State Champ Radio Japan
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Ado’s “Show” holds at No. 1 after returning to the top spot last week to log its 12th leader on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.
On the chart dated Dec. 27 tallying the week ending on Christmas Eve, “Show” passed the 11-week record held by Gen Hoshino’s “Koi” and is now eyeing the 13-week record held by Official HIGE DANdism’s “Subtitle” for most week at No. 1. (The all-time record for most weeks at No. 1 is 21 weeks, held by YOASOBI’s “Idol.”)
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Streaming for “Show” decreased by approximately 6% from last week to 9,707,241 streams, but continues to rule the metric for the 14th consecutive week. The track also holds at No. 1 for video views (12th straight week), rises 3-2 for downloads with 10,210 units, and moves 7-9 for karaoke.
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“Anti Confiture” by ≠ME (Not Equal Me) debuts at No. 4 on the Japan Hot 100. The eighth single by the girl group launched with 216,440 CDs to hit No. 1 for physical sales. Following at No. 2 for sales is HKT48’s “Bucket wo Kabure!” with 183,540 first-week copies. The girl group’s 17th single bows at No. 5 on the Japan Hot 100.
As mentioned earlier, this chart week ended on Christmas Eve and as always during the holiday season, Christmas- and winter-themed songs surged on the Japan Hot 100 powered mainly by radio airplay. 13 songs charted this year, surpassing 2022’s record of 11 songs. Here’s a list of this year’s winter-themed entries:
No. 2 “Kissin’ Christmas (Christmas dakara janai) 2023” Keisuke Kuwata & Yumi Matsutoya No. 6 “Christmas Song” back numberNo.10 “All I Want for Christmas Is You” Mariah CareyNo. 21 “Christmas Eve” Tatsuro Yamashita No. 24 “Santa Tell Me” Ariana GrandeNo. 25 “Shiroi Koibitotachi” Keisuke KuwataNo. 41 “Merikuri” BoA No. 42 “Heroine” back numberNo. 44 “Last Christmas” Wham!No. 57 “silent” SEKAI NO OWARI No. 69 “WINTER WITHOUT YOU” XGNo. 90 “Itsuka no Merry Christmas” B’z No. 99 “Koibito ga Santa Claus” Yumi Matsutoya
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“Kissin’ Christmas (Christmas dakara janai) 2023” by Keisuke Kuwata & Yumi Matsutoya shoots to No. 2 after the CD dropped Dec. 20. This song was originally written for the Merry Christmas Show, a now-legendary music program Kuwata spearheaded in 1986. It was remade for this release and the Southern All Stars frontman and “Koibito ga Santa Claus” singer-songwriter newly recorded their duet. The song ruled radio, sold 25,639 copies in its first week to hit No. 4 for sales, and came in at No. 7 for downloads with 5,131 units, giving the two iconic hitmakers their highest-ranking song so far on the Japan Hot 100.
back number’s “Christmas Song” from 2015 rises 11-6 this week to break into the top 10 again for the third consecutive year during the same season. This year, the track entered the top 20 on the chart released Dec. 6 and gradually climbed the ranks. This week the evergreen pop-rock love song reaches No. 5 for streaming with 6,976,101 streams, which is an increase of about 3% from last year’s peak (6,715,894 streams). The track comes in at No. 32 for downloads with 1,789 units, No. 7 for radio, No. 8 for video, and tops karaoke for the first time this year.
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Meanwhile, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” also rises 35-10. The Queen of Christmas’s modern standard comes in at No. 3 for radio, behind Tatsuro Yamashita’s iconic seasonal favorite, “Christmas Eve.” Carey’s Yuletide hit comes in at No. 11 for streaming with 5,089,233 streams, No. 28 for downloads with 1,857 units, and No. 29 for video.
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. 18 to 24, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
YOASOBI, the musical unit that produces music inspired by novels, shows no signs of stopping. Their song “Idol” — written as the opening theme song of the TV anime【OSHI NO KO】— has taken top positions in five year-end Billboard Japan charts since it began streaming in April. Their next single, “The Brave,” is the opening theme of the popular TV anime Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and continues to hold a high position in the charts. This year, they also completed a Japanese arena tour and performed overseas, in Los Angeles, in August. As one of the most iconic artists of the J-pop scene, they’ve demonstrated tremendous presence the whole year long.
