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Nogizaka46’s “Monopoly” blasts into No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Dec. 13, stopping Ado’s “Show” from adding another week to its six-week streak atop the chart.
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The 34th single by the popular J-pop girl group launched with 691,515 CDs, which is 13 percent more than the first-week figure for its previous single, “Ohitorisama Tengoku.” The track rules sales while also coming in at No. 9 for downloads (4,361 units) and radio airplay.
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Ado’s “Show” slips to No. 2 after ten inconsecutive weeks at No. 1, but still maintains momentum. The USJ Halloween event theme racked up 11,181,079 streams (6 percent gain) and 3,487,800 views (5 percent gain) on video this week to hold at No. 1 respectively, while collecting 13,488 downloads (35 percent gain) to come in at No. 2.
YOASOBI’s “Idol,” Billboard Japan’s No. 1 Song of the Year, falls 2-4 this week but also gained points overall. Streaming is up 0.3 percent from the previous week to hit No. 3, while downloads increased by about 6 percent to come in at No. 11. The track also climbed in radio, rising 33-11 this week.
Both YOASOBI and Ado are set to perform live on the CDTV Live! Live! (Dec. 18) and the 74th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen on New Year’s Eve. These rare TV appearances by two of the year’s biggest acts will likely lead to expanding their reach even further, greatly influencing the performances of “Idol” and “Show” on the charts in the coming year.
After breaking into the top 10 at No. 8 last week, tuki.’s “Bansanka” rises to No. 5 this week to give the 15-year-old singer-songwriter her highest position on the Japan Hot 100 yet. The poignant love song collected 7,271,834 streams (11 percent gain) to rise 6-4 for the metric, while selling 5,784 units (37 percent gain) to hold at No. 7 for downloads. The track also comes in at No. 9 for video with 1,070,672 views (21 percent gain).
Namedaruma’s “FEEL OR BEEF BADPOP IS DEAD” soars 69-9 to give the Saitama-based hip-hop crew its first top 10 hit. The track hits No. 4 for downloads (8,498 units) and video (1,760,136 views), while also coming in at No. 13 for streaming with 4,754,588 weekly streams.
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The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Dec. 4 to 10, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
A special program highlighting the Rising Sun Rock Festival 2023 in EZO, an all-night outdoor rock festival that took place Aug. 11 and 12 in Hokkaido, Japan, is set to be streamed on RSR’s official YouTube channel for two days on Dec. 22 and 23. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest […]
FZMZ, pronounced fathoms, is the masked avatar band that burst onto the scene with “BROKEN GAMES,” the opening theme to the TV anime series Shangri-La Frontier, which began airing in Japan in October. FZMZ is said to be a collective of artists on the front-lines of the music scene, hailing from inside Japan and overseas, and the true identities of several members have already been discovered. JACK is (sic)boy, GAVI is Ivan (of Survive Said The Prophet), and KAMATA is Pierre Nakano (of Ling tosite sigure). However, the band remains shrouded in mystery. Billboard Japan talked with MAQUMA, HONNWAKA88, and KAMATA about their new CD single, “BROKEN GAMES,” which will be released on November 29, about what FZMZ is all about, and about the band’s plans for the real world.
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FZMZ, we know you’re a group of active artists from Japan and abroad. While we know some of your true identities, there’s still a lot of mystery about you, and all kinds of theories are circulating on social media. Could shed some light on what led to you coming together and how it’s felt working as a group.
MAQUMA: Urggg…while I’d love to leave it all to your imagination, I shall take advantage of this opportunity and deign to answer your questions! I was approached regarding Shangri-La Frontier, and I thought to myself, if I’m going to be doing this, then why not join with musicians HONNWAKA88 and KAMATA, who are fellow game and anime aficionados, and create a new project?! Then JACK and GAVI joined, bringing us up to five members. I wrote the demo and HONNWAKA88 worked on the arrangement. As soon as I heard it, two words flashed through my mind: “Giant, Massive Success!”
Details regarding FZMZ’s members are still sparse, but you all clearly have a lot of experience and are highly skilled. It would be unsurprising if there had been some conflict between you, in terms of your motivations and musical preferences. Have you all gotten along well from the start?
HONNWAKA88: This…is the NETAVERSE…
Lineage matters not… sleight of hand matters not…
Crazy sounds spill from our souls, laid bare…
There is no need to hold back…we give ourselves up to the chaos, like a turbulent stream, to surging elation…and thus we are “FZMZ”…
We can go…
What kind of creative work do you see as the exclusive domain of FZMZ?
KAMATA: FZMZ’s, like, this really avant-garde project, and we’re using VR, and games, and anime to open new doors. We’ve got some members we haven’t announced yet that are gonna blow people’s minds, so I’m super-hyped about the future! We’re gonna do some real world live shows and some particle live shows, and we wanna make things even more exciting! Now, if we just had some liquor and some meat and social media, it’d be perfect! Especially liquor!
Your long-awaited first digital single, “BROKEN GAMES,” will be coming out soon. I know that you wrote it as the opening theme song for the TV anime Shangri-La Frontier. What feelings were evoked for you by this anime, this tale of a devotee of terrible games who uses the skills he’s learned through them to take on a beloved gaming masterpiece? What aspects of it did you want to express through your music?
MAQUMA: Urgg…Going back to the comic book source material, I was struck by the dynamism of the battle scenes, so full of energy and movement they scarcely felt like a comic. Now that comic was going to be adapted in anime form, so it was vital that our song had a breakneck beat that could keep up with the anime’s tempo. That said, this anime is no simple collection of battles! There are also the aesthetics of the fantasy world, and appearances by other games, so we needed to weave new approaches into our music! Our supremely gifted rapper, Jack mixed in a hip-hop approach, to great success (that said, I am also a talented rapper!). What’s more, there’s a jangling yet sweeping chorus. These diverse musical elements come together to express the world of Shangri-La Frontier in sonic form!
From the soaring, aggressive intro to the layers of rap, each with their different flows, and then the melodious chorus that opens up the song, it’s really a superb song that makes a tremendous impact. What areas did you focus on when writing the song?
MAQUMA: Urggg! The whole world has its attention focused on the anime coming out of Japan. The image of anime reaching foreign audiences long after Japanese viewers is outdated. Now overseas audiences are keeping up with the latest anime. This is no exception, so, to some extent, we wanted to make a song that would click with overseas fans! For example, my rap, the first verse in the song, is in Japanese, but with English-style pronunciation.
I imagine that lines like “Not not not yet NO, I haven’t had enough” and “this world is going to be mine…duh” reflect the feelings of the main character of Shangri-La Frontier, who keeps taking on games without ever tiring. There must be some overlap there between him and yourselves, who have such illustrious careers but never feel sated and keep pushing forward. What do you think?
