State Champ Radio Japan
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The “Niconico VOCALOID SONGS” mid-year ranking for 2025 was recently announced. This chart, which was launched on Dec. 7, 2022, tracks the top 20 songs on Niconico created using voice synthesis software. The ranking is based on metrics developed by Billboard JAPAN, including the number of plays, the number of videos that use the songs, the number of comments, the number of likes, and more. In the recently released chart, the number one position went to Hiiragi Magnetite’s “Tetoris,” followed closely by DECO*27’s “Monitoring.”
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The video for “Tetoris,” which was released in November 2024, shows Kasane Teto spinning over a yellow background. The lyrics drip with self-deprecation: “I’m so busy with depression and Mania / That I can’t even get some sleep / Yet again.” The song is anchored by the melody to “Korobeiniki,” the Russian folk song famous as the background music of the Tetris video game, and uses rhythmical phrases that place heavy emphasis on the feel of the lyrics, combining “Teto” and “Tetris.” The lyrics are ultra-fresh, with lines like “Jinsei Cancel Cancel Kaiwai” (“Around the ‘Cancel Cancel Life’ Neck of the Woods”) that play on the online slang from late 2024, “Furo Cancel Kaiwai” (“Around the ‘Cancel the Bath’ Neck of the Woods”).
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It’s also worth noting the dramatic success being enjoyed by DECO*27, a veteran Vocaloid producer who will be celebrating the 17th anniversary of their debut this October but who remains on the frontlines of the Vocaloid scene. DECO*27 has been distinguishing himself since the 2010s, when songs like “Mosaic Roll” and “Streaming Heart” were covered by huge numbers of utaite. Even now, 16 years later, his popularity remains sky high. His works are about change, which has had a tremendous impact on his evolution as an artist. For example, on his album TRANSFORM, released on November 27, 2024, he used the new Miku voicebank. Since May 2023, DECO*27 has been using a Hatsune Miku 3D model he created himself (Deco Miku) primarily to promote his music on YouTube and TikTok. This approach ties in closely to his movement on the chart.
The mid-year chart also has many songs related to the film Kowareta Sekai To Utaenai Miku (“Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing”), an offshoot of the smartphone rhythm and adventure game Project Sekai Colorful Stage! Feat. Hatsune Miku, that began airing in theaters nationwide in January 17. There’s DECO*27’s song “Hello, SEKAI feat. Hatsune Miku,” which is featured in the movie, and six songs written by musical units and virtual singers and then arranged by six Vocaloid producers such as kemu, Iyowa, and Nilfruits. VocaColle, the world’s largest user submission-focused event in the Vocaloid scene, had a higher number of submissions than ever before. Like Proseka, it has become the perfect place to discover new talent. In VocaColle 2025 Winter, which was held in February, Avaraya, a Vocaloid producer with previous experience competing in the event’s rookie bracket, took the number one position in the Top 100 with “The Sound About Petals.”
One constant throughout the mid-year ranking of 2025 was the use of music video thumbnails featuring virtual singers, primarily Hatsune Miku and Kasane Teto. The tide of songs featuring Kasane Teto, which began in 2024, has carried on this year, but we’re now also seeing a rise in songs with both Hatsune Miku and Kasane Teto, a trend launched by 32ki’s “Mesmerizer.” For songs by Vocaloid producers who are gaining support overseas, the visuals of the virtual singers often serve as symbols of the songs themselves. Just as each Vocaloid producer tweaks the vocals, giving their virtual singers a unique sound, it appears now that each producer’s virtual singer has established their own distinct visual look.
One of the powerful boosters of the buzz in the scene is the recent influx of overseas listeners. For example, Vocaloid producer Nunununununununununununununununu debuted in 2022 and has already established a global fan base. The music video for his song “Mimukauwa Nice Try,” which ranked 4th on the chart, has both English and Japanese subtitles, and on the Chinese video streaming site Bilibili, the song has Chinese subtitles. One of the notable things about “CandyCookieChocolate,” by Hallo Cel, who debuted in 2021, is that it has subtitles in 13 different languages, including Japanese. Artists are looking at the potential for global expansion and are planting the seeds for creating connections with overseas listeners in the future. Global strategies such as the use of multilingual subtitles and captions are likely to accelerate in the future. This will be facilitated by Asia Creators Cross, a creator coordination program run by Dwango which provides opportunities for Japanese creators to thrive worldwide and for global creators to thrive in Japan. As part of this program, in May of this year, the Strawberry Music Festival, one of China’s biggest music festivals, featured a performance by four DJs with many Chinese fans: Minami no Minami, namigroove, Natsuyama Yotsugi, and TeddyLoid.
Vocaloid songs are often mirrors that reflect the real societal problems being faced by Gen Z. This may fly under the radar because of the recent trend for upbeat-sounding music, but underneath that music are songs about some of the dark recesses of modern life, such as LSD. “Monitoring,” with its delusions spinning out from hallucinations, and “Mesmerizer,” in which Hatsune Miku undergoes a menacing transformation in the second half of the music video, are prime examples. In that sense, Ura Amala’s “Daidaidaidaidaikirai” shares something in common with them, as the moment the song breaks into the chorus, the sound production becomes intensely psychedelic. Hallo Cel later revealed that the look of “CandyCookieChocolate” was an homage to the style of the artist named “channel” (who now goes by the name “CAST”), the creator of the music video for “Mesmerizer.” The animation in the video draws one’s consciousness in like a vortex, and the three sweets that make up the name are suggestive of some sort of code word.
