"Suki! ~Cho ver~", the J-Pop hit from Japanese idol group Cho Tokimeki♡Sendenbu, is sweeping the world! While the song was first a smash hit in Japan, it recently took the No.1 spot on the TikTok chart in Korea – and now the buzz has spread to Indonesia, where the song hit No.1 on Spotify’s daily Indonesia Viral 50 chart (as of November 17, 2021).
Seiko Oomori is one of the most interesting pop singers around right now. Not quite an idol, but not quite your basic J-pop singer either, she's about the closest thing you can get to anti-idol without being an actual idol to begin with. I recently wrote about her awesome single "Aishiteru.com", and now we have "TOKYO BLACK HOLE" which is also the title of her full-length album which comes out later this month. "TOKYO BLACK HOLE" is a nice and soothing song. Seiko Oomori has what is in my opinion one of the most outstanding singing voices in the current music scene. She's always doing something different in every song, and can pull off just about any style you can think up. In terms of melody, this isn't my FAVORITE thing she's done, but it's nowhere near bad either. The whisper-thin vocals on the verse pair nicely with the gentle background of acoustic guitar. It's a little bit long and somewhat of a ballad really. I can see this being a great closing song for the album (though it's actually the opening song, which works just as well). This is a super pretty song, blissful even. On the album it's gonna be followed up by the PERFECT song "Magic Mirror", but we'll get to that when the album comes out. For now, "TOKYO BLACK HOLE" is just what I've been wanting; a little bit more Seiko Oomori to keep me hyped for the album. Seiko Oomori's new album "TOKYO BLACK HOLE" will be out on March 23rd, 2016. -Justin Seiko Oomori - TOKYO BLACK HOLE MV Recently a friend asked me if there were any original Japanese Christmas songs I could recommend since they had never heard of any. I was shocked since I could easily think of several dozen off the top of my head and assumed they could too seeing as they were also a fan of Japanese music. See, Christmas music is something I really enjoy and Japanese Christmas music holds a special place too. So with that in mind I set out to make a list of my favorite Japanese Christmas songs both for my friend and for everyone else! Well, when I started that list I realized that it was LONG and that it was all over the place genre-wise. Also, it's worth noting that there are a lot of "winter" songs in Japan that have that Christmas feel, but really aren't Christmas songs in the traditional sense. So compiling a list like this turned out to be harder than I first thought. After some deliberation I decided to narrow the focus to Japanese idol Christmas songs. So here is my list! A few notes though. First, while this list has the "Top 10" feel it isn't so much a ranking as much as just a collection of my ten favorite idol Christmas songs. You can get a slight feel for my favorites depending on where the song is placed in the list, but for the most part I did not try to rank them and as you can see I didn't number them. Also, this list is by no means comprehensive. There are many more songs I didn't include for various reasons; mainly space. Also, I only included original songs so you won't find any covers of English Christmas songs here. (There are a LOT of those by the way) Make sure to check them out and build your own idol Christmas playlist! e-girls - Merry x Merry XMase-girls have a new Christmas song this year! The production values are high, the outfits and sets are beautiful and the girls all look amazing. Why don't I place this higher on the list you ask? Well, I have to admit that it's a great song, but I personally prefer Mr.Snowman to this one. That is a matter of personal preference though and I'm sure many out there will disagree with me on this one. That said, this song isn't a bad one I just feel that the whole package was presented just a little better last year. Don't let my opinion keep this one from your Christmas playlist though! It's already on mine! Shige-pink & Kohappink - Wa~ MERRY Pin X'Mas!Kusumi Koharu was always my Morning Musume oshi so I had to add this one here. I am not a huge fan of the cuteness overload that you hear in this song, but it's cute and catchy so we'll just leave it here nonetheless! Besides Kusumi you also get Sayumi in her earlier years, so there's that as an added bonus though I personally feel that Shige-pink and Kohappink borderlined on cringe-worthiness at times. Once again, personal preference here. Mild criticism aside, this is a standard for every holiday season in my opinion. Whether this is your preferred style or not, it's one that you should check out! Petit Moni - Pittari Shitai X'Mas!More Hello! Project songs! This time it's Petit Moni, which was a group that had my first Hello! Project/Morning Musume oshi, Goto Maki. This was a single for Petit Moni and while I always found it weird when seasonal songs are released as singles (Since they can only be