MAQUMA: A valiant attempt at an insightful observation, but unfortunately the lyrics of the song are all about the main character, Sunraku. It is free of the feelings of the members of FZMZ! How unfortunate! Don’t feel bad, interviewer! Urggg! However, it is true that no matter how much plankton I eat, I am never sated. This is because I am always growing hungrier!
MAQUMA, you and JACK share credits for the lyrics and music. Is there anything you could share with us about how you divide up your lyric-writing and track creation duties?
MAQUMA: Simply put, Jack writes his own rap parts, and I write the other parts! He’s more of a rap specialist than I, so there’s not much I can say about his part…but I was originally going to sing the “we can go” melody in the chorus. Instead, he sang a high-pitched version, and, honestly, I was stunned. What a serendipitous mistake that beautiful voice was!
MAQUMA, some people have been saying that your voice sounds like the voice of MAH, the vocalist of SiM. They’ve also been saying that your sound production is reminiscent of SiM. What are your thoughts on that?
MAQUMA: Urggg…Interviewer! Do you need to take a break or something? Are you suffering from sleep deprivation?! I am MAQUMA, and no other! We’ve heard in the NETAVERSE that there’s an incredible band called SiM in the real world…but FZMZ is number one! We’re unrivalled and unique!!
Is FZMZ a one-time band, created for just this song, or are you planning on creating more in the future? Could you shed some light on that?
MAQUMA: That’s not important! What’s important right now is that you get some sleep! You can’t do good work if you aren’t well-rested! Urggg…We’ve gone to the trouble of bringing together this group of thrilling and provocative members, so of course we’re going to gift the world with even more of our artistry! If the technology advances enough, the day may come when we can travel freely between our worlds and put on live shows in the real world. But until that day comes, listen to “BROKEN GAMES” and enjoy Shangri-La Frontier!
–This interview by Ryuji Yakou first appeared on Billboard Japan
ONE N’ ONLY, a Japanese dance and vocal unit that celebrated its fifth anniversary this year, recently released a new EP, You are / Hook Up. The EP, which came out on Dec. 6, contains eight new songs. The title song, “You are,” is the group’s first ballad. “Hook Up” is also the name of their tour of all 47 of Japan‘s prefectures, which began Oct. 13. Another song on the EP, “EVOL,” is already a mainstay of their live shows. Billboard Japan talked to them about the highlights of You are / Hook Up, the making of the EP, their impressions of EBiDAN THE LIVE UNIVERSE 2023, and more.
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You’ve recently had a rush of new releases, including this new EP, You are / Hook Up. A month ago, you began streaming a new song, “Freaking Happy.” I’m sure your schedule lately has been really hard lately as you were recording this new material.
TETTA: It was a really intense period of recording, but somehow we made it through. It was a really fulfilling time. We even recorded a music video in the midst of our 47 prefecture tour.
HAYATO: We film a lot of our music videos on location, so we go to urban ruins or overseas sites. But, looking back, even after our five-month period of continuous releases, we’ve been able to release even more.
NAOYA: We’ve been in this cycle of performing at various summer events, and then as soon as they’re finished we go in to record a new song.
HAYATO: Yeah, there’s no need to downplay it, our schedule’s been really hard. (laughs)
And in the middle of all that, you also had EBiDAN THE LIVE UNIVERSE 2023.
HAYATO: That was so fun.
TETTA: Yeah. EBiDAN LIVE really brought EBiDAN together. Until EBiDAN LIVE, each group performed their own music at their own events, so it felt like we were colleagues but, at the same time, rivals. With this event, though, we all really bonded and worked together as one.
KENSHIN: The Soiya project, which everyone in EBiDAN took part in, was another huge accomplishment for us.
EIKU: Right. I’m sure there are people out there who learned about ONE N’ through the project and became fans. In EBiDAN LIVE, we played with label-mates, with different sets and lineups. It was a ton of fun. Yuki from Bullet Train was involved in the production, so we really got to interact a lot more. I’m looking forward to performing with everyone again!
And then you released “You are” and “Hook Up.” These are two very different types of songs.
REI: The EP shows a different side of us, coming right after “Freaking Happy.”
KENSHIN: “You are” was sung by our three vocalists (TETTA, REI, and EIKU), and it’s a song about really straightforward love. The melody, the choreography, it all conveys a different emotional feel than our past songs. It expresses its own well fleshed-out worldview, so I hope people realize that it’s a love song to our SWAGs.
It’s bound to strike an emotional chord with the audience when you perform it live.
TETTA: Right. Plus, we’ve never sung any rock ballads before, so I was really happy to be able to sing a song like this. Personally, I like rock music, and this song opened my eyes to what a surprisingly good match ONE N’s JK-POP and rock are. I think this may have opened the door to more rock-like songs in the future. It’s an extremely freeing song, and it sounds great even with some vocal arrangement twists, so I’d love to perform it live.
“Hook Up” is almost its polar opposite.
HAYATO: It’s really different from “You are.” There’s a lot of rap in “Hook Up,” but I love how these two songs showcase our strengths. We’ve always had a lot of hip-hop based songs, but this is our first time doing this much sampling, so it was really exciting. When we were planning for our tour of all 47 prefectures, we all talked about what to call the tour. We wanted for everyone to feel connected, so we went with the slang “Hook Up!” This song really matched up with that theme. Due, in part, to that, we decided on “Hook Up” as the name of the song, too, and the lyrics became all about racing across Japan. What we ended up with was a more positive-feeling song.
KENSHIN: I sing the start of the second verse, and the lyrics in my part are perfect for this 47 prefecture tour theme. I feel it even more when performing it live, and the song has a lot of interplay with the SWAGs, so it gets everyone amped up. When we perform it live, we take time before the chorus to teach the audience (the call and response), which gets people even more excited, so you can really feel the live ONE N’ experience. A lot of the shows in our 47 prefecture tour are at clubs, so the song is even more special, creating a greater sense of unity with the crowd.
Years from now, when you hear this song, they’ll remember the 47 prefecture tour.
NAOYA: Definitely!
TETTA: Really vividly.
EIKU: It’s such an exciting song. However, the choreography is pretty exhausting, even compared to our other songs, so it’s also a hard song to perform.
HAYATO: It’s so hard!!
EIKU: When we were filming the music video, the dancing took so much stamina, it was a tough shoot. But the energy that goes into our moves looks great on-screen and made for a really cool music video.
HAYATO: We filmed the video in Chigasaki, which is a center for skateboarding, basketball, graphics, and other elements of hip-hop culture. The weather forecast said it would be cloudy all day, but it ended up being sunny.
