Shounen no Kaze Announces They Are Back With Latest Music Video!

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Four-member boy group Shounen no Kaze released the preview of their upcoming track “ただいま” (“Tadaima”) on Universal Music Japan’s YouTube channel. Being released digitally February 23, “Tadaima”  will be the latest release from the group since “一番歌“ (“Ichiban Uta”) back in January. Set to serve as the main theme song for the family drama TV show パパがも一度恋をした (Papa Gamo Ichido Koi wo Shita), the song sets it back as a more folk style of track with inspirational lyrics to go along with it.

“Tadaima” will be released on all popular streaming platforms and while you’re waiting, check out the video in question below!

Tetsuya Takahashi Unleashes the Beast With New Album!

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Vocalist Tetsuya Takahashi announced that he will be releasing a brand new album, 怪物 (Kaibutsu), March 18. This will be his latest album since 夜に生きるもの (Yoru in Ikirumono) back in 2018 and will be his third album overall. Kaibutsu will be released with ten tracks total and will drop with only a CD-only standard edition. Takahashi will be aided by several supporting members such as Tatsuya Kashima, sugar beans, Kosuke Wakiyama, and Kosuke Miyashita, just to name a few. He also announced that several of his previous works will be released on all digital streaming platforms.

Unfortunately there are no pre-order links at the time of reporting. In the meantime, check out Takahashi’s latest track “夕暮れ星“ (“Yugure Hoshi”) below!

Tuneback Tuesday for the Second Week of February

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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

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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

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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