Billboard Japan
SixTONES Scores Sixth No. 1 With ‘Kyomei’ on Japan Hot 100
SixTONES’ sixth single “Kyomei” blasts into No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated March 9, putting an end to Aimer’s seven-week streak at the top of the tally. The six-member Johnny’s boy band scores its sixth No. 1 with this track, which is the opener for the ongoing anime series Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon season 2. “Kyomei” sold 402,093 copies in its first week to rule the metric (though about 100,000 copies short of its previous single, “Mascara”), while also coming in at No. 1 for look-ups and radio airplay. The track also did well on Twitter (No. 4) and came in at No. 53 for video views, so the two physical metrics of the chart’s methodology (sales and look-ups) fueled the song to No. 1 this week. Explore Explore SixTONES See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos,...
Japan’s Online Vocaloid Scene’s Influence on Current J-Pop Mainstream, Explained
Fifteen years since the release of the groundbreaking singing voice synthesizer software Hatsune Miku in 2007, Vocaloid has become an essential part of the current J-pop landscape. Numerous artists whose music careers got started by producing and sharing tracks made with Vocaloid software — “Vocalo” is now a J-pop sub-genre and its producers are collectively called “Vocalo-P” in Japanese — have broken into the mainstream, including hitmakers Yonezu Kenshi and YOASOBI, who have dominated the Japan charts in recent years. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Why have so many gifted artists emerged from the Vocaloid scene? What are some of the factors that led to Vocalo-P creators becoming solo singer-songwriters or forming groups with other artists to...
Years & Years Release New ‘Starstruck’ Remix With Rising J-pop Artist SIRUP
British singer Olly Alexander’s solo project Years & Years dropped a brand-new remix of “Starstruck” on Tuesday night (Feb. 15), joined by rising J-pop singer-songwriter SIRUP. The release of the new remix comes on the heels of Years & Years’ latest album Night Call debuting at No. 1 on the Official UK Albums Chart, becoming Alexander’s second chart-topping set. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “Starstruck (SIRUP Remix)” adds the 34-year-old J-pop artist’s uniquely groovy style of rap and vocals over Alexander’s feel-good vibes. The It’s a Sin star shares how the collaboration came about: “I heard a song SIRUP made with another British artist, Joe Hertz, called ‘MAIGO.’ I loved that song, and thought his style would really suit ‘Starstruck,’ because he does a lot of...
Aimer Returns to No. 1 as Holiday Favorites Soar on Japan Hot 100
Aimer’s “Zankyosanka” returns to No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 dated Dec. 29, tracking the week from Dec. 20 to 26, 2021. The anime theme song ruled the tally two weeks prior and continues to maintain momentum. [embedded content] “Zankyosanka” rules streaming for the third week and video views for the second week in a row, both decreasing slightly figure-wise but still going strong. The track racked up 8,904,311 weekly streams (from 9,649,396 the week before) and 2,655,800 views (from 3,183,554) during the chart week, while slipping to No. 2 for downloads after reigning over the metric for two weeks. In other metrics, it comes in at No. 60 for Twitter mentions and No. 29 for radio airplay. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The song that to...
BE:FIRST and Its Fans Achieve Success on Hot Trending Songs Charts
BE:FIRST, a Japanese group led by musician and music producer SKY-HI, is enjoying tremendous success on the U.S. Billboard charts. The Hot Trending Songs global charts track Twitter posts by artists’ fans and other Twitter users around the world. BE:FIRST’s debut single “Gifted.” — which was released on Nov. 3 — took the No. 1 spot with a commanding lead, a rarity for a Japanese artist. Even now, a month after the single’s release, it still enjoys a high place on the charts. Posts from BESTY, BE:FIRST’s supporters, are generating constant buzz on Twitter. There are also fan accounts who share daily chart updates. [embedded content] As reported in numerous news articles, “Gifted.” took the No. 1 position on the Nov. 10 Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, dominating the digital metrics of downloa...
Japan’s Yuzu Set to Drop Two New Albums ‘PEOPLE’ and ‘SEES’ in 2022
J-pop superstars Yuzu told fans during their 2021 Winter Solstice livestream on Wednesday (Dec. 22) that they will be releasing two new studio albums next year. Yuzu had performed a free concert almost every year on the winter solstice ever since their debut in 1997. This year’s livestream from Noevir Stadium Kobe was the first time in four years that Yuujin Kitagawa and Koji Iwasawa put on the free show, and the two delivered an eight-track set full of hits, including “Eikoh no Kakehashi” from 2004. The pair also shared their new promo photo shot on the field of the stadium before the concert. Explore Explore Yuzu See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2022, the hitmakers will release their 16th studio album, PEOPLE, in ...
Japan’s BAND-MAID Talk Connecting With Fans Around the World During COVID & Their New Single ‘Sense’
BAND-MAID released their new single “Sense” on Oct. 27. BAND-MAID, formed in 2013, is a maid-themed hard rock band. Their aggressive sound, a stark contrast to the band’s look, has endeared them to rock and metal fans in Japan and overseas, and their February concert (which they call an “OKYU-JI”) was watched by people in 67 different countries, a new record for the band. Explore Explore BAND-MAID See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In an interview with Billboard Japan, Hideyuki Mori talked with Miku Kobato (guitar/vocals) and Saiki (vocals). The COVID-19 pandemic has put the brakes on many of the band’s activities, but Miku and Saiki shared their feelings about their “Masters and Princesses” (what the band calls their fans) in Japan and abroad. We also ta...
