2020 was a very interesting year for the Japanese music industry and we at Ongaku to You would like to praise the songs and artists that helped us traverse this amazing year. Each member broke down the year in three categories, Song of the Year, New Artist that we discovered in 2020, and lastly our Artist of the Year. We hope that 2021 will bring many surprises to the Japanese music industry like we received in 2020!

Luna’s Top Song and Artists of 2020!

Song of the Year: “XXKK” by Koda Kumi

“XXKK” felt like a comeback song to me. Koda Kumi always does great songs, but “XXKK stuck out from her more recent songs as it brought you back to her early-middle career mixed with her current music career.  The chorus is catchy, and the lyrics ring true to me as she is my queen. This is the perfect celebratory track of her 20th-anniversary career and it shows who she is now while incorporating her old self as well. 

New Artist of the Year: Miyuu

Miyuu was an artist that I discovered randomly on Spotify. I remember that from the moment I heard that first track, "Southern Waves," I was hooked. This track moved me to the point I began checking out all her other music and discovered so much by Miyuu. Her voice is beautiful and despite her having the "girl with guitar" theme like many others, Miyuu gives a breath of fresh air to the industry with her light voice and how it matches with all her composition perfectly.

Artist of the Year: Awich

Awich has had an amazing year - starting off with the release of Kujyaku in January, then releasing her first major label release, Partition in August. Both releases were amazing and I fell in love with how real her music is, her rap style, her lyrics, and just everything about her. Awich brought something new to the Japanese Hip-Hop scene to me and she stuck out in a good way. She caught my ear with so many tracks this year. Her Kujyaku album was a masterpiece in how it was put together and Awich did not disappoint in Partition. She ended the year with a cover of a famous Christmas song and by being featured in the remix of AI's latest single "Not So Different.”  Awich was a "hit" with me all year and has kept me looking forward to anything new from her.

Gray’s Top Song and Artists of 2020

Song of the Year: “Ayumi” by YU-TA of IVVY

I still remember the day I discovered these guys and I always knew they would be at the top of my list. For the longest time it was "Alice" which was the first song I ever heard by them, but then I heard "Ayumi" and knew immediately that it would be my number one for the year. I absolutely love the piano that is in this song. Played expertly by YU-TA, he also carries the track vocally, with the rest of the group joining him only on the chorus. YU-TA’s vocals are on point for this track. The whole song just comes together and I fall in love with it each time I hear it. IVVY has put out a lot of great songs for the year but this one is their best. Even if you are not into boy groups, this one is a must listen.

New Artist of the Year: IVVY

I still remember the day I first discovered IVVY and I've been listening to them ever since. I just love their ability to harmonize and they have a bunch of catchy songs. They just dropped their first album and I'm looking to pick it up soon. This past year will be the year of boy groups for me. There have been a few that I've discovered that I've quite enjoyed, but, of all the artists I've heard over the year, these guys are still my favorite. I look forward to hearing more music by them. My number two song is "Alice" which is just a showcase of how you take a generic song and make it memorable with awesome vocal work and fantastic rap at the end. 

Artist of the Year: Da-ICE

Man, I wasn't expecting to fall in love with Da-iCE the way I did, but I'm glad I took the plunge. It all started with Sota's song he did with Beverly, "Endless Love". I just fell in love with his performance in that song and I was encouraged to go back and check out Da-iCE because I had seen them around but never felt like looking them up. So, I checked out their album Face, which came out in April, and I've had that album on repeat ever since. Sota is my favorite mostly due to how I discovered the group, but all the guys are fantastic. They really bridge the idea of vocals and dance-heavy so well. They have a ton of songs, so it's hard to just sit there and listen to them without getting up to dance your butt off. I've been busted in public dancing to Da-iCE a few times, and this in a year when I'm not getting out as much as normal. I'm so glad I checked these guys out. I'm hoping to pick up Face physically soon and I'm super excited for Six which is due to come out close to my birthday. Da-iCE has really made my 2020, and to me there is no other group I could imagine taking this spot for me.

Ken’s Top Song and Artist of 2020

Song of the Year: Stinging Spica by Polkadot Stingray 

Honestly, this track was going to be my number one since March or so. I loved this track and it was the small ray of hope that kept me going throughout the year that was 2020. Its simple composition is something that I can get lost in hours on end, and in fact, I’ve done exactly that while doing articles. The guitar work done by both was something that just intices me even more to the track every time. 

New Artist of the Year: Daichi Yamamoto

Honestly, for New Artist of the Year this was a very easy choice for me to make, as listening to Yamamoto has been a treat for the eyes and ears for a genre that I only listen to once in a while. His various demos on his YouTube channel is what won me over, to be honest. The Tokyo Drift remix is absolute fire and really shows his range and diversity. That one spark of “Blue Berry” ignited a passion for me to dive deep into his discography. 

Artist of the Year: Polkadot Stingray

Now. for overall Artist of the Year, this was another easy pick as Polkadot Stingray, as a whole, had a very sold year for me with three digital singles, one mini-album and one full album that were, in my opinion, just hit after hit even in this horrible year that was 2020. Polkadot was also one of the first groups to transition to streaming concerts back in June, when the ongoing pandemic was reaching in Japan, and proved that artists with big labels backing them can make this successful. With the release of their album, Nanimono, in December, the band has no plans on backing down for 2021 and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for fans.