BAND-MAID, performers of the ending theme song for the 2nd season of the "Kengan Ashura" anime, have made huge waves with their first ever performance at "Lollapalooza Chicago"!

World-renowned girl band "BAND-MAID" has garnered attention from all around the world following their performance at "Lollapalooza Chicago," one of the largest rock festivals in the world.

"Lollapalooza Chicago," a festival held on 9 stages over 4 days from August 3rd to August 6th, 2023, saw over 400,000 visitors, and is said to be one of America's major three outdoor festivals alongside Coachella and Bonnaroo.

BAND-MAID is the first Japanese band since X JAPAN 13 years ago to perform at such a well known festival where artists from all over the world eagerly awaited their appearance. We will deliver a live report on these girls who have had the attention of many since even before their performance, like being chosen by local media as "12 Artists to See At Lollapalooza" along with K-pop group New Jeans.

The audience waited impatiently in the blazing sun for nearly an hour before BAND-MAID's show. They performed 13 songs over the course of an hour from 1:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. on August  4th (US local time), the 2nd day of the festival. The Japanese girls rock band left a deep impression at America's largest music festival.

Kobato Miku (guitar and vocals), KANAMI (guitar), MISA (bass), and AKANE (drums) gallantly took to the Coinbase Stage, beginning the day's maid service (live show) with an instrumental song, "from now on". When the petite girls wearing maid outfits suddenly began playing rock music with technical instrumentals, the audience, full of people who were likely seeing them for the first time, couldn't hide their astonishment at the disconnect between the band's heavy music and their cute appearance. SAIKI (vocals) joined in for the next song, "DOMINATION," and powerfully belted out lyrics expressing the girls' ambitions for "world domination".

The highlights of the show were the session parts during the interludes of "Don't you tell ME" and "HATE?" KANAMI and MISA alternated back and forth with guitar and bass solos, as though holding an exquisite dialogue conveyed entirely through their sound. These two girls were able to bring out more than 20,000 people during just their 2022 tour of America. They've already performed in three United States festivals in 2023, and their ceaseless efforts have only further refined their individual performance skills. With SAIKI watching over the powerhouse duo with a big smile, and AKANE and  Kobato Miku supporting the overall rhythm cozying up to the two's session, the band's sense of unity is more apparent than ever after 10 years following its formation.
BAND-MAID trucked on with brutal hard rock pieces, followed sometimes by lighter songs like "Daydreaming" that showcased SAIKI's calmer singing voice. The finale was "endless Story", and with it came the crowd singalong typical of festivals. SAIKI left the stage with a huge smile, saying to the roughly 20,000 people gathered there, "Thank you Lollapalooza! We're BAND-MAID from Japan! Thank you so much!"

BAND-MAID is currently holding a tour of the United States and Mexico, beginning with their appearance at "Lollapalooza Chicago." They'll tour Japan in Sepetmber and October, after which they'll prepare a show at Kanagawa's Yokohama Arena in November in a triumphant return performance and finale to their 10th anniversary tour. Tickets are currently available for pre-order, so be on the lookout.

Additionally, on the day of their "Lollapalooze Chicago" perforamance, BAND-MAID released their new single, "Shambles," the ending theme song for the 2nd season of "Kengan Ashura" anime. We've already received a mass of comments from around the world from people who can't take their eyes of BAND-MAID, who are engulfed in a wave of enthusiasm both at home and abroad.
Photo and Text by FG5

August 4, 2023 Lollapalooza Chicago setlist
1　from now on
2　DOMINATION
3　Choose me
4　Don't you tell ME -session-
5　alone
6　After Life
7　NO GOD
8　Daydreaming
9　DICE
10　HATE?-session-
11　FREEDOM
12　Manners
13　endless Story

AmPm, CARTOON and YELLOCK team up with Indonesian diva singer Icazahra for new summer anthem ‘Summer Drive feat. Icazahra’, out today!

Popular masked production duo AmPm have teamed up with tech-house DJ and producer CARTOON and virtual human artist YELLOCK, along with Japan-based singer-songwriter and Indonesian diva singer Icazahra, on the new song ‘Summer Drive feat. Icazahra’, released today, August 4.

The new track is a collaboration born from the popular music show ‘Unknown Studio’ broadcast in Japan by ABC TV. The song combines the beautiful singing voice and melodies of Icazahra with AmPm’s deep and chill sound design, intertwined with house elements courtesy of CARTOON and YELLOCK, resulting in a house music gem.

