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Billboard Japan unveiled its 2022 year-end charts on Dec. 9. Breakout singer Ado topped the Artist 100 ranking, compiled from the results of the Japan Hot 100 and Hot Albums lists.
The enigmatic songstress burst into the J-pop music scene with her smash hit “Usseewa” two years ago, and this year she dominated the Japan charts as Uta from the blockbuster animated movie One Piece Film: Red. The young singer, born in 2002, says she “took on new challenges” this past year and looks back on some of her major accomplishments including her headlining show at her dream venue — the Saitama Super Arena — and her smash OPFR collab in this latest interview with Billboard Japan.
You’re the No. 1 artist on Billboard Japan’s year-end Artist 100 ranking, which combines the Japan Hot 100 and the Hot Albums charts for this year. Could you share your honest impression about this result?
I’m really happy that so many people are listening to my music. After singing the songs for One Piece Film: Red, I checked the charts quite a bit, and when it looked like, Ado, Ado, Ado all the way down from the top, it really took me by surprise.
What kind of year was 2022 for you?
I performed a headlining concert at Saitama Super Arena in August, which was the biggest dream of my life so I was really happy about that. It was my second headlining show after the first one in April at Zepp DiverCity, so I was surprised that I reached my goal so unbelievably quickly.
The scope of your activities has been expanding at a dizzying pace. When was the first time you noticed your music’s reach?
When “Usseewa” charted on the Billboard Japan charts, I couldn’t help but think, “Whoa, awesome!” Of course, rankings aren’t everything, but “Usseewa” was the first song of mine that ever charted and I was blown away when it reached the top.
Any other moments in your daily life when you feel you have some hits?
When I suddenly hear the chorus of “Usseewa” being used on a variety show, or “New Genesis” on a YouTube video that has nothing to do with the song… When I see people mentioning my songs or me in a genre that’s completely different from my own, it really hits home that my music is reaching a pretty wide audience.
“New Genesis,” the theme of the animated movie One Piece Film: Red, hit No. 1 on Billboard Japan’s Hot 100 for a total of six weeks. It’s become your biggest hit so far.
I sang 7 songs (on the soundtrack album) and each was completely different from the other in taste, including a ballad, which I’d never sung before, and a song with full-blown rap. Before I recorded these songs, I was worried about whether I’d be able to sing them properly or if everyone would enjoy them, but the fact that so many people listened to them gave me a lot of confidence.
If you were to compile a personal song chart for 2022, which song would be No. 1?
Wow, there are too many to choose from! But one that I listened to a lot for a while was “Future Eve ft. Hatsune Miku” written by Sasakure.UK for this year’s [Hatsune Miku event] Magical Mirai.
Billboard Japan launched a new chart in December, the Niconico Vocaloid Songs Top 20, which ranks the popularity of vocaloid songs on the Japanese video-sharing platform Niconico, courtesy of Dwango. How do you usually come across new vocaloid music?
My main go-to is still Niconico. After the Vocaloid Collection (Voca-colle) event began, I’ve been using it a lot. Niconico lets you to add various tags to videos and when you jump to the links of the tags, you can find lots of songs in a similar genre. I came across a hip-hop vocaloid track before that was tagged “Mik-hop” and was like, “Wow, I never knew this kind of thing existed.”
Hatsune Miku meets hip-hop?
Right. There’s also “Alternative Mik,” a combination of alt-rock and Hatsune Miku. I personally like the tag “Osharena Miku-uta (stylish Miku songs).” Also, the rankings on Niconico are easy to see and Voca-colle even has a rookie list, so it’s useful in finding new artists.
You began your singing career by uploading covers of vocaloid songs online. How did you first get into vocaloid music?
When I was in first grade or thereabouts, I visited my cousin who told me “I’ve been listening to some interesting stuff lately,” and showed me “Daughter of Evil” and “Servant of Evil” by mothy (Aku no P) on the computer. They were derivative videos characteristic of the vocaloid genre. After I came across this world that I’d never known about, I asked my dad to teach me how to use the computer and began searching for similar stuff online on my own.
Any vocaloid producers that you’ve been into lately?
I go through Iyowa phases periodically. I’m currently going through one now and have been listening to his works like I’m possessed. Many of his songs have a kind of dissonance in a good way, like melodies that make you feel a little uneasy. On the other hand, each number has a story that’s a little sad and human. They make you want to listen to them over and over…They feel like those dreams you see when you have a fever.