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On Nov. 18, YOASOBI released its newest single, “Biri-Biri.” The song was inspired by Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, which celebrated its one-year anniversary on the same day. Composer Ayase has always been a big fan of Pokémon, and the song has little touches that will bring a smile to any fan of the game. “Biri-Biri” is already generating tremendous buzz.
Billboard Japan invited Ayano Takeda, who wrote the novel the song is based on, After the Rain With You, to talk with YOASOBI about their shared love of Pokémon and the making of “Biri-Biri.” After their discussion, there was a “Trade of Pokémon” ceremony and a special commemorative photo shoot. Famitsu.com is also running an article with a greater focus on Pokémon.
Ayase, you’ve played almost every game in the Pokémon series, but how about you, Ayano?
Ayano: I was biggest into Pokémon when I was in elementary school, so I was playing Pokémon Gold and Silver and Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. I have a brother who is six years younger than me, so we’d play together.
How about you, ikura?
ikura: The first one I’ve really properly played is Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet. When I was a little kid, though, I did watch family members play Pokémon Red and Green. I also played a lot of Pokémon Ranger on the Nintendo DS.
Which are your favorite Pokémon?
Ayano: My favorite is Vaporeon. When I was playing Pokémon Silver, my friend’s older brother gave me a level 96 Vaporeon, so was able to just lay waste to everything before me. Ever since then, it’s been my favorite Pokémon.
ikura: For me, it’s Eevee. But if I were to become a Pokémon, I’d want to be Charizard.
Ayase: For me, Mew. It’s cute, and I like its almost mythical nature.
Ayano, what was your first impression when you heard “Biri-Biri?”
Ayano: My first impression that it was like a cool, cute Pokémon. The first time I heard it, I was moved to tears. I saw how all these different people worked together to turn a novel into a song. Also, I’d researched a lot about Nemona in order to write the novel, so there was a strong emotional connection. When I saw the music video, I was like, “yes, that expression right there!”
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There’s a lot of great Pokémon music, like game soundtracks and anime theme songs. Did you get any inspiration from them?
Ayase: There are background music videos and playlists on the official Pokémon YouTube channel, and last year, by chance, I was listening to them a lot. When they approached me about writing the song, I decided that I wanted to draw on some motifs. What I did wasn’t exactly sampling, but instead kind of creating new arrangements. This was the first time we’d tried that kind of homage-style approach, so I wanted to give it a shot.
The intro is really an homage to battle music.
Ayase: I was playing Pokémon Violet, so I had this futuristic, mechanical image. I realized I wanted to make a kind of electric [in Japanese, “biri-biri” is used to describe the feeling of electrical shock], techno-like feel, and I realized that battle music would be a good fit for that.
Past Pokémon titles are sprinkled through the lyrics. There, as well, there’s this sense of playful homage.
Ayase: At first, I wasn’t planning on putting the names of other works in the lyrics, but the phrases came to mind because how the parts of the song fit in together. I thought I worked in some of the titles in really subtle ways, and they’d be hard to find, but looking at social media and YouTube comments, people found them all really quickly. You really get a sense of how much love people have for Pokémon.
I think this song has also shown a new side of YOASOBI. Were there any artists or songs that inspired you with respect to the vocals?
ikura: For the high-pitched parts, instead of straining, I tried to let go and loosen up when I sang. During the chorus, there’s a bit of a cushion zone before launching into a light dance part, and I think that technique for loosening up is going to become part of my repertoire.
What part of the song is your favorite, Ayano?
Ayano: I like the “ABC and to XYZ” part. It feels really good.
Ayase: When it comes to really feeling good, that’s the part of the song I’m most proud of, too.
ikura: Singing that part is really fun.
Recently, you performed at events Hong Kong and Taipei, where you performed “Biri-Biri” live for the first time.
Ayase: Performing “Biri-Biri” is great. The live elements really work well.
ikura: The song has a totally different tone than our other songs, so it completely changes up the mood. Plus, it’s a blast to sing. It makes me feel like dancing, and even though we just released the song, audiences are already singing along.
You’ve also released an English version of “Biri-Biri.” What differences should people keep an eye out for between the English and Japanese version?
ikura: This is also true for all of the past English versions of our songs, but the way the lyrics roll off the tongue, and how they fit in with the music, feels great. But, personally, even among all those songs, I think “Biri-Biri” matches the best. I’ve felt that way since we were recording. The speed and stylishness of English meshes really well into the song.
