BE:FIRST Documentary / What’s the “Masterplan”?? #01
(RYOKI) It’s very solid proof
We were able to prove that BE:FIRST is super cool
[New single: ‘Masterplan’]
It’s that kind of song
(RYUHEI)
People may think BE:FIRST is up for another challenge
When we performed ‘Mainstream’ on the Music Station
(*Japanese music television program)
The viewers’ response was fantastic
A lot of people recognized our challenger mindset
(SHUNTO)
I’m sure people will figure it out when they listen to the song…
The trajectory from ‘Boom Boom Back’ to ‘Mainstream’
was no doubt ambitious…
But ‘Masterplan’ showcases that we will keep doing it
The song kind of serves as our manifesto
(RYOKI) I am sure people may start to imagine
that a song created by BE:FIRST will be another banger
As a matter of fact, they will realize that it is cool
and the performance is also great
The fact that we take pride
in creating something with high quality…
That’s our commitment as a group
That’s our ‘Masterplan’
(RYUHEI) In order to make our audience understand
that BE:FIRST’s challenge also assures its quality
This is the beginning of a new chapter
(SHUNTO) It’s becoming more obvious
what kind of music we all want to create
and we are able to share opinions and ideas among one another
In that regard, we have been able to gradually put our intentions into a song
I hope listeners will feel that vibe when they listen to the song
(RYUHEI) I wonder how those who got hyped by ‘Mainstream’
will react to this song…
or how those who listen to BE:FIRST for the first time
through ‘Masterplan’ may think…
I can’t wait to find those out
I’m looking forward to the release
[Production]
(SHUNTO) Personally and also for BE:FIRST…
I think the whole production process was ideal
When we decided to move on with ‘Mainstream’
after ‘Boom Boom Back’
we were more involved in the creative process
We became more experienced and capable
and we became more serious about being involved in the creativity
Personally, I think that’s the biggest change
(RYUHEI)
We want to deliver the music we love to our fans
That’s our intention as BE:FIRST
When we asked ourselves "What’s our favorite genre?"
We all agreed on ‘hip-hop’
We may be into different eras and styles of hip-hop
and we can dig deeper into those…
We wanted to take pride in the songs we were releasing
as one of the leading J-Pop artists
I believe those three songs display creativity and quality very well
(RYOKI) From an early stage, we had the ideal experimental environment
since BMSG itself has such a stance
It was the same when we released ‘Boom Boom Back’
To put it simply, all seven of us felt the same way.
We wanted to create something cool
Each of us has different preferences as well as favorite songs
Hip-hop is all about paying homage to different styles and tracing back to their roots
The same goes for hip-hop fashion
We all love that kind of stuff
That’s how this all started
During the production of ‘Boom Boom Back’…
we wanted to be involved with the creative process
It’s amazing that just after the debut
we were doing exactly what we needed to do as BE:FIRST
Not a second went to waste
as we’ve been allowed to do what we like
So considering how far we’ve come
I feel that the journey to ‘Masterplan’ was inevitable
[Hip-Hop]
(RYUHEI) Doing what you want is what hip-hop is all about
Copying stuff that you find cool
or creating something that’s original
I think that hip-hop encompasses all of that
How do I put it…
Some people do hip-hop…
because they want to express themselves or show who they are
Or…
Some do it to chill with their buddies
They may simply enjoy the atmosphere of hip-hop
All of them, under the condition they are truly enjoying the music
They could be songwriting, singing tunes, rapping, dancing, you name it…
Hip-hop connects you to so many opportunites
It’s such a universal genre
It even ties into sports
You can often hear trap music being played at soccer or basketball matches, for example
It colors all aspects of daily life and different cultures
That’s why I really hope
the hip-hop fans both in Japan and around the world to grow
I see it as that kind of genre
(MANATO)
You’re acting like an idiot
(SHUNTO)
Yeah, the vibe of ‘Masterplan’ is also…
It’d be closer to hip-hop
But, well…
[Sound]
We’ve incorporated Japanese instruments in the mix
in the mix
(RYOKI)
We had discussions with SKY-HI
about adding more Japanese elements
We were a bit worried that if we went too far in that direction,
