racked up 14,227,857 weekly streams (up approximately 1.17 percent from the previous week) to hold at No. 1 for the metric, while also continuing to rule downloads and video views. It also rises 18-14 for karaoke. Ado collaborated with Universal Studios Japan for its Halloween event “Halloween Horror Nights” for this track, featured as the theme for the event’s dance show “Zombie de Dance” continuing through Nov. 5. With Halloween less than a week away, the song still could return to the top spot on the Japan Hot 100.
[embedded content]
MAZZEL’s “Carnival” debuts at No. 4. The rising boy band’s second single hits No. 2 for sales with 52,448 copies sold, surpassing its debut single “Vivid,” which launched with 43,340 copies. The eight-member group also hits No. 4 for downloads with 9,289 first-week units — also performing much better than its predecessor (2,682 units) — and is at No. 3 for radio.
[embedded content]
Fujii Kaze’s “Hana” rises 11-7 this week, breaking into the top 10 on the Japan Hot 100. The theme of the new TV series Ichiban Sukina Hana that premiered Oct. 12 moved 55-12 for streaming after points for the track increased by about 111 percent from the previous week. Points for video also jumped 77-21 with a 71 percent increase.
[embedded content]
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 Oct. 16 to 22, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
Earlier this year — on a warm day in May, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month — a septet of young women fought nerves backstage at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens. Just over a year after its official debut, the group XG was in town for Head in the Clouds, a music festival celebrating […]
On this day in 2017, Gord Downie died at the age of 53. The frontman for the iconic Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip left an undeniable mark on the country’s cultural landscape and its charts. In the years since, his legacy has been dissected and cemented, with tributes coming in from Drake to Justin Trudeau. He was a champion of Indigenous reconciliation, a rock and roll poet, one of the continent’s best performers. He was a lot of things at once.
For Gord Downie’s daughter Willo Downie, it’s been difficult to grapple with the public perception of her father — who he was to the country and who he was to her. Six years since we lost him, she feels ready to reflect on the lessons he taught her and how it squares with the man the world knew through his music and writing. Now that she’s establishing her own artistic career as a visual artist, Willo Downie feels grateful for the gift he gave her: a life of art, and of art as a way of life. — Billboard Canada digital editor Richard Trapunski
Here is Willo Downie’s remembrance of Gord Downie for Billboard Canada:
To live is to create, and what a gift that is.
The greatest gift we can give in thanks for our life is creation.
I know and feel this deeply. My dad taught me.
Six years after his death, I still grapple with the public’s perception of who my dad was. It often feels surreal and overwhelming to reconcile. To me, for so long, he was “just” my dad. King of my heart, as a young girl.
But Gord Downie threw himself earnestly into each of the roles he filled — and they were many, beyond that of being a truly amazing father.
I can recognize that more deeply as each year goes by and I grow older myself. My understanding of his legacy is a tapestry that will continue to weave itself into completion, forever.
For as long as I can remember, my dad kept his public life very separate from his private life. His family, of course, fell under the arm of “private.” I will endeavour to respect that boundary even now, while I dive into what I consider to be a celebration of the beautiful life he led, here, in this piece.
Dad had cultivated his creativity within and around him until it had become the very foundation of his being by the time he turned thirty. And then he became a father. It’s one of my greatest points of pride — to have come from and been raised by a man who embodied, fully, what it meant to create one’s own life as though it were a work of art.
Your frame of mind. Your inner world. Your surroundings. Your relationships. Your work. It was all art to him — to be molded and shaped with diligence and intention.
The notion that we, as humans, are inherently creative beings permeated most decisions made and the interests us kids pursued… Music, painting and sculpture, food, dance, sports. Everything had an inherent beauty to it, in our parents’ eyes. Art was a vessel that could hold history, the opportunity for activism, a way to process pain and a way to celebrate joy.
I’ll never forget my school’s grade 9 “Take Your Kid To Work Day.” Dad took me to the Art Gallery of Ontario. We spent the entire day there, absorbing each of the collections and exhibits, together. He taught me a lot about the Group of Seven that day. Emily Carr, too.
I try to retrieve the reasoning behind that choice of his sometimes… of why he’d choose the AGO, of all places. In hindsight, I think he was trying to relay the message that his “career” was so much more to him than just one discipline, one art form. It was a way of life — the choice to move through the world in pursuit of beauty and truth. He was setting that example for me, too.
