Joji

Japanese musician Joji laces R&B and hip-hop with textured electronics on his atmospheric meditations for the digital age. As part of the 88Rising crew, he experienced a creative rebirth that rebranded him as a serious artist after years as a popular Internet personality. Following his first EP, 2017′s lo-fi In Tongues, he hit a chart peak, reaching the Top Ten of the Billboard 200 with his gold-certified full-length Ballads 1, home to the hit single “Slow Dancing in the Dark.” Riding the high of that record’s international success, he again made the Top Ten with his big-budget 2020 sophomore effort, Nectar. In 2022, he dialed it back for his brisk third set, Smithereens.
Born George Miller in Osaka, he built a massive online following in the early 2010s with his comedy skits (including the viral phenomenon for “Harlem Shake”) before changing lanes to fully focus on music, crafting downtempo, moody reflections under the Joji moniker. Joining the 88Rising collective, he released 2017′s In Tongues, a six-song EP of introspective musings and piano-based electronic explorations. Following the collaborative single “18” with Kris Wu and Rich Brian, Joji issued a deluxe version of In Tongues in early 2018 that expanded the original EP with ten more tracks, including remixes by Lapalux, Ryan Hemsworth, and Actress. That same year, he kicked off a fresh cycle with the single “Yeah Right,” from his official full-length debut, Ballads 1. Released that October, the LP rose to number three on the Billboard 200 and topped the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Second single “Slow Dancing in the Dark” was also a chart hit, earning platinum status in Australia and the U.S.
Joji swiftly began work on his next album, releasing the gold-certified single “Sanctuary” in June 2019. Subsequent international chart hits “Run” and “Gimme Love” continued the promotion for his sophomore full-length, Nectar, in 2020. In addition to appearances by Omar Apollo, Lil Yachty, Yves Tumor, and Benee, the record also featured production by Diplo on “Daylight.” It reached number three on the Billboard 200.
In 2022, Joji returned with the single “Glimpse of Us,” a piano-backed heartbreaker that soared to number one in Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. That track landed on his third album, Smithereens, which arrived in November. ~ Neil Z. Yeung