Japan

INTO1 RIKIMARU stepped into the global spotlight as a member of the boy band INTO1, which was formed through the Chinese TV show, CHUANG 2021. He’s generating buzz not only for his superb performing abilities, but also his personality and vibe. INTO1 RIKIMARU recently released a new single, “UP and DOWN.” In this dance tune, he expresses his own philosophy regarding the ups and downs we experience in our lives. He created the choreography for the song and took part in writing the lyrics and music, as well, once again demonstrating his self-production capabilities.

Billboard Japan spoke with INTO1 RIKIMARU about the meaning and message behind the new song.

What led you to write “UP and DOWN”?

I’m not a great speaker, and I’ve had a lot of trouble communicating what I want to convey. I’ve used dance to relieve stress, but I’ve started to feel like I want to talk to more people about my own life. I also sing now, so I thought that I could express what I wanted to say through my lyrics.

So when you were writing the lyrics, the first thing you did was decide what you wanted to sing about?

That’s right. I wrote it all out, in detail. Then I picked out the parts that were particularly important to convey and built up on them. For example, the bridge starts with “hēiàn duózǒu guāngmáng” (“the darkness steals the light”). I used the word “darkness,” but everyone has times when they’re stressed or full of negativity. I want people to keep fighting and break through that shell of darkness.

The lyrics of “UP and DOWN” hint at unlimited potential, with a message that “Life doesn’t always go smoothly. There are times when it’s smooth sailing but also times where everything comes crashing down. However, all of these experiences, good and bad, are part of our lives, and by experiencing them we grow as people.” Was there something specific that led you to want to write about that?

Yes, there was. When I first started as a choreographer, everything was going well, but then at one point I found myself simply unable to come up with anything. At the time, I had to come up with choreography for 13 songs to be performed in a concert, and I only had one week. There was this dance break, about 20 seconds long, and I just couldn’t come up with anything good. I redid that section 47 times over the course of a week. That, combined with a few other things, left me feeling really down, thinking that I could no longer do anything. I wanted to throw my hands up in the air, but I decided to just choreograph the section one more time, and it turned out surprisingly well. I realized that I could have given up, but that simply taking a break and trying again can really raise your spirits.

Even someone at your level has times when they can’t come up with new choreography?

I don’t know what you mean by “my level” (laughs), but, yes, it definitely happens. I used to believe I could do everything, but now I’ve realized that when I hit a roadblock I just can’t make any progress. Maybe that’s just the way I’m built.

Did you encounter any difficulties when writing the lyrics?

Phrasing and length were difficult. I had to share my ideas within the boundaries set by the rhythm and melody. First, I just wrote out everything I was thinking, and then I thought about how to shorten it. And, what’s more, this time I wrote the song in Chinese, and I still don’t know what kinds of turns of phrase are cool. So I wrote the lyrics in Chinese, matching the melody, and sang through it. Then I changed any parts that didn’t sound good. I also asked my Chinese friends if certain words or phrases sounded cool or if they meant what I thought they meant.

Japanese and Chinese pronunciation are totally different, too, right?

Right. I’ve spoken Japanese all my life, so I could instantly come up with different ways of saying things, but with Chinese there were words I didn’t know, or times when I couldn’t think of other ways to phrase things. It was hard, but it was also fun taking on a new challenge.

You also helped write the music.

The music was mainly written by music producers Koshin and NONE, but I also worked on it by pointing out things like “I want to use these kinds of dance moves, so could you put in some sounds like this?” I’m still a beginner when it comes to songwriting, so I don’t know what would sound good. So when I made suggestions, I’d phrase it like, “What would it sound like if we did something like this?”

So during the songwriting stage, you were already thinking about the choreography?

