"THE MUSIC DAY 2024" now available for viewing! A compilation of enthusiastic comments from top artists (2)

■Da-iCE, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, &TEAM, NOA, JO1, NEXZ, and NiziU express their feelings in their own words!

“THE MUSIC DAY 2024” was broadcast live for approximately eight hours starting at 3:00 p.m. on July 6th.

The main host was Sho Sakurai. The theme for 2024 was “surprise.” On the day, some of the artists’ comments were also broadcast, livening up the show.

“THE MUSIC DAY 2024” is available for pre-order on TVer. Be sure to tune in along with the comments from each artist.

■Da-iCE
Da-iCE performed “Starmine” as part of the “Passion Explosion Carnival Medley.”

Q: What are some of the highlights of today’s performance, your costumes, etc. that you would like to share with viewers?
Sota Hanamura:I hope to bring the venue together as one with the “Passion Explosion Carnival Medley.” I hope you’ll pay attention to the sense of unity.
Q: You performed “Starmine” in the “Jounetsu Bakuhatsu Carnival Medley.” It’s a song that’s perfect for the coming season. Please tell us your thoughts about this song.
Kudo Taiki:I really hope this song becomes a summer staple, so I’m very grateful to be able to perform it among such impressive artists.
Q: In keeping with the song’s description of a summer scene, please tell us what you would like to achieve this summer.
Toru Iwaoka:I’d like to go camping for five nights and six days. I’d like to go fishing with everyone, make curry, take photos, and make memories.
Q: “Da-iCE 10th Anniversary Live House Tour 2024” has just begun, but what is the appeal of the group that you want to express now?
Yudai Ohno:Since it’s our 10th anniversary year, we’re going to start off with places we’re familiar with on the first day of the tour, but recently, we’ve had people who’ve been supporting us for the first time, as well as people who’ve been supporting us since the beginning. We’ll be doing new songs and old, nostalgic songs, so we hope that people will see more of Da-iCE and fall in love with us.
Q: Do you have any memorable stories from behind the scenes during rehearsals?
Hayate Wada:Yesterday’s (5th) rehearsal was really tough (laughs). We’ve been together for 13 years, so we should have some idea of the distance between stages, but we didn’t make it in time by even a millimeter. We’re the type of group that adjusts to fit the performance, so we’ll do our best! (laughs)

TOMORROW X TOGETHER
TOMORROW X TOGETHER performed “One Oath (We’ll Never Change)”. In addition, TAEHYUN performed with Yamashita Tomohisa on “Perfect Storm (feat. TAEHYUN of TOMORROW X TOGETHER)”. HUENINGKAI performed Yuri’s song “Betelgeuse” as Watanabe Shota (Snow Man) x HUENINGKAI (TOMORROW X TOGETHER).

Q: What points would you like to share with viewers this time?
TAEHYUN:It’s a performance that matches the song (“We’ll Never Change”). The performance uses strings, and the key point is that they represent musical instruments.
Q: What is the message behind “We’ll Never Change”?
TAEHYUN:The message conveyed in this song is that even though time passes and we change, we will never forget our eternal promise.
Q: HUENINGKAI collaborated with Snow Man’s Watanabe Shota on “Betelgeuse.” Please tell us about your enthusiasm for that stage.
HUENINGKAI:It’s a song I like, so when I was given this opportunity, I worked hard to prepare. I’m honored to be able to collaborate on the stage with Shota Watanabe.
Q: The dome tour “TOMORROW X TOGETHER WORLD TOUR IN JAPAN” starts next week. Is there anything you’re looking forward to on the tour?
YEONJUN:First of all, I think we should be grateful that we are even able to do the Dome Tour. Also, we have songs that we can all get excited about and enjoy together, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how our fans enjoy it and are pleased with it.
Q: Was there anything that stood out to you during rehearsals?
TAEHYUN:There was a collaborative stage performance with Yamashita Tomohisa, and when I met him in person for the first time, I found him to be far more handsome in person.
YEONJUN:I have really enjoyed watching the works that Yamashita-san has been in, so I was very happy to have the opportunity to say hello to him.
Q: Finally, please give a message to the viewers.
SOOBIN:We are making a comeback with an original Japanese song this time, and we hope to show you a cool and cool side of ourselves on music shows and at concerts from now on, so we hope you will show interest. We will also do our best, so please keep watching over us.

■&TEAM
&TEAM performed “Chincha Omoshiroi.”

