SKY-HI and Nippon TV Partner to Deliver D.U.N.K. Project on YouTube

At the start of 2023, D.U.N.K. (“DANCE UNIVERSE NEVER KILLED”), a large-scale music and dance project, was formed as part of a partnership between rapper SKY-HI and Japanese broadcaster Nippon TV.

The goal of D.U.N.K. is to gather vocal and dance groups and performers from various artist management groups and music labels to transcend barriers and transmit entertainment from Japan to the world. Initially held as a weekly TV program in February followed by a three-day showcase event in March 2023, D.U.N.K. featured collaborations between participating artists and dancers, as well as never-seen-before cypher dance finales rounding up each event day. The success of D.U.N.K.'s debut has led SKY-HI and Nippon TV to announce that weekly previews of the entire project will be premiered on YouTube starting this month.


SKY-HI commented:

"Music and dance hold no boundaries. With the rapid changes in the world, we are no longer restricted by traditional ways, we strive towards experimenting, creating and presenting. D.U.N.K. was created as a new platform and format to represent what vocal and dance groups, dancers, and artists can do in and for our industry. The series has brought together some of the biggest names in the Japanese music industry and we are thrilled to be able to present this to the rest of the world.

As you may know, in Japan we have limited opportunities where vocal and dance groups from different labels or artist managements can collaborate and perform together across various venues. Now that it is available on YouTube with English subtitles, everyone can easily understand what we’ve been working towards. We wanted to create a unique and memorable experience together to give fans from around the world the opportunity to witness this incredible showcase and project. We also want to uplift and grow with the worldwide music and dance communities and encourage them to join us. This is a rare chance for international viewers to witness Japan’s new culture and see some of our top performers in action. We would like to invite everyone to tune in and enjoy the show. There will be a total of 10 episodes, uploaded weekly on Friday. Let's make this a turning point in the history of the Japanese music and dance scene. I’m excited to be able to introduce D.U.N.K. as our new culture to the world.”

The first episode of D.U.N.K. premiered on YouTube on May 13th. Equipped with English subtitles that can be turned on by enabling captions, it features SKY-HI opening with his single D.U.N.K., as well as a collaboration between Japanese boy group BE:FIRST and multinational boyband &TEAM. It also features backstage and behind-the-scenes conversations from both groups. A total of 10 episodes will be released, with a new one premiering each week. They will feature exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and collaborative projects between a diverse range of performers, including &TEAM, Ayumi Imazu, BALLISTIK BOYZ, BE:FIRST, BULLET TRAIN, GENERATIONS, s**t kingz, ShowMinorSavage and TOKYO GEGEGAY, among others.

The first episode of D.U.N.K. can be viewed below, followed by the music video for SKY-HI’s single of the same name, which was produced by m-flo's ☆Taku Takahashi and features appearances from a number of guest dancers, including SOTA from BE:FIRST, Aile The Shota, Kensuke, JUN, Money and TAK-YARD from BFQ, KAITA from Rht., MASATO from $RAM HEADS, JUMPEI and KooDa from YDK Apartment and avex ROYALBRATS, COTA, KAIRI, REN and RYUNOSUKE.