That’s because you’re stars!
TETTA: Of course!
Haha! I’m sure the music video will also have a really open feel to it.
TETTA: Our performance in the video is really fun, too. KAITA did the choreography for it. KAITA always has really powerful vibes, but this time the dance was three times more energetic than usual. The dancing is really a blast.
REI: The song has a pretty strong hip-hop feel, and it really put our abilities to the test. I love the kind of atmosphere it creates, and I’m sure that aesthetic is going to shine even more when we perform it live. I like our performance in the song even more than the other things we’ve done, so I want to do right by it.
The EP has a lot of other wonderful songs, too.
TETTA: I love the melody to “I Don’t Know.” It’s fast and the singing requires some technical skills, but the chorus uses falsetto. It has a very sophisticated feel. It’s one of my favorites. I like it so much that during show rehearsals, even though we’re not planning on performing it in the show itself, we use it for the sound check.
“I Don’t Know” was JUNE’s first song in a while, right? How did it feel taking direction from him again after all this time?
HAYATO: He has a really strong aesthetic.
KENSHIN: JUNE does the vocals in the demos he sends us, and they’re so polished you could probably release the demos as-is.
TETTA: Yeah! So it always feels to me like we’re doing a cover version. Also, each time I hear a new song from him, I can tell that he’s expecting even more out of us, so it’s really exciting (laughs). The switch-ups in the arrangement were complex, so I struggled with them a bit, but it was really fun.
“The Light” is another cool song.
TETTA: It’s wonderful. At the same time, I feel like it ratchets up expectations for our performance.
KENSHIN: The rap in the second verse was so hard that I really struggled during the recording. It took a long time to make it truly my own. But I recorded that part over and over again, and everyone stuck there with me to the end. I could really feel everyone’s love for the group.
REI: When I heard “Nice Guy,” I was like, “Perfect.” (laughs) In a certain sense, it’s an unusual song for us, so we had to think about the best way to make it shine. We still haven’t developed the choreography for it, but our own efforts have a big impact on the quality of a song, so I want us to really think hard about this one before we perform it.
NAOYA: I particularly like “Turn it up.” It’s a very Japanese-feeling take on hip-hop, and it’s addictive. That said, it’s also a really hard song, and we had to record the rap parts several times. It’s the kind of song I hope people listen to closely.
EIKU: This was the first song I performed a spoken part on. I gave it a bit of a bad-boy feel, so keep your ears open for it.
TETTA: When I first heard it, I didn’t even think it was you, EIKU! I thought it was HAYATO. So I guess you really look up to HAYATO…
HAYATO: Haha!
TETTA: It feels totally natural, and the transition from your lines, EIKU, to your singing, HAYATO, was really smooth.
You mean because of EIKU’s respect for HAYATO?
EIKU: Huh?! Uh, yeah! (laughs)
HAYATO: You sound like that was dragged out of you. (laughs)
I’m looking forward to hearing these songs performed live.
HAYATO: As we’re celebrating our 5th anniversary and touring all of Japan’s 47 prefectures, with this EP we’ve also fully leveraged the rap and vocal strengths we’ve been refining through the years. For now, we want to make it through the tour without any accidents or injuries and top the tour off with a successful final performance at Pacifico Yokohama, so make sure to come see us!
—This interview by Kana Yoshida first appeared on Billboard Japan
Billboard Japan unveiled its 2023 year-end charts, tallying the weeks from Nov. 30, 2022 to Nov. 26, 2023.
The No. 1 song of the year on the Japan Hot 100 is YOASOBI’s “Idol.” The opening theme song of the anime series Oshi no Ko was released digitally in April and logged a whopping 21 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Japan Hot 100, an all-time record in the history of the Billboard Japan charts.
The long-running hit by the male-female J-pop duo also made headlines in Japan for hitting No. 1 on Billboard’s Global Excl. U.S. chart on the list dated June 10, a first for a Japanese-language song. “Idol” racked up 509,751 downloads and 527,143,965 streams during the tracking period, taking the top spot on the ranking for the respective metrics.
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“I’m elated. It’s no exaggeration to say I’ve been working hard for this,” says Ayase, YOASOBI’s producer and songwriter. “Of course, I don’t make music for the sake of the charts, but we came in a close second both last year and the year before, and it kind of felt like defeat. I found myself feeling like I had to hit No. 1 (on the year-end charts) to move forward. Looks like my gears will start to move at last.”
Singer ikura adds, “I really feel the same way, and the fact that we were able to reach No. 1 in our third year is the result of YOASOBI having made progress and updated itself. I’m happy to be able to actually feel that.”
At No. 2 this year is “Subtitle” by Official HIGE DANdism, the theme of the popular drama series called silent. Vaundy’s “Kaiju no Hanauta” follows at No. 3, a track that has been charting consistently in the top 10 after being boosted by the 23-year-old hitmaker’s first-ever performance on NHK’s prestigious year-end music show Kohaku Uta Gassen last year.
King & Prince
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The No. 1 album of the year on Billboard Japan’s Hot Albums chart is Mr. 5, the greatest hits collection by King & Prince. The set sold 1,408,873 copies total during the tracking period after dropping April 19. “Our best-of album Mr. 5 hitting No. 1 on Billboard Japan’s Hot Albums of the Year 2023 is an honor,” said Ren Nagase and Kaito Takahashi of King & Prince. “While this will be a repeat of what we said when it hit No. 1 on the mid-year chart, again we’d like to sincerely thank everyone who picked it up and everyone who was involved in its production.”
“This year marks our fifth anniversary, and we’re so grateful to receive such major recognition during our milestone year,” they continued. “It proves many people listened to and saw the works and activities that our group has created since our debut. Thank you to our Tiaras (King & Prince fans) for watching over us all these years. We’ll work even harder next year and beyond so that our works and activities will please those who listen to us. Thank you so much.”
Snow Man’s i DO ME comes in at No. 2 and Stray Kids’ Social Path (feat. LiSA)/Super Bowl -Japanese ver. follows at No. 3.
YOASOBI also tops the Artist 100 ranking compiled from the results of the Japan Hot 100 and Hot Albums charts. With “Idol” and “The Blessing” (No. 15 on the year-end list) showing strong performance in streaming and downloads throughout the year, YOASOBI charted a total of six songs and three albums on the respective year-end top 100 lists. Following at No. 2 on the Artist tally is Mrs. GREEN APPLE with ten songs and Official HIGE DANdism at No. 3 with eight songs on the year-end Japan Hot 100.