Fast forward a few years, and I can remember a specific conversation with my dad. I was choosing what to do after high school.
“Willo, what makes you happy?”
“A lot of things, dad…”
“What can’t you live without?”
“I need to paint”
“Then do that”
Then the doubt set in, and he responded, “Willo, choose, and you’ll make a way.”
That last line always stuck with me. This guy never minced his words. His choice to say “you’ll make a way” could very well have been “you’ll find a way” or, “the way will make itself known to you.” But he had chosen to try to empower me instead, to create the life and career I so desperately wanted — needed — in order to feel complete.
He was a man who continually chose to try, try, and try again. His dedication and discipline in his work got him to a place from which he was able to create with such output and raw, undiluted honesty. It was awe-invoking. Truly. The guy didn’t have an “off-switch.” He wouldn’t dare tamp down his life force — his will to create or advocate for others — for anything.
And so, his legacy: He lived to create, and he created, in pursuit of a loving, full life.
What an example to have set.
Here is a painting by Willo Downie with Gord Downie’s handwriting superimposed on top:
DISCOVER MORE:
This article was originally published by Billboard Canada.
Toronto musician Mustafa has posted an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pleading with him to support the people of Palestine and “defy this active genocide and imprisonment that is levelling Gaza.” This comes after Israel declared a state of war against Hamas on Oct. 9.
Mustafa, then going by Mustafa The Poet, met the prime minister at a Black liberation event and eventually served as the Ontario representative in Trudeau’s youth council 10 years ago. Calling Trudeau his “old acquaintance,” Mustafa asks him to fight for the lives of Palestinian civilians, in particular the women and children, affected by Israel’s offensive.
The artist highlights Canada’s own past with colonial oppression. Mustafa asks Trudeau to join past leaders like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu on “the right side of history in the liberation of Palestine.”
My (now) open letter to an old acquaintance; Prime Minister Justin Trudeau- on Palestine, genocide, & our indigenous population pic.twitter.com/7Nqhemf7Up
— Mustafa (@MustafaThePoet) October 16, 2023
Read Mustafa’s full letter below:
Justin Trudeau,
We met a decade ago, to jog your memory we participated in an event for black liberation together before you were the prime minister of Canada.
When you were appointed prime minister, I served on the first ever youth council as your Ontario rep., we travelled this endless country together in search of some semblance of democracy.. You have your flaws in leadership, but in our time together I sensed a heart in you.
I know you have a political & economic responsibility to Israel. I remember our time in Calgary was clipped because you had to immediately fly to Tel Aviv for the funeral of war criminal Ariel Sharon. I knew and you knew there was no say in the matter of your attendance for this man you did not know.
I’m asking you to use the same tongue that defended Israel & condemned Hamas to defy this active genocide and imprisonment that is levelling Gaza, that is burying & disfiguring children and women.
I’m asking you to use our people’s tax dollars that have been exhausted to support the most funded & violent state in the world to also protect the relentlessly tormented people of Palestine.
So much of our time together was about undoing the iniquities that were done to our Indigenous population, a hopeless pursuit for this already stolen land — for the decades and decades of ethnic cleansing that they’re still recovering from, how could we ever undo what can’t be forgiven or rectified?
A century from now, when they contemplate your legacy Prime Minister, will you be recalled as a custodian of this unforgivable genocide, this ethnic cleansing, this stolen land? Your battle here in Canada will have been for nothing.
Nelson Mandela, Albert Einstein, Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, join these respected leaders on the right side of history in the liberation of Palestine.
Solidarity with the oppressed and the erased,
Mustafa Ahmed,
Regent Park, Toronto
Hours after Mustafa posted his letter on X, an air raid struck a Gaza hospital, killing at least 500 people. This prompted Trudeau to tweet about the tragedy, stating accountability must be held for those responsible.
I’m horrified by the loss of life at Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza. My thoughts are with those who lost loved ones. It is imperative that innocent civilians be protected and international law upheld. Together, we must determine what happened. There must be accountability.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) October 18, 2023
Mustafa has also released the first song, “Name of God” from of his upcoming full-length album debut. A devout Muslim himself, Mustafa reflects on the loss of his brother and his relationship with God.
[embedded content]
In true Mustafa fashion, this single also came with a heartfelt message in his own words:
I never felt like the Nubian prince my father seen in me through his tinted lens. I try their dance, their prayer- I always fall short.
