Tag: anime

The Rise of Japanese Pop With Spotify’s Gacha Pop Playlist

August 21, 2024

Just like its fashion and food trends, Japan’s music scene is constantly evolving, all while captivating a growing global audience. From J-Pop (Japanese pop) to J-Rock (Japanese rock), Spotify has enabled Japanese artists to connect with new fans around the world. As part of Spotify’s efforts to help music travel the globe, we launched our Gacha Pop playlist in May 2023. Named after the popular Japanese capsule toy vending machines with their many surprises, Gacha Pop showcases the vast and dynamic world that Japanese pop has to offer.

From rising Japanese singer-songwriter Fujii Kaze to J-Pop newcomer Ado, the playlist features an eclectic range of sounds and artists, including bands, rappers, singer-songwriters, idols, and VTubers (aka virtual YouTubers, online entertainers who use virtual avatars). It also contains anime music and Vocaloid tracks, which are songs created using voice synthesis technology.

A year later, the playlist has amassed more than 380,000 “saves” by Spotify users around the world. In addition to local love from music fans in Japan, Gacha Pop has also found its way to listeners far beyond the geographical borders of the country. Today, it boasts a following in the U.S., Mexico, England, France, and Indonesia, and is especially popular among Gen Z listeners. In honor of its first anniversary, let’s take a look at some of Gacha Pop’s top insights from the past year.

 

 

Japanese music and culture travel far and wide with Gacha Pop. Take VTuber Hoshimachi Suisei, whose song “BIBBIDIBA” has racked up nearly 30 million streams to date after being featured on Gacha Pop earlier this year. For the Record spoke with Hoshimachi about the playlist and its unique appeal.

A week after releasing “BIBBIDIBA,” you graced the cover of Gacha Pop, and the playlist recorded its highest number of streams this year. How does that feel?

That’s wonderful to hear. I created this song hoping that many people would listen to it, and it became a track that reached more listeners than I had expected—like global listeners through Spotify! The power of streaming and playlists is reaching those who don’t know much about me. Gacha Pop is great because it’s like a collection of Japanese pop culture, as the name suggests. Being featured on Gacha Pop was an honor, and I’m genuinely surprised by the scale of the response.

Why do you think your songs appeal to global listeners?

I’m happy that my music resonates with people overseas. I feel like global fans truly appreciate Japanese culture. For example, when I perform overseas, rather than singing in English, I feel that people are happier when I sing in Japanese. It seems like they find Japanese cool, in the same way we might find foreign languages cool in lyrics.

What do you hope to inspire in listeners with your music?

I prioritize making music that I find enjoyable. It makes me happy to see myself enjoying the music I create, and I hope that others can enjoy it together with me. Since my songs mostly reflect my own experiences, I’m glad that listeners can relate to them or simply derive joy from them. I also hope that my music can become a part of everyone’s daily lives.

What’s next for Gacha Pop

Gacha Pop bridges the gap between Japanese pop culture and international listeners, making it an essential playlist for discovering new Japanese music. And we expect it will continue to evolve, reflecting cultural moments and trends to a global audience.

“Gacha Pop is where we turn songs that are gaining momentum into long-term hits,” said Noriko Ashizawa, Spotify Japan’s Head of Music Planning and Operations. “We plan to spotlight up-and-coming artists who are gaining recognition internationally and continue to showcase the diversity of Japanese music. So much to come!”

Stream Gacha Pop to discover the Japanese sounds, styles, and artists making waves today.

Spotify and Crunchyroll Present the Sounds of Anime

August 19, 2024

The world of anime is rapidly expanding, finding fans all over. On Spotify, global streams of anime music have surged by 395% since 2021, and there are 6.7 million user-generated anime playlists—proving that listeners enjoy being fully immersed in the audio of their favorite series and movies. Now, Spotify is teaming up with global anime brand Crunchyroll to bring fans epic listening adventures on a whole other level. 

