[iFLYER Interview]We asked super popular producer Jonas Blue, who had a great success at JAPAN TOUR 2023, about what happened on the tour and his recent releases!

A DJ/Producer from England who boasts tremendous popularity and name recognition both in the world and here in Japan.Jonas BlueHowever, “JAPAN TOUR 2023”, which had been postponed due to the pandemic of the new corona, was held in five cities in March, and the performances in Tokyo and Yokohama were sold out, and the curtain closed with great success.

An iFLYER interview with Jonas Blue, who is running up the stairs to become a top star at breakneck speed! The interview took place the day before his Tokyo performance at Zepp DiverCity on March 20, 2023 (Monday).

 

iFLYER: When you performed at FUJI ROCK 2022, many fans of all ages gathered on the stage and it was a great success! This Japan tour, which will tour a total of 5 locations, has been canceled twice in the past due to the pandemic of the new coronavirus, and from the stage contents planned at the beginning of 2020, excluding his FUJI ROCK FESTIVSAL, it will be 3 years over. It will be a tour after the pandemic that has been realized. Were there any changes in your state of mind or new discoveries, as well as the contents of the stage?

Jonas Blue: Well, it’s been three years and I think I’ve grown as an artist and musically. In previous performances, of course, I played a lot of hit songs and songs that made people know me. But I had a lot of time to make new music. For three years, I had time to focus only on new things. This tour will have a lot of new songs as well as old well-known songs, so we will be playing those songs as well.
I had plenty of time to prepare for the performance, and I feel very comfortable with the production, the visuals, and the fact that I am comfortable with the Japanese culture. I feel that now is the best time for me.

 

iFLYER: This time, besides Tokyo, you also visited Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka. What did you do during your stay in each area?

Jonas Blue: Well, I definitely noticed a change in the audience. Fukuoka, for example, was overcrowded and very lively. All the shows were very lively though. Did you feel a slight cultural difference in each city? The liveliness of Fukuoka was, how can I say it, a very calm and relaxing feeling. But it was so beautiful to see those things.
We’re playing in Tokyo tonight, and I’m sure Tokyo will feel a bit like the UK show when it gets completely wild. But yeah, every city definitely has a different vibe. That’s what I felt when I was on stage and naturally with everyone on the floor. It’s like the energy you feel from everyone in the audience.

iFLYER: Due to the pandemic, not only did your Japan tour get postponed, but there was a time when the global music scene came to a standstill. What were you thinking about during that period?

Jonas Blue: Japan was definitely one of the affected by[the coronavirus pandemic]. In 2019, they planned and held a UK tour, finished the final performance, and were scheduled to travel to Japan the next day. But of course that didn’t happen, and that day was the first day of the pandemic. It was very disappointing. Japan is one of the places that inspires me musically and culturally, and plays a big part in the way I make music. So coming back to Japan is very important to me.
As an artist, I’ve grown in everything, music, of course, so it feels like a very special time to be back now.

 

iFLYER: You held a pop-up store this time, and I think you were able to come into contact with a lot of fans because you were there yourself. Please tell us about that memory!

Jonas Blue: I have a really crazy story to tell you. When I released the album “BLUE” in 2018, I had an album autograph session at Tower Records. At that time, a girl who was 6 or 7 years old at the time came. She’s been DJing at a young age, her DJ name is “DJ Rise” and she’s a very pretty girl. So yesterday, when we were walking down the street, I happened to run into her on the side of the road. she’s 10 now She posted about it yesterday on social media, which is very special to me. Young and dedicated fans who want to be part of the scene (with the same music as me) and want to do something like me… to see that is very special to me. That’s what I thought. It’s kind of come full circle… it’s great to realize that I’m inspired by kids her age.