You recently announced a partnership with Geffen Records in the U.S. Was working outside of Japan one of the goals you’d originally envisioned?
No. Around the time I first got into music, the idea of working overseas was so huge in scale that I felt intimidated by it and never thought I could pull it off. But I did think that it’d be so cool if I could. I receive comments from people living in other countries and I think it’s really awesome that they’re listening to my songs despite the language barrier.
When I received this offer, I thought it was my turn to approach those fans. I also hope I can help promote J-pop music through my activities. Even if we don’t understand each other’s languages, I’m sure we share the same feelings and emotions as human beings, so I hope I can convey those aspects. I’m committed to my music so I hope to touch people through my songs.
Do you have any specific goals for your activities outside of Japan?
Concerts definitely. I’d love to perform at festivals and events overseas, too. My first domestic tour will began in December, and I’m looking forward to doing more shows going forward.
Lastly, please tell us about your aspirations for next year and beyond.
I don’t think too many people have seen me perform live yet, so I’d like more people to get to know “Ado in concert.” I took on new challenges in 2022. I finally invited Hatsune Miku into my home and started singing with her. I also hope to be able to do other things like producing.
Aimer’s “Zankyosanka” rules Billboard Japan’s 2022 year-end Japan Hot 100, the comprehensive song chart that includes CD sales, streaming, and video views. The J-pop singer’s smash hit, featured as the opener for the entertainment district story arc of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, topped the mid-year chart and continued to be loved by listeners during the second half of 2022, becoming a hit number that symbolizes this past year in Japan.
The 32-year-old songstress celebrated the 10th anniversary of her debut in September 2021, marking the milestone with her domestic arena tour entitled Cycle de 10 ans that ended in October this year. Aimer is wrapping up her anniversary celebrations with the release of a new mini-album called Deep down Dec. 14 and spoke to Billboard Japan over email about her progress over the past year, as well as the turning points and dreams that have come true in the decade since her debut.
“Zankyosanka” hit No. 1 on Billboard Japan’s mid-year Japan Hot 100 and has since remained a long-running favorite for many music listeners. Congratulations on the song topping the 2022 year-end chart.
The song was written by the team I’ve been working with since my debut, and I’m so happy and touched that so many more people than we imagined in the beginning have listened to it. I’m very honored.
What kind of year was 2022 for you?
It was an exciting year, like I’ve been riding various roller coasters repeatedly without getting bored.
If you were to compile a personal song chart for 2022, which song would be No. 1?
I’ve been giving my full attention to my own music, so sometimes there are moments when I distance myself from listening to music, but Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” gave me a lot of energy, so that’s my choice.
Your 10th anniversary concert in October was great. How do you look back on it now?
Thank you so much. It was a live show that we carefully created so we could trace our past ten years and depict the next ten together. I recalled so many memories of each song as I sang them during the concert, which was something I’d never experienced before. I was able to express my gratitude in the form of a live performance to each and every person who discovered me, and was overcome with deep emotion to see people accepting my appreciation.
Could you share a moment from the past decade that you consider to be a turning point?
I think that making my fourth album daydream was a turning point. I was celebrating the fifth anniversary of my debut at the time, and to be able to create music with artists that I respected was a rewarding opportunity. It was very inspiring for me as a musician, and was an occasion that turned my focus outward.
Tell us about your dreams that have come true since your debut. Also, what kind of future do you envision for next year and beyond?
I feel that my biggest dream of continuing to sing has been fulfilled for the past decade in a very gratifying way. I’d like to continue to express and pursue various kinds of music more voraciously in the next ten years, and would like to stand on many stages that I’ve never been to before together with everyone who supports me.
Could you tell us about your new mini album Deep down, which comes out on December 14?
Since I was able to meet many new people through “Zankyosanka,” something I had in mind for one of the themes for the album was “to kick off the next ten years, I want to make music from a perspective I’ve never encountered before.” A number of songs were created during the tour, and “Ivy Ivy Ivy” was written while thinking of all the people I was able to meet at each stop.
The title track “Deep down” is the ending theme for the animated series Chainsaw Man. What was your initial reaction when they offered it to you? Also, what was your impression of Chainsaw Man and what aspects of it did you want to incorporate into the music?
The episode I was offered to write the ending theme for was where “the story suddenly plunges into deep muddy waters,” and I was very honored that they thought I was the right person for the role. I wanted to create a song that symbolized the dark side of Chainsaw Man, which permeates the episode I wrote for, and would trace the deepest parts of the heart with both hands and go even deeper.