Ayase: In Hong Kong, “Biri-Biri” climbed high in the charts immediately after its streaming release. Also, and this is a bit of a tangent, but Taiwan opened their first Pokémon Center, and we were able to go there before it opened.
ikura: We had the opportunity because of this collaboration, or, I guess, because of this connection we’ve established.
In closing, do you have any last words for our readers?
Ayano: I feel very proud to have been able to be a part of a big IP like Pokémon. I hope anyone who’s never tried Pokémon before tries it out, and that people enjoy both the novel and our song.
YOASOBI: From the other works in the series to the recent Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, Ayano Takeda’s novel, and “Biri-Biri,” Pokémon has truly created a world of its own, so we hope that everyone savors everything it has to offer.
Pokémon image: ©2023 Pokémon. ©1995-2023 Nintendo/Creatures Inc. /GAME FREAK inc. TM, ®, and character names are trademarks of Nintendo.
This interview by Takuto Ueda first appeared on Billboard Japan.
In June 2023, comedian Tonikaku Yasumura appeared on the British audition show Britain’s Got Talent and became the first Japanese contestant to make it to the finals. Recently, he released “PANTS,” his first-ever digital single, under the name MC TONY.
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The track was produced by Double Clapperz, a grime unit made up of producers UKD and Sinta. The song plays on the juxtaposition of its production and its lyrics. The sound features elements of U.K. drill, a dark, menacing genre from South London, iconic for its ski masks and gun sounds. The lyrics, on the other hand, extol being “naked” — unarmed and non-violent.
Billboard Japan talked to Tonikaku about the making of the song and the story of his overseas success.
How have things changed around you since you appeared on Britain’s Got Talent?
I’ve got more international job offers, and recently I’ve been going overseas for work at least once a month. In October I made it through auditions for the French version of Britain’s Got Talent, and I also appeared on audition shows in Italy and Korea. The other day, I also appeared at the OC JAPAN FAIR in Los Angeles.
Have the audience reactions been different in different countries?
I got the biggest reaction in the U.K., but I got a standing ovation in France, too. I performed in French, and it even turned into a call and response (laughs). The reaction has also been good in Italy, Korea and the U.S. So far, every country I go to, I’ve been warmly received.
What led to you appearing on Britain’s Got Talent in the first place?
I wasn’t originally trying to break out overseas, but my talent agency, Yoshimoto Creative Agency, sends out videos of comedians that overseas audiences might enjoy to audition shows around the world. Britain’s Got Talent just happened to like my material. So at first, it felt like going on an overseas vacation. I was like, “I get to go to the U.K.! How lucky!”
But when I actually got there, the schedule was really tight. I arrived in London at around 11:00 at night, and then the next morning we started with rehearsals, filming, interviews, and the like. And then the day after that I flew back to Japan (laughs). It was really a whirlwind trip, and I wasn’t able to do any sightseeing. I took a brief detour to Buckingham Palace and saw a guard riding a horse. And on that little sightseeing detour, I got pickpocketed.
What?!
I was obviously a tourist, looking around at this and that, so I guess I made an easy target (laughs). It felt like I’d gone through a rite of initiation.
What was the response like when you performed your material for the first time in the U.K.?
They loved me in the auditions. But I wasn’t so sure, and I didn’t really get my hopes up. We filmed in January and the show was broadcast in April, I think, so there was a pretty big gap. So at the time I simply thought, “Well, that was a good experience,” and I pretty much forgot it. I was really surprised when they told me I passed the auditions.
It seems like you carefully tweaked your strategy for foreign audiences, like making your stage name “Tonikaku.”
To be totally honest, I wasn’t really thinking about hitting it big with overseas audiences, I was just hoping the fact that I went to the U.K. would generate some buzz in Japan. So I didn’t think too deeply about my stage name, “Tonikaku,” I just picked it so that when I appeared on shows in Japan, my co-performers would be like, “What’s up with picking that as your stage name?” Actually, I used to be part of a comedy duo, but we broke up and I started performing on my own. Up on stage I’d tell the audience “My name is long and kind of hard to remember [his Japanese stage name is Tonikaku Akarui Yasumura], so just remember ‘Tonikaku.’” “Or you can call me Tony, if you’d like.” I never dreamed that one day in the future, people overseas would be calling me “Tony!”
