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The current images of Iran on the news and social media are of impassioned protests from a resilient people who’ve had enough of their country’s oppressive Islamic regime. Most recently, the regime’s brutal retaliation methods have taken center stage, yet the Iranian people continue to resist.
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These uprisings, which have rippled across the globe and ignited similar protests among the Iranian diaspora in U.S., throughout Europe and beyond, were sparked by the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16, 2022. Her death was the result of beatings by the Islamic regime’s morality police, given as a punishment for her insufficient hijab — in this case, her head covering.
In the nearly four months since Amini’s death, the Center for Human Rights in Iran reports the wrongful imprisonment of more than 18,000 protestors and over 500 government-sanctioned murders, including barbaric public hangings. Among the prisoners facing possible execution are doctors, journalists, athletes, actors, directors, poets and musical artists. These include rappers Toomaj Salehi, Saman Yasin and Behrad Ali Konari, who are charged with “corruption on earth,” a capital offense in Iran. Per Newsweek, Yasin was convicted of this crime October, with a petition to save his life garnering thousands of signatures.
Early in the protests, Iranian musician Shervin Hajipour was also arrested for his song “Baraye.” Hajipour took the song’s heart-wrenching lyrics from online messages posted by Iranians speaking about what they are protesting, his emotional delivery resonating whether listeners understood the Farsi-language lyrics or not. In October, Coldplay performed a version of the song with Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani at the band’s two stadium shows in Buenos Aires. And 95,000 of 115,000 submissions to the Recording Academy for its new special merit award, song for social change, were for “Baraye.” (The Islamic regime forced Hajipour to take down the song — although it lives on via social media.)
Since October, when Hajipour was released on bail to await trial, there has been no news on the musician’s whereabouts. Still, “Baraye” is the movement’s unofficial anthem — and is sung at global Iran protests, which continued this week (Jan. 8), as thousands of people marched in solidarity in London, Lyon and Rome.
This Iran of today stands in sharp contrast to the Iran of less than 50 years ago. At that time, under the rule of the country’s monarch, or shah, Iran was thriving in industry, healthcare and education. It was a progressive country becoming a player on the global stage — yet there was dissatisfaction among Iran’s lower classes.
Tapping into this longstanding discontent, the Islamic Revolution took place over the course of less than three months. The Islamic Republic of Iran was established by referendum on April 1, 1979. Overnight, the country rewound back 1,357 years to the time of the Prophet Muhammed and fundamentalist Islamic laws. Gone were all the entertainment venues. Artistic voices were silenced. Women were required to shroud themselves. The excitement of having a new regime that promised freedom of expression was quickly replaced with cowering fear.
As hardstyle queen Lady Faith puts it, “On one hand, you had so much history on display at all times, a representation of an advanced cultural history full of color and happiness. On the other hand, you have a regime that did everything in their power to cover the people in darkness, stamp out individual lights and force an entire population to live in the past.”
Many families fled the country, including that of house music stalwart Dubfire, who left with his family during the Islamic Revolution when he was seven years old, settling in Washington D.C. Dubfire – who won the Grammy for best remixed recording (non-classical) in 2002 – didn’t get immersed in Western music until he moved to the U.S., but was always drawn to the “atmosphere and sonic power” of traditional Iranian instruments.
Other families, like that of Faith, remained in Iran. Faith was born after the Islamic Revolution and grew up surrounded by art, in the form of the music and fashionable creations of her clothing designer mother, both of which were hugely influential on her. While she was gestating as an artist at home, nonconformist Faith was a misfit at school and a target for the morality police. In part to protect Faith’s safety, her family eventually moved to Portland. Her songs “Speak My Mind,” “We the People” and “Different” carry direct links to her teenage experiences in post-revolution Iran.
Up-and-coming producer Starfari, on the other hand, was born and raised in the U.S., long after the establishment of the Islamic regime. He visited Iran for the first time when he was 16, experiencing the country as a tourist.
In many ways, the oppression of the Islamic Republic has impacted these artists and their styles, with electronic music functioning as both a release for their challenging experiences and as a platform to pay homage to their homeland. Here, the three discuss how this heritage has helped shape their work, along with their feelings about the current protests.
What are your thoughts and feelings about what’s been happening in Iran since Mahsa Amini’s murder?
Starfari: My thoughts and feelings are mixed. I think it’s horrible what’s happening now, and especially what’s been happening the last 40 years, but I think it’s incredible that people are coming together to fight for what they believe. It’s surprising and remarkable how the people have held up, worked together, helped each other, and stayed resilient through it all. They’ve had enough. They have nothing to lose. The courage of the people of Iran should be praised. Since the beginning, I was optimistic that the people would be successful — even though my older relatives and parents weren’t. Regardless, Iran will never be the same.
Dubfire: Even though I never returned, I still feel a strong connection to my birthplace and people. Like most Iranians scattered around the globe, I too feel incredibly inspired by the brave youth, especially women, who are leading the movement for change. Their slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom,” as well as the protest song, “Baraye,” by Shervin Hajipour, has captured the hearts and minds of Iranians and non-Iranians the world over, including many of my artist friends. While the resistance to the Islamic Regime is not a new topic in Iran, the sheer energy and intersectionality of this current movement — along with the immediate access to online information — make it the [Iranian people’s] most promising crusade for change to date.
Lady Faith: The world is so colorful these days, and this Iranian regime is working overtime to keep its population isolated from having dreams and believing their lives could be better. This regime is determined to impose their will on everybody, because without the suppression, freedom for the people ends their corruption. Change, however, is inevitable sometimes.
Dubfire
Esteban Starfish
What are your impressions of the musical artists that have been arrested by the Islamic regime?
