FEATUREDMusic/Award show
GQ JAPAN Reveals Its “GQ MEN OF THE YEAR 2022”FEATUREDMusic/Award show
Travis Japan, Maki Goto, Ami Suzuki, and More Perform on “TV Tokyo Music Festival 2022 Winter”FEATUREDMusic/Award show
Ado, MISIA, Naniwa Danshi, and More to Perform on “Best Artist 2022”FEATUREDARAMA! Exclusive
Arama! Japan Podcast: Special Report: Johnny & Associates Drama 2022FEATUREDMusic/Award show
Performers Announced for “73rd NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen”FEATUREDMusic/Award show
Snow Man, Ayumi Hamasaki, JO1, and More to Perform on “2022 FNS Kayousai”FEATUREDMusic/Award show
Nominees and Winners Announced for “64th Japan Record Awards”FEATUREDARAMA! Exclusive
Arama! Japan Podcast: October 2022 ReviewFEATUREDMusic/Award show
Naniwa Danshi, BE:FIRST, JO1, and More Perform on “Best Hits Kayousai 2022”FEATUREDNews
Sho Hirano, Yuta Kishi, and Yuta Jinguji to Leave King & Prince and Johnny & Associates
This week’s guests were E-girls, Team Syachihoko, Kotori with Stitch Bird, King Cream Soda, Czecho No Republic, Kimyo Reitaro, THE Kanmuri, and AOA.
E-girls – Dance Dance Dance
Team Syachihoko – BASYAUMA ROCK
Kotori with Stitch Bird – Uchu Dance!
King Cream Soda – Jinsei Dramatic
Czecho No Republic – Firework
Kimyo Reitaro – SWEET MEMORIES
THE Kanmuri – Kizudarake no Heavy Metal
AOA – Oh BOY
This week’s guests were Sera Masanori, Tsuruno Takeshi, and Seikima-II.
Sera Masanori x Tsuruno Takeshi x Kanjani8 – Moero Ii Onna
Seikima-II x Kanjani8 – Roningyo no Yakata
Sera Masanori x Tsuruno Takeshi – Itsumo no Uta
As previously reported, Arashi’s newest album Japonism will be released on October 21.
A preview of the album’s lead song Kokoro no Sora was recently aired on radio. The music and lyrics for the song was done by Hotei Tomoyasu, who is based in London. Setting the album theme of expressing the “wonderfulness of Japan”, the song takes a tense Hotei sound along with Japanese instruments. Sakurai Sho wrote the rap lyrics for the song.
According to Sakurai, meetings for the new album began straight away in the New Year. Back in May, Hotei Tomoyasu wrote the song. As he was in London, the meetings between the members and him took place through video conference. Sakurai would like to thank Hotei as the song fully conveys the members’ thoughts and concepts.
Check out the song preview, covers and album tracklist below.
It has been announced that DAOKO will release her first single “ShibuyaK / Samishii Kamisama” on October 21. It will be released in three different editions.
“Samishii Kamisama” and “Yume Miteta no Atashi” have been featured in the animated short film “GIRL” which is part of “Japan Anima(tor)’s Exhibition” by Studio Khara and Dwango. The short film serves as the music video for the two songs.
DAOKO has previously collaborated with TeddyLoid on “ME! ME! ME!”, a three-part song and short film for the same project.
Check out all the info after the jump!
As some of you may know, I recently started writing for the English language Japanese newspaper The Japan Times. Through them, I was recently given the opportunity to interview m-flo’s Taku Takahashi when he was in New York City for the Japanese pop culture festival Waku Waku +NYC. It was exciting to be able to meet and interview someone who I’ve been a fan of for over a decade. m-flo was one of my starting off points when I entered the world of Japanese music. Taku’s a cool guy. We sat down in his hotel room, and over the course of 2 hours we discussed a variety of topics, including his “F*ck JPop” tweets, his current thoughts on KPop, and singers he thinks that are actually talented. That part of the interview can be seen on The Japan Times site.
Due to space constrictions and my general loquaciousness, I ended up with a lot more content than I was able to include in my article for The Japan Times. Due to the graciousness of my editor, I am now able to bring the outtakes from my Taku interview here.
On October 14, Gesu no Kiwami Otome. will release their new single, “Otonatic / Muku na Kisetsu.” Today, the band released the music video for “Otonatic.” The song serves as the CM song for the new “NTT Docomo d Hits powered by Rekochoku” ads, which will start running at the end of the month. “Otonatic” will be available for download starting October 5.
The music video for “Otonatic” is a mixture of the band performing the song and frontman Kawatani Enon going through a series of emotions. The band is dressed in suits throughout the course of the video, like in the imagery attached to the single. Check it out after the jump!
Jean Paul Gaultier will have a collaboration line with Seven & i Holdings’ companies Ito Yokado and Sogo Seibu’s private brand “SEPT PREMIERES”. This line will be called “Jean Paul GAULTIER FOR SEPT PREMIERES.” JUJU has been selected as the singer of the song that will be featured in the commercials for this line. Titled “Yumemiru Chanson Ningyou”, it is a cover of France Gall’s 1965 hit, “Poupée de cire, poupée de son.” The Serge Gainsbourg-penned song was the winner of the 1965 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. This new version of the song is produced by Shinichi Osawa and is now available for download.
A reception for “Jean Paul GAULTIER FOR SEPT PREMIERES” was held at the French ambassador’s residence in Tokyo on September 30. Jean Paul Gaultier was present at the event, where JUJU gave a surprise performance of her new single “WITH YOU.” The “Jean Paul GAULTIER FOR SEPT PREMIERES” commercials were also aired at the event, causing the designer to praise JUJU’s voice and the use of the song in the commercials.
Check out the “Jean Paul GAULTIER FOR SEPT PREMIERES” CMs after the jump!
We’re back with this week’s edition of Oricon Flashback. This is where we look back on what topped Oricon this week 5, 10, 15, and 20 years ago. Think of it as a way to reminisce and learn about the past of Japanese music.