It was really striking seeing the call and response that happened with the audience on the U.K. show when you said your iconic line, “Don’t worry, I’m wearing pants.” In Japanese, you don’t need an object after “wearing,” but in English you do, so when you say, “Don’t worry, I’m wearing,” other people have to jump in with “pants.” I feel like that’s another reason for your victory.
Right. In Japanese, you wouldn’t spell it all out, “Don’t worry, I’m wearing ‘pants’.” But I translated it literally into English, which turned into this unexpected call and response. I was surprised, too.
I wanted to keep the act simple, with few lines. I didn’t want to practice there in the U.K. (laughs), so I just kept it stuck to simple, easy to remember phrases, and I think that’s another reason people liked it. In that sense, I struggled with French. I’m less familiar with French than English, and it’s harder to pronounce.
Now, you’ve released a digital single, “PANTS,” as MC TONY.
The genre, U.K. drill, is a popular genre that came from a really dangerous part of the U.K. Everyone dresses all in black, wearing ski masks, but there I am, unarmed, wearing just underpants. I thought that gap was pretty funny. I also tried out various ways of delivering the lyrics. At first, I sang it in a brighter, happier voice, but Mitsunaga, the lyricist, said “It’ll sound cooler if you sing it in a lower voice to match the track.” I took his advice, and now it’s got over two million plays (laughs).
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What led you to try your hand at music?
It’s because I met Takaya Mitsunaga [HYTEK Inc.], who handled overall production for the song. Mitsunaga said that the wall separating comedy and music is much lower in the U.K. than in other countries. The other day, I went to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe [the world’s largest performing arts festival, spanning three to four weeks each August in Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh], and I was surprised to see several performances in which comedians were doing freestyle rap.
There’s never been that much separation between comedy and music in Japan. For example, the comedy duo Downtown collaborated with composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. What kind of things would you like to do going forward?
As I mentioned earlier, at this point last year I had no idea how much would change over the course of this year. That’s how it is every year. There are always unexpected turns of events, and those reveal new possibilities. I want to just go with the flow, without thinking too hard about what lies ahead.
You want to play it by ear.
Exactly. That’s what I’ve done so far. If I think of new material for overseas audiences, the next thing I know things could be taking totally new turns, so I want to take on each challenge as the ideas come to me. For example, the Paris Olympics are coming up, so I might do all-nude poses of the different sporting events (laughs). I still haven’t appeared on America’s Got Talent, so I’d like to take on that challenge in the near future, too.
This interview by Takanori Kuroda first appeared on Billboard Japan.
Ado’s “Show” returns to No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Dec. 20, extending the song’s record to 11 weeks at the top.
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Despite an overall drop in points, the Universal Studios Japan Halloween event theme makes its comeback atop the list after slipping to No. 2 last week, boosted mainly by the mysterious singer’s recent string of appearances on TV, among other factors. The track holds at No. 1 for streaming for the 13th consecutive week, though figures are down by about 7% at 10,355,342 weekly streams. It’s also in its 11th straight week at No. 1 for video views, while also coming in at No. 3 for downloads (up 3%, 10,302 units) and No. 7 for karaoke.
YOASOBI has two tracks in the top 5 this week, with “Idol” at No. 2 and “The Brave” at No. 5. The former — Billboard Japan’s 2023 No. 1 Song of the Year — is still going strong and currently at No. 3 for streaming (down 5%, 8,225,278 streams), No. 11 for downloads (down 2%, 3,458 units), No. 2 for video, and No. 8 for radio.
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Sexy Zone’s “Jinsei Yuugi” debuts at No. 3 on the Japan Hot 100 with 203,299 copies sold in its first week. Although the group’s 25th single falls short of the first-week figures of its predecessor, “Honne to Tatemae,” the new song hits No. 1 for physical sales and comes in at No. 31 for video.
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Angerme’s “RED LINE” bows at No. 7 on the Japan Hot 100, launching with 70,397 CDs to hit No. 2 for the metric. The track is part of the Hello! Project group’s double A-side single RED LINE / Life is Beautiful! released Dec. 13 and also hits No. 13 for downloads with 3,302 units.
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Another debut at No. 8 this week is BUMP OF CHICKEN’s “Sleep Walking Orchestra,” the opening theme song for the upcoming anime series Delicious in Dungeon, set to begin airing in January. The anime is being shown in theaters for a limited three-week run starting Dec. 8. The veteran four-man band’s new number rules downloads with 14,494 units and is also at No. 1 for radio. While still not charting in the top 100 for streams, the number of listeners is expected to increase after the TV premiere of the series.