played at one time of the year) I think this one stands out. It has the old-school Tsunku-vibe to it and has been covered countless times by other Hello! Project artists over the years in concert. Seeing as this comes from the height of the Morning Musume boom, the production values are high and this song stands the test of time without sounding too dated. A great addition! SCANDAL - Koibito ga Santa Claus "Koibito ga Santa Claus" is one of the Japanese Christmas songs that you can't get away from. Originally recorded by Yumi Matsutoya it has been covered more times than I can possibly think of. It's a Christmas standard in Japan and the version here is from all-girl rock band Scandal. Not quite an idol cover, but it's the best I could find on short notice! That said, it's a classic for a reason. This is an amazing song that can lend itself to many different musical styles not just its original pop or even the rock you see here. If you're making a Japanese holiday playlist just throw in a half dozen of versions of this and you're halfway there! Vanilla Mood - X'Mas Melody Vanilla Mood is an odd one. They were a four piece band (currently three) that played their own instruments (piano, flute, violin, and cello) but they were marketed as idols circa their debut. We at A-To-J have worked with other artists that are marketed as idols even though we feel they belong in more mature categories so we're no stranger to this, but it was still an odd choice of marketing for the group at the time. That being said this song is an amazingly beautiful song that you should check out! Vanilla Mood was never too popular either so there is a very good chance that this is the first time you're hearing of them. Also it's worth noting that this version of the song is actually a re-recording as vocalist/pianist, Keiko, recorded this song solo prior to this group version. Keiko's solo version was originally released on a Christmas compilation of other original Japanese Christmas songs, but that's for another article. This one is just a little fuller with the other girls performing as well. Buono! - -Winter story- Want an idol Christmas song with just a hint of rock? Then look no further than Buono!'s "Winter Story"! I am a huge fan of all things Buono so this was kind of a given. It was actually this song that really inspired me to track down other idol Christmas songs. Buono might have dissolved with the graduation of Berryz Koubou, but thanks to recent announcements I think it's safe to assume that those watching the Hello! Countdown live this year will most likely have the joy of seeing this song performed live! The English is the chorus just a little off (something that can make or break a song in my opinion) but it never feels too jarring and taken in its entirety it is a very upbeat song that is hard to dislike no matter what your preference is. The rock stylings, complete with the occasional live instruments, help set this one apart from the rest. Definitely one to check out! ZYX - Shiroi Tokyo Okay in case you haven't noticed there is a lot of Hello! Project love on this list. While there is a certain bias towards them there is also the fact that they have put out an amazing number of Christmas songs over the years! Many of them were singles too which is even less common. This was the second (and ultimately last) single for the group ZYX and they went out with a bang! One of the catchiest Christmas songs, this song would become one of the most covered songs in concerts during the holiday season. Also owing to when it was released, it has that fun early 2000s idol vibe that you just don't see in music today. A great addition to your holiday music collection! e-girls - Mr.SnowmanUp now is another one from avex idol supergroup e-girls with "Mr.Snowman"! This song has it all, a catchy melody, uplifting lyrics and beat and an amazingly colorful video to go along with it! If you want a fun song to share with loved ones this year then look no further! Being as e-girls is made up of several smaller idol groups, the video has a refreshing feel as each group/girl take center stage. Being that they're avex they also have some of the greatest songwriters at their disposal to write what is sure to become a Japanese Christmas standard. At the rate e-girls are going they might just overtake Hello! Project in the number of Christmas songs in their catalog. While I love Hello! Project Christmas songs, this is something I'd be really happy to see! C-ute - Aitai Lonely Christmas Most of the other songs on this list are upbeat ones, well now we have C-ute's "Aitai Lonely Christmas". Other songs on this list actually have lyrics that lean more towards sad, but this song is different in that you can actually feel it in the music and video whether or not you know the lyrics themselves. This has to be my favorite idol Christmas song period. The song is well-written and arranged, the track is powerful and different than your typical Christmas song and the girls look great in a video that had decent production