Luna's Ongaku Go for June 2023!

With Summer officially here and turning up the heat, it's that time of the month for June’s Ongaku Go! We at OTY would like our readers to know what was filling our ears for the past month. Each track is available across all digital music streaming platforms, with Apple Music featured on this site, along with our Spotify playlist here!

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“Water” by Sincere

Sincere is an artist I discovered last month and fell in love with her music. When I heard “Water” I just couldn’t get enough of the funk beat and her fresh vocals. This track oozes of summer as it has a upbeat poppy feel that puts you in a good mood. Sincere also showcases her vocal range throughout the song. The composition fits so well with her voice and flows like water along with her use of Japanese and English throughout the track. Sincere flawlessly maneuvers between both languages for a fluid transition.

Check out “Water” by Sincere here and the music video below!

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“No One Is” by BACARDI RECORDS feat. aimi (blended by tofubeats)

“No One Is” featuring aimi is such a chill R&B track with a modern flare. I love aimi’s smooth voice as she emobodies R&B with her sultry vocals that move with the beats. This is the first single by BACARDI RECORD and blended by the famous tofubeats, whom never disappoints. “No One Is” pulls you in with its beats, aimi’s vocals, and the lyrics making it an easy listening track but it’s also one you could easily dance to as well. It gives a late 90s, early 00s vibe bringing you back to that time period, while still providing some moderness to it as well.

Check out “No One Is” by BACARDI RECORDS feat. aimi (blended by tofubeats) here and the Speical Live video below!

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“Heat Wave” by Superfly

“Heat Wave” is not only the first track on Superfly’s newest album, but it’s also the album title. “Heat Wave” is exactly how you start off an album; a rocking powerhouse of a start. Shiho’s vocals are powerful and she shows off her range throughout this track. I love how “Heat Wave” has catchy versus’ and chorus that are easy to follow along with, plus a memorable composition. It is the perfect way to start off summer with a hot track like “Heat Wave”, not to mention it’s a great lead into the album itself.

Check out “Heat Wave” by Superfly here an the video below.

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“Bad Bitch Bigaku” by Awich, NENE, LANA, & MaRI

When I first heard the title of Awich’s new collaboration, I wasn’t sure how' I’d feel about it, but this is a jam. I love how Awich brings in some rappers that might not be known to most people. NENE was featured previously in Awich’s track “Poison” but I love that she brought her back with two new rappers, LANA and MaRI, whom I was not familiar with. Each rapper has their own rap part so it feels like a freelance rap versus a normal track with a chorus and versus’. “Bad Bitch Bigaku” shows off a sampling of each rapper, giving you a feel for their own unique style. The composition does a good job of keeping up with each rappers’ own style and flow. *Warning, this track does have language that could be offensive.

Check out “Bad Bitch Bigaku” by Awich, NENE, LANA, & MaRI here and the music video below!

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“BOLD” by VivaOla feat. reina

“BOLD” caught me off guard with its western style composition and use of reina’s vocals. I’ve caught a few of VivaOla’s previous tracks they’ve done with Crystal Kay and Sincere, but this one immediately pulled me in. I love both VivaOla and reina’s vocals, they both utilize each other to the best of their abilities and the way they each play off each other. I also love that this shows off some of reina’s range in different parts of the song, especially the opening when reina starts singing. This track is also all in English, which is an interesting take with both artists.

Check out “BOLD'“ by VivaOla feat. reina here and the lyric video below!

AI Shows We Are Not So Different In New Releases!

R&B bi-lingual singer-songwriter, AI released a new digital single “Not So Different” on November 25 along with the music video. “Not So Different” is the latest release since her first mini album, It’s All Me - Vol. 1 that released in July to celebrate her 20th Anniversary in the music industry. To follow up the release of “Not So Different”, she released a remix version that features rapper Awich on December 11. “Not So Different” is a vocal and lyric heavy track that utilizes both English and Japanese and is an uplifting song to help unite everyone as well. This track talks about how we are not so different and we are all human. Both versions of “Not So Different” are currently available on all digital streaming platforms and you can check out the original version of the music video below!

Ongaku to You's Songs and Artists of the Year for 2020

2020 was a very interesting year for the Japanese music industry and we at Ongaku to You would like to praise the songs and artists that helped us traverse this amazing year. Each member broke down the year in three categories, Song of the Year, New Artist that we discovered in 2020, and lastly our Artist of the Year. We hope that 2021 will bring many surprises to the Japanese music industry like we received in 2020!