Q: What points would you like to tell viewers about “THE MUSIC DAY” such as your performance and costumes?
HARUA:We will be performing the song “Chincha Omoshiroi” from our first album for the first time on TV. It’s a song that the members all love, and just like the title suggests, it’s very catchy, with lots of “Chincha Omoshiroi” phrases, and the choreography is catchy as well. It’s a song that even those who have never seen it before can immediately imitate and “sing and dance” along to.
JO: I think we’ll be showing a variety of expressions during our performance, so I hope you’ll pay attention to our performance on “THE MUSIC DAY.”
Q: I heard that K participated in the choreography of “Chincha Omoshiroi.” What would you like us to pay attention to?
K:The song title is very impactful, so I tried to include choreography that is just as impactful. The choreography is catchy so even people who don’t dance can imitate it, so please give it a try.
FUMA:The choreography that K-kun created is so great that when we perform this song at a live show, the fans also join in the choreography, which is what I love most about it. I hope everyone will try it out too.
Q: You have an arena tour coming up this summer. Is there anything you’re looking forward to about the tour?
EJ:This will be our first arena tour, and I think there will be people coming to our show for the first time, so I’m really looking forward to showing them the charm of our band.
YUMA:We’ll be performing at a bigger venue than the last tour, so we’re looking forward to meeting more LUNEs (fan name/the E is officially spelled with an acute accent) and to touring different regions. Please look forward to it.
Q: Do you have any stories from behind the scenes today, such as in the dressing room?
NICHOLAS:The staff will buy me some ice cream, so I’d like to eat it after the show is over.
TAKI:Basically, we practiced dance, played games, and had a great time.
Q: Finally, please give a message to the viewers.
MAKI:This will be the first time that “Chincha Omoshiroi” will be performed on television, so I think there will be many people watching it for the first time, but we have prepared something that will be enjoyable for even those who have seen it before, so I hope you will look forward to it.

■NOA
NOA performed “COLORS.”

Q: What is one important thing you would like to share with viewers about today’s performance?
NOA:I’ll be dancing with eight dancers, so I hope you’ll check out the performance and the catchy choreography in the chorus. The song has parts that mix English and Japanese, so I hope you’ll pay attention to those lyrics as well.
Q: Please tell us the thoughts behind the song “COLORS” that you will be performing.
NOA:My second album, “Primary Colors,” was created based on the three primary colors, and all the songs are divided into those three primary colors, but this is the only song that is “colorless.” The meaning of “colorless” represents who I am now, and I created this song with the hope that as I mix with various people in the future, the colors I have and the colors of the people who listen to me and come to my live shows will mix together and dye me in various colors.
Q: Your dynamic dancing and high degree of synchronization with the dancers have been talked about, but what do you pay attention to when performing?
NOA:We make sure that we are in sync when we need to, and when we are not, we tell the dancers, “Think of it as your own stage.” The members all have such strong personalities that we value that. We are conscious of making the parts that need to be in sync and making the parts that are different even more different.
Q.Finally, please give a message to the viewers.
NOA:I’m very happy to be performing, and more than anything, I know so many fans are looking forward to it, so I want to do my best to put on a great show for both my fans and those who are meeting me for the first time.

■JO1
The song that JO1 will perform was decided through a “viewer voting project” on data broadcasting. They made a comment before appearing on the program.

Q: What are some of the highlights you would like to share with viewers about today’s “THE MUSIC DAY” performance, costumes, etc.?
Yonashiro Sho:We will be performing one of two songs (“Love seeker” or “SuperCali”), and which one will be decided by viewers’ votes on the live broadcast. This is my first time doing something like this, so I’m a little nervous, but I think we’ll be able to put on a performance that’s right for us.
Q: Please tell us the appealing points of each song.
Junki Kono:“Love seeker” is the song in which we shout out love the most. The concept of this song is to shout out love, so we hope that it will give listeners a sense of the importance of love and happiness.
Kawashiri Ren:“SuperCali” is a song that requires some difficult formation changes, so if we are selected, we will do our best to make it a success!
Q: Please tell us what you would like to do or have fun with your fellow members this summer.
Shosei Ohira:I want to go to Okinawa with everyone. (Yonashiro) Sho-kun is from Okinawa, and since our debut we’ve always said, “I want to go to a tropical island,” so I think this year is the year we’d like to go.
Junki Kono:Sho’s dad said he’ll make fried chicken for us when we go to Okinawa!
Q: Finally, please give a message to the viewers.
Issei Mamehara:I don’t know which one will be chosen (in the voting project), but I think both songs have a performance that is typical of us, so I’d like to give them a go.

■NEXZ
NEXZ, who were formed from “Nizi Project Season 2” and are scheduled to make their Japanese debut in August, performed “Ride the Vibe (Japanese Ver.).”