Something to note, given this increase in trippily-themed songs, is the looping track structure of many of the songs. This looping lodges the lyrics to the songs in the listener’s brain. “Mimukauwa Nice Try” repeats the refrain “Zako♡, zako♡” (“Loser♡, loser♡”). The song “Daidaidaidaidaikirai” has the repeated rhyming of “Daidaidaidaidaikirai, OMG nasakenai, mohaya bye bye bye bye bye shitai” (“I hate hate hate hate hate you, OMG, how pathetic, I just wanna say bye bye bye bye bye already”). The intro to “CandyCookieChocolate” boldly draws on the song’s name, with the lyrics “CANDY CANDY CANDY COOKIE CANDY CANDY CHOCOLATE”. In other words, one of the big trends in today’s Vocaloid scene is using the music as an “electronic drug” that doesn’t place too much of a burden on the mind. It’s an SOS signal from those in the scene, especially zoomers. The recent popularity of up-beat songs is likely because of how well they fit with short video platforms like TikTok, but behind the fast melodies are dark lyrics. This is where the true value of Vocaloid songs lives on, casting a keen eye on the reality around us. That’s why we can never get enough Vocaloid.
—This article by Mio Komachi first appeared on Billboard Japan
SixTONES’ “BOYZ” blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, on the chart released June 11.
The six-member group’s latest release is being featured as the opener for the anime series WIND BREAKER Season 2. The single launches with 358,770 CDs and becomes the group’s 15th consecutive single to bow atop the physical sales metric since its debut. “BOYZ” also comes in at No. 5 for downloads, No. 93 for streaming, No. 17 for radio airplay, and No. 48 for video views to give the boy band its eighth No. 1 hit. The other singles by SixTONES that hit No. 1 are “Imitation Rain,” “NAVIGATOR,” “NEW ERA,” “Boku ga boku janai mitaida,” “Mascara,” “Kyomei,” and “Watashi.”
Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “breakfast” debuts at No. 2. The track is being featured as the theme song for the new Fuji TV news program Sun! Shine that began airing Mar. 31. After being released June 4, the track launched with 13,093 units to rule the metric, while coming in at No. 2 for streaming, and No. 18 for radio. The accompanying music video, which features the three members performing choreography for the first time in three years since the visuals for “Dance Hall,” also hits No. 1 this week.
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The three-man band’s “KUSUSHIKI” holds at No. 3, topping streaming and coming in at No. 6 for downloads and No. 4 for video.
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Tsubaki Factory’s “My Days for You” bows at No. 4. The Hello! Project girl group’s 13th single sold 91,145 copies in its first week to hit No. 2 for sales, and was downloaded 1,397 times to hit No. 23 for the metric. HANA’s “ROSE” stays at No. 5, with downloads gaining 116% and downloads 103% from the week before.
Outside the top 10, NGT48’s “Kibo Ressha” sold 47,195 CDs in its first week to debut at No. 13 on the Japan Hot 100. timelesz released FAM, its first original studio album with the current new members, on June 11 and enters the charts for the first time in three weeks.
Recurrent rules have been implemented on the Japan Hot 100 and Hot Albums tallies from the charts released June 4. The Streaming Songs chart is exempt from the recurrent criteria, and will be calculated in the same way as it has been up to the 2025 mid-year tally.
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 June 2 to June 8, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.
2025 has marked a pivotal year for Japan‘s music culture, with signs of transformation echoing both at home and abroad. But what does the future look like from a global vantage point? To find out, Billboard JAPAN sat down with Joe Hadley – Spotify‘s Global Head of Music Partnerships & Audience – during his visit to Japan in May for the inaugural MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN 2025, the country’s first-ever global music awards.
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In recent years, a growing number of Japanese artists, like Kenshi Yonezu, Fujii Kaze, YOASOBI, and Ado, have gone on successful world tours. People are saying that J-pop is starting to make sweeping advances overseas. How do you see the current situation?
It’s amazing to see these artists touring globally and resonating with fans around the world. And it’s not just about live shows – the streaming numbers tell a compelling story of growing global interest as well. In 2024, about 50% of the royalties paid out to Japanese artists were from outside of Japan, and nearly three-quarters of that was for tracks in Japanese. In other words, the music doesn’t have to be in English to travel. It does really well in Japanese, which is a very telling sign about the world’s reception and readiness for Japanese music.
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Here’s another really fun stat: in 2024 alone, Japanese artists saw about 2.6 billion first-time streams from listeners outside of Japan. This is a pretty incredible number. Japanese music is really expanding its global reach.
So does this mean that Japanese music is drawing a lot of attention, or that the widespread use of music streaming services like Spotify is transforming the structure of the global music business, or both?
It’s a bit of both. We have a really strong product and we also have an incredible editorial team. When you talk about the globalization of music, you also have to talk about global curation groups within Spotify. These are teams of editors specializing in each genre and region who come together from around the world to share music and support one another in getting music playlisted in the right places. Creating playlists like Gacha Pop, which is popular outside of Japan, is really important, and our role is to use curated playlists like this to stream music to global audiences. Personalization features like AI DJ also help share the world discover this music on Spotify.
