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The Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA) and TOYOTA GROUP are joining forces to launch the Music Way Project, a collaborative endeavor that supports and promotes the globalization and sustainable growth of the Japanese music industry.
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With “Japanese music drives the world” as its concept, this project will focus on “human development” and “place development” for those taking on challenges on the global stage in music. For the former, to be a guiding light for young people with aspirations in music, the project will help refine the talents of those active globally through corporately supported seminars for student talents, training young people in the industry, and workshops with creators. For the latter, the Toyota Arena Tokyo — slated to open this autumn in Japan — will be utilized, and showcases will be held in the United States (Los Angeles), Europe (London) and Asia (Thailand). Toyota Group will offer its overseas bases to “providing spaces for young talent to shine.”
CEIPA Chair of the Board Shunsuke Muramatsu, TOYOTA GROUP Representative Akio Toyoda, and composer/Agency for Cultural Affairs Commissioner Shunichi Tokura took the stage at the joint press conference held in Tokyo Tuesday (Feb. 25). “With the expansion of the streaming business, the market for entertainment content is growing rapidly. Music is always closely linked to contents that Japan excels in, such as games, anime, live-action films, and events. Music has the power to spread without limit,” Muramatsu said, noting that the project is focusing on music first among the many forms of entertainment.
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As a move towards producing artists who reach global audiences, a major showcase event called matsuri ’25: Japanese Music Experience LOS ANGELES, will take place in March at the Peacock Theater, set to feature J-pop stars Ado, ATARASHII GAKKO!, and YOASOBI. Also, the inaugural MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN, the largest music awards in Japan, is slated for May at the ROHM Theater Kyoto.
When comparing export values by industry, automobiles are worth 22 trillion yen, semiconductors 5.5 trillion yen, and steel 4.5 trillion yen, while the content industry, including entertainment, is worth 5.8 trillion yen. Elaborating on TOYOTA GROUP’s intention to participate in this project, Toyoda said, “When I was president of Toyota Motor Corporation, I think my driving force was my love for Japan. That is why I want Japan to continue to be needed by the world.”
He went on to express his hopes for the development of the project, concluding, “There’s a lot of good music in Japan, as well as many talented people. We want them to rock the world with their music, and want to support them so that people everywhere can get to know their talent. If you see someone working hard, please support them. Your support will widen paths and build more of them. When more paths are built, you can climb even the steepest mountains. Please give them that chance.”
MUSIC WAY PROJECT Outline
Promoters: CEIPA x TOYOTA GROUP
Aim: Supporting and promoting the fundamental globalization and sustainable growth of the Japanese music industry.
Human development that refines the talents of those taking on the global stage:
Student Seminars: Courses for students in collaboration with domestic universities, etc.
Professional Seminars: Online courses for young industry professionals, etc.
Co-Write Global CAMP: Hosting cowriting camps where creators from around the world assemble.
Place development to provide spaces for young talent to shine:
Enhancing overseas bases: Utilizing three bases in the U.S. (Los Angeles), Europe (London), and Asia (Thailand), and supporting activities of artists domestically.
GLOBAL SHOWCASE LIVE: Strengthening artists’ footholds and networks by developing showcases in Asia and Europe. Utilizing TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO, slated to open this fall.
Billboard Japan’s Women in Music initiative launched in 2022 to celebrate artists, producers and executives who have made significant contributions to music and inspired other women through their work, in the same spirit as Billboard’s annual Women in Music honors since 2007. This interview series featuring female players in the Japanese entertainment industry is one of the highlights of Japan’s WIM project.
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Keropons, the duo consisting of Yuko Masuda (Kero) and Akiko Hirata (Pon), are the next featured guests. Probably known best for their kids’ tune “Ebikanics,” Keropons is hugely popular with children and parents in Japan. The duo’s catchy melodies and lyrics, impossible to forget once you’ve heard them, have provided fun times for many families over the years.
The unit was also tapped as the first act for the KIDS MUSIC PARK music project launched by Universal Music Japan in collaboration with major Japanese publisher Kodansha. The two women spoke with writer Rio Hirai on behalf of Billboard Japan for the latest installment of the WIM interview series and shared their views on creating an environment that makes it easier for women to work, based on their experience interacting with parents and children all over Japan throughout their careers.
You two were chosen as the first act for the music project KIDS MUSIC PARK, a collaboration between Universal Music and Kodansha’s online media “with class mama.” You wrote a new song called “Chu-zaburo” based on the honest voices of moms and dads all over the country for this project. How did you feel when you were asked to take part in it?
Akiko Hirata (Pon): We were so happy. It was exciting because there were parts that were similar to the family concerts we’d been doing up until now, and the person at Universal Music who started the project is also a mom raising kids, which I thought was great. The project was a new endeavor in that we spoke directly with mom influencers and wrote the song with them after hearing what they had to say.
There must be many moms out there who have been helped by your music. Have you ever discovered something new or had fresh insights from the feedback and comments from your listeners?
