Kiyoe Yoshioka's First Solo Anime Opening Theme Song will be for “A Couple of Cuckoos”!

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©Miki Yoshikawa・Kodansha/a Couple of Cuckoos Production Committee

Kiyoe Yoshioka, who is the vocalist of Ikimonogakari, is going to singing the opening theme song for the TV animation series, A Couple of Cuckoos, airing on TV Asahi from April in 2022. She sings the opening theme song for the TV anime as a solo act for the first time.

A Couple of Cuckoos is a manga series telling a love story which started from the incident that babies switched at birth, written and illustrated by Miki Yoshikawa, who also created Flunk Punk Rumble, and Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches.

When the first comic book in this manga series was published on the 15th of May 2020 by Kodansha, it quickly sold out in every book shop. This is an extremely popular manga series which required 10 editions in the shortest amount of time in the history of the publisher Kodansha. It has been announced that the manga is going to be adapted into a TV animation airing from April 2022, and the opening theme song will be Kiyoe Yoshioka’s “Dekoboko”.

“Dekoboko” Jacket Cover

This new song “Dekoboko” is created by Haruko Nagaya from the band Ryokuoushoku Shakai. Haruko Nagaya is very close to Kiyoe Yoshioka both as friends and also in business as they are often on TV programs together. This song has an authentic pop sound with a very charming feeling. It blends with the world of the anime A Couple of Cuckoos”to show many different exciting feelings.

The song “Dekoboko” will be available for streaming and download on various music platforms from Sunday the 17th of April 2022. The cover art of the song “Dekoboko” and new artist photograph have been revealed as well. The artwork was done by Mr.HARU (koe Inc.) who also worked on Kiyoe’s last single “Massara”. He creates a pop feeling as if he took the color and brightness from the song itself.

Furthermore, the main PV of TV Anime A Couple of Cuckoos has been released on KADOKAW Anime YouTube Channel. You can listen to some parts of the song “Dekoboko” there.

Akari Kito who voiced Erika Amano in the anime A Couple of Cuckoos made a comment about the song “Dekoboko” by Kiyoe Yoshioka being the opening theme song. Amari Kito said, 

“I was so thrilled to find out that Kiyoe Yoshioka will sing the opening theme song for the TV anime A Couple of Cuckoos. Since I am a part of her generation, I am so excited!! It is an awesome song with Kiyoe Yoshioka's pure voice and melody and lyrics reflecting the freshness of the work, full of the sweet and bitter feelings of love.”  

Kiyoe Yoshioka has commented below. 

“I am so honored to be a singer for the song “Dekoboko” which is the opening theme song of A Couple of Cuckoos. “Dekoboko” is an amazing love song created by Haruko Nagaya. It will definitely make people excited! Everyone from the band, Ryokuoushoku Shakai, took part in playing the music. I am so glad!! I would be so happy if I could be able to support the main characters in the anime, who are pushed by destiny, as well as the entire animation of A Couple of Cuckoos!! Please enjoy the anime and the song “Dekoboko”!”

WARP's UP Powers Up with Latest Dance-Based Trap Track!

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“POWER_xin” Digital Jacket Cover

Japanese-Chinese boys’ collective WARPs UP released new single “POWER_xin” last week on January 14 across all digital music streaming platforms. This is the first original new music by the group’s two Chinese members LANGYI and MINGJUN since Japanese members SANTA and RIKIMARU debuted with the popular limited-time group INTO1 in China. During the summer of 2021, LANGYI and MINGJUN released a trio of covers of popular J-pop songs sung in Chinese – “Pleasure” by WARPs UP, “Planetarium” by Ai Otsuka and “PLANET” by Lambsey – brewing anticipation for this long-awaited original new music. 

“POWER_xin” is a cool trap-based dance track sung in English, Chinese and Japanese – a trilingual approach that is one of WARPs UP’s trademarks. The Chinese word “shin” in the title can be read as “believe” in Japanese or as “letter” in Chinese; as such, the lyrics tell of the group members’ “belief” in each other, and are a “letter” or message from the members to the fans. The lyrics sing of LANGYI and MINGJUN’s commitment to the future of WARPs UP, as well as the bond between the members, and between them and their fans, as they pursue their ongoing career.

The music video features backing dancers WARPs ROOTS, who are a training group connected with WARPs UP, and they deliver energetic team choreography that reflects the lyric “Power” that is repeated in the chorus. The powerful and exciting choreography was created by YUMERI. This is YUMERI’s second time to create a dance routine for the group, after their debut single “Hali Gali”. The creative choreography showcases her abundant experience and skills as a professional dancer, and matches the “power” that is central to the song.