I tried creating choreography for the melody written by Koshin and NONE, but it didn’t quite click. So then I just let myself create the choreography freely, and I came up with ideas about how to make the choreography work well with the melody by adding certain sounds. I then suggested these changes to Koshin and NONE. For example, in the rap section of the second chorus, at first the beat was the same. But if the beat were the same, then the dance would be too energetic, and it would feel like I was going overboard, so we dropped the beat. I think that really changed the feel of the song.

So you tried to include some changes of pace.

I’m a little fickle, so when I’d think, “I’d get bored around this part of the song,” I’d change things up (laughs). I also tried to match the languages. My Chinese lyrics didn’t match the initial melody very well, so we changed the melody a little, and we changed the beat a little…and in the process we ended up really refining the song.

What were the key points when it came to the choreography?

I always want the lyrics, melody, and movements to match. This time, the lyrics were in Chinese, and the melody also felt Chinese, so I used dragon-like hand movements. I love dragons — my dog’s name is even “Lóng” (Chinese for “dragon”). I also love the Great Wall of China, because it looks like a dragon. The way the Great Wall climbs up and down mountains also shares something in common with the “UP and DOWN” concept. And it just keeps going on and on, you know? The lyrics include the phrase “wúxiàn xiǎngxiàng” (“limitless imagination”). So, in that sense as well, the dragon was a key point of the choreography.

You not only choreograph your own songs, like “UP and DOWN,” but you also provide choreography for other artists. How does it differ when you’re creating choreography for others and when you’re creating it for yourself?

To be honest, creating choreography for other artists isn’t that hard. That’s because they already have an image. I know the style and feel of the artist, so I just have to mix my own style with the requests of the artist. When it comes to my own music, though, I don’t really have a clear image of what would fit best. Also, because I’m doing the choreography myself, there are no constraints, so it can get messy, with too much in the mix. I’ll look at the choreography and think, “that’s a little extra,” so I’ll take things out, but then when I do that, I look at the results and think, “now it feels threadbare.” Getting that balance is hard.

People often understand others more than they understand themselves.

Right. When I write choreography for myself, I hire dancers. If I’m dancing while choreographing, I lose sight of things, so I find someone who can dance my part, and I get an overall view so I can decide on what works and what doesn’t.

I see.

It must have been hard for the dancers in the music video for “UP and DOWN,” because I’m the type of person who’s always suddenly saying “I want to do this” or “I want to try that.” I didn’t meet the dancers until the day before filming. My sister made a video for the dancers that explained the choreography, so the plan was for them to watch that, learn the choreography, and then perform it on filming day. But the day before filming, I suddenly decided I wasn’t happy with the choreography (laughs). I changed like 70% of it all of a sudden. We didn’t have much time, so I mentally pictured the choreography and thought about its structure, and then we tried it out on the day of filming. So the dancers learned the whole thing in about seven hours.

70%?!  INTO1 RIKIMARU, with that approach we’re talking about the work of a genius. The dancers who were able to relearn all of the moves that fast were also impressive.

The dancers were really flustered. I feel terrible about it (laughs). The music video is going to be released soon, too, so don’t miss it. I wore three different outfits in the video, and the dance that went with each one was different. In the parts where I’m playing a twisted character, the dance moves are weaker. When I’m representing peoples’ dark sides, the dancing is more powerful. In the confident parts, the moves are brasher and more aggressive. I hope these differences come across to the viewer.

Now, I’d like to ask you a little bit about yourself. Your first overseas work in the dance field was in America. What led you to switch your base of operations to Asia?

When I started learning to dance, with a teacher in Japan, it didn’t resonate with me. Then I started watching American dance videos on YouTube, and I went to the U.S., and I was blown away.  Everybody had completely dedicated their lives to dance. They were more interested in dance than fashion. They were more interested in dance than eating. The dancers I was surrounded by, who really worked hard, are now achieving success around the world. I wanted to do the same, but since I’m Asian, I thought it would be better to pursue the Asian dream than the American dream, so I chose Asia. I’d also always dreamed of dancing to music that I wrote, singing songs I wrote, so I practiced my singing, too. I’d go to karaoke, turn off all the microphone reverb, and practice singing, recording myself at the same time. I went to voice training. And that wasn’t enough, so I practiced at home, too. Eventually, I got decent at singing, and that’s where I am today.