Yuko Masuda (Kero): Yes, a lot. This time, Pon wrote the lyrics first, and then we worked on the music. We asked the moms to listen to the lyrics and when we asked how their kids react to music, one of them said, “My child laughs when I shake my hips!” Other moms followed suit, like, “Mine does, too!” so we went, “Well then, let’s shake our hips in this song.” That’s what the production process was like. A mother who was facing difficulties raising her child mentioned that she felt too self-conscious to give hugs or kisses, so we incorporated hugs and blowing kisses into the choreography. Everyone can do these naturally when they’re part of a song. It’s interesting how people gradually get used to it as they do it while laughing.
You’ve also performed it live after it was released digitally in December. How was the reaction to it?
Pon: It’s been really fun. I was wondering if people would hug, but everyone seems to enjoy it more than I expected. The kids hug each other, of course, and parents hug their kids, and also adults at training sessions for nursery school teachers did it, too. Everyone gets all excited when the hugging part comes.
You’re also a mother of two kids, Pon. How have you managed to balance work and parenting?
Pon: I had twins and went back to work four months after they were born. At first, I was really keen to do everything myself without relying on anyone else, but in reality, all sorts of unexpected things kept happening.
What happened?
Pon: First of all, I got sick soon after becoming pregnant and was bedridden for almost a year. I’d actually planned on working right before my due date, but suddenly wasn’t able to work at all. Our work schedule is decided a year in advance. We had a packed schedule of concerts lined up but I couldn’t move, so I ended up having to rely on a lot of people for help.
I told everyone around me that I wouldn’t trouble anyone but ended up inconveniencing my company, and wasn’t sure if I’d be able to raise my kids properly. Becoming a mom was supposed to be a happy occasion, but my worries became bigger than the joy and I just kept crying in bed.
How did you manage to lift your spirits from there?
Pon: I thought, “I can’t take any more time off,” and resumed work four months after my kids were born. We moved to Nagano later on, but raising twins was hard. Even though I sought help from my mother, my ex-husband, my neighbors, and anyone else I could think of, it still wasn’t enough. In the end, I used the Family Support Center run by the local government. It’s a system where registered people in the community look after people’s kids.
But my job often required me to stay overnight and I had to go work almost every weekend, and this system didn’t cover overnight care. I was at a complete loss when one of the support staff said to me, “It’s not allowed under the current system, but I know you need assistance,” called a few people to help, and they started providing overnight care.
You started your activities in 2004, and I imagine you still have many opportunities to speak with moms and dads. Do you sense any changes in society or the times?
Pon: Yes, I do. There are more young female artists, singers like us, who are also working while raising children. I think it’s easier now for people like them to say, “I’m going to take a break to have a baby, but I’ll be back,” and everyone accepts that. That atmosphere is different from what it used to be like.
It might still be like the old days in some ways, but it has changed a lot.
Pon: That’s so true. Now, taking maternity leave has become the norm, and the pandemic led to a trend of people being encouraged to take it easy and rest, which is also a big change. In the past, as a duo, we worried that if one of us took time off, the work wouldn’t get done. But now we have more young people working in our field and the way of thinking in society as a whole is becoming more flexible, which is great.
Have you ever felt that being a woman has impacted your career, not just in terms of motherhood?
Kero: I’ve come this far without really having to be aware of being a woman, and never faced any major obstacles in that sense. There are lots of women in music colleges, and also a lot of women in the field of childcare.
Pon: Shortly after having kids, a man in the same industry said to me, “It must be hard for you to work in this kind of job when you have a baby.” I was surprised by his tone, which was like, “It’s not my problem because I’m a man.” It makes me feel uncomfortable when people talk about childcare like it’s something only women do. I was too taken aback to respond at the time, but I told Kero about it right away.
The way people think about gender roles is gradually changing, though, isn’t it?
Kero: I think so. At our concerts in the past, there’d be guys who were like, “Daddy just brought the kids” and dozing off, but now the fathers are enjoying the shows together with their children. We see more men come with babies in their arms, bringing their kids along. Times have really changed.
In the entertainment industry, working hours are irregular and often involve working on Saturdays and Sundays. What kind of changes do you think are needed to make it easier for women to work?
Pon: What I noticed through experiencing motherhood is that the systems in place in Japan aren’t keeping up with reality. Government workers think that women who raise children work from 9 to 5, but there are also irregular jobs like in the entertainment industry, and jobs that require working at night or staying overnight. I felt that there still aren’t many systems in place that are in line with that reality.
When you’re young, you tend to think that you have to work hard to not cause trouble for other people. But as you get older and gain more experience, you start to think that it’s OK to ask for help. Can you give some advice to people who might be trying too hard, on how they can make things a little easier?
Pon: If you have someone you can talk to about how you feel, that alone can make a difference. It can be your friend, your partner, or someone you’re connected to through social media. The important thing is not to keep everything bottled up inside.