we’d risk drifting away from hip-hop
In the end, we were able to get the perfect balance
Just a teaspoon of that Japanese flavor
made the whole song so much better
(RYUHEI) We went in with the intention of making a track that would represent Japan
But at the same time…
We also knew we didn’t need to go overboard
with the whole "we’re a Japanese group" thing
That’s the kind of music BE:FIRST want to pursue
(SHUNTO) We wanted to create the sound
that linked ‘Boom Boom Back’ and ‘Mainstream’
and add a tiny element of Japanese taste to the mix
as a nice final touch
Considering that our plans for finally going global from Japan…
I feel confident that we’ve done a great job
with creativity and other stuff
(RYOKI)
How difficult was it? Let me see…
[Choreography]
‘Mainstream’ was really difficult
Especially the first "furiko" (pendulum) move
Where we’re dancing wildly up till the hook
Then suddenly, we’re slowing down
Come to think of it…
If we hadn’t nailed that part, we’d be done
Maintaining such consistency was mind-blowing
and it resulted in this amazing reception as BE:FIRST
So, in that sense, ‘Mainstream’ was challenging
(SHUNTO)
Huh?
‘Masterplan’ is way more difficult in my book
Wait till you see the choreography for the hook
It’s gruelling, seriously
There are two parts where I need to sing
But I can’t do the crucial bits if I’m holding a mic
In a way, that’s where it differs from ‘Mainstream’
It pushes you to the limit during the latter half of the hook
That’s a real contrast between those two songs
But when it comes to texture…
Since we have SOTA
there are many similarities between the two songs
It’s interesting, in that way
(RYUHEI) As we go global…
I think we need something that will "fire up" the crowd
Having SOTA and ReiNa san’s
Animation dance is a huge advantage
Yeah…
Having them on board leads people to get "fired up"
Thanks to them who have already experienced global acts,
we can fully trust them
I feel at ease having the experienced two around
Although it’s symbolic choreography…
I believe there’s no space for catchiness that lacks proper skill
Instead, I wanted to bring out the catchiness from technique
That’s what I had in mind
The choreography this time has the perfect level of catchiness
Hopefully, it’s world-class choreography
that will get accepted overseas
(RYOKI) I had less opportunities
to rehearse compared to the other members
That allowed me to see it from a different angle
When I watched the video clips that were shared with me
I’ll be like, "Oh, this part came from SOTA"
"Ah, I bet he wants us to show this angle with a sense of unity
at this moment"
I could see it all from a bird’s eye view
before I went into rehearsal
I assumed that other members were also feeling the same
while practicing, imagining what SOTA would say
They would understand how one section is critical
while we could casually have fun in other parts
How the entire song develops…
Everything matches the song ‘Masterplan’
It’s top-tier quality
and it’s got epic choreography
So it’s quite easy to understand
It takes off where ‘Mainstream’ left
So in that sense, the choreography is very difficult
but at the same time…
Because we created the choreography together
and communicated back and forth
the choreography was easy to understand
and sank in faster than expected
Personally, that made me really happy
It feels like something new is being created within BE:FIRST
Also as ‘Mainstream’-like genre in terms of choreography
‘By SOTA’ means a lot
with ReiNa all together
solidified things, in a good way
(SHUNTO)
We can show how ambitious we are
It’s a song that makes you want to listen to it again
after the first listen
The same goes for the choreography and the sound
I hope that people will be looking forward to the music video, too
I hope they receive it with open arms
(Staff) Don’t giggle
You are saying great stuff
(SHUNTO)
Gosh, this is hard
2024.4.24 On Sale
BE:FIRST / Masterplan
https://befirst-sp.com/masterplan/
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 / Set Sail
https://BEFIRST.lnk.to/SetSail
＜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＞
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X : https://twitter.com/BEFIRSTofficial
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Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/BEFIRSTofficial
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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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