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Luna’s Top Song and Artists of 2020!

Song of the Year: “XXKK” by Koda Kumi

“XXKK” felt like a comeback song to me. Koda Kumi always does great songs, but “XXKK stuck out from her more recent songs as it brought you back to her early-middle career mixed with her current music career.  The chorus is catchy, and the lyrics ring true to me as she is my queen. This is the perfect celebratory track of her 20th-anniversary career and it shows who she is now while incorporating her old self as well. 

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New Artist of the Year: Miyuu

Miyuu was an artist that I discovered randomly on Spotify. I remember that from the moment I heard that first track, "Southern Waves," I was hooked. This track moved me to the point I began checking out all her other music and discovered so much by Miyuu. Her voice is beautiful and despite her having the "girl with guitar" theme like many others, Miyuu gives a breath of fresh air to the industry with her light voice and how it matches with all her composition perfectly.

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Artist of the Year: Awich

Awich has had an amazing year - starting off with the release of Kujyaku in January, then releasing her first major label release, Partition in August. Both releases were amazing and I fell in love with how real her music is, her rap style, her lyrics, and just everything about her. Awich brought something new to the Japanese Hip-Hop scene to me and she stuck out in a good way. She caught my ear with so many tracks this year. Her Kujyaku album was a masterpiece in how it was put together and Awich did not disappoint in Partition. She ended the year with a cover of a famous Christmas song and by being featured in the remix of AI's latest single "Not So Different.”  Awich was a "hit" with me all year and has kept me looking forward to anything new from her.

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Gray’s Top Song and Artists of 2020

Song of the Year: “Ayumi” by YU-TA of IVVY

I still remember the day I discovered these guys and I always knew they would be at the top of my list. For the longest time it was "Alice" which was the first song I ever heard by them, but then I heard "Ayumi" and knew immediately that it would be my number one for the year. I absolutely love the piano that is in this song. Played expertly by YU-TA, he also carries the track vocally, with the rest of the group joining him only on the chorus. YU-TA’s vocals are on point for this track. The whole song just comes together and I fall in love with it each time I hear it. IVVY has put out a lot of great songs for the year but this one is their best. Even if you are not into boy groups, this one is a must listen.

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New Artist of the Year: IVVY

I still remember the day I first discovered IVVY and I've been listening to them ever since. I just love their ability to harmonize and they have a bunch of catchy songs. They just dropped their first album and I'm looking to pick it up soon. This past year will be the year of boy groups for me. There have been a few that I've discovered that I've quite enjoyed, but, of all the artists I've heard over the year, these guys are still my favorite. I look forward to hearing more music by them. My number two song is "Alice" which is just a showcase of how you take a generic song and make it memorable with awesome vocal work and fantastic rap at the end. 

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Artist of the Year: Da-ICE

Man, I wasn't expecting to fall in love with Da-iCE the way I did, but I'm glad I took the plunge. It all started with Sota's song he did with Beverly, "Endless Love". I just fell in love with his performance in that song and I was encouraged to go back and check out Da-iCE because I had seen them around but never felt like looking them up. So, I checked out their album Face, which came out in April, and I've had that album on repeat ever since. Sota is my favorite mostly due to how I discovered the group, but all the guys are fantastic. They really bridge the idea of vocals and dance-heavy so well. They have a ton of songs, so it's hard to just sit there and listen to them without getting up to dance your butt off. I've been busted in public dancing to Da-iCE a few times, and this in a year when I'm not getting out as much as normal. I'm so glad I checked these guys out. I'm hoping to pick up Face physically soon and I'm super excited for Six which is due to come out close to my birthday. Da-iCE has really made my 2020, and to me there is no other group I could imagine taking this spot for me.

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Ken’s Top Song and Artist of 2020

Song of the Year: Stinging Spica by Polkadot Stingray 

Honestly, this track was going to be my number one since March or so. I loved this track and it was the small ray of hope that kept me going throughout the year that was 2020. Its simple composition is something that I can get lost in hours on end, and in fact, I’ve done exactly that while doing articles. The guitar work done by both was something that just intices me even more to the track every time. 

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New Artist of the Year: Daichi Yamamoto

Honestly, for New Artist of the Year this was a very easy choice for me to make, as listening to Yamamoto has been a treat for the eyes and ears for a genre that I only listen to once in a while. His various demos on his YouTube channel is what won me over, to be honest. The Tokyo Drift remix is absolute fire and really shows his range and diversity. That one spark of “Blue Berry” ignited a passion for me to dive deep into his discography. 

