Dori Sakurada’s Debut Single ‘MIRAI’ Is Now Available to Stream! From 7:00pm Today, the Music Video Will Be Released on YouTube Premium! He Also Plans to Go Live an Instagram Live!!

‘mirai’ digital jacket cover

Today, Dori Sakurada has released his debut single ‘MIRAI’ to music streaming services. Dori himself lent his talents to the writing of the lyrics for the track, which gives the listener a sense of his determination to face the future without fear of change.

In addition, the music video for ‘MIRAI’ will be uploaded to YouTube Premium today, May 12th, at 7:00pm. In advance of the release of the full video to YouTube Premium, a teaser clip has been posted to the official Dori Sakurada YouTube channel.

On the day of the release, Dori will be going live on Instagram Live at around 6:45pm, just before the video drops. We hope that you will look forward to the video reveal and imagine what it might look like while perusing newly released photos of Dori and examining the worldview present in the song’s lyrics.

Be sure to check out the music video for ‘MIRAI’ along with further info about the video below!

■Instagram Live appearance to celebrate the release of the music video
https://www.instagram.com/dorisakurada/
From 6:45 pm on Dori Sakurada’s official Instagram account (@dorisakurada)
※Subject to change based on circumstances on the day.  

■Biography
In 2005, Dori Sakurada made his screen debut in the TV drama ‘Ruri’s Island’.  
Ever since he was chosen to play the role of protagonist Ryoma Echizen in the musical version of ‘The Prince of Tennis’ (from 2006-2007) he has appeared in a wide variety of popular works. In recent times he has appeared in the TV series ‘Coffee and Vanilla’ and leveraging the global popularity of the Netflix series ‘Alice in Borderlands’ he has begun to adopt a global perspective in his work.

Dori also appears in ‘Play it Cool, Guys’, currently being broadcast on TV Tokyo, and ‘We’re Broke, My Lord’, which will be released in theatres on June 23rd, in which he takes on his first role in a feature length period film, showing himself to be an actor who continues to expand his range.
Since making his on-screen debut in his teens, in addition to honing his craft in a wide variety of televised dramas and movies, the influence exerted by him on social media has been highly praised in fashion circles, gaining massive support from famous fashion houses, a diverse range of creatives and trendy, fashion-forward young people.

Through his wide-ranging projects, Sakurada Dori is an artist who has adopted a determined approach to share his thoughts and feelings with as wide an audience as possible. He makes his major label debut on May 12th, 2023, with ‘MIRAI’, released on ‘early Reflection’s new label ‘Pandrec’, operated by PONY CANYON INC.

Music Corner Week 131: Ayumu Imazu

Ayumu Imazu is and Singer-songwriter from Osaka Japan who got their start in the industry in 2014. Although his interest in dance started at the ripe young age of six, it wasn’t until he saw Bruno Mars’ performance at the Super Bowl in 2014 that Imazu inspired to become an artist in earnest. From there he participated in the GLOBAL JAPAN CHALLENGE contest that was hosted by LDH and Avex, and become one of the winners in the vocal and dance categories. He had then traveled to USA to study there for three years under the junior group PROJECT TARO. After studying in New York, Imazu became a singer-songwriter based in both Japan and the USA. He made his debut as a solo artist in 2020, Imazu actively writes lyrics, composes music, and choreographs dances. With his overwhelming dance performances and bilingual vocals, he continues to change and challenge the world in his own unique way.

One of things that I absolutely love about Imazu is that while a lot of his tracks have this delicate and straightforward word sense and dramatic world view message, I find myself trying to pick apart every song to hear his message. His time in the US isn’t wasted as he masterfully switch between English and Japanese Songs like ‘Sunshower’, ‘Stranger’ and his latest track (at the time of writing) ‘HONEYCOMB’, shows off how he is a next generational talent.

Currently, Imazu only has one album titled Pixel that he released back in 2022 along with the EP Epiphany in 2020, as well as several digital singles he has released in between. You can check out his official website here, and be sure to follow both his Twitter and Instagram! Also be sure to check out his latest music video ‘HONEYCOMB’ below!

Gray's Ongaku Go For April 2023!

Picking up after Ken and Luna, we’re down another month in 2023 and we at Ongaku to You would like our readers to know what has been filling our ears for the past month. Each track is available across all digital music streaming platforms with Apple Music being featured on this site.

