Interview with SKY-HI

With many years of experience as an entertainer both within the pop unit AAA and as a solo artist, SKY-HI has come into contact with a wide variety of scenes and talents. When we last had the chance to interview him in 2017, he was embarking on a world tour and collaborating more and more with artists from overseas. In 2020, SKY-HI established his own management company and label BMSG ("Be MySelf Group"), which has since formed two successful boy groups, BE:FIRST and MAZZEL, and is also home to a number of solo artists and trainees.

Now active as not just an artist, but also a CEO and producer, SKY-HI has been aiming to create a different culture within BMSG, emphasizing collaboration and creativity, and attempting to help break down some of the invisible barriers in the Japanese music industry. As part of this, earlier this year, he launched "D.U.N.K." (“DANCE UNIVERSE NEVER KILLED”), a large-scale music and dance project formed as part of a partnership with Japanese broadcaster Nippon TV. The project's goal is to gather vocal and dance groups and performers from various artist management groups and music labels, transcending barriers and transmitting entertainment from Japan to the world.

Initially held as a weekly TV program in February followed by a three-day showcase event in March, "D.U.N.K." featured collaborations between participating artists and dancers, as well as never-before-seen cypher dance finales rounding up each event day. To give fans around the world a chance to see these rare collaborations and the free, open atmosphere "D.U.N.K." is aiming to create, previews of the project featuring English subtitles have been premiered on YouTube. Each of the ten episodes features full performances, interview segments with the artists and behind the scenes footage, as well as clips of a talk session where SKY-HI and Kensuke of BLUE FLAP QUARTET (the stage director for "D.U.N.K.", who also participated as a dancer and choreographer) look back on the project and share some stories from backstage. Read on to learn more about "D.U.N.K.", SKY-HI's hopes for the Japanese music industry and what fans can look forward to next from BMSG.

It seems like you’ve been busier than ever recently. What inspired you to start a project like “D.U.N.K.” at this particular time?

SKY-HI: With the rapid changes in the world, we are no longer restricted by traditional ways so this gives us all the more opportunities to strive towards experimenting, creating and presenting. "D.U.N.K." was created as a new platform and format to represent what vocal and dance groups, dancers, and artists can do in and for our industry. We don’t want to conform to traditional ways. "D.U.N.K." as a platform has also brought together some of the biggest names in the Japanese music industry, which is something that has not often been done before.

In Japan, we have limited opportunities where vocal and dance groups from different labels or artist managements can collaborate and perform together across various venues. Creating "D.U.N.K.", we wanted to take a big step forward by uplifting the music and dance communities in Japan and providing a unique and memorable experience for fans locally and overseas, as well as the artists themselves.


Could you explain a bit more about the meaning of the title “DANCE UNIVERSE NEVER KILLED”? Is there something about the current state of dance-vocal groups or the dance community that has been concerning you?

SKY-HI: In the Japanese music industry and entertainment world in Japan, there has been no 'fair competition' for many years. In short, we have authorities with power, and people tend to follow hidden guidelines regardless of their desires. That custom is everywhere, and the system has not changed in over 20 years. That is why I strongly feel there is a crisis in our industry.

What I have been trying to establish is an environment for artists to be able to focus on creativity and its quality while they can fully be themselves in their art forms. You could see this in the audition ("THE FIRST"), where we focused on documenting the facts to embrace the real drama within. Then we fully utilize the outcomes, including the impact and numbers from those successful cases to open our doors to other managements and labels to free ourselves from unnecessary power games or politics.

What do you want to convey to fans around the world with the YouTube broadcast of “D.U.N.K.”?

SKY-HI: What started out as a weekly TV program in February followed by a three-day showcase event in March 2023 to much success, and is now available on YouTube. And it elevates our mission where music and dance hold no barriers. This culture is everywhere worldwide and it is now translated into the world wide web for everyone to view. We wanted to showcase to people overseas what we experienced performing physically because it was truly amazing for both artists and fans who attended the showcases. We want "D.U.N.K." to continue uplifting the music and dance communities locally and overseas, with the hope that they will join us in this movement and be part of making this a turning point in entertainment history.

How did you go about creating the theme song for “D.U.N.K.”? Did you have any particular vision for its sound or how it would work during live performances?

SKY-HI: It's been a while since Jersey Club was last trending, but I've always enjoyed listening to the music and watching the cypher videos. I thought the positive atmosphere created among dancers in cyphers would be a perfect match for "D.U.N.K." and I reached out to my old friend, ☆Taku Takahashi (block fm / m-flo), and we started recording while dancing (laughs).

As you can see in the footage of the "D.U.N.K." cypher collaboration on YouTube, I imagined scenarios of dancers, artists, and the audience all having a blast, and dancing to the music was clearly in mind. It was a quick process to make the song.


How did you go about choosing the performers for “D.U.N.K.”?

SKY-HI: Since I started BMSG, many artists shared their support or interest in our vision and what we had been trying to do. We often said to each other, "Let's do something together one day!" So I approached them upon planning this project. It is all thanks to precious encounters through our activities and connections in the past.

A number of the performers at “D.U.N.K.” were artists from your management company BMSG. How did it feel to see artists you’ve helped to train and produce performing alongside so many other popular dance-vocal groups?