When I was living in Nagano, I was at a loss about how to balance work and childcare after my divorce, and really struggled with the question of whether I should move back to Tokyo or stay in Nagano. I didn’t know if I could continue my career and felt like I was up against a wall. I was at my wit’s end, so I called a professor from when I was studying childcare who’d been very helpful to me in the past. I was crying, saying, “I don’t know what to do anymore.” Then that professor said to me, “Have you discussed that with your kids?”
What? Your kids?
Pon: Yes, my kids were in third grade at the time. So I said, “They’re still so young, I can’t ask them for advice,” but she was like, “What are you talking about? You’re family, right? They might say something insightful, even if they’re kids.” So I went home and spoke to them during dinner. “Mommy’s really worried. Should we go back to Tokyo, or stay here in Nagano? Should I quit my job and do something else? What do you think?” Then, after thinking about it for a while, my kids said, “We’ve gotten used to living here, so we think you should stay and keep doing what you do.” They both agreed.
So your kids’ words led to a big decision in your life.
Pon: Right. That’s why it’s really important to talk things over. If you just ask without assuming that no one will understand or some specific person won’t understand, you might get an unexpected answer that opens up a new path.
—This interview by Rio Hirai (SOW SWEET PBLISHING) first appeared on Billboard Japan
Sakurazaka46‘s “UDAGAWA GENERATION” soars to No. 1 from No. 33 on this week’s Billboard Japan Hot 100, on the chart released Feb. 26.
The popular girl group’s 11th single, featuring Hikaru Morita in center position, debuted on the chart dated Feb. 5 at No. 28 and stayed in the top 40 for three weeks powered by the digital metrics of the chart’s measurement. This week, the CD version that went on sale Feb. 19 launched with 533,149 copies to hit No. 1 for the metric, while re-entering at No. 9 for downloads with 3,039 units, and hitting No. 18 for streaming with 4,481,440 streams.
Sakanaction’s “Kaiju” debuts at No. 2. This single, released digitally Feb. 20, is the first by the five-member band to be featured as an anime theme song, and accompanies the anime Orb: On the Movements of the Earth that began airing on NHK in October last year. It’s off to a good start, coming in at No. 1 for downloads, No. 3 for streaming, No. 4 for radio, and No. 9 for video views.
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After logging its sixth week at No. 1 last week, Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac” falls to No. 3, but the Oblivion Battery opener still dominates streaming, video and karaoke, while also coming in at No. 6 for downloads. The three-man band’s “Darling” follows at No. 4 on the Japan Hot 100, coming in at No. 2 for streaming and videos, No. 11 for downloads, No. 19 for karaoke and No. 20 for radio. Mrs. GREEN APPLE continue to take up half the top 10 this week, with “Que Sera Sera” at No. 7, “Bitter Vacances” at No. 8, and “Soranji” at No. 9.
Outside the top 10, HANA reaches a career high with its pre-debut song “Drop,” which dropped Jan. 31 and climbed 36-32-16, then to No. 13 this week. Also, MAZZEL’s new single “J.O.K.E.R.” debuts at No. 18. The official theme song for the Tokyu Land Corporation Breaking World Match 2025 tournament was digitally released Feb. 17 and hits No. 1 for radio, No. 3 for downloads, and No. 14 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 Feb. 17 to 23, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
Balloon, one of the 2010s most iconic Vocaloid producers, has created hit song after hit song, like “Charles.” In 2017, he also began creating music under the name Keina Suda. On April 16, 2025, he will be releasing a new concept album, Fall Apart.
Billboard Japan took the occasion of the new release and the “VOCALOID Collection (VocaColle) – 2025 Winter” (a submission-based Vocaloid event held on Niconico) to talk with Reol, and Sheeno Mirin, who joined Balloon on “Redire,” one of the songs on the new album. The three artists talked about the process of reinterpreting “Redire” and reflected on their shared roots: Niconico and Vocaloid culture.
Reol, Sheeno. How long have you two known Balloon?
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Reol: I first discovered Balloon when I heard “I touched a vase.” Afterwards, I saw the live-action music video for “MOIL,” which he created as Keina Suda. I started paying close attention to him in part because of his artistic style, going from the Vocaloid scene to singing using his own voice, and in part because the timing of his major label debut was very close to my own. Going back through his past music, I discovered that this was the person behind Balloon.
Balloon: Before I knew it, Reol and I were friends. I don’t remember how I found out about Reol, but one thing that made a big impression on me was the music video for “Give me a break Stop now.” At the time, people who had come up through Niconico were very cautious when it came to revealing themselves. Reol, on the other hand, just burst out of the gates. I hadn’t met her yet, but she made a really big impression on me as someone with an incredibly strong spirit, which also came across in the way she presented herself.
Sheeno: I think I found out about Balloon through “Charles” when I was in elementary school. When I was in elementary school, all I listened to was Vocaloid, and I especially loved Vocaloid rock.
Reol: When I first found Niconico, Vocaloid made a huge impression on me, too. Vocaloid’s not the name of a musical genre but the name of the software, so Vocaloid culture includes all kinds of different music. Every day, people were uploading new songs, so it was really exciting and I was just glued to it.
