KEIKO Knows Her Fans with This Latest Release!

“Nobody Knows You” Digital Jacket Cover

Previously a member of Kalafina, the popular three-girl vocal unit produced by Yuki Kajiura who disbanded in March 2019, singer KEIKO has released her new single “Nobody Knows You” on September 15 across all digital music streaming platforms. This will be her first new release since her March 10 double A-side single, “Sakura wo Goran/Waratte Yaru”.

On “Nobody Knows You”, KEIKO crafts a fantastical world of sound built on an atmosphere of sadness and sorrow, with a melody line that expresses the core strength of the heart, delivered with an overwhelmingly powerful vocal performance that could only come from KEIKO and her musical experience to date. The result is a song with a lasting sense of beauty.

Along with the digital release of “Nobody Knows You”, it is accompanied by a jacket image and profile photo of a graceful KEIKO in classic black and white.

Comment from KEIKO

“When I started my solo activity, I had a vague notion that I wanted to sing a song that was ‘dark’, and this is the song that I ended up choosing. ‘Nobody Knows You’ contains a message about having the confidence to live life your own way, no matter what the situation. At a time where we are expected to temper our emotions, I want to value the priceless freedom of being able to move the heart through singing.”

Be sure to check out the music video for “Nobody Knows You” below along with the streaming link for the track here!

Kaz Brings A New Type of Code with Latest EP!

CODE LOVE Digital Jacket Cover

Kaz from the boy group INTERSECTION has released his very first solo EP, CODE LOVE across all digital music streaming platforms. Kaz himself was directly involved in the production of every song on the new EP. Its release follows the June 2021 single “White Stallion”, which broke records on its release in China, becoming the first song by a Japanese artist to simultaneously hit No.1 in four separate category charts on Chinese download sites.

Kaz is currently studying at Harvard University. With roots in jazz and classical music, He is expanding his horizon so the new EP takes in such diverse genres as alternative, chill, trip-hop, lo-fi rock, lo-fi pop and more, to create music that is not tied to stylistic boundaries. It is a challenging work that will surprise listeners with Kaz’s musical essence. Producing this EP at the age of 21, Kaz has set a new standard for Generation Z artists, and this release proves he is well on his way to becoming an icon himself.

Kaz commented on the work stating 

“The title of this EP ‘CODE LOVE’ explores the sentimental and subtle emotional complexities of love. I wanted to express my thoughts about life and love outside of stereotypical expressions of romance by exploring the various feelings that surround love that stay in people’s hearts for better or worse. For this EP I got to work with many talented artists and musicians, and it represents my musical journey specifically expressing a wide range of genre-blending musicality. I hope everyone is able to feel and relate to all of the new dimensions of my sound as I continue to grow and develop as an artist and continue my journey of discovering myself.”

The release of the EP was preceded by three single releases. “White Stallion” broke the sales record for a Japanese artist in China on its first day. “Drown feat. Hikari Mitsushima” was released last month. Most recently, he released “Summer is Over feat. Mai Anna”, which attracted attention from revered media outlets such as The Associated Press and Sweety High.

Be sure to check out the streaming link for CODE LOVE here, along with the music video for “Drown” below!

AmPm Heads to Jakarta for their Third Series of Jet-Setting Dance Tracks!

The masked production duo AmPm, who began their career in March 2017 with the global hit “Best Part of Us feat. Michael Kaneko”, have released the third track in a series of dance tunes based on cities around the world. “Jakarta” was released today, September 10 across all digital music streaming platforms, alongside a music video shot on the streets of Indonesia’s vibrant capital city.

“Jakarta” is the third track in a series that began in March 2021 with the release of “Tokyo”, with each song crafting a musical journey to cities with which AmPm feel a strong personal connection. AmPm performed in Jakarta in 2017 as the only Japanese artist to appear at the Spotify On Stage festival, and the new track combines a smooth chill sound with a typically AmPm dance foundation, along with a Southeast Asian-influenced melody that is evocative of Indonesia’s capital.

The members of AmPm have also written a post on Medium about their experiences in Jakarta and the inspiration it gave them.

Throughout their career, AmPm have produced dance tracks featuring a variety of guest vocalists from around the world. In addition to these, AmPm intend to continue their series of releases inspired by their favorite cities, expressing the invaluable inspiration they have found on their global travels. Previous entries include “Tokyo” and “New York City” – the three tracks work great together as a set, so please check them out.