YOASOBI’s “Idol” is currently the record-holder in Japan for a song that surpassed 500 million streams the fastest and continues to steadily increase that monumental figure. Meanwhile, HIGE DAN’s “Subtitle” was the record-holder for that same milestone before “Idol” came along, meaning the year-end chart for 2023 sees historic chart results with the biggest hits of the century in Japan dominating the top two spots.
With many reports of international successes and achievements by J-pop acts including YOASOBI, Fujii Kaze, XG, imase and more, we can expect more artists to proceed with a global perspective in 2024. The end of the pandemic will likely lead to more Japanese artists expanding their scope of activities outside of their country, and 2024 looks to be a promising year with music by domestic and international acts intermingling in an unprecedented and exciting way.
Billboard JAPAN Hot 100 of the Year 2023
1. “Idol” / YOASOBI
2. “Subtitle” / Official HIGE DANdism
3. “Kaijuu no Hanauta” / Vaundy
4. “KICK BACK” / Kenshi Yonezu
5. “Dai Zero Kan” / 10-FEET
6. “New Genesis (Uta from ONE PIECE FILM RED)” / Ado
7. “Dance Hall” / Mrs. GREEN APPLE
8. “W/X/Y” / Tani Yuuki
9. “Overdose” / Natori
10. “Utsukushii Hiré” / Spitz
Billboard JAPAN Hot Albums of the Year 2023
1. Mr.5 / King & Prince
2. i DO ME / Snow Man
3. Social Path (feat. LiSA) / Super Bowl -Japanese ver.- / SEVENTEEN
4. FML / SEVENTEEN
5. ALWAYS YOURS / SEVENTEEN
6. THE SOUND / Stray Kids
7. SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN / SEVENTEEN
8. Koe / SixTONES
9. POPMALL / Naniwa Danshi
10. SWEET / TOMORROW X TOGETHER
Billboard JAPAN Artist 100 of the Year 2023
1. YOASOBI
2. Mrs. GREEN APPLE
3. Official HIGE DANdism
4. Vaundy
5. Ado
6. back number
7. Yuuri
8. Kenshi Yonezu
9. King & Prince
10. SEVENTEEN
Ado’s “Show” continues to rule the Billboard Japan Hot 100, now in its 10th week atop the list dated Dec. 6.
The enigmatic songstress has been ramping up exposure on terrestrial TV as the year-end festivities draw near, kicking off her string of appearances on NTV’s Best Artist 2023, a four-hour music extravaganza broadcast on Dec. 2 featuring some of this year’s biggest acts. She performed “Show” and “Tot Musica,” a track off the ONE PIECE FILM RED soundtrack onstage in an elaborate cage-like set, her face veiled in the shadows the entire time.
The USJ Halloween event theme is at No. 3 for downloads this week with 9,991 units, up 6 percent from the week before. Streaming and video views are on the decline but still at No. 1 — both down by about 7 percent with the former at 10,522,262 streams and the latter at 3,296,075 views. The track also comes in at No. 8 for karaoke and No. 38 for radio airplay.
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The 21-year-old singer’s next scheduled TV appearance will be on the FNS Music Festival Day 1 on Wednesday (Dec. 6), where she is set to perform “Show” and “Ibara,” a song written by 23-year-old J-pop hitmaker Vaundy (whose “Kaiju no Hanauta,” by the way, is at No. 7 this week). As the song continues to hit terrestrial waves during the year-end and New Year’s holidays, it’ll be interesting to keep an eye on how the exposure will be reflected on the Japan charts.
=LOVE’s “Last Note shika shiranai” debuts at No. 3 this week. It’s the 15th single by the group produced by former AKB48 member Rino Sashihara, who also wrote the lyrics of this wistful love song about the lingering notes of a perfume. The track featuring youngest member, Kiara Saito (19), in center position of the choreography achieved the group’s best first-week CD sales with 256,835 copies (No. 1), about 7 percent higher than the 239,196 copies sold in the first week of the previous single, “Natsumatope.”
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Following at No. 4 is KID PHENOMENON’s “Sonzai Shoumei” (“Proof of Existence”). The Exile Tribe boy band’s second single is featured as the ending theme for Season 2 of the new Rurouni Kenshin anime series. The track launches with 67,853 CDs — not quite reaching the 84,185 copies sold in the first week of the group’s debut single “Wheelie” — and bows at No. 2 for sales. It also hits No. 1 for radio this week.
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“Bansanka” by tuki. entered the Japan Hot 100 top 10 for the first time at No. 8, giving the 15-year-old singer-songwriter her first-ever top 10 single. Points for both downloads and streaming for the track soared by about 113 percent from last week, the former climbing to No. 7 and the latter to No. 6. Video also rose by about 11 percent to hit No. 13, and karaoke is at No. 38 after gaining 7 percent. The overall increase in points indicates that the song’s popularity is gradually on the rise.
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The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Nov. 27 to Dec. 3, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
MOONCHILD is a brand-new girl group co-produced by ØMI (CDL entertainment) and HYBE LABELS JAPAN aspiring to capture the hearts of global audiences. The group consisting of winners of an audition show hosted by LDH JAPAN has been performing in concerts and events both domestically and internationally since its debut in May.
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MOONCHILD released its second EP called Friends Are For Nov. 29. UWA, HANA, MIRANO, and ANRI sat down with Billboard Japan for the first time to chat about themselves and their music, including the title track from their latest release featured as the ending theme of the anime series The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse.
This is your first interview with Billboard Japan, so could you begin by introducing yourselves?
UWA: I’m UWA, 19 years old. I rap and dance. I’m the oldest member of the group so I’m like everyone’s older sister, but they tease me sometimes, too. [Laughs]
HANA: I’m HANA, 16 years old. I’m the singer. I’m from Osaka, so I’m in charge of the jokes around here!
MIRANO: I’m MIRANO, also 16 but the youngest member. I sing, rap, and dance, so people call me an all-rounder. I’m not sure why, but I’m often told that I’m from outer space. Maybe I say weird things without being aware of it or say things that don’t make sense.
ANRI: I’m ANRI, the singer. I just recently turned 18. I’m generally the serious type.
UWA: That’s a little suspect these days. [Laughs]
ANRI: Oh, and people also call me “granny” a lot. I guess my favorite foods and the way I talk and act is kind of oldish?
About six months have passed since your debut. How do you feel now?
UWA: It’s been about two years including the audition. Looking back, it feels like it was a long time, but it also feels like it happened so fast. It’s only been six months since our debut, but we’ve spent a lot of time together so we’re like a family now.
MIRANO: I’ve accumulated an unbelievable amount of memories and experiences in the past six months. I got to be on stage, something I’ve always dreamed of, and went to Europe for the first time to shoot a music video. I’m so grateful for this environment that lets me experience new things, and I want do my best to keep improving myself.