Dubfire: I was not familiar with any of these artists prior to the protests. Toomaj had previously been jailed [Salehi was arrested in September 2021 for speaking against the regime], yet he had the courage to once again openly criticize this regime from the streets of Iran. Despite the regime’s attempts to silence these pivotal artists, what we are witnessing is the opposite effect: They have been propelled into the international spotlight and are fueling much stronger opposition to this regime and its atrocities.
Lady Faith: One of the most effective ways to communicate is through music, and great Iranian artists such as Shervin and Toomaj have done just that. The Iranian regime knows the power of music to a population that wants to dream of a better future. Music is more powerful than guns, batons, pepper spray or even the most fearsome Basiji.
“Baraye” has received global attention including a 2023 nomination for the special-merit best song for social change Grammy. What do you think it will mean for Iranians across the globe if it wins?
Dubfire: Music has always been in part political, and so I’m thrilled to see Shervin’s beautiful and haunting “Baraye” resonating with so many people around the globe. As an Iranian Grammy-winning artist myself, I feel proud that his protest song has flooded the organizations’ submission box in an important new category, which is bound to be a highlight of all future awards and will undoubtedly embolden the revolutionaries in Iran.
Lady Faith: A Grammy for Shervin will be a powerful acknowledgment by the Western community of our struggles and sacrifices. Global attention will bring about change.
Starfari: It would show that the power of art extends beyond just personal enjoyment, to its strength in providing a lasting human connection around the world. It will also show that the music and art world stand in solidarity with the people, most importantly the women, of Iran.
What are some of your own experiences in Iran?
Dubfire: Most of what I recollect from those early childhood years [is] a bit hazy, but I was very happy and free, surrounded by the love I felt around my extended family. Our gatherings always involved the most lavish display of Persian cuisine one could imagine, and poetry readings backed by live instrumentation.
I have scattered memories of the revolution. My mother worriedly turning off all the lights in our home and holding my brother and I in the darkness while peering out at the madness in the streets. The fires, marches, chants and random acts of violence on full display. And me yearning for my father’s protection, absent at the time, as he was pursuing his doctorate in Washington, D.C.
Lady Faith: I was born in Tehran and the Islamic Republic of Iran is all I had ever known. It was adherence to a strict interpretation of Islamic law. For me, this was life as normal, but for my parents, it was a transitional time where everything changed and there was societal pressure to conform.
I developed a pretty rebellious spirit. It wasn’t long before I attracted the attention of the morality police, or Basij. These radicals, either plainclothes or covered in head to toe, were constantly chasing me and my friends. It was a lifelong game of hide-and-seek. I was never caught, but for those that were, the punishments were severe. I personally was threatened at gunpoint for playing Metallica within earshot of the Basij. It’s sad that almost every group of Basij had a conservative female or two with them. Women suppressing other women. Shameful!
Starfari: [When I visited], Iran had a much more somber feel at times than the photos. It was cold and rainy in Tehran. There were soldiers on many corners wielding automatic weapons. The energy I felt in homes of friends and family and in restaurants or out and about from the people was warm and welcoming. The people of Iran are how I had expected, at least the ones I met. I even went snowboarding! It seems to surprise people that Iran isn’t a desert.
Lady Faith
Courtesy of Lady Faith
What was it like assimilating to American culture? How did music help you in that process?
Dubire: The biggest challenge for my parents, brother and I was that we suddenly found ourselves in a strange and unfamiliar place, isolated from our relatives, most of whom stayed behind. Soon after, we were subjected to a great deal of hostility due to the prevailing hostage crisis. Intense images of Ayatollah Khomeini and his followers chanting “Death to America” were all over the media, and we watched in horror as life back home became even more foreign to us. And though we didn’t really feel welcome in our new home, we had no choice but to stay and rebuild our lives from scratch.
This was especially hard on my parents who had to work odd, low-paying jobs and long hours. Since I didn’t speak the language, I spent a great deal of time expressing myself through drawing, which in later years extended to photography and music. I quickly realized that I had a deep passion for the creative arts.
Lady Faith: The journey was not easy. It was a complex time, and music became my salvation. I had a passion for heavy metal and gangster rap, and while my family was very musical, these styles were taboo in Iran. I would listen with my friends behind closed doors. Music helped blunt the transition from the negative and colorless things that surrounded me wherever I went out in public. I was particularly rebellious during my teenage years. I am so lucky that my family was able to bring me to America. I truly understand the suppression going on among the youth and females in Iran. It breaks my heart to see their struggles.
Starfari
Priscilla Anne
Have the uprisings in Iran and the murders of Iranian people by the Islamic regime served as inspiration for you to create anything of your own?
Dubfire: Yes of course, but perhaps there is a different angle or approach I can take, musically speaking, which isn’t obvious and would resonate deeper into the fabric of the global electronic music community to galvanize the masses towards a specific goal. I will actually find out once I dive back into the studio [early this year.]
Lady Faith: The situation in Iran right now is very stressful and has great impacts on all Iranians. It is a cause that is very important, and I am still processing my feelings. When the time is right, I will consider making a musical contribution to the cause — but right now I do not wish to make any promises to my fans that I may not fulfill.
Starfari: I think what’s most important as far as my involvement in providing a response is my connection to people here in the States. When they can see something they have a connection to, it’s easier to make the horrors be more tangible.
What is your hope for the future of Iran?
Lady Faith: I hope and pray that there is major change in Iran, where its amazing people can become individuals living their own lives how they want and are allowed to dream of things that are not forced upon them. I have been blessed to be a part of the American society where freedom is something we take for granted — but I have lived in both environments, and I truly hope that more Iranians get to experience just a touch of what we get to take for granted.
Dubfire: We can all contribute by shining a spotlight on, and echoing the voices of, the brave protesters in Iran who are risking their lives for basic freedoms and democracy.
TikTok’s CEO met Tuesday with European Union officials about strict new digital regulations in the 27-nation bloc as the Chinese-owned social media app faces growing scrutiny from Western authorities over data privacy, cybersecurity and misinformation.
