Genta Matsuda has had a very good year so far. 

He captured hearts playing a key supporting role in the hit television drama Tokyo Tower, which aired in Japan from April to June, and starred in its two-part spin-off series Tokyo Tower: Another Story in May. Immediately after that season, he was announced as part of the cast of the primetime drama series Billion x School starring Hey! Say! JUMP’s Ryosuke Yamada. 

His group, Travis Japan, has also been making strides on their tour, which had kicked off nationwide in January, then made stops around Asia, and is now about to conclude on the other side of the world with shows in three cities across the USA. The group is also set to release their second album, VIISual, with both the Japanese editions and a global edition featuring all-English versions of the songs available simultaneously, on 4 December.

ALSO READ: Travis Japan’s Bangkok concert was wrapped in the warmth of Southeast Asian fans

To top it off, Genta has just been named as the voice of Taka (young “Scar”) in the upcoming Japanese release of Mufasa: The Lion King this 20 December. This is his first voice acting role, and in a message released with the announcement, the young talent expressed his excitement in bringing the character to life and sharing the origin story of one of Disney’s most iconic tales with more people.

#GentaMatsuda of #TravisJapan will swap his tiger stripes for a lion's mane as the Japanese voice of "Taka" (young Scar) in Disney's Mufasa: The Lion King, coming to theaters Dec 20th!#ライオンキングムファサ @TravisJapan_cr pic.twitter.com/UUXvruZOnr

— STARTO ENTERTAINMENT (International) (@STARTO_INT) October 3, 2024

It seems like Genta is really on his way to becoming an international sensation. He’s known as the “Sexy Tiger” of Travis Japan, and for good reason, thanks to his bold stage presence and magnetic charm. But beneath that label, he remains incredibly down-to-earth and approachable, and this is probably what makes him an even more powerful force that resonates on such a deep level with fans old and new. 

Last week, Bandwagon Asia had a chance to speak with Genta Matsuda over a video call to catch up on the excitement surrounding his projects, Travis Japan’s ongoing tour, and his personal journey as both a performer and actor.

Interpretation and an official transcript were provided for this interview. 

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Congratulations on a successful tour so far! Travis Japan has just finished touring Asia and will be heading for the US soon. How are you feeling about all of this right now? 

Thank you so much! It’s an honour to speak with you and the readers of Bandwagon Asia. As for the tour so far, it was so much fun getting to meet more of our fans in person at each stop, and since it’s been our longtime dream to do a World Tour we truly felt like we were taking the first step toward making even bigger dreams come true.

Are there a few memorable things that you can share with us from your tour so far?

I have too many memories to pick just one. We have been to Taipei, Bangkok, and Hong Kong so far; each being cities we’d visited for events in the past, but to be able to do our own solo concerts with our fans in such close proximity was the most enjoyable and happy experience for us, and to see their happy faces in person was one of the most rewarding moments of the job.

พวกเรากลับมาถึงญี่ปุ่นแล้วครับ แต่หัวใจของพวกเรายังอยู่ที่ไทยอยู่เลย ❤️🐯

รอคอยที่จะได้กลับไปไทยเร็วๆ นี้นะครับ!

🎧https://t.co/K3izVRUfvS#TravisJapanRoadtoABKK #TravisJapanBKK2024 #TravisJapan#หมูเด้ง #MooDeng pic.twitter.com/gXIODYA5Kw

— Travis Japan (@TravisJapan_cr) September 19, 2024

Can you tell us a bit about how the group has been preparing for these shows?

On one hand, our preparations are very similar to our usual ways of getting ready, as after all it’s an extension of the Road to Authenticity we traveled across Japan earlier this year. On the other hand, we wanted it to also be reflective of how much we’ve grown, and so we added a bit of originality tailored to each city in the set list with covers of local hits. To that end, we kept ourselves busy with a lot of meetings and rehearsals before we left, so that we could bring a little surprise to the local audience and make them just as happy as our fans are who come to our shows as home.

Travis Japan has been seriously amping it up with overseas promotions, and even when it comes to your individual work as Genta Matsuda, your projects have found a significant international audience. Most recently and notably, your drama with Ren Nagase, Tokyo Tower, is streaming worldwide on Viki. What can new viewers look forward to in the drama?

I was pretty familiar with the original movie version starring my seniors Jun Matsumoto (ARASHI) and Junichi Okada (V6), and I’ve always had a personal goal of one day shining as an actor at their same level. So, when this new version was decided and I was given the offer to star alongside my current senior Ren Nagase (King & Prince), I jumped at the chance and put my heart and soul into the preparation. 

Personally, I don't think I can call myself a true actor quite yet, but I certainly gave it my all nonetheless. As for the international streaming, I didn’t know that was going to be an option when production began, but since the reception here in Japan was so positive I hope that it can entertain people overseas and encourage them to be interested in Japanese entertainment and me as a performer too; and with this experience I can have the chance to participate in an international drama or movie in the future, which is another dream of mine. 

From what I’ve observed so far, a lot of fans have been moved by your performance as Koji Ohara. This role seems to be the most daring one you have done yet. If Koji were your friend, what would you like to say to him now after everything?

