LiSA
Courtesy of Billboard JapanLiSA’s “Akeboshi” (“Morning Star”), her new opener for the latest story arc of the popular anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, blasts into No. 1 on the latest Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Oct. 18 to 24.
“Akeboshi” was released digitally on Oct. 18 and racked up 71,182 first-week downloads to rule the metric this week. The track also came in at No. 6 for radio airplay and No. 19 for streaming and Twitter mentions, accumulating enough points to hold STU48’s new release at bay. The veteran anime singer is set to drop the CD version of “Akeboshi” coupled with “Shirogane” -- the ending theme of the same anime -- as a double-A-side track on Nov. 17, which will probably keep the momentum going for the “Homura” hitmaker.
STU48’s seventh single “Hetaretachiyo” launches at No. 2. The girl group’s new CD sold 235,157 copies to hit No. 1 for the physical sales metric this week, but the track didn’t perform as well as needed in the other metrics of the chart’s methodology and was unable to overtake LiSA’s new release. “Hetaretachiyo” sold about 40,000 more copies than the group’s previous single called “Hitorigoto de kataru kurainara” (194,207 copies).
Gen Hoshino’s “Cube,” the theme of the Japanese remake of the movie by the same name, debuts at No. 4. The “Fushigi” singer-songwriter’s latest single was digitally released on Oct. 18 and scored 17,558 downloads to hit No. 2 for the metric. The track ruled radio and also came in at No. 14 for Twitter and No. 42 for video views.
The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, Twitter mentions, YouTube and GYAO! video views, Gracenote look-ups and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, dated Oct. 18 to 24, here.
KATSEYE have officially begun a fresh chapter with the announcement of their forthcoming single, Pinky Up.
The K-pop girl group sparked curiosity online after sharing a string of mysterious posts that quickly had fans trying to piece together the clues.
The first teaser, posted on March 30, featured the Mona Lisa gently raising a hot cup of tea with her pinky finger lifted. The next video, uploaded the next day, showed an arcade claw machine labeled with the group’s name pulling a sword from a mix of sparkling plush toys and a single teacup. Making things even more intriguing, the caption stated: “We’re screaming from cloud nine!!”
Their third update finally revealed the song title along with its cover art. The image showed a figure kneeling on a rug next to a teacup and a toy cat, while the title appeared in bright hot pink text across the visual. The group also confirmed the release date as April 9.
Pinky Up will arrive just one day before KATSEYE appear at Coachella on April 10, which will mark their first time performing at the famous festival.
The single also marks their first comeback since HYBE and Geffen confirmed that member Manon Bannerman would be stepping away for a period of time to prioritize her “health and well being.”
In a message posted on Weverse, they shared: "Hello. After open and thoughtful conversations together, we are sharing that Manon will be taking a temporary hiatus from group activities to focus on her health and wellbeing."
The group expressed that they “fully support this decision,” and added: “KATSEYE remains committed to showing up for one another and for the fans who mean everything to us. We look forward to being together again when the time is right.”
While she is away, the group will continue promotions with Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza and Yoonchae Jeung.
They closed their message by saying: “Thank you to our EYEKONS for your continued love, patience, and understanding.”