values for contemporary Hello! Project. It is also worth noting that we at A-To-J have a certain bias to C-ute these days and love to mention them whenever we can! That said, you should really check this song out. Great vocal performances and the song's message of longing can add a different feel to any holiday playlist. SOLIDEMO - Christmas Eve Okay, this is the other song-every-Japanese-artist-covers-on-Christmas song! There are countless covers of this song, both official and unofficial. Why is this you ask? Well, this song is just so perfect! Tatsuro Yamashita recorded this song in the early 90s in both Japanese and English. The Japanese version has been featured in countless movies and dramas and was recently re-recorded last year. There have been all sorts of covers too over the years. Instrumental, jazz, rock, versions in other languages, it is safe to say that this is Japan's most popular Christmas song. The version here is one by avex group, SOLIDEMO. This video was literally just uploaded Christmas Eve 2015 (yesterday at the time of writing) and is one of the best performances of this song I've ever heard. We at A-To-J were lucky enough to interview SOLIDEMO earlier this year too and they are the friendliest group you could ever hope to meet! Also, since this is an idol Christmas music playlist, I figured it'd be best to find one of the many idol covers of this song. So, if you're putting together that holiday playlist, be sure to throw in a few versions of Christmas Eve! Also....just for fun and because we at A-To-J also cover visual kei, here is my favorite visual kei Christmas song! Yes those exist! Mix Speaker's Inc. - My wish [Horror] X'MasWant some visual kei on Christmas? Well, there are actually lots of Christmas songs by visual kei artists, both original and otherwise. Perhaps this is a list I will compile for next year, we shall see. In the meantime here is my personal favorite, Mix Speaker's Inc.'s "My wish [Horror] X'Mas". While Mix Speaker's Inc. have recently gone through a significant change in vocalists after the departure of Yuki, I think they were a special band in the early days and had a chemistry you don't see too often in visual kei. While this song is something of a departure for the group at the time (also worth noting that this was a single release) it has all the hallmarks of a Christmas classic. It rocks at just the right levels without being too heavy and has the timeless feel that ensure that this is a future classic in the making. If you haven't heard it yet then check it out! There you have it, my picks for an idol Christmas playlist. I repeat that this list is in no way comprehensive. There are countless other idol Christmas songs out there that I know of and there are probably far more that I am unaware of, but this should be enough to get you into the holiday feeling! 'Til next year! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
-Manuel (alavic_222) We here at A-To-J Connections had the distinct pleasure of interviewing the brand new group callme. When we were presented with the opportunity to review their debut album, “Who is callme?”, we knew absolutely nothing about them. Needless to say, we were swept away by how amazing their album was. Being given the opportunity to interview them shortly after that was an immense honor. We hope that you enjoy the interview as much as we did. They are a very fun and unique group who we suspect you can expect great things out of. callme released their debut album on the 28th of October this year. They consist of three members who were in Dorothy Little Happy: Ruuna Akimoto, Mimori Tominaga and Koumi Hayasaka. Their defining feature as an idol group is the fact that they are completely self-produced. They have a very unique sound that has a lot of inspiration from video games and anime. Their first album is a testament to their talent, and shows us that they have a very bright future. A-To-J: Hello! Thank you for this interview. To start, please Introduce Yourselves. callme: Hello we are…. callme!! Nice to meet you! A-To-J: What made you decide to make callme? RUUNA: This year, all three of us graduated high school. So as a graduation project, we formed callme. A-To-J: What is the meaning behind the name ‘callme’? KOUMI: My name is Koumi… RUUNA: I’m Ruuna… MIMORI: and I’m Mimori… RUUNA: We took the first part of our names to make “callme” (ko+ru+mi) A-To-J: How did you feel about the first time you performed as callme? KOUMI: At the time, we always performed with 5 people. Once we started performing with just the 3 of us, the formations were difficult to make it look good compared to doing it with 5 people. There were so many first experiences so we were a bit confused. However we were able to have fun doing the performance. A-To-J: You have a very unique sound in your music. Where do you draw your inspiration from? MIMORI: I’m in charge of composing the music. I really love anime, vocaloid, manga, games… and when I’m playing games, I think of what kind of songs I would want to make. Out