Could you talk to us a bit about the current state of music culture? What trends and movements are you keeping an eye on?
Music is really travelling around the world. All kinds of artists are being listened to in countries and regions outside the ones they’re from. This is tremendously exciting. Spotify has almost 700 million monthly listeners, and its ability to export music globally just keeps growing and growing.
One recent trend I’m keeping my eye on is the global growth of country music. We’re starting to see it spreading outside of the U.S. to places like the U.K. and Europe, but really in Australia and New Zealand. You’d also be hard-pressed to miss the growth of African music outside Africa.
Of course, Japanese music is important, too. For example, I saw in the news the other day that ONE OR EIGHT’s “DSTM” had become the first song by a Japanese boy band in America’s Media Base Top 40 radio chart. That’s a great starting point. Even beyond the collaboration between Megan Thee Stallion and Yuki Chiba, we’re seeing the potential for a lot of growth around the world. This ties back to what we were talking about earlier, regarding global artists that are touring.
Until now, some have been saying that Japan’s music industry is lagging behind the rest of the world. What do you see as Japan’s current position within the global music scene?
Japan is in the middle of that same movement. That’s why we’re all here in Japan, and I’m really looking forward to going to the MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN (MAJ) award ceremony in Kyoto.
What do you think about the launch of the MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN?
I think it’s an incredible opportunity and a super exciting one. Spotify is really proud to partner with CEIPA (the Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Society, which is made up of five major music industry groups) on MAJ. It’s CEIPA’s role to empower artists and creators, and we want to be side-by-side with them on their journey of developing Japan’s music industry both at home and abroad. That’s why we’re here taking part in this inaugural event.
The five nominees for Top Global Hit From Japan were selected using Spotify’s voting feature, and they were voted on by general overseas Spotify listeners. How do you see this award?
There are a lot of award shows out there, but I think having one that involves ordinary music fans is very meaningful. I can’t divulge any specific voting numbers, but the number of voters was far more than I’d expected, which really impressed on me how interested people are in the award.
I was a part of the voting process, and that was very much a learning experience for me. It made me feel even more involved with Japan and created a stronger sense of responsibility. The selection of nominees was quite diverse, which I think is representative of Japanese music as a whole. I think it’s easy if you’re not familiar with Japanese music to pigeonhole or stereotype it, but there are many different genres. That definitely came across in the nomination process.
What kind of future do you think the MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN will help create for Japan’s music culture?
In my opinion, the biggest contribution right away is the very fact that the event is happening. It’s like a wedding, where you gather together people who’ve probably never all been in the same room – in this case, artists, executives, writers, and the like. So this will be the first time, but it’s going to continue and grow to have a massive impact. It won’t just be Japanese artists, but it will get artists from other countries to come to Japan, which is going to have ripple effects. But for me, the most exciting part and the biggest impact will be having those people in the room, feeling the energy and the connections that come from it.
What do you see for the future of Japan’s music scene?
It’s already been going in a pretty incredible direction these last five or ten years. I think if Spotify continues to grow, we continue to work with more local partners like CEIPA, and we continue to think globally, Japanese music will keep growing at the same rate. I do think it’s on the artists, the labels, and their teams to make sure that they’re hitting the markets, going out and continuing to tour, and being intentional about collaborations, but the sky’s the limit. I’m very, very optimistic and excited about the future of Japanese music and music as a whole.
—This interview by Tomonori Shiba first appeared on Billboard Japan
Gen Hoshino sat down with Billboard Japan for its Monthly Feature series focusing on currently notable artists and works, to chat about his first new album in six years simply entitled Gen.
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The new project, released May 14, is the Japanese superstar’s first full-length studio set since his previous smash hit album POP VIRUS. It contains 16 tracks including singles “Fushigi,” which topped the Billboard Japan Hot 100, “Create” (Japanese title: “Souzou”), the 35th anniversary theme song for Super Mario Brothers, and “Comedy” (“Kigeki”), the ending theme song for the anime SPYxFAMILY. Gen also includes a variety of other songs such as “Mad Hope (feat. Louis Cole, Sam Gendel, Sam Wilkes),” “2 (feat. Lee Youngji),” “Memories (feat. UMI, Camilo),” and “Eden (feat. Cordae, DJ Jazzy Jeff),” with guest artists from various countries.
The album is clearly different from Hoshino’s previous works in terms of sound design and songwriting. It reflects the changes in his production style that began during the pandemic, and his attempts to “sing about himself,” something he had previously tried to avoid doing. The 44-year-old singer-songwriter is set to break new ground in pop music with his latest project.
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Gen debuted at No. 2 on Billboard Japan’s Hot Albums chart and No. 1 on the Download Albums chart on the tallies released May 21. Hoshino broke down the production of his latest project and shared his current mindset after his six-and-a-half-year journey in this new interview.
Gen shows the various changes that you’ve gone through since your last album POP VIRUS, and at the same time, it’s a work that opens up a new phase in pop music. I imagine the starting point was “Create.” What’s your take on the process from your previous album to this one?
