Japan

Japanese singer-songwriter Fujii Kaze released a concert Blu-ray & CD called Fujii Kaze Stadium Live “Feelin’ Good” featuring his biggest solo headlining shows so far by the same name that took place at Nissan Stadium in Kanagawa, Japan on Aug. 24 and 25. 

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About 140,000 fans flocked to see the shows over the two days that vividly conveyed Fujii’s magnetism as an artist — exceptional musicianship, outstanding entertainer’s spirit, a laid-back, natural presence that makes you forget you’re seeing him in a stadium setting, and a loving mind that looks out for each person in the audience. This writer also attended one of the shows and the two-hour set was an experience that left a lingering sense of euphoria.

The package delves deeply into the concert experience from various angles. Those who went to the shows will be able to relive the excitement, and for those not familiar with Fujii Kaze will be able to understand why he is loved by so many.

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The Blu-ray is a two-disc set, with Disc 1 containing live footage compiled mainly from the show on Aug. 25. Kento Yamada, a filmmaker who also directed the show itself, helmed the visuals for the concert film as well. Disc 2 contains the approx. 70-minute Feelin’ Good (Documentary) film, which shows fans the behind-the-scenes of the shows. This doc directed by filmmaker Elizabeth Miyaji contains a new interview of the 27-year-old musician, who speaks candidly about the concept of the shows and his thoughts on the project. The CD contains 16 tracks personally selected by the singer himself. The following are some highlights from the visual and audio discs.

The concerts were full of various gimmicks and stage effects, and by capturing them on video, they become easier to understand and enjoy. The show kicks off with Fujii suddenly appearing in the stands. As cheers break out, he slowly walks down the stairs near the audience and heads for the grand piano placed on the grass in the center of the arena. The camera also highlights the genuine expressions of surprise and joy on the audience members’ faces.

The impressive stage set was like a theme park with a stairway, bridge, and garage covered with vegetation. Based on Fujii’s desire to create something that evokes a sense of nature, Yamada meticulously crafted the set down to the smallest details, including the texture of the soil and the small objects inside the garage. The huge LED screen behind the stage displayed images like city and sky, designed to help create the impression of a single world when fused with the layout onstage.

The dancers’ performances were also notable. In particular, the multi-talented artist and his dancers performed choreography that was perfectly in sync for “Kirari” and “Kiri Ga Naikara” in the middle of the show. While Fujii is well-known for singing along to his own virtuoso accompaniment on the piano, his dance performances also showcase his star power.

The “Nan-Nan” hitmaker says in the documentary that the keyword for this show is “youth” (seishun). Sharing the fresh energy of youth with the 70,000 people in the stadium, with live renditions of “Seishun Sick,” sung while swaying with his dancers arm-around-shoulder, and an 8-beat punk rock version of “Tabiji,” was also one of the highlights of the concert.

While the respective visual projects on the Blu-ray discs are quite close to perfection, the recording on the CD allows fans to enjoy the you-are-there vibe of the show. The band members consist of Yaffle on keyboards, who also serves as band master, TAIKING from Suchmos on guitar, Naoki Kobayashi on bass, Norihide Saji on drums, Takashi Fukuoka on percussion, and ARIWA from ASOUND and Emoh Les on backing vocals. The funky, danceable beat of “MO-EH-YO (Ignite)” and the rich harmonies of “Shinunoga E-Wa” are just some of the highlights of the live arrangements.

Looking back over this past year, Fujii took on many challenges and overcame them all. From May to June, he traveled to North America for his first solo headlining trek in the region called Fujii Kaze and the Piano U.S. Tour, selling out both shows in Los Angeles and New York. From October to December, he visited 10 cities in Asia and performed in arenas for his Best of Fujii Kaze 2020-2024 ASIA TOUR, which also ended on a high note.