of that, I realized the fun in composing and I base off my favorite sounds off of things like anime. KOUMI: I really like overseas artists and Maroon 5 was visiting Japan at the time so we all went to go see their live. We watched the live and studied them so we link that to the songs we compose as well. A-To-J: Did anything surprise you about your first performance back in April? KOUMI: Yes! MIMORI: When we did our first one-man live in April, we only had 3 original songs. So to get more original songs in time for the performance, we were surprised when we were told to make 10 new songs! We somehow did it and realized if humans try their hardest, they can do anything. A-To-J: What is your favorite song on the album “Who is callme?” KOUMI: I like the song “Precious”. I rap in English in the song. I wrote the lyrics for it. It was my first song that had a lot of English in it. I think it made a great opportunity for people outside of Japan, such as people in Los Angeles and other overseas countries, to listen to the song. So that’s why I enjoy the song! MIMORI: My favorite song is “Just Trust”. This song was inspired by games. I composed the song when I was thinking how its ilke playing an RPG. The theme of the song is “new beginning from an ending” so I think people that like games will understand the song. RUUNA: My favorite song is the title song, “step by step”. The lyric “step by step” is repeated throughout the song so I think people overseas will be able to remember it easier so I will love for them listen to it! A-To-J: If you had to describe your sound of the song “Precious” to someone who hadn’t heard it before, how would you describe it? KOUMI: I want them to pay attention to the theme of the song which is the warmth or love from people and its romantic lyrics A-To-J: Which song was the most fun to work on? MIMORI: Song that was most fun to work on… Well there’s a song called “I’m Alone” and it was fun in different ways. This song is a breakup song but we have never experienced a breakup before… We were thinking how to understand the feelings of a breakup so we simulated breakups within the members. (Laughs) We pretended to be girlfriend and boyfriend and broke up… RUUNA: We made situations as if we were in a drama and made the song so it was pretty fun. A-To-J: What is your favorite song to perform live? MIMORI: This has to be the title song, “step by step” because it gets hyped up. When the audience cheers for us, they sing a part of the song that goes “Oh-eh-oh oh oh~” with us. I feel the unity and it makes it very fun! A-To-J: Which song was the most challenging to work on? RUUNA: We have a song called “Be Myself” and it was the hardest song of the album. We hadn’t worked on the lyrics all together since the debut single. The theme of the song was “life” and it was such a grand theme. We couldn’t agree with one thing and so it took the most time to write the lyrics. Till the very end there were many different ideas and we worked hard on the song. A-To-J: As leader, are there any challenges that you never expected, Ruuna-san? RUUNA: All of us in callme are O blood type. Same age and O blood type so we’re a bunch of free spirited people. It’s great that we’re all different but our opinions don’t get together well often… So it’s hard to gather all the good parts from each of us, every time. But we do try to make it up by working hard to make something great, so I think its fine. A-To-J: Mimori-san, where did you learn to compose music? MIMORI: I started composing as a hobby and at the time I was imitating my favorite songwriter as I was composing my music. There were a lot of things I didn’t know about composing when I started doing it for callme. Our arranger taught me a lot of things such as DTM (Desktop Music) and I’m using that knowledge for composing. A-To-J: Did you ever think that you’d be able consistently compose your own music when you first entered into the industry? MIMORI: I didn’t think I would be composing in the beginning. However, as I entered this industry, I started love music more and felt that it was really fun. Then I started wanting to make my own music and started composing so I didn’t think I would be doing this when I first entered into the industry. A-To-J: Koumi-san, the choreography you do flows really nicely. What kinds of styles or people inspire you? KOUMI: Specifically, there’s a Korean group called “2NE1” and they really enjoy their lives. Instead of trying to only synchronize with the rest of the members, I can feel that that each member enjoys performing and that makes their fans enjoy the live as well. That is what I felt when I went to go see their live and it made me feel how important that is so I use it as reference. A-To-J: You’re also pretty skilled in English. Why did you decide to learn English, of all the language choices you had? KOUMI: I liked songs in English and also movies in English so I wanted to understand English. I also wanted to communicate with many people overseas and wanted to share our cultures so