Actor Takuma Usa will appear in the dance stage show BREAK FREE STARS at IHI Stage Around Tokyo starting October 23.

The show is an original work based on the non-verbal dance work BREAK FREE by Go Ueki, the first Japanese creator to win the Asian Arts Award for Best Performance at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world’s largest theater festival, in 2018. Shinjirou Kameda and Takahito Onishi wrote the adaptation for the stage.

The high-energy dance show takes place in a city where hip-hop is banned and focuses on the conflict between hip-hop stars and prison guards. It promises to make full use of video and lighting to bring the story to life.

<Summary>

New City is a metropolis full of people from all walks of life. In this incredible place, you can have it all. There’s one thing you can’t have, however–freedom. Young people gather at the club ‘BREAK FREE,’ a sacred space for hip-hop lovers, to search for peace of mind and a bit of freedom that no one can take away.

However…

The government announces the Hip-Hop Prohibition, taking away these young people’s freedom. BREAK FREE’s hip-hop stars are thrown into jail and dubbed dangerous criminals.

Hip-hop is not a crime. In order to take back their freedom and protect their music, the jailed stars must fight back against an overwhelmingly powerful force.

On January 25, 2023, XG returned with their third single SHOOTING STAR.

The music video for the new track has racked up over 13 million views in its first two weeks of release. SHOOTING STAR has ranked in the top spot in 25 countries and regions, including the U.K., Canada, and Japan. The song ranked #3 in the United States and took the #1 spot in the worldwide music video ranking.

Following this incredible success, the group has released the performance video for SHOOTING STAR on their official YouTube channel. While the previous performance video for MASCARA was shot in an abandoned factory, the new video for SHOOTING STAR was shot on a stage surrounded by twinkling lights and a ceiling like a starry sky. Given the song’s title and message, it’s extremely fitting.

SHOOTING STAR – XG (Performance Video)

XG has appeared on KBS 2TV’s Music Bank, MBC’s Show! Music Core, SBS’s INKIGAYO, Mnet’s M COUNTDOWN, Arirang TV’s SIMPLY K-POP, MBC M’s SHOW CHAMPION, and other popular Korean music TV programs.

The group has branched out of Korea in a big way, also appearing in interviews on popular American radio stations like iHeartRadio and WiLD 94.9. The girls have also been invited as guests to the American YouTube channel REACT, which has over 20 million subscribers. They’ve also appeared in the Hindustan Times, a major Indian newspaper, and NYLON Manila in the Philippines.

You’ll want to keep an eye on these rising stars in 2023!

Mediabase Top 40 Radio Airplay Chart
http://www.mediabase.com/mmrweb/fmqb/charts.asp?SHOWYEAR=N

On January 25, 2023, XG returned with their third single SHOOTING STAR.

The music video for the new track has racked up over 13 million views in its first two weeks of release. SHOOTING STAR has ranked in the top spot in 25 countries and regions, including the U.K., Canada, and Japan. The song ranked #3 in the United States and took the #1 spot in the worldwide music video ranking.

Following this incredible success, the group has released the performance video for SHOOTING STAR on their official YouTube channel. While the previous performance video for MASCARA was shot in an abandoned factory, the new video for SHOOTING STAR was shot on a stage surrounded by twinkling lights and a ceiling like a starry sky. Given the song’s title and message, it’s extremely fitting.

SHOOTING STAR – XG (Performance Video)

XG has appeared on KBS 2TV’s Music Bank, MBC’s Show! Music Core, SBS’s INKIGAYO, Mnet’s M COUNTDOWN, Arirang TV’s SIMPLY K-POP, MBC M’s SHOW CHAMPION, and other popular Korean music TV programs.

The group has branched out of Korea in a big way, also appearing in interviews on popular American radio stations like iHeartRadio and WiLD 94.9. The girls have also been invited as guests to the American YouTube channel REACT, which has over 20 million subscribers. They’ve also appeared in the Hindustan Times, a major Indian newspaper, and NYLON Manila in the Philippines.

You’ll want to keep an eye on these rising stars in 2023!

On January 25, the Japanese hip-hop R&B girls’ group XG released the music video for their long-awaited third single SHOOTING STAR. The single is also available now via download and streaming, and fans can also snag a CD Box while supplies last. XG is comprised of seven members–Jurin, Chisa, Hinata, Harvey, Juria, Maya, and Cocona.

SHOOTING STAR features stunning space-inspired visuals and fashion, blending heavy bass and the group’s signature ‘BellSound.’ The stunning harmonies, powerful rap, and delightful vocals stand out, with the lyrics expressing the member’s single-minded desire to strive and grow into world-class artists.