Fujii released only two new songs in 2024 — “Michi Teyu Ku (Overflowing),” the theme song for Tomokazu Yamada’s first feature film April Come She Will that became his fifth track to rack up 100 million streams in Japan, and the A. G. Cook-produced “Feelin’ Go(o)d,” released in July — but appears to be actively working on other tracks. The stadium concerts and arena tour were like a culmination of Fujii’s career to date, and fans are looking forward to experiencing his new mode of expression in the coming year.

This article by Tomonori Shiba first appeared on Billboard Japan. Fujii Kaze is stylized in Japanese order, surname first.

Yoshida Yasei’s “Override” easily took the top position in the Niconico VOCALOID SONGS TOP20 of 2024, announced by Billboard Japan on December 6. The song, which came out in November 2023, generated buzz thanks to its MAD or remix videos. Billboard Japan talked to Yoshida Yasei about how he felt about the success of the song.

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What led to “Override” racking up the views it did and becoming such a massive hit? 

Yoshida Yasei: Of all the songs I’ve released so far, “Override” had the fastest growth immediately after release. I thought that it had the potential to surpass “Laughin’,” which was my most famous song at the time. Then the number of plays started rising even faster at the start of this year, from around January 7. I was looking at the analytics info on Niconico and YouTube, and thinking, “Huh? Something’s going on here.”

So you started to notice the memes.

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Yoshida Yasei: From around December, people started to create “Override” music remix videos, so I had this feeling that a derivative work boom might be coming on. The sudden increase in the number of remix videos at the start of the year caused the number of plays to rocket upward, and the buzz became a reality.

After that, “Override” took the top position in the Niconico VOCALOID SONGS TOP20 for the first half of 2024, announced on June 7, and then in the Niconico VOCALOID SONGS TOP20 for 2024. Honestly, how did that make you feel?

Yoshida Yasei: I was very happy. It felt like my song had become part of the culture. I thought that, given the amount of growth, this was a song that would live on in Vocaloid history. You know how on X (formerly Twitter), there are those posts that are like “Do you know this song?” and they have images of famous songs from each year? I was excited by the idea that “Override” would be used on one of those posts. It would be an honor to have one of my own songs included among all the distinguished famous songs on those lists.

Looking at the lyrics, there’s a line that goes “It seems that a life of struggle, taking it to your very limits, is even crazier than what I’d imagined.” This feels, to me, like a very direct expression of frantic frustration.

Yoshida Yasei: I made “Override” last October, over a year after leaving my previous work. At the time, I was truly desperate. “Override” was a song created by the physical embodiment of desperation. But, after the release, the song became a hit and I experienced being able to make a living from music. That gave me this tremendous sense of stability. The creation process was impulsive, so I didn’t really struggle with the melody that much. On the other hand, I did have to think deeply when I was writing the lyrics. Because of that, I have a lot of emotional investment in the song.

So you worked through the difficult progress of writing the lyrics, but than people focused on the catchy melody and the distinctive choreography of the animated music video. They started meme-ing off them, which generated buzz. How does that make you feel?

Yoshida Yasei: When I first started out as a Vocaloid producer, I wanted to make songs that led to the creation of a lot of derivative works and music video remixes. So, setting aside the issue of whether or not people’s creations matched the lyrics, I was happy about the whole phenomenon. I was watching like, “Huh, so this is another way things become popular. That’s pretty interesting.”

The title “Override” is an IT term that refers to disregarding settings, properties, and the like and using different ones instead, right?

Yoshida Yasei: Right. Once I’d decided on the title “Override,” I wrote lyrics that matched that aesthetic. Back when I was writing programs, I had this vague feeling that “life is all functions.”

A function?

Yoshida Yasei: Yes. A function is a system where you input something and the system outputs something else. In our lives, it’s like our birth supplies the input conditions and our death is the output of the function. Everything that happens in our lives—every event and every outcome—are a series of causes and effects. There are a countless number of these functions, chained together, so each person is like a program. I think some of those functions work against us. For example, your cultural capital differs depending on whether or not you were born in Tokyo. There are also functions that block access to things because of your bad luck. That’s where the concept of “Override” comes from. Overriding is like using a function with the same name to perform completely different operations. I think you can override these programs if you make enough of an effort, though.