Gen Hoshino: The EP Same Thing that I released after POP VIRUS was a project that was like a “journey to find out about the outside of myself.” Until then, I’d basically been creating music on my own, but I wanted to know how other people were doing it and also to update my world. After going through that, I started writing “Create” and the pandemic struck. During the time I couldn’t leave the house, I taught myself how to produce music on a digital audio workstation (DAW) from scratch, and made a song called “Oriai” to try it out. I thought, “I can handle this” (DAW production), so I produced “Create” again from scratch. Looking back, I think that was the starting point for this album.
I used to start out (writing songs) on my guitar, but with a DAW, I can use various sound sources and punch in the drums, bass, keyboards and stuff to create my own world by myself. When I first started using it, I was like, “OK, this is my thing” and was immediately hooked. From the very beginning, it felt like, “This is totally different from the way I used to make music.” My skills improved from there and the things I could do kept increasing.
It’s great that you were having so much fun during the production.
It was like that in terms of creativity, and there was also that innocence towards music at the center. It kind of felt like how it was when I started playing the guitar in junior high. I’ve been in the business for 25 years now, and in the 20th year of my career, I got a new toy. I can maintain objectivity while doing the actual work feeling like a junior high school student. That was an experience I’d never had before.
The album includes tracks featuring Louis Cole, Sam Gendel, Sam Wilkes, Lee Youngji, UMI, Camilo, Cordae, and DJ Jazzy Jeff.
Before, I used to write a song on my guitar, write the score, have the band members get together, discuss it and record it, and that was it. This time it was different in that I started by creating the basic track on my own on a DAW, and if I thought that a part would work better recorded live, I had a musician come in and record it, then put that back on my computer and edited it again.
For example, for “Mad Hope,” I handed the beat that I’d made to Louis and said to him, “You can play it this way, or you can arrange it,” and he sent me the data of him playing it the same and the version where he’d arranged it. I then decided where and how I could use those various takes and edited them. After that, I changed the structure of the song to make it longer, so I visited Louis at his home and recorded some more. It was like I was making everything from beginning to end always at my fingertips.
So the flow was like, as I worked on the songs, the faces of the people I wanted to collaborate with would come to mind and I’d make an offer. “2” was like that, too. After I started writing the song, I thought, “It’d be great if Youngji rapped on this,” so I asked her to do it.
She covered your song “Koi” at her Japan show last year. Did you have any previous contact with her?
I liked her music and listened to it a lot, and have also seen the variety shows she appeared on. She debuted as a rapper while in high school and is definitely “current” in terms of sound and skill, but I sometimes detect a whiff of female rappers from the ’90s in her and she has various sides to her which fascinated me. Then a fan of hers sent an email to my radio show telling me that Youngji had covered “Koi” at a concert in Japan and said she was a fan of mine. We followed each other on Instagram after that.
You both wrote the lyrics for “2 (feat. Lee Youngji).” What kind of themes did you share?
It was about two people being invincible when they get together, and also about making it a song of empowerment for each of us. I already had my lyrics, and when I told her the theme, she came back with some great bars. She also offered to rap in Japanese, and her Japanese verses were really great, too. UMI and Camilo, who worked with me on “Memories,” as well as Cordae and Jazzy Jeff, who took part in “Eden,” really understood what I was trying to do, and they each interpreted it through their own filters and reflected that into their music. I was thinking how fortunate I was while working on the project that I could interact with them in such an organic way.
So you didn’t know which direction the sounds would end up?
Right. But there was one thing I wanted to do sound-wise. Each song contains a variety of sounds. There are unadjusted sounds recorded with very cheap microphones, clean sounds recorded in a good studio, synth sounds from computers and those from real synthesizers. The theme of the sound production is that all of these sounds, clean and messy, old and new, are all equivalent and they can all exist at the same time. You can hear the sound of a guitar with noise mixed in that I played at home and the clear sound of a guitar that Ryo-chan (Ryosuke Nagaoka) played in the studio in a single track, or sounds from 2025 and sounds made in 2021 existing at the same time. Past and present, clean and messy are next to each other. It’s an album where I assembled various sounds according to my senses.
You’re currently in the midst of your Gen Hoshino presents MAD HOPE domestic tour, and will be embarking on your Asia trek from August.
It’s been a while, six years, since I’ve been on tour. It’s called MAD HOPE, so I guess it’s like a concept tour, and since I haven’t toured in a while, I want to include both my latest songs and the old ones. Live shows belong to the audience is how I basically see it, so I hope everyone enjoys it the way they like. Heading home afterwards saying, “That was fun,” “That was good” is great, isn’t it? I prefer making the music, so when it comes to performing live, I always just feel so grateful. I’ve always felt that the best thing is for everyone to enjoy the show, and that feeling has never changed.
–This interview by Tomoyuki Mori first appeared on Billboard Japan
HANA dropped a new song called “Burning Flower” on Monday (June 9), and shared the accompanying music video on YouTube the same day. “Burning Flower” is a fiery, danceable number with an addictive “acchi” (it’s hot) interjection repeated in the chorus. The choreography is by the members themselves, and their dynamic dance performance set to […]
Billboard Japan unveiled its mid-year charts for 2025 early Friday morning (June 6), and Mrs. GREEN APPLE dominated the three major domestic rankings for the first time in the platform’s history: the all-genre Japan Hot 100 song chart, the Hot Albums tally, and the Artist 100 list compiled from the sum of the former two charts.
