Kenshi Yonezu’s Kick Back Goes Platinum in the US
The Recording Industry Association of America has certified Kenshi Yonezu’s 2022 single “Kick Back” as Platinum. It is the first song written and performed in Japanese to reach that level in the United States.
“Kick Back” first arrived in November 2022 as the opening theme for the anime Chainsaw Man. About a year later it earned Gold certification from the RIAA, another first for a Japanese language song, and it has now climbed all the way to Platinum.
A Platinum award marks one million units. A permanent digital download counts as one unit, and 150 on demand audio or video streams also count as one. The milestone landed soon after Yonezu released his newest single, “Iris Out.”
Yonezu wrote the track and arranged it with Daiki Tsuneta of King Gnu and MILLENNIUM PARADE, and the music video was directed by Yoshiyuki Okuyama. Looking back, Yonezu said the song brings him fond memories, and that crowds on his recent world tour roared whenever it started. A fresh remix by Frost Children arrived alongside the new film.
That new film, Chainsaw Man The Movie: Reze Arc, uses “Iris Out” as its theme song. It opened in Japan on September 19 and reaches the United States on October 24.
My take: It is lovely to see a Japanese song break through like this on its own terms. Anime has clearly opened doors for Japanese music abroad, and Yonezu walking through them feels well earned.