In meetings in Brussels, Shou Zi Chew and four officials from the EU’s executive Commission discussed concerns ranging from child safety to investigations into user data flowing to China, according to European readouts from two of the meetings and tweets from a third.
TikTok is wildly popular with young people but its Chinese ownership has raised fears that Beijing could use it to scoop up user data or push pro-China narratives or misinformation. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020.
U.S. states including Kansas, Wisconsin, Louisiana and Virginia have moved to ban the video-sharing app from state-issued devices for government workers, and it also would be prohibited from most U.S. government devices under a congressional spending bill.
Fears were stoked by news reports last year that a China-based team improperly accessed data of U.S. TikTok users, including two journalists, as part of a covert surveillance program to ferret out the source of leaks to the press.
There are also concerns that the company is sending masses of user data to China, in breach of stringent European privacy rules. EU data protection watchdogs in Ireland have opened two investigations into TikTok, including one on its transfer of personal data to China.
“I count on TikTok to fully execute its commitments to go the extra mile in respecting EU law and regaining trust of European regulators,” Vera Jourova, the commissioner for values and transparency, said after her meeting with Chew. “There cannot be any doubt that data of users in Europe are safe and not exposed to illegal access from third-country authorities.”
Caroline Greer, TikTok’s director of public policy and government relations, said on Twitter that it was a “constructive and helpful meeting.”
“Online safety & building trust is our number one priority,” Greer tweeted.
The company has said it takes data security “incredibly seriously” and fired the ByteDance employees involved in improperly accessing user data.
Jourova said she also grilled Chew about child safety, the spread of Russian disinformation on the platform and transparency of paid political content.
Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager, who’s in charge of competition and antitrust matters, met with Chew to “review how the company is preparing for complying with its obligations under the European Commission’s regulation, namely the Digital Services Act and possibly under the Digital Markets Act.”
The Digital Services Act is aimed at cleaning up toxic content from online platforms and the Digital Markets Act is designed to rein in the power of big digital companies.
They also discussed privacy and data transfer obligations in reference to recent news reports on “aggressive data harvesting and surveillance in the U.S.,” the readout said.
Chew also met with Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders and Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson.
Reynders tweeted that he “insisted on the importance” of TikTok fully complying with EU privacy rules and cooperating with the Irish watchdog.
“We also took stock of the company’s commitments to fight hate speech online and guarantee the protection of all consumers, including children,” he said.
Chew is scheduled to hold a video chat with Thierry Breton, the commissioner for digital policy, on Jan. 19.
Madrid is hosting the first UMusic Hotel, a venture that aims to become an entertainment hub in the heart of the capital of Spain. Co-created by Universal Music Group and Dakia Entertainment Hospitality Group, the hotel is located inside the historic Albéniz Theater building, just a few steps from downtown tourist sites such as Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor.
The hotel opened on Nov. 14, 2022 at a 60% capacity and is now fully operating, with Antonio Banderas‘ take on the musical Company showing at the theater until Feb. 14. Next, Spanish singer-songwriter David Bisbal will take the stage for 20 days between March and April as part of the celebrations of his 20th music career anniversary.
The Albéniz Theater was inaugurated in 1945 and was in operation for more than 60 years until it closed its doors in 2009, when its owners wanted to demolish it and build a luxury residential building in its place. A group of citizens came together to create the Albéniz Theater Aid Platform and asked for it to be declared an Asset of Cultural Interest to prevent its demolition, which was finally granted in 2016. This allowed the 898-seat venue to be rehabilitated, and negotiations began for what is now the UMusic Hotel Madrid.
UMusic Hotels is a new international brand that offers first-class accommodations and entertainment. The goal is to create a unique experience for both guests and artists staying at their hotels, and to offer a wide range of music-related services and activities.
Music is in every corner of UMusic Hotel Madrid. Details such as the “Pasillo de la Música” (Hall of Music) — which connects the two buildings that make up the venue, and where you can see works of musicians such as Freddie Mercury, Lady Gaga, Alejandro Sanz and Katy Perry created by the Mexican artist and athlete Hubertus de Hohenlohe — is magical. Upon entering the access foyer located on Carretas Street, visitors are greeted by a neon sign that says, “Vente Pa’ Madrid” (Come to Madrid,) like the famous Ketama song, a cheerful welcoming. On one wall is a verse from Bob Dylan’s classic “Mr. Tambourine Man.”
The hotel has 130 rooms divided into four categories: classic, deluxe, premium and ultimate, all equipped with Nespresso coffee machines and Marshall speakers. There’s also the Artist’s Suite, an exclusive two-floor room with a private solarium terrace, living room and guest bathroom.
Guests can enjoy a vinyl library, gym, bar, amphitheater, outdoor pool, three meeting rooms, a two-level solarium, events spaces, a gastronomic experience at El Albéniz restaurant, 24-hour room service, and the Nota Alta (High Note) bar, located on the rooftop with a lovely city view.
Universal Music Spain has said it will keep working with the hotel to continue attracting top international stars to Madrid. UMusic Hotel confirmed that it is already working on the development of a second hotel, this time in South America, in Barranquilla, Colombia.
HONG KONG — Zhang Haisheng feels like his business may never go back to normal under China’s strict and constantly changing pandemic policies. Zhang, who runs three live houses in Shanghai under the brand Yuyintang, struggled over the past three years to navigate China’s “zero-COVID” curbs, which shifted from blanket bans on live events in early 2020, to quarantines, to sudden city-wide lockdowns last spring when cases surged — bringing Yuyintang’s operations to a halt.
Since early 2020, Zhang has canceled close to 1,000 shows. Even during some windows when performances resumed, to meet the country’s strict testing rules he had to hire extra workers to check customers’ nucleic acid test records — and ended up operating at a loss. “In the first two years of the pandemic, sometimes performances could be held normally,” Zhang tells Billboard. “But [2022] was bad, the loss has been relatively huge.”
