I Don’t Like Mondays. release new single ‘What’s going on? feat. Celina Sharma’

‘What’s going on?’ Jacket Cover

The popular rock band I Don’t Like Mondays. released their fifth digital single of 2023, ‘What’s going on? feat. Celina Sharma’, on Wednesday, November 15. The song is a collaboration with rising Australian diva Celina Sharma.

Sharma is a female singer with huge potential, having already received high praise from top US artists such as Snoop Dogg and Ne-Yo. How will Sharma’s beautiful singing voice enhance the music of I Don’t Like Mondays.? Listen to find out!

I Don’t Like Mondays. will release their fifth studio album ‘RUNWAY’ in fall 2023, and the band are currently on a national domestic tour. All performances of their solo tour held earlier this year sold out, while their shows as part of the more recent Billboard Live Tour 2023 sold out on the first day of ticket sales. Additional dates were added, and these sold out too. 

The band intend to build upon this success with their first world tour. The first date took place at the BubblePop festival Barcelona in July, and the band also played in Yantai, Bueno Aires and Seoul. On November 12, they played their first solo concert in Taipei. The band gained sudden attention from music fans around the world when their song ‘PAINT’ was used as the theme song for the anime series ‘ONE PIECE’, leading them to perform a concert in Brazil. With the 10th anniversary of their debut just around the corner, I Don’t Like Mondays. look set to keep expanding their horizons.

Be sure to check out ‘What’s going on? feat. Celina Sharma’ here!

Interview: I Don't Like Mondays.

I Don’t Like Mondays. (IDLM.) is a four-member rock band based in Tokyo that was founded in 2012. The band focuses on introducing high energy dance compositions with unforgettable choruses and creates as light feeling that would take away the burdens of everyday life, including the dreaded ‘Mondays’ that are inferred in their name. The band members are YU (vocals), CHOJI (guitar), KENJI (bass guitar), SHUKI (drums). We had the honor of interviewing them on the cusp of the release of their album RUNWAY!

Be sure to check out all the versions of the track “Summer Ghost” which is located throughout the interview below, along with their official website here!

YU

CHOJI

KENJI

SHUKI

Ken: First of all thank you so much for letting us do this interview, we are huge fans and had originally done a write up about you in our “Music Corner” write up back in October of 2019. We absolutely love what you bring to the Japanese music industry and congratulations on the release of the album RUNWAY!

IDLM: Thank you so much for having us!

K: What made you choose a path in the music industry? Who had the most inspiration on you and led you to choose this path?

YU: The members of the previous band set me on this path.

CHOJI: I was most inspired by Tak Matsumoto from B’z. I chose this path because I had nothing else I was good at.

KENJI: I started playing in a band when I was 14, after being influenced by a senior classmate’s live performance that I saw at my school festival. I think my unfounded confidence has made me what I am today.

SHUKI: I was influenced by my brother, he’s 5 years older than me and started playing drums first. He also has a career as a professional drummer.

K: Which artist would you say is your biggest inspiration? Also are there any international artists that inspire you guys as well?

YU: As a band, we had common inspiration from groups such as The Killers. As for newer artists, we always keep an eye on The Weeknd.

This album is quintessentially “I Don’t Like Mondays.”

K: Can you walk us through the creative process for your latest Album and what themes or messages were you trying to convey with this release?

YU: This album is quintessentially “I Don’t Like Mondays.” Following our concept of making enveloping music, we want to present our band’s story through RUNAWAY.

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K: What was creative process for “PAINT” and how did you guys feel when you found out that it was going one of the theme songs for the anime ONE PIECE

YU: I just couldn’t believe it. When it actually aired, I still thought it was fake until I saw “PAINT” on the screen.

I didn’t really think deeply when I was making this song…LOL. I was carefree and having fun making it…

K: On your track “LEMONADE”, how did you come up with the concept? Such as writing the lyrics, creating the composition?

CHOJI: I didn’t really think deeply when I was making this song…LOL. I was carefree and having fun making it, then I happened to realize that the song was finished.

K: The track ”Beautiful Chaos” has a good mixture of English in it. The lyrics are very resonating. How did you come up with the lyrics and composition? Is there a story behind it? Was this as a group or an individual member?

YU: As for lyrics, I got inspired by the climactic part at the end of the track. As for the melody, we wanted a song that would be good at the end of a concert, so we made this type of song.

K: What is it like teaming up with ESME MORI and DPR CREAM? Were you familiar with their works before?

SHUKI: Of course! Two of them were artists I’ve loved for a long time. It was our second time collaborating with ESME MORI since 2020, but it turned out to be a song even better than last time. As for DRP CREAM, we all went to watch them perform when they came to Japan, but we never dreamed we could collaborate with them.