Q: What are some of the highlights of the performance, costumes, etc. that you would like to share with viewers?
TOMOYA:We’re wearing hip-hop style clothes. We all wear the same shoes, but our clothes are colorful, so I think it’s a costume that shows our individuality. As for the dance, there’s a cat dance where we make a fist and dance like a cat in the part before the chorus, so I want you to pay attention to that point dance.
Q: You will be performing the Japanese version of your global debut song “Ride the Vibe.” Please tell us the thoughts behind “Ride the Vibe (Japanese Ver.).”
HYUI:We made our global debut with “Ride the Vibe,” and this song is filled with the emotions that NEXZ can feel because it’s their first time, such as excitement, anxiety, and nervousness, and the desire to ride the vibe together with us, NEXZ, as we are drawn to those emotions.
Q: You all debuted through the Japan-Korea joint audition project “Nizi Project Season 2.” Please tell us again about the most memorable event that occurred during the project.
YU:After I went on stage for the individual level test at the 1st Stage of the Nizi Project Season 2 Korean training camp and finished my performance, JY Park told me, “That’s a serious effort.” I’ll never forget those words and I’ll keep working hard.
SO GEON:The Final Stage. I never thought I would make my debut like this, so it left a strong impression on me.
Q: With your Japanese debut coming up in August, please tell us about your enthusiasm and aspirations for your future activities.
YUKI:We are grateful to be able to make our debut in Japan this time. We will continue to work hard to improve our performance so that our songs can reach more people and more people can get to know us.
Q: What did you feel during rehearsals?
SPRING:I am very grateful to be able to stand on this stage of a music program that I have always watched on TV. It was a strange experience to be able to appear on stage by going up the stairs, but I am also very grateful. From there, I moved to the stage,
I feel both grateful and amazed to be able to perform “Ride the Vibe (Japanese Ver.)” on Japanese television.
Q. Finally, please give a message to the viewers.
SEITA:This is NEXZ’s first time appearing on a Japanese music show, and I was feeling excited and nervous every day until this day came. So I think today is a very good anniversary for us, NEXZ. I think there are some people who don’t know us among the viewers, but I hope that this time will make them know about our music and our existence as NEXZ and make them interested in us. I would like to continue to work hard every day to be able to convey the many charms of our music through our many music.

■NiziU
NiziU performed “RISE UP”. In the “Worldwide Rap Song Tribute Collaboration Medley”, MAYUKA and RIMA appeared and performed “Finesse (Remix) Feat. Cardi B”, and ELLY (Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS), Tanaka Juri (SixTONES), and RYOKI (BE:FIRST) performed “Pump It”. In the “Let’s sing! Songs that changed me corner”, MIIHI and NINA appeared and sang “SWEET 19 BLUES”.

Q: What are some of the highlights of today’s performance, costumes, etc. that you would like to share with viewers?
AYAKA:This time, we are wearing all-black outfits, which are also used on the jacket (for “RISE UP”). I think we will be able to show you a cool side of NiziU, 180 degrees different from usual.
MAYUKA:It’s a performance that is 100% focused on being cool, but the dance in the chorus is easy to imitate and there are key dance moves throughout the song.
MAKO:“RISE UP” contains a powerful message about climbing higher and higher, so it’s a song that will lift you up when you’re feeling confident.
Q: Please tell us about your enthusiasm for the “Let’s Sing! Songs that Changed Me Corner” where MIIHI and NINA will appear.
MIIHI:I will be singing Namie Amuro’s “SWEET 19 BLUES”. I’m 19 this year, and I’ve been listening to this song for a long time, influenced by my mother, so it was a song I wanted to sing someday when I was 19 years old. I’m really happy to be able to perform this with NINA.
Q: Please tell us your enthusiasm for the “Global Rap Song Tribute Collaboration Medley” featuring MAYUKA and RIMA.
RIMA:I’m very honored to be able to stand on the stage with so many seniors. I’m also very excited to be able to perform Western music. The stage (configuration) is a center stage, a main stage, and we go through the fans, so it’s a really fun configuration, and I hope you’ll pay attention to that as well.
Q: You have performances at various festivals coming up this summer. What are you looking forward to this summer?
RIKU:This year, I have many opportunities to perform at festivals, and I will be going to many places, including Hokkaido and Fukuoka. I hope that there will be opportunities to meet many people there and eat local foods, so that we can all have fun and cheer up together, and that I can have a great time together with everyone this summer.
Q. Finally, please give a message to the viewers.
RIO:We will be performing our new song “RISE UP” for the first time on Japanese television on “THE MUSIC DAY”. It’s a song with a completely different atmosphere from our previous songs, so I hope you’ll look forward to it, and I hope many people will know that NiziU has a different side to them.