VK Blanka releases surprise new English-language song ‘Never Run’! Music video also released!

‘Never run’ Digital Jacket cover

Acclaimed musician VK Blanka has released ‘Never Run’, a new song with all-English lyrics, available as a digital release.

VK Blanka performed the new song yesterday with a full band at VK Blanka presents RAINBOW ROAD -Den-, the third in his series of special events, which was held at Festival Hall in Osaka on a lineup that included Ayaka and Ryokuoushoku Shakai. ‘Never Run’ was unveiled as a complete surprise, followed right away by today’s digital release.

VK Blanka toured North America in February this year, and the thrill he felt from his shows there influenced the highly danceable beats and arrangements of ‘Never Run’. The song was mixed and arranged by fellow musician Josh Cumbee, who also collaborated on writing the lyrics, making it a song with a global sound and excellent English words.

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Comment from Vicke Blanka

“I gained a lot of inspiration during my North American tour, and after I returned to Japan, I was filled with new ideas and the urge to write music – so I did.

This song has a driving beat, which I hope you’ll enjoy.”

A music video was also released which can viewed below. along with the streaming link for ‘Never Run’ here!

Vicke Blanka's First North American Tour

Acclaimed artist, Vicke Blanka has started his North American Tour and has a full list of dates across the nation. Vicke Blanka began his tour on January 31st with Vancouver and will be ending it in New York on February 20th.

Vicke Blanka is an acclaimed artist, who was recognized in 2012 when he won an event called Minami Wheel with his song “Wake up sweetheart”. In 2016, he made his major debut with avex trax with the mini album Slave of Love. Vicke Blanka is known for his songwriting capabilities along with his talent for the guitar and piano. Due to Vicke Blanka’s talent, he was chosen to perform several themes, “Black Catcher” and “Black Rover” to the popular anime Black Clover. That is just a small portion of his achievements as an artist.

The tour dates for ‘Vicke Blanka North American Tour 2024’ are listed below. You can also check out Vicke Blanka’s official website for ticket information

★ Tour information
Vicke Blanka North American Tour 2024

• Jan 31 (Wed)
Vancouver - Biltmore Cabaret
• Feb 2 (Fri)
Denver - GOTHIC THEATER
• Feb 5 (Mon)
 San Francisco - GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL
• Feb 6 (Tue)
Los Angeles - THE BELASCO
• Feb 8 (Thu)
 Dallas - THE STUDIO AT THE FACTORY
• Feb 9 (Fri)
Houston - Scout Bar
• Feb 13 (Tue)
Chicago - PARK WEST 
• Feb 15 (Thu)
Toronto - Adelaide Hall
• Feb 18 (Sun)
Montreal - Foufounes Electriques
• Feb 20 (Tue)
New York City - PALLADIUM TIMES SQUARE

Vicke Blanka Announces First-Ever North American Tour with 10 Dates!

Highly acclaimed artist Vicke Blanka has announced his first-ever headline tour of North America, simply titled ‘Vicke Blanka North American Tour 2024.’  The tour will include a total of 10 shows, launching in Vancouver on January 31st and closing in New York on February 20th.

This year, Vicke Blanka has performed at a number of overseas events, drawing a peak attendance of over 5,000 fans per show.  In May, he played at Jeddah Events Calendar 2023  Anime Village at City Walk in Saudi Arabia, in July he performed at Riminicomix in Italy and at Japan Expo 22nd Impact 2023 in France (as Music Guest of Honor), before returning to Saudi Arabia again in August for Gamers8 Cosplay Cup Supported by WCS.  In December, he will perform at Magnificon Expo 2023 in Poland, and at Manga Barcelona 2023 in Spain.

In addition, his opening theme tunes for the anime series ‘Black Clover’ continue to be ongoing hits: His Season 3 opening theme song “Black Rover” has now been played over 170M times, while his Season 10 opening theme song “Black Catcher” has surpassed 200M plays, ranking in Spotify’s Top 10 chart of songs by Japanese artists played by overseas users for the third consecutive year since 2020.