So behind your great performances, you’ve poured a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into your craft.

I don’t really feel like I’ve worked that hard, though. I do what I do because I enjoy it. It’s like an extension of what I do for fun.

You’re an artist now, and until now you’ve been a choreographer. What have you placed importance on in each of these activities?

As a choreographer, what’s important is having new ideas and surprising viewers. I think that a choreographer’s job is to create routines that visually surprise the audience. However, as a performer, what’s important isn’t just having surprising choreography, but also how you present that choreography. If you present it wrong, you could spoil the surprise. When I was a choreographer, I’d tell Korean artists, “please do it more like this.” Now that I’m doing the dancing myself, I can’t do that anymore (laugh). I don’t like dancing that’s just cool. I want it to be more like the music is flowing out from my dance. As an artist, it’s important to express that. I think that’s the hardest part. I learned about that from Michael Jackson. Unlike nowadays, Michael hit those notes exactly, without autotuning, and his voice had so much emotion. He’d make people faint just by standing there and pointing. Seeing him simply singing is such a moving experience.

So many artists say they were inspired by Michael Jackson.

Sure. Just think about his clothes: a tank top, high-water black pants, a button-up shirt — none of it’s all that cool looking. But when Michael wore them, he looked so cool. He wasn’t influenced by others; he had his own style.

What do you do to make it like the music is coming from your dancing, like you mentioned earlier?

When I practice, I always think about about how well my dancing is matched up to the music. But it’s not just about matching the music…It’s hard to put in words. Like, right now, I’m hungry, so it would be like putting that feeling of hunger into my moves. But when I record it and then watch the video later, most of the time I’m overdoing it. So I try to keep it a bit more subtle, making little adjustments.

You look at yourself objectively.

I think about the filming of the music video when I’m creating the choreography, so I think things like “right now, the camera’s pointing at me from over there.” That changes things. Lately, all of the successful dancers around the world are all about equally skilled. Going beyond that requires expressiveness. I’m sure you’ve experienced this from time to time — a dancer whose dancing isn’t all that good, but who catches your eye more than a better dancer. If you talk with someone like that, they’ll tell you how when they practice, they go into their own world. I think that people who have that kind of expressive ability and who can use it in front of others make great performers.

I see. You’ve been active in a lot of parts of the music scene. What kind of relationship do you want to have with the scene going forward?

I’m the kind of person who wants to take on a lot of different genres. I’m still in a state of flux. So first, I want to discover my own style. You know how you can be like “BLACKPINK is like this. Billie Eilish is like this. Beyoncé is like this,” that kind of thing? I want to create my own style and have it recognized by people around the world.

I look forward to seeing what that style ends up being. Do you have any closing message for your fans?

My new song, “UP and DOWN,” is only part of my story, but please give it a listen. If you’re struggling with anything in your own life, I hope that listening to it and to the meaning behind the lyrics will raise your spirits. I already uploaded a video for the song to YouTube in 2022, but with the new video I’ve made some changes and put in some surprises, so I think it’ll still feel fresh and interesting. This song is just Episode 1, so you won’t want to miss what comes next.

—This interview by Azusa Takahashi first appeared on Billboard Japan

Since 2007, Billboard’s Women in Music event has honored artists, producers and executives who have made significant contributions to the music industry and empowered women through their work as Woman of the Year and other awards. Billboard Japan launched its own WIM initiative in 2022 and has been featuring various women in the music industry in a string of projects, one being the interview series highlighting trailblazing women in the industry.
UA is the next guest in the series. The singer is set to perform at the Billboard Japan Women In Music Vol. 0 event to be held at Billboard Live Osaka on March 3. Since her debut in 1995, the Osaka native has released numerous hit songs including the massively popular “Jounetsu” (“Passion”) from 1996 and continues to take on new challenges as an artist today. In her private life, she’s the mother of four and is based in Canada. The 50-year-old songstress looks back on her career and shares her thoughts on balancing career and private life in this new interview.