Have you noticed anything new since starting to work as a group?
ANRI: A lot of people tell us that each member of MOONCHILD has a distinctive personality. Some groups have a well-defined concept, but in our case, our concept is to make the most of our individuality. I’ve learned things about how to express my uniqueness since starting working as a group, and having members with different personalities nearby has helped me reaffirm my own individuality.
HANA: I’ve been exploring new ways to sing. I get to sing a variety of songs as MOONCHILD, so my repertoire of singing styles has expanded. Every day is a learning experience.
You recently released your second EP, Friends Are For. What’s the title track like?
UWA: Most of our previous songs have depicted tough girls or a love story, but this time, since it’s the ending theme for the anime series The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse, it’s a song about caring for your friends and peers.
MIRANO: It’s also the first time we’ve done a cheery, American-pop-like number. I think everyone can enjoy listening to it.
Could you tell us what to focus on when listening to it?
ANRI: I sing a phrase from the part that goes, “A rainbow shining in 100 colors, colors I can’t paint alone,” and I think it’s the part that truly represents this song. Personal qualities come together to make a rainbow, and mixed together, they become hope. I thought, “That’s so great!” when I first heard it. I mean, if I’d been on my own, I wouldn’t have become the person I am today, and I can perform on stage thanks to the people around me. I feel strongly about that part, so that’s what I recommend.
HANA: It’s a bright song about friendship, but has striking parts like the rap and the drop, so I’d like to bring attention to those. The refrain of the same words is also catchy and it has many phrases that linger in your mind.
UWA: Like they said, everything about this song is worth listening to. [Laughs] Personally, I’d like to recommend the parts where we call out “You and me” and “All right.” We recorded that part with everyone around the microphone holding hands and having fun.
MIRANO: Our debut song “Don’t Blow It!” was a cool song so the accompanying dance was powerful and girl-crush-like, but this time the choreography is really eye-catching.
What are the key points of the choreography?
MIRANO: First, the “You and me” part of the chorus. The choreography is like a cheerleading move holding a pom-pom, like you’re cheering on your friends and yourself. The next one is the “Do it do it do it” part after the chorus. You alternate sticking out your thumb and pinky, and it’d be great if people try it and share the videos on social media.
Another song on the EP is “Warning.” It has a completely different vibe. Could you elaborate on this one?
HANA: It’s a song about a lover. The lyrics are more mature, about giving someone a last chance, like, “I love you this much, so you better start acting like you deserve it.” We had to express ourselves in a mature way for this one. Up until now, I’d been letting out all the skills I have in full force, but felt that if I did that in “Warning,” I wouldn’t be able to express the cool R&B-like quality of the song, so I sang it with a more relaxed, chill image in mind.
Another aspect of “Warning” is that the lyrics are in English. The way you sing must be different from when you’re singing in Japanese.
ANRI: I was very careful with the pronunciation. HANA is the only native speaker (of English) among us, so ALYSA, our the music producer, gave the others specific instructions so the song wouldn’t sound strange to native ears. On the flip side, I’m a native Japanese speaker, so I make an effort to place more emotion into the lyrics when singing in my language.
UWA: Japanese uses a lot of vowel sounds, right? So it feels like I can’t produce the same sense of rhythm and groove as in English unless I consciously add emphasis to certain parts. I try to be aware of marking the rhythm when I record.
You all sing Japanese in an English-like way, don’t you?
ANRI: The songs don’t sound like J-POP to begin with, so it happens naturally by singing to accommodate the music. Also, we recorded both English and Japanese versions of our debut single, so we put a lot of thought into how to sing in both languages without ruining the rhythm of the song.
Please tell us a bit more about yourselves. First, what do you think are MOONCHILD’s strengths?
UWA: A lot of girl groups have a main member, someone who’s the face of the group, but MOONCHILD doesn’t have that. Each of us has our own distinctive quality, which is why we can make it work no matter who’s in center position. When it comes to creating a piece of art, everyone fits in without standing out in a jarring way. I think this is MOONCHILD’s strength.
HANA: Our songs are great. Each number has its own message, and I can perform with confidence. We’re told in advance what the message is in detail, so we can think carefully about how to express it.
MIRANO: We can convey those messages through our performances, which is also one of our strengths.
MOONCHILD’s music certainly is distinctive. One of the reasons for this is probably due to the fact that ØMI and HYBE LABELS JAPAN co-produces your songs. What are your thoughts on these new collaborative production efforts?
ANRI: We feel the upsides of the co-production, like being included in festivals in South Korea and being able to utilize Weverse. Although we’re affiliated with LDH (in Japan), it does feel like our group is taking a slightly different approach, aiming for global audiences from the beginning. This feels new, and we hope to create an unprecedented movement in this regard.
UWA: I think we’re growing as a kind of girl group that has never existed in Japan before. Of course, there are many K-pop groups that are on the rise all around us, and they have many aspects that I think are great, but we have our own style. All of the members want to explore a new kind of group in a different genre.
By the way, in what ways do you think the members have grown since you’ve been together?
UWA: I think everyone has become much prettier visually compared to two years ago when we first met.
ANRI: We’ve also become more coordinated. Our backgrounds are completely different, so if the four of us had danced the first round of auditions together, it would have been a mess. [Laughs]
UWA: It would have been terrible for sure!
ANRI: But it’s been two years since we met and we’ve become more unified because we’ve been striving towards the same goal day after day. We’ve grown in the sense that we can show off our individual qualities while also creating a sense of unity as a group.
MIRANO: Then there’s the ability to survive. [Laughs] I live on my own now, and I think I’m a lot more self-sufficient now that I do my own housework.
HANA: I’ve experienced a lot of difficult situations since the audition. I think I can endure anything that may come my way in the future because I’ve experienced so much hardship. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have experienced such things at the young age of 16.
Tell us about your future goals.
MIRANO: We’re fortunate in that “Friends Are For” has been featured as the ending theme of an anime series that’s popular internationally, and we’d like to keep working hard to become a Japan-based group with fans everywhere.
–This interview by Azusa Takahashi first appeared on Billboard Japan
Ado’s “Show” continues to rule the Billboard Japan Hot 100, now in its ninth week at No. 1 on the chart dated Nov. 29.
Although overall points are down by about 0.9 percent from the week before, the USJ Halloween event theme continues to dominate downloads (9,361 units), streaming (11,335,147 streams), and video views. The song is also enjoying popularity on social media, returning to No. 1 on the TikTok Weekly Top 20 ranking this week.