I see.

Yoshida Yasei: I moved to Tokyo from Hokkaido last June. “Override” has the frantic frustration that I felt before I came to Tokyo and before “Override” became a hit. Living out in countryside, you face this downward spiral of “I don’t have access to this and I don’t have access to that.” By coming to Tokyo, I wanted to break this cycle. In other words, I wanted to overwrite the function that said “Input: You live in the countryside → Output: You have no access” with one that said “Input: You live in Tokyo → Output: You have access.” But, to be honest, when I had just moved, I was still in the same desperate situation I had been in before moving.

You uploaded “Override” last November, and then the number of plays started skyrocketing. Although it did take a little time after coming Tokyo, it feels like you really did “override” your life.

Yoshida Yasei: Indeed. Perhaps I overrode my fate.

The chorus to “Override” has a very distinctive choreography that has quite a visual impact, so there are tons of people copying it. Where did that choreography come from?

Yoshida Yasei: From the start, I had this mental image of meme-like movement, so I talked with illustrator Sisia, going into a lot of detail about what I wanted, like “I want an illustration like this” or “I want to keep this material separate from that material.” Sisia worked on the illustrations without knowing what the completed video would be like. I provided a lot of detail about the little jokes to be included and the way the art should look, and I’m really thankful about what wonderful illustrations they created.

It sounds like you had a perfect balance of lyrical urgency and humor, which is what led to “Override” becoming the hit it’s become.

Yoshida Yasei: Tongue-in-cheek memes were just right for balancing out the barbed lyrics, making it more joke-like. The music itself also has a light feel, but the sharp lyrics fit in smoothly. I feel like there was just this miraculous balance of different elements. I don’t think “Override” would have had the same feel if it were missing the memes or if the melody were different.

Another thing that stood out is that after you uploaded the song, both in the comments on your own video and on X (formerly Twitter), you were actively encouraging people to make derivative works.

Yoshida Yasei: I simply wanted there to be more derivative works, so I provided materials people could use and I shared works they made. It also felt a little like an experiment: “What would happen if a creator were actively involved in derivative works?” Ultimately, that generated buzz, and, like when the song broke the record for consecutive weeks in the charts, I was like “Oh, so this is how the story turns out.” As always, I looked at the whole thing from a third person perspective (laughs).

2024 was a year of overriding for you yourself, and it’s also the year in which “Override” carved its name in the Vocaloid charts. How do you feel looking back on this past year, in which “Override” led to so much creation?

Yoshida Yasei: I experienced a lot of things this year that I’d never even imagined before. It was a year of major change for me. I was even surprised about how making new connections and meeting new people changed. So I really haven’t fully gotten my head around this year of tremendous change. In 2025, I hope to look back on my social media and photographs and gradually make some order out of all of it.

—This interview by Mio Komachi first appeared on Billboard Japan

HANABIE. is an all-woman nu-metal band made up of vocalist Yukina, guitarist and vocalist Matsuri, bassist and backup vocalist Hettsu, and drummer Chika. Although it’s been less than a year and a half since their debut, they were performing at overseas metal festivals even before they debuted, and in 2024 they played on the main stage at Lollapalooza, one of America’s “big three” outdoor festivals. Their momentum, especially overseas, knows no bounds. They spoke with Billboard Japan about their experiences around the world and about how it turned their attention to their hometown of Tokyo, the theme of their new EP, Bucchigiri Tokyo.

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First off, could you talk to us about Lollapalooza 2024, where you played in August?

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Matsuri: Lollapalooza is a super-famous festival, so at first we thought there was no way we’d actually be able to play there (laughs). We were jittery and restless all the way up until the actual day of the show.

