ONE OK ROCK's 'Wherever you are' has charted for 228 weeks on the Billboard JAPAN Hot 100 — roughly 4.5 years. Originally a deep cut from their 2010 album, the ballad became Japan's most beloved wedding song after a TV commercial boosted its popularity. With 400M+ streams and 536 consecutive weeks in the streaming top 300, it's an extraordinary long-hit story. What's your favorite ONE OK ROCK song?
Storm Labels, the music arm of STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, opened its first official online store on April 1, 2026, with international shipping and support for 5 languages. Over 700 titles from Arashi, SUPER EIGHT, Hey! Say! JUMP and others are available, a shift for overseas fans who previously relied on proxy services.
In 2026, Fujii Kaze and Creepy Nuts play Coachella, YOASOBI and Ado join Lollapalooza, and the first-ever Zipangu festival in LA showcases Ado, HANA, CHANMINA, and 10-FEET. A deep dive into how Japanese music is making its biggest mark yet on the American festival scene.
Japan-born global group XG will perform at 88rising's Head in the Clouds 2026 festival on August 8 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on a bill headlined by KATSEYE. The lineup includes Rich Brian, UMI, and more. We cover ticket details, 88rising's role in elevating Asian artists, and the festival's first-ever Japan edition at Makuhari Messe.
KAT-TUN surprise-released all 312 songs on streaming platforms on their 20th debut anniversary, March 22, 2026. From 'Real Face' to their final album 'Fantasia,' every single and album is now available worldwide — a major milestone in the former Johnny's (STARTO) streaming revolution.
Ado debuted her new song 'Ai Ai A' on YouTube's THE FIRST TAKE on March 16, 2026, with a simultaneous surprise digital release. Written by renowned Vocaloid producer Kikuo, the chaotic carnival-like track features backup vocals from Phantom Siita, the idol group Ado herself produces. With a world tour of 500,000+ fans and a sold-out stadium show ahead, Ado continues her global dominance.
BABYMETAL's historic sold-out show at LA's Intuit Dome — the first solo performance by a Japanese artist at the venue — is coming to Blu-ray and DVD on June 17, 2026. Featuring 15 tracks including surprise guest Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox and a spectacular center-stage production. Pre-order details and THE ONE exclusive edition info included.
Music Natalie published an in-depth feature on Yorushika's latest work 'Second Person.' Composer n-buna discusses the creative vision behind a 32-envelope epistolary novel paired with a 22-track digital album, while vocalist suis shares her thoughts via a mail interview. With 4.8 million monthly Spotify listeners worldwide, discover why this literary-musical fusion is captivating fans across the globe.
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.
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.
On February 28, 2026, Ado released "Vivarium," her first live-action music video, showing her profile and eyes for the first time. The song ties in with the autobiographical novel Vivarium: Ado to Watashi, written by Narumi Komatsu and published by Bungeishunju on February 26. Here is who made the roughly 300-cut video, what she said in her Billboard JAPAN interview, and how her two Nissan Stadium nights and the Zipangu festival in Los Angeles went.
XG announced that their second world tour "XG WORLD TOUR: THE CORE" will continue as scheduled despite the arrest of producer JAKOPS (SIMON). After careful deliberation, the seven members are going ahead with the remaining Japan shows in March and April, plus legs in Asia, North America, Europe, Australia, and Latin America. Full tour dates, ticket refund details, and how fans are rallying behind XG.
Arashi leader Ohno Satoshi announced his departure from STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, effective May 31, 2026, the date of Arashi's final concert at Tokyo Dome. After 32 years with the agency and years of quiet life in Okinawa, Ohno pledged to "run through it as five" until the very end. He becomes the third member to leave individually, following Ninomiya Kazunari and Matsumoto Jun.
