Music Corner Week 110: uruwashi

uruwashi is a track maker that started releasing content back in 2020. While still young in his career, he had already made a splash with his amazing compositions that really hook the listeners with nostalgic style of beats and emotional filled rhythms . His compositions are distinguished by their gentle melodies which emphasize the qualities of the guitar＆piano＆synthesizer.

One of the things that I absolutely love from uruwashi is that no two songs sound the same. While not having traditional vocals in his track, it doesn’t distract how you can get lost every single time. “Where Did it Go”, “Fall in Love”, “Night&Day” and “Waiting Around” are some of the great examples of how stylistic uruwashi’s range is without it sounding repetitive. 

While his career is relatively short, uruwashi has various amounts of work for fans to listen to. With over 20 digital singles and one album under his belt listeners will have no problem trying to find a song that sticks. 

You can check uruwashi out at his site along with his Twitter and Instagram. Also check out his track “Waiting Around” below!

Music Corner Week 109: Tensaibonjin

Tensaibonjin is a three-member male pop unit that formed in 2011. The group was formed by the members MiNE and Hyonn, the third member Shimada joined the group shortly afterward. MiNE and Hyonn serve as the vocalists, while Shimada is the DJ. In June of 2012, the group released their first single, titled “BRAND NEW WORLD". In 2014 Tensaibonjin did their first one-man live at Shibuya Club Asia. Their first album dropped in June of 2017 and was titled Kekkontteiina. To date, Tensaibonjin has released three albums with their latest album, Tensaibonjin. Their latest single is a digital single, titled “Sumimasen”.

MiNE and Hyonn make a dynamic duo that work really well together. Both of them are amazing singers and they compliment each other really well. One of my favorite tracks that they do is “Alarm”. Both of their vocals are on display there and they shine so well. Shimada is easily the backbone of the group and really brings a wide variety of song styles to the table. Shimada’s song compositions work really well and are tailor-made for MiNE and Hyonn. On their Tensaibonjin album, the song “Rosier” feels like a techno metal track, which is way different than most of their other tracks. The song still comes together well, and shows off their ability to tackle a wide array of songs.

While Tensaibonjin hasn’t released anything yet this year, they are still active on their official website and on their Twitter, so I’m certain the group is hard at work on what comes next. Finally, be sure to check out their song “Alarm” in the video posted below.

Music Corner Week 108: Miyuna

Miyuna is a singer-songwriter from Miyazaki prefecture and began her career in 2018 with the debut single “Gamushara”, which was the opening for the popular anime Black Clover. Miyuna’s husky voice, versatility, and experience with the guitar gained her much attention. She performed at the FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL ‘19, YouTube included Miyuna as one of the Newcomers to watch in 2019, and was chosen by the Gibson Guitar Generation (G3) group to play an active role in their selected group of young stars under 21. Miyuna’s vocal range, ability to genre switch, and skills on the guitar have brought her to the front stage of young Reiwa female vocalists to look out for.

Miyuna’s track “CHOUDAI” is ear grabbing with its pop-EDM style beat that make you want to dance along with it. This was the second song I heard by Miyuna and it brought me back to her with its catchy chorus, composition, and unique style. “Prism” (by AmPm feat. Miyuna) was the first song I heard by her and was surprised by her vocals and AmPm does a perfect job matching the composition to suit her, letting her voice shine. Miyuna has an amazing vocal range and songs such as “Tanpopo” and “Yours and My Lullaby” show this off as they have a slower composition. Miyuna not only has a powerful range, but an ear for music as she can handle many different genres. You can hear the different styles from the songs, “Color”, “Susume”, and “Utaouyo”; all have a different style and unique flavor. Miyuna’s latest single “KANKU” has more of a dance-pop vibe in the composition but her vocals give off an soulful sound; the mixture of this combination and the music leading up to the last versus’ makes for an unforgettable track.

Currently, Miyuna has three mini albums titled reply (2020), Yurareru (2019), and Me (Eye) (2018); Eleven digital singles including the track she collaborated with AmPm on (Prism). Check out Miyuna’s official website, Twitter, Instagram, and the music video for “CHOUDAI” below!

Music Corner Week 107: Mime

Mime is a four member rock band that got their start back in 2014 in Tokyo. It is purely my best vision of what disco has become nowadays, especially Japanese disco by blending the unique style of 80’s funk, boogie with Neo-soul, and R&B with out of this world composition and vocals. Led by vocalist and keyboards Hikari, her cool and dignified vocals set the mood as they invite their listeners into the world of Mime. 

Several of their tracks have me sucked into the beat and I can’t help myself but dance; the last time I felt this way for a female vocalist was with Showmore. Songs like “Headlight”, “Driftin’”, and “Caught in Shower” really shows the masterful way of how they handle composition. One thing that stands out is Hikari’s vocals, as it isn’t overbearing or show-stealing for the over arcing time with the song and jams really well throughout. 

Currently, Mime has two albums from 2018 and 2020, one mini-album from 2016, and eight digital singles throughout their young career. You can follow them at their official website, Twitter and Instagram. Be sure to check out the music video for the track “Headlight” below!

Mime Stars:

HIKARI - Vocal / Chorus/ Keyboards
JUN UCHINO- Guitar / Chorus
KUNIHIKO KONDO- Keyboards/ Trackmaker / Chorus
TiMT- Drums /Trackmaker /Guitar / Chorus

Music Corner Week 106: Takaya Kawasaki

Takaya Kawasaki is a vocalist that got his start in 2018. He has had a close relationship with music from an early age as his father ran a live bar where musicians come and play for the crowd. Kawasaki’s father enjoys punk rock to a great degree, and the bands that played at the bar fell into those genres. During Kawasaki’s third year of high school, he got up on stage and performed HY’s “366 days” and Southern All Stars’ “Manatsu no Kajitsu” and in college, Kawasaki entered the Muse Mode School of Music as a vocal major. After he graduated he bought his first guitar with a 60,000 yen loan and started learning how to play. In July of 2018, Kawasaki released his first album titled I Believe in You with the indie label FLYING VOICE. In 2020 his song “Magic Carpet '' became popular on the social media streaming site TikTok. In December of 2021, Kawasaki signed on with Warner Music Japan and released his second album Calendar. In all, Kawasaki has released seven digital singles, two albums, and one EP. 

Kawasaki has very smooth and soft vocals which combine very well with his acoustic guitar playing, and you really hear his excellent guitar work in his first album. Ever since he has signed on with Warner Japan, he has started employing a wider range of instruments. A good example of this is in his latest release “Be yourself” and is probably my favorite as it’s such a fun track. It shows that even though he started with a more acoustic style, his skills to compose music are not limited to that and can go above and beyond when needed. 

Kawasaki stays active on his official website and his Twitter page, so be sure to check those out for all the latest news. Lastly, be sure to check out the video of his song “Be yourself,” which is posted below.