The November edition of Billboard Japan and TikTok’s hybrid program Next Fire kicked off on Nov. 5, with a showcase livestream by this month’s featured artist, asmi.
Next Fire is a show on TikTok Live focusing on a rising J-pop act each month, based on Billboard Japan’s Japan Heatseekers Songs chart. The collaborative endeavor streams performances and pre-recorded interviews by the highlighted act to present their art in a multifaceted way.
asmi performed live in the studio for a total of 28,044 viewers over the course of the evening, presenting popular numbers such as “Yowanehaki” featuring WaNuka and asmi from the collaborative MAISONdes project, as well as “Mon Star” and “Tatoeba” from her EP humming released in June.
The 20-year-old singer-songwriter appeared onstage with a big smile on her face, accompanied by the sound of melodic keyboards. Playing an electric guitar, asmi kicked off her set with her quirky space-themed track “Mon Star,” her clear voice and mellow drums and keyboards filling the studio with a charming, laid-back mood.
“This is my first time performing with headphones on and it feels new,” she told viewers between songs with a smile. “The studio is sparkly and I’m really happy [to be here].” She followed up with “Tatoeba” (“For Example”), a straightforward love song, bringing the various hypothetical situations she lists in the song to life, with her sweet vocals blending in with the warm accompaniment.
The Osaka native then introduced her next number, “earth meal,” a song by her collaborator Rinne. “Some of you might have discovered me through this song,” she said before launching into the breakout 23-year-old rapper’s collaborative single. She performed Rinne’s verses as well in her solo rendition of the chill hip-hop duet she was featured in, building up emotion toward the end of the track. She then segued into her new single “Call Me,” singing powerfully while clapping to the danceable beat.
asmi’s next song, “Yowanehaki,” was released under the MAISONdes project and generated buzz on TikTok thanks to the numerous dance videos the track accompanied. The rising singer expressed her gratitude for the unexpected response to the upbeat number, before performing the song with a different arrangement that placed more emphasis on the distinctive chorus than the original recording. Then picking up her electric guitar again, she closed her set with “memory,” which depicts the swaying emotions of a budding romance against the backdrop of the Osaka cityscape in the year-end holiday season.
A video interview by asmi will stream Nov. 19 from 8 p.m. Japan time on Billboard Japan’s TikTok channel, as well as an archived version of her Nov. 5 livestream.