Yukina: We’ve been very fortunate to be invited to play at metal festivals in lots of different countries, but Lollapalooza isn’t a metal festival, so we thought a lot about what to say and what to wear during the show. Hettsu stayed up late decorating the four platforms we stood on.

Hettsu: I went shopping for fabric with Chika. Not to sing my own praises too much, but I think the platforms turned out well, and they were a great match for the Lollapalooza stage (laughs). Also, for the first time at a HANABIE. show, we had a VJ, and for some of the songs we were projected up onto a huge screen.

Yukina: We also tossed some beach balls into the crowd and did some other things just for the show.

How did the success of the show affect the band?

Matsuri: It gave us a lot of confidence. Pulling off a big show like that was a great experience for the band. Also, we played during the daytime, so it sparked an ambition in us to make it even bigger and to one day perform in a later spot on the timetable. We also wanted to work even harder on our overseas shows.

Have you always been ambitious?

Matsuri: I don’t really think so.

Yukina: The more we play in different countries and in festivals in Japan, the more things we want to achieve.

Matsuri: We didn’t expect our music to connect with overseas audiences. Finding out that it connects gave us a lot of confidence. It made us want “more! more!”

You played at a few other overseas festivals after Lollapalooza. Have you gotten used to those kinds of shows?

Matsuri: Yes, we’re pretty used to them now. We’re gradually starting to get a picture of the different atmospheres at individual festivals in individual countries. Last year, every day was just like “This festival is amazing!”

Outside of festivals, you also did a roughly one-month-long tour of the U.S. together with Ukrainian metal band Jinjer and American deathcore band Born of Osiris.

Yukina: We played 19 shows in one month. It was like four days in a row, then a day off, and then repeat again, over the whole course of the tour. Jinjer’s performances had a lot of entertainment value. They were like watching a show. That influenced us, too, so we tried to be more expressive and to create an atmosphere for each song through our expressions, movements, and gestures.

Chika: Also, our individual performances came together and gelled.

Hettsu: Jinjer and Born of Osiris are both very technical bands, and they’re very locked in, so we focused more on getting ourselves locked in. That’s another way in which it was a really wonderful tour.

Matsuri: We’ve got the same sense of groove now, we push or pull the rhythm together. That was always an issue for us, but now we’re all starting to sync up, so I can really feel how we’ve grown.

After the tour with Jinjer, you did a tour in Australia, and now, having travelled the world, you’ve released a new album, Bucchigiri Tokyo. If it hadn’t been for your overseas experiences, you wouldn’t have chosen that name, would you?

Yukina: Right. Not just the title, but I don’t think we would have gone in the same direction with the songs, either.

Traveling to all these different places and meeting new people, you keep hearing “Japan’s great. Tokyo’s great.” So you rediscovered your pride and affection for where you’re from, right?

Yukina: Right. Partly because anime has such a huge presence that you take it for granted, I’d never really thought that deeply about Japanese culture, but through our world tour I found out how much people love Japanese culture. That opened up lines of communication, and I’ve come to feel really proud of our culture.

A lot of the songs on the new EP go pretty hard. “Bucchigiri Tokyo” is a surprisingly straightforward song.

Matsuri: So, about that song…I saw Green Day perform live for the first time at a festival in Europe. I’m a huge Green Day fan, so it was like a dream, being able to hear songs I’ve loved since I was little, all being performed live. That feeling stayed with us after the tour ended and we came back to Japan. We wrote “Bucchigiri Tokyo” about two days after we got back, still feeling that same spirit. I think that’s why that straightforward feeling comes through in the chorus riffs.

So the punk feel of the song comes from Green Day?

Matsuri: Right. Of course, it also has a lot of HANABIE. in it, but the mindset underneath comes from Green Day.

And then there’s “Ito Okashi My Type.”

Yukina: From that famous personality test…(laughs). It’s pretty popular now. Or, rather, it’s something that everybody’s interested in nowadays, so we decided to use it in a song. It’s well-known all around the world, not just Japan, so I think the song’s theme will resonate with people in any country. The song also has a kind of Heian era feel. A classical Japanese feel.

