During Award Week for MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN 2026 (MAJ), which brought together music industry professionals from around the world in Tokyo, the co-writing camp SONG BRIDGE 2026 took place. Musicians and creators including UMI (U.S.A.), Cup of Joe (the Philippines) and HINDIA (Indonesia) gathered from around the world, joining Japan’s leading topliners for co-writing sessions, which are still rare in the country.
Los Angeles-based producer/songwriter her0ism participated again this year and drew on his experience to lead the various teams. How much potential does Japanese music hold right now? Billboard Japan spoke with her0ism, who shared his perspective on the current state and future of the industry from a global vantage point.
How would you describe the shift in overseas interest in Japanese music?
The clearest, biggest sign was Lucian Grainge (Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group) being there. I had a chance to talk with him before the red carpet, and he told me, “Japanese music deserves to spread further overseas. I really sense the potential.” That’s something I feel strongly too. At the same time, there are still very few people capable of breaking through as individuals. Opportunities like MAJ are necessary, and of course there are doors that won’t open unless people come together as a group. But there are also gaps that only an individual can slip through, and that’s the kind of presence that’s needed. I talked with Lucian about this too, and for my own part, I want to keep working more to connect Japan with the rest of the world — helping Japanese artists reach a global audience, andhelping American artists who ought to be better known in Japan. That’s really important work, and something I feel I’m specifically positioned to contribute to. And to do that, it’s important that I keep being someone who’s actively writing hits. I’m looking to take that next step.
What was your impression of this year’s SONG BRIDGE 2026?
The level went up across the board this year, and the songs themselves were stronger. With artists like my close friend UMI coming from the U.S., and Cup of Joe coming from the Philippines, I feel like the camp showed even more potential to reach the world than it did last year. Everyone came away with a real sense of accomplishment at the listening party, and I’ve been hearing from the artists themselves that they’re eager to release these songs. If it becomes more widely known that this is a co-writing camp tied to an awards show, it’ll broaden the range of artists willing to take part. That, in turn, would naturally raise the producers’ morale and lead to even better songs. And once hits start coming out of it, that positive cycle should draw in even more artists who want to join the camp. I think that’s something that could realistically happen in the near future.
Tell us about what you’re working on these days. What projects are you currently involved in?
Right now a lot of my work is like being an executive producer for artists heading from Japan out into the world. Proposing sound direction and thinking through how to bring an artist’s music to the American market while keeping their identity as a Japanese artist intact. I produced “Coco,” the debut single from kiOra, a girl group born out of a project between Sony and 88rising. It’s set for release Aug. 8, and kiOra is also set to perform at Head in the Clouds at the Rose Bowl on the 8th. Creative teams from all over the world including 88’s founder Sean (Miyashiro) gathered in Tokyo, and we ran the camp multiple times to lock in the songs. Mechatok came to my studio in L.A. around his tour schedule to finish post-production, and recording was also done in L.A. yaeji came from New York, Chelsea Warner from Australia, and Kanata Okajima from Japan — it was truly a worldwide project. The result is an international sound that still carries a real sense of Japanese heritage, so I really hope people all over the world get to hear it. I also produced ENBASE’s three-part release, “I WANT MORE,” “MORE,” and “WABI,” for their upcoming debut on Universal Music next year. That included songs co-written in L.A. as well as songs co-written with the members in Japan, blending in Japanese elements while keeping overseas markets in mind, and the mix was finished in L.A. I also produced “우리의 우정은 사랑보다 강하다 (More Than Love),” featured on Promise, the debut EP from SUPER JUNIOR-83z, a new unit that spun off from SUPER JUNIOR. It’s a South Korean release with a real J-pop essence running through it. I feel like there’s a J-pop boom happening within K-pop right now. J-pop packs in a lot of elements, with solid melodies and proper song structures. There’s a real demand for that kind of thing, which is naturally something we Japanese are good at. That said, I think the reason I’m able to regularly take part in projects that go out globally — rather than K-pop that’s simply localized for Japan — comes down largely to being based in L.A. Putting yourself in that environment is the best way to make that happen.
Looking ahead, would you like to see more creators and producers from younger generations follow your path, basing themselves in L.A. and expanding their creative circles?
Like you say, I think more circles like that are necessary. Right now there just aren’t enough Japanese people there. That’s part of why I’ve started organizing my own writing camps. A song written at a camp I put together in L.A. is set to be released as a K-pop group’s track. By pitching through American management, you can reach places that are out of reach from Japan. That’s an incredibly exciting prospect for creators, and I want to keep running writing camps on a regular basis. By creating opportunities for creators active in Japan to come over, I can share those chances with them, and that will help nurture the next generation as well.
The Grammy Awards recently announced the launch of a new best Asian pop music performance category for 2027. In a previous interview, you mentioned you’d been working toward getting this category established.
I don’t think the creation of this category is just about the inception of one more award. It’s a historic step in that Asian music has now been formally recognized as part of the world’s mainstream. It creates an opportunity for artists and creators from across Asia, not just Japan, to be evaluated on the same stage. I think that carries enormous significance.
As one of the co-proposers of this category, I was fortunate to be involved in the effort to make it a reality, but the real work starts now. It’s not about the category simply existing — it’s about more artists, songwriters, and producers coming to see this award as something to aim for, and about that leading to more music that actually becomes a global hit. I think building that cycle is where the real value of this category lies. Japan has an enormous amount of talent that can compete on the world stage. That’s why I want to keep making music while doing whatever I can to help connect Japan with the rest of the world.
—This interview by Tomonori Shiba first appeared on Billboard Japan
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