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YOASOBI “Idol” rises to No. 2 for the first time in three weeks, with points increasing by about 4.5 percent. The record-holder for most weeks at No. 1 on the Japan Hot 100 (21 weeks) is currently at No. 2 for streaming (8,610,371 streams, up 2 percent), No. 10 for downloads (3,551 units, up 9 percent), and No. 2 for video (up 3 percent). Meanwhile, the pair’s latest release called “Biri-Biri,” a song inspired by the Pokémon Scarlet & Violet video games, jumps 85-14 on the Japan Hot 100 this week, while “The Brave” extends its stay in the top 10 to 9 weeks (No. 4).
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The finalists and winners of the 65th Japan Record Award 2023 were announced on Nov. 22 and Ayase, YOASOBI’s songwriter and producer, is set to receive the Best Composition Award for “Idol” and the duo will be honored with the Special International Music Award.
NEWS’s “Gifted” debuts at No. 3, hitting No. 1 for sales with 130,866 copies sold. The boy band’s 30th single is being featured as the theme song for a drama series by the same name starring member Takahisa Masuda.
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Kep1er’s “Grand Prix” bows at No. 6, coming in at No. 2 for sales with 86,273 copies sold.
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AKB48 returns to the top 10 for the first time in eight weeks, as “Idol nanka janakattara” hits No. 10. The girl group’s 62nd single peaked at No. 4 on the chart dated Oct. 4, and after selling 58,173 copies during this chart week, the single has sold an estimated 677,371 copies total and is currently at No. 3 for sales.
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The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Nov. 20 to 26, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
ONE N’ ONLY digitally released a new song called “Freaking Happy” on Nov. 14. This uplifting number about the spirit of heading into the future was featured as the theme song for TV Tokyo’s five-day event from Nov. 15 celebrating the broadcaster’s upcoming 60th anniversary in 2024.
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ONE N’ ONLY celebrated its fifth anniversary this year. In this new interview, members HAYATO, REI, TETTA, NAOYA, EIKU, and KENSHIN chatted with Billboard Japan about their latest release, being tapped to participate in TV Tokyo’s 60th anniversary celebrations, and also share anecdotes from their ongoing tour spanning all 47 prefectures in Japan entitled ONE N’ SWAG ~ Hook Up!!!!!! ~ that kicked off in October.
Your new song “Freaking Happy” is being featured as the theme of TV Tokyo’s 60th anniversary celebrations. Good job!
ALL: Thank you!
It’s a pretty major tie-in project for you. How did you all react when you first heard the news?
HAYATO: We were so psyched! We were told about it when we were together and it took us all by surprise.
“Freaking Happy” is a really positive and energetic number.
REI: It’s a great song, isn’t it? It has a friendly feel and is upbeat, the kind of tune that’ll lift you up when you hear it in the morning. If you listen to it every day before you go out, I’m sure you’ll feel its effect. [Laughs]
KENSHIN: I really couldn’t believe it when this tie-in came through and was like, “Is this about us?” It didn’t feel real. It was good enough that we were invited to perform on such a major music program, so we’re thrilled that our song was chosen as the theme for the festival. The roster of the music show has been announced and every act is a big name, and since we’ve been asked to perform alongside them, we intend to do so with our heads held high.
NAOYA: It’s a surprise that a song of ours was chosen as the theme for TV Tokyo’s 60th anniversary festival and I’m really grateful. It’d be great if more people get to know us through this tie-in and our SWAG (ONE N’ ONLY fans) grows in numbers. Above all, we’re really grateful to be able to perform on a music program like this, and hope to do a good job so other EBiDAN groups can follow in our footsteps.
HAYATO: It’s a feel-good song and is unabashed about it. I hope it makes people smile when they hear it. I’m sure the event will be a lot of fun too, so it’d be nice if our song becomes a part of people’s good memories.
EIKU: It’s a pretty straightforward track and easy to chime in. A really fun song that’ll bring our SWAG and us together even closer.
KENSHIN: You’re right.
EIKU: It gives me this sense of coming together with those who have supported us and not just amongst ourselves. Not only will it make people feel positive, but it’ll also be a good opportunity for them to get to know what we’re all about.
Such a catchy number is actually pretty rare in the group’s catalog.
TETTA: Right. You know what, though, we haven’t settled on the choreography yet. But when the track played over the speakers during the mic test at our 47-prefecture tour the other day, it was just so cheerful and while I was singing it, I kept thinking how it’d be so much fun if our SWAG were here.
Since the tie-in was a last-minute deal, that must mean your schedule for learning choreography and shooting a music video and whatnot must also be tight.
NAOYA: Yes, the EP was set for release in December, so we’ve been working on the choreography and recording while also doing the 47-prefecture tour. We’ve been spending quality time.
What will the choreography be like?
HAYATO: We want to make the choreography catchy to match the song. We were thinking it’d be nice to have a dance part that everyone can imitate on TikTok. We want to give a performance that will leave an impression even after one viewing.
TETTA: I could come up with (the choreo), you know.
REI: Hey man, don’t bother. [Laughs]
HAYATO: His ideas never fly! [Laughs]
TETTA: I suggest ideas like, “How about moving our hands like so” every once in a while, but they’re never considered. Why?
HAYATO: You’re always a bit too direct. Like if the lyrics say “run,” you’d suggest a running motion, right? You translate stuff too literally.
TETTA: So that’s why! [Laughs]
HAYATO: You can do your own choreo when you go solo someday…
TETTA: Why? [Laughs]
HAYATO: But for this song, I asked a dancer who’s around our age, Rena (Hattori), to handle it. I have a feeling (the dance) will go viral!
It’s a big project. Was it your idea to ask Rena to do it, HAYATO?
HAYATO: Yes. She’s really busy so I was prepared to be turned down, but she kindly agreed to do it and I’m grateful for that. We had an online meeting and…
TETTA: Was she nice? Does she seem strict?
REI: Is that what you’re worried about? [Laughs]
TETTA: I mean, I’ll get in trouble if she’s too strict. [Laughs]
You’re a global star, you have it in you to handle a bit of strictness.
TETTA: Will do my best! [Laughs]
HAYATO: It’s a pretty major collaboration, so if it gets people talking about us, that’d be great. Rena is known for her catchy choreography, so I’m sure we’ll be able to show a good dance performance that’s not too easy and takes advantage of our strengths.
What will the music video be like?
NAOYA: The music video will be directed by Shintaro Sakai, who has produced videos for INI and NiziU. He shoots really lovely visuals using state-of-the-art technology and captures light and the design so beautifully in his works, so I can’t wait to begin shooting.
It looks like you guys are moving up to the next level in terms of the visuals and music and choreography. Since your new song has such a positive vibe, our next question is, who has the most positive outlook these days?
(Everyone besides TETTA looks at him.)
TETTA: What? We’re all positive!
REI: Well, you’re always pretty much the same. But you’re so noisy!