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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. 11 to 17, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
The members of Japanese rock band King Gnu spoke with Billboard Japan for its Monthly Feature interview series highlighting today’s leading artists and works. The hugely popular four-man group released THE GREATEST UNKNOWN on Nov. 29, its first new studio album in about four years.
King Gnu’s 2019 album CEREMONY swept the charts and made them one of the leading bands in Japan, and the group has since dominated the scene on a scale fit for a “King” — an arena tour, a two-day headliner at the Tokyo Dome, and a stadium tour. THE GREATEST UNKNOWN is an album bursting with King Gnu’s original creativity beyond their narrative of making it big as a band in the Japanese music scene.
What did the members want to express in this new album, which they say allowed them to zero in on a sound that only these four can make by becoming liberated from the basic band format? Billboard Japan asked King Gnu’s mastermind Daiki Tsuneta, drummer Yu Seki, bassist Kazuki Arai and vocalist / keyboardist Satoru Iguchi to elaborate on where the band stands today and what they have in store for the future.
THE GREATEST UNKNOWN is really an amazing album. Could you tell us how you all feel about it?
Satoru Iguchi: Well, we presented what we consider to be King Gnu’s “answer” to J-pop once with the previous album CEREMONY, and from there we wanted to make another album as a counter to that, and I think that has taken form in a solid way.
Yu Seki: This time, I’m not just playing the drums like I did before. In fact, I hardly play the drums at all. It feels like I was able to try something new.
Kazuki Arai: A lot of the tracks were featured as tie-ins, and this band has considerable variation depending on the song, so during the production I was like, “Can these really become an album?” and was really worried. Once the project was completed, it really felt like something that could be listened to as a single piece of work. I think my strongest feeling is that of huge relief.
Daiki Tsuneta: I really sensed the growth of the band and each individual member. I feel relieved.
Is the sense of accomplishment different in nature from that of CEREMONY?
Tsuneta: Totally different. With CEREMONY, I was so caught up in the need to break out and make it big, so I had no emotional leeway and was short-sighted. This time, I made adjustments regarding such things. Of course, I feel strongly about all of our songs, but I carefully eradicated the things I didn’t like at the time and was able to create by focusing more on my way of production and on the things I’m making.
Arai: Yeah. The production flow of the album was also definitely different between CEREMONY and this time. For CEREMONY, Tsuneta would sometimes share with the band a song that had to be finished before he was sure about how it should be done, so we’d have to record it on that day even though the arrangement hadn’t been finalized. But with the new album, it’s like each of us found common ground within ourselves in that sense. It felt like we made this album as an extension of our daily lives, and it’s still ongoing. So I feel really fulfilled, but not burnt out.
Where does the difference come from?
Arai: I think the biggest difference is that the production flow was different from the previous one. Specifically, Tsuneta built his own recording studio, and we began working on songs based on a division of labor system. Each of us was able to fully concentrate on our own parts, so we had more time to reflect on ourselves. Satoru’s way of approaching his singing and Yu’s way of approaching music programming take time, so I imagine our way of doing things before was obviously a bit hard for them to begin with.
Tsuneta: Yeah. There was a brief period when the four of us would get together in the studio and record a little bit at a time, starting with the rhythm section and somehow making the rest of it all add up in the end, but I thought that didn’t reflect everyone’s intrinsic creativity. This time, everyone adapted to the new flow. I think it was probably a good fit for all of us.
Seki: Yeah, a part of me wanted it. When we do it together, we have to record the drums first each time due to the nature of the instrument, but I always thought I could come up with something better if I could record my part later.
Mr. Iguchi, how did you approach the creative process of this work?
Iguchi: I think I have a really broad range this time. There are elements of myself from when I studied classical music, and the R&B that I’ve been listening to recently, and I also sing like I did on our first album (Tokyo Rendez-Vous). The songs of each of our eras make up a coherent album. Like the others mentioned, Daiki completed his studio and… Temperament-wise, playing in a sandbox by myself fits my personality the best. It occurred to me again that even if there are lots of people in that sandbox, making sand balls without worrying about what they think is what I prefer doing. It was easier for me to express myself, to put playfulness into the work. So there’s a lot that element of playfulness in this album that I couldn’t do in CEREMONY.