Now, after a series of street protests, the Chinese government appears to be abandoning its zero-COVID strategy. On Dec. 7, it began easing mass testing requirements and allowing people who have mild symptoms to quarantine at home instead of at government-managed facilities.
More than a year after most of the world resumed concerts and festivals, China’s live industry is finally looking at a rebound. That recovery is likely to focus mostly on domestic acts, live executives tell Billboard, in part because Western artists were already electing to skip China on their Asian tour swings because of stricter Chinese permitting rules — a trend that is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
While other parts of the world were lifting travel restrictions and bracing for a reopening early last year, the fast-spreading Omicron variant spurred dozens of cities across China, including Shanghai, Beijing, Wuhan and Guangzhou, to lock down. During one virus surge, more than 4,000 performances were canceled or postponed throughout China from mid-February to mid-March of 2022, the China Association of Performing Arts estimates.
Citizens reacted angrily to the measures, triggering some of the most widespread anti-government protests in years. On Nov. 25, a fire killed 10 residents of Ürümqi in northwest China, which many suspected was linked to strict COVID policies that have trapped people in their homes. Workers, students, and residents in a dozen cities across China took to the streets, demanding changes to the Chinese government’s harsh COVID rules. Some protesters even called for China’s leader Xi Jinping to step down.
With the lockdowns lifted, musicians, live music venues and concert bookers are bracing for a surge of infections, while at the same time looking for ways to recover their previous losses.
Zhu Ning, founder of VOX Livehouse, one of the best-known live venues in Wuhan, has been finding ways to leverage his empty venues throughout the pandemic. He ventured into the world of music training, turning his three live venues into rehearsal rooms with recording studios. Zhu also operates his own music label, which has signed bands such as Chinese Football, a four-piece indie rock group. “Since it’s impossible to perform during the pandemic, we did more work on the songwriting and recording side,” he says.
As the founding drummer of SMZB, one of China’s early punk bands, Zhu supports and promotes new indie acts in Wuhan. “Since China’s borders were closed and foreign bands were not able to come in, there has been more space for local acts to perform, and I guess that’s one of the silver linings coming out from this pandemic,” he says.
Starting in early December, Chinese authorities have begun to review show permits again, and he expects local performances to go back to normal levels in 2023, which for VOX would mean around 230 shows per year. “It was quite frustrating in the past three years,” Zhu says. “It affected us too much, and we are almost unable to bear the consequences.”
Protesters march along a street during a rally for the victims of a deadly fire as well as a protest against China’s harsh Covid-19 restriction s in Beijing on November 28, 2022.
NOEL CELIS/AFP via GI
While some have high hopes for the future, Ai Jing, who runs the concert booking agency Haze Sounds, is still struggling to resume operations. Touring musicians from outside of China — who have not been allowed to perform in the country for three years — are still unable to obtain a visa and show permit, since China’s borders are still closed to outside performers.
Acts booked through Haze Sounds, such as Novo Amar, who were scheduled to perform in March of 2020, have been postponed multiple times, currently to November 2023. “I have fans who bought tickets for this performance when they were freshmen in college, and now they have all graduated,” Ai says.
Western Artists Eschewing China For Other Asian Cities
Even with a reversal of zero-COVID policies, the reemergence of China’s live music market is likely to be almost entirely domestic for at least the first half of 2023, as global touring artists decide to skip China and perform elsewhere in Asia, one live music industry executive tells Billboard. International acts such as Arctic Monkeys, Aurora and Kings of Convenience have announced their Asia tour dates for 2023, but China is not on their schedules.
Even before the pandemic started, Western artists were already doing fewer shows in China, often because of permitting and other challenges. Chinese officials “made it harder and harder to get permits for quite a long time, so a lot of artists just stopped going there,” the industry source says. “Everything started to somehow potentially step into the world of politics.” (Promoters typically need permits from China’s Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Public Security.)
A Billboard review of eight major venues — including Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai and Wukesong/Cadillac Arena in Beijing — shows that the number of major Western artists performing in China has been falling since 2013. In that year, 21 artists visited China, including Justin Bieber, Alicia Keys and OneRepublic, compared to only five in 2019, when The Chainsmokers and Shawn Mendes played Mercedes-Benz and Westlife visited Cadillac Arena.
Global acts have adjusted to the challenges of touring in China by finding other cities in Asia to fill out their Asian tour schedules, which typically total between eight and 12 shows. The absence of Shanghai and Beijing, the Chinese cities with the most viable venues, is not affecting the profit and loss picture for most Western acts, the source says.
Ai, the concert booker, is worried about the long-term effects a border shutdown would have on China’s culture sector and global reputation. “I hope we can open to the world again,” he says. “It would be better if we could be more inclusive and accept more diversity and different voices, but I dare not expect too much.”
In Shanghai, Zhang says that if pandemic measures don’t ease soon, to cut costs he’s considering closing one of his three venues, which host mostly indie rock, folk and jazz acts and have a capacity of about 300 people each. “I hope the policy will relax gradually, because people’s demand for performances has not decreased, and their expectations for overseas bands still exist,” says Zhang. But, he adds, “it will take time for us to get back on our feet.”
–Additional reporting by Alexei Barrionuevo
A record 159 billion music tracks were streamed in the United Kingdom last year, up 8.2% on 2021 and more than double the volume of audio streams registered five years ago — and more than 40 times bigger than a decade ago — according to year-end figures from labels trade body BPI.
In 2017, just over 68 billion music tracks were streamed in the U.K. That number soared to 159.3 billion in 2022 when an average of more than three billion audio streams were listened to on music streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music every week (the numbers don’t include video streams on YouTube or other video streaming platforms).
