 US fans of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu will have reason to celebrate this summer as she recently announced a new tour that includes dates in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles!
 Kicking the year off strong the all female band played the first show of their 2018 tour at Kashiwa Palooza on February 10th. The ladies also had a surprise reveal that their new album, G-litter, will be released on April 11th. The album will contain 10 songs, one of them being “Generation Gap”, which was previously released as a single in September. Fans who heard the song back in September were excited to know that there would be a follow up to that release.
 Make it your “Choice” to listen to Mio Yamazaki
Do you like mysterious lead singers? Are you a fan of J-rock? Do you like Hell Girl? Then this album may just be for you! What a time to be a Touhou fan! With the Release of official Touhou games now coming to Steam, we have all kinds of games to play this month. So, what could be greater? Why, how about a Touhou metal music album?   With a whole new digital system and song for the AR/MR (Augmented Reality/Mixed Reality) Live "ACRONS", Mannequin Rapping Duo ”FEMM” appear at CES 2018 held in Las Vegas!
CES 2018 is held until January 12th (Friday) at the Las Vegas Convention Center. It's become a tradition here at A-to-J Connections to publish an article spotlighting the favorite songs of 2017 as chosen by various A-to-J staff. 2017 was an interesting year for both Japanese music and for A-to-J and we hope that you check out all our picks and maybe let us know about some of your own! While we didn't achieve the percentage of participation as previous years, about half of current A-to-J staff contributed to this article and per usual this article represents the views of several members who often share quite different tastes in music so you'll find several different genres here! Without further ado let's jump into this look into 2017 as we launch forward into the new year!
 Japanese jazz pop trio Lamp have announced that they will release their 8th studio album, Kanojo no Tokei, in the spring of 2018. The album will be a follow-up to Lamp's acclaimed and beloved 2014 record Yume, an album which gained the band a sizable following in the west.
 BAND-MAID has really taken the J-Rock music scene by storm with their heavy sound and cute maid aesthetics. They have released many popular songs since their debut MV for "Thrill" and this coupled with the fact that they've performed overseas several times has made them a favorite of many. Adding a unique take to the mostly straight pop performances at J-POP Summit 2017, BAND-MAID was the only full band to perform on this year's main stage and we were lucky enough to interview them right before their big concert! This was one of the most fun interviews we've done and we're pleased to share it with you all! We hope that you look more into BAND-MAID's activities and check out their links following the interview!
BAND-MAID formed in 2013 and debuted with their mini album "MAID IN JAPAN". While performing music along the rock and metal styles, the band incorporates imagery and themes from Japanese Maid Cafe culture, based on the concept of maids serving their "masters and princesses". They quickly gained the attention of rock fans the world over with their music video for the song "Thrill" which hit millions of views its first week. This runaway success was followed by another mini-album, "New Beginning", and their first US concert appearance at Sakura-Con in Seattle, Washington. Not one to lose momentum, they quickly followed this up with their third mini-album, "Brand New MAID", and many more shows both domestic and overseas. 2017 is proving to be one of their biggest years yet following the release of their first full album "Just Bring It" and their third single "Daydreaming/Choose Me". J-POP Summit 2017 marked BAND-MAID's first appearance at the event and they headlined the second night's concert series.  The world was introduced to Japanese-born, London-based pop singer Rina Sawayama in March with her single Cyber Stockholm Syndrome. It wasn't her first single, nor did it make huge waves, but it seemed to draw just enough attention to the singer to start sowing the seeds of a major breakout. With a nostalgic sound reminiscent of Britney Spears, Destiny's Child, and early Namie Amuro, Sawayama is a breath of fresh air for many who grew up in the 90s. Her debut mini-album, RINA, may just serve to solidify her place in modern pop's canon.
 TOKYO GEGEGAY were probably the biggest surprise guest for us at this year's J-POP Summit. We were excited to be given the opportunity to interview a dance group as this is something that we have not done before in the past. The interview was very fun and full of many laughs from both the group and us. Naturally their performance following this interview was arguably the biggest highlight of J-POP Summit's Day One and many of the other show's guests even stepped out from backstage to witness it! Here's hoping that we hear more from them in the future and that you all look more into them after checking out this interview!
Formed in 2013 for fifth season of DANCE@HERO JAPAN on the late-night TV Tokyo program DANCE@TV, TOKYO GEGEGAY was formed when MIKEY recruited his own students in order to enter, and ultimately win, the contest. Not only did this win mark their debut, but it also netted them a record-breaking score. Originally thought to be a temporary unit, they went onto success on YouTube and beyond. Popular dance videos and MVs followed and in 2015 they took part in the international street dance project, DANCE DANCE ASIA, and performed in both Manila and Bangkok that year. Members MARIE and MIKU also went on to appear in ONE OK ROCK's video "The Way Back" which also featured YUYU as choreographer. TOKYO GEGEGAY also won the 10th Japan Dance Forum Award, being the first group of the street dance genre to do so. J-POP Summit 2016 marks their US debut. |
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