Also included with the new single is the addictive track LEFT RIGHT, featuring a catchy synth loop and trap beat with strong bass and a fine-tuned hi-hat sound. Fans will want to sing around to the rap portion, and the song is filled with positive energy–XG’s signature. The girls don’t let anyone but themselves dictate their actions, always believing in themselves as they move forward.

The two songs settle well into the genres of hip-hop and R&B. The girls want listeners to trust in themselves and become who they want to be.

Alongside the music video, fans can also enjoy the SHOOTING STAR LIVE STAGE, where the girls perform both new songs.

The videos pulled in an incredible amount of attention and commentary from fans around the world.

XG – SHOOTING STAR (Official Music Video)

In the SHOOTING STAR video, the members can be seen in cool over-the-top outfits sharing their music from a place beyond the universe. This high-end, innovative work is unfathomably unique, showing off the youthful power of XG.

Following the group’s first single Tippy Toes and second single MASCARA, the sky’s the limit for this budding girl group. With unbeatable choreography and a signature style, keep an eye on XG in 2023!

Japanese hip-hop R&B girls group XG will release their 3rd single SHOOTING STAR on January 25, 2023. Fans from around the world have also been commenting on the group’s new visual, and expectations are high.

Comments include “They’re so original and so fresh, I can’t wait,” “Full points for the new visual,” “Every one of their songs surpasses my expectations,” “They aren’t K-Pop or J-pop, but something totally different,” “XG is something totally new in this age of girl group wars,” and “the new visual is so avant-garde, I can’t imagine what the song and music video will be like!”

The third single will include two songs for the first time in the group’s history titled SHOOTING STAR and LEFT RIGHT. A CD Box will also be released.

The members of XG have taken to social media for their conceptual content ‘XG Wish Delivery,’ in which the girls become shooting stars and make people’s wishes come true. In addition to this exciting news, the dreamy and unique NEO Romantic visual has been released.

CHISA

COCONA

HARVEY

HINATA

JURIA

JURIN

MAYA

SHOOTING STAR will be released at midnight on January 25, 2023. The accompanying music video will drop at 18:00 JST on the same day.

XG has been taking the world by storm since its debut. The music video for the group’s second single MASCARA has been viewed over 20 million times, and now, the girls have unveiled some new behind-the-scenes content on YouTube. The XG fan club, ALPHAZ, has also been opened.

The newly-released XTRA XG #1 video shows footage of the girls prepping for their live show, behind-the-scenes footage of the newly released MASCARA performance video, and a surprise birthday celebration for Hinata. Check it out below!

XTRA XG #1 (Behind the Scenes of Live Stage & Performance Video/ Hinata’s Birthday Surprise)

Compared with many other behind-the-scenes videos, this footage shows more real moments, including conversations and honest expressions that make the audience feel as though they were really there. As the title suggests, this special video will allow you to learn more about XG.

The group’s fan club app, ALPHAZ, opened on August 5, 2022. This contains tons of exclusive content, from daily member blogs to special videos. The members will occasionally pop up in the community room too, so be sure to download the app and check it out if you like the group!

Calling all dancers! Starting August 5, Adobe began the Adobe DANCE VIDEO FES, which is accepting dance video submissions until August 31, 2022. Those wanting to participate will be dancing to one of four songs by a few very unique artists: Dodonpa by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Emome no Natsu by Lucky Kilimanjaro, STARLIGHT by iri, and WOO! GO! by Atarashii Gakko! The campaign challenges contestants to create a dance video in which they show off their original dance moves to the song of their choice. These videos can be easily edited using Adobe Premiere Rush, a piece of software that can also be installed on smartphones.

If you’re not incredibly confident in your dance moves, don’t worry. Rather than contestants being judged on their technical or editing skills, dancers will be evaluated on the amount of fun they have! The event is meant to emulate the excitement of a summer festival, so both beginners and pros are invited to participate. Just record your dance and upload it to YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok with the designated hashtag.

If the video you upload is selected by one of the participating artists, it will be featured in the official campaign dance video. Creators will also have the opportunity to appear in the artists’ live performances and dance videos in the future.

In addition, a total of 22 entrants will be selected by drawing to receive Sennheiser wireless headphones, a 12-month Adobe Creative Cloud Complete Plan, a pair of tickets to the D.LEAGUE 22-23 season opener, or an Amazon gift certificate worth ¥30,000.

