Dance-vocal group BE:FIRST released a new concept single on April 24th.
Masterplan contains four songs: the title track, their collaboration with “ONE PIECE CARD GAME” Set Sail, their theme song for the 2023 All Japan High School Soccer Tournament Glorious, and Nova Flame 〜One of the BE:ST-01 JUNON〜.
Nova Flame 〜One of the BE:ST-01 JUNON〜 is part of a new project called “One Of The BE:ST”, which will see each of BE:FIRST's seven members release a solo song. However, it was noted that the main focus of this project is not to launch
solo careers for the members but instead to build on their individual strengths to make BE:FIRST stronger. As the title suggests, Nova Flame is performed by JUNON, who also co-wrote the lyrics for the song with BE:FIRST's
producer SKY-HI. Both men also had a hand in composing the music alongside producers ZEN, LOAR, MONJOE and Kosuke Crane.
Masterplan, on the other hand, was composed by Ryosuke “Dr.R” Sakai, Daisuke Nakamura and SKY-HI. The lyrics were penned by SKY-HI. The song is said to build on 2023’s Boom Boom Back and Mainstream, which saw BE:FIRST refine their creative skills and attempt to update the image people often have of a “dance-vocal group”. The concept of the song is “BE:FIRST’s steady progress from debut until now
has not been by chance, in fact, everything has gone according to plan”.
Links to download and stream Masterplan on various music platforms are available here.
A music video for Masterplan was also recently unveiled. Paying homage to the group's past works, the video references the success of their track Mainstream, which topped 116 different charts, and the significant achievement of their Tokyo Dome concert. The final scene shows a cherry blossom tree that has broken through concrete, symbolizing the "Made in Japan" aesthetic of BE:FIRST and the members' strong spirit, as well as declaring their intention to take their music around the world.
The video features choreography created by BE:FIRST member SOTA and dancer/choreographer ReiNa.
The music video for Masterplan can be viewed below, followed by a dance performance video showcasing the song’s choreography and a documentary video where the members talk about their vision for the song and how it builds on what they
learned from their previous works. All three videos feature English subtitles that can be enabled by turning on captions.
