VivaOla, an R&B artist born in Korea and raised in Tokyo, released his second full album, APORIE VIVANT, in March. His progressive style, inspired by Bryson Tiller’s album Trapsoul, has generated a great deal of buzz, and he recently released a new song, “RIGHT/WRONG,” which features Jimmy Brown, a globally active R&B artist based in Korea. This is the second collaboration between the two, following Jimmy’s 2022 song “bag on you,” on which VivaOla appeared. The borderless style of “RIGHT/WRONG,” with lyrics switching between English, Japanese, and Korean, embodies today’s music environment, where music has global reach.

Billboard Japan had the opportunity to talk to these two artists, whose roots lie in R&B but whose creativity crosses genre lines and national borders.

To start off with, VivaOla, could you introduce Jimmy Brown?

VivaOla: Jimmy’s an artist based in Korea who releases songs in English, with an eye toward fan bases in North America and Europe. He’s been a part of the global R&B scene for a while now, so I’d known about him for a while, but a shared Korean acquaintance of ours put me in touch with him. In 2022, I was a featured vocalist on his song “bag on you,” which I recorded remotely, without ever meeting him in person. We finally met for the first time at Shibuya in August 2023, when he came to Japan on vacation. I grew up listening to R&B from the 2000s and the 2010s, and I could feel that same musical influence in his vocals and songs. His music really resonated with me, and when I found out later that the “Brown” in Jimmy Brown came from Chris Brown, one of his favorite R&B singers, it made perfect sense.

Jimmy Brown: Thank you. I think VivaOla’s appeal lies in his beautiful singing voice. When I was working on “bag on you,” I knew that it would be a great song if I could get his voice on it, so I asked him to be a featured artist. The song was positive to begin with, but his addition increased those vibes, and I love how the song came out.

VivaOla: I work a lot with Kenya Fujita from Bleecker Chrome, who appears as a featured artist on my new album, APORIE VIVANT, and he was also talking about how he had to “catch the vibes.” It made me realize, again, that it’s more important to catch that vibe rather than the sound or style of the song. In “bag on you,” money represents love. Money’s a sensitive topic that I handle in my own works, too. I used a lot of trial and error in writing “bag on you,” and I was able to tie it all together with the message of loving someone so much you want to give them everything, even if you don’t have any money. I’m glad that Jimmy and I were able to arrive at that same message.

Tell us how you went from collaborating on “bag on you” to, two years later, featuring Jimmy on your own song with your second collab, “RIGHT/WRONG.”

VivaOla: For me, 2022 was a year of collaborations, but out of the many I did that year, “bag on you” was my favorite, in terms of the mix, the lyrics, and the vibe. Following the release of APORIE VIVANT, I’ve written a lot of songs with producer Kota Matsukawa (founder of creative collective and label w.a.u). I knew one of the songs would be even better if we had a featuring artist, so I consulted with Kota about who we should go with, and we were like “Jimmy Brown would be great, wouldn’t he?” After releasing “bag on you,” I’d met Jimmy in person and gotten a feel for what a wonderful person he was, so I wanted him to collaborate with me on one of my own songs. My songs are about all kinds of topics, like our internal struggles, but the theme of this new song with Jimmy was straightforward: love. Kenya and I worked on the songwriting together, and we both talked about how we wanted to write a song that would excite Jimmy.

In “bag on you,” Jimmy depicts love in a positive way, but “RIGHT/WRONG” feels more in line with your style, VivaOla, not necessarily depicting love as always positive.

VivaOla: Right, it’s a little bit dark. But even though there’s this dark part, as you point out, the verse section is ultra-positive. I was hoping Jimmy would use a Chris Brown-like vocal approach, and I was really happy to feel that Chris Brown feeling in his verse section, where the groove is in double-time.

On your latest album, APORIE VIVANT, which came out in March, you embodied the spirit of trap soul, inspired by Bryson Tiller. What sound approach did you use on your new song?