BPI reports that it now takes an average of 1.3 million audio streams to break into the U.K.’s official Top 40 singles chart and a combined seven million audio and video streams to score a number one.
Across digital and physical formats, the equivalent of 166 million albums were streamed or purchased last year, up 4.3% on the previous 12 months. Contributing to the rise in music consumption was the ongoing resurgence of vinyl, which shows no signs of slowing.
Sales of vinyl LPs climbed 2.9% year-on-year in the U.K. in 2022 to 5.5 million units — marking a 15th consecutive year of growth for the once considered dead format and the highest level of vinyl purchases in the country since 1990, when …But Seriously by Phil Collins was the year’s biggest-selling studio album.
Vinyl now represents just under one third (31.7%) of all physical music sales in the U.K., while CD sales fell 19.3% year-on-year to 11.6 million units and cassettes climbed 5.2% to 195,000 units. The CD’s share of the U.K. physical market now stands at about 67%, while tapes account for 1.1%, up from 0.9% in 2021.
Overall, streaming now accounts for just over 86% of all music sales in the U.K., up from 83.1% in 2021. That leaves physical formats with 10.4%, digital albums at 2.2% and track equivalent albums with 1.2% of all sales.
Five years ago, streaming accounted for just over 50% of the British market. In line with the year-on-year increase in music streaming, digital download sales fell 18.9% year-on-year to 3.7 million in 2022.
The U.K. is the world’s third biggest recorded music market behind the U.S. and Japan with sales of just over $1.8 billion in trade value, according to IFPI’s 2022 Global Music Report.
BPI’s preliminary year-end report, published Wednesday (Jan. 4), doesn’t include financial sales data. Instead, it uses Official Charts Company data to measure U.K. music consumption in terms of volume. The London-based organization will publish its full year-end report, including recorded music revenues, later this year. Another British trade body, the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), is due to report on annual music retail spending later this month.
For the first time since year-end charts were introduced more than 50 years ago, British artists accounted for the top 10 biggest-selling singles in the U.K. last year (either as the lead or as a featured artist), led by Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” which topped the U.K. singles chart for 10 consecutive weeks (as well as 15 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100) and was streamed more than 180 million times in the United Kingdom.
Hit singles by Ed Sheeran, Cat Burns, Glass Animals, Lost Frequencies & Calum Scott, LF System, Sam Fender made up the rest of the top 10, joined by Kate Bush, whose 1985 track “Running Up That Hill” spent three weeks at number one following its high-profile Stranger Things synch and was streamed 124 million times in the U.K.
Styles also landed the year’s best-selling album with his third studio set Harry’s House. He is the first artist to have both the U.K.’s top single and top album since Lewis Capaldi in 2019. Sheeran’s = (Equals) and Taylor Swift’s Midnights were the year’s second and third best-selling albums, respectively, with Midnights the only album to achieve more than 200,000 chart-eligible sales in a single week. More than 60,000 of those first week sales were vinyl purchases, says BPI.
Last year was also a strong year for independent artists and labels in the U.K. Independent labels grew their share of the U.K. music market for a fifth consecutive year to account for 28.6% of album or their equivalent purchases across streaming and physical, up from 26.9% in 2021. Nine independently released LPs topped the U.K. albums chart in 2022 including records by The 1975, Central Cee, Fontaines D.C. and Wet Leg.
In a statement, BPI chair Yolanda Brown said the success of homegrown talent in 2022 was down to a “compelling mix” of musical creativity and artistry, coupled with the “the ever-expanding opportunities afforded by streaming” and the support of record labels.
Queen guitarist Brian May and record producer Robin Millar top the list of music industry professionals recognized in the King’s 2023 New Year Honours List, an annual tradition celebrating the achievements and service of exceptional individuals from across the United Kingdom.
Brian May, who co-founded British rock band Queen in 1970 and continues to tour and record with the group, receives a knighthood for services to music and his charity work. May was previously made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2005.
Becoming a knight or a dame is one of the highest-ranking awards in the British honours system, followed by CBE, and then Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). A knighthood or damehood entitles recipients to use the title of sir or dame if they wish to do so.
Record producer and businessman Millar is also made a knight for services to music and charity in King Charles’ first New Year Honours List, announced Friday (Dec. 30).
Best known for his work with Sade, Millar produced and arranged the band’s multi-million selling 1984 debut Diamond Life and its acclaimed follow-up Promise, which topped the Billboard 200 upon its release in 1985. Other artists that Millar has produced include Randy Crawford, Everything But The Girl, Fine Young Cannibals and Big Country.
In 2014, Millar and Jeremy Lascelles co-founded Blue Raincoat Music, an artist management company, music publishing company and record label that runs offices in London, New York and Los Angeles. Blue Raincoat purchased Chrysalis Records in 2016, relaunching the imprint as a frontline label four years later.
Millar, who has been registered blind since the age of 16 and is chair of U.K. disability charity Scope, serves as executive group chairman and chief creative officer of Blue Raincoat Chrysalis Group.
Other music professionals recognized in the 2023 New Year Honours List include Geoff Taylor, outgoing chief executive of U.K. labels trade body BPI, and BPI chair Yolanda Brown.
Taylor, who exits the London-based organization Saturday (Dec. 31) after 15 years as chief executive, is awarded an MBE in recognition of his services to music. In a statement Taylor said the honour “means a great deal to me” and dedicated the award to the “whole BPI team, who work every day to protect and value music.”
Brown, who was appointed BPI chair in July, has been awarded an OBE for services to music, music education and broadcasting.
The same title is bestowed upon Peter Leathem, CEO of U.K. collecting society PPL since 2012. In a statement, Leathem called being awarded an OBE for his services to the music industry “an enormous honour.”
Other music honourees include composer George Fenton, who receives a CBE award.