What kind of women did you look up to when you were a child?

UA: I saw lots of people on TV, but when I was little, I looked up to people who were closer to me, like my aunt who used to take care of me for a while. She was funny and charming, and her presence really helped me at the time.

The first artists I became a fan of were Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin. I found out about Aretha when I was a teenager, fell in love with her voice, and collected her records. Information wasn’t readily available back then, so I didn’t know anything about the kind of life she’d led. I was strongly drawn to and admired her voice and singing prowess. I first came across Janis in a movie theater when I saw footage of her singing at a big festival. I was shocked as if I’d been struck by lightning and cried on the spot.

These two artists helped me realize that there are two kinds of people in the world: those who sing on stage, and those who watch them. I began thinking that I’d like to be one of those who sing on stage if possible.

So I do have that kind of fan mentality, but I also feel that I don’t know who those people really are. For a long time now, I’ve thought that although I might be a fan of someone, there really isn’t anyone I can say that I wholeheartedly admire for their personality.

If not any specific person, do you have a definition of your ideal kind of woman?

People are fragile and change easily from day to day, and nobody is perfect in the real world. That’s why I feel good when I meet people who have the ability to accept and the ability to listen and enjoy doing so. I guess that’s the kind of woman I admire.

The direction I’m headed as the person I am when I’m with my family and friends and as UA the artist who expresses things is different. So I think maybe the kind of woman I aspire to be as an individual and the kind I admire as UA are slightly different.

The person you are at home and the artist onstage are heading in different directions. That’s an interesting observation.

For the past 27 to 28 years I’ve been wondering what it’s like to maintain a good balance between the two, and feel like I’m still in the process of working on it.

You became a fan of Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin in your teenage years and went on to make your debut as a singer on stage. Your hit single “Jounetsu” came out in 1996, and the following year you gave birth to your first child, (actor) Nijiro Murakami. You then formed the band AJICO with Kenichi Asai in 2000, so looking at the timeline alone, it must have been a very eventful time. How did pregnancy and childbirth affect your career?

Looking back chronologically like that, it certainly was a turbulent time. [Laughs] But you see, I’m actually the type of person who insists on taking adequate time off, so after making an album and touring with it, I was allowed to take a proper break. I knew from the beginning that I’d burst if I kept working all the time. I was still young when Nijiro was born, so I think I took about three months off, then started easing back to work.

I witnessed something so pure and beautiful and clear in (Nijiro’s) new life. Also, some horrific incidents happened (in Japan in 1997), and it felt like the world was changing rapidly. The single I released before childbirth was “Amai Unmei” (“Sweet Destiny”), a song with lyrics about wanting to leave things up to a “sweet” fate, but after childbirth, I wanted to sing about a dystopian world in a vivid way, so “Kanashimi Johnny” (“Sad Johnny”) was born.

The experience of pregnancy and childbirth and the time I was able to put into it were like gifts to me. He was my first child and raising a child was a real challenge. I kind of feel like I inconvenienced Nijiro, and would like to apologize to him for some things now. In any case, the experience was like being allowed to practice becoming a parent while still being a kid myself.

When someone’s career is interrupted by pregnancy or childbirth, it’s sometimes interpreted in a negative way, but I think it’s lovely how you describe the experience as a gift that worked out positively. Has being a woman influenced UA in other ways?

I’m the type of person who thinks that I’d like to be a woman even if I were to be born again. Even now, I feel like I’m able to sing because I’m a woman. If I’d been born a man, I might not have chosen to sing, though I can’t say for sure because I’ve never been one before. Men are so unknown to me, and I’m constantly presented with themes to think about from my partner.