Koji Ohara is such a funky and crazy character, and if I were a fellow character in his fictional world, I’d probably be tempted to get caught up in the surprising things he does. But on the other hand, if he were a person in my world, I’d probably leave him alone, since being part of his friend circle seems a little dangerous because I don’t think he’d be the kind of person to follow rules willingly. Overall, he’s certainly an interesting person, and someone I could enjoy objectively by watching his interactions with others from afar. Koji’s the kind of person who really can only life in a fantasy world like that of Tokyo Tower, and would probably be a scumbag if he lived with us in the real world.

Travis Japan also performed an insert song for Tokyo Tower, your fifth single ‘Sweetest Tune’. Can you tell us more about the song and what it feels like to have it featured in this particular drama?

We were all happy and grateful that ‘Sweetest Tune’ was picked up as an insert song for the drama, as it’s an important part of sharing Travis Japan's music to a lot of new fans who might not be as familiar with us directly. 

While filming, I had many discussions with the show’s director about the song, and we came up with a lot of ideas that ended up shaping the tone and feel of the final recording, and conversely how the song was shaped ended up influencing and adding to the color of the characters we played. The director thought about this very carefully and even worked the timing of when the song would be played to match certain feelings of the storyline and action, and in response to that level of care we all tried to be very conscious of the show and give it a sense of the same sexy glamour.

You seem to be someone who can easily get along well with others, and this shows in the camaraderie you've built with your co-star, Ren Nagase. I’ve seen your dance videos with him performing your groups’ respective songs, and also saw you perform ‘moooove!!’ with Kaito Takahashi at the WE ARE concert to substitute for Nagase-san when he had to suddenly take a break. I believe you gained even more fans because of that. How do you manage to warm up so quickly towards other people and what do you think makes them warm up just as well towards you?

I have always been treated kindly by so many of the people around me, including my seniors, but also by our agency staff, my fellow group members, their families, and of course more than anything by our fans, so it’s very important to us and me especially to pay it forward to everyone new we get to know or work with. I am very happy to be fortunate enough to work in such an enjoyable environment, but I also think it’s important to cherish such as the sort of “default expectation,” and in that way I don’t think of myself as especially “kind” per se. I just want to keep having fun, enjoy the people I work with, and entertain my fans, which is certainly helped if everyone’s part of an environment that supports and promotes such.

This past season, you were also in a new drama, Billion x School, with Hey! Say! JUMP’s Ryosuke Yamada, and I’m sure you have more projects coming in the near future. What are some of the things you enjoy the most about acting and performing as a music artist?

I think a lot of people view being a part of things like dramas and concerts as a path to get exposure, but for me it’s the opposite. I want to stand out, yes, but it’s more important to me to contribute to the success of whatever piece of work I’m in. I want to help make something great that exists beyond myself, because if it succeeds then there’s greater chances for everyone involved, which can build into a bigger support network for more work and opportunities in the long run. I myself have seen many performances, dramas, and movies by actors and artists from all over the world, and so I know firsthand how uplifting a good story or a great concert can be regardless of who’s actually in it. So, replicating that experience for others, both my fans and otherwise, is sort of my duty; or rather, I just want to continue to deliver happiness to others throughout my life.

It’s pretty common for Japanese idols to balance individual work with their various group activities. How are you managing this, especially with much of Travis Japan’s work being focused overseas? 

I’d say pretty well, but on the other hand, any environment in which I am allowed to challenge myself in many different ways is itself what enables me to maintain a good balance. The content of my work may differ from genre to genre, but the common thread that runs through it all is the same, because it’s me, and what I have to do is deliver something of myself to my fans each time. I want to do my best in each and every one of the jobs yet to come and from them earn more links on the chain that brings in even more opportunities.

You also recently opened your own Instagram account! It’s especially fun to see the way you post your Stories. What do you enjoy the most about being on the platform and what do you hope your fans get out of following you there?

I get to show Genta Matsuda as an idol, a performer, in plays, in variety shows, and in many other media genres, but I also want to show him without dressing up, and that’s what I look forward to about Instagram. I want it to be a place to share a chill time with my fans as friends, like going out for a drink at someone's house, or like at an izakaya (Japanese style pub). I like to do insta-lives, especially ones that start at 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, when most people are asleep, and joke around with other night hawks like Chaka and Machu. The goal isn’t for anything serious, but to simply have a chill time and get away from the hustle and bustle of a busy day.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by 松田元太 / Genta Matsuda (@tj_gentamatsuda_official)

Lastly, what would you most like to achieve with Travis Japan and as Genta Matsuda in the near future?

As a group, we haven’t had much time to think too far beyond our current World Tour, but one thing we do know is that it won’t stop here. We want to keep the momentum going, increasing the number of places where we can hold concerts and in so doing increase the amount of time we can meet new people and share the happiness of what we do. Of course, this isn’t limited to stops outside the country, and it’s important to us to keep increasing our workload both as a group and individually here in Japan and give back to our home country. 

As for my own personal goals, I love acting, so I hope to encounter new and various projects to become an actor able to handle a wide range of roles, doing the best I can to be a person who can bring even a little bit of happiness to many people, regardless of age or gender, in addition to fans from my own generation.