Message from AmPm

“As the place where we held our first live performance, Jakarta holds many special memories for us. The city is home to people from many different backgrounds, and it has a unique culture. As a very fast-growing city, it has a distinctive character, and it is one of our favorite cities. We aimed to express our image of Jakarta and the vibe we felt there as a dance track.

“We still vividly recall the excitement of our first live performance. Right now, it is difficult to share that kind of experience with a large group of people and with the volume turned up loud, but we long for the day when we can return to Jakarta and perform as the AmPm we are today.

“This track also includes some first-time attempts for us, such as incorporating the sound of traditional folk instruments, so we hope you will listen to it and experience the journey within your ears.”

Be sure to check out the music video for “Jakarta” along with the track here!

Music Corner Week 90: Akira Takano

Akira Takano is a vocalist who got his start with the popular five-member co-ed idol group Dream5 back in 2009, but has then broke out on his own after the group dissolved back in 2016. While he initially started his solo work with various amounts of stage play work throughout the years, Takano would then return to the music industry back in 2019. Taking what he learned from his time off, Takano brings solid vocal work and style that he wasn’t able to bring before hand. Nothing takes that example to a head like “New Direction” and “tiny lady”, while not being all changing for a solo male pop artist field, the work shows off he has matured as a vocalist. Takano also mixes it up with several emotional pack tracks such as “You’ve broken my heart”, and while it’s a bit more of a mid-tempo style of compositions, it really proves that with a bit of a push he can handle any type of work that can come his way. His biggest vocal improvement was shown back during his re-debut year of 2019 with the song “Can’t Keep it Cool”, an out of this world performance that needs to be heard to be believed. 

Akira Takano has only one album titled ENTER that released back in March of 2021, along with five singles and a digital single with the latest being “Vacances” back in August. 

Be sure to check out his official website along with his Twitter and Instagram and his latest music video “tiny lady” below!

The ‘Sakura Wars Acoustic Music Concert, Gathering for its 25th Anniversary, With a Livestream Being Broadcast!

The acoustic music concert, the gathering for their 25th anniversary, will take place at the Asakusa Hana Theater in Asakusa, Tokyo on Saturday the 11th and Sunday the 12th of September. This event, where all the main cast will perform, will be watched via livestream with a special movie only for streaming viewers in Japan. And it is announced that this livestream will also be broadcast overseas. Fans will be able to watch the livestream through ‘Streaming +’ by eplus.

There are two performances each day, and four performances in total will be broadcasted live. All performances can be watched from 23:59 (JAPAN TIME) on Friday the 17th of September in the archive.

The special movie for the viewers of the live stream will be added after every event. There will be interviews and singing by performers and it will be broadcasted live on every performance. And all performances will be available in the archive.

The list of the countries where this live stream will be available are below with the live view tickets being available here!

【The countries where the live stream will be available】

《Europe》

Germany, France, Italy, Poland, U.K.

《Asia・ Oceania 》

Taiwan,Korea, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, Thia, Indonesia Malaysia, Philippine, Australia

《North America, South America》

Canada, the States, Brazil

 【Information for the live stream of The ‘Sakura Wars acoustic music concert, gathering for its 25th anniversary’.

★On Saturday the 11th of September, 2021 

[Day performance]　start time:14:00 (JAPAN TIME)　

[Night performance]　start time:18:00(JAPAN TIME)

※The performances can be watched by 23:59 (JAPAN TIME) on Friday the 17th of September in the archive.

★On Sunday the 12th of September

[Day performance]　start time:14:00 (JAPAN TIME)　

[Night performance]　start time:18:00(JAPAN TIME)

※The performances can be watched by 23:59 (JAPAN TIME) on Friday the 17th of September in the archive.

■Performer   

Chisa Yokoyama

■Guest performer

September 11（Both Day and Night Performance）：Kazue Ikura, Mayumi Tanaka, Urara Takano, Michie Tomizawa

September 12（Both Day and Night Performance）：Kazue Ikura, Ai Orikasa, Yuriko Fuchizaki, Kumiko Nishihara

■Music performance:Romantic Orchestra of Imperial Capital・NEO