Balloon, what led you to reach out to these two to work on “Redire” for your new album Fall Apart, which comes out on April 16?
Balloon: I’d like to answer that by first talking about when I wrote “Redire.” At the time, I’d been thinking about starting to release music under the name Keina Suda. Back then, when people emerged from the Vocaloid culture, there was always this risk that they’d never be able to return to the Vocaloid scene. So when I was writing “Redire,” I was thinking “this just might be my last Vocaloid song.” On top of that, I was juggling way too much at the time. For some of the songs I wrote, I was in such a conflicted state of mind that after I finished the songs, I couldn’t bring myself to listen to them myself for a while.
Unlike me, Reol is really strong—in her lyrics, in her singing voice, and as a person—and that strength is apparent to anyone who sees her. I wanted to hear Reol take these songs that I’d written with such mixed emotions in the past and sing them in a bright, radiant style.
Reol: Keina always felt like a colleague or a classmate. There’s what I’d almost call a kind of pressure felt by people who started out on Niconico and went on to debut on a major label. A feeling that they have to create output that can make them proud to have roots in the Niconico scene. So hearing Keina say that when he wrote “Redire,” he was ready to bid a temporary farewell to the culture, I thought, “Ah, so that’s why you let me work on it.”
Balloon: I think I found out about Sheeno through “Heterodoxy.” Of course, I love it as a tune in its own right, but I also thought “his musical sensibilities are the exact opposite of my own.” I felt envious—he was doing something I couldn’t do even if I tried. That got me thinking about how a person like that would reinterpret one of my own songs. I couldn’t even imagine what it would sound like if Sheeno’s music and Reol’s music intersected.
The album is titled Fall Apart, which carries this nuance of “destruction.” Balloon, did you make any requests of these two when you asked them to work on the album?
Balloon: For me, personally, the album’s title has a hidden theme, a hope that that’s what would happen, but I didn’t make any specific requests. I just trusted in everyone’s own interpretations.
Sheeno: I really agonized over it (laughs). The original song is just too perfect. But when I heard Reol would be doing the vocals, I started thinking that an electro sound would be a good fit. It’s a sound I use in my own music, and it matches Reol’s musical sensibilities, too. I designed the sound of the song to emphasize the restlessness of the original by speeding up the BPM and adding some sharp-edged synth.
Reol: I think it came out feeling even more heartfelt. I discovered Mirin through “Then Your Thought Should Just Die,” and my impression was that he had a really powerful personal philosophy which came out in the songs he wrote. When the new arrangement of “Redire” arrived, the lyrics were Balloon’s, but in the sound you got a strong feeling of Sheeno Mirin’s philosophy.
Balloon: I know. I listened to Sheeno’s new arrangement, before Reol recorded her vocals, and it was a huge surprise. It was like something completely new and unknown. I knew I’d made the right choice in reaching out to him.
For all three of you, your roots lie in Niconico. What kind of place was it for you?
Balloon: In one word, “home.” It’s a place that will always welcome you back, and if you go out into the world, you can feel proud that your roots are in Niconico.
Reol: Initially, for me, it was an escape. There was a time when I just didn’t feel like I had a place in the world. When I discovered Niconico, it was like it accepted all of my gloom.
Sheeno: Earlier, Reol talked about how all kinds of things came together in Vocaloid. That’s how I felt about Niconico. That foundation is the reason that there are so many genres of Vocaloid songs, and why you can find truly niche songs.
You’re all taking part in the VocaColle 2025 Winter playlist project. What criteria did you use when choosing songs?
Balloon: I picked songs that shaped who I was a decade ago. There’s a lot of music on Niconico that made a huge impression on me, but I picked the true giants, artists that are like “you can’t talk about Niconico without talking about them.”
Reol: My theme was “another style of schoolhouse.” I put the songs in chronological order, and I included songs from recent years. It goes without saying that the songs I cover are all songs I would recommend, so for my playlist I limited myself to songs I haven’t covered.
Sheeno: I have my own playlist of about 2,000 songs that have less than 10,000 plays, so I selected at random from that list. A long time ago, I tried to listen to every single Vocaloid song on Niconico, and there are lots of great songs with few plays. I want people to know that.
—This interview by Yuuka Higaki first appeared on Billboard Japan
LiSA dropped the music video for her collaborative single with Felix of Stray Kids called “ReawakeR.” The single is being featured as the opening theme for the TV anime Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-. The collab follows LiSA’s feature on the K-pop group’s track “Social Path (feat. LiSA)” released in 2023. “ReawakeR” […]
Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac” returns to No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Feb. 19, adding another week to its record atop the chart.
The single was digitally released on April 12, 2024 and hit No. 1 for the first time on the chart dated July 17. This week, it rises a notch to rule the tally for the sixth time after hovering for three weeks in the top 3.
