May is AAPI (Asian-American and Pacific Islander) Heritage Month and Fandom is highlighting AAPI characters, franchises, and more! You can read the blog for that here.
Every year, Just Dance includes more and more artists from different international backgrounds and this blog will highlight some of the AAPI artists we have had in Just Dance.
AAPI Artists in Just Dance 2022[]
Olivia Rodrigo[]
Olivia Rodrigo is partially of Filipino descent and she made her debut in Just Dance 2022 with her song Good 4 U. This routine is heavily inspired by the music video and fans are hoping more songs of hers come to the series in the future.
Bella Poarch[]
Bella Poarch, a Filipino-American, also made her debut in Just Dance 2022 with her debut single Build a B****. Fans are hoping more songs from Bella Poarch will come to the franchise in the future.
apl.de.ap (Black Eyed Peas)[]
The Black Eyed Peas is no stranger to the Just Dance franchise having had five songs since Just Dance 3, the most recent being Girl Like Me, as well as having a whole spin-off game dedicated to them. Founding member apl.de.ap is Filipino-American and even has the franchise's only song in Tagalog, which was a DLC on The Black Eyed Peas Experience.
Nicole Scherzinger (The Pussycat Dolls)[]
Nicole Scherzinger, who is of Hawaiian and Filipino descent among others, appeared on Just Dance 2022 as a member of The Pussycat Dolls with Buttons. This marked the Dolls' third appearance in the series and first since Just Dance 2.
Asian Representation in Just Dance 2022[]
While AAPI Heritage Month is primarily for Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, as the month is officially observed in May in the United States, I would also like to highlight the impact other Asian artists have made on the series.
K-Pop on Just Dance 2022[]
K-Pop has exploded in popularity with four K-pop songs appearing on Just Dance 2022. Newcomers Aespa, SuperM, and (G)-IDLE, joined BLACKPINK and K/DA this year for a total of seven routines if alternates are included.
Regional Exclusives[]
While a subscription is needed outside of their local regions, an additional song is available in Japan as well as Taiwan, Hong Kong, and several Southeast Asian countries. Koi by Gen Hoshino is available in Japan and Princess is available in the latter.
VIPs[]
Ubisoft worked with South Korean dance studio 1Million Dance Studio to bring us Mood (Alternate) which is unlocked from the start, but requires an Internet connection.
Ubisoft Shanghai[]
Ubisoft Shanghai was responsible for roughly half of the routines in the series including the most played song in the game, Chacarron. They also were responsible for Poster Girl, Build a B****, and so many more.
Notable AAPI Artists in the main series[]
There are so many artists in the series, this blog may miss some people. With that being said, here are some notable AAPI artists.
Bruno Mars[]
Bruno Mars is from Hawaii and is mixed and of Filipino descent. He has appeared in the main series four times, most recently with Finesse (Remix) in Just Dance 2019.
Far East Movement[]
Far East Movement is an Asian-American group best known for their number-one hit Like A G6, which was on The Black Eyed Peas Experience as a DLC. They have appeared in the main series with Turn Up the Love.
Reni Mimura (Sentai Express, Wanko Ni Mero Mero)[]
Japanese-American singer Reni Mimura has appeared in the main series multiple times, working with Ubisoft on multiple Ubisoft Originals. She first appeared on Spectronizer as part of Sentai Express before returning as Wanko Ni Mero Mero. As Wanko Ni Mero Mero she has appeared three times.
KSHMR[]
American DJ KSHMR is half-Indian and appeared in the series with his Headhunterz collaboration, Dharma on Just Dance 2018. The song is the second Punjabi song in the series, after Beware of the Boys (Mundian To Bach Ke).
Auliʻi Cravalho (Disney's Moana)[]
Although the karaoke cover version by a different singer was used in-game, Hawaiian artist Auliʻi Cravalho appeared on Just Dance 2018 with How Far I’ll Go. The song is from Moana where Cravalho voiced the title character.
Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu (Just Dance: Disney Party)[]
Before Disney brought Moana to the main series, they were showing Hawaiian culture through the inclusion of Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride, from Lilo & Stitch, on Just Dance: Disney Party. The song is sung by Hawaiian chanter Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu with the Kamehameha Schools Children's Chorus.
Notable Asian Artists in the main series[]
This blog is getting long so there will be less blurbs on each of the following artists and, again, some may be missed.
K-Pop[]
K-Pop has been in the series for a long time. Originally in the Japanese games as Japanese versions of Korean songs, K-Pop has since crossed over to the main series several times including artists such as:
- PSY
- CL of 2NE1
- HyunA
- BIGBANG
- BLACKPINK
- 2NE1
- TWICE
- G-Dragon
- NCT 127
- EXO
- SuperM
- Aespa
- K/DA (virtual group with a rotating cast)
- (G)-IDLE
Here's a small selection of those songs, click on the artists for more!
Bollywood[]
Indian culture, most notably Bollywood, appeared multiple times in earlier games, culminating in the collaboration with the Bollywood movie Happy New Year in late 2014. Ubisoft even created their own Bollywood song, XMas Tree.
Panjabi MC[]
British-Indian rapper Panjabi MC brought Bhangra music to Just Dance with his song Beware of the Boys (Mundian To Bach Ke). It is the first Punjabi song in the series and is followed by Dharma, mentioned above.
VAVA[]
Chinese rapper VAVA became the first mainland Chinese artist to appear in the main series with her feature on New World on Just Dance 2019. She would return as a lead artist with Ty. and Nina Wang with My New Swag (我的新衣). The song had received more attention after it was in Crazy Rich Asians the year before it was in the game.
Hatsune Miku[]
Japanese vocaloid Hatsune Miku has appeared in the series three times, with one additional appearance in the spin-off game Just Dance Wii U.
Pinkfong[]
South Korean entertainment company Pinkfong's viral children's song Baby Shark debuted in Just Dance 2020 and proved to be extremely popular, becoming the most played song on Just Dance Unlimited in 2021.
More Asian artists[]
And since this blog is way longer than I had anticipated here are some more Asian artists who have appeared in the main series!
- Jolin Tsai
- DA PUMP
- Yi Yan
- Zhao Fang Jing
- Suika Kune
- Feizaojun
- Alan Tam
- LULU
- And more!
Asian spin-offs[]
Japanese series[]
There are four Japanese spin-off games, all of which are exclusive to Japan. Just Dance Wii, Just Dance Wii 2, Just Dance Wii U, and Yo-kai Watch Dance: Just Dance Special Version. All four feature many exclusives by artists who have not been in the main series yet. Examples include:
Chinese series[]
The Chinese series comprises of less exclusives and are more so the main games adapted for the Chinese market with some exclusives thrown in. The series comprises of three games (舞力全开2015, 舞力全开2017, and 舞力全开), one canceled app (舞力全开：活力派), and one subscription service (舞力无限). Ubisoft even makes covers and original songs for the Chinese series now! Some artists include:
Songs by Language[]
Conclusion[]
I'm sure I probably missed some artists but I believe I grabbed some of the most notable artists in the game. There are obviously several more AAPI and Asian artists, staff, dancers, and crew that are not listed here. But you can check out some of these songs above if you haven't already and enjoy the rest of the month!