Within Spotify’s Anime hub, fans will find custom Curated by Crunchyroll playlists including: 

  • Crunchyroll Anime Essentials: A brand-new anime season has arrived on Crunchyroll this summer! Listen along to the music behind the lineup.
  • The Broody Black-Haired MC: Anguished with a tragic past, this character’s demeanor may intimidate some, but deep down they just need a hug.
  • The Bubbly Pink-Haired BFF: Always close at hand when a friend is in need, this character brings light, positivity, and an often underestimated strength.
  • The OP White-Haired Sensei: Underneath their cool, unbothered exterior, this character is an enigma to be unraveled.
  • The Journey Begins: You are the main character of your own story. The fate of the world depends on you … and of course there are side quests.

Crunchyroll will also have a dedicated shelf of content within the hub, including the brand’s recently released podcast Crunchyroll Presents: The Anime Effect, which digs into the latest anime headlines and features guest stars like rapper Denzel Curry and J-Pop icon LiSA.

“We are thrilled to partner with Crunchyroll to bring listeners a new curation of anime music to explore,” shared Kyota Onishi, Head of Music in Japan at Spotify. “On Spotify, global streams of anime have surged over the past few years, and we hope the Anime hub will become an indispensable part of anime culture.”

The Anime hub also includes an editorially curated lineup of playlists like Anime Now, Anime On Replay, and Women of Anime.

If you’re looking to bolster your own playlists with new tracks or artists, take some inspiration from what we’re seeing from listeners on Spotify. When looking at global user-generated anime playlists, top songs added include “紅蓮華” by LiSA, “unravel” by TK from Ling tosite sigure, “ブルーバード” by Ikimonogakari, “Kaikai Kitan” by Eve, and “シルエット” by KANA-BOON. LiSA takes the reign as the top artist added to user-generated anime playlists on Spotify, followed by Linked Horizon, 7 Minutoz, Hiroyuki Sawano, and FLOW, respectively. 

To get started listening, check out the Anime hub here.

High Streams on the High Seas as Spotify Launches the Official ‘One Piece Film: Red’ Playlist

November 17, 2022

Anime fans rejoice! The release of One Piece Film: Red, the 15th film in the massively successful One Piece franchise, has finally made it to North American screens. One Piece is the iconic manga and anime series that has been going strong since the late 1990s. From movies, countless spin-offs, toys, video games, and even live-action series, it is unquestionably an international sensation.

Spotify has done our part to share the love for one of Japan’s largest media exports by launching the official collaboration playlist, ONE PIECE FILM RED, to celebrate the release of the film.

The One Piece series follows Monkey D. Luffy, a young man made of rubber. Inspired by his childhood hero, the pirate Red-Haired Shanks, he sets off on a journey to find the mythical treasure known as the One Piece and proclaim himself the King of the Pirates. Along the way he makes a crew of friends and more than a pirate’s share of enemies. 

Featuring the life and adventures of the world diva Uta, One Piece Film: Red also has a heavy musical component that Spotify Japan was able to highlight with the launch of the film’s official enhanced playlist. In addition to the soundtrack, the playlist features audio liner from Monkey D. Luffy, seven songs sung by the main character Uta (accompanied with 8-second looping videos), and a storyline that shows the link between the film’s song and story. Additionally, Spotify original podcast Spotify ANIZONE discusses the film in special features included in the playlist.

Featuring songs from Ado, BUMP OF CHICKEN, and Avril Lavigne, the playlist received a lot of attention in Japan, but Americans proved to be even hungrier for One Piece content. New Yorkers were hyped to see a billboard at Penn Station ahead of the film’s release, and streams in the playlist have risen  32.7 times in the U.S. as of November 5. 

A photo of a billboard advertising the One Piece Film: Red Spotify playlist outside of Penn Station in New York City

Since its Japanese debut in August, One Piece Film: Red has become the highest-grossing film of the One Piece series and the sixth-highest-grossing anime of all time in the country. North American audiences were similarly wild for the movie upon its release from the anime streaming site Crunchyroll earlier this month.

Have a taste for treasure? Set sail for adventure with the official One Piece Film: Red playlist:

Stream Your Favorite TV and Movie Anime Songs with Spotify’s New Japanese Anime Hub

November 14, 2019

For years, anime television shows and movies like Attack on Titan and NARUTO have been making their way from Japan to TVs around the globe. Over time, the Japanese animation style has become known not only for its visual aesthetic, but also for the rich audio experience behind the medium. And for some, the music is just as important to the culture of anime as the animation itself.