Matsuri: There are aspects of our modern age that share something in common with the Heian era, so we put them into our song, using a kind of pop approach.

There are artists who avoid referencing modern fads in their lyrics. You, on the other hand, actively try to do that, right? Don’t you worry about what will happen after those fads have passed?

Yukina: I don’t worry about it. It’s like the songs will age with us. We’re trying to create artistic output that’s super-fresh, in the way that only we can.

Matsuri: When we get older, there’s no way we’ll be able to do what we’re doing now, so we’ve got to do it while we can.

What kind of year do you think next year will be?

Yukina: It’s been almost a decade since our band formed. The one decade anniversary is a major milestone, so I want us to give ourselves a pat on the back and then be like, “Okay, now let’s give it our all again!” We’ve already been announced as playing at the German FWacken Open Air 2025 festival and some other festivals, so we want to really pump up the energy levels, both here in Japan and overseas!

—This interview by Daishi “DA” Ato first appeared on Billboard Japan

Wagakki Band’s Japan Tour 2024 THANKS – Yasou no Oto – came to a close on Dec. 10 at Tokyo Garden Theater. This year marks the eight-member group’s 10th anniversary, and in January it announced that the band would go on indefinite hiatus at the end of the year. With this tour, Wagakki Band will be putting its activities on hold for the time being. The band performed songs off its best-of album released in October, ALL TIME BEST ALBUM THANKS – Yasou no Oto -, with members conveying their gratitude to fans as the project’s title suggests and putting on a show representing the culmination of the decade of work together as a singular musical group.

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As the members appeared one by one to the opening music “Overture – Yasou no Oto -,” the audience already showed signs of excitement. Once the members were in place, the set kicked off with the sound of the koto (Japanese harp) and the powerful rhythm of the wadaiko (Japanese drums) leading into “Rokuchounen-To-Ichiyamonogatari (Re-Recording).” The ensemble captivated the audience with its intense arrangements, while still allowing the individuality of each instrument to shine through. Perhaps because this was their last show together before taking a break as a band, the seriousness with which the members approached this performance was palpable.

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Frontwoman Yuko Suzuhana (vocal) took a moment to hype up the crowd after the first number. “Today is the culmination of our 10th anniversary,” she said. “Everyone here, let’s all come together. Keep up!” The group then launched straight into “Valkyrie -Ikusa Otome-.” By this time, the members’ expressions had softened and it was clear they were trying to enjoy the show to the fullest. In their next track, “Aria of Life,” the band gradually built up the excitement in the venue with a performance featuring contrasts in tempo and emotive vocals.

“Today is probably a special day for you all, and it’ll be a special day for us too. Thank you for being here on this day that we’ll work together to create,” said Suzuhana. “Let’s all liven things up like a big year-end party.” The band then resumed the set with the serene track “Starlight (I vs I ver.).” The singer encouraged the audience to turn on the lights on their smartphones during “Queen of the Night” and the venue was bathed in dazzling light, creating a dreamy atmosphere combined with the dramatic music.

Midway through the show, the band members flaunted their colors during an instrumental section highlighting their musicianship. After Machiya (guitar & vocal) dazzled with a sparkling arpeggio followed by some percussive techniques, Kurona (wadaiko) joined in with his Oke Daiko (a kind of wadaiko) with a shoulder strap and Suzuhana performed a sword dance, creating an imaginative sight onstage. During the session, Kiyoshi Ibukuro (koto) also joined in with Shirasagi, a bunka-koto (compact koto) he produced, and the musicians boisterously showed off their skills in friendly rivalry. Then, Machiya, Asa (bass) and Wasabi (drums) wowed the crowd with their aggressive metal riffs, while Daisuke Kaminaga (shakuhachi) and Beni Ninagawa (Tsugaru shamisen) added their flourishes to dramatic effect.