Streaming and downloads for the Oblivion Battery opener remain largely unchanged compared to the week before, while karaoke increased by 15%. The track hits No. 1 for streaming, video views, and karaoke, while coming in at No. 4 for downloads.
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The three-man band dominates the top two slots on the Japan Hot 100 this week, with “Darling” rising 3-2. Video for the track gained 10% and downloads 28% from last week.
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Rosé & Bruno Mars’ “APT.” climbs 5-3. The global hit is slowing down in most metrics except karaoke, which increased by 14%. The track comes in at No. 9 for downloads, No. 3 for streaming, No. 26 for radio airplay, No. 9 for video, and No. 24 for karaoke. The catchy pop-punk single has been charting for 16 consecutive weeks on the Billboard Global 200 and is at No. 3 on the chart dated Feb. 22.
BE:FIRST’s “Spacecraft” is at No. 4 after debuting atop the chart last week. The single sold 5,664 copies on the second week after its release and hit No. 9 for sales, No. 2 for video (down by 27%), and No. 18 for streaming (down by 24%).
Kenshi Yonezu’s “Plazma” slips to No. 5. The Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- theme song topped downloads for the first time in three weeks with figures down by 22% compared to the previous week, a smaller decrease than the 37% drop the week before.
Takanori Iwata’s “Phone Number,” the EXILE member’s first release after transferring to Universal Music, bowed at No. 11 on the Japan Hot 100 after launching with 51,209 CDs to top sales, while coming in at No. 46 for downloads.
In other news, Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” makes its debut on the Japan Hot 100, coming in at No. 86. This is due to a surge in radio airplay after the single won five Grammys — including Song of the Year and Record of the Year — and was featured in the Compton rapper’s electrifying Super Bowl halftime show performance. The track is also back atop the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in 29 weeks, logging its third week at No. 1.
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 Feb. 10 to 16, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.
BE:FIRST’s “Spacecraft” debuts at No. 1 on this week’s Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Feb. 12.
The sixth single by the seven-member boy band dropped Feb. 5 and launched with 104,639 CDs to hit No. 1 for the metric. The track also dominates downloads (26,475 units), radio airplay, and video views to top the Japan Hot 100 with a big lead on the runner-up. This is the ninth No. 1 single by the group, including “Hush-Hush,” its collaborative track with ATEEZ.
Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac” rises a notch to No. 2 this week. Although overall points are down, the track continues to show strength in several metrics including streaming (No. 1 for 23 weeks total) and karaoke (No. 1 for 5 weeks in a row). Dropping 2-3 is “Darling” by the three-man band, which currently boasts 18 singles charting on the Japan Hot 100 with five in the top 10 this week.
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Kenshi Yonezu’s “Plazma” rises 5-4. Streams for the Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- theme song is at 88% and video views at 86% compared to the week before, and the single comes in at No. 2 for downloads, No. 4 for streaming, No. 32 for radio, and No. 8 for video.
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Rosé & Bruno Mars’ “APT.” rises 3 slots to No. 5. After more than 3 months since its release, the global hit is currently at No. 9 for downloads (3,233 weekly units), No. 3 for streaming, No. 23 for radio, No. 9 for video, and No. 23 for karaoke.
In other chart moves, Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” returns to the Japan Hot 100 for the first time in about five months at No. 83, after winning the Grammy for best pop duo/group performance at the ceremony on Feb. 2.
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 Feb. 3 to 9, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.
When BLACKPINK was gearing up for its highly anticipated debut in 2016, rising creative director SINXITY was adamant the group needed an unexpected sound to distinguish itself. Alongside the group’s explosive EDM-trap banger “BOOMBAYAH,” the young exec at YG Entertainment pushed for a secondary, simultaneous single in the minimalist-yet-emotionally tinged “Whistle” to show their wider, “magical” range to distinguish them from YG’s other female outfit, 2NE1. Nearly a decade later, BLACKPINK remains one of the most successful acts from South Korea, and SINXITY is overseeing a new female quartet made for the global stage while emphasizing that “identity and diversity are important.”
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Seven years after exiting YG Entertainment and launching AXIS as a multi-operational label, production house and creative incubator for internationally minded projects, SINXITY (neé SJ Shin) is the executive producer for the freshly debuted cosmosy. The act consists of four Japanese singers who trained in Korea under the K-pop system and sing in a mix of English, Japanese and Korean to appeal to the global pop market. Two members, De_Hana and Kamión, rose to recognition after competing on Produce 101 Japan The Girls (a local spin-off of the Korean singing competition series that created Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart-toppers JO1, INI and ME:I), are joined by relative newcomers Himesha and A’mei, respectively the eldest and youngest member, who trained in dance since childhood (while idolizing the likes of British superstar Dua Lipa and BLACKPINK’s Thai icon Lisa).
