I Don’t Like Mondays. release new single ‘What’s going on? feat. Celina Sharma’

‘What’s going on?’ Jacket Cover

The popular rock band I Don’t Like Mondays. released their fifth digital single of 2023, ‘What’s going on? feat. Celina Sharma’, on Wednesday, November 15. The song is a collaboration with rising Australian diva Celina Sharma.

Sharma is a female singer with huge potential, having already received high praise from top US artists such as Snoop Dogg and Ne-Yo. How will Sharma’s beautiful singing voice enhance the music of I Don’t Like Mondays.? Listen to find out!

I Don’t Like Mondays. will release their fifth studio album ‘RUNWAY’ in fall 2023, and the band are currently on a national domestic tour. All performances of their solo tour held earlier this year sold out, while their shows as part of the more recent Billboard Live Tour 2023 sold out on the first day of ticket sales. Additional dates were added, and these sold out too. 

The band intend to build upon this success with their first world tour. The first date took place at the BubblePop festival Barcelona in July, and the band also played in Yantai, Bueno Aires and Seoul. On November 12, they played their first solo concert in Taipei. The band gained sudden attention from music fans around the world when their song ‘PAINT’ was used as the theme song for the anime series ‘ONE PIECE’, leading them to perform a concert in Brazil. With the 10th anniversary of their debut just around the corner, I Don’t Like Mondays. look set to keep expanding their horizons.

Be sure to check out ‘What’s going on? feat. Celina Sharma’ here!

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!

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.