The three-man band’s songs old and new are loved by a wide audience, including the long-running hit “Lilac,” streamed approximately 270 million times during the mid-year tallying period. As they forge ahead with projects marking the tenth anniversary of their major-label debut, members Motoki Omori, Hiloto Wakai, and Ryoka Fujisawa shared their thoughts on the band’s monumental achievement during a packed schedule, repeatedly expressing their gratitude to everyone who listens to their music.
“Lilac” is the No. 1 song on Billboard Japan’s mid-year Japan Hot 100. Mrs. GREEN APPLE also remains atop the Artist 100 chart following your reign over the year-end list for 2024, and your album ANTENNA tops the Hot Albums tally for the first time. Congratulations! How do you feel about this unprecedented accomplishment?
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Motoki Omori (vocals, guitar): I’m thrilled. I also feel humbled, but the fact that so many people are listening to our music just makes me so happy. I’d like to continue making music sincerely from now on as well. Thank you.
Hiloto Wakai (guitar): It makes me really happy to know that our music is reaching so many people in this way. “Lilac” is a song from last year, and since we aim to make songs that will be loved for a long time, it’s very gratifying. Thank you.
Ryoka Fujisawa (keyboards): Mrs. GREEN APPLE is celebrating its tenth anniversary since its debut this year. From the time we formed the band, we’ve continued to place importance on putting out the music that Omori writes, so I feel very happy and grateful that it’s being listened to by many and appreciated like this. Thank you.
And Mr. Omori, you’re on your way to becoming the Top Lyricist and Top Composer for the third year straight, after topping the mid-year results for 2025. In addition to “Lilac,” “Bitter Vacances,” “Que Sera Sera,” “Darling,” and “Soranji” are also charting in the top 10, proving that many listeners are inspired by your words, and the melodies that create the world of your songs.
Omori: You know what, I’m just really pleased to hear such kind words from each person and also about the fact that our songs are blending into everyday life and adding color to it. Like, “I danced to your song on our school’s sports day,” or “It was playing at such-and-such a place,” for example. I still find it hard to believe that my music has become a part of people’s everyday lives, but it really gives me joy. Writing music is a necessity in my life, not just something I enjoy doing. It’s something very important for me to be able to live my life as who I am, so I feel really fortunate that the recognition meshes properly with that and am grateful for it.
You’ve had many opportunities to do solo work in addition to working as a band. Do you feel that you’ve grown from those experiences?
Wakai: I’ve done solo work before, but used to always be like, “What if I mess up?” and sometimes things didn’t go well. But now that I’m being tapped to work as an individual on more occasions, I’m starting to gradually enjoy myself more, so that feels like proof that I’m growing as a person.
Omori: I’ve had more opportunities to do acting, and it’s the first time in four years that I’ve done any solo work. I feel very reassured by the magnitude of our band and the fact that Wakai and Fujisawa are protecting it as my allies. I’m able to lean on them now, and that feels like personal growth, or that time has passed. I’m truly grateful to both of them.
Fujisawa: I’ve been watching Omori and Wakai working hard on their solo endeavors and like them, I’m determined to do my best representing our band, but I don’t think I’m in a position to speak of such ambitions yet. When I’m working on my own, it really hits home how important Omori and Wakai are to me. Like the things they say, or words of encouragement they give me when we’re working together. I really appreciate that kind of casual, everyday communication. Every day I realize how grateful I am that they’re there.
The tenth anniversary of your debut, as well as your anniversary concerts and dome tour are coming up. What do you think are the highlights and things to look out for in these events for fans looking forward to them?
Omori: I think the best way to experience the latest Mrs. GREEN APPLE is at one of our live shows, so I hope everyone will enjoy our energy to the fullest. I’m just looking forward to meeting many people. I want to express my gratitude directly to the people who support us so much, so I hope we’ll have more opportunities to do so. Everything is going to be fun, so I really hope people will enjoy it from the bottom of their hearts without hesitation. That’s all I can say.
Wakai: There are some songs we haven’t performed live yet, so I hope people have fun waiting to see if they’ll be played or not. We’re all excited getting prepared, so let’s go full-out and create some fun memories together! Looking forward to seeing everyone there!
Fujisawa: This year is our MGA MAGICAL 10 YEARS celebration, and we intend to unleash lots of things that everyone will enjoy. As the other two said, we’re really looking forward to meeting everyone, and more than anything, we’re grateful to be able to celebrate the tenth anniversary of our major-label debut in this way. All we feel is gratitude, and I hope everyone is really, really looking forward to it!
–This interview by Mariko Ikitake first appeared on Billboard Japan
Mrs. GREEN APPLE dominates Billboard Japan’s mid-year domestic charts for 2025, rounding up the weeks from Nov. 25, 2024 through May 25, 2025.
On the Japan Hot 100 song chart, the three-man band’s “Lilac” leads the list for the first half of the year. “Lilac” was released on April 12, 2024, and featured as the opening theme song for the anime show Oblivion Battery. The track became a long-running hit, topping the Japan Hot 100 five times during the tallying period for the 2025 mid-year chart.