TETTA: That’s because when I’m feeling down or when I’m quiet, I automatically get sleepy.
HAYATO: Just by being quiet?
TETTA: Yeah. I get increasingly drowsy. So I have to keep myself hyped up!
KENSHIN: Is that positive? [Laughs]
NAOYA: It’s certainly energetic. [Laughs]
HAYATO: I appreciate that he’s always cheerful, in good times and bad.
EIKU: Whenever it sounds like something is going on, it’s usually TETTA messing around. [Laughs]
REI: It’s fun to watch when it’s amusing, but it depends on the situation. Sometimes he can’t read the room, you know what I mean?
TETTA: I read rooms just fine!
I guess it’s good for an energetic group to sing a positive number because it’ll amp up the energy.
HAYATO: You’re really good at putting things back on track.
Thank you. [Laughs] You’re currently in the midst of your domestic tour spanning all 47 prefectures. How’s it going so far?
TETTA: We’ve only done four shows, but it’s been a lot of fun. In the more rural areas, we’ve been performing in small “live houses” (night clubs) and the like. I’m always conscious of the cameras in large venues, but in smaller ones, I can look each person in the eye and sing. Of course I try to remember to do so in large places, but it’s a lot of fun performing while seeing how everyone’s doing. Also, the acoustics are different at each venue and so are our respective positions, so I feel like I’ve learned a lot about how to deal with such things.
EIKU: Most of all, it really reminds me of when we first started out. We used to perform in small venues when we first made our debut, so things like checking the lighting and doing our own makeup feel really familiar. I’ve been remembering stuff from our early days while performing. Also, the vibe in each venue is completely different.
KENSHIN: It really is different, isn’t it? That’s why I thought it was very meaningful to tour all 47 prefectures. We’ve toured Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and other major cities before, but there were SWAG we couldn’t meet because it was hard to go. Now we can really visit them all and we’ve been so psyched about it. Like the other day, we went to the Hokuriku area (northeastern part of Japan’s main island) that we don’t get to visit often, and were happy to see so many local people there! We can communicate with our fans in the smaller clubs we’re performing at, and it feels like our ability to do live shows has genuinely improved.
You’re getting better at hyping up the audience.
KENSHIN: Yes. We also change the way we stir things up. Since we’re traveling to a lot of places, it wouldn’t be interesting if we did everything the same. The members are having a lot of fun, too.
NAOYA: Because we’re so close to SWAG, the concerts feel more spontaneous. The way the audience gets into the music is different, and the way the stages are set up is also different, so it’s really fun. The set list changes daily and we also have medleys, so I hope people enjoy themselves.
REI: There are things we can do only on small stages, and because we’re close to the audience, the view from where we are is also different. At this point, I just want to do my best to make it through the entire tour. Personally, I’m looking forward to going to Shikoku. I had some bonito tataki in Kochi once, and it was amazingly good.
KENSHIN: I want to try the udon (noodles) in Kagawa too.
NAOYA: Udon in Kagawa is really good.
KENSHIN: Can’t wait to try some! We had a sauce katsudon (pork cutlet served on top of a bowl of rice) and seafood in Hokuriku and they were awesome!
HAYATO: Yeah, that was great. We’re also enjoying the traveling bits, too. It almost feels like a school trip, so I want to keep having fun as we charge through this tour. The schedule is quite packed and there are periods we can’t return to Tokyo, so I’m hoping to enjoy that as well while we’re at it. I’m just really happy that we’re able to tour all 47 prefectures at this point in time. The group is celebrating its fifth anniversary and we’re tighter than ever, so we want to keep gathering speed from this point forward.
EIKU: We also went to Brazil (this year). Oh, and so far each of us has been staying in our own hotel rooms.
NAOYA: Yeah!
HAYATO: But we all end up getting together to go a hot spring or something.
TETTA: We’re making an effort to visit tourist attractions together during this tour. Most recently, we went to a park with windmills in Kashiwa, Chiba.
Where will you go before the Toyosu PIT show (in Tokyo)?
KENSHIN: What? Lalaport Toyosu (shopping mall)?
HAYATO: No doubt about it. [Laughs]
EIKU: I can really feel us getting better during this tour, so I’m really looking forward to seeing where we stand when we finish it.
NAOYA: After touring all over Japan, we’re doing a show at Pacifico Yokohama, which I’m sure will be an amazing sight. It’ll be the biggest venue we’ve ever performed in, and just imagining the view from the stage gives me feels.
You’ll be moved to tears.
REI: KENSHIN will cry.
KENSHIN: What? Of course I’ll cry! I almost cried when the Pacifico Yokohama show was announced!
TETTA: KENSHIN always cries, so it makes me stay calm.
HAYATO: It doesn’t make you cry in sympathy?
TETTA: REI usually stands next to me and he’s level-headed, so that calms me down, too. [Laughs]
REI: KENSHIN cries good tears. I’m looking forward to it. [Laughs]
KENSHIN: OK. [Laughs]
—This interview by Kana Yoshida first appeared on Billboard Japan
On the night of Nov. 5, Awich established her solid position as Japan’s top artist of the new age. Appearing before an audience of 18,000 fans that packed K-Arena in Yokohama, Japan, a new venue that opened in late September, she put on a three-hour show that was a crystallization of her full potential. From the first note to the last, Awich gave off an aura of authority with a down-to-earth, personal feel, in a way that no other Japanese artist has. A rapper from Okinawa, Awich gave voice to our modern age, both as a mother and as an entertainer without precedent. She showed the delight and exhilaration hip-hop and rap music could bring to the masses. She elevated not only the hip-hop scene but Japanese culture as a whole. Her listeners and the members of the audience share an actively open and receptive approach to modern society and Awich’s music, and she guided these fans to a new stage of music. Awich understands that this is something she is uniquely positioned to do — her mission.
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The artists that are the chosen of their generation do not simply follow a path set out for them by the gods. She is proof of that. She’s struggled and experienced her share of hardship. At one point, she was even on the verge of putting down the mic and leaving the music world altogether, but thanks to the support of her daughter and other musicians, she kept on with her creative efforts. Buoyed by the tide of hip-hop and rap music, which has become a symbol of youth culture, her efforts ultimately brought her here, to the K-Arena. That’s why she has taken on the showbiz world while preserving her raw, unvarnished sensibilities as a rapper. She brought together a “union” of hometown friends, rappers and dancers from different hoods that she met through hip-hop, minyo folk singers, classical Japanese dancers, and her own daughter, who joined her on-stage, bringing together their collective power to put on the night’s spectacle.
