Global Boy Group JO1 Makes History as First Japanese Artists to Perform at Jingle Ball

JO1 is preparing to make history as they become the first Japanese artists to perform at the 2025 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour when they hit the stage at Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena on Dec. 2.

JO1 will be joined by a stellar lineup of artists, including Alex Warren, Jessie Murph, mgk, Nelly, Reneé Rapp, Rachel Chinouriri, Shinedown, Zara Larsson and a special sing-along moment for KPop Demon Hunters.

The upcoming performance will cap off a special year for the 11-member Japanese boy group, consisting of Sho, Ren, Ruki, Junki, Keigo, Takumi, Syoya, Shosei, Sky, Shion and Issei. Debuting in 2020 after being formed through the music competition series Produce 101 Japan, this is their fifth year as a group. They concluded their first world tour, which visited Taipei, Bangkok, Beijing, Seoul, Los Angeles and New York. They’ve performed with Kesha and Eve on KPopped, remixing their hits “Joyride” and “Let Me Blow Ya Mind.”

JO1 is a Japanese boy band, but they don’t categorize themselves as J-pop; instead, they want to create their own path with “JO1-Pop.” This is encapsulated by their special edition EP, Handz in My Pocket, as they showcase their versatility and a sound that is distinctive and fun.

Below, we spoke with Sho, Junki, Ruki and Ren about their debut Texas show at the Jingle Ball.

Nice to meet you all. How are you feeling ahead of the Dallas show at Jingle Ball, especially as you’re the first Japanese artist to perform at the event?
Sho: This is kind of our first real event that we’ve been invited to, so it’s very exciting for us. We’re excited to see our fans, but also people who don’t know us, and hopefully we’ll be able to make them our fans.

What can these fans expect from the performance in Dallas?
Junki: This is our first time in Texas and it’s like almost a bit of a challenge. So what we’re going to do is what we do best and show what “JO1-Pop” is and go crazy on stage.

As it’s your first time in Texas, outside of the concert, is there anything you want to see or experience while traveling to Texas?
Shoya: I want to eat BBQ and steak. I hear it’s very good! I want to eat some wild food.

What was it like to have the first world tour with a couple of dates in the U.S.? What was this experience like for JO1?
Ruki: It’s always a great time performing internationally and that gives us kiai (fighting spirit). It was our first time seeing fans in two U.S. locations. We hope to give our best performance to those waiting in Texas as well. We’re excited.

What did you learn from this experience? Every continent has its own unique crowds and atmospheres. Were there any characteristics of the American fans that helped you grow as an artist going forward?
Ren: They were very good at dancing.

Sho: Yeah that’s so true.

Ren: Their vibe was so good.

Sho: Yeah, they dance and they also bark a lot.

Junki: Yeah, they dance, they sing more than other places. And they’re so crazy and bark like “bark bark bark.”

Sho: They always scream in our performance like “bark bark bark.” They screamed our name. Even when we sang a slow ballad, they sang together in Japanese. They know the Japanese lyrics to all of our songs. It was amazing.

I love the new EP Hands in My Pocket. What did you want to express with this and how does it show a new side of JO1?

Sho: We want to show our hidden potential and power and energy for our fans. Everyone has potential, and we want to give them power through our song. They can do anything, so if they listen to our song, we want to give the power to want to do anything, for our fans and for everyone.

How’s this represented through the genres of music? How did you decide on a genre? It’s a very versatile EP.
Sho: It’s a difficult question. We vote. We chose from many songs. We had a lot of songs to choose from, but we decided as a group what would be our 10th single. Before, our music had a clean image. We wanted to change our style. This time we wanted something crazier and more energetic. So we chose our new song “Handz in My Pocket.”

What was this experience like to record this in the studio? Was it a very freeing experience?
Sho: That’s right. The songs are crazy with different sounds and heavy beats.

Are there any songs that you’re looking forward to performing in this upcoming show?
Sho: Probably our new song “Handz in My Pocket,” and we want to show the unique—

Junki: Crazy.

Sho: Yeah, crazy. We want to show a crazy stage. The performance is cool and dope. We want to show our dope choreography.

Talking about the amazing choreography. I saw the KPopped performances with Eve and Kesha. What was that experience like?
Sho: It was an amazing experience.

Junki: Yeah, it was sick. They were so energetic and learned our music seriously, which was really nice. It was a great opportunity. Seeing them sing or witnessing their skills in person and live helped us learn. It was a wonderful experience. We learned a lot.

Sho: It was so sick.

What did you learn from this? Those two are legends.
Sho: Eve was such a superstar. She was amazing because her rap skills were next level. She’s so energetic and creative. She’s delicate but really powerful at the same time. We felt her power, soul and energy. It really influenced our new choreography when doing it with her.

You mentioned earlier you want to create a new genre. How would you define “JO1-Pop”?
Ren: “JO1-Pop” is about whether we enjoy doing it or not.

How important is it to create your own identity within this space?
Junki: It’s very important. There are a lot of groups out there that do similar things to us, whether it’s boys’ groups or girls’ groups. There are many. But we want to do something different, and we talk about it all the time.

It’s not just the company deciding which songs to create and things like that. We’re the ones who are always thinking about what works for us or what’s fun for us. That’s what makes “JO1-Pop,” “JO1-Pop.”

Going forward, is there anything fun and exciting that you want to explore next?
Sho: We haven’t used Japanese instruments yet, so I’d like to incorporate Japanese instruments and sounds. We do want to try that out.

Could you maybe elaborate? What would that look like within “JO1-Pop” and instruments?
Sho: We want to mix genres, include Japanese instruments, and our voices. We’re still forming the concept, but that’s the direction we’re headed. We think this might be an interesting way to give energy to our fans. When it comes to the genre, we want to incorporate whatever would work with the instruments.

106.1 KISS FM’s Jingle Ball will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. at Dickies Arena, 1911 Montgomery St, Fort Worth. Tickets are available starting at $40.50 on Ticketmaster.com.