I decided to study English. A-To-J: Are there any specific languages the members of callme would want to learn besides English? KOUMI: I want to learn Spanish. I think Spanish is spoken in many countries so I wanted to expand in countries that don’t just speak English but Spanish as well. MIMORI: I want to learn French. I can’t speak much English yet but I want to learn many things before going overseas. RUUNA: I want to learn Chinese. I really like fried rice and I heard there are Chinatowns all over the world so I want to visit them. I feel like I need to learn Chinese in order to do so, so I want to learn the language. A-To-J: Have you ever thought about singing in any of these other languages? RUUNA: We want to make a song with many different languages and sing it at many different countries. A-To-J: Being self-produced is very uncommon, especially from people who come from idol groups. How do you feel like this unique feature will interest more people? MIMORI: Since we make things on our own, we share the feelings we put into our songs and I think we can convey that from our hearts, therefore I think we can also reach their heart with our music. A-To-J: What kinds of challenges do you face, being completely self-produced? RUUNA: Since we make our music, we get attached to each song so it’s hard to see the song objectively. We try to work this out with the three of us; for example if I, RUUNA, make the lyrics for a song, I have the other two look at it objectively for me and get advice. The second half of our interview with callme will be posted soon! Keep an eye out for it and for other news on callme! The video for the newest single and relevant links can be found below! The above interview was conducted by Teepu Khan with direction by Manuel Figueroa. On-site and post translation by Tiffany Fujii. Official pictures courtesy of avex callme - step by step callme is:
- Akimoto Ruuna (秋元瑠海) - Tominaga Mimori (富永美杜) - Hayasaka Koumi (早坂香美) For More Information: callme’s Official Site: http://avex.jp/callme/ callme’s Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/callme_official callme’s Official Instagram: https://instagram.com/callme_official/ callme on mumo Shop: http://shop.mu-mo.net/avx/sv/list1?jsiteid=MSW&artist_id=CALLM callme on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/callme/id968272102 callme on cdjapan: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/person/700706365 For those of you who are not familiar with the NHK annual Kouhaku, it is a concert that is meant to celebrate the New Year in Japan. This concert has some of the best musical acts in all of Japan, and this concert is meant to be a reward for a year’s worth of hard work. Some of the J-Pop groups that made it this year include AKB48, Nogizaka46, Perfume, and NMB48. But you might be asking yourself, who did not make it this year? Well, I am going to list a few J-Pop acts that may have been snubbed by NHK. Some of which for good reason, and some of which made absolutely no sense. Acts such as Momoiro Clover Z, Rev. from DVL, and Cheeky Parade, did not make the lineup, but I will focus on four acts in particular. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Harajuku’s finest did not make it into the NHK Kouhaku lineup this year. To be 100% honest, I can see why. Even though I am a huge fan of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, I, as well as thousands of her fans, have to agree that she did not go as hard as previous years, especially 2013 and 2014. She had two big releases the entire year in “Mondai Girl” and “Crazy Party Night”, and the general consensus is that “Crazy Party Night” is one of her weaker singles. This year there was no album release and Pamyu did not make it to the United States to perform (she was close to going to J-Pop Summit in San Francisco this year but management backed her out at the last minute). Basically, compared to what we have seen of her, this was not the best year for Pamyu, and thus she got snubbed off of this year’s NHK Kouhaku. But what I did like about this year was that this year was kind of a means to relax, especially given all she has done in previous years. She has gone hard as a mother since the debut of “PONPONPON” back in 2011. I will still be here to support her no matter what. If she wants in on NHK Kouhaku next year however, she may need to release more than two singles. HKT48 If you did not know this interesting tidbit of trivia, HKT48 was not supposed to be in the NHK Kouhaku last year. That spot was reserved for Nogizaka46, but after Yamato Rina had a scandal that involved breaking the law, Nogizaka46 was booted off of the lineup and subbed in with HKT48. Given that Nogizaka46 has done nothing wrong to get kicked off of the lineup this year, they have finally earned that long overdue NHK Kouhaku spot. Unfortunately for HKT48, that means they get the short end of the stick. While HKT48 had a few solid releases this year, such as “12 Byou” and “Shekarashika!”, those two singles alone were not enough to