That’s so true, and not only the vocals but also the songs themselves are like that. That’s exactly how I feel about “SPECIALZ,” the first song that came out after your CLOSING CEREMONY stadium tour. It’s a pretty aggressive song that doesn’t worry about what people think. It doesn’t have a typical band sound and the beat and groove are weighty. But it turned out to be accepted by the masses as a pop song. I imagine you all must have felt a sense of accomplishment about that.
Tsuneta: You know what, I’m surprisingly calm about such things. I don’t really see myself as being a catchy kind of person fundamentally, so it was just good timing in a lot of ways. [Laughs]
Really?
Seki: Super calm. [Laughs]
Tsuneta: Well, I do think that the four of us have been able to nurture King Gnu into becoming a band can convincingly put out that kind of music.
That’s exactly what I mean. You were able to put out a song like that at that timing, and as the opener for the Shibuya Incident arc of the anime Jujutsu Kaisen.
Tsuneta: You’re right.
And people around the world are listening to “SPECIALZ,” not just in Japan. Billboard Japan launched its new Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan chart in September, and it’s the ranking of Japanese music being listened to outside of Japan obtained by omitting figures of the Japanese market. “SPECIALZ” has been charting in the top 3 ever since the launch of this new list. It’s an interesting phenomenon.
Tsuneta: Sounds like it’ll bring in some money. [Laughs] But it’s amazing. When I went overseas earlier this year from winter through spring to work with artists over there, people really seemed to like my tracks that sounded like this. I got the sense that this type of industrial music with such a beat is compelling and cool to people anywhere, so I figured King Gnu might as well do it since we all think it’s cool. So I’m putting out stuff that’s really close to how I feel about things at the moment, like the things I’m interested in or think are hip right now. I’m in this mode where I feel the need to reflect those sensations more directly and straightforwardly in the band’s music, and that it would be more fun to do so.
In that sense, what I really like about this album is that the middle section comprised of the new tracks “IKAROS,” “W●RKAHOLIC,” and “):Ashura:(” plus “Senryo Yakusha” that’s been greatly changed from the single version, is the solid highlight of the album. The set contains so many tracks previously released as singles, yet the songs that are the most personal and directly express what you want to do musically at the moment are the stars of this album. “):Ashura:(” is just so good.
Tsuneta: It’s a new line, isn’t it? It’s also a form that would never happen if we were recording as a band. It could be King Gnu’s mode from here on.
Arai: In terms of album production, it was really only towards the end of the last four years that we were able to incorporate that flow I mentioned earlier. The last five months or so.
Tsuneta: We considered the existing songs along that flow, too. That’s why we changed the arrangements.
Mr. Tsuneta, you’ve been saying things like you’re going to move your base and change the way you work after next year’s tour. Could you share why you feel that way?
Tsuneta: In the five years since we released our first album, we haven’t taken any breaks and I’ve been feeling it’s not healthy to live according to this workflow. I just think it’s better to review the cycle once. With CEREMONY, I deliberately decided to take that route and focused on selling as much music as possible, but outside of Japan, Beyoncé takes a year to rehearse and performs at Coachella. I mean, there’s no way I could compete with someone at that incredible level who works like that by living according to this current workflow. I think the time has come for us to fundamentally rethink our approach.
So, this isn’t about working in Japan or elsewhere, but about competing on the level of Beyoncé’s Coachella performance since you’re making music.
Tsuneta: I want to be on the same playing field… It doesn’t mean to sing like her or anything like that, but as a creator of art, I want to face (creating art) like her, that way of not being over-consumed. Putting aside whether or not I was able to do so with this album, it’s how I want to live my life.
—This interview by Tomohiro Ogawa first appeared on Billboard Japan
Vicke Blanka announced his upcoming Vicke Blanka North American Tour 2024, set to kick off in Vancouver in January.
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It’s been a busy, globe-trotting year for Vicke Blanka, known outside Japan for “Black Rover” and “Black Catcher,” the opening theme songs for the Black Clover anime series. Beginning with the Jeddah Events Calendar 2023 – Anime Village at City Walk event in Saudi Arabia in May, he performed in RIMINI COMIX in Italy and the 22nd Japan Expo in France in July, the Gamers8 Cosplay Cup supported by WCS in Saudi Arabia in August, and Magnificon Krakow in Poland and 29 Manga Barcelona in Spain in December. Notably, he was invited as honorary musical guest at the Japan Expo in France, where his show recorded the highest attendance for a single stage at the event with over 5,000 people flocking to see him perform.
