Hiroyuki Sawano’s new group NAQT VANE release ‘Break Free (English Ver.)’, with lyrics in English!

‘Break Free’ Digital Jacket Cover

The English version of NAQT VANE’s debut song ‘Break Free’ was released on September 30. This English version was produced in tandem with the original Japanese version released earlier in September, so that music fans around the world could enjoy the message of hope behind the song’s lyrics.

NAQT VANE launched in September as a fresh new team project breathing a wind of change. Their debut single ‘Break Free’ carries an encouraging message of “a new self” and “liberation” and is dedicated to everyone living in the era of the wind – a flexible world of freedom and diversity with a lifestyle unbound by material things or status. The project combines the unmistakable music of producer Hiroyuki Sawano, whose compositions for anime, movies and TV shows are beloved by fans in Japan and around the world; and Harukaze, a highly skilled musician with a unique singing voice whose worldview was shaped by her school days spent in the United States.

Harukaze

In the new English version of ‘Break Free’, bilingual singer Harukaze’s English skills are put to great use – and above all, the lyrics have been tweaked to suit the English language, so listeners can enjoy a slightly different vibe from the original version. Whether you have already heard ‘Break Free’ or it’s your first time, check out ‘Break Free (English Ver.)’ for another chance to ride the tailwind.

Since the first announcement that Sawano would launch new team project NAQT VANE as overall producer, the reaction from fans has been overwhelming. Just two weeks after their debut in September, their new songs ‘VANE’ and ‘TOUCH’ were selected as theme songs to TV shows in Japan, making the group hot property.

In addition, vocalist Harukaze will perform as the opening act for singer-songwriter Calum Scott when he performs his first ever concert in Japan at Tokyo EX Theater Roppongi on October 18.

Overall producer Sawano recently composed the song ‘Tot Musica’ performed by Ado for the movie ‘ONE PIECE FILM RED’. He has numerous fans across North America, Europe and Asia thanks to his work on many celebrated anime productions, and in 2019 he delivered a successful solo performance at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, indicating his commitment to the global stage. Vocalist Harukaze is also fluent in English, so it seems likely that the group will set their sights on touring in various regions around the world.

This is a group for all those who face up to life’s challenges every day, as they ride the tailwind to the future. There are doubtless many out there who can relate to a group like NAQT VANE, and this feels like the start of a whole new movement – keep your expectations high as they embark on a truly special career.

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

tricot Celebrate their Ongoing UK and Europe Tour with the Release of New Song "Aquarium"!

‘Aquarium” Digital Jacket Cover

Four-member rock band tricot, who are currently touring 20 towns in 10 countries on their UK/European tour, have released new song ‘Aquarium’.

‘Aquarium’ is a straight-ahead, bright and poppy song with a twist, built on the foundation of tricot’s characteristic unusual time signatures. It is a song about ditching the presumptions around what love and relationships are supposed to be. Curiosity, guilt and other emotions do not necessarily need to have negative connotations, and this idea is expressed through a positive musical arrangement. The lyrics are filled with metaphors and declarations, with lines that roughly translate as “It takes an ugly shape, for real”, “The world is in reverse, and I can’t be trapped by other people’s assumptions”, and “I will unbuckle my armor and hesitate no more” – somewhat unusual phrases that ride an energetic J-rock sound.

A lyric video for ‘Aquarium’ has also been released on tricot’s YouTube channel. Meanwhile, the song has already received airplay on radio stations in the UK such as Good Music Radio and KFM Radio, along with other stations in Germany and the US, creating a strong welcome for the band in each country.

This is tricot’s first overseas tour since their successful shows in the UK in 2018. Performances in London and Amsterdam sold out ahead of the tour, while shows in Belgium and some other places were upgraded to larger venues after tickets sold out.

Fans who attended the concerts on the tour so far have posted excited comments online in various languages, such as “That was the best show of the year”, “It was a technical and incredible performance” and “tricot’s music can’t be beat”.

Be sure to check out the lyric video for ‘Aquarium” below along with the track here!

MIYAVI Launches 20th Solo Debut Anniversary Project “20th & Beyond”!

Nicknamed the “Samurai Guitarist”, MIYAVI is an artist who has an active career both in Japan and

overseas. In recent years, he starred in the movie Kate and did voice acting for the Netflix animated

series Arcane, which also features his music in the soundtrack. Additionally, he gave the opening

performance at the National Stadium when the soccer team Paris Saint-Germain came to Japan. Also,

on Sado Island, MIYAVI collaborated with Kodo, a taiko drumming troupe that keeps traditional

Japanese music and arts alive through their performances, and this week, the movie Hell Dogs, which

he was cast in, hits Japanese theaters nationwide on September 16. He’s a dynamic artist whose work

goes beyond borders and any one genre.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of his solo debut, MIYAVI is launching a 20th anniversary

project titled “MIYAVI 20th & Beyond” on October 31. This project will not only celebrate his 20 years in

the music industry, but also show how he will further evolve as an artist. For the first part of the project,

MIYAVI will be releasing his first ever anime song cover album. The album will be called

“MIYAVIVERSE - Anima -” and will feature five carefully selected anime songs that are also much-

loved overseas. They will be reborn anew with MIYAVI’s signature sound and are sure to shake up the

new audiovisual world.