secure a spot. HKT48’s snub will not exactly affect members who have been on an AKB48 senbatsu, such as Miyawaki Sakura and Sashihara Rino. However, for the HKT48-centric members, such as Moriyasu Madoka, Murashige Anna, and Matsuoka Natsumi, this affects them a whole lot more. SKE48 This is probably the biggest snub on the 48G side of things. Yes, SKE48 is not in the NHK Kouhaku lineup this year, but the bigger question would be, why did they get snubbed? I would say the biggest reason had to be all of the members who graduated this year alone. Two members in particular had the most stopping power in the entire lineup, and both of those members (Matsui Rena and Furukawa Airi) have now graduated. Things are a little shaky in Sakae right now, to the point where Matsui Jurina had to cut her AKB48 kennin off. This is an idol unit that is somehow going through a “rebuilding phase”, and releasing only two singles this year did not help their cause (no, we are not counting the Love Crescendo single or any of the sub-unit singles). I am by no means insulting the lineup or any of the members; I do like Shibata Aya, Tani Marika, Kumazaki Haruka, and Takayanagi Akane. Unfortunately for all of them, SKE48 will have to regroup and wait until next year to secure a Kouhaku spot. Like most rebuilding teams in sports, just get through the present in order to focus on future goals. It may suck now, but it will be worth it in the future. I hope Matsui Jurina knows that… Ebisu Muscats lol In all honesty, there was no chance that the Ebisu Muscats, even during their revival, could make NHK Kouhaku. Speaking as a fan of the Muscats since 2010, even when they were in their prime (2012-2013), they had no chance. I cannot speak for NHK management, but if an idol group with av stars makes NHK Kouhaku, would that raise a few problems? The funny thing is, on the Ebisu Muscats’ variety show, they would throw a Kouhaku-style performance set, complete with costumes and parodies. This was the only time I saw my Ebisu Muscats oshimen, Rukawa Rina, perform “Aitakatta” by AKB48. That was one of the greatest moments I had seen of her on that entire show, ever. Basically, the Ebisu Muscats may never get into an NHK Kouhaku lineup for family-friendly reasons, and that is a-ok. Those are the entries that missed their spot on NHK Kouhaku. Did I miss anyone? Were there even bigger snubs? Let me know in the comments below. -Nathan (L4verra) Perfume Recently released a 30 second commercial promoting the new A-class model Mercedes Benz. It also features a new song titled “Next Stage with YOU”. The commercial is a 3D animation done by Legendary Animator Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Neon Genesis Evangelion series) and features a virtual Perfume dancing with choreography similar to driving a car. A Perfume version of the car with stickers on the side of it will be sold online, but only 30 will be made. There will also be a “Next Stage with YOU” available on the IPhone App Store where you can take “Virtual Perfume” and have them perform in various stages using the phone's built-in camera. Collab Site: http://www.aclass-next-stage-with-you.jp/#!/top App Site: http://app.aclass-next-stage-with-you.jp/ Hiiragi Rio put on three amazing shows at Japan Expo LA and got the crowds that came to see her very hyped up! We were able to catch up to her after her final performance and she was able to pull herself away from her legions of fans to grant us an interview. We hope to see more of her here in the US and hope that this isn't our last chance to sit down and talk with her! Hiiragi Rio is a Japanese idol and J-Pop singer known by her nickname "Riorio" and her catchphrase "Takama Riorio!". She debuted solo in 2011 and was also a member of the group, Heart&Cupid. She released her first solo single in 2013 and it was followed by four more over the next two years. She has performed abroad in Taiwan, France and in the UK with Japan Expo LA marking her first performance in the US. A-To-J: Please introduce yourself. Rio: Yes! Everyone, raise your hands up! Ready… shimmer, shimmer, shimmer, super big smile! I’m Hiiragi Rio, also known as Riorio! Everyone together… “Takama… Riorio!” (Translator’s Note: “Takamaru” is the word she’s using to combine with her name, it means to get hype) Nice to meet you! A-To-J: How do you like L.A.? Have you gone sightseeing? Rio: L.A. is very friendly! If I wave “hi”, they say “hi” back! The food is also great! I love eating a lot so I’m happy that the portions are big here. Yay! A-to-J: What food do you like the most here? Rio: Hmm… Hamburgers! A-to-J: From where? Rio: There was a place near the convention center that is supposed to be fourth most popular in America. It was tasty, “juicy!” (English) A-To-J: What is the difference of Japanese fans and American fans? Rio: There’s a lot of people that haven’t seen me before so they don’t really know what to do seeing my lives but as the live went on, everyone cheered along and it was heated up and very fun! A-To-J: What is your