Fuyumi Ono’s Yumei no Kishi: Juni Kokuki hits No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Book Hot 100 chart released Sept. 24, tracking the week from Sept. 14 to 20.

The title is the first new installment in seven years of the popular fantasy novel series Juni Kokuki (The Twelve Kingdoms), celebrating its 35th anniversary. It tops three metrics — brick-and-mortar, e-commerce (EC) and social media — and claims a decisive lead at No. 1, with more than three times the points of the runner-up.

Last week’s No. 1, Onna no Sono no Hoshi Vol. 5, a comedy manga set at an all-girls high school, slips to No. 2 while holding at No. 1 for e-books. Hirohiko Araki’s The JOJOLands Vol. 9 follows at No. 3, placing No. 3 in both brick-and-mortar and e-books.

Debuting at No. 4 is Pan Dorobo to Sasurai Ramen, the eighth installment in Keiko Shibata’s popular picture book series Pan Dorobo. The book is a spirited, heartwarming story that follows Pan Dorobo (literally, “bread thief”) after they arrive on the freezing Buruburu Island.

The Billboard Japan Book Hot 100 is a comprehensive chart combining physical sales, e-books, library loans, subscription data and social media activity. Below are the top 10 titles on this week’s list.

(Numbers in parentheses indicate the title’s metric placements for brick-and-mortar, EC, e-books, subscriptions, and social media, top 20 only. English title given if translations or adaptations exist.)

1. Yumei no Kishi: Juni Kokuki, Fuyumi Ono (1/1/–/–/1)

2. Onna no Sono no Hoshi Vol. 5, Yama Wayama (4/–/1/–/–)

3. The JOJOLands Vol. 9, Hirohiko Araki (3/11/3/–/–)

4. Pan Dorobo to Sasurai Ramen, Keiko Shibata (2/6/–/–/–)

5. Uruwashi no Yoi no Tsuki (In the Clear Moonlit Dusk) Vol. 11, Mika Yamamori (5/–/5/–/–)

6. Eien no Kioku, Keigo Higashino (12/–/–/13/9)

7. In The Megachurch, Ryo Asai (–/–/–/2/3)

8. Shiki Vol. 2: Ruri to Hari, Kaoru Takada (6/–/–/–/–)

9. Nanji, Hoshi no Gotoku, Yu Nagira (–/–/–/1/5)

10. Hakucho to Komori (Guilt) Part 1, Keigo Higashino (8/–/–/–/–)

American Authors are venturing into a new corner of the music world — one populated by puppets and pineapple-themed characters. The band behind the 2014 top 20 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Best Day of My Life” is launching Bogoo’s Best Day, a new project aimed at kids and families, with the debut album The Greatest Adventure Yet, due Oct. 23.

The project is centered around Bogoo, a spirited character who gets into adventures alongside his best friend, Bestie, and the older, more experienced Papa Piña. Across the album, American Authors put their knack for catchy hooks and group vocals toward songs about friendship, confidence, individuality and the everyday moments that can feel like big adventures to a kid.

Three songs from the project have already been released: “Celebrate,” “Sing With Friends” and “Luckiest Kid Alive,” along with “Zombie Walk,” out Thursday (Oct. 1). The song is a seasonal entry to the Bogoo universe, as it is a dance-infused Halloween-themed track that will have little ghouls up on their feet.

For American Authors’ Zac Barnett and Matt Sanchez, Bogoo’s Best Day is also a way to bring some of their own family histories into the body of work. Barnett grew up around his father’s work as a puppeteer and magician, and spent part of this summer assisting him at puppet shows throughout Southern California. These childhood experiences served as the blueprint for Bogoo’s world — a very fitting direction for a project built around characters who exist separate from the songs they live in.

Sanchez also drew from his own family when creating Papa Piña. The character takes inspiration from Sanchez’s grandfather and his Mexican heritage, giving the project a personal thread alongside its colorful cast and kid-friendly storytelling. Sanchez’s daughter, Emma, also helped structure his perspective on the kind of world the duo wanted to create.

The result is a considerable departure in audience, but not necessarily in spirit, for American Authors. The band has spent more than a decade turning buoyant melodies and communal choruses into pop-rock staples, with “Best Day of My Life” becoming its signature hit, landing the group their sole spot on the Billboard Hot 100 back in 2013 and 2014, peaking at No. 11. Now, those same musical instincts are being redirected toward songs designed to be enjoyed by parents and children together.

Listen to “Zombie Walk” below:

Global Citizen is going west.

ARIA Award-winning folk-rock act The Teskey Brothers will headline Global Citizen Nights: Perth, a free, ticketed event set for Oct. 20.

South Summit and Ruby Rodgers will also perform at the show, which concludes the Global Citizen NOW: Perth action summit, a pow-wow that will gather leaders from government, business, philanthropy and more from Oct. 18-20, casting a spotlight on Western Australia’s potential as a renewable energy giant.

Riverside Theatre at Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre will host the concert, which marks Global Citizen’s return to Perth for the first time in 15 years. The organization was active on Australia’s west coast for the landmark End of Polio concert in 2011.

