STARGLOW — RUI, TAIKI, KANON, GOICHI, and ADAM — has debuted as BMSG's third boy group following BE:FIRST and MAZZEL. Born from SKY-HI's audition project THE LAST PIECE, their pre-debut single hit #7 on Billboard Japan Hot 100. With NME naming them one of 2026's Essential Emerging Artists and a 17-city tour ahead, STARGLOW is poised for global impact.
Kim Mijon, the former HYBE casting director who helped discover BTS and TXT, has launched VIBY — an all-Japanese boys group trained in Korea's K-pop system. Their pre-debut with a Crystal Kay cover marks a new model for global artist development.
Hi-STANDARD's iconic punk rock festival AIR JAM returns on November 7, 2026 at ZOZO Marine Stadium after an 8-year hiatus. Announced in Sendai on the 15th anniversary of the 2011 earthquake, the festival marks the band's triumphant comeback after losing drummer Tsuneoka Akira — with new member ZAX carrying the torch forward.
Before selling out 33 cities worldwide and drawing over 500,000 fans, Ado was a nervous 17-year-old stepping into a recording studio for the first time. Her debut-era cover of EGO-WRAPPIN's jazz classic 'Kuchibashi ni Cherry' has just been released on YouTube — and it reveals the extraordinary talent that was already there before the world knew her name.
SANTOS BRAVOS, HYBE's first Latin boy group, discussed their KAWASAKI remix with Japan-based &TEAM. Explore HYBE's multi-home strategy connecting K-pop, J-pop, and Latin pop across Korea, Japan, the US, and Latin America.
PokeMiku, the Pokémon x Hatsune Miku collaboration, released "Crossroad" by kz and TAKU INOUE on Miku Day, March 9, 2026, with three Nijisanji VTubers on the chorus. Eleven days later, VOLTAGE Live! ran six shows at LaLa arena TOKYO-BAY, drew more than 50,000 people, and performed all 27 originals with a live band.
ARASHI's first new song in 5 years and 5 months, "Five," achieved 3.2 million streams on its release day—the highest first-day record in Oricon history, surpassing BTS. With lyrics echoing their debut single "A・RA・SHI," the track has fans in tears ahead of their farewell 5-dome tour. Here's why Japan's biggest idol group still commands record-breaking devotion.
Tokyo rock trio Mrs. GREEN APPLE made history by debuting at No. 13 on the IFPI Global Artist Chart 2025 — becoming the first Japanese act ever to break into the top 15. Their 10th-anniversary best album "10" also landed at No. 10 on the Global Album Chart, with over 1 million physical copies sold. Find out who they are and why the world is listening.
Number_i's "GOD_i" has crossed 100 million cumulative streams on Billboard JAPAN — their fourth song to hit this milestone. Released digitally in January 2025 and hitting No. 1 on debut, the track by member-producer Yuta Kishi now proves it has lasting power. What does this mean for a group that started with no major label and no traditional industry support?
Sheena Ringo, one of Japan's most revered musicians, has announced a collaboration with Boucheron, the legendary Parisian high jewelry maison. Wearing the iconic Quatre collection as centaurs in the MV for her new song Shihou, she fuses Japanese artistry with French luxury. Here's the full story.
Ado drops her first-ever live-action music video, revealing her face for the first time — and Japan can't stop talking about it. Here's everything international fans need to know about her autobiographical novel "Vivarium," the Billboard JAPAN interview, and what it all means for the anonymous singer who conquered 33 cities worldwide.
