Music Corner 134: Furui Riho

Furui Riho is a R&B-pop singer-songwriter from Hokkaido, who not only write and composes lyrics but also arranges music as well. Furui Riho’s musical career has a gospel influence as she has been involved in choir since a young age. Furui Riho has been an active solo artist since college. In 2019, she released her first digital single “Rebirth”, which led to all her current activities, including her debut album Green Light that released in 2022. Furui Riho’s music has garnished many fans due to her realistic lyrics that at times are filled with humor and attention grabbing compositions.

Furui Riho instantly grabbed me with her soulful track, “I’m free”. In I’m free, you can easily hear the gospel influence and feel it in your bones with not just her voice but her lyrics as well. Tracks such as “Sins” and “Green Light” have an R&B feel that combines soul and a more modern composition of what we hear in R&B today, that can give off both a chill but dance vibe. I also enjoy how Furui Riho switches it up and does songs with mixing soul and a jazzy composition, such as “Pink Hair” and “Backwards”. “Pink Hair” has a little bit of a slower and more soulful beat than jazz, while “Backwards” has a more jazz-like composition with R&B mixed in. Furui Riho has collaborated with several artists, such as Shin Sakiura, aimi, and Michael Kaneko to name a few. Her collaborations show off her skills to match her voice with who she is collaborating with, such as in the track “n.oy.b (Shin Sakiura)” and “The Wave (aimi)”. Furui Riho’s latest track, “Super Star” has a little bit of a more pop-like beat but with a memorable composition,which makes it stand out with Furui showing off her powerful voice and a catchy chorus to keep you coming back.

Currently, Furui Riho has one album, Green Light (2022) and nine digital singles, with her most recent being “Super Star”. Check out Furui Riho’s official website, Twitter, Instagram, and the music video for her latest single, “Super Star”!

maeshima soshi collaborates with Taiwanese rapper/producer LIU KOI on new single ‘white dress’

WHITE DRESS Digial Jacket Cover

Producer maeshima soshi has accumulated over 100 million combined plays across music streaming platforms and YouTube via his various production projects, while also actively releasing his own music that includes collaborations with singers and rappers from Japan and overseas. Recently he has worked with many artists from Asia and around the world, while increasing his activities overseas. Many of his tracks, including instrumentals, have received over a million plays each, fueling his rise in popularity among music fans.

Released on June 2, maeshima’s latest single ‘white dress’ features vocals by LIU KOI, a singer/producer who is attracting a strong fan base in Taiwan’s R&B rap scene. Building upon a six-year career as a dancer, LIU KOI began his music career after becoming involved in concert production for beloved Taiwanese singer-songwriter Jay Chou. He then went on to become a solo artist, taking on multiple roles on his releases – writing lyrics, composing music, arranging songs and even mixing. As an all-rounder, he has produced high quality, creative music that has earned great acclaim within the scene.

On ‘white dress’, maeshima’s trademark low-fi beats intersect with LIU KOI’s smoothly melodic vocals and lyrics sung in English, Taiwanese and Japanese. It is a melancholic song filled with yearning for that special someone.

The cover artwork was created by Lina Ichimiya, and features an illustration of a Mona Lisa-like woman painted in white and blending into a white background, echoing the themes of the song.

maeshima soshi profile:

A member of SASAKRECT inc., maeshima soshi is a music producer who handles everything from lyric writing to songwriting and arrangement. Music produced by maeshima has accumulated over 100 million combined plays across music streaming platforms and YouTube, and he is also active as a music artist. Working with up-and-coming rappers, Johnny’s boybands, LDH artists, YouTubers, VTubers and on anime theme songs, he has created the “maeshima sound”, making him a versatile cross-culture producer who is hugely popular with Generation Z music fans.

LIU KOI profile:

After six years of being a dancer, KOI had the opportunity to participate in the production of a concert for Jay Chou. This experience led him to start producing rap music for his friends and creating music for small advertising campaigns. Later, under the name LIU KOI, he began releasing his own music, taking charge of lyrics, composition, arrangement, mixing, and vocals all by himself. Recently, he’s also collaborated with singers from Taiwanese record companies and independent artists to produce music.

BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE release new single and video ‘Ding Ding Dong’!

Dance and vocal group BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE have released their new single ‘Ding Ding Dong’. The lead song on this three-track single, ‘Ding Ding Dong’, portrays the struggle between “temptation” and “belief”, and depicts the moment when the final bell rings, time is up, and a decision must be made. This powerful song tests the very idea of “faith”.

In the music video, the concepts of “temptation” and “belief” are represented by contrasting black and white costumes and lighting, echoing the themes of the song. As the members of BALLISTIK BOYZ leave a deserted club to emerge into the outside world and dance on a rooftop, the video shows how the boys are taking new leaps into a wide-open future.

The single also includes two more songs. ‘All About U’ is a mid-tempo ballad that expresses the feeling of being reunited with someone you once loved, and all the emotions that come flooding back. ‘Lonely’ is a heartrending song that features a hip-hop track produced by member Miku Fukahori, with original lyrics by Rikiya Okuda and Riki Matsui. 

The single is available now on download and streaming platforms, so don’t miss it! Be sure to check out the music video below along with the streaming link here!