inspiration? Rio: I really love anime and I get influenced by anime singers. There’s no one person but I’ve been inspired by many “anisong” singers. A-To-J: What is your favorite “anisong”? Rio: I really like Code Geass so I really love the song “Mosaic Kakera”. A-To-J: Please tell us your goals for next year. Rio: I want to come back to LA! Also since the US is big, I want to go to other places like NY or Seattle. In Japan, I want to become big and a star! A-To-J: Is it hard to always perform with such energy? Rio: I’ve never thought of it as hard. I get a lot of energy from the fans so we exchange a lot of heat and make it a great time which is why I’ve never felt like it was tough. A-To-J: Have you had any funny happenings during lives? Rio: For my 19th birthday, I had a one-man live. I tripped during the first song… During the first part of the song, I told the fans “Let’s get hype!” and then I tripped. It was embarrassing but I do trip during my lives sometimes A-To-J: Can you tell us something about your fashion style? Rio: Harajuku style! I really like this style and I know overseas people enjoy it so I wear this style to overseas. When I’m in Japan, I wear Japanese style or more mature or cute styles… I wear many different things! A-To-J: Can you give us the detail on what you’re wearing right now? Rio: There’s a lot of badges attached [to my skirt]. There’s also a pocket with a doll in it. A-To-J: What brand is it from? Rio: This one is Nile Perch! There’s also a wallet attached. A-To-J: Was it sold separately from the dress? Rio: Yes, I attached all these things myself! And these are… (Lifts up yellow paw shaped gloves) pockets! Then my backpack, Darko-chan! I also have these shiny headphones. A-To-J: Did you decorate the headphones yourself? Rio: This is a brand, yes! (Laughs) A-To-J: Where do you go shopping? Rio: This is all Harajuku! Except for the yellow paws, these are from Shinjuku. A-To-J: What is a store that you recommend? Rio: Nile Perch! They sell a lot of pastel colored goods. A-To-J: Have you performed at any other overseas countries? Rio: Other than America, I’ve performed at Macao, Hong Kong, Taiwan, France and the UK. A-To-J: Where in Taiwan? Rio: I went to Taipei and Takao! A-To-J: What food did you like in Taiwan? Rio: Tapioca! It was chewy. A-To-J: Did you go to the night market while in Taiwan? Rio: Yes I did! Everything was delicious! A-To-J: Where can we get updates and information about you? Rio: You can find it on Twitter, Facebook, Ameba Blog, as well as everyday broadcasts such as Nico Nico Broadcast, Twitcasting, SHOWROOM, AfreecaTV and Youtube. I also do LINE as well (@hiiragirio1220). My twitter id is @hiiragirio. A-To-J: Please send a message to your US fans. Rio: I was happy to be able to come to America for the first time! If you’ve seen me for the first time and you became my fan, I will come back to see you again. I will go to LA and other parts of America in the future! With the broadcasts, you can see me every day! Please come see me! “I love you!” (blows kiss) Bye! The above interview was conducted by Darice Chang with assistance by Stephanie and Ellen, all of whom provided on-site translation. It was directed by Manuel Figueroa with filming by Eunice Wang and post translation by Tiffany Fujii A while ago I wrote an article detailing the Franchise Four of the 48 Groups. Since we are still in baseball season, I am still thinking about “Franchise Fours” like crazy. It got me thinking… Who is on my Franchise Four? What I mean by this is the four artists or idols that really got you into J-Pop, or have done something special that kept you as a fan almost forever. The possibilities are endless if you’ve been a fan of J-Pop for years now, but if you had to narrow it down to just four individuals, who would it be and why? Let me tell you which four individuals I selected. I would have never enjoyed J-Pop if it weren’t for these four… Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Minegishi Minami, Wada Maaya, Rukawa Rina
Let me explain each one in detail. The reason why I chose Kyary Pamyu Pamyu as the first choice is because she remains the only person out of these three that I have seen perform live. I first heard of Pamyu through the Ebisu Muscats’ variety show way back in 2013. Some of the Muscats were covering her songs during one of the show’s segments, and the song “Tsukema Tsukeru” was covered. Curious, I did a little research on the song and found out that it was by an upcoming artist named Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. From then on, I became hooked. It took a while for me to get used to songs such as “PonPonPon” and “Candy Candy”, but eventually they grew on me and I could not stop playing them. Then I found out she was coming here. She was going to perform at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. Of course, I could not let an opportunity like that slip by, so I bought a ticket, went to the concert 4 hours early, and met a lot of new friends there. I screamed my heart out when I saw