Love is Born again as Ai Otsuka celebrates 16th anniversary with concert release!

Japanese pop singer-songwriter and major staple in the industry Ai Otsuka is releasing the concert held on September 8, 2019 which marked her 16th anniversary debut performance at Hibiya Open Air Concert Hall. LOVE IS BORN ~16th Anniversary 2019 will be released January 15, 2020 and will come in three editions. What makes LOVE IS BORN ~16th Anniversary 2019 so special is that one of the editions will be a live 2-CD edition of the concert in addition to the other two formats being 2-DVD and Blu-ray. All three editions will contain a total of 21 tracks including her latest song “Chime” which has been used as the opening theme to the 2019 anime reboot Fruits Basket along with two other songs she will also sing live for the first time: “XOX” and “Akkanbe”. LOVE IS BORN ~16th Anniversary 2019 will also include a special movie as a bonus as well as audio commentary by Ai Otsuka herself!

Check out the track listing, pre-order links, and latest promotional video below!

Blu-ray

DVD

Blu-ray edition

LOVE IS BORN ~16th Anniversary 2019~

Track Listing Blu-ray/2DVD

1. kit palette

2. フレンジャー (Frienger)

3. あっかん べ (Akkanbe)

4. アクション10.5 (Action 10.5)

5. U-ボート (U-boat)

6. LIFE-LOVE CiRCLE

7. 桃ノ花ビラ (Momo no Hanabira)

8. HEART

9. I □ ×××

10. プラネタリウム (Planetarium)

11. しゃぼん玉 (Shabon tama)

12. QueeN

13. affair

14. laugh

15. XOX

16. ロケットスニーカー (Rocket Sneaker)

17. ポンポン (PonPon)

18. Happy Days

19. Chime

20. 360°

21. さくらんぼ (Sakuranbo)

22. 撮り下ろしスペシャルムービー (約45分収録予定) (※DVD/Blu-rayのみ) [特典映像] Bonus special newly shot movie (approximately 45mins, Blu-ray & 2DVD ONLY) - this is disc 2 for the DVD version

Track Listing 2CD

Disc 1

Live 2CD edition

1. 1kit palette

2. 2フレンジャー

3. 3あっかん べ

4. 4アクション10.5

5. 5U-ボート

6. 6LIFE-LOVE CiRCLE

7. 7桃ノ花ビラ

8. 8HEART

9. 9I □ ×××

10. 10プラネタリウム11しゃぼん玉

Disc 2:

2DVD edition

1. QueeN

2. affair

3. laugh

4. XOX

5. ロケットスニーカー

6. ポンポン

7. Happy Days

8. Chime

9. 360°

10. さくらんぼ

Koda Kumi Celebrates 20th Anniversary!

Popular Japanese vocalist, songwriter, and one of the queens of J-pop is celebrating her 20th Anniversary! Koda’s 20th year in the music industry began December sixth, which was when her debut single “TAKE BACK” was released back in 1999. To celebrate this exceptional occasion, Koda Kumi held a special concert for her fan club on December sixth titled, “Koda Kumi 19th→20th Anniversary Event” at Zepp Diver City in Tokyo.

Not only did Koda hold an event for her fans, she has also released special 20th Anniversary music videos for many of her hit songs such as: “you”, “TAKE BACK”, “Gentle Words”. On December sixth, “you”, “TAKE BACK”, “Unmei” “NEVER ENOUGH”, and “Cherry Girl” were released, while Gentle words dropped on December 9th.

If you are a part of Koda Kumi’s official fan club, commemorative 20th anniversary goods are available to purchase, such as T-shirts, jackets, towels, and more. Look forward to more 20th Anniversary news from Koda as she will be celebrating throughout this year!

Be sure to grab your copy of her latest album re(CORD), which you can find in our previous article here. Check out the 20th Anniversary special full version videos for “you” ,“TAKE BACK”, “Cherry Girl” “Unmei”, “NEVER ENOUGH”, and “Gentle Words” below, along with a special live video to promote her 20th Anniversary!

Music Corner Week 28: FAKY

FAKY is a Japanese five-member pop dance and vocal unit under the avex trax sublabel rhythm zone. They got their start in 2013 on YouTube with their debut track “Better Without You”. After this debut they began releasing songs digitally in January 2014 and released their first digital mini album later that year. In 2015 they revamped their style and sound as well as introduced a new member to the group. Currently the members consist of Mikako, Taki, Akina, Lil’ Fang, and Hina. They utilize their bilingual skills in many of their songs with the perfect mixture and flow of Japanese and English.

FAKY brings a fun fresh flavor to the Japanese pop scene. Each girl brings something unique, whether it be style or vocals. In their song “Candy” they bring an enjoyable musical style with the addition of a trumpet mixed with some great beats for a fun attractive party tune with R&B influence. Their strong vocals are showcased along with the harmonies in the chorus. FAKY’s debut song “Better Without You” is a heavy dance song which has EDM and Eurobeat influence in it with amazing vocals and a catchy chorus. In their song “SUGA SWEET” you hear a sweet R&B/pop tune that is easy on the ears and reminds you of a perfect mix of a sugary pop song with an R&B twist due to the composition and vocal capabilities. FAKY’s newest bop “ANTIDOTE” has a very different vibe, a pop tune with a reggae twist.

FAKY currently has two digital mini albums, The One and Candy; one physical mini album, Unwrapped,; one physical single, “four”; a live digital album; and twenty-four digital singles currently. You can follow FAKY on their official website, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Also check out their latest music video “ANTIDOTE” below, which was written by J-rapper Awitch!