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K: What has been the most challenging song to produce so far?

SHUKI: I think “DO YA?” was challenging.

KENJI: It was a genre we weren’t really familiar with, so it took a lot of effort to make it.

As for the bass, we made it in the style of a well-known phrase that seems to exist already. LOL

K: For international fans, how they usually find out about J-pop is through anime. First, do you guys watch anime, and if so what would you say is your favorite?

YU: Recently, it’s “Jujutsu Kaisen” and “HUNTER×HUNTER.” I used to love “Dragon Ball” before, too.

K: Is there a venue that you performed at that you’ll never forget? Also is there a dream venue that you would like to perform at?     

CHOJI: An unforgettable venue was the live house in Shibuya, Tokyo, with a capacity of about 100 people. I used to perform many times before my debut, but at that time, only people I knew came to watch.

SHUKI: I want to perform at Aloha Stadium in the future!

K: Do you have a message for your international fans?

YU: Although we can’t meet that much, we would love to have more opportunities to perform overseas, so please listen to our songs, watch our videos, connect with us through social media, and look forward to the day we can meet!

Ken: Once again, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule and we look forward to your upcoming releases!

IDLM: It was our pleasure!

I Don’t Like Mondays. and Korean creator DPR CREAM release collaboration single ‘conversation'!

RUNWAY Jacket Cover

Popular rock band I Don’t Like Mondays. released their new album ‘RUNWAY’ in full today (Wednesday, September 6). The album features five brand new songs.

One particular highlight is ‘conversation’, a collaboration with South Korean creator DPR CREAM. The members of I Don’t Like Mondays. are longtime DPR fans, leading to them finally working together. Combining the signature I Don't Like Mondays. laidback mood with DPR CREAM’s uniquely beautiful sonic tone, the result is a sweet-sounding song. It also marks the first time DPR CREAM has collaborated with an artist from outside Korea.

In addition to a domestic tour that will take in seven cities across Japan in October, I Don’t Like Mondays. will also perform live in Barcelona, Yantai (China), Buenos Aires and other locations around the world under the title 2023 WORLD TOUR.

Meanwhile, DPR, the group to which DPR CREAM belongs, performed in North America, South America, Asia-Pacific, the UK and Europe last year, while frontmen DPR LIVE and DPR IAN also appeared at Coachella 2023. When two such globally active artists combine, there’s no doubt the chemical reaction will be special.

Also among the 10 songs that have been digitally released is ‘Strawberry Night’, a collaboration with ESME MORI, who arranged ‘NIGHT DANCER’ by imase – a recent global TikTok hit. With roots in the sound of the 1980s and transcending the boundaries between Japanese and Western music, the band’s music is unmissable.

To celebrate the album release, a special studio live performance video by the band is also out now. I Don’t Like Mondays. wanted fans to be able to enjoy their new songs immediately, not only through audio recordings but also with a live performance that fans can see, hear and experience. Live video footage of all of the new songs will eventually be released.

Check out RUNWAY here, along with the studio liver performance of the track ‘Summer Ghost’ below!

I Don't Like Mondays. Aims Towards the Sky with Latest Release!

“Sora no Aosa ni Miserarete” Jacket Cover

Following their theme tune for the current season of hit anime series ONE PIECE, four-piece rock band I Don’t Like Mondays. released a brand-new single this past week on March 7 titled  “Sora no Aosa ni Miserarete”. A lyric video was also published on YouTube to celebrate the release of the single.

I Don’t Like Mondays. is a Japanese rock band consisting of YU (vocals), CHOJI (guitar), KENJI (bass) and SHUKI (drums). The band are quickly gaining popularity in Japan, thanks to their unique sound that combines YU’s distinctive lyrics with catchy melody lines and the members’ strong taste in Western music, along with their stylish look. Their January 9 single “PAINT” is currently being used as the theme tune to the latest season of ONE PIECE, adding to the band’s incredible momentum. This has now been followed by the release of new single “Sora no Aosa ni Miserarete” and its lyric video.

“Sora no Aosa ni Miserarete” is a pure coming-of-age love song that is perfectly suited to the onset of spring. The song is centered on the kinetic rock sound it inherits from ONE PIECE theme tune “PAINT”, and it poetically spotlights an innocent young man’s pure heart among the arrival of spring and the budding seeds of love. Another highlight is a chanted choral section in the middle that symbolizes the band’s hope that the day will come soon when the live music industry recovers to full health, and we can all sing together once more. Check out the song along with the lyric video below along with the streaming link here.

