After much speculation and numerous reports on the subject, famous pop singer Utada Hikaru has finally provided official confirmation that she will be ending her hiatus from the music industry on April 4th. On this day two of her new songs will air live on Japanese television: her theme song for the Asadora “Toto Nee-chan”, which has now been revealed to be titled “Hanataba wo Kimi ni”, and the new ending theme for news program “NEWS ZERO”, the title of which will be unveiled at a later date.
In celebration of Utada’s return to the scene, her team have launched what is called the “NEW-TURN Project”, a webpage which will help both fans and industry professionals welcome her back. Every time any Utada-related products are purchased through the website, or anyone tweets the hashtag “#おかえりHIKKI”, more cherry blossoms will bloom on the site’s main page. A portion of the proceeds earned through this project will be donated to non-profit organizations which will plant cherry trees in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Arama!Japan warmly welcomes Utada Hikaru back to the Japanese music industry and encourages all those who would like to do the same to visit the “NEW-TURN Project” webpage.
(via natalie)
Jazz-pop singer Keishi Tanaka and progressive jazz band fox capture plan have revealed that they will be working together to release a pair of split singles in early May. Both variants will feature a vocalized and an instrumental version of the title song “Toumeishoku no Cruising”, with the remainder of each track list set to vary depending upon the main artist.
Keishi’s version will consist of covers of a couple Western jazz standards as well as a remix of his song “After Rain”, while the fox capture plan version will include a mixture of new and re-recorded tracks, as well as another remix of a Keishi track – “Kasa wo Motanai Kimi to Ongaku wo”. Following the release of these singles, both acts will embark on “the CRUISING tour”, a short set of live shows intended to run between May and June.
Please read on below for a look at the provisional track lists for both single variants and keep your eyes out for more information on these two releases as we draw closer to their release date on May 11th.
Today, Hoshino Gen was announced as the Grand Prize winner of The 8th CD Shop Awards 2016 for his album “YELLOW DANCER.” The album was chosen from 8 final nominees that were selected by record store staff from across Japan. Suiyoubi no Campanella’s “Zipang” and WANIMA’s “Are You Coming?” were given runner-up prizes.
All of Gen’s previous albums have been nominated for the award, but this is his first time winning the Grand Prize. Gen was happy about his win for an album that combined his love of black music with JPop.
Check out the full list of winners after the jump!
As previously reported, The Ring’s Sadako and Ju-on’s Kayako will be facing off in new movie “Sadako vs Kayako”. The film will open on June 18. The film stars Yamamoto Mizuki, who will be caught in between the two spirits. Shiraishi Koji will be directing.
Additional cast has also been announced. Catch the first trailer of the horror movie below.
Actor Dean Fujioka will appear in an NTV special program on March 26 entitled, “Dean Fujioka and Asian Friends ~We are Asia~” (Dean Fujioka & Ajia no Tomo ~We are Asia~). The show will focus on how children from around the world will be reached through events that will make them smile.
On March 9, aiko will release her new single, “Motto.” The song serves as the theme song for the TBS drama “Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai.” She recently released the music video for the song. The clip features aiko playing her piano in various settings, ranging from a Tokyo rooftop to the seaside. Check it out after the jump, along with more information on the single!
This week’s guests were Silent Siren, Akai Koen, and Charisma.com.
Silent Siren – secret base ~Kimi ga Kuretamono~
Akai Koen – Canvas
Charisma.com – Subliminal Diet