Comments from Participating Artists

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu: “Dodonpa is a song that’s perfect for all kinds of dances, so I hope that you’ll dance in your own special way! I’m hoping I can find an amazing dancer to perform with me at my Budokan show on October 19, so I’m looking forward to hearing from you!”

Lucky Kilimanjaro: “Our band’s concept is to surprise the world every day, so we were so honored that our song was chosen!
We hope you’ll express yourself and show us your unique dances!”

iri: “My new song STARLIGHT is a difficult song to choreograph, so I’m really looking forward to seeing the dances you come with!”

Atarashii Gakko!: “We’re happy to announce that our song WOO! GO! has been chosen as a track for Adobe DANCE VIDEO FES! I hope you can add some really cool edits to your videos so that they reach the largest amount of people! Whoever submits the most impressive video will get to appear in an official dance video. We’re waiting to see your dances!”

Enter this contest with the same energy as if you were participating in a summer festival!

Japanese hip-hop R&B girls group XG released their second single MASCARA on June 29, 2022. In only a few short weeks, the track has made big waves around the world.

MASCARA managed to reach #1 on the iTunes Song Chart (Alternative) in 17 countries. It also reached #25 on the WorldWide iTunes Song Chart, which combines results from 175 countries around the world. On the Billboard JAPAN HOT 100 chart for July 6, MASCARA ranked 48th. The CD Box was sold out within one week of its release.

Since the song’s release, the group has appeared on a series of popular Korean music shows such as Mnet’s MCOUNTDOWN, KBS 2TV’s MUSIC BANK, and MBC’s Show! Music Core. XG’s performance on MCOUNTDOWN on June 30 has already been watched over 1.39 million times, while their performance video from SBS’s THE SHOW on July 5 ranked first in Japan on YouTube’s fastest-rising ranking. The girls have an incredibly strong stage presence and are scheduled to appear on five music programs in a row going forward. This is unprecedented for a Japanese girl’s group. 

Fans of the group have been posting dancing videos on TikTok and YouTube since the song was released, and many posts describe the choreography during the chorus as the ‘shuriken dance.’ 

On July 11, a making-of video from the set of the MASCARA visual was released on YouTube, showing off the girl’s individual personalities. 

XG – MASCARA (Photoshoot | Behind The Scenes)

XG – MASCARA (Official Music Video)

With tons of new content incoming and tons of popularity already growing worldwide, expectations are high going forward, so keep an eye on XG!

Japanese hip-hop R&B girls group XG released their second single MASCARA on June 29, 2022. Since then, the group has appeared on a series of popular Korean music shows such as Mnet’s MCOUNTDOWN, KBS 2TV’s MUSIC BANK, and MBC’s Show! Music Core. On July 4, XG revealed a special choreography video for the track on YouTube. 

MASCARA – XG (Choreography Video)

Fans of the group have been posting dancing videos on TikTok and YouTube since the song was released, and many posts describe the choreography during the chorus as the ‘shuriken dance.’ The choreography video shows off the member’s slick moves and fashion, and we doubt you’ll be able to watch it just once.

The original MASCARA music video surpassed 4 million views within four days of its release. Additional videos on the girl’s YouTube channel continue to rank in the YouTube Fastest Rising Ranking for music simultaneously. The group is seeing a massive influx of followers on social media and their momentum seems unstoppable!

XG also appeared on the Korean music program THE SHOW on SBS on July 5. Expectations are high going forward, so keep an eye on XG!

ULTRA JAPAN 2022 will be held at TOKYO ODAIBA ULTRA PARK II in Tokyo on September 17 and 18, 2022!

ULTRA JAPAN is the Japanese version of ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL (UMF), one of the world’s largest urban dance music festivals held yearly in Miami since 1999. This year marks the 7th event in Japan, and the festival has been held in over 21 countries around the world. In 2016 and 2017, it was named the #1 festival in the world in a fan poll by DJ MAG. 

ULTRA JAPAN has become a staple of the dance music community in Japan, attracting over 530,000 people since it was first held in 2014. The festival has been number one in terms of attendance among all dance music festivals held in Japan, bringing together some of the world’s best DJs and delighting fans with intense special effects. The festival is only 15 minutes from Shibuya!

Stay tuned for more information about the artist lineup for ULTRA JAPAN!

Every year, Disneyland puts on a show where everyone gets soaked. This year’s show features Nick and Judy from Zootopia. With Cinderella’s Castle as the main stage, large quantities of water is sprayed everywhere. I headed over to check out the commotion as soon as possible with Instagrammer Kanako.