Be sure toe check out the music video for “POWER_xin” below, along with the streaming links here!

Fujii Kaze Invites Remixers from 4 Different Cities in Asia for His Track "Kirari"!

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Fujii Kaze made his sensational debut with his first album HELP EVER HURT NEVER in 2020. After gaining attention, he made a performance called Fujii Kaze, “Free” Live 2021 at NISSAN stadium during the covid pandemic. He performed on the outside stadium in the rain in one of the biggest stadiums in Japan with only a piano and his song. And this performance was released via live streaming on YouTube to the entire world. He went on an arena tour inside Japan and he appeared on NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen at the end of 2021. NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen is a legendary TV program which air’s on New Year's Eve. It is considered to be an honor to be chosen as a performer on the national music program, which has a long history in Japan. He has established his very unique identity in the music scene.

Fujii Kaze is getting so much attention for his activity. His 1st release of 2022 is a remix EP of “Kirari”, which was his big hit from last year, with more than one hundred million streams. ‘Kirari’ is a song with the message about how important it is to think about shining (Kirari) moments in daily life. His original song which had a funky disco feeling has been arranged into a new modern and pop sound by his best friend Yaffle. This new track shows Fujii Kaze’s new side. The remix EP includes Fujii Kaze and Yaffle’s remix version as well as other versions from remixers from 4 cities in Asia. Please check it out. The birth of the remix EP with talented artists from all over the world shows evidence that Fujii Kaze has established himself as a unique artist bringing his originality to pop music on a global scale. The album cover of this EP was done by graphic designer Kosuke Kawamura. Fujii Kaze started 2022 with new creations of his original song “Kirari’ with other Asian artists. This project will definitely propel him into his next step of being active worldwide with it here!

Kirari  Remixes (Asia Edition) Jacket Cover

Fujii Kaze「Kirari  Remixes (Asia Edition)」

01. Kirari (Original Remix / Tokyo)

02. Kirari (Daul Remix / Seoul)

03. Kirari (FunkyMo Remix / Taipei)

04. Kirari (pxzvc Remix / Jakarta)

05. Kirari (Kaze & Yaffle Just For Fun Remix / Tokyo)

06. Kirari (Knopha Remix / Amoy)

07. Kirari (Naken Remix / Jakarta)

08. Kirari (Yaffle Remix / Tokyo)

09. Kirari

I Don’t Like Mondays. Paints A New Flag for the Long Running Anime ONE PEICE!

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“PAINT” Digital Jacket Cover

“PAINT”, the new theme tune to long-running anime series ONE PIECE by four-member rock group I Don’t Like Mondays., is available as a digital-only single now, following its release on January 9.  This is the first ever anime tie-up for I Don’t Like Mondays. The music captures the sense of speed and exhilaration that is typical to ‘ONE PIECE’, accompanied by lyrics by vocalist YU that carry a powerful message about overcoming any obstacles in your path and repainting the world in your own color. The result is an anthem that can bring courage to all who hear it. 

The music video has also been released. In the video, the band members perform against a video screen showing epic nature scenes that capture the atmosphere of ONE PIECE, resulting in a dynamic and powerful video.

In addition, the band’s official Twitter account is holding a follow and retweet campaign where six lucky fans will win “a special Ichiban Kuji ONE PIECE Wano Kuni Hen - Act 3 - figure”. Full details are available on the official I Don’t Like Mondays. Twitter account and homepage – enter now for your chance to win!

Comment from I Don’t Like Mondays. vocalist YU

“I realized that I have been a fan of ‘ONE PIECE’ for more than 15 years, since I was at junior high school, and even now as an adult it still has an influence on me. To be able to perform the theme tune to such a revered series is an unbelievable opportunity. To be totally honest, I wasn’t sure whether we could create a song that would be worthy of ‘ONE PIECE’.

“I reflected on all the times that ‘ONE PIECE’ has given me the courage to face adversity, and in doing so, I knew the Straw Hat Pirates had my back this time too. After that, it was simply a case of believing in our ability to write the song, and the result was ‘PAINT’. The song carries the message of surpassing our own limitations.

“Just as ‘ONE PIECE’ gave me the courage to confront my fears and hesitations in the present even when the future is hard to see, I hope this song and ‘ONE PIECE’ can encourage others to feel the same.”

