Chō Tokimeki Sendenbu Becomes Cupid in Latest Release!

“Cupid in Love” Jacket Cover

Six-member Chō Tokimeki Sendenbu released a new song “Cupid in Love” this past week across all digital music streaming platforms, and the music video is now available on their official YouTube channel. Last year's release, “Suki! ~Cho ver~,” became a huge hit on TikTok and went viral around the world. The song swept the music charts in over 68 countries, No. 1 on the Korean TikTok Chart and the Indonesian Spotify Viral Chart. The total number of views on TikTok videos exceeded 2 billion. Chō Tokimeki Sendenbu will keep up the momentum in 2022.

The new song “Cupid in Love” is a cupid’s song that depicts the moment of falling in love and the moment of having a crush. The song is full of cute elements that only Chō Tokimeki Sendenbu can provide, such as an angelic sneeze, "Kushun," in the song. The song is perfect for the Valentine's season.

In the music video, you can see the members up close, as if looking into the eyes of someone you love. It's a song that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Be sure to check out the music video in question below, along with the track here!

FAKY Teams Up with Aqu3ra in Latest Release!

“Futakoito” Jacket Cover

Five-member girl group FAKY have released their latest single, “Futakoito”, crafted by Vocaloid producer Aqu3ra. The new track, released this past week across all digital music streaming platforms, and is accompanied by a gorgeous illustrated music video. “Futakoito” is the campaign song for Ox-Head Village, a new horror movie by Ju-On creator Takashi Shimizu that stars actress Kōki, who has been turning heads in her first movie role. This follows FAKY’s campaign song for Shimizu’s 2021 film in the same series, Suicide Forest Village.

Shimizu commented on “Futakoito”, “The lyrics in this song about ‘another me (myself)’ are indeed the hidden theme of this movie. In an era where social media allows any of us to become someone else, can the two sides of the ego coexist? Will you struggle and be sucked in? Can you hold on to the essence of yourself? 

“Thank you Aqu3ra for putting together the pieces of this movie. And thank you FAKY for collaborating with me once again!”

Aqu3ra is an up-and-coming young Vocaloid producer with eight smash-hit songs on Japanese video-sharing site Niconico. “Futakoito” is a challenging new song that blends FAKY’s pop style with Aqu3ra’s Vocaloid production skills, an addictive balance of dark and light that is impossible to forget.

Aqu3ra commented, “This song is a tie-up with the film ‘Ox-Head Village’, and I felt a link between the themes of the film and the recent distance we all feel from one another during the covid-19 pandemic. The song is based on that feeling. “I sent FAKY a demo of the song with guide vocals sung by a Hatsune Miku Vocaloid, and I was so excited when they returned a version to me that glowed with their unique singing style. I hope you will listen to this song, which begins with a profound atmosphere drenched in emotion from the members of FAKY, before introducing refreshing harmonies in the chorus. I think the song shows a new side to FAKY while maintaining their strong identity. Please enjoy it.”

FAKY member Lil’ Fang commented, “I have always enjoyed listening to Vocaloid music and watching ‘Sang_it’ videos, so I’m honored to have the chance to make a FAKY song with someone who hails from that culture. This was Aqu3ra’s first time to produce a girls’ unit like us, but I think the inorganic beauty of Vocaloid and the unique style of FAKY made for a wonderful chemical reaction.”

Be sure to check out the music video for “Futakoito” below along with the streaming link here!

Japone Artists Explores Mother Earth with First Single!

European-Japanese art collective Japone Artists will release their first single "The Terra" this past week, as a homage to Mother Earth. After various performances on stage and releasing several music videos, it was finally time for Japone Artists to officially release their original music. 

“The Terra” will consist of three tracks, or three movements, as described by the members of Japone Artists, as this release is written in the style of a sonata where you will be taken on a journey across the Earth. 

As with all pieces of music that are produced, "The Terra" has a whole process behind it, starting around the year 2014 with Ayumi Matsuda (recorder) writing one of the songs on this release. When writing it the people in the disaster area in Tohoku after the earthquake and tsunami in 2011 were in her mind. In the same year of the creation of Japone Artists, in 2016, the instrumental music piece received a voice for the first time with the addition of lyrics by Utako Arakawa (singer, soprano), the incorporation of instruments such as those of Yoshimi Kawai (piano) and Yusuke Morita (bass guitar, track production), both joined Japone Artists in recent years, would give the music a new dimension and also a new theme. 