her take the stage, and I thought to myself, “I have to do this again!” Lucky for me, she was performing in San Francisco the same year, so I traveled all the way up there to see her once again. While that concert was short (and not worth the 6 hour drives…), I was still rather thankful to watch her perform. The very next year, she came back to perform, and I once again did not let this opportunity slip by. I’ve seen her perform three times in my life, which is why I have her on my Franchise Four. If she ever comes back, I may get the VIP package to get myself a photo with her. I will admit this: Kyary has been my celebrity crush since 2013… I’ve already touched on Minegishi Minami and Wada Maaya before, but there’s no harm in reviewing! I found out about Minegishi Minami because of her scandal. I used to despise AKB48 (as was the case with most Ebisu Muscats fans), but when I found out she shaved her head due to a dating scandal, I got curious. I did a little research on who she was, what she’s done with AKB48, and so on. It did not take too long for me to drop the AKB48 hatred and call her my oshi. Yes, that scandal is what drove me to become a Minegishi Minami fan. She unlocked AKB48 and their sister groups for me, which is the main reason why she is on my Franchise Four. As for Wada Maaya, her story is a little bit different. When I found out the Ebisu Muscats disbanded in 2013, I had to find a new group to pay attention to. While AKB48 was an option, I saw a bunch of photos on Tumblr of this attractive lady named Shiraishi Mai. Turns out she was on an idol group called Nogizaka46. I grew curious of Nogizaka46 and their determination to be the first “rival group” of AKB48. I also became curious as to who the members were, who was cute, who was worth following, etc. Then this underrated girl at the bottom of the list showed up, and her name was Maaya. Like Minegishi Minami, I did a little research on Wada Maaya to see what kind of idol she was. I found…almost nothing. But to tell you the truth, the reason why I became a fan of Maaya was because she was vastly underrated. She has so much untapped potential as an idol, to the point where I believe she can be as popular as other idols her age, such as Murashige Anna, Komiyama Haruka, and dare I say, Miyawaki Sakura. Wada Maaya is funny, gives good handshakes, has a nice singing voice, and is cute with her short hair. While I know that a lot of idols are like that, in my opinion Maaya does these things better than most idols. This is why she is on my Franchise Four. The last spot goes to Rukawa Rina, who I’ve written about before. Since the Ebisu Muscats were the first J-Pop group I was ever interested in, I had to pick a favorite. It took a few tries (Asami Yuma, Rio, etc.), but eventually Rukawa Rina caught my eye. The things that I did like about her were that she was cute, she liked anime, and she was close to my age (the rest of the Muscats were 4+ years older than I was). Put all those factors in and thus she became my Ebisu Muscats oshi. She also was an adult video idol, but she was the first idol I called an oshi, so that explains why she is on my Franchise Four. That just about does it for my Franchise Four selections. These four individuals are the reason why I am a huge fan of J-Pop, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Who is on your Franchise Four? -Nathan (L4verra) More Info has been released about the WE ARE PERFUME World Tour 3rd Document screenings. A simultaneous release with the Japanese screening will be held in Los Angeles and New York on October 31st and November 1st. More dates to come soon. I highly encourage that if you are a fan of Perfume to please come out to these screenings!
New York screening Anthology Film Archives 32 2nd Avenue New York, NY 10003 Phone: 212-505-5181 Time: 12pm-2pm Los Angeles screening Downtown Independent 251 S. Main St. Los Angeles CA, 90012 Phone: 213-617-1033 Time: 3pm-5pm Ticket Price: 18$ To buy tickets to the Los Angeles Screening go here: perfumejpnla.brownpaperticket.com To buy tickets to the New York Screening go here: perfumejpnny.brownpaperticket.com Dont forget to like the Perfume Street Team page on Facebook and subscribe/RSVP to their events! facebook.com/PerfumeStreetTeam Perfume's new single “Star Train” finally has a release date! It's going to be released October 28th with two editions, a regular edition and a limited edition. The limited edition will include instrumental versions of the songs on the single, a photo booklet and a DVD with a behind the scenes look at the recording of imitation world and an MV for Star Train. Be sure to pick it up!
Track Listings: 1.*Star Train -The theme song to the WE ARE Perfume-World Tour 3rd Document 2.*Tokimeki Lights -Used in a chocoloa BB CM 3.Imitation World 4.Star Train -Original Instrumental- 5.Tokimeki Lights -Original Instrumental- 6. Imitation World -Original Instrumental- |
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February 2024
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