Which song do you feel like you were able to break new ground with on Deep down?
All of the songs were written from a slightly new perspective, but I particularly like the title track “Deep down” because I feel like I was able to reach out to the bottom of darkness more than any of my previous songs.
Do you have a message for your audience?
If you discovered me through “Zankyosanka,” it’d make me really happy if you could also get to know the music that I’ve been expressing for the past decade, including my new mini album Deep down.
Paul Kelly scores an early Christmas gift, as the veteran Australian singer, songwriter and wordsmith bags the chart crown with his holiday collection.
Kelly’s “2022 Edition” of Christmas Train (GAWD/EMI) stops at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, published Dec. 9. That’s one better than Christmas Train’s No. 2 debut and peak position following its original release in 2021, an effort that made it the highest-charting Christmas album of the year in Australia.
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Christmas Train collects a batch of classics, and features a new recording of Ron Sexsmith’s “Maybe This Christmas” — recorded with Kelly’s live band at Soundpark Studios in Melbourne — and, of course, Kelly’s own holiday standard, “How to Make Gravy,” a tale of a prisoner reflecting on the friends and family he’ll miss while he’s locked up for Christmas.
Guest vocalists on the LP include Marlon Williams, Waleed Aly, Lior, Emma Donovan, Kasey Chambers, Kate Miller-Heidke, Vika & Linda Bull, and more.
With another Aussie Christmas set blazing to No. 1 last week, Jimmy Barnes’ Blue Christmas (down 4-1 this cycle), ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd is calling the result “amazing” and “one more thing to celebrate as we enter the festive season. Congratulations to Paul for his success, it’s fantastic to see such an accomplished and important national storyteller continue to reach new heights.”
Kelly had to wait for his first No. 1. It finally came in 2017 with Life Is Fine, his 23rd studio album. Its followup, 2018’s Nature, also scaled the summit.
A smattering of Christmas gifts are placed on the ARIA Charts, including Michael Bublé’s Christmas (Reprise/Warner), up 36-8 on the albums survey, and the Bocellis’ A Family Christmas (Decca/Universal), which holds at No. 9.
Leaping in at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart, just behind Taylor Swift’s Midnights (Universal), is Australian Frog Calls: Songs of Disappearance (via MGM), an album that features calls from 43 of Australia’s most threatened frogs.
The set is a collaborative project of Australia Museum FrogID project, the Bowerbird Collective, Listening Earth and Mervyn Street of Mangkaja Arts, and aims to raise awareness for Australia’s declining frog population. Currently, one in six Australian native frog species are threatened.
The amphibian benefit recording is from the same well as Australian Bird Calls: Songs of Disappearance, an album of bird songs that reached No. 2 on the national chart in 2021.
Also new to the ARIA Albums Chart is Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains (Republic/Universal), new at No. 5, while BTS star RM’s starts at No. 26 with his solo debut Indigo (Interscope/Universal), and Magic Dirt singer Adalita bows at No. 29 with Inland (Liberation/Universal).
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Sam Smith & Kim Petras’ “Unholy” (Capitol/Universal) unseats “Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” (Universal) after six weeks, while Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (Columbia/Sony) races 11-3.
Metro Boomin’ has the top debut on the singles survey with his Heroes & Villains release, “Creepin’” featuring the Weeknd and 21 Savage. It’s new at No. 8.
As a significant part of HYBE’s grand plans for 2022 and 2023, the Korean entertainment corporation’s first Japan-based act officially arrived on the music scene with its debut EP this week.
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&TEAM is the nine-member boy band aiming to be a “global” group with representation from their Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese and German backgrounds. Consisting of members K, Fuma, Nicholas, EJ, Yuma, Jo, Harua, Taki and Maki, the nine were selected from the singing competition show &AUDITION – The Howling that wrapped in September. The program featured HYBE chairman Bang Si-Hyuk leading and advising the group, while Scooter Braun and Zico appeared as special producers for the show. BTS, SEVENTEEN, Tomorrow X Together and ENHYPEN cheered on the contestants.
The boy band started their journey with their rock-pop lead single “Under the Skin,” released in late November, to preview their forthcoming EP, First Howling : ME. Produced by Slow Rabbit (who’s produced multiple singles for BTS and Tomorrow X Together), “Under the Skin” showed early indication that trusted HYBE collaborators would also work with the new act with contributions from Melanie Fontana (who’s written on multiple BTS, TXT, and ENHYPEN singles) and Kyler Niko (ENHYPEN, LE SSERAFIM).