Last March, while Japan was still struggling with the pandemic, Awich put on a solo show at the Nippon Budokan that is recognized by all as simply legendary. Since then, she hasn’t slowed down a bit. On October 25 of this year she completed her new album, THE UNION, and now she put on this show at the K-Arena, driving a paradigm shift.
As the lights fell at the start of the show, the packed audience brimmed with expectation and the air rang with cheers. The opening number was “THE UNION,” the title song of her new album, which elevated traditional Okinawan music to a new level. On the massive LED screen, a black-and-white video played, a flashback encapsulation of Awich’s life and the path she had forged as an artist. The eyes and ears of all 18,000 people in the audience were locked on the stage as Awich descended. When she began rapping, a huge sun began rising on-screen. The opening number, along with several other songs in the show, had been specially arranged for live performance, and the beat was truly dynamic. The stage presentation, including the video, likely produced by Kento Yamada, created a whole new world.
From the very start of the show, Awich performed alongside numerous guest rappers and dancers — you really need to see the set list to get the full impression. On the sixth song, Awich was joined by NENE, LANA, MaRI, and YURIYAN RETRIEVER (with AI joining with a video comment) in performing “Bad Bitch Bigaku Remix,” the most powerful Japanese sisterhood anthem of 2023. This was followed by many other unforgettable songs.
Awich’s daughter, Yomi Jah (Toyomi), was an irreplaceable addition, performing sometimes as a dancer and sometimes as a rapper on “Call On Me” and “TSUBASA.” In the first block of the show, Awich and her friends from her hood presented a true-to-life expression of the beauty and potential inherent in the culture of Okinawa, where Awich was born and raised. The block ended with Awich and Toyomi sitting in front of the DJ booth, looking at each other and holding hands as Awich quietly sang “Wait For Me,” a song from a mother to a daughter. It was a truly moving performance.
Then Awich performed “Burn Down,” whose lyrics express the light and dark sides of the internet, together with GADORO, who has a major presence on Awich’s new album, THE UNION. Also from THE UNION was “Twinkle Stars,” in which Awich joined BIM in shining a bright light into the lonely night with their melodious singing over the beat laid down by STUTS. YURIYAN RETRIEVER and Nadaru (from Korokoro Chikichiki Peppers) then took the stage, putting on a live performance of their viral YouTube cover of Awich’s “THE FIRST TAKE” video, in which YURIYAN RETRIEVER played Awich and Nadaru played KEIJU. This was immediately followed by Awich and KEIJU themselves coming on-stage and kicking off a tremendous performance of “Remember.”
The set continued. “Link Up feat. KEIJU, ellow Bucks,” “Brainwashing feat. DOGMA & CHINZA DOPENESS,” “Yacchi Maina (Get Em) feat. ANARCHY,” “WHORU? feat. ANARCHY,” and “SUPER GIRA GIRA feat. JP THE WAVY, YZERR.” The guests, drawn in by the magnetism of Awich, put on an overwhelming show that aggressively demonstrated the power of the hip-hop scene. Awich told YZERR of her hopes for the success of BAD HOP’s February 2024 show, which will be their last show before the group dissolves and Japan’s first Tokyo Dome solo show by a hip-hop artist. She also thanked YZERR for encouraging her on the day of this K-Arena show by telling her “You can do it!” She talked about her unswerving desire for everyone to come together in union to raise the level of the hip-hop scene and grow together.
Then an announcement video began playing. It announced that, starting in 2024, Awich would be setting out to make her true overseas debut. The video hinted there there was a lot of information that couldn’t yet be revealed, but the screen showed a figure resembling RZA from the Wutang Clan, mentioned in the lyrics of “THE UNION,” and expectations rose even further.
“All of you, go get passports! I’ll show you something you’ve never seen before. But that doesn’t spell an end to my musical activities here in Japan!”
This was immediately followed by the announcement of a Japanese tour with The Union starting in April 2024 and a birthday show on Awich’s birthday in December. In other words, starting now and then all through 2024 and beyond, Awich is going to be on a whirlwind schedule through Japan and around the world.
For her last two songs, Awich chose “Queendom” and “Love Me Up.” After putting on a superb performance during “Queendom” that represented all of the qualities of the show, she boarded a trapeze that lifted her high into the air while she sang “Love Me Up.” She looked down with love at the audience that packed the arena as she closed with the ultimate gentle, romantic rap and singing performance. Once she left the stage, a hand-written message from Awich appeared on the screen:
To everyone,
I’m about to set out into the world, forging a path for everyone to take!!
Thinking about it, sometimes I get scared. Sometimes I get anxious. But that’s why I have to do it.
If you’re a true Awich fan, then you’re also a fan of yourself!
So no matter how big the stage I perform on becomes, never get the wrong idea that I’ve left you and gone off far away. Never be lonely. Let’s grow together!!!
Believe in yourself and grow, just like I’ll keep trying to do, for the rest of my life♡
November 5, 2023
See you soon
PEACE
Awich
Awich set great things in motion that night. Her story will continue as she achieves that which has never been achieved before, together with all of her fans.
Full setlist:
1. “OKINAWAN OPENING SHOW” with Ryukyu Buyoudan
2. “THE UNION” with Ryukyu Buyoudan
3. “Guerrilla”
4. “ALI BABA” with MFS
5. “IKEMENTAL” with NENE
6. “Bad Bitch Bigaku Remix” with NENE, LANA, MaRI, YURIYAN RETRIEVER
7. “Kuchini Dashite (Say it all)”
8. “Kuchini Dashite 2 (Say it all 2)”
9. “Shut Down” with CYBER RUI
10. “Call On Me” with Yomi Jah
～ DJ U-LEE TIME ～
11. “Ryukyuaika Remix”
12. “NINGEN State Of Mind II REMIX” with RITTO
13. “RASEN in OKINAWA” with Tsubaki, OZworld, CHICO CARLITO
14. “LONGINESS REMIX” with SugLawd Familiar, CHICO CARLITO
15. “TSUBASA” with Yomi Jah
16. “Wait For Me” with Patrick Bartley (Sax)
17. “Revenge”
18. “Burn Down” with GADORO
19. “Twinkle Stars” with STUTS, BIM
20. “Kakurembo”
21. “Remember -THE FIRST TAKE ver.- ” by Nadal, YURIYAN RETRIEVER
22. “Remember” with KEIJU
23. “Link Up” with KEIJU, ellow Bucks
24. “SENNO” with DOGMA, CHINZA DOPENESS
25. “Yacchi Maina (Get Em)” with ANARCHY
26. “WHORU?” with ANARCHY
27. “SUPER GILA GILA” with JP THE WAVY, YZERR
28. Queendom
29. Love Me Up
—This article by Shoichi Miyake first appeared on Billboard Japan