This summer, the event Judy and Nick’s Jumpin’ Splash is taking place four times every day. It is possible to apply to experience the fun at the centre stage area close to the castle, however, winners are chosen at random. You can apply for all of the showings except the first one of the day. You can apply by smartphone app or by heading to Tomorrowland Hall. 

If I still haven’t made myself clear, the central viewing area will be splashed with lots of water, so if you are going to take part, make sure you wear a raincoat. You can buy one from the shops when you get to Disneyland. 

While the movie’s theme song “Try Everything” plays, Judy and Nick take to the stage and dance. 

Just when everyone gets into the dancing…

Everyone gets soaked by water that surges out from Cinderella’s Castle! We were carelessly standing right in the middle of the danger zone so we were mercilessly drenched. I recommend you keep clear of the centre of the area and wear your raincoat as tight as you can!

For the latter half of the show, the dancers grabbed hoses and continued to drench us. Everything was happening in the moment. It was all an exciting blur that was over in what felt like seconds. 

This show showered away the summer heat within seconds. You can enjoy getting soaked in the centre of the action or watch other people getting soaked from a safe distance. There are only three chances to take part each day. This is a limited chance to make extra special memories, so please apply!

It’s not as bad as it seems. If you wear your raincoat properly, your clothes will not get wet, so there is no need to worry about ruining your glamorous look if that is the reason you don’t want to take part. 

Plunge straight into the summer fun at Tokyo Disneyland!

© Disney

TEMPURA KIDZ, the dance and vocal unit who’d have anyone’s eyes glued to them, with their colourful outfits and energetic dance moves. Although their members are all teenagers, they all have true and serious experience on stage. I’d like to introduce this 5-member group to you, one who if you’d have the chance to see, you wouldn’t be able to pull your eyes away.

Word spreads even before their debut

Their performances have no boundaries, and their appearance is surreal and comical. The group began their activities in November 2012. Immediately after posting their video “CIDER CIDER” onto YouTube before their debut, it quickly amounted to 40,000 views, a number which continued to rise. As of October 2016, the video has been played more than 1.6 million times, and continues to be recognised worldwide.

Members include NaNaHo, AO, KARIN, YU-KA, and P→★, the only male member in the group. Not only do they dance, they continuously make funny faces throughout, their on-stage fashion is always called cute. They also seem to have a lot of teenage fans from the same generation.

TEMPURA KIDZ: Their career begins

TEMPURA KIDZ are the original, first wave dancers for Harajuku queen Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. They have also performed as back-up dancers for a string of big name artists. They made their major debut on March 6th, 2013 with their single “ONE STEP”. They released their second single “Happy Natsu Matsuri” in July of the same year, and followed that up almost one year later with their third single “LOLLiPOP”. It doesn’t stop there, as on September 16th, 2015 TEMPURA KIDZ finally released their first album, “Tenkomori”.

They began to perform overseas a lot, in places like Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, and Taiwan. You could have call them veteran performers already at this point. The group also have songs where each member performs solo routines. The audience really enjoys their fun and catchy dance moves.

Diverse experience establishes the backbone of their expressive power

TEMPURA KIDZ have come a long way already, having performed at festivals and events both in Japan and abroad, appearing on TV programs, performing in TV commercials, and more. They are also in charge of the choreography for educational programs as well as for a lot of other artists. Moreover, members YU-KA, NaNaHo and AO have begun to use vocals, bringing a whole new dimension to their performances as a group.

Their expressiveness doesn’t stop their however, as TEMPURA KIDZ have collaborated with numerous other artists. Artists such as Sayosaku from MONGOL 800, as well as HIFANA, TeddyLoid, CHI-MEY, ORESKABAND, and YMCK were producers for the group’s first mini-album “Minna no Dance Uta” which was released on March 12th, 2014 and includes arrangements of nostalgic children’s’ songs such as “Computer Obaachan” and “Sakura Sakura”. In the same year, they also released their digital single “Miira Killer” together with electro rap unit Charisma.com.

Their next big step will be their performance at “MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL 2016 in TOKYO” which will be held at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on Saturday November 26th and Sunday November 27th. There will be lots of Harajuku style artists performing there including Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and Natsume Mito. This is most definitely their home ground. There is no doubt they will enchant all with their protean dancing.

And just what will TEMPURA KIDZ bring us next? Anticipation will not die down as they lead Japanese culture and continue to gain international recognition.

Original Text: Noriko Ishimizu

TEMPURA KIDZ Official Website: http://tempurakidz.asobisystem.com/

MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL 2016 in TOKYO: http://fes16.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/

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■Related article：Worldwide famous and popular Japanese artists including Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and CAPSULE to perform at MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL!