The Initial Artist for the Uta Kohaku Gassen has been Revealed!

With the end of 2023 creeping upon us, NHK has finally unveiled the initial list of artists for this years Kohaku Uta Gakusen. The hosts are Hiroki Ariyoshi, Kanna Hashimoto, and Minami Hamabe, plus a total of 44 performers were announced along with the theme of “BORDERLESS- Connecting Beyond the Borders”, NHK looks to make the 74th Kohaku a memorable one. The below list contains all the announced artist with the number of times they have been featured on the Kohaku in the past.

RED TEAM

AIMYON (5)

Atarashii Gakko! (First)

Ado (First)

ano (First)

Sayuri Ishikawa (46)

Ran Itou (First)

Fuyumi Sakamoto (35)

Sakurazaka46 (3)

Shina Ringo (8)

JUJU (2)

Superfly (7)

Yoshimi Tendo (28)

NiziU (4)

Nogizaka46 (9)

Perfume (16)

MISIA (8)

MISAMO (8)

Kaori Mizumori (21)

Milet (3)

Ryokuoushokushakai (2)

LE SSERAFIM (2)

WHITE TEAM

ELEPHANT KASHIMASHI (2)

Yo Oizumi (First)

Official Hige Dandism (4)

Tatsuya Kitani (First)

Hiromi Go (36)

Masashi Sada (22)

JO1 (2)

Jyunretsu (6)

Masayuki Suzuki (6)

Sutopuri -Strawberry Prince- (First)

Stray Kids (First)

SEVENTEEN (First)

10-FEET (First)

BE:FIRST (First)

Masaharu Fukuyama (16)

Fumiya Fuji (6)

Gen Hoshino (9)

MAN WITH A MISSION (First)

Mrs. GREEN APPLE (First)

Hiroshi Miyama (9)

Keisuke Yamauchi (9)

Yuzu (14)

We at Ongaku to You look forward to the upcoming Kohaku Uta Gassen!

moya, Global Brand Ambassador for the High School Girl Uniform Brand Lucy Pop, is Releasing the Song ‘This Is My Story’, with Lyrics Entirely in English! She Even Helped to Write the Lyrics!

In recent times, middle schoolers have been making waves on Japanese social media, such as ‘Hikiniku’ from the popular middle schooler Youtube channel ‘Kozou tyonmage’, which has 1.54 million subscribers, and the 15-year-old middle school student tuki. who scored a number one hit on the domestic Spotify virtual chart with her song “Bansanka”.

Against this backdrop, the 13-year-old middle school student moya, who began working as a global model for the high-school girl uniform brand almost exactly six months ago on May 12th, 2023 released her original single ‘This Is My Story’ on streaming services worldwide on November 12th, 2023. She did this on her own record label, moya records. This marks her debut as a recording artist.  

Seeking to emulate Bruno Mars, with a dream to be an international artist moya came to her father hoping to translate lyrics that she came up with in school into English. Her father spoke with his friend, English native speaker and music producer U-SKE ASADA to translate the lyrics and to lead the composition of the track. 

Dai Hasegawa, who teaches the bass to moya, worked as the director of the music video, using the school where moya came up with the lyrics as a location, and focusing on scenes of moya in a uniform from the Lucy Pop brand for which she works as a global model. moya arranged the camera work, lighting and editing all on her own. The choreography was created by natsukiii, who moya takes lessons from. Viewers will get to see scenes of moya dancing on the roof of the school.

Moreover, as evidenced by how she is learning to play the bass, moya is interested in playing instruments, so along with her father, she found other musicians on TikTok and YouTube and approached them in English; such as Ecuadorean guitarist John Carpio, the Spanish drummer Darío de la Rosa who now lives in the U.S.A. and the Canadian bassist Colin Sankey. Combining the work of these international artists with U-SKE ASADA on keyboards, they created special instrumental tracks to accompany the song, making both instrumental and karaoke versions of these tracks available on streaming here, and be sure to check out the music video below!

Gray's Ongaku Go For October 2023

As the chilly months of autumn and October pass us by, it’s time for this month’s Ongaku Go! We at OTY 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 featured on this site, along with our Spotify playlist here!

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“Sin” by MADKID

It has been a while since I listened to MADKID and this past month Apple Music recommended that I check out their latest song “Sin”. It is currently being used for the third season opening of Rising of the Shield Hero, which I am way behind on, still, I decided to check this song out and I was reminded of why I like this group. It’s a song that really only MADKID could do with the fast and intense vocals along with a great rapping. It led me to check out their latest album as well which was a ton of fun.

Be sure to check out “Sin” here and in the video below.

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“Todome No Ichigeki(feat. Cory Wong)” by VAUNDY

VAUNDY has once again dropped an amazing song with “Todome No Ichigeki”. While I don’t know about Cory Wong, I feel this collaboration really comes together with a great melody and strong vocals. VAUNDY is really starting to become one of my favorite names in the industry and I’m always excited to see what he does next.

Be sure to check out “Todome No Ichigeki (feat. Cory Wong)” here and in the video below.

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“Temperature (Prod. JP THE WAVY)” by PSYCHIC FEVER from EXILE TRIBE

JP THE WAVY has once again teamed up with an Exile group and this time it’s PSYCHIC FEVER. I have enjoyed my time with “Temperature” even though this isn’t my favorite song by them. Still, PSYCHIC FEVER has proven that they are a really solid group already even though they haven’t been around that long. I’m excited to see where they will be in a few years.

Be sure to check out “Temperature (Prod. JP THE WAVY)” here and in the video below.