These days, thanks in part to the availability of anime on Spotify in over 20 Spotify playlists, the music behind anime hits is experiencing its own surge in streaming. What’s more, the classical, J-Rock, and J-Pop musicians behind some of the genre’s beloved theme songs have also seen an increase in their stream counts.

To continue to raise the volume on the genre, we recently launched our new Anime Hub. Now fans in Japan, the U.S., Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, Brazil, Mexico, India, South Africa, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, and the 13 regions in MENA can find and stream anime music more quickly and easily than ever.

Since the hub launched on October 8, fans in the U.S., Japan, Brazil, Indonesia, and Mexico have streamed anime music the most, with about 25,000 daily active users streaming playlists inspired by Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, and Tokyo Ghoul. Plus, four new playlists—Genesis of Aquarion, Kantai Collection, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, and CARDCAPTOR SAKURA—have recently come to Spotify from Victor Entertainment’s Flying Dog label, known for its rich categories of anime-related music. This adds over 1,300 anime-related tracks to Spotify, including theme songs and an original soundtrack album for Genesis of Aquarion mainly composed by Yoko Kanno.

How Anime Has Helped Japanese Music Go Global

November 20, 2018

Header image credit: ©︎HK／AOT

Anime isn’t just a style of animation—it’s a rich and exciting world of storytelling. A futuristic city where humans clash with titans, the adventures of a teen wizard … anime can mean action, fantasy, supernatural, comedy, or romance, but it’s far more sophisticated than Saturday morning cartoons.

Anime fans know that music plays a major role in heightening the drama. While the vast sonic landscape of anime music is no secret in Japan, it’s now traveling faster than ever to millions of new fans globally—and as streaming numbers prove, they’re just as obsessed. As a result, the adults and teens who love anime are now discovering more about Japanese music and culture as a whole.

Today, J-Pop (Japanese pop) and J-Rock (Japanese rock) are now popular genres around the world. Thanks to the international explosion of anime, a song like “Red Swan,” the sweeping opening theme of Attack on Titan season three, finds an audience far beyond Japan. The cinematic rock ballad was created by composer, pianist, and rock drummer YOSHIKI, leader of the world-famous rock band X Japan, and HYDE, vocalist of legendary rockers L’Arc~en~Ciel.

“When I first heard that the producer and director of Attack on Titan might be interested in having me as a composer for the opening theme song, I said ‘Whoa, this is such an honor,’” YOSHIKI told us. “It’s one of my favorite series.”

“Guren No Yumiya” by Linked Horizon, the opening theme for Attack on Titan season one, has collected 13 million global streams on Spotify—so this new collaboration between two of Japan’s biggest rock stars is just another way that Japanese music is crossing over and making major waves. Hear more from YOSHIKI about how “Red Swan” came together in the video below.

Spotify’s recent Global Cultures initiative speaks to the importance and responsibility of sharing diverse genres across the globe, including Japanese music.

“The music streaming era only came over to Japan recently, mainly because physical sales are still strong here,” explains Noriko Ashizawa, Senior Editor, Shows & Editorial in Japan. “However, more and more Japanese artists are finding a lot of potential listeners of their music outside of the country—where physical sales aren’t as popular anymore—on Spotify. Anime is one of the most effective channels to attract global listeners to Japanese music. We’ve started creating a variety of Anime playlists dedicated to each popular series such as Attack on Titan and JOJOs Bizarre Adventure to help promote J-Tracks and spread them around the globe, similar to the recent rise of Latinx music and K-Pop.”

With the help of Global Cultures, we can spread the word on anime fan favorites like TK from Ling tosite sigure’s “unravel,” the opening theme song for “Tokyo Ghoul” season one. In just nine months, the song has been streamed more than 11.6 million times on Spotify. And as proof of anime music’s crazy-quick expansion, its number of monthly listeners in the U.S. is even bigger than in Japan.

Similarly, the rock band FLOW, whose high-octane sound blends elements of punk, ska, and pop-rock, is also on fire. The band’s top 10 Spotify songs—all anime related—have already reached over 25 million streams. (And their catalogue only became available in Japan this past July.)

Whether you’re a die-hard otaku (a young obsessed fan) or a total newbie to anime, there’s plenty of Japanese music to discover on Spotify. Get a taste with the mega-popular “Red Swan” right here.