E-Junkies: J-pop boy band Be:First learn English, focus on dance choreography in 1st world tour, Entertainment News

AsiaOne

6 days ago

From touring around their country, they're now travelling around the globe and bringing their music and dance with them.
AsiaOne spoke to J-pop boy band Be:First recently when they performed in Singapore on July 5 as part of their first world tour to a sold-out concert at the Capitol Theatre.
The vocal and dance group debuted in 2021 with seven members - Sota, Shunto, Manato, Ryuhei, Junon, Leo and Ryoki.
Ryoki, 26, went on an indefinite hiatus after the Singapore concert - their last stop - following a personal incident. According to a statement by the group's management agency BMSG in May, Be:First will continue with six members after their world tour, which also brought them to the United States, England, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Thailand.
On their challenges during the world tour, Manato, 24, elaborated to AsiaOne in English: "We had to focus on our dance choreography because English isn't our first language, so we want to show more powerful and energetic dance performances. For example, we need to [determine what dance moves] suit certain songs better, and we have to make changes at the moment.
"We always think about not only the choreography, but performance aspects like staging as well - everything in this world tour."
Ryuhei, the youngest member of the group at 18, spoke more on the language barrier: "We have to study English, because we can't speak the language well."
During the interview, Manato spoke completely in English, while the other members also made quick quips in the language. During their concert on July 5, they also spoke bits of English confidently on stage, making jokes with their fans.
Be:First had chilli crab and paper chicken yesterday 🦀#BF_WORLDTOUR2025 pic.twitter.com/JMEJGMkfBq
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Regarding their emphasis on choreography during the world tour, the group's choreographer, 24-year-old Sota, elaborated: "One of our goals was to see how much attention we would garner, because it's different overseas.
"We were conscious to make some changes in our dance choreography, but we tried to bring life to the stage as usual."
The group also had the delight of seeing first-hand the reach of their music.
Leo, 26, remarked: "This world tour is our first time performing abroad, so we were pleasantly surprised to see so many Bestys (their fandom) waiting for us to perform overseas."
Junon, 27, added: "We're able to have fans from different countries and other people listen to our music. And we can immediately recognise which songs get popular and see how people react.
"So when fans show up where we least expect, it's really rewarding to learn all the different things and see how people get excited. Seeing how much people enjoy our songs is really rewarding."
With their tour completed, Be:First will continue building their career in the international scene.
When asked about their plans, Ryuhei said: "As artists, we have to keep in mind about writing better songs in order to gain fans and listeners. But also, to be more active worldwide, we want to communicate with local Bestys first and other people in different places to create that good music." 'Who's most likely to...?'
Although this is Be:First's first appearance in Singapore as a group, some of them have set foot on our shores in the past. Manato shared: "I've been here twice. I once came here on a school trip when I was 17 and went to Universal Studios Singapore." On his third visit now with his bandmates, the group visited the Merlion.
They enjoyed local delights such as paper-wrapped chicken and chilli crab. Ryuhei also mentioned that they'd gone swimming in Marina Bay Sands' rooftop infinity pool.
During their concert, they also asked the audience for more suggestions on places to visit, with popular ones being Sentosa's beaches and Night Safari.
We also quizzed the boys on their chemistry as a group, with a series of "Who's Most Likely To" questions.
On who spams the group chat the most, all the members immediately pointed to Leo without hesitation, who responded abashedly: "I want to share my memories with all the members but I rarely receive replies, so... I've been spamming them less recently."
These days, he sends TikTok recommendations to the group but according to Ryuhei, Leo was a lot sappier two to three years ago.
Ryuhei teased: "He used to text something like 'I love you all' or 'I really like you guys'."
On who is most likely to scream the loudest during horror movies, Sota, Leo and Junon were singled out. Leo explained: "During our audition days, Sota and I went to a haunted house together, where he got so scared that he suddenly ran and crashed into a shutter. And because I've seen it before myself, I can see why some of you guys think that way about him."
As for the member who spends the most time getting ready, everyone unanimously agreed that it was Ryuhei. Although he's the youngest, he shared: "I'm the one who gathers together the members' feelings and other stuff, so I need a bit of time to take care of them."
As a parting message for their fandom, Shunto, 21, shared about some of their future plans: "Recently, we released our newest single Grit, but other than that, we also have many songs that we're confidently preparing at the moment which will be a masterpiece, so we hope you'll look forward to it."
Watch our E-Junkies video interview with Be:First!
Be:First also released their single Under the Same Sky two days after the Singapore concert.
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