For the release of First Howling : ME and the Southern hip-hop/pop track “Scent of You,” &TEAM once again had production handled by Slow Rabbit as well as Supreme Boi (the HYBE rapper and producer who’s appeared on BTS and J-Hope albums) with a music video that spotlighted the precise choreography K-pop acts are famous for shot by a 360-degree camera. Bang also helmed the group’s new song “Buzz Love.”
While &TEAM is not the first Japan-based group to debut from a Korean label, the group does stand out by already incorporating into multiple parts of the K-pop conversation. &TEAM’s music videos are uploaded on the HYBE Labels YouTube channel (with more than 69 million subscribers) and have released a performance of “Under the Skin” with popular K-pop dance company STUDIO CHOOM (where performances from the likes of Stray Kids, (G)I-DLE and Kep1er have racked up tens of millions of views). &TEAM also has had global distribution on streaming services when many Japanese labels still do not share their music worldwide.
After &TEAM confirmed its lineup in September, the members shared their international ambitions. K, born in Japan and once competed for a spot in ENHYPEN, said via a press release that “our ultimate goal is to reach a global audience and be charted on Billboard like BTS.”
The group didn’t have to wait long as “Under the Skin” already bowed at No. 80 on the Japan Hot 100 chart dated Dec. 3. Where the group will go next—and what charts they may enter—will be exciting to watch as &TEAM and HYBE look to expand their global reach.
To millions of K-pop fans, hello82 has been a destination to watch their favorite idols take on viral challenges, play celebrity babysitter to kids, attempt karaoke in foreign languages and star in other ready-to-share videos. But in the past year, the company behind the multi-language YouTube channels has expanded its e-commerce offerings to better meet its’ viewers’ wants. The results have led to success for the four-year-old company on the Billboard charts and, as of last week, completing their first “tour.”
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When ATEEZ‘s first U.S. shows since 2019 kicked off in January for The Fellowship: Beginning of the End tour, the band was selling out arenas but had yet to break into the Top 40 of the Billboard 200 like many of their K-pop peers. While a relationship with Korean management label KQ Entertainment led to the channel’s top-watched video (an 11-minute prank of ATEEZ member San disguised as a break-dancing senior has over 32 million views), hello82 saw an opportunity to better connect to the band’s ATINY fans directly in the States.
With offices in Los Angeles, hello82 spent 2021 becoming a trusted hub for international K-pop fans to shop for physical album imports, merch, and virtual experiences like live events and artist-fan calls during the pandemic after COVID-19 concerns forced the company to expand into different offerings. Physical-album distribution in the U.S. has helped Korean artists soar high on the Billboard albums chart (largely thanks to being issued in collectible deluxe packages, each with a standard set of items and randomized elements). hello82 saw how expanding their e-commerce channels could create a new business opportunity and simultaneously deliver the same communitive aspect they looked to develop with their video content.
“We just wanted to go meet where the demand was with the supply,” says Sang H. Cho, co-founder of hello82’s parent company KAI Media and its current COO, from his Beverly Hills office. “We just felt like few K-pop groups are well represented and were getting the sort of recognition or credit they deserve when it comes to things like charts. Obviously, we’re a business that wants to make money, but we also understand the fans, their psychology, and their needs too. Having them getting involved and getting them to feel the sense of accomplishment and community. And we obviously knew the opportunity was there for all of us to achieve that together.”
What began in 2021 as distributing two ATEEZ albums from a virtual storefront—September’s Zero: Fever Part.3, which peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard 200, followed by December’s Zero: Fever Epilogue at No. 72—turned into larger ambitions for ATEEZ’s The World EP.1: Movement album released this past July. Not only was this ATEEZ’s first release after reuniting with their ATINY fans during their early 2022 tour, but also ignited a new musical era for the group.
“We saw the potential to make it much, much bigger,” Cho says with his team looking to both traditional, big-box retailers alongside local, fan-driven pop-up stores to activate beyond the virtual.
Chain department stores have been increasingly carrying more K-pop content, but almost exclusively by those with label deals or representation in the U.S. While RCA Records under Sony Music signed ATEEZ in 2019, the group had yet to have its music available in retail stores stateside. (RCA declined to comment by time of publication on its relationship with ATEEZ) With Cho’s background in retail finance, plus other internal relationships, hello82 quickly made inroads.
