Little Glee Monster is a J-pop vocal group that made its major-label debut in 2014. The five-member woman group has since steadily gained mainstream traction, showing within the prestigious annual year-end Kohaku Uta Gassen music program for the primary time in 2017, promoting out its first area live shows in Yokohama and Osaka earlier this yr, and efficiently wrapping up its first headlining Asia tour this summer season.
Little Glee Monster might be one of many featured acts within the second NOW PLAYING JAPAN dwell occasion scheduled for Oct. 30 at Shinkiba Studio Coast in Tokyo, Japan. The NOW PLAYING JAPAN challenge organized by Billboard Japan, Space Shower TV, and 11 home streaming providers goals to encourage listeners to take part in creating new music developments.
The means folks take heed to music has modified dramatically in recent times. Members manaka (17), Serina (20), Karen (20), MAYU (18), and Asahi (19) spoke with Billboard Japan about how they devour music and their ideas on the probabilities of streaming after interacting with followers outdoors of Japan throughout their latest Asia trek.
You’ll be performing within the NOW PLAYING JAPAN LIVE vol. 2 music occasion in October. This occasion is the end result of a challenge launched by Billboard Japan, Space Shower TV, and home streaming providers with a deal with what defines successful track when there are such a lot of methods to devour music, together with CDs, downloading, and streaming. Do you employ streaming providers?
manaka: I do. I did use to purchase and take heed to CDs extra actually because I felt fairly strongly about eager to personal CDs relatively than simply having the music in knowledge kind. But after I started streaming music after realizing that it is perhaps extra handy, I discovered that it actually was! When I used to purchase CDs, I’d must go to a CD store, come dwelling and activate my pc and rip the music in order that I can take heed to a sure track. And even in any case that bother, there have been albums that I by no means completed listening to. But with streaming, I can take heed to one thing instantly when it catches my curiosity, and as many instances as I need so I can determine whether or not to purchase the CD. It’s so handy. So now, I stream music to determine what CDs to purchase subsequent.
Serina: Like manaka, I additionally search for music that I did not learn about by streaming and purchase the CD if I prefer it. I additionally like comparatively outdated music, and revel in listening to vinyl at dwelling, so I additionally generally purchase vinyl information by artists that I found by streaming.
Karen: I additionally stream music however take heed to CDs extra usually. I take the CDs that I both purchased or acquired from different artists that we carried out with and rip them to a pc. I’ve at all times wished to personal CDs of my favourite artists, so I make an effort to purchase them, even when the songs can be found by streaming.
MAYU: Like Karen, I additionally used to repeat songs to a pc to take heed to them, however I’m not superb with computer systems so my father used to do it for me. But now, I haven’t got the time to return to my mother and father’ place to ask him, so I’ve been downloading new songs that I wish to take heed to. I additionally try songs on YouTube.
Asahi: I started streaming music after manaka launched me to it. You can hear so many songs that means, and there are quite a few playlists for every artist, so it is actually enjoyable when you begin utilizing it.
When do you take heed to music?
Serina: On my means dwelling from work. I additionally generally take heed to CDs and vinyl at dwelling.
Karen: I additionally hear when I’m on my means someplace, in addition to stream music at dwelling.
manaka: I do not sit all the way down to take heed to music a lot at dwelling. I usually hear on my approach to and from work. In truth, I just about at all times take heed to music when I’m on my means someplace.
MAYU: I’m the opposite means round and hear much more at dwelling. I can do home tasks whereas listening to music so I usually play it whereas doing one thing else. I really feel extra motivated with music on, and it helps me get extra work performed.
Asahi: I take heed to music lots whereas I’m taking a shower. I do not get spooked with my eyes closed when there’s music enjoying. (Laughs)
In July, you carried out in Taiwan and Hong Kong as a part of your first Asia tour. Did you are feeling any variations between these reveals and those in Japan?
Karen: I believe it was somebody from Taiwan, however somebody instructed us throughout an interview after our present that they beloved Little Glee Monster most on the earth. We realized that so many individuals in Asian international locations outdoors of Japan knew about us, which made us so completely happy. We sang one track within the native language in each Taiwan and Hong Kong, however the remainder of the set was in Japanese, and but everybody sang alongside.
Serina: When we did “Sukida” particularly, everybody actually sang together with us, did not they?
Asahi: Yeah. And it was placing how so many individuals have been attempting their greatest to catch the Japanese lyrics.
Serina: More and extra international folks have been coming to our reveals in Japan just lately. The different day, I observed a foreign-looking individual at an occasion, and I figured perhaps he was born and raised in Japan, however it turned out he got here all the best way from his dwelling nation to see us. What’s extra, I used to be actually shocked to seek out out that this individual had come to our Taiwan and Hong Kong reveals together with his girlfriend. I by no means obtained an opportunity to ask him how he discovered about us, however perhaps he found us by streaming, like how we discover international artists we did not learn about that means. I believe it would be nice if this type of community retains rising.
manaka: I agree. It’s superb how one can join with folks from everywhere in the world by streaming. You discover out about international artists that you simply did not learn about. I like making playlists and trying out different folks’s as nicely, and with streaming, you may take heed to playlists by folks from different international locations. Being in a position to take heed to playlists by folks from international locations that I’ve by no means been to is likely one of the superior issues about streaming.