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Artist of the Year: Polkadot Stingray

Now. for overall Artist of the Year, this was another easy pick as Polkadot Stingray, as a whole, had a very sold year for me with three digital singles, one mini-album and one full album that were, in my opinion, just hit after hit even in this horrible year that was 2020. Polkadot was also one of the first groups to transition to streaming concerts back in June, when the ongoing pandemic was reaching in Japan, and proved that artists with big labels backing them can make this successful. With the release of their album, Nanimono, in December, the band has no plans on backing down for 2021 and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for fans.

Awich Brings A Christmas Classic Early This Year!

Vocalist, rapper, and indie corner alumni Awich brings her rendition of the Christmas Classic “Happy X-mas (War Is Over)” to all digital streaming platforms and a music video to accompany it. Awich unveiled this new release on November 27, just in time for the holiday season. “Happy X-mas (War Is Over)” was originally written and performed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono and has been covered many times over the years. Awich delivers great vocals and has a live band accompanying her, which adds to this fantastic cover. Check out the music video below and all digital streaming platforms as well!

Luna's Ongaku Go For October 2020!

Continuing from Ken’s lead, we at Ongaku to You would like our readers to know what was filling our ears for the past month. Each track is available across all digital music streaming platforms with Apple Music being featured on this site.

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“Laundry Laundry” by SCANDAL

With the upcoming release of SCANDAL’s live concert in November and the special episode we recorded, I was brought back to the Kiss from the darkness album that released in February. “Laundry Laundry” is a cute, catchy, and simple track that is written by TOMOMI. Not only did she write this song, her vocals are the main attraction for it as well. This track will leave you with a catchy tune that you will constantly be singing and humming along too, especially when you are doing laundry.

Check out “Laundry Laundry” here along with the YouTube audio below!

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“FUTURE WAVE” by eill

With the impending release of eill’s second mini album LOVE/LIKE/HATE that will be released on November 4th, I was brought back to the first song I heard by her. “FUTURE WAVE” is a delight to listen to as it features a dance chorus with eill’s soothing voice. The verse keeps the upbeat vibe rolling and leads into the chorus with a perfect flow. “FUTURE WAVE” has a fantastic composition that works well with eill’s vocals, combined with a dance and R&B mash that make for the perfect track.

Check it out “FUTURE WAVE” here and the music video below!

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“oath sign” by LiSA

With the release of LiSA’s newest album LEO NINE and her new single “homura”, it brought me back to the first track I heard by LiSA. “oath sign” is the opening to the anime Fate/Zero and is a song that made an impact on me immensely. I fell in love with her voice, the lyrics, the mixing - just everything about it pulled me in. Despite being able to tell it is an anime track based on the composition and how orchestrated it feels, it’s a track that is an easy listen but also keeps you on the edge of your seat. Every time I hear “oath sign” I fall into its radiance and lose myself in it.

Check out “oath sign” here and the music video below!

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“Makenna” by Yayoi Daimon

Yayoi Daimon started October off strong with her latest digital single “Makenna”. This dance track made a big impression on me as it talks about “Never Giving Up” aka “Makenna”. The dance beat along with Yayoi Daimon’s rapping flows perfectly with the composition. This is the first release by her since her 3GIRLS EP release from March of this year. “Makenna” is not just a dance and rap song but it is also a fight song about never giving up. It gives you the energy to hold your head up and keep going. This month, it has influenced me heavily and gives me energy upon every listen.

Check out “Makenna” here and the music video below!

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“Shook Shook” by Awich

As Awich released her first major debut release “Partition”, I went back and began listening to it again. “Shook Shook” has been the track of hers that has been in my ears constantly. It starts of with an interesting slow beat as it leads up to a big intro with Awich’s slammin rap. The verse is hardcore and you can either dance to or bop your head back and forth. The chorus is catchy as Awich is good at making slow raps and get caught in your head. “Shook Shook” was produced by Chaki Zulu who has produced many of Awich’s tracks such as “Poison feat. NENE”, “WHORU? feat. ANARCHY”, “Remember feat. YOUNG JUJU”, and “SENNO feat. DOGMA&CHINZA DOPENESS”. When Chaki Zulu and Awich collaborate in any song, you know you are in for a dope track. *Note - This track does contain Explicit lyrics.

Check out “Shook Shook” here and music video below!

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