As Vicke Blanka continues his meteoric rise around the world, it will be exciting to see what kind of performance he brings when he hits stages across North America for the first time.

Tickets are on sale now and located below!

★ Tour information 

Vicke Blanka North American Tour 2024

• Jan 31 (Wed): Vancouver - VOGUE THEATRE (ticket)

• Feb 2 (Fri): Denver - GOTHIC THEATRE (ticket)

• Feb 5 (Mon): San Francisco - GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL (ticket)

• Feb 6 (Tue): Los Angeles - THE BELASCO (ticket)

• Feb 8 (Thu): Dallas - STUDIO AT THE FACTORY (ticket)

• Feb 9 (Fri): Houston – SCOUT BAR (ticket)

• Feb 13 (Tue): Chicago - PARK WEST (ticket)

• Feb 15 (Thu): Toronto – ANNABEL’S (ticket)

• Feb 18 (Sun): Montreal - RIALTO THEATRE (ticket)

• Feb 20 (Tue): New York City - PALLADIUM TIMES SQUARE (ticket)

Vicke Blanka releases new EP ‘Worldfly’! Trailer featuring clips from all songs and ‘Vicke Blanka LIVE HOUSE TOUR 2023’ sneak peek video also out now!

Wordfly Jacket Cover

Popular artist Vicke Blanka has released his new EP ‘Worldfly’ this past week across all streaming platforms

The EP includes a varied selection of songs that immerse listeners in a multi-layered new world. It starts with the urgent, kinetic rock song ‘Kakumei’, and also includes ‘Snake’, whose music video was shot entirely on location in Paris, creating a buzz among fans when it was released on August 30. The EP also includes ‘Bitter’, written for the movie ‘The Pearl Legacy’, starring Manami Higa and Shohei Miura; and ‘Sad In Saudi Arabia’ and ‘Luca’, two songs inspired by Vicke Blanka’s tours in Europe and the Middle East from this spring and the music cultures he experienced there firsthand. Ending with the title track ‘Worldfly’, the EP includes six songs altogether.

The limited first pressing of the physical release includes music videos for ‘Kakumei’ and ‘Snake’, as well as a documentary titled ‘Document of Italy and France Live’ that shows footage from Vicke Blanka’s performances in Europe and the Middle East from this spring. It also features live footage from his performance at Zepp DiverCity in Tokyo on July 31, 2023, which was the final date of his Japan tour titled ‘Vicke Blanka LIVE HOUSE TOUR 2023’, along with the audio recordings for all 18 songs from the same concert. This luxury-packed set also includes a special 52-page deluxe photo book and a card sleeve.

The CD-only physical release includes radio-style segments of conversation between each of the songs, in which Vicke Blanka discusses the creation of each song, making it a can’t-miss item for fans. 

Vicke Blanka will present the second edition of his special event series, this time titled ‘Vicke Blanka presents RAINBOW ROAD -Sho-’, which will be held on Thursday, December 28 at Tokyo Dome City Hall. ‘RAINBOW ROAD’ is an event launched by Vicke Blanka as a place where fans can get together once a year. Don’t miss this special headline show by Vicke Blanka, a rare home performance in the midst of his jet-setting domestic and global touring calendar.

Be sure to check out Worldly across all streaming platforms here, along with purchase links for the physical editions below and the music video for “Kakumei”!

Standard edition

Limited edition DVD

Limited edition Blu-ray

Interview: Vicke Blanka

Vicke Blanka is a versatile songwriter-composer who got his start in 2016. His songs are best characterized by his individuality, melodies, and his beautiful falsetto voice. He started composing music when he was only in elementary school and held the aim to pursue music as a career, attending university in Tokyo. Since his debut, his performances have impressed listeners with out of this world sounds.

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Ken: First of all, thank you so much for letting us do this interview. We are big fans and love what you bring to the Japanese music industry. Congratulations on your latest release!

Vicke Blanka: Thank You😘

K: Over your 5-year career what would you say has been your favorite song to compose/write?