MIYAVI Launches 20th Solo Debut Anniversary Project “20th & Beyond”!

The project includes MIYAVI’s first anisong cover album and world tours—the first being in North

America. Following the NA tour, in December MIYAVI will hold “Electric Xmas 2022”, a special

Christmas live show, in three Japanese cities!

The tracks for the album have been announced and will include signature songs “The Galaxy Express

999”, “Get Wild”, “Soul's Refrain”, and “Eternal Wind ~Hohoemi Wa Hikaru Kaze No Naka~”, as well as

the recent hit “Blue Bird”. New artist photos were unveiled with the album’s announcement and visuals

that match the theme of each song will be announced later.

In October, MIYAVI will start his world tour commemorating his 20th anniversary with a large-scale

North American tour, similar to last year. And if fans weren’t already excited enough, it was announced

that in December, he will be performing “Electric Xmas 2022”, a special Christmas live show that will

be held in Nagoya, Osaka and Yokohama. Enjoy Holy Nights with MIYAVI and the commemorative

songs of his past 20 years. Also, stay tuned for updates on the rest of his world tour after the new year!

Please continue to pay close attention to MIYAVI’s increasingly passionate global activities and catch

all the particulars of the 20th anniversary project as new information is released.

Generation Z’s newest Japanese icon LANA releases new track ‘Get It (feat. ZEN & KESSO)’, a rallying anthem for the rising generation!

“FLAME (feat. LEX, Saru jr.Fool & taisyov” Jacket Cover

LANA, who set the music scene alight with her song ‘FLAME (feat. LEX, Saru jr.Fool & taisyov)’, has released a new digital single, ‘Get It (feat. ZEN & KESSO)’ on all digital music streaming platforms. The track hits hard, with deep lyrics that draw on LANA’s own background delivered with her unique vibe and outstanding singing ability. The single brings together young rising stars from the scene: The beats were produced by KESSO, a beatmaker who has been attracting attention for his work with artists such as Young Dalu and Big Mike, while acclaimed young Yokosuka-based rapper ZEN makes a guest appearance on the mic. 

A music video has also been released, which features footage shot on the streets of guest rapper ZEN’s hometown of Yokosuka.

LANA was born in Shonan, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. She began uploading music to SoundCloud in 2020, and quickly became a hot topic on social media. LANA soon began receiving offers from both inside and outside of Japan, and started to produce music as a trackmaker and rapper, while appearing as a guest on numerous tracks. While her sound is based on hip-hop and R&B, she is a borderless and genreless talent with a unique sense for melody, and a husky singing voice that is unforgettable – making her one of the most promising and acclaimed newcomers in Japan’s music scene.

Be sure to check out the music video for ‘FLAME (feat. LEX, Saru jr.Fool & taisyov)’ below along with the streaming link for the track here!

Kaiga Banba has Collaborated with Singing Cosplayer Hikari's Latest Music Video and the Cover Photo for the Cover Song,“Fiction Blue”!

“Fiction Blue” Jacket Cover

The streaming of the new digital single “Fiction Blue (cover song)” by Singing Cosplayer Hikari have started on the 27th of September to the entire world. Its music video will also be released on the 28th of September to the rest of the world as well. A music video has been also released on YouTube on September 27. Singing Cosplayer Hikari is a solo singer who mainly covers anime songs and vocaloid songs and has been active worldwide.

The original song, “Fiction Blue”, was composed by Ayase and this is the second time that Singing Cosplayer Hikari has covered Ayase’s vocaloid songs. Last time she covered the song,“Yorunaderu Menou”. Kaiga Banba, who is an exclusive model for the magazine “Popteen”, and is also an actor and an influencer with more than 570,000 TikTok Followers, has joined the cover photo and the music video for this cover song. This is another huge collaboration for Singing Cosplayer Hikari since she last did a collaboration with Nakayama Kinni-kun for the cover song, “Muscle Please!” Their cover song, “Muscle Please!” was released by Yoshimoto Music co., ltd in January 2022 and gained great popularity in music streaming with over 3 million streams.

Singing Cosplayer Hikari is supported by many fans from overseas. One of the reasons why she is so successful is due to her amazing music videos full of beautiful Japanese scenery and her gorgeous outfits that she delivers. For example, for the cover song, “Yume To Hazakura”,which was released in April 2021, she wore almost exactly the same color-schemed kimono as Hasune Miku’s illustration from the original animation and sung the song under beautiful cherry blossoms in front of Odawara castle. The song was released in April 2021. The song was a massive hit and ranked No.1 on J-POP charts in 14 countries and has been viewed over 2.55 million times.

The music video of the cover song of, “Fiction Blue” was shot with the cooperation of the tourism industry division of Higashiizu town in Shizuoka Prefecture, Inatori Onsen Ryokan Cooperative Association and Inatori Tokai Hotel Yuen. The result was an incredible Japanese summer feeling with the sequences  of blue ocean, fireworks, table tennis and hot spring inns. The gorgeous Japanese scenery will definitely help to get great attention from oversea viewers. Both Kaiga Banba and Singing Cosplayer Hikari wore Yukata, which are summer kimonos, with the cooperation of the Japanese kimono brand “Furifu”.

Be sure to check out the music video for “Fiction Blue” below along with the streaming links for the single here!