See the world through a ‘glitter filter’! With FAKY's lead song and video from their first full album!

“Diamond Glitter” Jacket Cover

The next-generation girl group FAKY released new single “Diamond Glitter” across all digital music streaming platforms. This is the lead track from their forthcoming first full-length album, which is set for release on Wednesday, October 19. The new digital single is accompanied by a music video, also released today.

FAKY are a girl group – or “girls’ union” to their fans in Japan – made up of five members with a diverse selection of roots and styles. Their CANDY EP reached No.3 on the iTunes all-genres album chart behind only Ariana Grande and Radiohead, and entered the Top 10 of the Spotify Viral Top 50 chart in the United States. The group have also performed successful overseas concerts in countries such as Brazil, Canada and Spain. After joining the group in 2019, members Hina and Taki gained a huge fan base among teens after they appeared on the popular romance reality series “Ookami” on streaming video service ABEMA, taking the group’s domestic success to all new heights. FAKY will finally release their long-awaited first full album in October 2022.

Since the announcement of the album release, FAKY have been gaining attention with their high-octane performances at concerts and other events. Now they are taking the next step with today’s release of “Diamond Glitter” as a digital single and music video, as an advance taste of the forthcoming album.

With its catchy hooks and melody lines designed to curl up comfortably your ears, the track is beyond genre classification. It is a gorgeous song that is unique to FAKY, incorporating elements of Western pop and J-pop in a way that only FAKY can do. It is a bright and powerful song that will make you feel like a “glitter filter” has been applied to the world around you.

In stark contrast, the music video delivers a grittier “dirty” vision. The video shows the members of FAKY creating sparkles in the decadent yet dark setting of a crumbling wedding venue, a smoky and cool image with a dark tone that contrasts brilliantly with the sound of the track. FAKY use this paradoxical technique to deliver a brilliantly colorful “dirty world”.

The video was directed by Takuto Shimpo, who won the Best Japanese Group Video Award at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2021 for his video for Official Hige Dandism’s ‘Cry Baby’, as well as the Best Video Director Award at the Space Shower Music Awards 2021. Shimpo has previously worked on videos for FAKY’s releases ‘little more’ and ‘Darlin’ (Prod. GeG)’, and the video for ‘Diamond Glitter’ references both of these videos, with homages to the mirror scene from ‘little more’ and the sofa room scene from ‘Darlin’ (Prod. GeG)’. These playful nods to FAKY’s past shine a light towards their upcoming first full album.

Perfectly fusing Western pop music and J-pop with a powerful sound and catchy hooks, FAKY’s unique “J-pop alternative style” is a must-listen! Be sure to check out the track here, with the music video below!

Follow the search for Japan’s next-generation boyband with new YouTube documentary series ‘WARPs DIG’ – from training to major-label deal in 365 days!

WARPs DIG Logo

WARPs DIG, a new project from avex entertainment’s WARP-Syndicate collective, has launched on YouTube. WARP-Syndicate (commonly known as WARPs) stands for Wind Assemble Radical People-Syndicate, meaning a collective that harnesses the wind of innovation. By operating groups with fixed lineups as well as various projects across multiple artistic disciplines and regardless of age, gender and nationality, it is a collective that aims to create a new landscape where talent can shine beyond existing categories and frameworks. The Japanese-Chinese mixed boys’ group WARPs UP have been active as the first act under the WARPs umbrella.

The new “WARPs DIG” project being launched this time will focus on the members of WARPs ROOTS, a training ground for the next generation of WARPs talent aiming for global success. “WARPs DIG” is a documentary series that aims to create a new style of entertainment and a unique kind of culture; it will shine a spotlight on world-class young talent from Japan, digging up hard workers with a wide range of ages and backgrounds.

‘WARPs DIG’ began in earnest with a video released on YouTube. This will be followed by further updates on the same channel. The new series follows “ROOTS on ROOFs”, a series of rooftop performance videos by the members of WARPs ROOTS; and “YOUR ROOTS?”, a series in which the members each discuss their backgrounds and ambitions. Subscribe to the YouTube channel below to support the ‘WARPs DIG’ and WARPs ROOTS projects. Be sure to check out the video below!

Music Corner Week 112: Subaru Shibutani

Subaru Shibutani is an amazing singer who first came to notoriety in 1996 when he joined Johnny & Associates as a member of their boy group Kanjani Eight. Originally, Shibutani had auditioned for Kinki Kids alongside Ryuhei Maruyama, who would also go on to be a member of Kanjani Eight. Shibutani was called to a second audition for Kinki Kids. At that audition, he also met You Yokoyama and Shingo Murakami; who would go on to be members of Kanjani Eight as well. 

In the song “Boys in the West Side” Shibutani got acknowledged for his singing talent. “Boys in the West Side” was used as the theme song for Kanjani Knight, a Kansai Jr. show that ran in 1998. Shibutani was a regular on the show with Yokoyama and Murakami, which started a close relationship. The three would go on to appear in many Jr shows together. It even went as far as the three dubbing themselves “3baka,” which means three idiots. Then the 3baka together with Ryo Nishikido, who would also go on to be a member of Kanji Eight, were dubbed the four top Kansi Jrs. This meant that the four were able to greatly increase their exposure. 

Shibuatani got his big break when he had an outstanding performance on Musi Station, which allowed him to move to Tokyo. Yokoyama and Murakami followed closely behind. Once in Tokyo, the 3baka received many singing jobs and became a fixture in Tokyo Jr TV programs. The 3baka even went on to star in their own TV series, Ikelkelkemen, and were regulars on Koichi Domoto’s show Pikaichi. This was short-lived, as work offers began to dry up and around 2001. The 3baka moved back to Osaka and found part-time jobs to help supplement their income. In 2002 the head of Johnny & Associates Johnny Kitagawa had the Kansai Jrs put on an old play previously performed by their seniors, SMAP and Kinki Kids, which was called Another. This marked a return to activities for the Kansi Jr, but Kitagawa wanted to keep them as a local group, which would mean they would stay in Kansai. Shibutani not only returned to the stage but also got a gig on a TV program called J3Kansai. 

