ZEROTOKYO, an entertainment mecca known for heating up Tokyo nights, is teaming up with ASOBISYSTEM to create an exciting new party! ASOBIZA, named after the origin of Kabukicho, will be held on April 28.   The lineup includes music artists as well as charismatic figures at the top of their fields in fashion, beauty, and art. Transcending musical genres and generations, this night will embody ZEROTOKYO's concept of being a true “Entertainment Junction.”   Additional performers may be announced in the future.

The Tokyo-based girl artists and creators' collective bala has released the music video for its first single barla, released on March 8. The song was produced by Shinichi Osawa (Mondo Grosso) and written by Kenmochi Hidefumi (Wednesday Campanella).   Music Video

  The music video fuses the virtual and real balallel world’ multiverse and includes futuristic footage using 3D scan data of bala members, surrealistic dance scenes, and street-style location shots. Fans can also spot BI, an adorable avatar character created by bala member KANO.   Directed by YUKARI of the digital creative crew OFBYFOR TOKYO, the music video is already making a major splash. “This video packs in the charm of each individual bala member and is filled with cuteness, maturity, and retro-pop style,” said YUKARI.   bala put the unique ‘balallel world’ on display during αU spring week 2023. The event was held from March 8 to 12 to celebrate KDDI's αU, a new Web3 metaverse platform. An exhibition was held inside the aU apartment within Hz-Shibuya, a photo-realistic 3D experience set in virtual Shibuya. The girls appeared virtually during their αU Live, giving a special performance with their character avatars in the metaverse, allowing fans to gather and chat with one another. On March 12, the last day of the event, a real live event titled ‘bala presents balalell-party’ was held at Hz-Shibuya. The group has impressed audiences by moving back and forth seamlessly between the real and virtual worlds.   A video of bala’s special live performance in the αU metaverse is now available on bala's official YouTube channel. In addition, the bala exhibition featuring photos of the members is still available to view inside the αU metaverse through March 31.   「balallel-meta-Party Ver2.0＠αU metaverse」

The Tokyo-based girl artists and creators' collective bala has finally launched for real! The group will release its first single barla on March 8.   bala consists of MANON, SUNNY ONLY 1, DAN, and KANO, each with their own global background. The project aims to resonate with Gen Z youth culture and to be a collective of artists that connects hybrid Japanese pop culture with audiences around the world.   The debut song barla was produced by Shinichi Osawa, who has numerous hits under the name Mondo Grosso. It was co-written by Kenmochi Hidefumi from Wednesday Campanella. With Y2K culture making a comeback around the world, the track features the house sound popular in the late 90s which is showing signs of becoming the next musical trend yet again. The groovy dance tune is a perfect theme song for these girls who will lead the next generation of pop culture.   <Comment from Shinichi Osawa> “I’m honored to be involved in bala’s debut. The members are super unique, and collaborating with Kenmochi-san for the first time was a dream come true.”   <Comment from Kenmochi Hidefumi> “I’m happy to be able to work with the members of bala and Shinichi Osawa. Everyone is so uniquely talented, and this song is filled with everyone's energy and excitement inspired by their long-awaited debut!”  

The Metaverse Music Festival, a virtual event organized by the global Web3 platform Decentraland, took place starting on November 10, 2022, featuring a number of Japanese artists.    FRUITS ZIPPER was one of the performing acts, appearing on the MetaTokyo stage on November 11 and November 12.According to data from MetaTokyo, a total of 20,000 viewers from 101 countries around the world watched the performances, including those from the United States, Canada, Japan, Spain, Germany, and Brazil.This spring, the idol group FRUITS ZIPPER released the track Watashino Ichiban Kawaiitokoro, which racked up over 600 million views on TikTok. The music video has amassed over 5.5 million views on YouTube, and despite having just debuted, the girls performed at all major idol festivals over the summer.   In November, the group’s second solo concert at Shibuya WWW X was a major success. In February 2023, the girls will begin the FRUITS ZIPPER 1st LIVE TOUR 2023 WINTER scheduled to conclude at LINE CUBE SHIBUYA on February 12. The group will also perform at a New Year’s Eve event in Tainan, Taiwan. Keep an eye out for them in 2023!