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Executing the internationally minded group brings NTT Docomo Studio & Live (the entertainment wing of Japan’s major mobile carrier) together with Sony Music Korea (the Seoul-based label that recently signed multilingual Monsta X member I.M in 2022 for his solo work). The move isn’t entirely without precedence with XG (the Japanese girl group based in South Korea that sings in English with a mix of U.S., Japanese and Korean management), or the likes of HYBE’s KATSEYE and JYP Entertainment’s VCHA girl groups (both Los Angeles-based acts sing in English but have performed across Asia and the Americas). Leading all of cosmosy’s creative and professional decisions, SINXITY proudly says this is a group where the members’ “natural talent should be what’s emphasized.”
“I really want to open up a new path for the girls for them to be able to do a lot of different genres and try different concepts,” he shares during an afternoon video call when he’s taking a break from putting the final touches on cosmosy’s first music video before it goes live at midnight. “Inevitably, people are gonna compare the girls to groups like XG, NiziU, and the other Japanese girl groups, but I want to do something for them that is new and different. Whether it’s K-pop, J-pop, pop, hip-hop, R&B, I want to incorporate various music genres and create a new path for them.”
SINXITY and cosmosy both describe the group as having a “girlish crush” concept, inspired by the girl crush image that K-pop acts like BLACKPINK, ITZY, and (G)I-DLE embody with cosmosy peppering in additional sprinkles of mystique, innocence and even a little devilishness blended into “a group that has never existed before,” according to De_Hana.
“Unlike the typical girl crush everyone knows, our concept includes both cool and cute elements,” explains Kamión, an Osaka native who spent time studying abroad. “There is also a touch of mystery, which evokes the atmosphere of Japanese horror or anime.” Meanwhile, Himesha and A’mei use “mysterious” to describe the group.
After unveiling cosmosy’s debut single “zigy=zigy” alongside its music video on New Year’s Eve, the track was released globally on Feb. 7 to kick off the first of multiple digital singles the act will drop throughout the year with an EP potentially eyed for spring. With Korean television appearances and fashion-magazine features on the horizon, SINXITY emphasizes that as important as new cosmosy content is, the next, urgent priority is to meet fans in person.
“They’re super talented, really pretty, such nice and charming girls; I really want people and fans to meet them directly,” the producer adds. “The key factor is how to meet core fans.”
Showing up to work as one’s true self and connecting to others authentically is personally important for SINXITY, who says he’s finally at ease in a professional environment where he’s comfortable to fully focus his energy on the work at hand.
“The Korean entertainment industry has become safer than in the past,” he shares. “Because I am gay, identity and diversity are very important to me and something I’m trying to build on…it’s still not widely accepted to be in the LGBT community since there are restrictions and laws for gay people, but it’s more accepted and it’s a safer, better space compared to others. But it’s still not a thing to come out and be openly gay.”
Noting the three women assisting him during this video call in Seoul, SINXITY estimates that 90 percent of the crew that works with cosmosy are women. That’s a rarity in Korean entertainment, and an even bigger percentage than AXIS’ division focused on producing Boy Love (also known as BL) television, the popular genre of same-sex drama series that boasts majority female audiences. With works including the 2022 breakout hit Semantic Error and FC Soldout currently airing, SINXITY and AXIS are inevitably shifting the norms of what and how Korean-pop entertainment operates simply in the name of creativity — and openly support other industry shakers.
“I’ve worked overseas, I’ve done a lot of projects with YG in Japan and Korea,” says SINXITY, who also worked with YG Entertainment’s actors roster during his time. “I have a unique identity, so I can’t help but talk about it and share myself here anyway. I just want to be free to create, reach more people and show them even more in these creative areas.”
SINXITY smiles before asking to include an additional note before the call wraps and he goes back to color-correcting the “zigy=zigy” video.
“One more thing: wait for NewJeans and stand up for Min Hee-jin,” SINXITY says, with a visibly surprised translator noting that he may be the first Korean executive to support the embattled former CEO of ADOR publicly. “I really admire Min Hee-jin and respect her. She’s the one and only best producer in this K-pop industry, so I really [want to] stand with her and really pray for NewJeans to have more free activities. We’re in some of the same networks, but I’m really just a fan. She’s really the one-and-only qualified producer.”
Billboard JAPAN‘s “MONTHLY FEATURE” series presents various artists and works that have caught its eye. This month’s featured artist is Omoinotake, a three-person band that recently released their second major label album, Pieces.
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In January 2024, they released “Ikuokukonen,” which they wrote as the theme song for the TV series Eye Love You, which aired on TBS on Tuesdays. “Ikuokukonen” reached 2nd place in Billboard JAPAN‘s “JAPAN Hot 100” song chart. It became one of the big songs of 2024, staying in the charts and taking 3rd place for the whole year in the annual chart released in December. The band steadily expanded the scale of its activities, leading to its first appearance on NHK’s Kohaku Uta Gassen at the end of the year. Omoinotake had long vowed to create a hit song and perform in the Kohaku Uta Gassen, so 2024 was a tremendous year for the band—the year in which it achieved both of these dreams.
