We were lucky to catch up with Travis Japan recently and have shared our conversation below.
Travis, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome is probably not something anyone ever really overcomes, especially for those in the entertainment industry. When we watch the performances of other artists, and especially those of our own seniors and juniors, we always see things that make us think “oh, we should have done that,” or “I wish I could do that better” which can sometimes deflate the elation we have about our own accomplishments and put a lot of pressure on topping our own and others’ expectations for the next time.
What does help, of course, is the encouragement we get from our fans. When we stand on stage, and hear the screams and cheers of the crowds who have persevered across distances, sometimes even oceans, through snow, rain, or the heat of summer just to see us, we know that we have satisfied them. We can always do better, and always strive to build upon what we learn to improve each and every time, but the fact that the people standing, smiling, and clapping right there in front of us are satisfied with where we are now gives us such a sense of relief that–at the very least–we’re on the right track.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
We are Travis Japan, and we are happy to be a part of Voyage’s Bold Journey series. We are a Japanese boyband specializing in dance, first created in 2012 when we auditioned as children for American choreographer Travis Payne (whose name we took in recognition of his support). Since then, we saw a few members come and go, but finally locked the current 7 in 2017.
In 2022, despite the lingering global pandemic, we decided to pack up and try for a shot at global recognition by working and training in the United States. It was incredibly tough, and very lonely to be so far away from all the people who supported us back home, but we wanted to make them proud and worked harder than ever before. We studied English of course, and took dance and vocal lessons from some of the best people in Los Angeles, all the while applying to various local dance challenges and performance festivals. It was thanks to one of these, the World of Dance Competition in Orange County, that caught the attention of the producers of the hit U.S. television show “America’s Got Talent,” and we were able to perform an English version of one of our original songs for judges Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, and Heidi Klum. Unfortunately, the Semifinals didn’t go quite as well as the first time, but it was still an amazing experience and one we will never forget in the course of our journey and growth as artists. In fact, unbeknownst to us at the time, Capitol Records and our management agency were already in the process of discussing more for us, and in September they made an official offer to debut us worldwide, helping us release our first commercial single “JUST DANCE!” In October 2022.
Since then, we’ve been able to do so much that 2023 has been a bit of a blur. We’ve come out with two more singles “Moving Pieces” and “Candy Kiss” in addition to a 4-track EP, as well as completed a national concert tour across Japan. We have a lot more announcements coming up, so we invite anyone reading this to follow us on Instagram @travis_japan_official and leave a comment to let us know what you think!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The agency we’re a part of is more than your regular talent agency. Johnny’s has been around for over 60 years and part of what makes it like a true family is how well all of us are integrated into each other and the kind of shared experiences we have and are able to impart to others within the Family.
If we were to boil it down to just 3 experiences to pass down to the next generation, maybe it would be as follows:
・Understand your fans’ desires and goals for you more than your skills. Your singing, acting, and dancing might attract some attention at first, but whether or not your fans can feel a real connection to you personally is what determines whether or not they will keep coming back to see more.
・We are all in this together. There was an expression we learned in the United States that people in English like to use, being: “the people you step over on the way up the latter are the same ones you must face on your way back down.” The entertainment industry is competitive, and everyone has to make hard choices when it comes to limited opportunities, but we are all working toward the same ultimate goal, which is to make people happy. Whether or not your slice of the pie is big or small shouldn’t change your focus on those who are devoting time, money, and energy to your success.
・Try everything. When we went to the United States we had no idea what would happen. To be honest, we thought we would be gone for a few years and then come back to apply our new skills for a shot at success, but thanks to being willing to do anything and everything we managed to secure a debut from a major American label. Nothing is guaranteed, not even now, but we have the confidence that if we just do our best, good things can come, and we hope more Junior trainees take the same kinds of leaps.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Travis Japan respects all artists, and if we do ever get the chance to collaborate, we would like to do so with various artists all over the world. Noel likes Swedish artists such as ABBA, and a few of us took a liking to country western music during our time in Los Angeles. Thus, we hope to be able to release songs like that someday. Meeting someone like Drake someday would also be really fun, and we hope to have the chance to appeal ourselves to other big names at the Billboard or Grammy Awards someday!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://genius.com/artists/Travis-japan
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travis_japan_official/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TravisJapan_cr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TravisJapan_official
- Other: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@travisjapan_capitol
Image Credits
© Johnny & Associates