“There are a couple of retailers that understand and know the K-pop market pretty well: Target is one, Barnes & Nobles is another, and we’ve worked with those two pretty extensively,” Cho says. “Those guys don’t necessarily buy from new suppliers very easily—especially when it comes to physical media, but we were lucky enough to know some people that could get us in front of these buyers fairly quickly in an official manner and make sure we check all the boxes to make sure we’re qualified for them.”
The move instantly connected hello82 and, finally, an ATEEZ album into some of the world’s biggest retail giants. The World EP.1: Movement was available online and in Barnes & Noble stores, plus in online stores for Target, Walmart and FYE. “The margins are thin at these big-box retailers,” Cho says. “But they also give you a lot of coverage and you get a lot more fans who aren’t close to places like big cities so we’re happy about that.” There are hopes for upcoming ATEEZ projects to be in actual Target stores.
Yet perhaps the most meaningful part of their chart goals was creating more than a dozen pop-up stores across the country directly alongside fans. With a hello82 rep at each store, local ATINY volunteered (some reaching out on social media before the company could even make the call for help) after being vetted by the team to help work at their local locations that were decorated with photo walls, giveaways and customized merch.
“We knew that we could probably do a few pop-up stores on our own, but we really wanted to activate the fans and make them one of the stakeholders in the entire campaign,” Cho says of the 19 pop-up stores they held in hotspots like Chicago and Atlanta, but also in smaller cities like Yuma, Ariz. and Southfield, Mich. Utilizing cafes and existing stores (some very familiar to K-pop fans like NYC and LA’s LINE Friends stores that sell BTS‘ BT21 and TREASURE‘s TRUZ products), fans could pick up their copy of The World EP.1, an exclusive box version prepared by hello82, and connect with other ATINY in person.
“Doing pop-ups has its own merits; it can be flexible in terms of locations, timing and all of that,” Cho reflects. “I just feel like K-pop fans in certain areas now deserve a place that they can go to to hang out, not just access to all the products and albums. These fans like to just get together. And it’s not just K-pop fandom, I feel like it’s all most fandoms: I’m a big Philadelphia Eagles football fan and I would go to a sports bar just to hang out with other goofy MFers from Philly.”
The strategy broke ATEEZ through with The World EP.1: Movement opening at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 (behind Beyoncé and Bad Bunny) with 50,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Aug. 4, with album sales comprising 47,000 of that total, according to Luminate. The set has earned 86,000 U.S. equivalent album units through Dec. 1.
The first week marked a massive jump from the opening sales of Fever Epilogue (which earned 16,000 units in the first week) and Fever Part.3 (13,000). Along with KAI Media co-founder and current CEO Jae Yoon Choi, Cho emphasizes ongoing dialogue with Billboard and Luminate to ensure “we’re doing everything by the book.”
“It’s the first time for us doing it this scale so obviously there were some hiccups but release week was actually pretty calm,” he recalls. “We kind of knew where we were gonna go, but you never know…when we were at the top of the charts, I mean, we were obviously ecstatic. Not just us, but with the fans that we got a lot of ‘thank-yous’ and ‘great jobs.’ Our community manager who talks to a lot of those guys directly also shared an almost tears-of-joy moment on release day, and then, ultimately, when the charts officially came out. So, it was exciting.”
The company kept that energy alive with pop-up stores throughout the 11 dates in the North American leg of ATEEZ’s The Fellowship: Break the Wall tour, the group’s second tour in 2022 and most expansive run yet. Each of seven cities on the trek, along with two that weren’t on the tour route, set up shop for at least two days each as the official pop-up for tour merchandise.
“After the successful album distribution, we are now distributing merch in association with their upcoming North American tour,” Cho explains. “We have always looked at ourselves as a bridge for management companies between South Korea and the U.S. market, where we can help them connect directly with their fans here and create a lasting fandom.”
Stores in LA and Oakland opened ahead of ATEEZ’s Nov. 7 and 8 shows at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Fans could grab new items like jackets and T-shirts while participating in activities like writing sticky note messages for ATEEZ.
By the tour’s final stop in Toronto on Dec. 2, hello82 showcased what may be their most visible project yet when they played their “Project Star 117 – From ATINY to ATEEZ” video played during the show with on-camera messages from fans and the sticky notes written by pop-up attendees. The band themselves watched with a heartfelt gaze and led to leader Hongjoong crouching down in tears. The official upload video has more than 50,000 views in under five days.
hello82 isn’t a dedicated music-service company, but they watch industry trends and consumer behaviors to consider new business.
