BE:FIRST Documentary / What’s the “Masterplan”?? #02

BE:FIRST Documentary / What’s the “Masterplan”?? #02

(JUNON)
If ‘Mainstream’ was our first small step
‘Masterplan’ was a giant leap, and perfect timing for it
(MANATO)
We simply went in for the challenge
Since this is a song that incorporates
what we essentially think is cool
I want it to be seen and evaluated
not just as a BE:FIRST song
but as a solid work of art
(LEO) “Why pursue this?”
“Why is it necessary?”
With the understanding of the meaning and reasons behind each song
we took action
(SOTA)
We’ve been saying"going global" for so long
Now, that spirit has become a piece of music
I hope our listeners can sense our determination
"Going global" is getting realistic
I believe this song proves that we’re serious about it
(JUNON) This song marks the culmination of our journey till now
At the same time, it’s our solid first step
Compared to ‘Mainstream’
‘Masterplan’ has become even more meaningful
Getting a glimpse into BE:FIRST’s visions
could add some flavor to our previous content
like uncovering something you hadn’t noticed before
So in that sense
this song’s got some real depth to it
(SOTA)
Jump and drop at "beginning"
then wriggle like this
(ReiNa) Yeah
(ReiNa) Looks great
(SOTA) ♪ beginning ♪
(SOTA)
Is this J (JUNON)?
(ReiNa)
Uh-huh
(SOTA)
The choreography is quite clear
‘Mainstream’ showcases our generation’s memories,
a path till now
We’d put the best moves from the past into ‘Mainstream’
On the other hand,
‘Masterplan’ pursues the cutting edge choreography
I think you’ll notice that
‘Mainstream’ carries a nostalgic vibe
and the sound is minimal
The choreography follows that
Conversely, ‘Masterplan’ is more dynamic with richer sounds
So the choreography was created to match that vibe
We created choreography that fits to the count of the music
“How can I take that count?”
We pursued and created something new and otherworldly
(LEO)
SOTA and ReiNa are close in age
We are around the same age, too
That makes it easier for us to give and receive opinions
SOTA and ReiNa are both highly praised dancers
yet they also show great respect towards our opinions
(MANATO) Having one of our members as choreographers
is a great advantage for us
I particularly feel this
because SOTA’s ability to oversee things
He can identify each member’s strengths
He knows how to enhance BE:FIRST’s performance
His understanding of these things
has elevated our balance and quality
since ‘Mainstream’
We’re taking what we learned from ‘Mainstream’
to improve our performance in ‘Masterplan’
I believe having the same team from Mainstream onboard
really helps raise the overall bar
particularly in regards to our performance
(SOTA)
We’re turning too much on count four
Don’t go past here on count four
One, two, three, four
five, six, seven, eight
One, two, three, four, five, six…
(JUNON)
Personally, I found ‘Masterplan’ more challenging
Well, let’s see…
there’s a part where we spell out MASTER
using our fingers and body movements
Nailing that move was quite challenging
So ‘Masterplan’ was tougher for me
in terms of the fine details
But ‘Mainstream’ really toughened us up
We all leveled up technically
so ‘Masterplan’ felt easier to try
Well, I guess both are tricky in their own ways
(SOTA)
Talking about the specifics
‘Mainstream’ reflects dance styles of a time
when anyone could mimic moves and enjoy dancing
So rather than showcasing the moves,
the choreography was in harmony with the music
In contrast, ‘Masterplan’ took the dance
to a whole new era and level
where dancers and their moves have become more critical
The dance or choreography has been seen
as equally significant as the music
By focusing on the dance more so than ‘Mainstream’
there’s just something special about ‘Masterplan’
Of course, both are cool
In detail, in the past,
even if you weren’t a great dancer
you could still get recognition
if you danced to the popular tunes of the time
Because music took the lead
and dance followed music
But nowadays, we create music to showcase the dance
Even with underground music,
dancing can captivate and excite people
It’s just a sign of the times
‘Mainstream’ focuses on enjoying the music upfront
whereas ‘Masterplan’ follows current trends
blending both auditory and visual elements
equally exist with good vibes
I hope people’ll enjoy noticing the contrast between the two songs
(MANATO)
Honestly, without the song ‘Boom Boom Back’
neither ‘Mainstream’ or ‘Masterplan’ would have existed
That’s how crucial the outcome of that song was
(LEO) Not all of us were on board with
‘Boom Boom Back’ at first
Instead, SKY-HI remembered some of us were interested
and decided to give it a shot
Then we all realized
“Hey, we wanted to do this type of song”
and we wondered how it would turn out
It actually went well,
giving us a boost forward
(SOTA)
Getting to ‘Boom Boom Back’ was a journey in itself
We’ve created various songs in different genres
As we were able to show different sides of ourselves
we proved to have a good synergy with ‘Boom Boom Back’
It showcased the depth we achieved
by exploring various paths
not just the paths we initially envisioned
(MANATO)
If this song resonates with many people
maybe we can explore our roots and passions even more
and put them out front
(SOTA)
“This is it! Ah, this is what BE:FIRST is all about!”
It was the moment we felt the chance to step up
and explore even further
I believe ‘Mainstream’ was spot-on for that opportunity
(MANATO) After the hall tour…
Through some live gigs of our own
That’s when we realized
"Another song could’ve amped up the excitement"
or "Another song could’ve transitioned our performance smoothly"
There were so many things we realized
only after doing the gigs
So we’ve come to realize
how past experiences shape new songs
‘Mainstream’ was born from our passion
after ‘Boom Boom Back’ was well accepted
and we all got pumped
and told SKI-HI we’re all in
Perhaps SKY-HI had similar thoughts
Then there were various timing issues
Anyway, we’re very grateful that
he let us pursue what we wanted to do…
that’s how ‘Mainstream’ came about
(JUNON)
‘Masterplan’ brings together, including these three songs
It’s a sequel from the debut
bringing everything into one big piece
That’s how I personally see it
Dr.R has this unique vibe in his music, sort of weightiness
that carried over into ‘Mainstream’
I think it’s really significant
that ‘Gifted.’ was also Dr.R’s work
‘Masterplan’ is a culmination that summarizes our journey
from debut to now
It feels like a major milestone
(SKY-HI)
Right, then let’s tune up the second line too
[ ♪ ]
(SKY-HI) That’s it
(Staff) Sounds great
(SKY-HI)
Should we do the next line too?
(JUNON)
Sure
[ ♪ ]
(SKY-HI)
Good, good
(JUNON) ♪ …beginning. This is it ♪
Should I drag it out…?
(SKY-HI) Keep it up until after "This"
♪ …beginning. This is it ♪
(MANATO)
We wanted to create something
kind of evolutional
but more of an extension of our current style
So, after doing ‘Boom Boom Back’ and ‘Mainstream’
we began to wonder what else we could bring to the table
We all felt this drive to create something
"Made in Japan"
to epitomizes ‘Made in Japan’ for a boy group
like infusing traditional Japanese instrumentation into the song
Not too far off, but we wanted to create music
that shows our growth from ‘Mainstream’
or delve deeper into our artistic expression
That’s how ‘Masterplan’ came about
Teaming up with Dr.R got me to think about his strengths
It has hit me since ‘Gifted.’
His deep and impactful soundscapes and his worldview
are what truly sets him apart
Very distinctive
That balance he strikes isn’t too far from our style
So I’ve truly felt the amazing synergy
between Dr.R and BE:FIRST
since our collaboration from ‘Gifted.’
Since then, I’ve valued Dr.R’s support
and the chance to work together on creating music
There’s this intuitive connection we share with him
Like "Why not add some playful sounds this time,
considering what we did last time?"
The playfulness has been absolutely fantastic
It feels like we’ve developed a strong connection
Being able to openly communicate our ideas
has made the creative process much smoother
(SOTA)
Our next song clearly expresses our will to go global
So, I’m positive…
The songs we’ve created are truly our own
You’ll see how it reflects our journey over the past three years
(LEO)
I always think about aiming higher
That’s something that never changes
My goal is to advance my singing and dancing skills
and create incredible music
That’s what matters most
I also hope that more people in Japan
will get to know about us
We’re lucky to live in an era
where we can easily connect with listeners
from other countries
through various platforms
So…
we hope to carry on the aspirations of our seniors
delivering J-POP to the world
and earning respect from those who listen to our music
That’s our next major goal
I believe