Their latest album, Pieces, contains 10 songs, including some previously released singles like “Ikuokukonen” and “Tsubomi,” the ending theme to the seventh season of the TV anime My Hero Academia. We talked to the three members of the band about this richly varied album full of songs that will make listeners want to dance and will bring tears to their eyes.
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Your goal in the past was to perform in the Kohaku Uta Gassen. What was it like actually standing on the Kohaku stage?
Leo Fujii (vocals and keyboard): We’d always talked about how we wanted to become a fixture in the Kohaku Uta Gassen, so it really meant a lot to us. I don’t usually get nervous during shows or TV appearances, but I have to say, I was super nervous during Kohaku. Having appeared on the show, my resolve to keep appearing year after year has only gotten stronger.
Before going on stage, did you talk to each other about what kind of performance to put on?
Fujii: The song we performed, “Ikuokukonen,” has a straightforward message, so we didn’t talk in particular about how to convey that message. We just wanted to do the song justice.
Tomoaki Fukushima (bass): I was so glad that this stage, which we’d longed to play on for so long, turned out to be such an excellent place. Taking that first step was a hard one, but it felt like I’d finally started moving forward with my life.
You achieved huge success in 2024, including the release of a hit song with “Ikuokukonen” and your appearance in the Kohaku Uta Gassen. How would you sum up the year?
Fujii: I’d say “whirlwind.” That’s really the only word for it. There was always this mountain of things that we needed to do in front of us, but personally, I was really glad about that. For a long time, the past 12 years, we’ve always had to take the initiative to get things going. We were able to maintain a high level of motivation through all of 2024, so it was a whirlwind year for us.
When did you start working on your latest album, Pieces?
Fujii: In around October.
Fukushima: Right. We’d first started talking about making a new album back in summer, though. We began by deciding on the album. Our basic concept was that, as a band, we can’t do anything if even one of us is missing. It’s when we each bring our own strengths together that we truly become Omoinotake, this solid, unified presence. That was really palpable in 2024, which is why we started out by deciding on the title Pieces.
So it’s an expression of the nature of the band.
Fukushima: There’s a lot of variation in the songs on the album, so we also looked at each of them as pieces. No matter what, we wanted to create a “Pieces” title track, and if possible we wanted to base the other songs on the album on the title, as well.
Fujii: We’ve focused on making songs you can dance to and songs you can cry to, so once we decided on the title Pieces, we wanted to make an album of songs to dance or cry to.
Hironoshin Tomita (drums): As one of the members of the band, I found the creation process really satisfying—I feel like I did everything I could in the making of the album. Everything from sound production to performing. When Leo made the demo, he left some space to work with. He was like “go ahead and do what you want with this.” I’m very satisfied with the riffs I wrote and how I performed them.
I know it may be hard to choose, but if you had to pick a song that you felt especially satisfied with, which would you pick?
Tomita: The part of “P.S.” before the second chorus.
You picked a really pinpoint spot (laughs). Did you start out planning for this to be the first song on the album?
Fujii: Yes, but we didn’t finish the lyrics until the very end. But, yes, we wrote it to be the first song.
How is it structured?
Fujii: We wanted to try something we’d never done before. We looked around a lot and came across this jungle beat, and were like, “Let’s try this.” Usually, jungle would have bass and synths and be more like dance music, but we didn’t want to do straight jungle. Instead Emoaki (Fukushima) played the root notes with a pick, rock-style, so we made it into Omoinotake’s own style of jungle. Then we were like, we should also mix in some pop-punk, which we’ve always been big fans of, so the last chorus has a pop-punk beat. It’s a really playful song.
The use of pop-punk in the song is really interesting.
Fujii: I was listening to Thundercat, and one of his songs had a kind of pop-punk beat. It really opened my eyes seeing someone who wasn’t from the pop-punk scene using this kind of rhythm in his music.
How did you write the lyrics?
Fukushima: We’d finished writing the title track, “Pieces,” and we wanted to write lyrics that connected to it, while at the same time conveying the concept of the album to follow. We wanted the song to be an introduction to the album, but just serve as a pointer of the direction it would take. Then that theme would really resonate with the last song, “Pieces.”
Of all the songs on the album, do you think ‘Pieces’ is the most tied to that theme?
Fukushima: I think so. For “Pieces,” we decided to start by writing the lyrics. We already had a few singles lined up, and we’d already decided on the album’s title, but we knew that we needed to write a song that expressed where the band is now to close off the album. I think we succeeded in making a song that conveys the message of the album’s title.
Fujii: Actually, “Pieces” is the only song on the album that we wrote the lyrics for before writing the music. A few of the songs are tie-ups, but when we wrote the lyrics, we wrote them based on aspects that we and the tie-ups had in common. “Pieces” was different, though. Emoaki wrote the lyrics focusing purely on us, just writing about the band. We wanted to really treat the song right, and since the song is about us, we wanted to directly communicate our message. So we wanted to take great care when writing the lyrics, and then set them to music.