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“ForEVER” by PSYCHIC FEVER From Exile TRIBE

This is a new group in the ever-growing Exile TRIBE, and “ForEVER” is their latest release. I’ve got to say, this is an amazing song. The vocal performances are done well and the melody of this ballad works smoothly with the vocals here. PSYCHIC FEVER debuted last year and I just missed it completely but I need to go back and check out more of their work.

Check out “ForEVER” by PSYCHIC FEVER From Exile TRIBE here and in the video below!

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“LONELY LONELY” by ALI

ALI is back doing what they do best and it is amazing. “LONELY LONELY” has this nice jazz feel to it that keeps me coming back for more. ALI is a band that I like more and more as time goes by, just a consistent output of great songs. 

Check out “LONELY LONELY” by ALI here and in the video below!

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“Come Again” by 8LOOM

I discovered this group by accident, and while they may not be a real group, I absolutely love what I heard and I wish they would come together to form an actual group. “Come Again” is done well and sounds better than most other boy groups out there. There is some real magic in these guys and I can’t recommend them enough.

Check out “Come Again” by 8LOOM here and in the video below!

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“Funky Jumping” by Da-iCE

This is a fun song released by one of my favorite groups. “Funky Jumping” is the second release that Da-iCE has put out this year. This is more traditional for the group than their previous release, and it’s so nice to hear these guys drop a fun track like this. Can’t wait to see what they do next.

Check out “Funky Jumping” by Da-iCE here and in the video below!

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“Kimi Dakeno Hanamichi” by =LOVE

=LOVE has been on a hot streak with their last few releases, and this just continues this awesome run these girls have been on. At the pace =LOVE is going, they are going to outshine my love for Hinatazaka46 really soon. I love this song and can’t wait to see what they do next.

.Check out “Kimi Dakeno Hanamichi” by =LOVE here and in the video below!

Luna's Ongaku Go for April 2023!

With Spring blooming into action, it's that time of the month for March’s Ongaku Go! We at OTY would like our readers to know what was filling our ears for the past month. Each track is available across all digital music streaming platforms, with Apple Music featured on this site.

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“Spark” by Crystal Kay

At the beginning of March, Crystal Kay released her new EP Start Again, which featured the track “Spark”. Crystal Kay shows off her vocals in this beautiful slow tempo classical type tune that is reminiscence of a live venue style. “Spark” has a miniminalistic composition, starting out with just the guitar strumming and Crystal Kay utilizing her vocal skills which sound more raw giving off that live studio feel. When the piano starts coming into the song with a mixture of the guitar it brings you the old classical music from the 30s/40s feel and takes you to a whole different place. The beauty of “Spark” pulled me in for a nice relaxing time.

Check out “Spark” here and the original audio video below!

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“BIRTHDAY CAKE” by KIRA & BLOOM VASE

“BIRTHDAY CAKE” is an upbeat track that gets you hyped up and is a great way to celebrate your pre-Birthday month. KIRA’s vocals fit perfectly with the beat - I love how she can easily go from singing to rap in an instant seemlessly. BLOOM VASE brings a fun flavor to this track with their R&B-hip hop style. I’ve been dancing and jamming to this track and will continue to do so all throughout April as well. “BIRTHDAY CAKE” is a track that will make you feel good even if it’s not your actual Birthday with its uplifting dance type beat. This is also featured on KIRA’s newest album, Birthday, which just dropped on March 23rd, 2023!

Check out “BIRTHDAY CAKE” here and the official music video below!

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“I Need U” by RIRI

It’s been over a year since RIRI released a new single and I’ve been listening to all her previous music patiently waiting. The wait was worth it. RIRI released two versions of “I Need U” with the difference being the Japanese version is titled a little different as “I Need U ~Kimi ni Tayotte mo ii~”. “I Need U” shows that RIRI still has it and has been perfecting her voice as this is such a smooth track where you can hear the strength in her vocals drawn out. The lyrics in “I Need U” are easily relatable which is another reason it pulled me in.

Check out “I Need U’ here and the official music video below!