In 2003 Kitagawa formed Kanjani Eight using the top Kansai Jrs. He decided to have Shibutani sing in enka and debut Kanjani Eight with him as the lead. Kanjani Eight’s songs would go on to encompass a wide range of styles besides enka, including pop, rap, jazz, funk, rock-and-roll, and blues among others. Shibutani also picked up how to play the guitar, harmonica, and shamisen. Shibutani stayed with Kanjani Eight until 2018, when he announced that he would be leaving the group to pursue his own goals by studying music abroad. Shibutani didn’t wait long to release his first solo album Nisai which came out the following year. Since leaving the group, Shibutani has released three albums. His latest album is 2021, which came out in September of 2021.

Shibutani’s vocals are amazing and show off his years of experience. I like that he frequently uses the harmonica in his music, which gives it a distinct feel. His song “Sing” does a great job showing off his vocal range and skill. He does a really good job of shaking it up with a wide variety of song styles. “Ike” on his 2021 is a fun song to listen to and is one of my favorite tracks he does.

Subaru Shibutani keeps all his latest information on his official website and his staff Twitter stays up to date on all his latest news as well. Lastly, be sure to check out his song “Sing” in the video below.

TRIDENT Teases Upcoming Mini-Album with Latest Release!

“Spoopy” Jacket Cover

TRiDENT is formed by three members who have been called the, “next generation of a classic, girls rock band”. They will be digitally distributing their new song called “Spoopy”! This song is included in their 1st mini album “D-X”, which is planned to be released this Autumn. Its music video has also already been released in advance.

The recording of this song was done by Manabu Taura from CRYSTAL LAKE and the arrangement was done by DAIDAI from Paledusk.

The theme of this music video is the, “coexistence of horror and pop”. If you see the music video, you will understand how TRiDENT has moved onto their next level after they celebrated their two year anniversary. They have changed in both their music and also their view of the world.

They are planning to release their 1st mini album called “D-X” this Autumn and they are going to do a solo tour promoting their album release. Their fans must be thrilled. We can’t stop keep our eyes off of their exciting actions.

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

SG5 Transforms ACEN with Magical Debut!

SG5 made their debut at Anime Central on May 20th 2022. SG5 (Sailor Guardians 5) consists of five members, KAEDE, SAYAKA or Saa-chan, RUI, RURI, and MIYUU. Each of the members represent a character from the hit anime series Sailor Moon, hence the name SG5.

This group made a fantastic debut by opening with the theme song to Sailor Moon, Moonlight Densetsu, and followed it up with three original tracks: Lettuce, Firetruck, and Too Much. Upon watching SG5 perform, you could tell they have had previous experience in the industry before dancing and singing - they knew how to connect with their audience by getting them involved with each track they performed. With Lettuce in particular, they asked the audience to do a specific hand motion during their performance with them. Lettuce not only engaged the audience, but also had a powerfully modern choreography. While watching them, their style was unique as I immediately recognized the LDH flare. For those who don’t know, LDH is a well known agency in Japan, who has the mega popular group EXILE, along with the EXILE Jr groups, E-girls, m-flo, MIYAVI, and many more. Unbeknownst to many, four members of SG5 are from the group Happiness (KAEDE, SAYAKA, RURI ,and MIYUU), while RUI is from the newly-formed group iScream, which debuted last year. When all the girls come together for SG5, they become a powerhouse by infusing the magic of Sailor Moon with their vocal and dance skills, captivating the audience and leaving them wanting more. As this was SG5’s debut performance, they currently do not have any digital or physical releases as of yet, but will be having music coming down the pipeline later this year. SG5 is a group to look out for with their modern take on dancing and vocals to capture a new essence of Sailor Moon.

SG5 not only debuted at Anime Central, but also hosted a Q&A panel where fans got to meet each member, ask questions, learn about each of them, and participate in a hand shaking event. This panel reminded me of how concerts and events in Japan are when a new musical artist/group is introduced. We were lucky enough to meet and get to know each member during this session. One of our favorite questions that each member answered was “What artist inspired you growing up?”. KAEDE’s inspiration was the popular idol group Morning Musume (Momusu), and she stated how she had wanted to try out for the group when she was young. Saa-chan and Miyuu both were inspired by the influential dance vocal unit, EXILE, who are a huge staple in the Japanese music industry and now have become their mentors and label mates. Ruri’s inspiration is the songstress Ayumi Hamasaki, as her mother played all her songs and took her to concerts growing up. RUI got all her inspiration from her fellow members, as she looks up to her “Senpai’s” for guidance and inspiration. Other great questions that the members were asked, “Did you do research on Chicago? Where did you want to go or what did you want to try, such as foods? “ All the members exclaimed “Deep Dish Pizza”; they were very excited they got to eat it as it’s one of the foods Chicago is famous for. They also got to go to Shedd’s Aquarium and pet a baby shark. Each member talked about some of their favorite American foods, such as Doritos and Steak; and favorite Japanese food: Sushi, Shrimp, Natto, Caviar, and Snapper. They also talked about their favorite hobbies and anime, and not just Sailor Moon. Each member mentioned several interests, such as Apex Legends (KAEDE), anime (KAEDE, SAYAKA), manga (KAEDE, SAYAKA), and noodles (RUI). Getting to know each member a little more personally was a treat as they were so personable and easy to talk to.