Rosé & Bruno Mars’ “APT.” follows at No. 2. The global hit led the Japan Hot 100 on the chart released Nov. 20, becoming the first song by a Western act to hit No. 1 on the tally in about eleven and a half years, since The Wanted’s “Glad You Came” in May 2013.
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At No. 3 is Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Bitter Vacances.” The theme song for the live-action movie Saint Young Men became the third-fastest song to rack up 100 million streams for the band. Four songs by the hitmakers have charted in the mid-year top five, the first time any act has accomplished this feat.
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Frontman and principal songwriter Motoki Omori comments, “I’m thrilled. I also feel humbled, but the fact that so many people are listening to our music just makes me so happy. I’d like to continue making music sincerely from now on as well. Thank you.” Guitarist Hiloto Wakai says, “It makes me really happy to know that our music is reaching so many people in this way. ‘Lilac’ is a song from last year, and since we aim to make songs that will be loved for a long time, it’s very gratifying. Thank you.” Keyboardist Ryoka Fujisawa notes, “Mrs. GREEN APPLE is celebrating its tenth anniversary since its debut this year. From the time we formed the band, we’ve continued to place importance on putting out the music that Omori writes, so I feel very happy and grateful that it’s being listened to by many and appreciated like this. Thank you.”
Mrs. GREEN APPLE also rules the mid-year Hot Albums chart, with its fifth studio set ANTENNA leading the list. The project dropped on July 5, 2023 and came in at No. 1 for streaming and No. 7 for downloads during the 2025 mid-year tallying period.
Snow Man’s best-of album THE BEST 2020 – 2025 follows at No. 2. The collection by the nine-member group sold 1,616,736 copies during the tallying period and topped the album sales chart. SixTONES’ fifth album GOLD is at No. 3. All of the sextet’s albums, including this one, has hit No. 1 on the Hot Albums tally.
And Mrs. GREEN APPLE rounds out the mid-year trifecta as the top artist on the Japan Artist 100 chart, compiled from the results of the Japan Hot 100 and Hot Albums charts. 20 songs by the “Darling” hitmakers have charted in the mid-year top 100.
back number follows at No. 2. The veteran three-man band’s latest hit is “Blue Amber,” being featured as the theme song of a currently ongoing drama series. At No. 3 is singer-songwriter Vaundy, who has five songs including “Kaiju no Hanauta” and “Fuujin” charting in the top 100.
The globalization of music has been gaining momentum in recent years, with Japanese artists performing overseas more proactively and a brand-new international music award, MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN, launching this year. On Billboard Japan’s Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan chart that tallies songs from the country that are popular abroad, Creepy Nuts’ “Otonoke” rules the mid-year round-up. The Dandadan opener has become a global hit following the rap duo’s breakout smash “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born.” “Otonoke” also topped the country and region specific Japan Songs rankings in six countries and regions, tallying the weeks from Nov. 22, 2024 through May 22, 2025.
“‘Otonoke’ has topped the mid-year Global Japan Songs excl. Japan chart for 2025, a ranking of songs from our country that are being listened to globally. Thank you so much!” comment Creepy Nuts. “We’re really proud of ‘Otonoke,’ so we’re glad to know so many people from around the world are enjoying it. We also look forward to being able to visit the countries where our songs are being listened to and perform live there. Thank you for your continued support!”
Billboard Japan Hot 100 Mid-Year Chart 2025
1. “Lilac” / Mrs. GREEN APPLE
2. “APT.” / Rosé & Bruno Mars
3. “Bitter Vacances” / Mrs. GREEN APPLE
4. “Que Sera Sera” / Mrs. GREEN APPLE
5. “Darling” / Mrs. GREEN APPLE
6. “Soranji” / Mrs. GREEN APPLE
7. “Otonoke” / Creepy Nuts
8. “Kawaii Dakeja Dame Desuka?” / CUTIE STREET
9. “IKUOKUKONEN” / Omoinotake
10. “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” / Creepy Nuts
Billboard Japan Hot Albums Mid-Year Chart 2025
1. ANTENNA / Mrs. GREEN APPLE
2. THE BEST 2020 – 2025 / Snow Man
3. Attitude / Mrs. GREEN APPLE
4. strobo / Vaundy
5. No.Ⅰ / Number_i
6. replica / Vaundy
7. Rosie / Rosé
8. Hello! We’re timelesz / timelesz
9. LOST CORNER / Kenshi Yonezu
10. BAD HOP / BAD HOP
Billboard Japan Artist 100 Mid-Year Chart 2025
1. Mrs. GREEN APPLE
2. back number
3. Vaundy
4. Kenshi Yonezu
5. Official HIGE DANdism
6. YOASOBI
7. Aimyon
8. Creepy Nuts
9. Snow Man
10. CHANMINA
Billboard Japan Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan Mid-Year Chart 2025
1. “Otonoke” / Creepy Nuts
2. “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” / Creepy Nuts
3. “Idol” / YOASOBI
4. “Shinunoga E-Wa” / Fujii Kaze
5. “ReawakeR (feat. Felix of Stray Kids)” / LiSA
6. “TOKYO DRIFT (FAST & FURIOUS)” / TERIYAKI BOYZ
7. “Mayonaka no Door – Stay With Me” / Miki Matsubara
8. “It’s Going Down Now” / Lotus Juice/Azumi Takahashi
9. “NIGHT DANCER” / imase
10. “Racing into the Night” / YOASOBI
On a warm, breezy evening in Kyoto, Japan’s biggest music stars walked a red carpet, performed their most popular hits and thanked their fans as they took the stage to receive ruby-hued awards.The dazzling ceremony, which was televised across Japan May 21-22 and livestreamed on YouTube, felt in many ways similar to the Grammy Awards.