VB: Honestly, it’s very difficult. I really like all of my tracks, however I really like the positive vibe style of songs like most recently “Soten No Vampire”.

K: What was the inspiration for your moniker, Vicke Blanka?

VB: It means Pure Pirates, it’s actually quite funny as when I was young, my language was rough however I was really really serious about music.

K: With your latest original album “Black Catcher” having a variety of genres, what was your favorite song to record and compose?

VB: The recording of “Black Catcher” was one of the best, and everything ended up perfect. During the recording, I remember having that feeling of having a pillar of fire burning up.

“If you can get rid of that, you’ll have a really creative feeling.”

K: Do you have a process or certain mindset when creating your songs? If so, would you like to share that process?

VB: I usually wonder if it’s about eliminating the unconscious rules of music. People and other artist tend to choose familiar melodies and words without knowing it. If you can get rid of that, you’ll have a really creative feeling.

K: How did the pandemic affect the way you approach the beats and composition for your music?

VB: Since we didn’t have people getting together in the studio, I was able to train myself to pretty much complete everything myself. I can now do beats, bass, synths, and even the FX myself. The result is the amazing track “Soten No Vampire”.

K: What song(s) had an impact on you growing up?

VB: Michael Jackson, Ben Folds, MIKA were like my teacher

K: What are some challenges you have faced as an artist? How have you overcome them?

VB: I make music depending on my mood, so a lot of the time genre usually isn’t decided, which caused trouble for the promotional companies. I was told that I didn’t know how to sell the products that I’m usually given lol. But if I kept that stance, I could have the moniker of being an artist that, “can do anything.”

“Find something that is second to none and go to a place that no one can reach.”

K: What made you choose a path in the music industry? Who had the most inspiration for you and led you to choose this path?

VB: The teachings of my parents really had a big impact. “Find something that is second to none and go to a place that no one can reach.” Teaching has that feeling of being ingrained to my personality.

K: Which artist would you say is your biggest inspiration? Also are there any international artists who inspire you guys as well?

VB: It would have to be Michael Jackson, Ben Folds, and MIKA. Currently favorite artists right now are Conor Ross and Alan Walker. Alan and I had a set together at Summer Sonic and we would listened to my new song together as well.

K: You are a gifted guitarist and pianist. Which instrument took longer for you to learn how to play?

VB: Perhaps I have a talent for musical instruments as none of them took so long to learn. I didn’t have to learn perform a fast guitar solo because it was all about understanding the role of the instrument.

K: Is there a particular genre of music you would like to write a song for that you haven’t already?

VB: I want to create a more acoustic atmosphere, and have it only hearing me fingering an electric guitar along with my vocals.

K: For international fans, how they usually find out about J-pop is through anime. First, do you guys watch anime? If so, which would you say is your favorite?

VB: Like everyone, I love anime. When I was watching "Durarara !!" while living in Ikebukuro, I felt like a character in that anime.

K: Is there a venue you performed at you’ll never forget? Also, is there a dream venue you would like to perform at?

VB: I had a birthday live in Shanghai which was very impressive. I would like to collaborate with various artists in various parts of the world. I'm currently waiting for an offer!

K: What track(s) is your favorite to perform live and why?

VB: Honestly I can’t decide. It usually differs depending on the day.

K: What would you say is your most difficult song to perform?

VB: “Black Catcher”'s complex modulation, and melody is one of the tracks that I think is difficult to copy.

K: Who is the one artist you would love to work with in the future?

VB: I want to make a song with Alan Walker. Rather, I love collaborating with musicians from around the world. I'm waiting for an offer. I’ll keep saying this many times lol.

K: What song have you created that you wish had a music video?  What type of music video would you film?

VB: It's a shame that there is no “Black Rover” music video. If there was I would want to shoot it somewhere overseas. I'd be happy if it was an offer to shoot from an overseas team.

K: Do you have a message for your international fans?

VB: I think I'll be able to meet all of my fans in person soon. Please look forward to that day. I’ll be sure to show you the perfect music!

K: Once again, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule and we look forward to your upcoming releases!

VB: Thank you very much!