& Gods name wasn’t always related to beauty for me, but to hopelessness, this Islam we share and Allah we call for while witnessing a constant violence that continues to
bind us, I don’t think I ever felt completely Muslim among other Muslims,
All these sub-beliefs like borders. My aunts in all their wisdom and narrowness-one Sufi spinning into remembrance, one refuting the taking of a photograph.
When my big brother was killed in what will always feel like yesterday, knowing the suspected murderer was someone he held as a friend, someone he prayed with- it led me to believe that maybe his love was his end? Maybe where there is no love, parting from love keeps us alive? Maybe ending in love is the only way to actually begin? I don’t know.
The only clear memory from the days of his death were my parents reciting in unison, “oh Allah, we accept his passing, we accept what you ordained.”
I’m desperate to love God like them.
Our faith and our hearts are too often our demise- I know a field of young niggas dreaming that can testify to this. For better or worse we’ll uncover every bone beneath our hollow laughter, our confused affection; maybe its revealed in our final gasp for meaning.
Until then.
Bismillah, In the Name of God, 10.17.23
Mustafa recently made an appearance during the Daniel Caesar Toronto show on Oct.13. Alongside Charlotte Day Wilson and Caesar, Mustafa performed “Old Man’ by Neil Young in an unconventional encore broadcast live from the green room at Scotiabank Arena.
This article was originally published by Billboard Canada.
Koki Kimura is the man behind the smartphone game Monster Strike, which has gone on to become a popular content brand worldwide, bringing in over $10 billion in revenue. In June 2018 he was appointed president of MIXI Inc., and he has been focusing the company’s efforts on sports business. Takehito Masui of Warner Music Japan talked with Kimura about what led to his turning Monster Strike into more than just a game, expanding it into a full range of entertainment that includes real-world events, music, and anime. Kimura discussed what he has hoped to accomplish by doing so and what he sees as the future of sports and music.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Takehito Masui: You’re currently the president of MIXI, but originally you were a game producer. Your smartphone game Monster Strike was a huge hit, with one trillion yen in revenue over a six year period. What do you think made it so successful at capturing people’s hearts?
Kimura: I think everyone has a desire to stay in constant contact with their old and trusted friends. In fact, they’re looking for excuses to stay connected. If you’re an adult, you can create opportunities to stay connected by saying, “I’ve got this work, do you want to do it together?” I was thinking that children also needed some sort of pretext to play together. AAA games had satisfied that need in the past, but now people were playing mobile games instead. I think that’s what led to Monster Strike’s explosive popularity.
Masui: Thanks to Monster Strike’s success, MIXI’s market capitalization grew 30-fold, from roughly 20 billion yen to roughly 600 billion yen. At the time, you were still a game creator. The environment around you has changed dramatically, but has your mindset also undergone any changes?
Kimura: Yes. One of the big changes was that I started paying attention to what was going on overseas. In 2015, Monster Strike had the highest annual sales of any smartphone app in the world, but most of those sales came from Japan. If you do business that exclusively targets the local Japanese market, you’ll quickly reach your limits. However, the whole world needs communication tools, not just Japan. When I started thinking “we might be successful overseas, too,” I started travelling far more often to overseas locations such as the U.S., Korea, and China.
Masui: In around 2018, Monster Strike evolved from being just a game to being an entire entertainment brand. Music became a much bigger part of it.
Kimura: We expanded it from games to a broader range of entertainment with an eye toward using the power of a mix of media to provide people with more opportunities use to extend invitations to others. Our idea was that this would make it possible for people to reach out even to folks who didn’t enjoy gaming.
Masui: Your owned media for sharing Monster Strike news includes an official Monster Strike YouTube channel. Currently (as of September 2023) there are 1.33 million subscribers. Then you launched the Monster Strike Anime TV channel. That has 640,000 subscribers (as of September 2023). The Monster Strike anime generated a lot of buzz, leading to a theatrical anime release.
Kimura: Collaborations were a big factor behind us branching out into anime. Our IP collaborations go all the way back to April 2014 with our Rascal the Raccoon IP collaboration. Then, starting with Evangelion in May 2015, we sold characters within Monster Strike. Of course, there are some people who start Monster Strike expressly for the characters featured in collaborations, but even more than that, it brings people together because they’re saying “hey, I hear Monster Strike’s doing an XYZ tie-up!”