But remarkably, even though Japan is the world’s second-biggest music market, the inaugural Music Awards Japan (MAJ) marked the country’s first major national music awards show.
“We’re honored to have received an award, but I also believe this could become a goal for young people in Japan who are just starting out in music,” said Ayase, producer and member of Japanese duo YOASOBI, after winning the top global hit from Japan award. “I hope that through events like this, people both in Japan and abroad will come to appreciate the greatness of Japanese music even more.”
The glitzy new gala is core to Japan’s mission to turbocharge its export of music to the world. For years, its music industry was able to increase revenue by marketing to fans within its borders thanks to the country’s enormous appetite for physical products like CDs and vinyl, which still account for 62.5% of its overall recorded-music revenue, according to IFPI. But those days have come to an end: Japan’s population has been shrinking for the past 14 years — and has been slow to adopt streaming. The country’s recorded-music revenue fell 2.6% in 2024, even as global recorded-music revenue has grown for the last 10 years, according to IFPI. So, to woo a global audience, Japan’s major music trade groups representing labels, concert promoters, publishers, producers and other enterprises united to form the Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA) and organized the show, inviting guests from 15 countries to attend.
Nominees for most of the awards were selected based on chart data provided by Billboard Japan, and winners were determined by a two-stage voting process involving over 5,000 industry professionals.
Hip-hop sensation Creepy Nuts took home nine awards including song of the year for its viral hit “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born.” Singer-songwriter-pianist Fujii Kaze earned album of the year with his Love All Serve All project. Pop-rock band Mrs. GREEN APPLE racked up a multitude of honors including artist of the year. Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande won awards for the impact of their hits in Japan, though they weren’t present to accept in person. MAJ executive committee chairman Tatsuya Nomura says that CEIPA plans to host the next show in June 2026 at a bigger venue in Tokyo so fans and more international artists can attend.
One sign of this year’s success: Streams of songs that won top honors have jumped an average of 31% in Japan, with 21 out of the 27 songs that received top honors gaining streams compared with the previous week, according to Luminate.
This story appears in the June 7, 2025, issue of Billboard.
BE:FIRST’s “GRIT” blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, on the chart released June 4.
The CD version of the track went on sale on May 28, two days after being dropped digitally. The song launched with 105,783 copies to hit No. 2 for sales, while dominating downloads, radio airplay, video views and coming in at No. 4 for streaming.
“Muchu” by the boy band also jumped 15-8 to break into the top 10. It’s a track off the group’s ”GRIT” single and was digitally released ahead of the title track on Apr. 25. It topped downloads on the chart released Apr. 30 and debuted on the Japan Hot 100 at No. 13. This week, the release of the CD version fueled the track and downloads gained 180% compared to the week before, while streaming is up 102%, and video up 135%.
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Hey! Say! JUMP’s “encore” bows at No. 2. The eight-member boy band’s 35th single is being featured as the theme song for the drama series starring member Keii Inoo. The track rules sales with 213,556 copies sold in its first week, while hitting No. 16 for downloads, No. 63 for streaming, No. 23 for radio and No. 21 for video.
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Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “KUSUSHIKI” rises a notch to No. 3. Streams, downloads, and karaoke for the track gained this week, possibly powered by the new YouTube Premium commercial featuring the song, released May 28.
At No.4 is the title track of OCTPATH’s seventh single, “Mata Natsu ni Kaerou” (Let’s go back to summer again). The track written by RYOJI from Ketsumeishi sold 75,111 copies in its first week to hit No. 3 for sales.
HANA’s “ROSE” is up a position to No. 5. Karaoke and radio for the new girl group’s debut single gained 106% and 110%, respectively. HANA made headlines recently when awarded the Best New Artist (Singer) award at the ASIA STAR ENTERTAINER AWARDS 2025 Presented by ZOZOTOWN.
In other chart moves, CANDY TUNE’s “BAIBAI FIGHT!” soars 62-19. The song was released in April 2024, but the seven-member ASOBISYSTEM girl group performed it on YouTube’s THE FIRST TAKE (May 23) and also at the KAWAII LAB. SESSION Vol.14 in Makuhari event on May 25. Streams are up 148% compared to last week and video soared 317%, placing the song in the top 20 for the first time.
The second half of the year begins this week for Billboard Japan’s charts, and recurrent rules have been implemented on the Japan Hot 100 and Hot Albums tallies. The Streaming Songs chart is exempt from the recurrent criteria, and will be calculated in the same way as it has been up to the 2025 mid-year list.
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 May 26 to June 1, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.
The iMarine Project, a media mix content project by SANYO, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. It has recently kicked off a new chapter with “iMarine Project++” (read: “iMarine Project Plus”). Billboard JAPAN spoke with Aya Uchida, voice actress for iMarine, about what progress she feels the project has made over the past decade and her hopes for its future.
