Japan

YOASOBI shared the new music video accompanying its new release “Adventure,” a song written for Universal Studios Japan theme park.

“Adventure” was released Feb. 15 as the theme for USJ’s limited-offer spring campaign that encourages students to “make unforgettable spring memories” — the season of graduation and new beginnings in Japan where the school year begins in April.

The uplifting track is based on an episode that took home YOASOBI’s Grand Prize last year in a competition that invited submissions about “unforgettable memories from school days at the (USJ) park.” The title of the winning episode by Nagi can be roughly translated to “sparkling moments beyond the lens.”

The music video directed by Jun Tamukai is a fusion of live-action and animation, featuring imid’s illustrations of a girl dancing around the actual Universal Studios Japan theme park embellished with CG effects by KASSEN.

Billboard Japan launched its Women in Music initiative last year to celebrate today’s female achievers who continue to break new ground in Japan’s music industry, in the same spirit as Billboard’s Women in Music event that began in 2007. Billboard has recognized many influential women over the years — the highest honor being Woman of the Year, awarded to some of the industry’s top artists including Beyoncé, Madonna and, this year’s recipient, SZA.
Billboard Japan’s Women in Music consists of a string of projects including interviews, concerts, panel discussions and more. On Friday, March 3 — which also happens to be the traditional annual day celebrating girls in Japan — the inaugural Women in Music concerts took place simultaneously at the Billboard Live venues in Tokyo, Osaka and Yokohama, headlined by three female artists who represent today’s music landscape in Japan. Each artist performed two shows on that day, with the second being livestreamed for fans who couldn’t attend in person.

Rapper and singer Chanmina took the stage at Billboard Live Tokyo in Roppongi, appearing onstage accompanied by four dancers to the striking refrain of her track “Lucy.” Leading an all-female team of performers including the DJ in keeping with the evening’s theme, the trilingual artist performed a hard-hitting set of songs with lyrics mixing Korean, English and Japanese. The WIM setlist included “I’m a Pop,” featuring intense rapping and deep, dynamic vocals, and “Harenchi,” a sultry number with an urban sound and whispery vocalization.

The 24-year-old artist took a moment during her set to address the packed Billboard Live crowd, briefly explaining why she does what she does. “You’re all so beautiful, more so than you probably think,” she said, “I want to keep telling you that no matter how old I get.” She also paused during her song “Angel” later on to express her deep gratitude for her fans’ support. “To tell you the truth,” she shared, “I wasn’t fine during the COVID-19 pandemic! I missed you all so much.”

The “Bijin” rapper closed her WIM set with a raw, passionate performance of “Dahlia.” She stopped mid-song to say earnestly, “Singing was the only thing I had. So I kept singing and waited. Thank you for finding me, everyone!” When she finished the number, Chanmina bowed deeply to the audience and left the stage with a smile.  

UA

Shino Hamada/Billboard Japan

Headlining Billboard Live Osaka was UA, a veteran artist hailing from this city who has balanced her alternative music career and motherhood over the years. The 50-year-old songstress painted the venue with her signature sound, with dreamily melancholic numbers like “Kiokusoushitu” (“Amnesia”) and “Senkou” (“Blaze of Light”), and “JAPONESIA” with its effective combination of scat and harmonies. In particular, the audience was treated to the breadth of UA’s musicality through her breakout hit “Jounetsu” (“Passion”) and “AUWA~TIDA,” a track with a danceable groove developing with increasing intensity. After her main set, she returned to perform “Mizuiro” (“Light Blue”) for the encore — a song the mother of four said she wrote when she was pregnant with her first child — bringing her WIM show to a close with her beautifully unique vocals.

In between songs, the artist currently based in Canada looked back on her upbringing and shared anecdotes about the women she grew up around, making the 300-capacity venue feel even more intimate than usual. “Wouldn’t it be great if we could start each day thinking, ‘I want to start off by embracing and loving myself,’” she said, and added, “I’m happy to have been born a woman, and intend to continue moving forward without losing my passion and curiosity, and without being afraid of experiencing lots of things.”

eill

Junichi Itabashi/Billboard Japan

Singer-songwriter eill headlined the stage over at Billboard Live Yokohama. One of today’s hottest young music producers who gives voice to the honest feelings of the youth of her generation, eill delivered some of her popular numbers with her silky, soulful vocals, fronting a band of accomplished musicians (Katsushiro Sato on guitar, Shunsuke Ochi on bass, nabeLTD on keyboards, Yosuke Minowa handling computer manipulation, and Yukino Matsuura on drums). Appearing on stage dressed in all white, the 24-year-old artist kicked off her set with “Koko de iki wo shite” (“Breathe Here”), and went on to perform “FAKE LOVE/” and “((FULLMOON))” back-to-back, showcasing her signature mellow groove accented with delightful charm. The special WIM set also featured strings (Leina Ushiyama on violin, Yasuko Murata on viola and Kaori Imai on cello), adding a lush layer to her performance of “Finale,” which she explained she wrote “around this time last year while thinking about summer,” and on to “Hana no youni” (“Like a Flower”).

In between songs, eill emphasized the importance of being true to yourself, telling the audience to “love yourself and embrace yourself even when you’re not your best self.” Reassuring fans that “whenever you’re having a hard time, I’ll always give you a little push from behind. I’ll be your light at any time,” she launched into a groovy performance of “Spotlight.”

True to her words, she uplifted the crowd and created a sense of unity in the venue through numbers including “20,” which she accompanied herself on the piano, and the last song “Odorasenaide” (“Don’t Make Me Dance”). During the encore, she announced the release of a new song called “WE ARE.” “We’re all alone, but we’re all not alone. We can use our loneliness as our shields. We’re not alone, everyone,” she said, and after treating the WIM audience to the premiere live performance of the brand-new track, eill left the stage with a big smile on her face.

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