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“You Just Walked In My Life” by CHANMINA

As soon as “You Just Walked In My Life” released, I was hooked after the immediate first listen. I love the slower paced style this song gives off and how CHANMINA shows a softer side of her vocals. “You Just Walked In My Life” is a cute track that mixes sugar sweet with hip-hop and CHANMINA executes every tune with perfect ease. “You Just Walked In My Life” is a combination of mid-tempo and ballad with a hip-pop type of base. It shows CHANMINA’s skill of being able to cross genre boundaries with ease. The hype for her newest album, Naked, is very high after listening to all the singles released thus far.

Check out “You Just Walked In My Life” here and the official music video below!

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“Memorable” by BAND-MAID

I’ve been listening to quite a bit of BAND-MAID especially with their 10th Anniversary Tour this year. “Memorable” is a beautiful power ballad and Saiki’s vocals have a vunerable sound that fits perfectly with the melody. “Memorable” is what I’d consider a soft rock power ballad, concentrating on a simple composition and Saiki’s vocals. The middle of the song, the riff with the guitar, and bass plus drums blends just right. I cannot get enough of “Memorable” as it shows off the softer side of BAND-MAID.

Check out “Memorable” here and the official music video below!

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Ken's Ongaku Go for the Month of April!

The tides of Spring are moving upon us, that means it’s time for this months Ongaku Go! We at OTY would like our readers to know what was filling our ears for the past month. Each track is available across all digital music streaming platforms, with Apple Music featured on this site.

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“Hukashigino karate” Mai Sakurajima version by Asami Seto

The reairing of the anime Rascal Doesn’t Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai leading up to the new OVA is the reason that this song had gotten released on digital streaming platforms. During the height of the the pandemic, this anime had really changed me and lot of that would have to stem from the songs that are included in the series. It is a very simple song with a soft composition and heavily lifting on the Seiyu’s vocals. While I’ll try my best to not put the finale version of the song on my Ongaku Go in June, there are no promises due to how amazing this song is overall.

Be sure to check out the track in all its glory here!

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“YOUTH” by TENDRE

With a new release by TENDRE, of course I couldn’t leave it out from my Ongaku Go. His BEGINNING EP is overall amazing as he had remastered versions of songs that arguably put him on the map such as ‘DOCUMENT’, ‘RIDE’, and ‘hanashi’. It was his original song on the EP YOUTH which is the winner of being put in my rotation. One of the things that I absolutely love from the release is that TENDRE really shakes it up by not putting a lot of his isms in the compositions, instead of relying on his vocal skills for the majority of the track. While I do think it’s dangerous to do that sometimes for an artist that goes off the path as much as he does, it’s nice to see a ‘normal’ release by him. While I do hope this leads to an album, This EP really shows how he has grown as an artist since starting this project.

Be sure to check out "YOUTH” here, along with its YouTube version below!

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“I’m now here” by HIRAI DAI

I don’t feature HIRAI DAI as much I’d like due to how amazing his vocals are, but he’s on point with this digital single. Relying on a lot of his personal isms, HIRAI DAI shows how to get it done as a solo male vocalist. Clocking in a bit over 3 minutes, the track just zooms by but still leads a lasting impression on me as the listener. While I do have an issue with the slow rate that HIRAI takes to drop a new release, no one can deny how he is one the hardest working acts in the industry today, and I can’t wait for his next album.

Check out the track here, along with the Lyric Video version below!

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“Deep Inside” by Nelko

One of the first things I had on my mind upon first hearing this was just how amazing the flute player was throughout this song, and just how it melted in with all the compositions. Nelko is an artist that I had on my mind for a while now, with the the amazing duel vocals that transcends genre. Vocalist Saya and Rapper Laundry had it very good off and on with how they are able to lean on one another. While they don’t have any major releases in the forefront, I hope that I’m able to hear more about them in the near future.

Be sure to check out the “Deep Inside” here, along with its music video below!

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“Endless Story” by REIRA starring YUNA ITO

One of the songs that actually got added due to what we were doing on the show with the wedding episode. While editing that episode I had just thought about ‘Endless Story’ and how absolutely phenomenal it is. Yuna Ito was born to play that role and crushed it on the original song portions of the two live action movies. Ito’s vocal range is really put on point here and while she doesn’t do as much as she did in the height of her career, I’m happy that she took on this role and gave us an unforgettable song.

Be sure to check out “Endless Story” here!