“The music industry is now sort of maturing into this real combination of on-demand, ubiquitous consumption of music, but also this very active and passionate sorts of fandom activities as well that drives a lot of commerce,” he adds. “I think all of these things have always been part of music business, but it’s coming back with the vengeance now and we’d like to partake in all of that. The K-pop audience, K-pop fans, they’re sort of at the forefront of all of these activities so, we see a bright financial future and our investors do as well.”
Cho notes that the ATEEZ strategies have caught the interest of other artists and labels looking to impact America. However, the company is interested in partners who will engage heavily with fans and “be a little bit experimental.” There are also hopes for the company to take the business beyond North America and “hopefully, eventually expand out to other underserved markets around the world.”
While Cho and colleagues are directly discussing high-level plans with Team ATEEZ (“Credit goes to KQ for having the foresight and ATEEZ for being a great band—they were kind enough to give us the opportunity, and they were willing to risk a lot”), they are also putting in work at hello82’s retail stores themselves.
“We make sure that everybody does a rotation,” Cho says. “The look and joy you see on fans’ faces—especially when you’re pulling the right photo card for them—that’s what makes our day.”
J-pop songstress JUJU spoke to Billboard Japan for its latest Women in Music interview featuring trailblazing women in the Japanese music industry. The initiative launched this year in the same spirit of Billboard’s annual Women in Music issue that began in 2007, with a mission to produce interviews, live performances and panel discussions focusing on women who continue to break new ground in Japan’s music business.
The 19-year veteran of Japanese showbiz continues to make great strides this year, including her new song “Hana” (Flowers) written as the theme for the movie Motherhood, which hit Japanese theaters in November. The pop star who has inspired legions of fans with her powerful vocals throughout her music career shared her thoughts on self-acceptance and celebrating individuality in this latest interview.
Have you ever felt that being a woman was an obstacle in your career?
At the moment, not at all. This year marks the 19th anniversary of my debut as a singer, but I don’t think I’ve experienced anything where I felt that it was difficult to accomplish because I’m a woman. When I look around me, however, I do feel the need to change the system. The way society works was mostly established more than 60 years ago during the period of economic growth in Japan, and is out of step with the times. Even the systems that were created specifically for women need to be updated by assessing what we really need. For example, a blanket rule for maternity leave isn’t enough, don’t you think? People have completely different potentials whether they’re a woman or a man, in terms of physical strength and family environment and such, but the disadvantages may be greater if everyone is bound by a set of rules that aren’t flexible.
Since you mentioned maternity leave… Your latest song “Hana” is the theme of Ryuichi Hiroki’s new movie Motherhood, which depicts the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters.
The movie is a story that revolves around women, but the title of the theme song “Hana” expresses the idea of respecting all individuals as we live our lives as people, including being women. We all grow up knowing that there are many different kinds of flowers, right? From the kinds we don’t know the names of that bloom on the roadside to the ones in a magnificent bouquet made at a florist, flowers bloom at different times and in different ways, but they’re all splendid. The spirit of the lyrics is, “Wouldn’t it be great if we each could bloom in the place of our choice, in the way we decided, and in the color we want to be?” I hope this song inspires listeners to reflect on whether they’re being true to themselves. I’d like people to remember that it’s OK for you to be who you are.
I get the impression that you firmly believe that people are diverse in their own ways. When did you start thinking this way?
Ever since I was a child, I think. There were a lot of weird adults around me growing up. My family and the other grown-ups around me didn’t care that there were children around and never hid anything from me. Even topics that people would normally be like, “Don’t let kids hear that!” would be openly discussed. Maybe they figured, “If she’s going to eventually hear about it elsewhere, she might as well hear it from us.” Like, “If she doesn’t understand something, she can ask an adult around her on the spot. That way, she won’t end up misunderstanding.” People would come to our parents’ gatherings crying and asking for advice about their problems. Because I grew up in such an environment, I was able to imagine that even those who normally seem happy can have such problems, and I came to think, as a kid, that being a grown-up can be hard.
I spent some time in New York later on, a place where people of different races and languages gather, but I realized that in the sense that people have various worries and problems even if they don’t show it on the outside, the world is no different from the one I’d seen growing up.
How have you dealt with your own worries and problems?
