Music Corner Week 36: Chiai Fujikawa

Chiai Fujikawa was inspired at the age of three to enter the Japanese music industry thanks to the fact that her grandfather was an Enka musician. She worked in a factory after she graduated high school until 2015 when she won a vocal audition to become a member of an idol music group called Maneki Kecak. In 2018 She left the group to focus on her solo career. Since 2018 Chiai has been really busy, already releasing six singles and one album. She is currently signed under Nippon Columbia and just announced she will be dropping her second album which will come out this spring. In Chiai’s short career she has already won an award for 2020’s Anime Trending Awards for “Best Ending Theme” with her song “Kimi no namae” which was used in the mega popular anime The Rising of the Shield Hero.

Chiai really shines through with her beautiful voice; with it she is able to convey her passion and her compositions are really well done. With “Kimi no namae” the listener can really hear how moving her vocals are. She sings the chorus with such power and a grip which really pulls the listener in.

If you are interested in more of Chiai’s work, her YouTube page has all of her music videos to date and her Apple Music page has all of her works since she signed under Nippon Columbia. Chiai’s official webpage will keep you up-to-date on all of her upcoming releases, along with her Twitter.

Music Corner Week 35: Youmentbay

Youmentbay is a twin vocal pop rock unit formed back in 2017. Originally meeting in college, guitarist Yamaya and keyboardist Sakurai had the simple premise of wanting to create music that gives you a sense of freedom to roll with everyday life with that high. Youmentbay keeps true to that promise with light and euphoric compositions with beautifully crafted lyrical compositions.

Blurring the lines of city pop and R&B style, Youmentbay keeps listeners on their toes with several of their earlier work with alternative style guitar heavy tracks like “Cider” and “Feast”, but on a whim could flirt with psychedelic compositions like with “30th”. While this is the first inter-gender twin vocal unit that we have covered on Music Corner, they have set the bar for units of this caliber. Sakurai’s alluring high vocal range is nothing to sneeze at as not only can she invoke that city pop style range that is prevalent in their track “Night Radio”, she also plays with a slight R&B influence with their track “息をとめて” (“Imi o Tomete”). This is somewhat offset by Yamaya’s amazing vocals which are just smooth and encompass everything about their uplifting style of yearning to be free. While this random assortment might be overbearing to the senses to some, Youmentbay mixes it all together into a great melting pot that listeners just have to experience themselves.

Currently Youmentbay has released two EPs, Night Radio and Holiday in 2018, along with self-titled album Youmentbay in 2019 which you can purchase. With several digitally released singles throughout 2019, Youmentbay is looking to guide listeners to that freedom that they promise. 

Check out their official website and their official Twitter along with the music video for “Imi o Tomete” below!

Music Corner Week 34: JASMINE

JASMINE is an R&B/pop singer-songwriter who got her start in the music industry in 2009 with her major label debut single “sad to say”. The single topped the RAIJ charts and was regularly played on J-WAVE. JASMINE sings with all her heart and feelings, which you hear showcased in her music frequently. Her powerful vocal skills stand out with the utilization of vocal capability and emotionally strong lyrics she exhibits stunningly in her songs.

JASMINE was signed with Sony Music Japan in 2009 after she sent in a demo tape of her song “sad to say”. Needless to say, they signed a contract and “sad to say” was released digitally first. It was met with explosive success and topped the download charts, and unsurprisingly a physical release came not long after. JASMINE was contracted with Sony from 2009 to 2017. JASMINE is now currently signed with Eight Entertainment and her musical style has grown from when she first began. She still showcases her original heavy R&B feel but has experimented with other genres such as trap, reggae, and hip-pop.

JASMINE’s song “sad to say” showcases her unique vocal style, powerful lyrics, and strong vocal skills. It grabs you with its first few verses and leaves you wanting to hear more despite it being a breakup song. “DREAMIN’” is one of the most beautiful ballads; it shows the power behind her voice both lyrically and vocally. Its theme is about never giving up on your dream no matter how far out of reach it seems. This power ballad has had a huge impact on me and has given me the power to keep going. “Weekend High”, “#AGARU”, and “Handz Up” are fun dance-y tunes that get you excited for the weekend and make you have fun. “High Flying” has an electronic mixed with R&B beat and an amazing chorus that gets stuck in your head. “COCOROZASHI feat. AK-69” feels like a big comeback song for JASMINE as it shows how R&B is her element and she is in control of it. She shines right her with her vocal ability and the beat in the song pulls you into it. “FALLIN’ feat. 5lack” brings you back to that 90s R&B feel with its beat and her vocals are so smooth and flow right into it.

JASMINE currently has two studio albums, GOLD and Complexxx; one concept album, Welcome to Jas Vegas; one best album, PURE LOVE BEST; and 11 physical singles which are all under Sony Music Japan. She also just released her new digital mini album, JASMINE 2.0, which can be found on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Google Music. Many of her digital singles can be found on those as well!

Make sure to follow JASMINE’s official Twitter and Instagram !

Music Corner Week 33: M!LK

M!LK is a seven-member vocal dance unit signed under Stardust Records. The members of this group include Sano Hayato, Yoshida Jinto, Shiozaki Daichi, Itagaki Mizuki, Yamanaka Jyutaro, Sono Shunta, and Miyase Ryubi, all of whom managed by Stardust Promotion. Yoshida is one of the founding members and the current leader of the group. M!LK got started back in 2014 with its first appearance being on November 24, 2014. They dropped their first single, “Coffee ga Nomemasen”, on March 25, 2015 and recently they dropped their tenth single “ERA” on November 6, 2019. M!LK also has two albums under their belt with their first titled Ousama no Gyuunyuu, translated as “King of Milk”, which was released on November 22, 2017. Their second album, Time Capsule, dropped on February 6, 2019.

M!LK finds a great balance of strong vocal performances along with some fun and exciting melodies. Their song “My Treasure” is a fitting example of this; they have this really amazing ability to harmonize through almost the song’s entirety with a couple of lines sung solo.

M!LK has its own official YouTube channel where you can check out their music along with their official website and Twitter so you can stay up-to-date on all their latest news. You can also find a lot of their work on Apple Music and Spotify and finally give a listen to their song “My Treasure” below. 

Music Corner Week 32: Daisansei

Daisansei is the guitar-vocal lead band project from Nobuaki Ataku formed in 2018. They take inspiration from laid-back atmospheric bands like Happy End, Cornelius, and Qururi. Daisansei, while not reinventing the wheel of the genre, fortifies the root of it, making them an easy jumping off point for listeners of all ages. They are able to do this while holding various compositions across a wide variety of styles whether it be a more aggressive guitar focused track such as “隅田川” (Sumida Gawa”) or a more nostalgic tempo like “Shoppo”. Daisansei plays on a feeling of familiarity while bringing something new to table. Similar to other bands of the genre, the simplicity Daisansei brings takes listeners on such a trip of childlike delight through the many types of sounds the band will boast. And, paired with Ataku’s dulcet vocals, their sound fortifies that trip. This in turn builds anticipation whenever they are releasing a new track.

Currently Daisansei has released two EPs, 箱根 and Short Hop, which were both released this year via Spotify and Apple Music. They also released a digital single “Day and River” which was also released this year on those platforms. Check out Daisansei’s official site along with their Twitter and watch the music video for “Shoppo” below!