We believed that a story could provide the game with even more added value, so why not make the story ourselves? And that’s what led to us making the anime. Monster Strike itself is a simple action game, so it’s not great at setting up a story and getting people emotionally invested.
Masui: Then you got into music, starting with the Monster Strike Orchestra, right?
Kimura: For our orchestra project, we were inspired by Dragon Quest. The music used in Monster Strike is orchestral, so we thought it would sound great if we had it performed by an orchestra, like Dragon Quest.
Masui: Then there’s the spin-off “Monsoni!” which consists of music played by game characters. The game’s characters have become musical artists, playing their own original music. What were you aiming for with this strategy?
Kimura: My own approach is to make surprising users our highest priority, so every day I thought about what we could do next that would really surprise our users. I thought, “I’m sure they were surprised with the orchestra, so what’s next?” I figured it would be fun if we did a pop music collaboration.
Actually, to let you in a little on my ulterior motives, with pop music, idols, and bands, there are a lot of fans not only of the music but also of the artists that create it. You don’t see that kind of excitement with an orchestra. So I thought if we made the characters of the game into idols, we could not only produce musical excitement, but also make hit characters. Then we could sell those bands and groups in the game. We developed our plans with the twin goals of sharing Monster Strike in a new way, through music, and of developing new products for use within the game.
Masui: The characters in the game have their own personalities, and in the anime they’re voiced. The voice actors from the anime also perform the song vocals, and the music is sold on physical CDs, just like flesh-and-blood artists. The personal qualities of the characters are consistent across all the media they appear in. There have been artists that started out as anime characters, but what makes this interesting is that even before that, these characters were game characters.
In 2016, you started your XFLAG PARK live entertainment shows (now called “DREAMDAZE”). What was your aim with this?
Kimura: The phrase “content marketing” may sound a little dry, but there’s a certain passion that you just can’t generate with bought media. That kind of passion can only be generated by creating it through content.
Our idea was to reap the returns through the game, so we don’t aim to recoup the full cost through tickets alone. At a recent DREAMDAZE, we revealed the new Lucifer Transcension: Kai. After the event, the character sold exceptionally well. We can recoup the costs that way, so even if events are costly, we want to create new things people have never seen before.
Masui: The 2019 XFLAG PARK attracted 40,000 people and 340,000 people watched the live stream. That scale rivals many famous music festivals. I’d imagine that you did this to broaden the range of opportunities you’re presenting people to extend invitations to their friends. Have you had any difficulties in reaching fans who are normally focused on entirely different genres?
Kimura: I don’t think there’s very much conflict. Monster Strike is, essentially, about getting together with friends or family members, bringing your smartphones to the same place and having fun together. In that sense, it’s not so much an online game as an offline game.
Some people might not like a particular artist at first, but through the process of playing with friends, having a shared experience with them as they take in the artist’s work, many will gain an appreciation for the artists. For example, when people go to karaoke and everyone sings an artist’s songs, the songs become a shared language and everyone has a fun time. That’s why I think Monster Strike is a really good fit for music and artists.
Masui: What are your plans for overseas markets?
Kimura: I want to continue our philosophy of sharing the value of communication with people around the world. Right now, we’re focusing on Asia. Asia’s population is huge. India, in particular, is a population giant, home to 1.4 billion people. 25 million babies are born every year. The population will provide a powerful boost in the future, and I think we might see Asia developing a strong economic sphere that surpasses those of the U.S. and Europe.
Looking at smartphone communications alone, India has a 46% smartphone adoption rate, making it the country with the second highest number of smartphone users, behind China. Also, due to political reasons, Chinese apps such as TikTok are banned in India. I think that, as a country closed off to China, India presents tremendous business opportunities to us as a Japanese company.
—This interview by Yuuka Higaki first appeared on Billboard Japan
Ado continues to rule the Billboard Japan Hot 100 on the chart dated Oct. 18, with “Show” holding the top spot for the fourth consecutive week.
Downloads for the theme of Universal Studios Japan’s Halloween event are slightly down 0.9% down from the previous week to 15,394 units, but rises 2-1 for the metric. The “Zombie de Dance” number is also at No. 1 for streaming for the fourth straight week (14,227,857 weekly streams, also down 0.9%) and video for the second week. Meanwhile, “Show” shot up from No. 48 to No. 18 for karaoke, indicating that the song is beginning to reach a wider audience.
