BE:FIRST Wants Fans Around The World To Smile

Dance and vocal group, BE:FIRST continues to share their love to their fans. With the recent release of 'Smile Again', the group has recently posted a video reel of each member saying 'You are Beautiful' in different languages. This includes English, Malay, Thai, Korean, Tagalog, Chinese and Vietnamese to name a few.

BE:FIRST dedicates 'Smile Again' and for the first time, this new social video reel to all overseas fans. Seven distinct vocals stand out in 'Smile Again', encapsulating fragility, determination, hope and acceptance that accompany a simple message in the song’s lyrics ‘You are so beautiful’. As part of Shiseido ANESSA’s Spring Summer 2023 in Japan and 8 other countries/regions in Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, this is BE:FIRST's first love song to be released and shared to the world.

The music video for 'Smile Again' has surpassed over 9 million views on YouTube, as well as 16.3 million on TikTok with #saシャッター (smile again shutter) to date.

Music Corner Week 136: tonun

tonun is a singer and songwriter out of Hiroshima Japan who had his first release, Last Love Magic” in October of 2020. tonun is inspired by Western artists and says John Mayer’s “Neon” was the spark that inspired him to begin writing and singing his own music. In 2021, tonun released three EPs over the course of the year. In 2022, he was selected for Spotify RADAR: Early Noise 2022. Spotify RADAR: Early Noise lets users pick artists who they feel are leaders in the global music industry and this feature is particularly popular in Japan. tonun signed on with Univeral Sigma in 2023 and released his first album, Intro, in June of 2023.

tonun has really rich, smokey vocals that he is able to utilize to great effect. I happened to stumble upon his new album and decided to check it out which led me to fall in love with his music. “Sugar Magic” is such a fun track that it is my personal favorite. I love the composition of “Sugar Magic” combined with his smoky cool vocals. I wind up listening to this song on repeat, but on tracks like “Blue Spring” tonun shows off his more chill side which is also well done.

tonun posts all of his latest news on his Twitter and official website. Lastly, be sure to check out his song “Sugar Magic” in the video below.

Gray's Ongaku Go For June 2023

With Summer officially here and turning up the heat, it's that time of the month for June’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, along with our Spotify playlist here!

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“All Mine” by iScream

So, I decided to check out the latest single by music corner alumni iScream. I really enjoyed my time with “All Mine”. It has a catchy beat, which is one of my biggest weaknesses. I like the way this song flows, and have a lot of fun with this track. Also, when we covered iScream I was going through a difficult time in my life, which allowed me to rediscover the group and I’ve been digging their album that dropped last year as well. 

Check out “All Mine” here and in the video below!

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“Mask in Love” by Kenya Fujita

Kenya Fujita is a recent discovery I made, and I’ve got to say, I think this guy is going to go places. “Mask in Love” is done in more of the American 90’s style R&B which is a genre that really enjoy. “Mask in Love” is masterfully sung with finger-snapping, which acts as the percussion line for the song for the first verse. I’m going to be keeping a close eye on Kenya Fujita because I’m excited to see what he does next.

Check out “Mask in Love” here and in the video below!

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“BAKU BAKU” BY PSYCHIC FEVER from EXILE TRIBE

PSYCHIC FEVER is one of the latest groups from EXILE TRIBE. This is the second time this year they have made my Ongaku Go. I loved their “ForEVER” release in March, but recently they released PSYCHIC FILE 1. While I’m enjoying the entire album, the leading track is “BAKU BAKU” and I’ve been jamming to this awesome song on repeat. There is something fun about this song, plus it keeps getting stuck in my head. “ForEVER” was a fantastic ballad but “BAKU BAKU” is that upbeat music that I have a weak spot for. I’m turning into a big fan of these guys, and can’t wait to see what they do next.

Check out “BAKU BAKU” here and in the video below!

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“zOne” by Akira Takano

I added Akira Takano to my favorite artists' lists on Apple Music, and I was greeted this past month with his latest single “zOne”. I’ve been having a ton of fun with this release being a dance-heavy track. I’ve been surprised by how much I’m really enjoying this release. The song, while being a bit of a slower beat, is a lot of fun and this has been a go-to for me all month. I’ve been feeling the zone with this one.

Check out “zOne” here and in the video below!

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“Start Over” by THE BEAT GARDEN

THE BEAT GARDEN has dropped their latest album, Bell, and I’ve been enjoying my time with this album. The lead track has left a deep impression on me. I really like the melody of this song, which has some amazing vocals, plus a great composition. My favorite part of the song is the bridge, which builds to this amazing crescendo and sounds amazing. Overall, Bell is a great release and this has been so much fun getting to enjoy this group again.

Check out “Start Over” here and in the video below!

Luna's Ongaku Go for June 2023!

With Summer officially here and turning up the heat, it's that time of the month for June’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, along with our Spotify playlist here!

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“Water” by Sincere

Sincere is an artist I discovered last month and fell in love with her music. When I heard “Water” I just couldn’t get enough of the funk beat and her fresh vocals. This track oozes of summer as it has a upbeat poppy feel that puts you in a good mood. Sincere also showcases her vocal range throughout the song. The composition fits so well with her voice and flows like water along with her use of Japanese and English throughout the track. Sincere flawlessly maneuvers between both languages for a fluid transition.

Check out “Water” by Sincere here and the music video below!

