With the dawn of the new year, veteran pop-rock act Southern All Stars have finally revealed some of the details surrounding their upcoming 15th studio album. This as-yet-untitled release will be the band’s first new album in almost 10 years and is set to be released on March 31st in 4 versions: a Limited Edition A which contains a significant number of Goods housed in a special Box with the CD, a Limited Edition B which contains some of the Goods included in the Limited Edition A (no Box), a Regular Edition which contains only the CD, and a 2-disc Analog version of the album (which is set to release a week later on April 8th).
Included on the album’s track list are their previously released tracks “Peace to Hi-lite”, “Hotaru”, “Eikou no Otoko”, and “Tokyo VICTORY”, the “Ryusei Wagon” theme song “Iya na Koto Darake no Yo no Naka de”, the WOWOW 2015 CM song “Aloe”, and the NHK 90th Anniversary Image Song “Heiwa no Kane ga Naru”. The release’s title and its full listing of songs are set to be revealed at a later date.
In addition, Southern All Stars have also confirmed their intent to embark on a large-scale nationwide tour in support of the release starting in April. You’ll find the full list of concert dates and locations right after the jump, and please look forward to our continued coverage of this album as its release date draws closer.
Countdown TV’s New Year’s Eve special will air on TBS on New Year’s Eve at 11:45 PM JST. However, we have a links so that you can stream it here and here. This show will feature performances by:
aiko / Leo Ieiri / Ikimonogakari / E-girls / AKB48 / HKT48 / SKE48 / NMB48 / EXILE / Ohara Sakurako / KANA-BOON / Kis-My-Ft2 / Gesu no Kiwami Otome. / Kyary Pamyu Pamyu / Golden Bomber / Sasaki Mao / JUJU / Johnny’s West / Sandaime J Soul Brothers / GENERATIONS / SMAP / SEKAI NO OWARI / Sonar Pocket / Yu Takahashi / T.M.Revolution/ Nakayama Yuma / Niiyama Shiori / NEWS / Nishino Kana /Nogizaka46 / KNOCK OUT MONKEY / Hata Motohiro / Perfume / B’z / Funky Kato / Busaiku / Hey! Say! JUMP / Becky♪＃ / Porno Graffitti / miwa / May J. / Yasuda Rei / Yuzu / Morning Musume. ’15 / Yoshida Yamada / Miyuki Watanabe
Hello AramaJapan readers and welcome to this week’s installment of #1 Song Review! Last week saw Sandaime J Soul Brothers beat SKE48 to come out on top. This week we have a returnee from the past plus a newcomer. Find out what various staff members thought of the songs that topped the physical and digital charts this week and share your thoughts on them too!
The video for Berryz Kobo’s song “Love Together!” has been uploaded onto their official youtube account. “Love Together!” will be included on their upcoming compilation album “Kanjuku Berryz Kobo The Final Completion Box”. The lyrics talk about their history as a group together, at times turning a bit melancholy with the girls questioning if they’re “selfish” for going on hiatus and choosing different paths.
Twitter user nodoka_hello has noticed a similarity between “Love Together’s!” choreography and some of their past singles. Can you spot them out?
Kanjuku Berryz Kobo The Final Completion Box will be released on January 21st. Check out the video below!
On December 30, The 56th Japan Record Awards were held. Sandaime J Soul Brothers took home the top prize of the night for their song “R.Y.U.S.E.I.”, beating off competition from Yuzu, AAA, AKB48, Nishino Kana, Southern All Stars, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Ikimonogakari, SEKAI NO OWARI, and Hikawa Kiyoshi.
Nishiuchi Mariya took home the award for Best New Artist, besting SOLIDEMO, Ohara Sakurako, and Tokunaga Yuki.
The show featured performances from several of the acts named above as well as performances by others such as JUJU, Golden Bomber, May J., and Hata Motohiro. Check out the full show after the jump!
Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ made a temporary return in celebration of it’s 20th anniversary. Hosted by the comedic duo Downtown, Hey! Hey! Hey! became one of Japan’s most popular and iconic music shows, along with Music Station and Utaban. The series officially ended after 18 years on December 2012.
A plethora of guests were featured in the 3 hour special. Many of them performing past hits as well as reminiscing their favorite moments on the show. The big surprise of the night was a reunion of the unit H Jungle With t.
H Jungle With t consists of one half of Downtown, Masatoshi Hamada, and Tetsuya Komuro. The units origins start in 1994, during an episode of Hey! Hey! Hey! Masatoshi expressed interest in starting a unit with Tetsuya after the huge success of Ryoko Shinohara’s single “Itoshisa to Setsunasa to Kokoro Tsuyosa to”. A year later “H Jungle With t” was formed, their debut single “Wow War Tonight ~ Toki ni wa Okose yo Movement” sold over 2 million copies. The unit released two more singles and quietly disbanded in 1996.
For the performance H Jungle With t sang their signature debut hit and was joined on the main stage by a variety of guests including GACKT, BoA, T.M.Revolution, MAX, and PUFFY. Many members of the “TK Family” were also present including TRF, Marc Panther, Tomomi Kahara, and Ami Suzuki.
Check out the performance below!
On December 31 at 7:15PM JST, The 65th Kohaku Uta Gassen will take place. The show will be airing live on NHK but we also have links so that you can live stream the show. The live streams can be found here and here. The setlist for the show can be found here. The show will feature performances by acts such as Arashi, Shiina Ringo, AKB48, Sandaime J Soul Brothers, Perfume, SEKAI NO OWARI, and Nishino Kana. Enjoy the show and feel free to chat with your fellow AramaJapan readers as you watch in the comments below!
“Will she disappear at this rate?” say some of the negative rumors surrounding Rola recently since her regular television appearances have decreased. Rola herself recognizes this as the truth, but there is a reason why she has been turning down requests to appear on television programs. She has a big dream that she wants to make reality.