You’ve raised boys, though. Any discoveries through that experience you could share?

I have four children. One is a girl and the rest are boys. I try not to say unreasonable things like (act a certain way because) “you’re a boy” or “you’re older” to my boys, and try to tell them how they should be as people instead of their gender. But I do think I have a special empathy for my girl.

You mentioned earlier that you sing because you’re a woman. Were there any difficulties you faced as an artist or in other areas of your daily life because you’re a woman?

None, really. I don’t know why… but I’ve never felt that way. I think I’ve been very fortunate as an artist. I didn’t have much of an amateur period, and it was like I made my debut just when I became seriously involved in music, so I didn’t understand anything. I was always struggling to create each work. There was pressure and I was always nervous, but I faced it and overcame it, and then I’d spread out another blank sheet of paper in front of me and write another song. Looking back now, I had no other choice. But it seems to me that I didn’t make a single mistake along the way. 

On the year-end Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart for 2022, 58 of the top 100 acts were male, 27 were female, and 15 were mixed gender groups. What do you think of this result, given that there are many great female artists in Japan?

I think one way of interpreting this result is that the power of women who are fans of the opposite sex was strong, rather than any lack in capabilities of female artists. Even within my circle, it feels like there are lots of women whose drive to support their favorites across generations is powerful.

That’s a really interesting take. Based on what you’ve said so far, what do you think is needed to make it easier for women to thrive in the music and entertainment industry?

This isn’t limited to the music industry, but for the time being, the functionalities of men and women’s bodies can’t be changed. You can choose how you live, but you can’t choose the function of the body you have, and it’s not easy to change. I think the reason why people choose not to have kids based on their careers (in Japan) is because the government doesn’t provide enough support and security during the period of having and raising children. I’m personally glad I was able to experience pregnancy and childbirth, so I wish that an environment where more women can feel more positive about choosing to have children would be put into place. It’d be nice to have a system that allows women to move on to the next step in their lives while experiencing these things instead of thinking “pregnancy and childbirth = career interruption.” I think this is a national issue, not a music industry issue.

—This interview by Rio Hirai (SOW SWEET PUBLISHING) first appeared on Billboard Japan

The relationships between artists and music fans are growing more diverse, involving streaming and social networks. Universal Music Japan has a team dedicated to exporting music overseas: the Export Marketing Team.
The team’s objective is to provide more strategic support to Japanese artists being listened to outside Japan. Ever since its formation, it has constantly updated the company’s strategies for supplying the increasingly competitive global market with music from Japan. It is truly an organization for the streaming era.

Billboard Japan spoke with Hajime Isogai, General Manager of Export Marketing, about Universal Music Japan’s overseas strategy.

Jay Kogami (JK): What is the role of the Export Marketing Team in Universal Music (UMJ)?

Isogai: We rapidly identify and analyze how Japanese music and Japanese artists are being listened to outside Japan, and we discover signs of changes and opportunities for increasing plays. As the leader of the team, I guess my role is to systematically build an approach for thinking about potential measures. Every day, we’re thinking about how we can respond to daily trend movements.

JK: Could you share an example of a specific Japanese artist that you’ve performed export marketing analysis for?

Isogai: Some interesting movement we saw in 2022 involved Fujii Kaze’s “Shinunoga E-Wa” and SEKAI NO OWARI’s “Habit.” Of course, they’re both excellent songs, but they’ve also become well-recognized around the world through social media. “Habit” first started buzzing in Latin America, in countries like Peru and Mexico, and view numbers started climbing. It spread from there around the world. Seeing a song take off from Latin America and spread worldwide from there was something new for us. Fujii Kaze’s “Shinunoga E-wa” spread through use in Thailand in sped-up UGC on TikTok, anime MADs, and K-drama highlight videos. From there, it hit the Spotify viral charts, and in a flash it had spread around the world.

JK: Do you think that Japanese music owes its worldwide acceptance to the overall high number of young social media users overseas? Or is it limited to specific countries or regions?