In total, 1,107 people are recognized on the 2023 New Year Honours List, spanning all walks of life. The awarding of honours is overseen by the U.K. Cabinet Office with nominations submitted by either government departments or members of the public. A selection committee then produces a list of honourees, which is submitted to the British monarch, King Charles, for approval.
While 2022 was undoubtedly the year BTS shocked the world with their announcements of moving onto a “Chapter Two” and planning their individual military enlistments, there’s still a massive amount of records, achievements and moments that demonstrate why BTS are superstars without precedent in the global music industry.
While the K-pop superstars have been breaking chart and attendance records for years, 2022 saw new triumphs from the septet. From never-before-achieved feats with the Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry to breaking box-office and concert-gross records (not to mention hanging out in the Oval Office), 2022 was literally one for the history books.
Even as the group announced plans to look forward to a new chapter in their career and embark on solo releases, BTS continued to achieve greatness as a septet and as individuals. RM, Jin, J-Hope, Suga, Jimin, V and Jung Kook all had major moments to celebrate. From four members making their debuts on the Hot 100 to internationally recognized festival and collaboration moments, the guys were thriving on a global scale.
While 2023 will certainly look different in terms of how BTS operates—and dominates—within the music industry, there’s no denying that this past year was huge for the guys. We already know that solo music, collaborations, documentaries, TV specials, commemorative stamps and more are on the way for next year. But before we look forward to all that, let’s reminiscence and celebrate the band’s 22 most significant achievements from 2022 below.
The K-pop industry is heavily focused on one single per release. Whether it’s an EP, LP, deluxe version, greatest hits or anything in between, K-pop artists tend to define releases by one central song. But thanks to how listeners now curate their own playlists and soundtrack stellar social-media moments with music, the single is not necessarily the only song on a release to get attention.
In addition to K-pop having more worldwide eyes than ever, today’s listening habits demand more material from artists and more quality material on par with the singles already getting expensive investments and heavy promotional pushes.
Luckily, these 25 artists below not only delivered on their title tracks and singles but created bodies of work that deserve further exploration beyond the glossy music videos. From TVXQ!‘s Max Changmin, BTS‘ J-Hope, and Red Velvet‘s Seulgi letting listeners into new parts of their minds with their solo efforts, to AKMU’s Lee Chahyuk adopting a whole new character with his concept album Error, plus RM creating a musical museum to honor his twenties on Indigo, there was a lot to dig into this year. Meanwhile, unexpected viral sensations came from B-sides by (G)I-DLE, TREASURE and ENHYPEN, proving that these artists packed their records with songs and messages to connect even further with fans.
From satisfyingly short EPs to the more in-depth full-length albums, each of these releases stood out thanks to the artists reaching for something beyond a quick hit single. Read on for Billboard‘s staff picks for the best K-pop albums of the year.
INI is a global boy band made up of 11 members (Rihito Ikezaki, Takumi Ozaki, Masaya Kimura, Takeru Goto, Yudai Sano, Fengfan Xu, Hiromu Takatsuka, Shogo Tajima, Hiroto Nishi, Kyosuke Fujimaki, and Jin Matsuda), the winner of one of Japan’s biggest audition shows, PRODUCE 101 JAPAN SEASON 2.
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Since debuting on Nov. 3, 2021, they’ve released three singles, all of which took first place on Billboard Japan’s weekly singles sales chart, Top Singles Sales. On Dec. 14, they released their long-awaited first album, Awakening. Hopes are high for their further success.
Billboard Japan interviewed the entire band and talked to them not only about the album, but also about the current state of INI.
You’ve already made a lot of fans in Japan, but for people outside Japan: What kind of group is INI?
Shogo Tajima: We formed this group through an audition show, so we’re a group of 11 people born in all kinds of different places with very different backgrounds.
Kyosuke Fujimaki: We’re part of a talent agency that was established in Korea and Japan, so our music videos and songs are made in Korea, but they have Japanese elements mixed in, creating something that’s all new.
Fengfan Xu: There are elements of J-pop in the way members sing, and in our personalities, so our songs have the best qualities of both K-pop and J-pop.
Masaya Kimura: The way we operate is also a bit unusual for a band in Japan. Each of us has our own strengths and specialties, and we have a real diversity of personalities. Fengfan (Xu) speaks English and Taji (Tajima) speaks Korean, which also makes it easy for us to reach out overseas.
Hiroto Nishi: I feel like we must be the most energetic dancers in Japan nowadays. One of our strengths is our powerful and dynamic performing style. It’s one of our hallmarks.
Takeru Goto: We also have members who are particularly skilled at rapping or at singing. That’s a point of pride for us, as a group that makes music with a hip-hop base.
You’ve recently released your long-awaited first album, Awakening. How did it come out?
Takumi Ozaki: The album is the culmination of our first single, “A,” our second single, “I,” and our third single, “M.” The album’s theme is “awakening,” and I think it really brings out everything each member has been working on so far.
Kimura: In terms of dancing and vocals, we’ve grown since our first single, and I think the album clearly shows how the members have awakened. We haven’t been practicing for years and years as trainees, but instead we entered this world through an audition show, so we’ve been practicing day by day by finding time in between our other activities. When we practice, we’re always focused on how we can show off how we’ve changed since when we released that 1st single, and the results of those efforts are packed into this first album, which shows an “awakening INI.”
Yudai Sano: That’s exactly what I was thinking. For each single we’ve released, I picked something that I really wanted to focus on in my own way. This album brings out all of that.
Hiromu Takatsuka: I think this album establishes what kind of group INI is. Each of our three singles has shown, little by little, what kinds of songs we sing. Then, with this album, I think we’ve established our identity.
Ozaki: We’ve awakened not only as performers, but also as people. Fortunately, we’ve been able to do all kinds of work, so I think we’ve grown as people, too, making the group more appealing. That growth ties into our performances, and I think you can feel it in the album.
Fujimaki: I think we were able to put all of our development into the album and I hope that we can move on from here into the future.