The octet went on to perform songs including “The Beast,” which included time for the audience to take photos on their phones, “Perfect Blue,” featuring twin vocals by Suzuhana and Machiya, “Synchronicity,” and “Children Record.” They drew fans into their robust musical world with a wide range of songs like “Yoshiwara Lament” and “Sasameyuki (Re-Recording).” The set list mixing Vocaloid tracks and the band’s original numbers was truly a summary of Wagakki Band’s career. “We put together the set list based on requests of everyone’s favorite songs,” Suzuhana told the crowd. “Wagakki Band’s catalog includes rock-heavy numbers and elegant ballads, but no matter what we play, it always ends up being a Wagakki Band song. The music will continue to live on, so I hope you’ll continue to listen to and sing your favorite songs.” The band then performed the “Re-Recording” version of its first original song, “Hanabi,” featuring vocals evoking both glamour and transience backed by the band’s solid performance.

As the end of the main set approached, Kurona and Wasabi commenced their drum vs. wadaiko battle, now a regular feature of the band’s shows. Kurona hyped up the crowd, saying, “I want today to be the best battle cry of the decade,” and the audience responded by cheering loudly in time to the beat by the two drummers. The band then launched into “Kishikaisei (Re-Recording)” to the rhythm of the 3-3-7 beat, signaling the start of the show’s climax. During “Yukikageboushi,” fans spun towels above their heads, enhancing the feel of togetherness. The band went on to perform “Yasouemaki,” a track displaying the fruits of their years together as a group, and the main set ended with a flair with Wagakki Band’s signature number, “Senbonzakura (Re-Recording).”

The members returned to the stage as if led by the voices of the eager crowd singing “Akatsukino Ito.” Because this was the band’s last live show before going on hiatus, each member took turns expressing their current feelings. “Hard to believe we’re taking a break,” “I’m so glad I joined this band,” “Thank you for encountering us,” they voiced in unison. When Asa noted, “The eight of us together made a full-fledged team. We each had something missing, so we were able to stand by each other and fight together as a band,” Suzuhana responded by saying, “We were able to create so many miracles because the eight of us together made a full-fledged team.”

“There’s so much music in the world, so we thank you for finding and liking Wagakki Band,” she continued. “We’ll continue to struggle and survive in this world of music, so please keep supporting us.” The members then presented their fans with “GIFT,” a song filled with their feeling of gratitude. The venue was filled with smiles and tears as the song, promising a reunion rather than an end, came to a close.

Fans may be feeling sad right now, but as Suzuhana said at the end of the evening, “I think this view today will continue to support our lives from now on,” they can reminisce on the many miraculous moments they’ve seen over the years as they wait for the day the eight members converge again as the Wagakki Band.

This article by Tomokazu Nishibiro first appeared on Billboard Japan.

Wagakki Band Japan Tour 2024 THANKS – Yasou no Oto – Set List

Tuesday, Dec. 10, Tokyo Garden Theater

1. Overture – Yasou no Oto –

2. Rokuchounen-To-Ichiyamonogatari (Re-Recording)

3. Valkyrie -Ikusa Otome-

4. Aria of Life

5. Amenochi Kanjyoron (Re-Recording)

6. Starlight (I vs I ver.)

7. The Last Confession on Earth (Chikyuu saigo no kokuhaku wo)

8. Queen of the Night

9. Toono Monogatari Kyuu Yon

10. Toono Monogatari Go Go

11. Chie no Kakitsu

12. Homura

13. The Beast

14. Perfect Blue

15. Synchronicity

16. Children Record

17. Yoshiwara Lament

18. Sasameyuki (Re-Recording)

19. Hanabi (Re-Recording)

20. Effector Of Life

21. Drum vs. Wadaiko Battle – Ikusen no Onkai –

22. Kishikaisei (Re-Recording)

23. Yukikageboushi

24. Yasouemaki

25. Senbonzakura (Re-Recording)

Encore

1. Akatsukino Ito

2. Hoshizukiyo

3. GIFT