Then there’s the pop-up store. I sell goods in various places, not just in Japan, but yesterday’s pop-up store felt like something really special. That’s because they didn’t just come to buy goods, they came because they liked the music I make and wanted to meet me. But people don’t realize how much it inspires me.
So at yesterday’s pop-up store, instead of just selling merch, I was able to connect with people and understand who is a fan right now. That’s really great. But I’m really glad that I met the young and pretty DJ Rise.

 

iFLYER: You recently released a new song “Weekends” in collaboration with Felix Jahn. It has a faster BPM than normal tracks, and is simpler and a little rockier than songs like “Always Be There” and “Don’t Wake Me Up”, which are probably the first songs that fans think of as “Jonas Blue songs”. I could feel the taste and Eurobeat elements, but what was the process behind making this song? Also, please tell us if there are any events that left an impression when you were making music.

Jonas Blue: Yeah, yeah, definitely. As I said before, I like to try new things with my music. It’s very easy for me to keep making uplifting songs like ‘Fast Car’ and ‘Perfect Strangers’. But if you really listen to those songs, I think you’ll find that each one is completely different. Even when he released “Fast Car” and “Perfect Strangers,” these songs sounded like Jonas Blue, but musically they sounded completely different.
A big reason why I always like to try new things is that doing the same thing can get really boring. That’s why I like doing different things.
And the rock element, I hadn’t tried it yet, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. The song opens with a rock guitar and a sort of tropical house melodic track. I was able to do that with this song. You hear it first, then you have a big Eurodance moment.
Sometimes it takes people a while to get a feel for the song when they play it for the first time. I remember the first time I played “Perfect Strangers” everyone walked away. But now, when I play “Perfect Strangers,” everyone cries. Very interesting, isn’t it? But “Weekends” has a tempo, so when it hits the drop, everyone goes crazy like “Let’s go!”. It’s very interesting. It’s a new song, and I think people are still learning about it.
But because of the energy and tempo[of this song]people are like, “Let’s go! Let’s have a good time!” Great.
I put a “whoop whoop” sound before the second drop on this track. Felix and I debated for two days whether we should include the sound and in the end we did. In a place like Japan, you get that kind of detail, and maybe you can’t hear the lyrics, but if you can, it sounds really good. Yes, I like that sort of thing.

 

iFLYER: I’ve personally seen your performances many times, but at FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL 2022, while mixing trendy songs, there are bright pop songs that can be said to be Jonas Blue’s characteristics, and BE:FIRST’s With co-starring, I felt that the stage direction, visuals, everything has evolved. The performance at FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL 2022 was your first performance in Japan in three years.

Jonas Blue: Well, as I said earlier, during that period I was able to grow as an artist, and I think the stage design changed a bit. Maybe everything is bigger now than it was in 2018. It’s always growing. Also, it was my first time to stand on stage with BE:FIRST and to do their choreography, so it was very different from what I had done so far, but everyone was happy. As I said before, I like to try new things. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but I think this challenge was really good and it was great.

 

iFLYER: Your fan base is very diverse in Japan, young and old, men and women, and I don’t think there are many artists like that. You are of course a top artist in Japan, but now you are one of the top artists in the world, but is there anything that hasn’t changed since your debut, or is there anything you always keep in mind when performing songs or performing?

Jonas Blue: The message I always want to convey through my songs is to make you feel happy, positive and energetic. I think there are tons of artists out there who are just doing it, and generally a lot of the songs are sad. People love it and resonate with it. But not for me. ‘Cause I’m not, it’s not my life
It was the same at the pop-up store we held yesterday, but everyone[who came to the pop-up store]handed me notes, came by my side, my music made me smile, overcome all the times I will tell you that you helped me. When I create a new song, I always think about whether the song has that kind of message, whether it will make people smile, and whether many people will dance to it. Thing. If I can’t feel them from a song, I won’t release it. We have to make sure that those feelings and messages are put into the songs. If I don’t feel that way, nobody else will. So I have to start with myself, and I have to feel that I can feel the message and spread it around. and then see what happens. That’s what’s so important about the whole song. That there is happiness, positivity, energy, and smiles.