I’d like to talk a little about your songs. Your first song, “SPECTRA,” is your lead single, and Nishi worked on the lyrics, right?
Nishi: That’s right. It was pretty hard. I worked with some Korean writers on it, and you know how the way language sounds to natives and non-natives is totally different, right? Korean, especially, is similar to English and the consonants are really clear, while in Japanese the vowels are really clear. Thinking about our previous songs, I figured that it would be better to focus on the sound, more than the meaning. I struggled with which type of approach would go over better.
Are there any key lyrics?
Nishi: “Orera saikyo (‘We are the best’)” (laughs). I just said, almost offhand, that it would be fun if we sang “Orera saikyo,” but that turned out to be the key to the song. For the Korean creators, the sound of those lyrics just clicked, I guess.
Goto: The parts that Nishi came up with were super easy to tell. When I read through the lyrics, as soon as I came to a part that Nishi wrote, I was like “A Japanese person came up with this.” You could feel Nishi’s word sense coming through. As a fellow member of the band, I felt really proud that his lyrical suggestions were used. I sing some of the parts that Nishi wrote, so my own parts are my favorite parts of the song.
Nishi: Wow, that makes me so happy! Thank you! During practice, I’ve seen Takumi mouthing the lyrics to the verses I wrote, which is wonderful.
Sano: The tone of the song is also really clearly defined, so it’s easy on the ears. The intro starts out with this mysterious feel, and just when you think it’s going in an ethnic direction, it settles down, then it gradually swells towards the chorus, and then it pops. It really has that INI feel.
Fujimaki: It fits the album perfectly. It conveys that bright, bouncy feeling, and I hope our performances give that same feel.
The next song is “Dramatic.”
Kimura: The way “Dramatic” develops is really interesting. The chorus sticks with you, and the song keeps changing direction as it unfolds. We wanted people to notice the dancing, as well, so we had ReiNa, a Japanese choreographer, handle the choreography. We’d always worked with Korean choreographers before, so this was our first time asking a Japanese person to do the choreography. It was pretty hard, but it perfectly matched the song, so it was easy to really get into.
Tajima worked on the lyrics for “Runaway,” right? Were there any key lyrics?
Tajima: The part that goes “Worrying like I always do, Sleepless nights gnaw at my heart, I want to shout, but no matter where I go, I just can’t shout” — the part I wrote! I hope I expressed that feeling of frustration of wanting to just shout it all out, but not being able to. I was really happy that my lyrics were used. This part links up with the “I finally found you, And as I hold your hand, I’m not lonely,” and it makes me realize that I’m not alone, I’m here with my MINIs [INI fans], my fellow band members, the people around me, working hard alongside me. I wanted, ultimately, to make it an optimistic song, and I think I succeeded in packing all of those elements into just a few lines.
(Everyone claps)
Rihito Ikezaki: I really like the theme of this song.
Tajima: It’s like a “voyage.”
Ikezaki: Yeah, exactly. Like, when someone finds someone they love, you often hear things like “I’m right here next to you” or “I love you.” You don’t often hear things like “Let’s run away together.” You’ve got to deal with society every day, but choosing to escape is also a viable choice. I love that.
Xu: I’m with you, there. I feel like this is a song we’re singing to our MINIs. It is full of that sense that we have nothing to fear because our MINIs are with us.
Jin Matsuda: We need to keep growing together with our MINIs and getting bigger and bigger. I feel like the song also carries a message of enjoying the moment, and of staying together into the future.
Nov. 3 marked the one-year anniversary of your debut. I’m sure you’ve had all kinds of experiences in the meantime, but one of the big ones was KCON 2022 LA, your first time performing outside of Asia. Did you take away any lessons from that?
Kimura: I learned how big the language barrier was. I keenly felt the limits of my ability to express things outside of actually performing. Fengfan did his best for the team, but there were language barriers when it came to MCing, when it came to listening to others — everywhere. The audience got really hyped watching our performance, but there were huge barriers everywhere else. So that experience showed us where the issues we need to tackle are.
Matsuda: I learned that I need to study different languages. Fengfan was a true lifesaver. We were interviewed by local media, and, needless to say, it was all in English. We didn’t know what to do.
Ikezaki: Fengfan handled everything.
Matsuda: Shogo took the initiative when Korean was involved, too. It made me realize how essential Fengfan and Shogo are to us being able to call ourselves a “global boy band.” It brought home the fact that we need to try harder.
Xu: K-pop groups always have members who can speak Japanese and English, and they developed those skills when they were trainees. We didn’t have a trainee phase, so we need to work hard and study languages on our own. I was also acutely aware of our lack of ability to really command the entire venue.
Tajima: It showed us that the MCing is also important. Every part, from taking the stage and performing to talking to fans, is an important part of shaping our group’s image.
Ozaki: Right. When I stood up on that stage and heard the cheers, I was like “This. This is what it’s all about.” I really felt that strong desire to be right there when I heard those cheers. I want to keep doing my best, never forgetting that feeling for even a moment.
Matsuda: I also felt the cultural differences. It was a great leap forward for me.
Kimura: Even people who had never heard of us before got really into it. Maybe that’s the L.A. mindset.
Nishi: That was exhilarating! It made me realize that I wanted to put on live shows where it felt like everyone was enjoying the entertainment together. At the same time, I realized that in Japan, too, we need to be able to create an atmosphere that draws in the audience.
Fujimaki: I’d never experienced that kind of atmosphere before. I was just swallowed up by the atmosphere and the excitement. I got really hyped up, and I used that to good effect in my performance, but I lost sight of my own limits. On the one hand, it was super fun, but on the other hand there were parts of my performance that were a bit sloppy.
Takatsuka: It was really amazing, wasn’t it? There were all kinds of people there — Japanese, Koreans, Americans, people from other countries — and looking out from the stage, it felt different than when we perform in Japan. I was aware of just how big the world was, and how little we were. But, at the same time, I felt an even stronger drive to make it big on the global stage.