Comments from the band members

YU (vocals)

“I wanted to write a love song that traces the innocent and pure feelings of youth, which I try not to forget even as an adult, and I chose to express this tale of boyhood against a backdrop of spring, the season of new beginnings. I truly cannot wait for the day when we can sing this song live together with everyone.”

CHOJI (guitar) 

“I aimed to play this song with a combination of strength and delicacy, like the wind. This is our first song in a while to have a guitar solo. In order to avoid the solo becoming too overbearing, I played an arpeggio while creating a tone that felt just right, made by combining a chorus effect together with an effect pedal called a POG. The guitar line is even deeper than on our last song, ‘PAINT’, and I hope you will try to recreate it yourself. The chorus has a difficult melody line, too, but I hope you’ll sound cool when you sing along.”

KENJI (bass) 

“With all the restrictions at live music venues these past two years or so, the overwhelming amount of extra time we have all spent at home, and even the changes in the way we listen to music now, I wanted to create songs that will connect with your heart even more deeply when you listen to them alone. Our new song ‘Sora no Aosa ni Miserarete’ is about our heartfelt wish that we can all join together soon for a live experience, sing together and become one. I hope that the future will bring an even better environment where we can enjoy the wonderful sensation of singing together.”

SHUKI (drums)

“In 2022, which we began with the release of ‘PAINT’, we are paying extra special attention to creating music with a band sound, a live sound, with the hope that the live music scene can recover even more than last year. The song includes a section that everyone can sing along with, and we tried to find a sound that carries a sense of speed and clarity without sounding too fresh; and as a result, we ended up sprinkling YU’s vocal part with some digital processing. It’s a song packed with contradictory elements, such as analog and digital sounds, live instruments and sequencers, innocence and dirt, quietness and explosion, and so on. I hope you will listen to it over and over, and enjoy the playful musical approach.”

Ken's Ongaku Go For January 2022

Springboarding into 2022, it’s that time of the month: January’s Ongaku Go! We at OTY would like our readers to know what was filling our ears the past month. Each track is available across all digital music streaming platforms, with Apple Music featured on this site.

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“PAINT” by I Don’t Like Mondays.

I haven’t been keeping in touch with IDLM as much I have wanted to, so to my surprise I was really thrown aback when “PAINT” came out. The funny thing that I absolutely love about this work is how un-IDLM it is; it doesn’t really have a hook, so to speak, which they usually do. But I found myself going back to it throughout the month since it came out. Its earwormability either due to the fact that Yu’s vocals really don’t overextend the composition, or Choji’s guitar work throughout, “PAINT” became that nice rock tune I needed this month. 

Be sure to check out the music video for “PAINT” below, along with the song here!

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“unitbath (Jazz Version)” by showmore

Honestly, this group is one the ones that I will always keep championing till their disbandment. This new mood they have adopted throughout 2021 and now 2022, of updating what it means to be a neo-jazz singer, has really captured me. Nothing really exemplifies this like their new Jazz Attitude series, and they came out swinging with Vol. 1 velvet, which was released in December. While I think the release as a whole is absolutely solid, “unitbath” really takes the cake. While it might be a tad on the long side, as a whole it absolutely works and cannot wait for the next volume of this new series.

Be sure to check out the track here!

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“Good bye Claire” by Kaho Nakamura

Honestly, Kaho Nakamura was one of the surprises I found this month, and a vocalist who isn’t afraid of breaking the boundaries to explore something new. The electronica synth throughout this number is fresh and I absolutely love it; alongside Nakamura’s vocals, it just works. After listening to just this one slice of her discography I can’t wait to explore the rest of her work and do a deep dive eventually.

Be sure to check out the lyric video below, along with the track here!

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“Life still goes on” by Awesome City Club

While people might have “Wasurena” hangover from Awesome City Club, I love the new direction they’ve gone and how they’ve stuck to their morals to not follow a same style or feeling as their previous hit. While I do think it’s not entirely rewriting anything about their style, “Life still goes on” still really flaunts how solid they are as a band. I can’t wait to see what 2022 has in store for them and I hope they’ll have more solid releases just like this one.

Check out the lyric video for “Life still goes on” below, along with the song here!

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“You Raise Me Up” by EXILE ATSUSHI

Originally sung by Josh Groban back in 2003, “You Raise Me Up” was again given a new spin, this time by EXILE ATSUSHI. With this work, ASTUSHI goes above and beyond what he’s typically been doing with his solo covers. It woulda been simple to just do an English cover of this, but, like with his previous covers, he translates it into Japanese and adds his own flare to make it his own. This is something I absolutely love. I honestly cannot wait for the full release of his solo best-of album which will drop later in the year. 

Be sure to check out the music video for “You Raise Me Up” below, along with the track here!