Billboard Japan Women in Music Maho Korogi/Billboard Japan
Nishina, SCANDAL and Non enhanced the phase at the historical Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall in Tokyo on Nov. 3 for Billboard Japan’s Women In Music Vol.1 occasion, enjoyable followers under the clear fall skies with tracks and efficiencies rupturing with originality.
This show was the initial with numerous headliners on the costs arranged as component of the WIM campaign in Japan, which released in 2015 to recognize musicians, manufacturers and execs that have actually made considerable payments to songs and motivated various other females with their job, as Billboard has actually carried out in the U.S. because 2007.
The Open-Air Concert Hall in Hibiya Park, or “Yaon” as songs fans describe it, is commemorating its 100th wedding anniversary this year. November third being a legal holiday, a multitude of followers of all sexes and generations collected at the occasion. The spirit of the day’s celebrations was shared in the songs being played prior to the show started, with tracks by Western women musicians such as Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!,” and Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” heating up the Yaon group.
After the master of events for the night, Maki Fukuda and Kanade of the funny triad 3 Ji no Heroine, introduced the begin of the occasion, Nishina began the program. Appearing onstage to cozy praise, the increasing 25-year-old singer-songwriter and her band got into sound to carry out “Slow Motion.” The leisurely, yet significantly extreme performance was a suitable opener for her six-song collection, progressively heating up the target market with her pep.
Nishina
“This is my first time playing at Yaon so I’ve been looking so forward to this,” Nishina informed the group prior to carrying on to “Tokyo Marble.” Bubble weapon in hand, she blew soap bubbles right into the target market while jumping from one end of the phase to the various other, plainly appreciating her time on the historical phase to her heart’s material.
During “Kedamono no Friends,” the vocalist twirled her phony tail around in her hand, freely dance and vocal singing as the target market slapped with the beat. There was a minute when she practically stumbled and dropped due to the fact that she was walking around a lot onstage. Laughing, she said loudly, “Did you see that? What an amazing recovery!” Making the target market really feel secure with such exchanges, she took place to carry out “Sugar Spot” for the very first time live. By the moment she did “Heavy Smoke,” sunset had actually tipped over the outside location and her reduced, mumbly vocals remained in the awesome fall air. Nishina shut her established with a wholehearted efficiency of her touching ballad “seiran yuei,” making great on her substantial duty of opening up the first-ever WIM occasion.
During the phase adjustment, Fukuda and Kanade showed up onstage and discussed the objective of the occasion. “We’d like everyone to feel the power of women and diverse possibilities through these live performances that are uniquely individual,” they claimed. “The concept of this project is to act towards eliminating gender inequalities in various industries including music, and make the world a place where people of all genders can be their best selves.” The 2 comics mosted likely to share that even more individuals are bringing their kids backstage nowadays in their area, and brand-new worths are ending up being much more usual.
At this factor, Nishina returned onstage to sign up with both hosts and commented, “It’s now pitch dark, but we started while the sun was still out. I was thinking how beautiful it was and had a really lovely time.” When asked if she understands her sex when creating tracks, she responded, “I don’t think too much about it, but I try to respect that ‘you are you’ in terms of taking care of myself and respecting others.”
Non
The following musician on the lineup was Non, whose most recent cd GO AFTER was called to mirror the type of lady she respects: a person that seeks what she desires and perseveres throughout. Appearing onstage with her support band worn intense red, the multi-hyphenate musician grabbed her hallmark red Telecaster guitar and opened up with “Beautiful Stars,” her collective job with J-pop rock band ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION.
“I’m so excited because I’m sandwiched between two insanely cool acts, Nishina and SCANDAL,” she kept in mind prior to executing her following tune, “Oh! Oh! Oh!” as the group sang along. She after that informed every person to “take a seat because this next one’s mellow” and as the introduction to “Kouya ni tatsu” (“Standing in the Wilderness”) started to play, the group mixed and burst out right into loud praise. Fans paid attention spellbinded by Non’s apprehending efficiency of this extensive ballad.
Before shutting her portable yet gratifying established with her cozy, mid-tempo number “Azayaka na hibi” (“Vivid Days”), she resolved the Yaon group once again. “It’s my first time performing in an event like this as part of three acts on the bill,” she claimed. “I think it’s wonderful that we can all enjoy music together. My heart’s so full. I wish you all many wonderful days today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and beyond.”
When welcomed back onstage by Fukuda and Kanade for a conversation after her sector, Non highlighted once again just how much she had actually been expecting now. “I was so happy to be able to play with my band today, because I was disappointed when our show here with Reichi ‘Chabo’ Nakaido’s band was cancelled due to a typhoon,” she claimed.
RUMOR
Closing out the occasion was detraction, an expert all-female band of 17 years. The 4 participants were welcomed with loud joys after it was introduced that the team had actually been licensed by the Guinness World Records in August as the “longest running rock band with the same musicians (female).” Clad in black, the participants opened their established with the band’s uplifting most recent solitary, “Highlight no naka de bokura zutto.”
As searchlights blinked throughout the location, the band took place to carry out among its depictive numbers, “Shunkan Sentimental,” with the target market automatically yelling as quickly as the introduction started. The 4 females’s strong efficiency swallowed up the historical location in a craze of exhilaration.
The experienced band remained to provide a limited collection covering highlights from its renowned brochure. “I’m having so much fun now that I’m in my thirties and playing in SCANDAL,” claimed guitarist/vocalist HARUNA to roaring praise. “I hope you can feel the four of us standing on stage and connecting our sounds together, like light.”
The females done “Sisters” as a revitalizing shout-out to the night’s motif, after that completed their established with their show anthem “SCANDAL BABY,” happily vocal singing together. During the 2nd knowledgeable, lead guitar player MAMI and bassist TOMOMI gathered near HARUNA, making eye call with drummer RINA as they tore with the follower favored to liquidate the occasion on a high note.
During the after-show conversation, RINA claimed, “Now that events like this are taking place, I think we have more opportunities to understand one another. Our hope is that we can all live together while respecting what each of us values. I hope we can enjoy our lives together without giving up anything.” When inquired about their ideas on remaining to carry out as a “girl band,” HARUNA responded, “We feel that it’s important for us four members to be considerate of each other and to enjoy the changes as we get older, so we hope to never forget that and enjoy our time together.”
Nishina and Non were additionally welcomed to share their impacts of the occasion, and the previous commented, “I had a great time performing side by side with very cool female musicians from different genres,” while the last shared, “I really enjoyed being here today, listening to Nishina and SCANDAL’s live performances thinking they were so cool and had a good time performing, too!”
The event of females will certainly proceed as Billboard Japan introduced its Women In Music Vol. 2 occasion established for Feb. 8, 2024, at Tokyo Dome City Hall. The following show will certainly include the effective voices of singer-songwriters Reo Ieiri and Miliyah Kato teaming up with a band.
—This write-up by Takayuki Okamoto initially showed up on Billboard Japan