Whenever I’m in a difficult situation, I think back to a letter a friend sent me long ago. It said, “A day is a day, no matter how you spend it.” Things happen as you live your life and sometimes it can be hard. Still, the days go on, and no matter how you spend it, the same amount of time will pass. Then let’s try to not take it too seriously, so that we don’t spend all our time on the hard things. That’s the message I got from the letter. I mean, today is the youngest day of our lives. And tomorrow we’ll be a day older and maybe wiser. So I’m not afraid of getting older, and it’s never too late to start something. After all, a day is a day no matter how you spend it. That’s why I try to think that things will work out no matter how I do it. Though sometimes it’s not good enough even when I do try to think like that.
You know it, but sometimes it’s not good enough. Is there a way to cope when you can’t bring yourself to think, “A day is a day no matter how I spend it?”
I’m the type who doesn’t know when to give up, so I can’t give up on myself when I’m in a bad situation. What inspires me when I want to pull myself up again is a line from Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All”: “I decided long ago / Never to walk in anyone’s shadows / If I fail, if I succeed / At least I’ll live as I believe / No matter what they take from me / They can’t take away my dignity.” I sing this verse out loud when I want to fire myself up.
I’m sure there are many people who are inspired by the way you motivate yourself to perform on stage and by hearing your voice.
I’d be happy if that were so. Even if we have to go through some painful experiences, it’d be nice if we could learn a lot from them. I’ve loved to sing since I was a child and always wanted to be a singer and was lucky enough to make that dream come true. Still, there are times when I feel bad or sad, but each time I think, “Oh, now I have one more thing I can sing about,” so I’m able to continue without breaking down. I think everyone has their own way of putting things into perspective like that, even if they’re not singers.
—This interview by Rio Hirai (SOW SWEET PUBLISHING) first appeared on Billboard Japan.
Official HIGE DANdism’s “Subtitle” returns to the top of the Billboard Japan Hot 100 again, extending its record to 5 weeks at No. 1 on the chart dated Dec. 7.
“Subtitle” continues to sit at No. 1 for streaming for the seventh straight week (from 19,306,522 to 18,006,563 weekly streams) and hits No. 1 for downloads (from 14,583 to 15,611 units) for the fourth, while also coming in at No. 3 for video (from 2,869,548 to 2,696,956 views), No. 6 for radio airplay, and No. 8 for karaoke.
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Last week’s No. 1 song, Kenshi Yonezu’s “KICK BACK,” falls to No. 2, coming in at No. 2 for streaming (from 13,272,889 to 12,507,777 streams), downloads (from 14,349 to 11,613 units), video (from 4,356,710 to 3,031,299 views) and karaoke. In other metrics, the track hit No. 10 for radio and No. 11 for sales. Both “Subtitle” and “KICK BACK” are slowing down figure-wise, but “Subtitle” saw a smaller decrease overall and their positions reversed on this week’s list.
King & Prince’s former No. 1 single “Tsukiyomi” holds at No. 3 on the Japan Hot 100 and continues to perform well. The single sold 111,385 copies this week (up from 80,306 last week) and rises 3-1 for the second time on the metric, and also holds at No. 1 for video for the third week although figures have decreased slightly from 3,564,897 to 3,363,622 views.
The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, YouTube and GYAO! video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Nov. 28 to Dec. 4, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
BRISBANE, Australia — Australian dance music fans have two new charts to add to their weekly diet.
The fresh surveys, the Australian Dance Singles Chart, a countdown of the top 20 dance singles, and the Australian Dance Albums Chart, a tally of the top 10 dance albums, will publish each Friday starting this week.
Both charts will sit alongside ARIA’s other Australia-focused albums and singles charts, which include Australian Hip- Hop/R&B, Country, and Top 20 Singles and Albums, and more.
“ARIA is determined to find ways to showcase Australian music from all who create it, this is another step in the right direction as we endeavor to provide a transparent scoreboard for our industry and music fans alike to understand how local music is being streamed, purchased and engaged with,” explains the trade body’s CEO Annabelle Herd.
ARIA’s suite of charts are calculated with a combination of streams, physical and digital sales, with the exception of the ARIA Club Chart, which is based on reports by working DJs across Australia. None of those “official” tallies collate radio airplay information.
“It makes total sense to have Australian Dance Charts in addition to our regular Dance Charts, you only have to look at this year’s ARIA Awards featuring Rüfüs Du Sol, Luude and Flume to see that dance music plays such an important role in Australian music culture,” comments Herd.
“It represents many of our most-loved acts across the globe and countless DJs filling clubs across the country on a nightly basis. We’re determined to work with the dance music community to find ways to ensure established and up-and-coming producers are recognized for their contribution to this culture, and provide a greater spotlight as nightlife across Australia continues to recover.”