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“It’s all good” by FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE

“It’s all good” dropped at the end of September and it carried me through the first few weeks of October. This slightly more laid-back feel is a bit different for FANTASTICS and I liked hearing a different side of these guys. Also, the vocal performance in this song is way better than it has any right to be. Per usual, these guys live up to their name and I’m all here for it.

Be sure to check our “It’s all good” here and in the video below.

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“Soul Galaxy” by Bradio

This is easily my favorite song of the month and this song has really grown to have some special meaning with me. I am an old Yu-Gi-Oh! fan but I haven’t really kept up with it until recently. Well, “Soul Galaxy” was used as the opening for the latest Yu-Gi-Oh! series Yu-Gi-Oh! Go Rush and I just happened to stumble upon this song. Bradio is one of my all-time favorite bands but as with Yu-Gi-Oh! I had not really kept up with them and by discovering this track I was able to fall back in love with BRADIO which amazingly had just dropped their Dance Hall Magic album. The month of October has been like catching up with an old friend and I’m so happy to have BRADIO back in my life.

Be sure to check our “Soul Galaxy” here and in the video below.

Dance and Vocal Group, BE:FIRST, Triumphs at the 2023 MTV EMAs as "Best Asian Act"

Seven-member dance and vocal group, BE:FIRST, has made history by clinching the prestigious "Best Asia Act" award at the highly-acclaimed MTV Europe Music Awards 2023 (MTV EMAs). The group emerged victorious in a fiercely competitive category, beating heavyweight nominations from across the Asian music scene, including TREASURE (Korea), BRIGHT (Thailand), Moira (Philippines), and Tiara Andini (Indonesia).

The MTV EMAs is held annually to celebrate and honour outstanding achievements in pop culture and the music industry. These awards serve as a global showcase of the international and continental music scene, recognising artists for their geographical origins and accomplishments in diverse musical genres and disciplines. Since the 2007 ceremony, fans have been able to cast their votes for their favourite artists in various categories by visiting MTV's website.

BE:FIRST's triumph at the MTV EMAs 2023 is a significant milestone, and coincides with the group's celebration of their 2nd anniversary since their debut. In a recent announcement, BE:FIRST has revealed their eagerly awaited first-ever dome concerts scheduled for Tokyo and Osaka, Japan for next spring. These concerts represent a culmination of the group's hard work and dedication over the past 2 years, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter in their journey.

Message from BE:FIRST to fans, BESTY:

“This accomplishment means everything to us. It means people outside Japan are listening to, and enjoying our music even though we have not been able to play live for you yet. We are elated. Thank you for your support, and thank you for your votes!”

“And BESTY! Once again, it was you who made this possible for us. You continue to be there for us and we cannot thank you enough. From all of us to all of you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

Watch the message video from BE:FIRST here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lU6aKzqNTvI

BE:FIRST has also released a new digital single, titled ‘Glorious,’ which is now available on all major digital streaming platforms. ‘Glorious’ was penned by the CEO of BE:FIRST's management company, BMSG, and renowned rapper SKY-HI, along with BE:FIRST’s member, LEO. The track was further put together by BE:FIRST members MANATO and JUNON, together with SKY-HI and a producer UTA. ‘Glorious’ has been designated as the official theme song for the 2023 All Japan High School Soccer Tournament.

BE:FIRST's remarkable achievement at the MTV EMAs 2023 underscores the group’s rising prominence in the global music industry, and their unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional performances and music.

RPG ‘STAR OCEAN’ remake theme song ‘stella’ by music unit SUIREN has been released on November 2! The animated opening video featuring the song is also out now!

Up and coming music unit SUIREN just released their new song ‘stella’. The song is the theme song to Square Enix’s long-awaited RPG remake ‘STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R’ across all digital streaming platforms!

‘STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R’ is a 2.5D pixel art remake of 1998’s hit game ‘STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY’, which has been strongly awaited by RPG fans since it was first announced in June.

SUIREN was formed in 2020 by vocalist Sui and keyboardist/arranger Ren. They have been praised for their carefully constructed sound, marked by Sui’s piercing singing voice and ephemeral melodies tinted with fragility. They have provided theme songs for various anime series and movies, drawing a ton of attention.

The theme song ‘stella’ is a brand new track that was written especially for the ‘STAR OCEAN’ remake. An animated opening video by popular animation house Yostar Pictures has also been released globally, matching the song’s fast pace with dynamic action scenes.

The song’s sound and lyrics connect perfectly with the game, so be sure to check it out! Be sure to check out the track here!

Comment from SUIREN

“When I was a kid, I would sit and watch the anime series ‘STAR OCEAN EX’ as my older brother played ‘STAR OCEAN 2’, which came out at the same time. 

“Many years have passed, and when I heard that the game was getting a full-scale remake, my heart trembled as I remembered those days spent with my brother, engrossed in the adventures of Claude, Rena and the others. It was a return to my childhood. 

“We took this love for the game and fused it with our own sound, creating something that resonates with us. Can dreams really come true like this? 

“I can only hope that SUIREN’s intense guitar riffs, beautiful piano melodies and profound, ephemeral music will enhance the game even just a little.”

‘STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R’ opening movie:

SUIREN profile

SUIREN is a unit comprising vocalist Sui and keyboardist/arranger Ren. They formed in 2020, releasing music on YouTube. 

Their music is a combination of the fragile and ephemeral melodies created by Sui’s unique singing voice and the beautiful and sophisticated sound created by Ren, creating an atmosphere that is all their own. In their indie days, they released two EPs and four singles.

SUIREN’s music has been featured on many official playlists on major streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, and they rapidly gained attention as internet artists. In 2022, they began writing theme songs for various anime series and movies, and also began performing live, building the foundations of a powerful career.