VivaOla: Stylistically, I carried on the feel of APORIE VIVANT, but while the actual sounds are trap, I wasn’t fixated on the music itself being trap. That’s why I didn’t use the rapid-fire rapping of trap, but instead tried for a more alternative rap feel, like Frank Ocean.

Jimmy, what do you think of VivaOla’s music?

Jimmy Brown: It’s got a very modern sound. If you listen to our verses, you’ll be able to hear the things we have in common and also our differences. For both of us, our roots lie in American R&B, but there are some major differences in how we stretch out our voices, the parts we stretch out, and how we use our vocal cords. Before I was exposed to R&B, I grew up in the Korean countryside, listening to [traditional] Korean ballads, which I think influenced me. Likewise, I think VivaOla was influenced by his experience with rock and jazz, before he got into R&B. But I don’t think these are things we’re consciously trying to bring out, they’re part of our respective characters, the products of our backgrounds.

VivaOla: In my case, I often overthink my singing approach, so I end up circling around to singing without thinking about it, but Jimmy doesn’t overthink things, he’s a very genuine artist. The two of us are alike in that neither of us is really all up in our own heads when we’re singing, but my approach is the exact opposite of Jimmy’s. I think that’s what draws us to each other, and our approaches harmonize within the same song.

So you’re more of a producer-style singer-songwriter, VivaOla, while you, Jimmy, are more of a natural-born singer-songwriter. And your contrasting styles resonate in “RIGHT/WRONG.”

Jimmy Brown: I’m a very simple man (laughs).

Can we look forward to hearing more collaborations between you two in the future?

VivaOla: “bag on you” and “RIGHT/WRONG” were positioned as one-offs, with each of us appearing as featured artists on each other’s songs. If we work together again, I think it would be fun for us to go into the studio together, creating music from the ground up and releasing it under both of our names.

—This interview by Yu Onoda first appeared on Billboard Japan. It was conducted in Japanese then translated into English

Ae! Group’s “Gotta Be” blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Oct. 16.

The title track of the quintet’s second single launched with 411,052 CDs in its first week to rule sales and also came in at No. 4 for radio airplay. Though the figure didn’t match the previous release, “A-Beginning” (782,835 copies in its first week), “Gotta Be” gives Ae! Group its first No. 1 on the tally.

NMB48’s “Ganbaranuwai” debuts at No. 2. The girl group’s 30th single sold 251,651 copies in its first week to hit No. 2 for sales.

Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac” follows at No. 3. The Oblivion Battery opener is still going strong in three metrics of the chart’s measurement: streaming (up 101%), downloads (up 112%), and karaoke (slight gain). The former No. 1 hit has coasted along in the top 3 for seven consecutive weeks and in the top 5 for 26 consecutive weeks. The three-man pop band recently launched its eight-day residency at K-Arena Yokohama, slated to run through Nov. 20.

Creepy Nuts’ “Otonoke” jumps 32-4. The opener for the anime series Dandadan dropped digitally on Oct. 4 and debuted at No. 32 last week. Streaming for the track increased by 337% compared to last week, downloads by 135%, and radio by 437%. The number of downloads has remained higher than that of the duo’s smash hit “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” in both the first and second weeks, so whether the pair’s latest release can also become a long-term hit is something to keep an eye on.

Comparing the number of streams by country during the first week for each track, “BBBB” logged 33% of its plays from Japan and 16% from the U.S., while “Otonoke” accumulated 41% from Japan and 18% from the U.S., showing a slight increase in the U.S., according to Luminate. In other countries, “BBBB” was played more in Europe, such as in Germany and Spain, while “Otonoke” was played more in Southeast Asia and Latin America, including Mexico and Indonesia.

Official HIGE DANdism’s “Same Blue” rises 7-5. Streaming for the Blue Box opener gained 188% compared to the week before.