Comment from I Don’t Like Mondays. drummer SHUKI

“I never thought we’d have the opportunity to create a theme song for ‘ONE PIECE’.

“When writing the song, we paid close attention to the setting of ‘ONE PIECE’. Being involved in a series that has meant so much to us since we were kids meant our feelings overlapped and combined, and this allowed us to reflect on the hurdles each of us have faced in the past. We were able to work closely together as we reworked the song over and over, aiming to create something that would be worthy of this series. Having been fans of ‘ONE PIECE’ for so long, we naturally felt just like the heroes from the series working together to overcome adversity.

“In order to capture the driving force of this series that is beloved all around the world, and to give a feeling of movement and excitement, we focused on producing a strong guitar sound, which is central to us as a band. In addition, to capture the feeling of the wind pushing the sails of a ship, we added vocal effects and synthesizer, and we changed the rhythm in each section of the song so that it would feel like the chapters of an adventure story. We wanted to create a song that would stand the test of time, so we did our best to avoid the influence of any particular era.

“We hope this song will leave an impact on the kids who will grow up watching this show just as we did, the adults who have been influenced by this series over many years, and above all, the characters from the show who we love so much!

Be sure to check out the song in question here along with the music video below!

“LisAni!LIVE 2022" at the Nippon Budokan to be Streamed on 22nd and 23rd January 2022 (Sat & Sun)! Tickets On Sale Now!

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 “LisAni!LIVE 2022” is scheduled to take place at the Nippon Budokan from the 21st to the 23rd of January 2022 (Fri to Sun), with the performances scheduled on the 22nd and 23rd January 2022 (Sat & Sun) to be streamed online! Tickets are now on sale!

“LisAni!LIVE” is a music festival produced since 2010 by the anime music magazine "LisAni!". Based on the concept of being “a concert that values Presence and Sound”, “LisAni!LIVE” features blazing hot performances from artists at the forefront of the industry. In this 12th edition, all the performances by featured artists will be backed by a live band just like past editions. Continuing from the previous year, the concert will also be streamed online live!

Check out the line-up on the 22nd and 23rd January 2022 (Sat & Sun) below:

[ DAY 1 ] 22nd January 2022 “SATURDAY STAGE”

- Ai Furuhata

- Eir Aoi

- halca

- IDOLY PRIDE Hoshimi Production [Sunny Peace]: Mai Kanno (“Sakura Kawasaki”), Moeko Yuki (“Rei Ichinose”), Nao Sasaki (“Haruko Saeki”), Kanon Takao (“Chisa Shiraishi)”. Yukina Shuto (“Shizuku Hyodo)　 [Tsuki no Tempest] : Mirai Tachibana (“Kotono Nagase”), Kokona Natsume (“Nagisa Ibuki”), Koharu Miyazawa (“Saki Shiraishi”), Kanata Aikawa (“Suzu Narumiya”), Moka Hinata (“Mei Hayasaka”)

- May'n

- Miho Okasaki

- Minori Suzuki

- ReoNa

[ DAY 2 ] 23rd January 2022 “SUNDAY STAGE”

- ASCA

- Kiyono Yasuno

- KOTOKO

- Machico

- NanawoAkari

- Nao Toyama

- yanaginagi

- Yoshino Nanjo

A total of 16 artists/groups will appear over the 2 days, and the concert will be streamed to 20 countries and regions via Stagecrowd. Online tickets will be sold until 30th January 2022 (Sun) at 6:59PM JST, with early bird discounts available until 18th January 2022 (Tue) at 11:59PM JST. Take advantage of the great early bird discount! The archive will be up until 30th January 2022 (Sun) at 11:59PM JST.

Click here to purchase online tickets: https://intl.stagecrowd.live/7103522217/

In addition, the official playlist "LisAni!LIVE 2022" with songs from all the performers is currently available on Spotify!

 Click here for the official "LisAni!LIVE 2022" Spotify Playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DXcpS9SoNtuO7?si=2ada16daa8f94997

 Please look forward to "LisAni!LIVE 2022" next week!

Click here for the "LisAni!LIVE 2022" Official Trailer


[ Online Ticket Information ]

"LisAni!LIVE 2022"

【DAY1】22nd January 2022 “SATURDAY STAGE” 

Opens 2:00PM JST / Starts 3:00PM JST

【DAY2】23rd January 2022 “SUNDAY STAGE”