In June, the labels body and charts compiler rolled out its first new survey in three years — the New Release Chart, a weekly examination of the most popular new local and international singles on a four-month cycle. Earlier in the year, ARIA’s main charts began incorporating data on music consumption from YouTube.
Next year, 2023, marks the 40th anniversary of the ARIA Singles and Albums Charts.
It’s been a whirlwind 18 months for Måneskin. After nabbing the trophy at Eurovision in May 2021, the Italian rockers notched a win that’s eluded most of that contest’s victors: they scored a Stateside hit on the Billboard Hot 100, via a furious garage rock revamp of the Four Seasons’ “Beggin’” no less. After that went on to top the Alternative Airplay and Rock & Alternative Airplay charts, they followed it up with another Alternative Airplay No. 1, the RHCP-flavored “Supermodel.”
Now, amidst their American leg of The Loud Kids Tour, the quartet is pulling off another trend-flaunting feat: They’re making teenagers care about a new rock band for the first time in years. Of course, this isn’t to say there aren’t rock concerts attracting Gen Z crowds or worthy newcomers netting fervent followings. But Måneskin are one of the few young rock bands making mainstream headway in America — especially among audiences that see the CD as a retro artifact.
Hell, if you Google “Måneskin concert,” the search engine’s first “people also ask” suggestion is, “How old do you have to be to go to a Måneskin concert?” And sure enough, for two sold-out nights at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom (Dec. 2-3), a predominantly teen and twentysomething crowd slathered in glitter gave a rabid response to the glam-sleaze rockers.
With good reason. Frontman Damiano David might pull you in with his lithe hip swings and shirtless stage prowling (the band puts the ‘skin’ in Måneskin), but he seals the deal with a controlled earthy growl that comes across like masterful auditory edging – particularly during “Touch Me,” a live highlight that has yet to see release on Spotify.
Similarly, while in NYC, guitarist Thomas Raggi ripped off a mesmerizing guitar odyssey during the encore that conjured up the shades of Eddie Hazel’s expressive, electric soloing on Funkadelic’s classic “Maggot Brain.”
But it’s not just technical prowess that makes Måneskin come across with crowds: simply put, they know how to put on a goddamn show. Whether it’s Raggi lying on the ground while slithering under bassist Victoria de Angelis or David feeding off drummer Ethan Torchio’s ominous and propulsive drumming during sinuous songs like “I Wanna Be Your Slave,” it’s hard to take your eyes away from the quartet as they feed off each other. And when “Slave” segues into a cover of the Stooges’ spiritual predecessor “I Wanna Be Your Dog” on stage, it’s a fittingly ferocious homage to the Italian band’s American god.
The band’s live prowess is no surprise for anyone who caught their performances at this year’s VMAs or SNL. But in a world where unimpugnable veteran rockers struggle to make their live show seem sexy and dangerous, it’s a bit of a godsend to find a band like Måneskin who remind us that rock can be unpredictable, sensual and showy – both onstage and onscreen.
When news of Christine McVie’s death reached the U.K., her fans turned to Fleetwood Mac‘s music.
The English singer and songwriter died last Wednesday (Nov. 30) following a “short illness,” her family explained. She was 79.
Now, based on sales and streaming data captured by the Official Charts Company, the group’s iconic 1977 LP Rumours (Rhino/Warner Bros) is surging, and is on track for a return to the top 10.
The set, which led the chart for a single week following its release, rises 28-9 on the midweek survey, thanks to a 200% week-on-week uplift, the OCC reports. Further down the chart blast, Fleetwood Mac’s hits collection 50 Years – Don’t Stop vaults 29-14.
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McVie was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame for her work with Fleetwood Mac, which she joined in 1970.
She wrote and sang lead vocals on a raft of the group’s biggest songs, including “Hold Me,” “Little Lies,” “Don’t Stop,” “Say You Love Me” and “You Make Loving Fun.”
During her lifetime, she received a Gold Badge of Merit Award from the Ivors Academy, the Ivor Novello Award for lifetime achievement, and two Grammy Awards.
With McVie in the lineup, Fleetwood Mac had 25 Hot 100 hits in the United States, including nine top 10s on the Billboard Hot 100 and one No. 1 smash: “Dreams” in 1977.
In the U.K., the band has ten top 10 singles, including a No. 1 with 1968’s “Albatross” (a pre-McVie lineup), and four No. 1 albums.
The Official U.K. Albums Chart is published Friday.