The Novo Los Angeles, CA
Contact: Keisha-Tara Watkin, keisha@platformpr.net
Web: befirst.tokyo
Players: Sota, Ryoki, Shunto, Manato, Ryuhei, Junon, Leo
Showcasing their impressive choreography and youthful charisma, rising J-pop group Be:First started off their world Who Is Be:First? tour on a strong note. The group was formed in 2021 through the audition program The First and consists of seven members: Sota, Ryoki, Shunto, Manato, Ryuhei, Junon, and Leo. Since all seven members began their journey competing, they all have solid foundations in singing, rapping, and dancing. The group is also no stranger to Los Angeles as they opened for the K-pop group Ateez last year at the BMO Stadium.
The group started their set at the Novo with the low-tempo rap track “Mainstream”—the whispered rap verses and the complex side-by-side choreography gave the group an air of mystery and excitement. I was pleasantly surprised that the group performed most of the show without back-track. Letting their vocals be heard loud and clear made their performance seem more authentic. It’s tough to perfect sharp dance choreography while singing but the group managed to pull it off. It wasn’t perfect as they occasionally sounded out of breath and shaky, especially during the high notes. But overall, all seven members performed to their strengths and happily shared the spotlight with one another. To keep things interesting, they even separated into small subunits to give other members of the group a break. As not every member is fluent in speaking English, Ryoki took the lead to engage the crowd, asking questions and awkwardly bantering with everyone between song breaks.
Be:First’s music is filled with elements of dance, pop, hip-hop, and R&B. This diversity made their 15-song performance all the more entertaining. The catchy chorus and lyrics of “Boom Boom Back” had fans yelling “singing from the east side to the west side!” The collaboration track with Jonas Blue's “Don't Wake Me Up” had the entire venue jumping up and down along the euphoric synth melodies. The song “Scream” showcased a different side of the group, with a punk rock sound that had the entire band growling and rocking out. The group’s song “Sailing,” from the popular animated series One Piece, was my favorite performance of the night as it’s one of their more experimental songs. The feel-good song evokes the feeling of sailing along the open sea before it’s abruptly interrupted by an aggressive beat that keeps you on your toes. The group has a lot of potential to grow as artists, they just need to find a distinctive style to set them apart from other boy band groups.