The music on "The Terra" has always been an important element for the art collective as some of the songs have been performed at Japone Artists' shows before. But after putting the finishing touches on them, one song of "The Terra", entitled "Furusato (The Earth)", received a music video that was officially debuted at the online edition of the UK convention HYPER JAPAN. The group members of Japone Artists find it important not to suddenly release something in terms of music, but instead take the time to create a perfect piece of music with an important message, as Japone Artists always have with their performances. 

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“The Terra” Jacket Cover

Japone Artists「The Terra」

01. A Bird in the Wind
02. The Earth and the Sun 

03. Furusato (The Earth) 

Music Corner Week 103: THE BEAT GARDEN

THE BEAT GARDEN is a three-member boy group that formed in 2012. The founding members of the group were U, REI, and MASATO, who were all attending a music college in Osaka. After meeting they decided to move to Tokyo and started performing live in the suburbs of Tokyo. The group officially claimed the name THE BEAT GARDEN in 2014, and they dropped their first album WILL in 2015. At the end of 2015, the group picked up their fourth member, DJ SATORU. On July of 2016, THE BEAT GARDEN made its major-label debut with Universal-Sigma when they released their “Never End” single. Since going major, the group has released nine singles and three albums, with their latest physical release being their album Afterglow. On August of 2021, DJ SATORU left the group, leaving the three founding members. On November of that year they released their digital single, “ROMANCE”.

THE BEAT GARDEN is a powerhouse of vocal talent, with amazing vocal performances from each member. I became familiar with this group when their song “Snow White Girl” charted back in 2019. I fell in love with this track, which, to this day, is still my favorite of theirs. This song has everything I’m looking for in my boy groups, great vocal performance with great harmonization. Their latest release, “ROMANCE” is a pretty fun track with some light jazz elements that have been thrown in. Even though they are now a three-man group they show they aren’t missing a beat. Over the course of their career, they’ve also shown how much range they have, being able to tackle songs in various styles. 

THE BEAT GARDEN is active on their official website along with their Twitter page. Lastly, be sure to check out their song “Snow White Girl” in the video below.

Tokyo Girls' Style Goes Through the Days with Latest Release!

days 〜Kimi Dake ga Inai Machi~” Jacket Cover

Four-member girl group Tokyo Girls’ Style have released their latest single, “days 〜キミだけがいない街〜” (〜Kimi Dake ga Inai Machi~”), across all digital streaming services. The title “days ~Kimi Dake ga Inai Machi~” roughly translates as “days – A Town Without You”, and as the title suggests, its lyrics are about missing that special someone who is far away, while also finding inspiration in the future. It is accompanied by the extra track “Yume no Naka ni Tsuretette”, which means “Take Me into a Dream” a song about being released from the shackles of reality to dance in a world of fantasy. Between them, the two songs are about shaking off the expectations of others to simply be yourself, forevermore.

The first song, “days ~Kimi Dake ga Inai Machi~”, was written by multitalented Japanese musician Gento Miyano. Based on a 1990s R&B sound, the song expresses the longing of a woman involved in a long-distance relationship with her lover, with lyrics that translate as “I thought we’d be together always” and “I’ll keep searching the corners of this town”; and yet despite these sentimental feelings, she is determined to be strong until they can reunite. The track boasts a sparky variety of instruments such as synths and horns over a catchy beat.

“Yume no Naka ni Tsuretette” was written together with Masayoshi Kawabata, who previously worked with Tokyo Girls’ Style on their track “Bara no Kinbaku”. This upbeat and positive song is all about escaping the bounds of reality to dance in a dream world, and its mellow sound will make you want to do exactly that. The chorus explodes into a Latin-style sound, making for a dynamic and seductive song.

Tokyo Girls’ Style will hold a 12th-anniversary concert on May 4 at LINE CUBE SHIBUYA in Tokyo, Japan. Keep any eye on this group as they go from strength to strength! Be sure to listen to “days ~Kimi Dake ga Inai Machi~” here, along with their performance of it during their WONDER WHEEL live event back in January below!