Isogai: Rather than compartmentalizing along the lines of age or region, I think it’s essential to look at the cultural backgrounds of music fans. For example, Japanese anime is well-established and accepted worldwide. However, that doesn’t mean that anime tie-up songs always take high places on Billboard’s global charts. There are foundational cultures of accepting music that vary by region and age range. When looking for ways to approach overseas markets, it’s important to investigate and examine their underlying cultures.

JK: Have you made any new discoveries that could overturn past stereotypes or conventional wisdom with respect to the kinds of cultures or environments that welcome Japanese artists and Japanese music?

Isogai: I think we need to reexamine our assumption that lyrics have to be in English. When one particular Japanese song became a viral hit in Southeast Asia, local staff carried out a study and found that one of the reasons for the rise in the number of videos using the song was that “the lyrics are good.” It was a deep love song with lyrics in Japanese, so we were surprised to find out that one of the reasons it resonated with locals was the lyrical content. It really brought home the fact that language barriers and national borders don’t prevent artists based in Japan from reaching listeners and users worldwide.

JK: How do you feel that the Universal Music Group’s strengths have changed with respect not only to Japanese music, but also to capturing overseas market share?

Isogai: I think that, as a global music company, our teams around the world are better than ever at directly working with each other when we discover potential hits, wonderful talent, and creative people. In the past, when aiming to create an overseas hit, you’d have to sign a contract with the local label and ship and sell products. Now, with digital services, we can deliver music across borders, without being concerned with language barriers. That’s making it more important than ever to share information, so that we can understand the pioneering cultures in each country. Having marketing teams in each region is an even greater strength for us in terms of creating paths for international success.

JK: Is there any overseas marketing or any key trends that you would like to work with?

Isogai: With TikTok, Spotify, YouTube, and the like, you can see the numbers change in real time, so you can see data on the number of fans, listeners, and the like. I always keep in mind the process by which these things happen: things take off on social media, get played and shared on streaming services, and then spread around the world, attracting more and more fans. Specifically, physical products like CDs start selling outside Japan, and we start providing fans with tangible ways of expressing their appreciation of their favorite artists. I think one of the missions of a music company is to provide fans with ways of supporting the artists and music they love. I don’t think this trend is limited to Japanese artists, but can also occur overseas as well.

JK: So you’re creating different physical products from zero in different regions?

Isogai: Well, for example, the VTuber Mori Calliope already had a lot of fans in the U.S., so she consulted with a team in our head office and we’ve started selling her merchandise through an American e-commerce site (the U.S. Universal Music store). The number of fans that bought her titles with additional included merch was even higher than we expected. I think that we’ll be seeing lots of similar approaches being developed in the future.

JK: Are there any fields you’d like to take on, or any that you see as challenges?

Isogai: A lot of successful songs are anime tie-ups, so I’d like to increase the number of artists who become popular without any anime tie-ups. That poses a major challenge, but, in that sense, I feel like Fujii Kaze has opened a new door for artists from Japan. His success on TikTok and other social platforms led to a rise in the number of monthly listeners on services like Spotify and created an environment in which it was possible to pitch him for major editorial playlists like Spotify’s “New Music Friday.” It’s still not an easy process, but it’s started to prove effective.

JK: What are the Export Marketing Team’s targets for 2023?

Isogai: We have a few. One is our approach to cultures like the utaite (cover vocalist) and VTuber culture. I think there are a lot of latent or potential fans around the world for Japanese cultures like these. Mori Calliope, who I mentioned earlier, was looking at expanding into the overseas market from the very start, and she signed with EMI Records. I feel like in 2023 we’re going to see even more of these kinds of overseas connections that span label lines. The value of our Export Marketing Team lies in the fact that we can spring to action and provide flexible support and proposals when artists or staff have even a little bit of interest in working on the global stage.

–This interview by Jay Kogami first appeared on Billboard Japan.