Be sure to check out this summer smash for a refreshing escape from the rising heat here!

Icazahra

Icazahra is an Indonesian singer-songwriter based in Japan. She studied classical music in junior high school with the aim of becoming a violinist, and began her career as a singer in Indonesia in 2010. She moved to Japan in 2014 to study, and in 2015 she was the winning contestant on the Nippon TV show ‘Nodojiman The World’. Then in 2019, while managed by a Japanese talent agency, she made her debut in Japan, releasing a single and album under the name ICA. She is now performing as an independent artist under the name Icazahra, as well as posting her own covers of popular anime songs on YouTube. In 2020 she released the single ‘We Are Not In Love Anymore’, followed by the 2021 EP ‘Restless’, which featured lyrics in three languages.

AmPm

AmPm are a masked production duo from Japan who made a major global impact with their March 2017 debut track, ‘Best Part of Us feat. Michael Kaneko’. The same year, they were the only Japanese artist to perform at Spotify On Stage, a festival in Indonesia hosted by Spotify. In 2018, they dominated stages around the world, from ULTRA Miami, ULTRA Korea and ULTRA Japan to a headline concert in New York. In addition to releasing their own original music, AmPm have remixed tracks by popular overseas artists such as Afrojack, R3HAB and Nicky Romero, along with remixes for renowned Japanese artists like Gesu no Kiwami Otome (‘Black Parade’) and MONKEY MAJIK (‘Tokyo Lights’), and production for Ken Hirai’s track ‘Holic’. Collaborating with a plethora of dance-music vocalists, they have released more than 40 tracks to date. In March 2019, they were recognized at the Digital Contents of the Year 2018 / 24th AMD Award, winning the Special Jury Award. In June 2019, they produced the V6 track ‘All For You’. With a large fan base overseas, AmPm are currently one of the most popular Japanese artists on the global stage.

CARTOON + YELLOCK

CARTOON + YELLOCK is a unit formed by CARTOON, a tech-house DJ who was the first Japanese artist to sign with the respected New York-based dance music label Ultra Records, and YELLOCK, a drum’n’bass “digital twins” artist who is both a real person and a virtual human. In 2022, they performed on the main stage at ULTRA JAPAN, and their track ‘nox’, which was released around the same time, was featured on the official ULTRA JAPAN playlist and other top dance music playlists on multiple streaming services. In early 2023, they hosted a club event in Shibuya, Tokyo, with the theme “Web3×MUSIC”, pulling a crowd of over 1,000 excited dance music lovers.

RIKIMARU flexes his skills as choreographer and performer with new single ‘TALKIN’BOUT’, from upcoming first full album ‘CLOWN OR CROWN’!

TALKIN’BOUT Jacket Cover

World-class dancer and multitalented artist RIKIMARU released ‘TALKIN’BOUT’ on Thursday, July 27, as an advance single from his upcoming first full-length album, ‘CLOWN OR CROWN’. The album is poised to reveal a new image for RIKIMARU, and show the world his dynamic and free-spirited charm. 

Through the songs on the album, the overarching concept of “ears: listen” and “eyes: see” paints a story, with RIKIMARU’s dramatic and bold performances adding impact to the senses of hearing and sight again and again.

Fans can get a taste of the unique concept of the album ‘CLOWN OR CROWN’ through the advance release single ‘TALKIN’BOUT’, out now. Through a total of 12 songs, the album traces a melancholic, absurdist view of the conflict between the “king” and the “clown”, with lyrics to some songs including acerbic takes on society and lashings of satire.

‘TALKIN’BOUT’ was created during a songwriting session with production team Tha Aristocratz and Tiyon “TC” Mack, who have produced multiple global hits, and then refined over and over again during the production and recording process. The vocals express a wide range of emotions, layered over heavy synths and basslines that vibrate down to the marrow, and drumming that packs a strong punch.

RIKIMARU participated in the entire process of producing his first solo album, from the initial preproduction stage to the completion of the project, showing his extreme commitment to creating this special work. The album includes songwriters, arrangers, lyricists and dancers from China, Japan, South Korea and the United States – all hand-picked by RIKIMARU, expanding his musical boundaries.

For ‘TALKIN’BOUT’, RIKIMARU even visited South Korea, where he created a music video together with a local creative team and dancers, creating a unique dance experience. With intense dance routines set against a video wall backdrop filled with surging dark-red waves, the video pulls viewers deep inside the atmospheric world of RIKIMARU’s upcoming album.