BALLISTIK BOYZ profile

BALLISTIK BOYZ are the first EXILE TRIBE unit where all of the talented performers dance, sing and rap with mics in hand. All seven of the members have highly trained physiques that allow them to achieve incredible acrobatic moves. Each of the boys has a global background, including members who can speak English, Portuguese and Chinese as well as Japanese. Through their authentic music and live performances, this world-class boys’ group have found fans not only in Japan but overseas too, as they set their sights on leading the next generation and breaking into the global music scene!

In December 2019, they embarked on a promotional tour that took them to Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Taipei, Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh. During this tour, they performed live around East Asia and explored unfamiliar lands, and were featured in a variety of media. In February 2023, they held a concert in Thailand titled THE SURVIVAL 2023 THAILAND. They are currently partway through their first solo tour of Japan in around two years, titled BALLISTIK BOYZ LIVE TOUR 2023 “N.E.X.T.”

EHAMIC "Koinu no Carnival -from Minute Waltz" Goes Viral by Reaching "Spotify Viral TOP 50"!

"Koinu no Carnival – from Minute Waltz" Digital Jacket cover

©BNP/NHK·NEP

"Koinu no Carnival – from Minute Waltz" arranged by the Vocaloid Producer EHAMIC, used originally in the TV anime "Classicaloid" (Production: BN Pictures), has been selected as an insert song for the latest MARVEL movie "Guardians of the Galaxy: VOLUME 3", which is currently in theaters. It is even ranked in the Spotify Viral Top 50 around the world!

The song "Koinu no Carnival - from Minute Waltz", an insert song for the TV animation "Classicaloid" (produced by BN Pictures), arranged by the Vocaloid Producer EHAMIC, is the only Japanese song selected to be included in the latest MARVEL movie "Guardians of the Galaxy: VOLUME 3". The song received a great response after the release of the movie and ranked No. 1 on the Spotify Viral Top 50 Global & USA Chart (as of May 12), and also reached the Viral Top 50 in countries and regions around the world including Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, creating a whirlwind of “Inu Inu”.

Classicaloid" is an animated TV series that aired on NHK E-television over two series in 2016 and 2017. It is a comedy in which classical composers such as Beethoven and Mozart appear as "Classicaloids" in the modern age.

The songs of the classical composers in the series are called "musik" in the show, and the show has gained popularity because of the arrangements and productions by the famous creators, including Tomoyasu Hotei for Beethoven, TSUNKU♂ for Bach, and Daisuke Asakura for Liszt.

The bright and light Waltz No. 6 "Minute Waltz”, originally a solo piano piece, has been arranged by EHAMIC with a samba arrangement, and lots of dog barks, together with about 50 Vocaloid voices (mainly of the

VOCALOID galaco) overlapping to create a festive and fun piece. Please take this opportunity to enjoy this cute and addictive song!

EHAMIC "Classicaloid Chopin Musik (insert song)" is now available!

Guardians of the Galaxy: The Official Mixtape

Other "Classicaloid" music are also available on different music services!

Profile of EHAMIC

Librarian and Singer-songwriter. He is also an artist who has attracted attention for her avant-garde expressive activities, including the production of LPs using the voice synthesizing software “VOCALOID”.

He began gaining media exposure after appearing in the TV commercial "Google Chrome x Hatsune Miku" and providing the image song for the LAWSON convenience store. In addition to being an artist, she is also a writer and an on-screen talent. She also provides music to different , and his delicate and bold music is characterized by a fusion of analog and digital.

*”VOCALOID” and “Vocalo” are reegistered trademark of Yamaha Corporation.

Profile of galaco

VOCALOID character based on the voice of Kou Shibasaki.

Information of the anime “Classicaloid”

<Introduction>

A group of people calling themselves "Classicaloids" gather at the Western-style house owned by the high school student Kanae Otowa.

They are geniuses who share the same names as Beethoven, Mozart, and other real-life musicians! They play "musik," music with mysterious powers, making all sorts of bizarre things happen. With Wagner and Dvorak newly added to the already chaotic daily routine of becoming fish and aliens, Otowakan enters an even greater turmoil!

SKY-HI teams up with Taiwan-based rapper ØZI for global release of new single ‘Dream Out Loud feat. ØZI’!

Popular vocalist KY-HI has released new single ‘Dream Out Loud feat. ØZI’ back on May 31, available on download and streaming services globally. Recorded with leading Japanese producer KM, the song combines a danceable sound and memorable horn riffs with SKY-HI’s catchy flow and acrobatic rhymes.

It also features guest vocalist ØZI, a top Taiwan-based artist who releases music for an audience around the world. ØZI’s lyrics and flow have their roots in hip-hop and R&B, resulting in a truly special collaboration that raises the song to even higher heights.

In today’s world where dreams can be difficult to follow and anxiety for the future affects us all, SKY-HI and ØZI’s optimistic and straightforward message makes for a positive song that will stir your heart.

A music video was also released on YouTube. This unmissable video features the scenery and the locals of ØZI’s home of Taiwan, where it was filmed, resulting in a music video that transcends borders and unites us all with music.

Be sure to check out music video below along with the streaming link here!