Tuneback Tuesday for the Second Week of February

Let’s turn back the hands of time as we look back at the songs that made the Japanese music industry what it was on the Oricon Weekly Chart. This week we look back at the second week of February for both 2010 and 2015, where Korean boy group Tohoshinki and group 2PM reigned supreme with “Break Out” and “Guilty Love” respectively. But just what exactly made these songs so great?


『Break Out』 by Tohoshinki

tohoshinki_breakout_by_r_ann_d2icxc3-fullview.jpg

February 2010. Tohoshiki had already established itself in the Japanese music industry having debuted in 2004 with their song “Hug”. Fast forward 6 years later, “Break Out” is Tohoshinki’s twenty-ninth song released in Japan and is released at the peak of their popularity. “Break Out” became the groups seventh #1 single and hit that top spot three times consecutively. The track became a best seller with an amazing 255,917 copies sold in its first week. “Break Out” is a fun hard-hitting dance song with a catchy synth beat that shows off Tohoshinki’s talent.


『Guilty Love』 by 2PM

Guilty_Love_(2PM_song).jpg

February 2015. “Guilty Love” is one of the last songs released by 2PM before their hiatus in 2016. The group debuted in Japan of 2011 and while they would perform well on the Oricon Charts, only two songs actually hit the number one spot. One of these tracks is the memorable and upbeat dance tune “Guilty Love”. Delivering a fun fusion of funk, “Guilty Love” exudes with style and class. The song is so catchy you can safely say it is no guilty pleasure. This memorable hit from 2PM sold over 98,000 copies and helped it claim the number one spot in its first week.


Thank you for joining us in this look back. We will see you next week!

SCANDAL Teases Fans With A Kiss!

Japanese pop-rock band SCANDAL releases a special trailer to promote their latest album Kiss from the darkness. The teaser trailer gives fans a sneak peak of all the tracks from the album which is slated to be released on February 12th. You can read more about the track listing and editions on our previous coverage of this highly anticipated new release.

Check out the trailer for Kiss from the darkness below!

Chara and YUKI Team Up For New Mini Album!

Japanese music veterans Chara and YUKI are teaming up once again, this time for a mini-album titled echo which will be unleashed February 14! This will be the first time in 20 years since “Ai no Hi 3tsu Orange”, the last time Chara and YUKI had a collaboration.

Chara has been in the industry since 1991 and is most famous for her song “Swallowtail Butterfly -Ai no Uta-” which was used as the main theme for the movie Swallowtail, which Chara also starred in! Chara is known for her oddly toned voice and has inspired many famous Japanese artists such as Shiina Ringo, Bonnie Pink, and many more.

YUKI has been in the music industry for about as long as Chara. She began her career as the lead vocalist for the popular rock band JUDY AND MARY, which disbanded in 2001. After JUDY AND MARY disbanded, YUKI continued with a successful solo career and is most famous for her track “Sobakasu” which she did with JUDY AND MARY. It served as the theme song to the popular anime Rurouni Kenshin.

To promote their split mini-album echo, several of the songs will be debuting on Japanese radio and the video for “Tanoshii Kenobi” was released January 31! This track, the first lead track, was released in a limited vinyl edition and is special. It was the first music video that Chara and YUKI co-starred in since “Ai no HI 3tsu Orange” and is composed and produced by TENDRE. The other lead singles, “YOPPITE” and “Tori no Brooch”, debuted on FM802 and J-WAVE. “YOPPITE” debuted on February 3 while “Tori no Brooch” will debut later in February, so stay close to your radio to catch them!

echo will be released in two editions: a CD-only and a VINYL LP Limited Release! Both will include eight tracks, one of them being a 2020 version of their famous collaboration “Ai no Hi 3tsu Orange”! Due to how limited the VINYL LP was, it is currently sold out at most places including CDJapan. However, you can still grab the CD-only edition below!