“It’s a real honor to be invited to play at Global Citizen Nights: Perth,” comments Josh Teskey, frontman of The Teskey Brothers. “What Global Citizen is doing is so much bigger than music, so it’s pretty special to be able to contribute in a small way. We’re really grateful to be part of it, and looking forward to getting up there and playing some tunes to close out this really special event.”

The Teskeys’ third and most recent studio album, 2023’s The Winding Way, debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Chart, for their second leader (2020’s Live At The Forum also topped the tally). Later in the year, The Winding Way collected best blues & roots album at the ARIA Awards.

Newly announced participants for the Global Citizen NOW: Perth action summit include retired Australian swimming champion Ian Thorpe; Mathias Cormann, secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation; and chart-topping WA-based musician and activist John Butler, who will deliver a keynote address.

“We couldn’t be more excited to return to Western Australia with Global Citizen Nights: Perth,” comments Michael Sheldrick, co-founder and chief policy, impact and government affairs officer at Global Citizen. “It’s going to be an unforgettable night of Aussie music closing out two important days of action spotlighting WA as a renewable energy powerhouse, and how we can help build a future where our neighbors across the Indo-Pacific have access to reliable, affordable electricity.”

Established in Australia in 2008, and spearhead by its co-founder and CEO Hugh Evans, Global Citizen is the world’s largest movement to end extreme poverty. Since launch, more than US$50 billion in commitments announced on Global Citizen platforms have been deployed, according to a statement.

Melbourne hosted the first international edition of the Global Citizen NOW action summit event in March 2024, which also wrapped up with a live music event, headlined by ARIA Hall of Fame inductees Crowded House.

Free tickets for Global Citizen Nights: Perth can be snapped up by taking action at globalcitizen.org/nights. Click here for more information.

BTS are getting back in the game — literally. The K-pop superstars are set to return with new episodes of their beloved variety series Run BTS!, and a new teaser gives fans a first look at the group’s ideas for games, challenges and friendly competition.

Filmed in Toronto, the preview shows the seven members enjoying a BTS-style picnic as they revisit games they used to play during picnics. The nostalgic setup takes a competitive turn when the members take on a quick game of “speed walk” before moving on to “red light, green light.”

“Why are you so fast?” we hear Jung Kook say as he’s running around the picnic, before taking a tumble while the other members laugh.

The real competition doesn’t arrive until the group begins their long-awaited pickleball tournament. The stakes are raised when the group learns that the loser will have to take on some sort of punishment. The teaser shows a glimpse of the chaotic match, with the members cheering, shouting and reacting to shots flying across the court. The tournament fades to black as a Run BTS 2.0 title card appears, teasing and anticipating a new chapter for the series.

The return of such a candid series is particularly exciting for fans as the group just wrapped the North American leg of their ARIRANG World Tour, and are set to continue onto the South American leg pretty soon. Their latest album, ARIRANG, gave the group their seventh No. 1 album atop the Billboard 200 upon its release in April, remaining on the chart for 27 weeks and counting.

The first episode of the new Run BTS! era is set to premiere at 8 p.m. KST on Oct. 6, with the second episode following at 8 p.m. KST on Oct. 11.

Watch the teaser for Run BTS! below.

Troye Sivan has admittedly spent a lot of his time onstage, in the studio, and at intense parties, but he’s always felt most at home getting ready for those events with the girls.

While sitting down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe in New York, the pop star opened up about the inspiration behind his forthcoming fourth studio album She’s the Best and why the project showcases a feeling he says has followed him throughout his life.

“I’m so comfortable and kind of like my happiest, honestly, when I’m existing in the orbit of like a woman,” Sivan told Lowe.

“Like the kind of safety and protection that I felt from women that I haven’t felt from men,” he elaborates. “During the songwriting process when we writing She’s the Best, I was like, oh, this has been, like, a constant in my life. From day one, those are the people that have really had my back.”

That realization became part of the album’s DNA, with Sivan pointing to several of the women who have occupied that orbit throughout his career. He mentioned his “duet with Ariana [Grande]” (which could reference their 2018 collaboration “Dance to This,” or their remix on Eternal Sunshine‘s “Imperfect for You”), his work with Lily-Rose Depp on The Idol, his SWEAT tour with Charli xcx and his collaborations with Nicole Kidman as examples of the world in which he feels most at home.

“I am just so, so, so comfortable in that world,” he said.

That feeling also takes Sivan back to a familiar teenage ritual: getting ready for house parties with his female friends.

“I would get ready in like five minutes at home early and then go and just like, watch the girls get ready,” he recalled. “We would just like talk and hang out and whatever, and it was always so much more fun than the parties.”

The parties themselves, though, were a different story. Sivan said he would arrive only to encounter boys being “homophobic,” underscoring the contrast between the spaces where he felt comfortable and those where he didn’t.

That sense of belonging now threads through She’s the Best, which arrives on Oct. 9. The album follows Sivan’s recently released single “Party,” which samples Madonna‘s 2000 hit “Music.” The project also features an eclectic roster of collaborators and appearances, including Charli xcx, Ian McKellen and Kidman.

Watch the full interview below.