KID PHENOMENON’s “Unstoppable” debuts at No. 6, selling 66,499 copies and coming in at No. 3 for sales.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.

See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Oct. 7 to 13, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.

Sir Elton John has been honored in innumerable ways during the span of his half-century career. But later this year Madame Tussauds London will pay tribute to the Rocket Man with a one-of-a-kind, gravity-defying figure that pays homage to the pop icon’s wild and wooly 1970s heyday.

According to a press release, the latest rendering of John will honor the decade of his rise to superstardom via a model that has the singer doing one of his patented keyboard handstands, with his legs in the air above his head and his hands firmly planted on the black and whites.

“We’ve been creating figures of Sir Elton John since the beginning of his legendary career, and he has always inspired us to go above and beyond in our creations,” said Madame Tussauds London general manager Steve Blackburn of the singer who has worked with the museum since 1976, when he was the model for its first-ever talking, smiling piece. “Back in the 1970s, his first figure was our first talking figure, and in 2024 we’re determined to go big again. The figure’s iconic, gravity-defying pose will capture the essence of Elton’s legendary early performances in a way that only Madame Tussauds London can. This will be our most structurally complex figure to date in our centuries-old history and it is going to be a real showstopper when we unveil it later this year.”  

Madame Tussauds released behind-the-scenes images from the creation of the figure on Wednesday (Oct. 16), which it called one of the “most complex structural designs integrated into a figure to date.” The first-stage clay sculpt finds John wearing a white toile jumpsuit as well as a pair of the singer’s signature oversized eyeglasses as he hovers in the air, mouth agape; the final costuming will arrive with the finished figure.

The new John creation will launch at Madame Tussauds London’s “Impossible Festival” music zone later this year, taking its place alongside superstar recreations of Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande, Amy Winehouse, David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, Queen’s Freddie Mercury and more.

The upcoming John documentary, Elton John: Never Too Late, will debut on Disney+ on Dec. 13.

Check out an image of the new John figure below.

The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard 200 dated Oct. 26, we look at the most competitive race we’ve had on the albums chart in some time, as a pair of big new releases (and a just-retooled slightly older one) compete to claim the top spot.  

Jelly Roll, Beautifully Broken (Republic): If it feels impossible that Jelly Roll is only releasing his first album of 2024 this October, there’s a reason for that. The 2023 country breakout star has been absolutely ubiquitous throughout 2024, showing up everywhere from the Emmys to SNL to Congress (!!) to Twisters: The Album to new sets by Post Malone, Eminem, Falling in Reverse and Jessie Murph – as well as on plenty of his own new releases, including the Billboard Hot 100 Hits “I Am Not Okay” and “Liar.” But indeed, his LP follow-up to last year’s Whitsitt Chapel did not arrive until just last Friday (Oct. 11), in the form of Beautifully Broken. 

The new set features those two aforementioned hits, as well as guest appearances by rapper Wiz Khalifa, his “Lonely Road” collaborator mgk and singer-songwriter Isley Jubey. It’s available as a 14-track standard physical album and 22-track deluxe on digital download and streaming services – and if that’s not enough Jelly Roll in your life, Friday also saw the release of a 28-track super-deluxe edition subtitled (Pickin’ Up the Pieces), which features additional guest appearances from country stars ERNEST and Keith Urban, singer-rapper Russ and singer-songwriters Halsey and Skylar Grey.  

The 28-track length should certainly help the set’s numbers on streaming, where Jelly Roll usually performs fairly well for a country artist – but Beautifully Broken is expected to do most of its damage in sales. The album is available on his webstore on cassette, CD and vinyl, including gold and camo vinyl variants and a signed CD, as well as a fan pack featuring the signed CD along with a T-shirt or hoodie. There’s also a clear/gold splatter vinyl version exclusively available at indie stores, and a “silver nugget” variant exclusive to Amazon, while the digital deluxe and Pieces editions of the album are on sale on iTunes for $4.99 and $7.99, respectively. It all could add up to Jelly Roll’s first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 – though in a competitive week, he’ll still need all the help he can get.  