Ado also has another song in the top 10 this week, with her SPYxFAMILY Season 2 opener “Kurakura” hitting No. 9 on the Japan Hot 100. After the new season premiered on Oct. 7, the “New Genesis” singer’s brand-new banger is at No. 5 for downloads (8,979 units), No. 19 for streaming (3,971,190 streams), No. 8 for radio, and No. 17 for video. In related news. Vaundy’s “Todome no Ichigeki (feat. Cory Wong),” the groovy ending theme for the same anime, debuts at No. 22 during this chart week.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
[embedded content]
INI’s “HANA” debuts at No. 2 on the Japan Hot 100 this week, selling 458,698 copies in its first week. The eleven-member boy band’s 5th single rules physical sales, while coming in at No. 4 for downloads (9,623 units). The music video has been viewed over 5.37 million times on YouTube as of publication, landing the song at No. 26 for video.
[embedded content]
YOASOBI follows, with “Idol” overtaking “The Brave” this week to come in Nos. 3 and 4, respectively. In addition to the release of the duo’s new album THE BOOK 3, increased media exposure including appearances on TV has reinvigorated “Idol,” the record-holder for most weeks at No. 1 on the Japan Hot 100. Downloads for the track is at No. 8 with 5,539 units (up 0.78 percent) and streaming at No. 2 with 10,620,712 streams (up 0.95 percent), which is about 1.26 times more than the weekly streams for “The Brave.” The long-running hit is also at No. 2 for video, No. 39 for radio, and holds at No. 1 for karaoke for the 21st consecutive week.
[embedded content]
“The Brave” is currently at No. 3 for downloads (13,397 units), No. 4 for streaming (8,402,399 streams, up 0.96 percent), No. 19 for radio, and No. 4 for video. The music video on YouTube has racked up over 13.98 million views at the time of publication.
[embedded content]
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 Oct. 9 to 15, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
Luck Ra’s “La Morocha,” featuring BM, adds a fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart (dated Oct. 14). The team-up ties with Bizarrap & Shakira’s Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53 for the fifth-most weeks at the summit in 2023. Let’s look at the leaderboard:
Weeks at No. 1, Title, ArtistsSeven, “Los del Espacio” LIT killah, Maria Becerra, FMK, Rusherking, Duki, Emilia, Tiago PZK & Big OneSeven, “En La Intimidad,” Emilia, Big One, Callejero FinoSix, “Lala,” Myke TowersFive, “Un Finde: Big One CROSSOVER #2,” Ke Personajes, Big One, FMKFour, “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” Bizarrap & ShakiraFour, “La Morocha,” Luck Ra, featuring BM
[embedded content]
Emilia’s “GTA.Mp3” pushes up the tally, jumping 7-2, while Los Angeles Azules and Maria Becerra’s “El Amor de Mi Vida” dips 3-2. Meanwhile, Grupo Frontera and Ke Personajes’ “Ojitos Rojos” rises to its new No. 4 peak, and Big One, Ulises Bueno and Rusherking’s “Mentiras I Crossover #3”, enters the top 5, as it lifts 8-5.
This week’s Greatest Gainer goes to Spaniard Iñigo Quintero’s “Si No Estás” which rallies up 69 ranks, from No. 85 to No. 16.
Enrique Iglesias and Maria Becerra’s first partnership, “Así Es La Vida,” takes the Hot Shot Debut of the week, at No. 34.
Elsewhere, Bizarrap and Milo J each add a new career entry as “Bzrp Music Sessions Vol 57” bows at No. 35. With the new recruit, BIzarrap adds his 49th chart visit and enters a tie with J Balvin for the third-most entry on the tally, trailing only Bad Bunny’s 60 total appearances and Duki’s 56.
Further, singer-songwriter Jere Klein adds his second Billboard Argentina Hot 100 entry with “Ando” at No. 41.
Four other songs debut this week, starting with Trueno’s “Ohh Baby” at No. 75. Jung Kook and Jack Harlow’s “3D” follows at No. 79. Plus, Doble P, Lauty Gram and Gusty dj’s “Me Escapé” joins at No. 86. Lastly, Lauty Gram adds another entry through “Linda” (Remix),” his collab with Marka Akme, Migrantes, Peipper and DJ Tao join at No. 91.