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The iMarine Project was launched in 2015, and then in 2020, Sanyo began iMarine Project (New Chapter). Now, in 2025, it is about to enter a new stage of its evolution, iMarine Project++. Looking back, what has your impression been of the past ten years?
The iMarine Project itself is celebrating its 10th anniversary, but I became a part of it with its third release, “Dive to Blue,” which was a full-length animated music video. It emphasized the concept that “iMarine is in your town, too,” which may be why I was chosen as the voice actress.
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From that point on, each year I’ve worked with a different creator, and the videos and aesthetic have kept on changing. The fourth release was an animated music video with characters from Umi Monogatari, who had their own lines, so it felt like the style had changed to one that was showing the world of Umi Monogatari through animation and lyrics.
“Deep Blue Town e Oide yo,” right? That was arranged like a story, starting out with an anime segment, then segueing into the song, and then ending with another anime segment.
Right. In the fifth release, we went with a more stylish, adult diva style. I feel like at that point the anime elements were completely gone, and the project had become more of a song-centered project.
Then 2020 saw the start of iMarine Project (New Chapter), whose concept was a “2.8-dimensional” idol.
This is where the story suddenly started getting much deeper. We were taking on a new challenge—expressing a story, a world, a scene, all through music.
There’s an online novel, and the Crystal Palace setting was reproduced in VRChat. It’s gone beyond just being a “media mix” to become a work that fuses all kinds of elements of all kinds of dimensions. The iMarine Project++ is the culmination of all that’s been done by the cast and directors to expand this one work.
Over the last five years, the project has fleshed out and defined the world and its aesthetics based on the story. This five year period has been a series of experiments, right?
The project is a media mix that combines not only physical spaces but also digital spaces, so every challenge has been a new one. This was also all being done while VTuber culture was growing, and it was so much fun being on the cutting-edge of the changing times.
As a performer, has the fusion of the digital and physical worlds made the project a difficult one?
Yes, a bit. As a voice actress, I’ve done a lot of work in the physical world, and I’m confident in that area, but when it comes to the digital world, I’m still feeling things out as I go along. For example, popular VTubers have their own defined characters, but they also speak really freely. [Laughs]
In the case of iMarine, the character is defined in a novel, so if I say the wrong thing, it could break that in-world feel. Like, if I wanted to say “I had some ramen today,” before I could even open my mouth, I’d start thinking “Wait, ramen might not exist in that world.” There’s a part of me that’s always operating with that actor’s mindset. [Laughs]
So because of the detailed setting, you’re in a different position than VTubers, who can act without thinking that deeply.
Yes, but lately, the way I’ve been thinking about it has started to change a little. There are things that Saeki has said as Ichika at VR events that just naturally became part of her character. For example, she said “I’m a big eater.” [Laughs] This thing she’d said became part of her virtual character, and when I realized that, I came to feel like I could speak more freely. The world and the aesthetic of the iMarine Project story is well-defined, but, surprisingly, the details about the characters themselves are a little vague. I think going forward, we’re going to be fleshing out the world of iMarine Project++ along with the members of the recently announced fan club, Musical Armored Division of Freedom.
In the new song, “M.A.D.,” which was recently debuted on-stage, you’ve taken on a new genre: hip-hop.
Idols have been performing some really cool hip-hop recently. I’m a big listener in my own personal life, so I was really happy that iMarine would finally take on the genre.
I think the presence of iMarine Project’s works goes beyond the bounds of anime and videos, so I’ve had this intense desire to perform using a really cool voice on a song that I felt really confident in.
So you feel like the quality of the music needs to be elevated beyond so-called “character songs” to better music-as-music. And also that the meanings of the songs are growing deeper as the story progresses.
This time, the music is going in a whole different direction. It’s darker, with more of a street vibe. It has this sense of a strong spirit that’s unbowed by everyday hard existence. Like a light in the middle of despair. I like that really down-to-earth feel in music.
In a strange way, even though the project is set in this digital world, the feeling of humanity really comes across. There’s this rebellious spirit in the face of daily struggles. It’s more human than human.
Exactly. The setting of the story is that iMarine and Ichika are both AIs, and the other members were originally humans, but they became AIs.
So I’m not human, but for precisely that reason, when I sing, it feels like in some way I’m almost being my natural self, the way I am now. I can express the passion in my heart. I love it, and in fact that may be the part that feels the most rewarding.
Everyone on the cast was overflowing with praise for a dance performance by one of the characters in the music video. I’m guessing that part made a big impression on you, too?
You’re talking about Isana’s breakdancing, aren’t you. [Laughs] I’ve done motion capture for characters on two songs before, and it really opened my eyes to how impressive and how hard motion capture is. That breakdancing was performed by using motion capture on an actual dancer. The level of technical skill needed to capture that kind of frenetic movement was just amazing! [Laughs]
There’s also the crowd of people wearing hoods. I liked how the concept of “we’re not alone” was highlighted through the whole video. Until now, we’ve been having people look at the world we created, but going forward, we’re going to make it so that people can get immersed from the perspective of the Musical Armored Division of Freedom.
This project is right on the bleeding edge, but it’s amazing how the end results always come out great. I’ve got to keep working hard to keep up so I don’t fall behind.
—This interview by Mio Komachi first appeared on Billboard Japan