2024.4.22 Streaming & Download
BE:FIRST / Masterplan
https://BEFIRST.lnk.to/Masterplan

BE:FIRST Documentary / What’s the “Masterplan”?? #01

Lyrics : SKY-HI
Music : Ryosuke “Dr.R” Sakai, Daisuke Nakamura, SKY-HI
Produced by SKY-HI, Ryosuke “Dr.R” Sakai
Recording & Mixing Engineer : Ryosuke “Dr.R” Sakai
Recording & Mixing Studio : STUDIO726 TOKYO
Mastering Engineer : Mike Bozzi (Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood CA)
Choreographer : SOTA (BE:FIRST), ReiNa
Total Produced by SKY-HI (BMSG)

Documentary Director : Jun Kawaguchi
Camera : Hiroki Tsuda
MA : Yuya Mitome

“Masterplan”
「Boom Boom Back」、「Mainstream」と、より研ぎ澄ませたクリエイティブを提示した2023年のBE:FIRST。一般的に想像されるであろうダンス&ボーカルグループのイメージの更新に挑戦し、これ以上ない形でそれを成したのが昨年であった。
その上でスタートした2024年、我々に当然守りに入る意識はない。
胡座をかけるような立場でもない。
これまでに作り上げた“最高”の更にその上の最高を提示するタイミングが来たのだ。
デビュー曲から幾度となく共に歴史を作ってきたRyosuke “Dr.R” Sakaiとのコラボレーションは、これ以上ない、それでいて思い描いたその通りの軌跡を辿りここに帰結する。
これが3年越しのMasterplan。
本当のゼロから狙いすまして東京ドームまでたどり着いたこの奇跡は、我々にとって必然であったとBE:FIRSTは証明する。

BE:FIRST / Music Video – Playlist –

BE:FIRST / Streaming
https://befirst.lnk.to/Streaming

＜BE:FIRST PROFILE＞
SKY-HI率いるBMSGに所属する、SOTA、SHUNTO、MANATO、RYUHEI、JUNON、RYOKI、LEOの7人組ダンス＆ボーカルグループ。それぞれが歌・ダンス・ラップに対して高いクオリティとポテンシャルを持っているのと同時に、作詞・作曲・コレオグラフにまで発揮される音楽的感度の高さ、そして七者七様の個性を持った華やかさが魅力。「BE:FIRST」と名付けられたこの7人組は、プレデビューから日本の各種チャートの1位を席巻。ここからアジア、そして世界へと向けて偉大なる最初の一歩目を踏み出す。

＜BE:FIRST SNS＞
Official Website：https://befirst.tokyo/
X : https://twitter.com/BEFIRSTofficial
X (global): https://twitter.com/BEFIRST_global
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/befirst__official/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/BEFIRSTofficial
TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@befirst_official
YouTube Channel : https://www.youtube.com/c/BEFIRSTOfficial
LINE : https://page.line.me/befirst

＜BMSG SNS＞
Official Website：https://bmsg.tokyo/
X：https://twitter.com/BMSG_official
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/bmsg_official/
YouTube Channel：https://www.youtube.com/c/BMSG_official

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