Koda Kumi Announces 20th Anniversary Tour!

Japanese pop singer-songwriter and industry icon Kumi Koda announced her 20th anniversary tour titled「KODA KUMI 20th ANNIVERSARY TOUR 2020 MY NAME IS...」which will begin September 12! This tour marks Kumi Koda’s 20th anniversary in the music industry since her debut with the single “TAKE BACK” from December 6, 2000. Performances are currently planned for four locations: Osaka Castle Hall in Osaka, Marine Messe Fukuoka in Fukuoka, Nihon Gaishi in Aichi, and Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo. Sufficient measures will be taken to protect everyone attending these tours in light of pandemic concerns. Koda commented on her tour, stating, “I will not give up no matter how difficult it is and will continue to stand strong on the stage as Koda Kumi. This is for all my beloved fans. My Name Is… Koda Kumi.”

Details on how to purchase tickets for Koda Kumi’s upcoming tours will be announced at a later date on her official website. Tour dates and trailer for「KODA KUMI 20th ANNIVERSARY TOUR 2020 MY NAME IS...」are below!

「KODA KUMI 20th ANNIVERSARY TOUR 2020 MY NAME IS...」 TOUR DATES

2020年9月12日（土）大阪府 大阪城ホール (Osaka Castle Hall)
［Part 1］OPEN 11:30 / START 13:00（予定）
［Part 2］OPEN 17:30 / START 19:00（予定）
2020年9月13日（日）大阪府 大阪城ホール（※時間は後日発表）(Osaka Castle Hall)
2020年10月4日（日）福岡県 マリンメッセ福岡 (Marine Messe Fukuoka)
［Part 1］OPEN 11:30 / START 13:00（予定）
［Part 2］OPEN 17:30 / START 19:00（予定）

2020年10月10日（土）愛知県 日本ガイシホール (Nihon Gaishi Hall)
［Part 1］OPEN 11:30 / START 13:00（予定）
［Part 2］OPEN 17:30 / START 19:00（予定）

2020年12月5日（土）東京都 国立代々木競技場第一体育館（※時間は後日発表）(Yoyogi National Gymnasium)
2020年12月6日（日）東京都 国立代々木競技場第一体育館（※時間は後日発表）(Yoyogi National Gymnasium)

The Songbards Walk the Lonely Path with Upcoming Mini-Album!

Four-member rock band The Songbards announced that they will be releasing a brand new mini-album titled SOLITUDE on September 23rd. Taking on the theme of “loneliness”, SOLITUDE will be the latest release done by the band since their album CHOOSE LIFE back in November of last year and will be their third mini-album overall. The release will drop with five tracks total and will include the recently released digital track “窓に射す光のように” (“Mado ni Sasu Hikari no Youni”). The mini-album will release under two separate editions, however the specification of each release has not been announced yet.

Be sure to not only check out the mini trailer for the release along with the pre-order links for SOLITUDE below!

Standard edition

Limited edition

The Songbards「SOLITUDE」

01. 孤独と海

02. リトル・ヴァンパイア

03. Dream Seller

04. 夏の重力

05. 窓に射す光のように

Shoko Nakagawa Shows Fans How To Fure Fure!

Popular vocalist, voice actress, and actress Shoko Nakagawa announced she will be releasing a new single, “Fure Fure”, September 9! “Fure Fure” is Shoko-tan’s first release since her album RBG dropped in December 2019 and is her first release of 2020. Shoko-tan is a major industry staple as she has participated in many famous anime; she has crafted theme songs for Gurren Lagann, Fullmetal Alchemist, Beezlebub, and Occult Academy, to name a few. She has also participated in voice acting in Pokemon and Eyeshield21, among others. “Fure Fure” is currently being featured as the ending theme song to anime Hakushon Daimao 2020. Shoko-tan and Yuho Iwasato wrote the lyrics while Hanazawa composed and arranged this cheerful poppy dance tune. Shoko-tan stated that while she was working on the lyrics for “Fure Fure”, her thoughts were centered on wishing everyone happiness in joy, especially during this difficult time. The dance for “Fure Fure” was handled by Neo, who is a model, video creator, talent, and artist. Hakusho Daimao 2020 will begin airing July 11. You can catch it on Yomiuri TV and Nippon TV!

“Fure Fure” will come in two editions: a CD+DVD limited edition and CD-only standard edition. Both editions will include four tracks, with “Fure Fure” as the lead song. The full track listing is still to be determined but it was revealed that the CD+DVD limited edition will include special merchandise. You can pre-order your copies below and also check out the cover art! The music video for “Fure Fure” has not yet been released but in the meantime check out Shoko-tan’s latest video for her track “Ano Hi Doko ka de”!

Shoko Nakagawa「Fure Fure」

CD+DVD limited edition

CD-only standard edition

CD+DVD limited edition

CD-only standard edition

CD:

01. Fure Fure

02. TBA

03. Fure Fure (instrumental)

04. TBA

DVD:

TBA

EMPiRE Shows Off their Sound Once Again With Latest Release!

Teasing their upcoming EP SUPER COOL EP, popular six-member idol group EMPiRE released the track “This is EMPiRE SOUND” on all digital music streaming platforms. This is the latest song released by the group since “SUPER FEELING GOOD” back in April and is the second digital release done in 2020 leading up to the newly released EP. Continuing the trend of using tracks that include the group’s name in the title, EMPiRE hopes “EMPiRE is COMiNG” and “EMPiRE original” become tracks that are great jumping points for new fans. The group has also released the music video on their YouTube channel. 

Super Cool EP is now available in three editions; a standard CD-only edition, a CD+DVD limited edition, and a cassette tape+Blu-ray limited edition. The DVD edition includes a clip of the GREAT PARTY EXCEPTION while the Blu-ray edition included both the GREAT PARTY EXCEPTION footage along with the GREAT JOURNEY ALBUM LiVE concerts that took place last year. Check out the music video for “This is EMPiRE SOUND” along with the track on all digital streaming platforms here and check out the links for SUPER COOL EP below!

BLYY Is In Motion With First Album!

Japanese hip-hop crew BLYY announced they will be dropping their first album, Between man and time crYstaL poetrY is in motion., July 22. BLYY was formed in 2001, its members having roots in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro. The crew consists of KIYAHEAD, alled, CLAY, DMJ, Dzlu, and DJ SHINJI. In addition to the announcement of their first album, BLYY went ahead and pre-released three of the new tracks: “OYKOT”, “Papersoul”, and “Black Nylon”. All three songs are currently available for streaming and the music videos for “OYKOT” and “Papersoul” are currently on YouTube!

「Between man and time crYstaL poetrY is in motion.」 will come in a CD-only standard edition with 27 tracks in total. It is currently only available for pre-order on Amazon Japan for international fans and is available for pre-order at retailers in Japan such as HMV and Tower Records, among others. Check out the tracklisting, cover art, pre-order link, and music video for “OTYKOT” and “Papersoul” below!

BLYY/「Between man and time crYstaL poetrY is in motion.」

CD-only standard edition

CD

1. MAN

2. Intro

3. OYKOT

4. Black Nylon

5. SI7

6. Goodbye tomorrow

7. Mystic River

8. KIIRO

9. swim in the city

10. Papersoul

11. Stage

12. Smith

13. Boys 2 Men

14. 山陽

15. Genius & Master

16. Outro

17. Time Crystal