Ken Hirai is celebrating his 25th anniversary! He debuted in May 1995 with the single “Precious Junk.” He is now set to release a new digital single on March 27, “Kaibutsu-san.” The song is a collaboration with Aimyon, who Ken praised during a radio appearance in 2017. The two have since made special appearances during each others’ tours.

“Kaibutsu-san” is an upbeat pop song that deals with the contradictions and unrewarded feelings that happen in love. Ken wrote and composed the song, while Tomi Yo handled arrangement.

Ken has also released his full discography to streaming services. Previously, only his releases “Precious Junk” to his 2016 album “THE STILL LIFE” were available. Now everything is avaiable for streaming!

Check out more information on “Kaibutsu-san” below!

Popular singer/songwriter ayaka has announced that she will be releasing a new cover album titled “Yu-on Club ~2nd grade~” on May 13th. Her second cover-focused release, and the first since the original was released in 2013, this longplay will feature songs from old standards like Keisuke Kuwata and Yumi Matsutoya, as well as newer acts like Sakanaction and back number.

“Yu-on Club ~2nd grade~” is currently intended to be issued in three versions, with the CD+DVD edition to include music videos, acoustic performances, and a recording documentary, while the Fan Club edition will include the prior DVD, a special wristband, and a bonus track. Additionally, if you purchase the album from a participating retailer you can acquire an extra CD containing four additional covers.

Read on below to find the cover and complete track list for “Yu-on Club ~2nd grade~”.

Up-and-coming singer/songwriter Vaundy has revealed that he will be releasing his first full-length album on May 27th. This longplay, titled “strobo”, will include several of Vaundy’s previously released tracks – like his sleeper hit “Tokyo Flash” – as well as six new songs for a total of 11.

In advance of this date, he has released album track “life hack” as a digital single and uploaded its PV to his YouTube channel. The video, which was directed by Mizuno Cabbage, features dancer Tsukushi and actress Yukimi Mito in a series of contrasting scenes.

You’ll find this music video, plus the cover and track list for “strobo” right after the cut.

It’s been announced that pop-rock band Mr.Children will be providing the new theme song for popular morning news program “ZIP!”. This will mark the first time the show has changed its opening theme – currently Tatsuro Yamashita’s “MY MORNING PRAYER” – since its inception in 2011.

This new track, titled “The song of praise”, has been described as a rousing mid-tempo number meant to help people face the start of the day with courage and hope. No details regarding the song’s release have been provided at this time.

Nonetheless, you’ll find a short snippet of “The song of praise” right after the jump.

On March 25, Premium Music 2020 aired. The show featured performances by the likes of Arashi, Little Glee Monster, KAT-TUN, AKB48, Nogizaka46, and Shimatani Hitomi. The show also featured a lot of archive performances, including some by Ayumi Hamasaki, Utada Hikaru, ZARD, SMAP, Mika Nakashima, Hikaru GENJI. Check out the full show below!

Girl group Perfume has released a new video for their song “Challenger“. Uploaded today on their official YouTube channel, this was one of the newly recorded tracks for their #1 compilation album “P Cubed”.

In the MV the girls can be seen floating around standing on a cube. Eventually, they find land and perfume a very Perfume-like dance routine while the environment changes around them. The MV was directed by Kazuaki Seki, who is apart of “Koe-inc“. Previously, Perfume worked with Koe-inc for their “Saisei” MV”.

On March 25, iri will release her fourth album, “Sparkle.” This album comes a little more than a year after her previous album “Shade.” “Sparkle” includes contributions by a variety of collaborators, including Yaffle of Tokyo Recordings, TAAR, Kan Sano, and Kenmochi Hidefumi of Suiyoubi no Campanella.

iri’s new album’s title track serves as the CM song for Sony’s WF-H800 wireless headphones. The album’s opener, “Clear color”, is also a CM song, for “Zoff NIGHT&DAY” glasses.

iri has also released a music video for “Sparkle”, as well as uploading the whole album on YouTube. Check out more information on “Sparkle” below!

Top actress Ryoko Yonekura made headlines this week as she chose to leave her agency of over 20 years, Oscar Promotion. Her contract was scheduled to end with Oscar Promotion at the end of March, but instead of renewing it she decided to leave.

Beginning in April Ryoko will create her own office and completely manage her activities on her own. During the initial announcement, media reported that Ryoko still had a good relationship with Oscar Promotion and that talks of her leaving began since 2019. However, reports are now coming out that Oscar Promotion opposed Ryoko’s desire to remarry her boyfriend, a tango dancer from Argentina.