“I’m so happy to finally get to meet everyone in North America!!” says the 36-year-old singer-songwriter in English ahead of his upcoming North American trek. “I’ve often gotten DMs from US/Canadian fans, like, ‘Come do your show here too!’ and ‘We’ll be waiting for you!’ So. Guess I’ll take my DJ set and guitar with me. Let’s make an awesome tour together!”
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Vicke Blanka’s headlining North American tour will begin Jan. 31 in Vancouver, followed by 10 shows in 10 cities including the final in New York Feb. 20. Tickets are now on sale, see the schedule below.
Vicke Blanka North American Tour 2024
Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024 VOGUE THEATRE, Vancouver
Friday, Feb. 2 GOTHIC THEATRE, Denver
Monday, Feb. 5 GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL, San Francisco
Tuesday, Feb. 6 THE BELASCO, Los Angeles
Thursday, Feb. 8 STUDIO AT THE FACTORY, Dallas
Friday, Feb. 9 SCOUT BAR, Houston
Tuesday, Feb. 13 PARK WEST, Chicago
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Miu Sakamoto spoke with Billboard Japan for its Women in Music interview series featuring female players in the Japanese entertainment industry. The WIM initiative in Japan launched last year to honor artists, producers and executives who have made significant contributions to music and inspired other women through their work. The first 30 interviews in this series were recently published in Japan as a “Billboard Japan Presents” collection by writer Rio Hirai, who continues to speak with women to highlight their stories.
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Sakamoto celebrated 25 years in music last year. She grew up surrounded by numerous high-profile adults from a young age — she’s the daughter of world-renowned musicians Ryuichi Sakamoto and Akiko Yano, for starters — and moved to the United States at the age of nine. Her upbringing instilled in her a relatively unbiased way of seeing the world through encounters with various people, and she’s now trying to reflect this in her own parenting. The 43-year-old singer, actress, and writer shared her thoughts on where she currently stands in terms of her career and motherhood.
Did you look up to any women when you were little?
I lived in Koenji (a bohemian district in Tokyo) until I was nine years old and grew up not being very aware of differences between men and women. I’m not very good at noticing gender differences. So I don’t think I looked up to any particular woman, but did love beautiful things. I adored a British band called Japan. They disbanded in 1982, but they were also big in Japan at the time, and when they came, they’d do stuff with my father and hung out at our house. I also liked David Bowie and the hair & makeup artist Chiaki Shimada.
Which reminds me, I remember being fascinated with doing makeup. The men I saw growing up, including my father, wore makeup when they appeared on TV or on stage, so it never even occurred to me that most people thought wearing makeup was something only women did.
Of course if you see men wearing makeup all the time, you wouldn’t end up with such a bias regarding gender norms.
Exactly. I also liked Butoh from a young age and when I became a teenager, I liked Visual-kei bands and gothic style. Beautiful things that transcend gender.
Did you become more aware of gender inequalities as you grew older?
I tried to study gender issues when I became an adult and especially since I returned to Japan, but to tell you the truth, I wasn’t very keen on the way some people advocated feminism in a vocal way.
Why do you think you felt that way?
Since men and women are built differently physically, I thought they’d have respective specialties and roles. I’m sure there are exceptions, but… Because I didn’t think in a discriminatory way, or in terms of gender norms like, “This is how things should be,” I had no idea how people who have had such things imposed on them felt at all. I was never told by my parents to “be like a girl,” and I don’t think my brother was ever told to “be like a man.” That’s why, to begin with, I didn’t get why women had to fight (for their rights).
But I gradually learned through junior high and high school how hard it was for women to win rights in all aspects of society throughout history. Once I realized that it hasn’t been that long since women won their rights and that we’re still in the middle of that process, I began to feel that we still need to continue the movement.
The thing is, though, I’ve still never suffered from having my femininity forced on me, so maybe I’m still a bit fuzzy about it all. That’s why I don’t feel like we necessarily have to constantly reject “being like a woman.” Sometimes it feels limiting to stick too closely to equality in form.
I’ve spoken to more than 30 women so far in this series, and many of them aren’t comfortable with being too vocal about asserting women’s rights. But I don’t think asserting women’s rights is the same as oppressing men or people of other genders. I’m hoping this series will someday lead to a future where we don’t have to focus on “being a woman” as a theme. You mentioned earlier that you were raised in an environment without gender norms. What do you take care to do in raising your child?