FRUITS ZIPPER, an up-and-coming idol group from ASOBISYSTEM’s KAWAII LAB project, has a simple concept: “From Harajuku to the World.” For the past year, the girls have been transmitting what they call ‘NEW KAWAII’ from Harajuku, an area known for fashion and individuality, to their growing fanbase.   Recently, we sat down with the members to chat about their first year as idols since debuting in April 2022.   ーWhat has the past year been like as members of FRUITS ZIPPER?   Manaka Mana“The past year has been a year of love. I’ve learned so much about myself and see my own weaknesses more than I ever have before!I've been able to encounter emotions I wasn't even aware that I could, and I've even been able to recognize and verbalize a lot of new dreams and goals for the future!Thank you so much!”Noel Hayase“The past year has been the most packed year of my life. There was something to do every single day–it was so hectic and so fun! I could only think about how thankful I was to be part of FRUITS ZIPPER. I’m sure that we’ve all become stronger over the past year, and I want to keep working hard and expanding our activities more in the coming years!”   Amane Tsukiashi“Every day seemed to fly by. I met and talked with so many people, and I was finally able to do the job I had always dreamed of doing.”ーYou performed in Thailand this year, highlighting your slogan of 'From Harajuku to the World.' Can you tell us any fun stories from that time?   Yui Sakurai“I was so happy to see how many people knew about FRUITS ZIPPER–it was more than I could have ever imagined! So many fans told me how happy they were to meet me and it made me so thrilled!There were some fans who came from Japan too, and they joined the Thai fans to become Team Yui! I really felt like we had shared Harajuku with the world at that moment. ♡I hope that we’ll keep expanding this way and visiting fans around the world. It was such a warm and special day.”Luna Nakagawa“This was my first time performing overseas and I was nervous about how the audience would react. We weren’t well-known in Thailand, after all–but when we started singing Watashino Ichiban Kawaiitokoro, everyone sang along!The concert was so warm and the fans were so sweet, I immediately forgot that it was my first big overseas performance. I was full of adrenaline and it just turned out to be so much fun.That concert is still my best memory. I can't wait to go back to Thailand to perform again.Since our motto is ‘From Harajuku to the World,’ I hope that we can keep expanding to other countries soon!”ーDo you have any goals for the next year in terms of overseas activities?   Suzuka Chinzei“I want to do a European tour!I’m still studying German, but I’d love to try out my communication skills! 🥺 (I guess I could do that here too, but…)”Karen Matsumoto“I want to be friends with more overseas fans! 💖Honestly, I’d love to become like Kyary, an idol who is now recognized all over the world!”ーGive a message to your fans both in Japan and abroad!   Manaka Mana“In 2023, I hope that I can spend more time with fans from around the world in person! I want to become stronger and care for those important to me while growing my natural gifts!I hope you’re all looking forwards to a powered-up FRUITS ZIPPER!Let’s make 2023 a great one!" 🤍Noel Hayase“Even though we’ve only just debuted, we’ve already been so blessed, invited to perform in Thailand and to spend New Year’s Eve in Taiwan. How have we been abroad so many times already? I want to keep the momentum going, spread my wings and aim for an even bigger stage! To all the international fans, just wait! We’ll keep bringing Harajuku to the rest of the world!”

Popular dance and vocal unit Atarashii Gakko! performed at the Head in the Clouds music festival on December 3 in Jakarta, Indonesia, and December 8 in Manila, Philippines. Local fans showed up in droves for the incredible show.   The Head in the Clouds music festival is organized by the record label 88Rising, and the event took place in Los Angeles in August. The label is known for representing Asian artists, with YOASOBI also appearing at the two shows in Jakarta and Manila.The Jakarta show was attended by around 20,000 people, making it as large as the United States show. The members of Atarashii Gakko!, with their addictive energy and impressive talent, quickly became a talking point among fans not only in the audience but around the world.   In addition to the recent shows in Jakarta and Manila, Atarashii Gakko! recently embarked on a five-show US tour, including a solo performance at the Crunchyroll Expo in San Diego in July. Keep an eye out for what these girls will do next!Photo: Lindsey Blane