Goto: I watched the performances by the other artists, and they were really world-class entertainers. I realized how timid we were. It was really frustrating at first, but by the time we were about to go back to Japan, on the other hand, I was really fired up.
Sano: I was so nervous that day. But I thought to myself, “If you let yourself get nervous, it’s all over,” so when I performed, I just kept telling myself, “You’re the coolest person in the world!” Perhaps because of that, when I rewatched my performance, I really did think I looked cool.
Matsuda: It’s important to think “I’m the hottest guy in the world!”
Sano: It really is. The event reaffirmed the importance of being confident when you perform.
I see that you learned a lot. How do you plan to use what you learned in the future?
Goto: One thing we want to apply right away to our upcoming arena tour is pacing. We’ve never performed over a dozen songs at one of our shows, so this will be all new to us. I think that looking crisp and sharp will be important. Moving energetically looks cool and gets the audience amped up, but you can’t look all blurry when the camera is on you. I was really surprised watching the other artists at KCON 2022 LA. I was like “How do they look so clear on camera?” So I want to use what I’ve learned and study up how to look even better on camera.
Sano: For me, it’ll be about being confident when I perform and improving my basic abilities. When it’s my turn, I want to put in a performance that sticks in people’s memories. When they’re heading home from the show, I want the MINIs to be saying, “Yudai was just amazing during that part.”
Nishi: Yeah, that’d be nice. For me, I want to create a space that’s great for me and for all our MINIs. I really like sharing that sense like, “I’m having fun, and the MINIs that are watching me are having fun.” I want to create that atmosphere of a shared experience that I felt at KCON 2022 LA.
Ikezaki: That’s what I was thinking, too. You get really nervous, and you’re thinking, “I can’t mess up the choreography” or “I can’t be off-pitch,” but a real artist can simply pump up the music together with the audience. The top K-pop musicians are really good at that. The level of quality is high, but you can also see that they’re having so much fun up on stage. I want to learn to do that.
I’m getting a clear vision of you all growing tremendously in the future. What kind of perspectives and mindsets do you plan to apply as you grow as a global boy band?
Xu: Assuming that we become even more widely known in Japan, I want to keep in mind that people’s eyes are on us. There are MINIs overseas, and people around the world are watching our content, so I also want to always keep in mind that we’re being watched by people outside Japan, too. I also want to maintain an awareness of minority and gender issues. There aren’t very many Japanese groups that have that kind of mentality, and I hope that we become more attuned to those issues in the future. That’s going to be essential as an entertainer in the global market, so I want to make that one of our goals.
Ozaki: I agree. Also, my personal opinion is that it would be good for our members that can speak English and Korean to become active overseas, such as appearing on TV variety shows. The more we can communicate, the greater our potential to reach those markets, and we might be able to get even bigger as a group by extending ourselves more on the global stage. Of course, we’d also be building a solid foundation in Japan.
Takatsuka: Right. We’ve tried hard to let people know about INI, but I really feel that we need to go beyond that and find something extra. We need to create, discover, and refine new band appeal and bring out the individuality of our group. For example, that would include our overseas efforts, like Takumi mentioned, and also the TV dramas we appear in. That approach of actively taking on new challenges is important. So far, we’ve been emphasizing INI as a group that can dance and sing, but as we grow through the years, I hope we discover all kinds of other “INI strengths.”
This interview, by Azusa Takahashi, first appeared on Billboard Japan.
Official HIGE DANdism’s “Subtitle” logs its eighth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Dec. 28, and isn’t showing signs of slowing down.
The song serves as the theme for the acclaimed drama series Silent, and during the week its final episode aired, “Subtitle” ruled downloads again with 19,013 weekly units (up from 15,910, seven weeks at No. 1) and streaming with 17,913,433 streams (up from 17,468,383, ten consecutive weeks at No. 1). In particular, the track sailed past 200 million streams on its eleventh week on the chart, faster than the previous record holder, BTS’ “Butter,” which recorded the milestone at 14 weeks. In other metrics, the track climbed 10-4 for radio airplay, 5-3 for karaoke, and stayed at No. 2 for video views for the third week in a row, resulting in an eight percent increase in overall points from the previous week.
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This chart week tallied the week ending on Christmas Day, Dec. 25. Various holiday favorites racked up points again, especially in radio, and eleven songs entered the Japan Hot 100 with two breaking into the top 10. The results are: back number’s “Christmas Song” (2015) at No. 5, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” (1994) at No. 9, Yuuri’s “Christmas Eve” (2022) at No. 18, Tatsuro Yamashita’s “Christmas Eve” (1983) at No. 23, Keisuke Kuwata’s “Shiroi Koibitotachi” (2001) at No. 29, Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” (2014) at No. 37, Wham!’s “Last Christmas” (1986) at No. 44, BoA’s “Merikuri” (2005) at No. 49, Yumi Matsutoya’s “Koibito ga Santa Claus” (1980) at No. 84, B’z’s “Itsuka no Merry Christmas” (1992) at No. 88, and Suzuki Suzuki’s “White Kiss” (2021) at No. 100.
Among these, back number’s “Christmas Song” ruled karaoke for the first time — it finished at No. 2 last year — and ranked highly across the board in other metrics as well, coming in at No. 5 for radio, No. 7 for video, No. 8 for streaming, and No. 44 for downloads. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” currently enjoying another streak at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in the U.S., came in at No. 2 for radio, No. 11 for streaming, No. 26 for video, No. 55 for downloads, and No. 62 for karaoke on the Japan charts. Incidentally, the No. 1 song for radio airplay was Tatsuro Yamashita’s J-pop Yuletide classic, “Christmas Eve,” from 1983.
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 Dec. 19 to 25, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.