Music Corner Week 142: Kai Kubota

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Kai Kubota is a singer-songwriter and rapper, who started his music career in 2017 by doing freestyle rap along and writing lyrics. Kubota began garnishing attnetion to himself due to lyrics as they contain a wide range of literary and musical influences ranging from Hip-Hop, R&B, and Rock to pop. In December 2019, Kubota released his debut EP “Myojo”. Two songs in particular, “Seikatsu” and “Haru Ni Binetsu” would go on to reach over 3 million views on YouTube. He then released his first album, Raikou, in April of 2021, and his digital singles “Sunset City” and “X-Friend” which released shortly thereafter. Kubota has gone on to release 18 singles digitally and just relased his second album Henji wairanai in October of 2023.

While being relatively young and new to the Japanese music industry, Kubota brings an interesting sound that has captivated me since I first heard him. In particular, his song “nighteater” off his latest album really grabbed my attention the first time I listend to it. “nighteater” shows off his rap skills such as the intensity in which he can weave words together; which to me, is rather impressive. However, his rap is just one side of his music; with the track “Sunset City” you hear a completely different side of what Kubota is capable of. “Sunset City” is a laid-back number that focuses on his vocals which includes a memorable composition that puts you in a good mood, such as wanting to lay back and enjoy the city skyline. Both “Sunset City” and “nighteater” are on his latest album Henji wairanai, but Kubota also has gems like “Haru Ni Binetsu” included on his first album Raikou, that gives off a stupendous synth sound to it.

Kai Kubota posts all of his latest news on both his official website and his X page. Lastly, be sure to check out his song “Sunset City” posted in the video below.

Gray's Ongaku Go For October 2023

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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!

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

YOASOBI x Honeyfeed Writing Contest Begins

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YOASOBI has teamed up with Honeyfeed to celebrate the release of their mega-popular debut song “Yoru ni Kakeru” which has amassed one billion plays across various platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. Honeyfeed is a web novel community that has launched a writing contest to celebrate the release. YOASOBI is famous for its motto "novels into music", and was inspired by the Japanese web novel “An Invitation from Thanatos” which was written by Mayo Hoshino.

Honeyfeed has invited everyone who wants to be a writer to pay tribute to their roots by creating a spin-off story based on both the song and the original story. Writers can submit their spin-off story to Honeyfeed starting October 8, 2023, and if they complete the contest by November 5, 2023, they will have the chance to be voted on as one of the three contest winners and win a $1,000 reward. One of those three will also be selected as the grand prize winner and have their novel recognized as an official spin-off plus it will be displayed in the description for the official music video and finally shared by YOASOBI on their social media platforms.

For more information about the YOASOBI x Honeyfeed Writing Contest, including rules, submission guidelines, and updates, please visit https://www.honeyfeed.fm/contests/yoasobi_x_honeyfeed

Gray's Ongaku Go For September 2023

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As the chilly months of autumn and September pass us by, it’s 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!

“All I Ever Wanted” by BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE

I have been listening to this song on repeat since it dropped, and it is my favorite song by the BALLISTIK BOYZ so far this year. The part I enjoy most is the rap, which, happily, is the most significant part of this song. Even the techno parts of this song work really well. Just a heads up, there is a little bit of auto-tuning in this release, but I think it complements the composition pretty well. I can't wait to see what these guys do next.

Check out “All I Ever Wanted” here and in the video below.

“Amakyun” by Colorful Diamond

What a ton of fun I’ve had with this song. It is a stand-out debut for these guys. The spirit of this track is so light-hearted, and the hook really pulls the listener in. Colorful Diamond has officially landed in my sights, and I’m not going to take my eyes off them.

Check out “Amakyun” here and in the video below.

“Utakata Dilemma (feat. SUKISHA)” by Three1989

Breaking from their typical style, they deliver this refreshing soul/R&B track that has been on repeat since I first heard it. I haven’t been keeping up with Three1989 like I probably should, but I’m so happy I found this shortly after it dropped. “Utakata Dilemma” is a wonderfully upbeat track that is very catchy. I know when we covered SUKISHA for Music Corner I had a bit of a time getting into his work, but I can tell how much my tastes have changed since then, so I really need to go back and listen to more of him.

Check out “Utakata Dilemma (feat. SUKISHA)” here and in the video below.

“U&I” by 3House & Flower.far

3House is an artist I discovered back in July, and I’ve been really enjoying my time with his work. Fortunately for me, I didn’t have to wait long for him to drop this awesome song. This is more of a laid-back song, but there is this nice 90s R&B feel to it. I had never heard of Flower.far before this track, but she sounds incredible in it, and I need to go listen to more of her work.

Check out “U&I” here and in the video below.

“RUN FOR YOU” by Ayumu Imazu

Ayumu Imazu has been one of my favorite artists that I have discovered this year, and I have Ken to thank for that. I’ve had Ayumu on repeat since I listened to him for Music Corner. He recently dropped his latest release, and it is fantastic. “RUN FOR YOU” has this fun, upbeat dance feel that gets the body up and moving.

Check out “RUN FOR YOU” here and in the video below.

Music Corner Week 139: Shin Sakiura

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Shin Sakiura got his start in the Japanese Music industry working in Tokyo as a music producer and guitarist. Sakiura would work on songs for many different artists, the genre didn’t really matter. He also worked on music for Music Videos and commercials for apparel brands and companies. Sakiura spent his childhood in a home where UK rock music was played on a daily basis, which led to him picking up the guitar in junior high school. In high school, he formed a cover band that would play songs from bands like ELLEGARDEN and Straightener. In 2017, Sakiura started fully focusing on his own music career and released his first album, Mirror. In that same year he met fellow Music Corner alumni SIRUP and, since then, has supported live performances as a guitar manipulator, and participated in several works by arranging and composing songs. In 2019 Sakiura released his second album, Dream, and performed his first one-man live to celebrate the release. Sakiura has since gone on to release two more albums for a total of four, and a combined total of 36 EPs, singles, and digital releases.

The years Sakiura spent working for others have really helped him grow as an artist and let him apply many of the lessons he learned over the years to his own music. Sakiura has this great ability to write amazing compositions, his song “Universe” is really good, as it starts with this lovely acoustic guitar, and then the bass suddenly drops with the drums kicking in. “Universe” is only one minute long, but he uses it to the fullest and leaves a lasting impression on the listener. “Parachute” (Feat. Wez Atlus) is really good and has a catchy rhythm to it. It also has a lot of English in the song, so that makes it win points for me. Lastly, his song “Sleepless” (Feat. Matton) is a nice, laid-back, and chill number that relaxes the listener.

Shin Sakiura stays active on his X account and his official website stays up to date on all the latest news. Lastly, check out his latest song “bud” posted in the link below.