To raise her among adults with various values, I suppose. Like what I mentioned earlier about the members of Japan playing with me when I was little, I grew up in an environment with a diverse range of adults around me. There were lots of people who were really wild, too. I’ve seen many cases where people who don’t do well socially are outstandingly talented in one particular thing. I mean, my father was like that. [Laughs] I think that’s very human, and no one is perfect. Looking back, I think my way of thinking has a lot to do with my childhood environment.
In a world where people are criticized if they stray a little bit, it’s meaningful to have that sense that imperfection is human nature. I’m sure it would change society if more people thought that way. Is there anything you take care to do in raising a girl?
I never make fun of her appearance. I’ve always had hang-ups about my own appearance, so I make an effort to never say anything negative to her. Of course it comes naturally and not because I decided to do so, but I persistently tell her that she’s so cute, every day. Maybe it’s something that I wanted for myself growing up.
I don’t think anyone feels negatively about their appearance from day one, and we start comparing ourselves to others as we grow up. Going through that, it must be reassuring to have someone close to you affirming you in that way.
Yes. I gained weight after we moved to the U.S. I started extracurricular activities and became muscular and strong, and also wore glasses because I had bad eyesight. Meanwhile, my brother was pale, slender, and had a beautiful face. So my relatives would casually compare me to him. They’d say things like, “Miu, your physique is made for an easy delivery” and things like that. The concept of “lookism” wasn’t widely known back then. More than the fact that I was a minority as an Asian, I suffered an inferiority complex about my appearance during my adolescence.
You’re right, that bias of “this is how beautiful women/men should look” is what causes people to feel inferior about their appearances. As an artist, do you think being a woman affects you in any way?
As a singer, I think being a woman affects me in terms of how I use the voice I have. My voice is my identity and I want to use it to help society. That’s why I continue to appear on radio (as a host) on top of my singing projects.
In 2022, out of the 100 most popular groups on Billboard Japan’s year-end tally, the gender breakdown of artists and acts was 58 male, 27 female, and 15 mixed. The percentage is pretty much the same every year. Any thoughts on this?
My take is that I don’t think this result necessarily means that female artists have limited opportunities, but rather, there’s an imbalance in the style of consumption in Japan and the age group that can spend money on music. I don’t know the real numbers, but I don’t see how there could be such an imbalance in the share of opportunities (based on gender), because I really don’t feel it myself.
Then there’s the reality that there are far fewer women in management positions in the Japanese music industry.
OK, that is so true. Women who are good at their jobs have to fight in the ways of the man’s world to some extent, and they are under a lot of stress. It’d be best if everyone could work in a way that suits their own physical strength, and I hope someday people will be able to choose jobs based on their individual abilities rather than what gender dictates.
Do you and your partner ever talk about how to divide household tasks?
I happen to be a better and more avid cook than my partner, so I’m in charge of cooking. But when I’m away from home because of tours and things, he handles it. We don’t have specific roles and our general rule is, “the one who’s better at it, does it.” I like cooking because my parents always told me that I should be able to cook. And it wasn’t because I’m a girl, they told my older brother the same thing.
So the balanced way you were raised is still being reflected in your current life. Is there anyone who makes you think, “Seeing this woman gives me courage”?
Well… I have many wonderful friends, but I think it would be (actress) Rinko Kikuchi. We’ve been good friends since we were single and she hasn’t changed at all since she got married and became a mom. I think that’s because she has her own individuality at her core. She’s such a natural kind of human being.
It’s often said that when women have children and their life stage changes, they’re referred to as the mother of their kids or face “mommy track” problems that prevent them from getting jobs they want. But obviously women aren’t just moms even after they become one. I think it’s great that such a high-profile person is expressing that. Did anything change for you personally after becoming a mom, or conversely, did anything remain the same?
I don’t feel like I’ve changed, but when I look back at pictures of my daughter when she was still little, I’m sloppily dressed and my face looks different. I wore clothes that allowed me to breastfeed right away and took her to work, and didn’t have much emotional leeway. I’d breastfeed like it was normal even in the radio studio, so the guests were taken aback. [Laughs] When I kept doing that, people around me got used to it and even the security guys were really nice to me. But I don’t feel that my core has changed. In fact, my boundaries as both a mother and a singer are fading and I’m becoming freer.
—This interview by Rio Hirai first appeared on Billboard Japan
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