Tomita: When Emoaki sent me the lyrics, I thought they were wonderful. And then when Leo added the melody and completed the song, I was impressed again by how difficult it must be to divide up the roles of writing lyrics and writing music between two people. That balance felt like a testament to our band’s history.
You started out as junior high school classmates, and you’ve been together for over a decade. Do you plan to keep this same style of having different people handle the lyrics and the music?
Fujii: Yes, I think that’s the best approach for Omoinotake. For example, at the start of “Pieces,” there’s a line that goes “In this ash-colored town/I saw a black-and-white dream.” Those expressions, “ash-colored town” and “black-and-white dream,” have this shared meaning, so just by looking at the lyrics, you can be like “well, then, the melody’s got to be like this.” I think this vision for the music based on the lyrics comes from the fact that we have this shared history.
I’d like to talk a little about “Better Half (feat. JEONGHAN of SEVENTEEN) -Japanese ver.” I’ve heard that this collaboration came about because JEONGHAN’s team reached out to you. What did you think when they contacted you?
Fukushima: It was totally out of the blue. We were like, “You mean, that SEVENTEEN?” But the timing was really important for JEONGHAN, so we were overjoyed.
What back-and-forth was there between you about the song itself?
Fukushima: At first, I wrote it as more of an emotional, Omoinotake-like song. They got back to us asking for it to have a brighter feel. I was like “Wow, I’m really a downer, huh” (laughs). But we wrote a song with a really strong protagonist, which is pretty rare for an Omoinotake song, so that was very new for us.
Fujii: JEONGHAN sings with a really sweet voice, which made me feel like I could try a new approach in the way I sing, too. There’s some interplay in the bridge, and I’m very happy with the song, because I was able to create a melody that wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for this collaboration. We also thought about JEONGHAN’s voice a lot during the sound production. The finished song has a mellow feel. We also went with a dry drum sound, creating a good balance.
Tomita: Like Leo said, the overall atmosphere of the song is soft, but the drums are kind of crisp. It’s the kind of song that you can’t afford to underestimate. The simplicity of the song is the reason we were able to perform so tightly. For a drummer, it required a surprisingly stoic approach.
JEONGHAN released his own version of the song, “Better Half (feat. Omoinotake),” in Korean.
Fujii: That’s right. I sang on it in Korean, too. I don’t know the first thing about Korean, so I got pronunciation training to sing it.
I hope the song will further grow your listener base. The last time we interviewed you, you said that your goal for 2024 was to get into the top 10 in the hit charts. Right after that interview, you broke into the top 10 of the “JAPAN Hot 100” song chart. What is your take on the business side of music, like hit charts and sales?
Fujii: We’ve only released one hit song so far, so there are a lot of people who know our song but don’t know Omoinotake. That’s frustrating. I’m confident that we’re writing lots of good songs, but they’re just not reaching listeners. So we still have this powerful desire to create a lot of hits and have people listen to a lot of our music.
—This interview by Takuto Ueda first appeared on Billboard JAPAN
Number_i’s “GOD_i” rules this week’s Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Feb. 5.
After dropping Jan. 27, the latest single by the three-man group produced by member Yuta Kishi hit No. 1 for downloads, video views, and radio airplay, while coming in at No. 16 for streaming. The track launched with 60,058 downloads, which is second-most for the group following the top first-week figure for “GOAT” (64,321 units). Other songs by the trio have climbed this week due to the new single’s release, with “BON” rising 87-86 and “INZM” 97-91.
Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Darling” holds at No. 2. Streams for the new single by the three-man band are up to 102% week-over-week, rising a notch to No. 1, and the track also hits No. 5 for downloads, No. 2 for radio, and No. 3 for video. “Lilac” by the hitmakers follows at No. 3 on the Japan Hot 100, and while points for the former No. 1 song have been on the decline after peaking on the Jan. 15 chart, the song has coasted along in the top 5 for over 9 months since hitting No. 3 on the chart dated Apr. 24 last year.
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Kenshi Yonezu’s “BOW AND ARROW” debuts at No. 4. The theme song for the anime series Medalist was downloaded 29,132 times to hit No. 2 for the metric, while coming in at No. 7 for streaming, No. 8 for radio, and No. 19 for video.
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Hinatazaka46’s “Sotsugyo shashin dake ga shitteiru” bows at No. 6 with 496,191 CDs sold in its first week (No. 1 for the metric), while BEYOOOOONDS’s “Do-Did-Done” also charts for the first time at No. 7 with 99,460 CDs sold (No. 2 for the metric).
Notable chart moves outside the top 10 include Gen Hoshino’s first new single in a year called “Eureka” hitting No. 11 and Creepy Nuts’ “doppelgänger” jumping 56-23. The brand-new girl group HANA, born from the audition project No No Girls, launches at No. 36 with its pre-debut track “Drop.” The track hit No. 6 for downloads and No. 54 for streaming.
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 Jan. 27 to Feb. 2, here (https://www.billboard.com/charts/japan-hot-100/). For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account (https://twitter.com/BillboardJP_ENG).