[embedded content]
Japanese punk band HEY-SMITH has announced that they were tapped to perform the ending theme for the Tenjiku Arc of the TV anime Tokyo Revengers. The song, “Say My Name,” is the band’s first new song in a year and its first anime tie-in.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
[embedded content]
Formed in 2006, the six-piece band has undergone several changes in membership before settling on its current lineup in 2015: guitarist and vocalist Shuhei Igari, bassist and vocalist YUJI, saxophonist Mitsuru, drummer Task-n, trombonist Kanasu, and trumpeter Ken Iikawa. In 2020, it signed with veteran American punk label ASIAN MAN RECORDS and began streaming its album Life In The Sun World Edition around the world. HEY-SMITH is a melodic punk band with its own horn section. Their most famous songs include “Endless Sorrow,” which riffs on the melody of the Farandole from Georges Bizet’s “The Girl from Arles,” “Be the One,” which combines the heavy sound of metal with an energetic melody, and “NOT a TV show,” which they played on their first appearance on a music TV program in 2018. HEY-SMITH’s leader, Igari, is responsible for both the band’s lyrics and music. Through their music, the band has always shared the core ethos of punk, that people need to speak up and make themselves heard so they can continue to live free and have fun.
[embedded content]
HEY-SMITH performs almost 150 shows a year and is known as a dyed-in-the-wool live band. In 2022, despite the pandemic, they did a tour of all 47 Japanese prefectures. During the summer, they’re invited to play in festivals and shows with other bands across the country, performing almost every week. They also organize their own outdoor festival, “OSAKA HAZIKETEMAZARE FESTIVAL,” spearheading their own movement.
In 2017, they only played two solo shows. Even in their own tours, they almost always play with opening acts. The members of the band decide on their openers themselves, reaching out to bands that they’ve seen in shows and been impressed by. They choose bands that put on good shows, regardless of how long they’ve been playing or how well-known they are. This inspires HEY-SMITH and livens up the music scene.
Listeners aren’t the only ones supporting their blistering live performances and other activities. They also enjoy solid support from other bands, and there are countless episodes that show how they are truly a “band loved by bands.” For example, in 2019, while Igari was hospitalized for pneumothorax surgery, the rest of the band performed in a show called “Kyoto Daisakusen 2019.” The members of SiM, coldrain, dustbox, and 04 Limited Sazabys came together to help the band through this pinch. The show featured a tremendous on-stage collaboration of different artists.
HEY-JUMP is a powerhouse, a name familiar to everyone who is into Japanese bands, especially those who go to see live music. Now, they’ve created the ending theme to the TV anime Tokyo Revengers. This must have come as a surprise to a lot of people. When the announcement was made, the jacket of their new single, “Say My Name,” was also unveiled. The jacket features the members of HEY-SMITH replaced with Tokyo Revengers characters. People must also have been surprised by the new jacket — yet, at the same time, found it a perfect fit.
“Say My Name” was released on the same day as the second episode of the anime was broadcast. The song begins with YUJI’s high-pitched vocals, a driving rhythm, and a melody played by the horn section. Igari then leaps in with a shouted vocal line. Listening to the song, it’s easy to imagine the scene of an audience going wild at a live show, kicking up a cloud of dust as the heavy sound of the music washes over them. The song’s theme of fighting for hope and freedom reflects HEY-SMITH’s own punk spirit. But, at the same time, the lyrics “You are my hero and you cry/I know I know I know I know/we defeat everything” evoke the story of Tokyo Revengers and its characters, such as Takemichi Hanagaki, who leaps back in time over and over to change a bleak future, and his girlfriend Hinata Tachibana, who maintains an unswerving faith in Takemichi. The song is perfect as a new HEY-SMITH song and as the ending theme of the Tenjiku Arc of the TV anime Tokyo Revengers. Clocking in at just 1 minute and 48 seconds, it’s a short tune without a moment of fat, an electrifying demonstration of the band’s talents.
On October 11, HEY-SMITH released the single “Say My Name.” This will also mark the major debut of HEY-SMITH on Pony Canyon. What’s more, they’ve announced that on November 1, they’ll be releasing a new album, Rest In Punk. This will be their 6th full album and the first in almost 5 years. Following their album release, on November 16, they will be starting their largest tour ever, the nation-spanning Rest In Punk Tour. They’ve already announced show dates up to April 10 of next year, but their tour schedule ends with “And more…” so new dates are likely to be added. Here’s hoping that the band’s major label debut will usher in an even more active period in the band’s history.
–This article by Chinami Hachisuka first appeared on Billboard Japan