Rod Wave, Last Lap (Alamo): One artist who already has several Billboard 200 No. 1s to his credit is Florida-born rapper Rod Wave. Despite keeping a low mainstream profile and never really scoring a crossover pop hit – with even hip-hop radio support remaining limited – Rod Wave has maintained consistent commercial success that most MCs can only dream of, with three straight No. 1 albums in three straight years this decade: 2021’s SoulFly, 2022’s Beautiful Mind and last year’s Nostalgia.  

Will Rod Wave be able to go 4-for-4? The stacked week could make it tough, but the album is off to another hot start on streaming. Like Future’s Mixtape Pluto a couple weeks ago, Last Lap’s presence on Spotify has been minimal – claiming just one spot on the current Daily Top Songs USA chart, with “25” ranking at No. 138 – but it has been absolutely dominant on Apple Music, occupying seven of the top 10 spots on the DSP’s real-time chart, including the entire top three (led by “25”). It will need to keep up that streaming performance to have a shot at the top spot, because as has also traditionally been the case with new Rod Wave releases, the album is not yet available for physical purchase – though it is also available digitally on iTunes for $4.99.  

Charli XCX, Brat (Atlantic): Though Brat Summer has come and gone – at least according to the weather outside – Charli XCX’s Brat album has remained a fixture on the Billboard 200, ranking at No. 14 this week in its 18th week on the chart. It should get a huge bump next week from the release of its new complementary remix edition: Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat, a star-studded 34 (or 35, including the recently released add-on “Spring Breakers” with Kesha) track affair which includes new versions of each of Brat’s original 15 cuts (as well as bonus track “Guess,” now with Billie Eilish), with each redo featuring one or multiple new big-name featured artists.  

The much-anticipated completely different version of Brat includes Charli’s previously released spins on “360” (with Robyn and Yung Lean), “Girl So Confusing” (with Lorde) “Von Dutch” (with A.G. Cook and Addison Rae) and “Talk Talk” (with Troye Sivan) as well as the aforementioned “Guess.” Some of the most attention-grabbing newly added names to the guest list include The 1975 (along with Jon Hopkins on “I Might Say Something Stupid”), Bon Iver (on “I Think About It All the Time”) and pop superstar Ariana Grande (on “Sympathy Is a Knife”). The completely different version of Brat, as with all other previously released permutations of Brat, will all be combined into one Brat for chart purposes. 

The set should rack up a good amount of curiosity streams for its new remixes and the big names on them, and it’s also available for purchase on Charli’s webstore in double-CD, double-cassette and triple-vinyl editions (and for $4.99 on iTunes), all of which also include the original Brat tracklist. But with the entirely new Jelly Roll and Rod Wave albums getting in the way this week, Charli will have her work cut out for her in passing the original No. 3 debut spot of Brat on the Billboard 200 even with the added help.

IN THE MIX 

GloRilla, Glorious (CMG/Interscope): Though many prematurely wrote off GloRilla when her 2023 did not maintain the momentum of her breakout 2022, her official debut album is now coming at the exact right time – hot off the momentum of 2024 hits “Yeah Glo!,” “Wanna Be” (with Megan Thee Stallion), “TGIF” and “Hollon.” The first two of those aren’t found on Glorious, but the latter two are, along with appearances from the aforementioned Stallion, Muni Long, Latto, Bossman Dlow, Sexyy Red and more big-name guests – with the Sexyy teamup “Whatchu Kno About Me” already looking on its way to breakout hit status. In many other weeks this autumn, Glorious’ strong streaming entrance (and webstore availability on signed CD, and in a digital download with an exclusive bonus track) would likely have it as a contender for the Billboard 200’s top debut – but in this stacked week, it may have to settle for top five.