SKY-HI: While they work as artists and professionals, I consciously encouraged them to grow just as kids in love with music. I realized my intention positively influenced them when I saw their performances. During events like "D.U.N.K.", I saw them simply enjoying the moments instead of worrying about stealing each other's fans. That is definitely what music lovers would do. I also had a great time just watching the BMSG artists enjoy the event with other artists.

You mentioned in the show that there were a lot of interesting interactions between the performers behind the scenes. Were there any moments that stood out to you personally?

SKY-HI: We showed many collaborations among artists and groups on the stage and backstage. However, some collaborative ideas didn't come to fruition this time. One of them was a rapping collaboration with Nicholas from &TEAM. Similar to me, he felt disappointed that we could not collaborate this time. He talked about that backstage. In the cypher collaboration, he bravely performed twice in the center of the circle to show off his skills. I related to him as there were some moments when I realized how passionate he was about street culture and that stood out for me. There were many reunions and encounters among other artists and dancers, so please check them out on YouTube.

Some of the reunions and encounters that took place during the "D.U.N.K." showcase:
● MANATO (BE:FIRST) and BALLISTIK BOYZ in episode #4
● MANATO and Ayumu Imazu in episode #6
● SOTA (BE:FIRST) and RYUSEI (BALLISTIK BOYZ) in episode #4
● K (&TEAM) and YOSHIYUKI (BALLISTIK BOYZ) in episode #6
● LEO (BE:FIRST) and Aile The Shota and Mandy Sekiguchi (GENERATIONS) in episode #2
● LEO and Ryuto Kazuhara (GENERATIONS) in episode #2
● SKY-HI and Ryuta Hidaka (BALLISTIK BOYZ) in episode #4

@befirst_official #BBBチャレンジ ❤️ 🔥 SOTA w/ BALLISTIK BOYZ 日髙竜 太& 加納嘉将 & 海沼流星 @BALLISTIK BOYZ.official #BALLISTIKBOYZ #日髙竜太 #Ryuta #加納嘉将 #Yoshi #海沼流星 #Ryusei #BEFIRST #SOTA #BBBChallenge #BoomBoomBack #インスパイアトーキョー ♬ Boom Boom Back - BE:FIRST

Do you have plans for more “D.U.N.K” events in the future?

SKY-HI: Yes, we hope so! Not only among artists and dancers in Japan, I would like to open the door to anyone who may be interested in performing with us from overseas. Then, "D.U.N.K." would truly create a barrier-less world for those artists, dancers, and fans all over the world!

How do you manage to juggle being a CEO and producer while also having such an active music career yourself?

SKY-HI: It is simple - be genuine to music. As the CEO, music producer, or artist, my main priorities are music and the artists who create music. I have been able to see all three roles as one whole activity without separating them. As a result, growth in one role influences the other and becomes a critical essence for all three roles. So if I were to share a tip for multi-tasking, it would be "Do not separate yourself from any of the roles". I often feel I don't have enough time, but I felt the same when I was simply an artist, so I guess that is how life goes (laughs).

Is there anything new you’ve learned about the music industry or producing and managing a dance-vocal group since starting BMSG?

SKY-HI: Since the establishment of BMSG, I feel the situation is getting better in our industry. With more management labels and artists slowly accepting a culture of openness and opportunities, I feel more comfortable talking about collaborations among BMSG artists and other artists. I also see the changes where high-quality matters and people no longer resist us just because we are ‘idols.’ I am sure that we now have healthier competition among artists, and I’m hopeful that it will lead our music and entertainment industry in Japan to grow as a whole.

MAZZEL, the second boy group from BMSG, recently debuted. For music fans who haven’t had a chance to get to know them yet, how would you describe the difference between them and BE:FIRST?

SKY-HI: Thank you for asking. MAZZEL has their own beauty as if they were a 'shooting star'. When I think of BE:FIRST, the word 'explosion' comes to my mind. MAZZEL's potential is limitless. They've shown leadership qualities and unadorned dancing techniques because of their leadership, beautiful visuals, and distinctive vocals. I am thrilled that MUZE (their fandom) recognized their mutual bonds and friendships besides their overwhelming performances during their debut showcases. I am excited about their future.


What else can fans look forward to from SKY-HI and BMSG this year?

SKY-HI: As recently announced, we will hold another BMSG FES this fall. This time the event will be in Tokyo and Osaka. Online streaming will be available overseas as well. We will create an exciting event! We hope people overseas join us online. Also, we've been planning short to long-term activity plans for our artists to grow globally. More details are to come at a later time, so please stay tuned.

JaME would like to thank SKY-HI and CANGLO Pte Ltd for making this interview possible.

Fans can subscribe to "D.U.N.K."'s official YouTube account or follow the project on Twitter to stay tuned for more updates.

SKY-HI recently announced he will be performing the opening theme for the second part of season 2 of the anime series "Baki Hanma", Sarracenia. The second part will be released on Netflix on August 24th, and the song will be featured on a split single with BE:FIRST, who will be performing the ending theme for the same portion of the series, which is titled Salvia.

The dance cypher from episode 10 of "D.U.N.K." can be viewed below.