A concept teaser video for the album was released on July 24, and immediately began attracting attention from intrigued fans. Indeed, the story of RIKIMARU’s first full-length album ‘CLOWN OR CROWN’ truly begins with this concept teaser video, which reveals a new side to RIKIMARU and uses music and visuals to convey his reimagined appeal. 

As he further refines his expressive power as a choreographer and an artist, RIKIMARU has taken a step towards becoming a global star. There is no doubt this unique talent will attract support from music fans around the world.

Be sure to check out TALKIN’BOUT here!

Chilli Beans. provide new ‘ONE PIECE’ anime ending theme, ‘Raise’, from their 4th EP ‘for you’!

for you Jacket cover

Chilli Beans., a three-piece Japanese band featuring members Moto (vocals), Maika (bass & vocals) and Lily (guitar & vocals), will release their fourth EP ‘for you’ on August 9 – and one of the songs included on the EP, ‘Raise’, will feature as the ending theme song to the megahit anime series ‘ONE PIECE’! The news was announced today during day two of ONE PIECE DAY ’23, an event packed with content updates related to ‘ONE PIECE’. This is the first time in 17 years that ‘ONE PIECE’ has included an ending theme, and the announcement drew huge cheers from the audience.

‘ONE PIECE’ and the return of its ending theme song will be broadcast in countries and regions around the world. Ahead of the new anime season, ‘Raise’ will be released as a digital single on download and streaming platforms at midnight Japan Standard Time on Monday, August 7, so don’t miss it!

©︎ Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Fuji TV, Toei Animation

The band’s fourth EP ‘for you’ is so named because it is dedicated to the Chilli Beans. fans who pick it up and listen to it. The EP includes five songs, with the ‘ONE PIECE’ ending theme song ‘Raise’ alongside ‘Raise - anime edit’, TV Tokyo anime ‘Play It Cool, Guys’ opening theme song ‘you n me’, and the fan-favorite songs ‘you said’ and ‘aaa’, which had both only ever been performed live until now.

Of these tracks, ‘aaa’ will be released ahead of the EP, hitting digital services on Wednesday, July 26! The song expresses feelings of melancholy and confusion through a bright indie-pop sound.

The EP is available on CD, and the first-pressing release of the CD+DVD and CD+Blu-ray editions also includes video footage of all 18 songs from the Toyosu PIT performance that ended the band’s first headline tour, titled ‘Hi, TOUR’, which began in November last year. Which you can pre-order here!

And that’s not all. On Wednesday, August 16, Chilli Beans. will perform as the support band for Two Door Cinema Club’s show at Zepp New Taipei in Taiwan!
Date: Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Venue: Zepp New Taipei

Further information: http://twodoorcinemaclub.com/

Keep an eye on Chilli Beans. and their future adventures!

Soraru and Rib to Sing OP Theme of Migi to Dali! Collaborative Single Announced!

Yuumagadoki Jacket cover

Soraru and Rib, two artists active on the internet music scene, are teaming up to perform “Yuumagadoki,” the opening theme song of the upcoming TV anime Migi to Dali. The two old friends have also announced that they will be releasing their first collaborative single featuring this song on October 25.

The first promotional video for the anime, which was released along with this announcement, offers a sneak peek at “Yuumagadoki.”

Migi to Dali is a tale of mischievous children by Nami Sano, who is known for the 2016 anime adaptation of Sakamoto Desu ga? This surreal comedy-suspense mystery revolves around two twin brothers, Migi and Dali, who live as a single boy and are working together to uncover the truth behind their mother’s death.

“Yuumagadoki” was crafted by the up-and-coming Vocaloid producer Niru Kajitsu. The collaborative single will also feature new songs by popular Vocaloid producers Mikito P and 40mP, who share a deep working relationship with Soraru and Rib. The Regular Edition will feature an original jacket by the popular illustrator lack, who has 700,000 followers on Twitter, while the Limited First Edition will come with an illustration by series creator Nami Sano.

soraru

Soraru comment:

I have been given the opportunity to perform the opening theme song for the TV anime Migi to Dali! The mysteriously cool song by Niru Kajitsu blends perfectly with the surreal, slightly dark atmosphere of the anime, and I am thrilled to be able to sing it alongside Rib to enhance the overall excitement of the series. We hope you enjoy the song!

rib

Rib comment:

I am pleased to announce that I will be performing the opening theme song for the TV anime Migi to Dali. Together with my old friend Soraru, I will give my all singing the song by Niru Kajitsu, which perfectly matches the anime’s setting. I hope you will enjoy it along with the anime.