Chara + YUKI/echo CD

echo CD-only

echo CD-only

Track listing:

  1. 愛の火 3つ オレンジ (2020version)

  2. You! You! You!

  3. ひとりかもねむ

  4. 楽しい蹴伸び

  5. YOPPITE

  6. 鳥のブローチ

  7. Night Track

  8. echo

Music Corner Week 37: Rei Yasuda

Vocalist, model, and radio host, Rei Yasuda got her start in the music industry back in 2006 when she was chosen to be portrayed as Lumi, the lead vocalist in the virtual band Genki Rockets. Rei-san continued with Genki Rockets until she graduated high school to pursue a solo career. It is in 2013 when she debuted under Sony Music Japan with the single “Best of my love” which was used as the second ending theme song to the popular anime Space Battleship Yamato 2199. “Best of my love” made it to #21 on the Oricon charts.

Rei-san’s smooth voice, multicultural background, love for music, and early experience have made for a fantastic combination. Not only does Rei sing, but she is a model for Nylon Japan and has her own radio program called Girls City Music which has been running since 2016. Despite her music being categorized as pop, don’t let that fool you; she has a talent for portraying emotions in her songs smoothly and her bilingual skills make for a nice, smooth transition from Japanese to English flawlessly.

Several of Rei Yasuda’s tracks latch onto you like a snapping turtle as her voice has a power to it that is memorable despite most of her tunes being more poppy. Her vocal capability stands out in tracks such as “Passcode 4854”, “Brand New Day”, and “Mirror”, where the songs have a pop based feel, but due to her smooth powerful vocals you listen to her voice flow with the melody and the catchy chorus. Her latest song “Asymmetry” is an upbeat track which has nice piano and from there it adds many other instruments making it an upbeat dance song that puts you in good spirits, and Rei-san’s vocals flow perfectly with the beats. In her ballad “Ashitairo” her emotions come across so clearly through her control and display of her vocal capabilities which can’t help but move you.

Currently Rei Yasuda has two studio albums released, Will and PRISM, with a third, Re:I, set for release March 18! Rei-san also has 13 physical singles and 3 digital singles as well, with her latest, “Asymmetry”, having dropped last November. With many amazing releases under her belt, Rei shows us she is not slowing down.

You can check out her official website, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter to keep up with her latest news. You can also listen to and purchase her music on CDJapan, YesAsia, Amazon Music, Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify, and more!

t-Ace Shows Fans There Is No Imitation With New Album!

Japanese rapper t-Ace is dropping his latest album Imi Nante Nai February 5! This will be t-Ace’s eleventh original album and it will feature the lead track “Hetakuso na LOVE” along with “Sweet 19 Blues -Ore ni wa Tooi- feat. Amuro Namie” (big hit)", and his newest track “Kidoku ga Tsukanakute”!

t-Ace also announced tour dates for his t-Ace 3rd Live Tour 2020. If you are in Japan, make sure to check out the dates and locations below!

2020年4月1日(水)東京都 Zepp Tokyo
2020年4月3日(金)北海道 札幌PENNY LANE24
2020年4月10日(金)愛知県 Zepp Nagoya
2020年4月11日(土)大阪府 Zepp Osaka Bayside
2020年4月17日(金)宮城県 Rensa
2020年4月24日(金)福岡県 Zepp Fukuoka

Imi Nante Nai will be released in one edition and feature a total of 14 tracks with no imitation. Check out the full track listing below and t-Ace’s latest video “The Roppongi Tokyo” below! Don’t forget to grab your copy as well!

t-Ace/Imi Nante Nai CD

Track listing:

Imi Nante Nai

Imi Nante Nai

  1. The Roppongi Tokyo

  2. ヘタクソなlove

  3. ラララ

  4. ツッタンマリ1

  5. 鬱って何だっけ?

  6. お前がキライ

  7. ツッタンマリ2

  8. 既読がつかなくて

  9. ブスがオコ

  10. Coat

  11. エロ神音頭~ツッタンマリ~

  12. まだ覚めない

  13. Sweet 19 Blues~オレには遠い~ feat. 安室奈美恵

  14. 意味なんてない