Music: Japan’s favorite boy band, JO1, strikes a lightning performance at Dodger’s Japanese Heritage Night.
JO1 Performance at the Iconic Center Field Plaza
An excited crowd headed to the Dodger Stadium on April 28th for the celebration of Japanese Heritage Night and an electric match up with the Miami Marlins. As the late April Los Angeles heat began to ease, many who set foot on Center Field Plaza found themselves greeted with a new hot breeze of Japanese pop fueling the night.
Backed by 65 million votes from the survival show Produce 101 JAPAN, JO1, the 11-member boy band—Sho, Ren, Ruki, Junki, Keigo, Takumi, Syoya, Shosei, Sky, Shion, and Issei—made history as the first Japanese idol group to represent and celebrate Japanese culture as a headline act.
Firing up the crowd with their massively successful song “BE CLASSIC,” title track from their recent album Best Of, JO1 captured the hearts of fans with powerful live vocals and razor-sharp choreo. The track, which topped Billboard Japan’s Download Songs and Hot Shot Songs charts as of April 2 and reached #1 in daily sales on Japan’s Oricon chart upon release, served as the perfect opening shot to the night’s celebratory spirit. Followed with the funk-pop groove of “Love Seeker”, “Trigger” and closing with high-energy EDM track “Eyes On Me,” JO1 concluded a “four-homer game”, setting an electric tone for the match ahead.
JO1 Presents their check on field
Later on the field, following legendary Japanese designer Takashi Murakami’s ceremonial first pitch, JO1—through their social impact campaign WHEREVER WE ARE—presented and donated a $50,000 check in heartfelt support of victims affected by the recent Los Angeles fires.
JO1 Members (From left to right: Top - Shion, Junki, Shosei, Takumi, Syoya, Ren, Keigo Bottom - Sho, Issei, Ruki, Sky)
With a grand-slam performance in the Japanese music scene with nine consecutive No. 1 singles on the Oricon charts, eight No. 1 songs and two No. 1 albums on Billboard Japan, and earning major accolades—including three MTV Video Music Awards Japan, three MAMA Awards (including Favorite Asian Artist in 2022), and a Japan Gold Disc Award—JO1 is now looking to further their reach.
With a series of sold-out shows across the U.S., an appearance at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, and now with a standout performance at Japanese Heritage Night, JO1 is steadily establishing their place in the big leagues—as they’re on deck for a run at global stardom.
Watch the music video for “BE CLASSIC”
Watch the JO1 Performance for the Japanese Heritage Night