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“No One Is” by BACARDI RECORDS feat. aimi (blended by tofubeats)

“No One Is” featuring aimi is such a chill R&B track with a modern flare. I love aimi’s smooth voice as she emobodies R&B with her sultry vocals that move with the beats. This is the first single by BACARDI RECORD and blended by the famous tofubeats, whom never disappoints. “No One Is” pulls you in with its beats, aimi’s vocals, and the lyrics making it an easy listening track but it’s also one you could easily dance to as well. It gives a late 90s, early 00s vibe bringing you back to that time period, while still providing some moderness to it as well.

Check out “No One Is” by BACARDI RECORDS feat. aimi (blended by tofubeats) here and the Speical Live video below!

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“Heat Wave” by Superfly

“Heat Wave” is not only the first track on Superfly’s newest album, but it’s also the album title. “Heat Wave” is exactly how you start off an album; a rocking powerhouse of a start. Shiho’s vocals are powerful and she shows off her range throughout this track. I love how “Heat Wave” has catchy versus’ and chorus that are easy to follow along with, plus a memorable composition. It is the perfect way to start off summer with a hot track like “Heat Wave”, not to mention it’s a great lead into the album itself.

Check out “Heat Wave” by Superfly here an the video below.

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“Bad Bitch Bigaku” by Awich, NENE, LANA, & MaRI

When I first heard the title of Awich’s new collaboration, I wasn’t sure how' I’d feel about it, but this is a jam. I love how Awich brings in some rappers that might not be known to most people. NENE was featured previously in Awich’s track “Poison” but I love that she brought her back with two new rappers, LANA and MaRI, whom I was not familiar with. Each rapper has their own rap part so it feels like a freelance rap versus a normal track with a chorus and versus’. “Bad Bitch Bigaku” shows off a sampling of each rapper, giving you a feel for their own unique style. The composition does a good job of keeping up with each rappers’ own style and flow. *Warning, this track does have language that could be offensive.

Check out “Bad Bitch Bigaku” by Awich, NENE, LANA, & MaRI here and the music video below!

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“BOLD” by VivaOla feat. reina

“BOLD” caught me off guard with its western style composition and use of reina’s vocals. I’ve caught a few of VivaOla’s previous tracks they’ve done with Crystal Kay and Sincere, but this one immediately pulled me in. I love both VivaOla and reina’s vocals, they both utilize each other to the best of their abilities and the way they each play off each other. I also love that this shows off some of reina’s range in different parts of the song, especially the opening when reina starts singing. This track is also all in English, which is an interesting take with both artists.

Check out “BOLD'“ by VivaOla feat. reina here and the lyric video below!

Ken's Ongaku Go for June 2023!

With July’s Summer heat upon us, that means it’s 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, along with our Spotify playlist here!

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“Nesting” by Kirinji

I was originally unsure about Kirinji’s fold into the solo music project genre that Takaki Horigome started to doing back in 2021, but honestly it is some of the works that I hear out of Japan in awhile. While not all of them are hits, each has their own distinct flavor that differs from the last. “Nesting” really shows off that Horigome is a master of his class and brings that nostalgic style of city pop but with a more modern flair. With this release along with “Summer Ghost” the previous month, I’m really looking forward to see what Kirinji has next for the rest of the year.

Be sure to check out the track here!

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“Blue Bird feat Maika Loubtè” by Shin Sakiura

I knew that Sakiura was very capable of making composition like this, it was just a matter of which vocalist he was going to team up with, and with Blue Bird, he had found that pair with Maika Loubte. Loubte is a phenomenal vocalist with this release as she just goes all in with the electronica style, the energy that she exudes throughout the lyrics are just mind blowing. To the point that I can just get lost into it. While Loubte was my Music Corner for this month I honestly can’t wait to see what other collaborations that Sakiura has for us in the future.

Check out the Home Studio version of “Blue Bird” below, along with the song here!

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“Hurricaneger Sanjou!” by Hideaki Takatori

With the arrival of Hurricanger 20th anniversary movie this month, I have not only gone back to watching the series as a whole but also listened to Super Sentai’s theme songs as well. While there are a lot of catchy ones during this time, such as Abaranger’s and Dekaranger’s opening theme, nothing really holds a candle to Hurricanger’s. The background sound effects of the wind and onomatopoeia of what ninja’s do really help sell the theme of the series. While I might not see the upcoming movie anytime soon, this trip that had with the “Hurricanger Sanjou!” track had really helped fill that hole.

Be sure to check out the song here!

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“Idol” by Yoasobi

Like everybody and their mother, I’ve been also listening to “Idol”. I’m taking a bit of a different approach as I have yet to watch the Oshi no Ko anime this theme song was made for. I legit think that this is one of their best works as of late since they really play into the whole Anisong approach they have been teetering into for the longest time. While I do think they have more appeal in their more general release, it is their more Anisong style of tracks that had really put them on the map. “Idol” will probably win top selling track for digital along with physical sales as well, but I look forward to what they’ll bring out next.

Check out the music video below along with the track here!

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“Harukaze” by Scandal

With the return of Bleach next month for part two of the 1000 Years War Arc, I went down a Bleach theme rampage. By far the best theme has to be “Harukaze”. This was Scandal in their prime and it really shows throughout this song; the opening animation that this is tied to is also 10/10. At the time this was going to be the last opening for the anime as it was waiting for the Manga to finish. The lyrics are the thing that really gripped me throughout, and while I might not had said this when we had first did our artist spotlight for them, I think now “Harukaze” had almost usurp “Haruka” as one of my favorite songs done by Scandal. While their new releases are absolutely amazing, nothing in my mind will reach that pinnacle of “Harukaze” again.

Check out the music video for “Harukaze” below along with track here!