Tomggg Releases New Album “Sweet Romance'' Featuring LA Singer-Songwriter Raychel Jay!

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‘Sweet Romance’ Jacket Cover

Tomggg is a Japanese music producer / composer that is attracting attention both domestically and internationally for its original sound. Last year, he collaborated with Filipino artist ena mori on their first collaboration song "ICHIGO Milk,'' which received high acclaim from various media, and collaborated with Bo en, his long related artist and friend, on his song "I Still Miss You.'' He also collaborated with Daoko, Japanese singer songwriter, on "Nanairo color''  for Miraikan National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation and showed his various activities throughout the year.

Raychel

Tomggg's first song released in 2024 is a collaboration with LA singer-songwriter Raychel Jay. In 2020, They released their first collaboration song, "Away With Me," which was featured on various playlists in Japan and the United States, and is now one of Tomgg's most popular songs. 

Since Away with Me was composed during the coronavirus pandemic, Raychel sang "take me far away," but in the new song "Sweet Romance", she sings about a sad love story. Raychel's singing voice and Tomggg's detailed track are intertwined with novel-like lyrics sprinkled with scenic details, creating a work that intersects evolution over the past four years with a universal style that remains unchanged.

Be sure to check out ‘Sweet Romance’ across all streaming platforms here!

LIL LEAGUE Release ‘Lollipop’, Lead Track from Upcoming Album ‘TRICKSTER’, Along with Music Video!

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TRICKSTER Jacket Cover

Dance/vocal/rap group LIL LEAGUE have released their new single ‘Lollipop’, the lead track from their upcoming first full-length album ‘TRICKSTER’, along with a music video.

The song title hints at something sweet, but the theme of the lyrics is the contrast between “the surface and what lies beneath”, or the light side and the dark. We all yearn for a world that is sweet and glamourous, but beneath the surface lie bitter and painful experiences. Artists who live public lives in the bright spotlight may be plunged into darkness for saying or doing the wrong thing. The track borrows its melody from 19th-century composer Edvard Grieg’s timeless ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’. This classic piece was first composed to soundtrack a scene in the stage play ‘Peer Gynt’, in which the protagonist is pursued by the troll Mountain King’s minions.

As ‘Lollipop’ explores themes of light and dark, Grieg’s melody creates a thrilling, mysterious atmosphere. Making use of tricks like sound effects and a sudden rhythm change in its outro, the song has a playful sound that is typical of LIL LEAGUE. The music video echoes the themes of the lyrics by contrasting scenes of the group members in the glittering spotlight with darker footage of them as puppets on a string. Going back and forth between these seen and unseen worlds, LIL LEAGUE express themselves as artists, not puppets, who have their own creativity and vision.

The video was filmed on location in Taiwan at Lihpao Resort as well as at Shitou Park, an abandoned theme park that is now used as a filming location. Look out for the group’s high-speed performance in front of the brightly lit Ferris wheel and giant candy statue in this otherwise desolate, eerie amusement park. It’s a video that perfectly intercuts footage from one resort that is lively and thriving, and one that is deserted. 

LIL LEAGUE made their debut in January last year and won the Best New Artist Award at the 65th Japan Record Awards, while their debut single ‘Hunter’ ranked No.1 on the Oricon Chart and No.2 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart. LIL LEAGUE were also selected by respondents in the Next Trend Prediction poll for the second half of 2023, based on the choices of 120,000 Generation Z voters. After a whirlwind debut year that included holding a headline hall tour of Japan just six months after their debut,

LIL LEAGUE are moving into a new phase – and anticipation for their upcoming first full-length album is reaching fever pitch. Be sure to check out the music video for ‘Lollipop’ below along with the streaming link here!

ARKTA Releases their Lead Single 'The Lily'!

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‘The Lily’ Jacket Cover

International hybrid alternative rock unit, ARKTA has released the new single “The Lily”, which is available to listen to now on all digital platforms. The track is taken from their upcoming first EP that will be out in February. I began writing this song by creating a lyrical concept and the band had conveyed their feelings not only through sound but also through their words.

Kenken mentions, “Hope and despair, justice and evil, and love and hatred. Everything is precious because it is all back-to-back, transient, and ever-changing. Only by overcoming the conflicts of the mind that waver in the midst of these struggles, can one be true to one's convictions and wish for the happiness of the people one loves. Such thoughts were put into this song.” Tak adds, "How does one confront with your human aspects and emotions and continue to move forward despite the struggles? Not on whether it was right or wrong, we wrote the song based on ARKTA's interpretation of Riddhe as an individual person.”

Be sure to check out “The Lily” on all streaming platforms here!

Kohana Lam’s new ‘The Dangers in My Heart’ anime theme song ‘Loving Me, Loving You’ out now!

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‘Loving Me, Loving You’ Jacket Cover

With a singing voice overflowing with emotion that will pierce your heart, Kohana Lam has amassed over 500,000 subscribers on YouTube. Now, her new single ‘Loving Me, Loving You’ has been released this past month on all digital streaming platforms

Following Kohana Lam’s ending theme song for the first season of anime series The Dangers in My Heart, ‘Loving Me, Loving You’ is being featured as the ending theme to Season 2.

Just like ‘a few sentimental’, her ending theme for Season 1, the new single is produced by KERENMI, the alter-ego project of Koichi Tsutaya. The song is based on the themes of “adolescence” and “blessing”, with a warm nostalgic sound and lyrics that convey the feeling of emotional growth portrayed in ‘The Dangers in My Heart’.

A music video for ‘Loving Me, Loving You’ was also released on January 8, starring Maya Imamori, a 17-year-old talent from Miyazaki Prefecture. The look of innocence on her face in the video is breathtakingly beautiful, adding color to the world created by the song.

Be sure to check out the music video for ‘Loving Me, Loving You’ below, along with the streaming link here!

NAQT VANE release first full-length album ‘Dispersion’, out now!

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Dispersion Jacket Cover

Ensemble unit NAQT VANE have released their first full-length album, ‘Dispersion’. The album title is a reference to the way that light is refracted through a gemstone. The strength to which light is dispersed varies depending on the type of jewel, and diamonds have a perfectly balanced dispersion that makes them shine so vividly. NAQT VANE’s message on ‘Dispersion’ is that just as each gem shines in its own way, a group of people who embrace their differences can unite to create a dazzling brilliance.

The lead track ‘puzzle’ expresses how we can use the power within ourselves to break free from confusion and chaos. The song’s strong melody line embodies the essential NAQT VANE-esque quality the group have already fostered, only a year and a half on from their debut.

The music video for ‘puzzle’ shows a person living in perpetual disarray, an endless cloud of coiled emotions and incidents. The self, other people, matter – all chaotically intertwined. Amid this turmoil, we search for where we belong and where we should go. The video makes impressive use of camera framing and space to show us one such person, who draws on something deep inside to free themselves from the clutches of chaos which is located below!

To celebrate the album release, the band will hold a concert in Japan titled NAQT VANE Special Event -Dispersion - on Saturday, May 11. A livestream that can be viewed from overseas is also under consideration, so keep an eye out for updates and be sure to check out ‘Dispersion’ across all streaming platforms here!