Documentary series ‘WARPs DIG Season 1’ reaches the dance battle final, featuring a new track by m-flo’s Taku Takahashi and guest judge Ruu from Fabulous Sisters!

The dance battle final of ‘WARPs DIG Season 1’, the detailed documentary series by avex entertainment group WARP-Syndicate that began broadcasting in April this year, has been released. 

Unlike the usual strict top-down audition shows, on ‘WARPs DIG’, the participants themselves select their teammates and have a hand in the judging. So far, Team RED (TAKERU, SOMA, MIZUKI and REIA) and Team YELLOW (TSUBASA, YUGA SANO, YUGA SHIBUTANI and SEIYA) have endured the tough first rounds to advance to the final. Talented dancers have gathered in each team and fierce battles with a variety of styles have been fought. 

The track for the final is provided by m-flo member ☆Taku Takahashi, and the guest judge is Ruu from Fabulous Sisters, who won the World of Dance championship twice in a row. The winning team in Season 1 will be given priority entry to Season 2, and a special prize will be awarded by top fashion brand A|X Armani Exchange. 

Check out the video to witness the thrilling end to this three-month battle below!

WARPs UP Becomes A HERO with Latest Release!

“HERO_sei” Jacket Cover

Japanese-Chinese boys’ collective WARPs UP released their new single “HERO_sei” back onJune 10. This is the second original single released by the group’s two Chinese members LANGYI and MINGJUN, following January’s single “POWER_Shin”.

Previous songs by WARPs UP featured lyrics in English, Chinese and Japanese, an impressive achievement that set the group apart. This time, though, the group have released separate Japanese and Chinese versions for the first time, conveying a strong message through their lyrics.

The lyrics remind us that even though life in our sometimes orderly, sometimes chaotic modern society can be difficult, if we forcefully pursue our dreams without being constrained by the past or by boundaries, anyone can become a hero with the power to change the world. This meaning is reflected in the English word “HERO” in the title, while the Chinese character “sei (oath)” conveys “the promise of a bright future”. This mid-tempo ballad sets its positive message to a beautiful melody, resulting in a magnificent, uplifting song.

A music video was also released, featuring members of WARPs UP junior training troupe WARPs ROOTs as backing dancers. The video uses hard concrete as a metaphor for the brutalness of modern society; a mirrored surface has been laid over the concrete, expressing a sense of openness and of floating in mid-air, with themes of self-liberation from the oppressive orderliness of modern life.

Be sure to check out the music video for “HERO_sei” below, along with the streaming link for the track here!

lol Brings the Movement Tonight with Latest Release!

“Baby tonight” Jacket Cover

Popular male-female dance-pop group lol recently released their new single, “Baby tonight”. This love song was written by group member Yusuke Sato, while his bandmate honoka was inspired by the lyrics to write the rap section. “Baby tonight” was unveiled during the group’s first national tour in about two and a half years, lol live tour 2022 -laugh out loud-, and the intense dance performance and melancholy lyrics became a hot topic among fans.

Be sure to check out their dance practice version of “Baby tonight” below, along with the streaming link for the track here!

blank paper Achieves A Higher Legacy with Latest Release!

“High legacy” Jacket Cover

One of Japan’s most enigmatic new names in rock, blank paper, announced that knock-out new single “High legacy” will be available for download and streaming worldwide back in June. The track follows in the blazing footsteps of debut single “enemy”, which has been streamed over a million times since its release four months ago. The track was also used as the theme song to mecha anime AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline from animation studio Sunrise Beyond (Gundam, Cowboy Bebop, Code Geass), and also as the entrance music for Muay Thai athlete Yoshinari Nadaka.

“High legacy” sees blank paper continue making moves in the world of combat sports with the track being chosen as a theme song for two wrestling events in their home country of Japan. The track is the theme song for the New Japan Pro Wrestling tournament Best of the Super Jr. 29, as well as the ending theme for the Japanese TV program World Pro Wrestling through the months of June and July.

Regarding the new release, blank paper’s vocalist C45P3R comments, “Nice to meet you all, we are blank paper. Our new single “High legacy” that was released on June 3 is a very exciting fight song. Please listen to it!”. 

With its powerful sound and links to wrestling within its lyrics and its collaborations with the sport, ‘High legacy’ is expected to create an impact with fans of rock music and wrestling around the world. In addition, it has also been announced that blank paper will travel overseas for a short Japan/anime tour this summer, with shows scheduled at HYPER JAPAN in London and OTAKUTHON in Montreal, and further appearances expected to be announced shortly.

About blank paper:

Established in Japan, 2021, with the concept of producing music alongside fans, listeners and professionals. They start with a piece of blank paper and see where the collective journey goes. The result of this creative process is known as ‘bpm’ (blank paper medicine). Each dose contains high concentrations of energy and emotions from varying sources, which can lead to side effects of a transcendental nature upon the listener. The identity of blank paper’s core members has yet to be disclosed beyond code names ‘C45P3R’ and ‘T3R354’.

Be sure to check out both release for “High legacy” and “enemy” here, along with lyric video for “High legacy” below!

Natumi. Teams up with Hiroyuki Sawano for Her Debut Single!

“pARTs” Jacket Cover

With her powerful singing voice and air of mystery, female singer Natumi. recently made her debut with a single produced by Hiroyuki Sawano. “pARTs” is currently available across all digital music streaming platforms, along with a music video also out now.

Although it is only the first single by this newcomer artist, the song “pARTs” was selected as the ending theme tune to the second season of AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline, which is the first original anime production from SUNRISE BEYOND and is broadcasting now. 

Comment from Natumi.

“Nice to meet you everyone – I’m Natumi. I performed the ending theme to the second season of AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline. The attraction of AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline is not only its intense combat scenes, but also the generous spirit and humanity of its characters, and the interactions between them. I love that side of the show, and I was completely absorbed by the first season.”

“I’ve adored anime since I was little, so it is a joy to perform the ending theme to such a wonderful show. Not only that, but the music was produced by Hiroyuki Sawano, whom I really admire. ‘PARTs’ is a strong and powerful song, so I’d love for it to be heard by as many people as possible. I hope you will lend your support in the future – both for AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline and for me, Natumi.”

Hiroyuki Sawano

Comment from Hiroyuki Sawano

“I was happy to have the opportunity to produce the debut single by Natumi. Her unique singing voice and her approach to singing this song helped to expand the sound of the music in new ways. Also, seeing Natumi. at work during production made me excited to see how she will evolve as a vocalist in the future. I can’t wait to see how the final song will be received by listeners via AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline.”

Be shut to check out the music video for “pARTs” below, along with the streaming link for the track here!