Cheeky Parade will perform their last ever solo show on July 12, 2018.

It was officially announced recently that the girl group will disband at the end of July and that they would announce details about a final solo show at a later date. Those details were finally unveiled on April 25. Members Marin Yamamoto and Mariya Suzuki who have been studying abroad in LA for almost 2 years will perform at the concert.

Full music videos for the group’s latest songs, Answer, marigold and I Don’t Care, which went on sale on February 14, were simultaneously posted on avex’s official Youtube channel.

Answer

marigold

The members had mentioned at several places that they wanted people to see the second halves of each music video, and at long last they’re here.

I Don’t Care

Let us burn Cheeky Parade’s final all-out concert with all 7 members and their music videos into our memories.

Cheeky Parade performed at Shibuya Womb’s limited period live “LIVE LIVE LIVE! VOL 5” on Friday 9^th June. As this was the last live in which Cheeky Parade band members Seran Mizorogi Momoka Kodakari will partake before leaving, it came to no surprise that the tickets were sold out. The venue was packed with fans eager to see the girls’ last performance together.

Cheeky Parade performed all their songs at this event and at the previous limited event “LIVE LIVE LIVE! VOL4”. After a lengthy 5 ½ years of being together, holding the stage with their gorgeous charm, this time Seran and Momoka gave it their all for each song.

The band kicked off LIVE LIVE LIVE! VOL5 with “WE ARE THE GREATEST NINE9” – a strong opening which shows their strong bonds. The singing arrangement focussed around the two members who will be leaving to study in LA. Each member layered their vocals with individual solos. Even though this was just the start of the show, you could see tears in the eyes of the performers. They continued to perform their singles “BUNBUN NINE9”, “C.P.U!?”, “Mugendai Shoujo A”, “Together”, “M.O.N.ST＠R”, “Hands up!”, “Shout along” and much more.

For the encore, they performed “Bokura ga No.1” and repeated “M.O.N.ST＠R” again. Although the original version of M.O.N.ST＠R does not include the vocals of Mariya Suzuki and Marin Yamamoto, this time they took part. All 9 band members in unity for their last song. 

Leader Mariya Suzuki exclaimed grandly; “I wish they didn’t have to leave. Let’s do our best as a five and be strong! We want to wait for Mariya and Marin. We wish all the best for Seran and Momoka!” Banter sprung up on the stage, making fun of Mariya’s grand words. “You’re not getting married”, said one member of the band. Momoka then exclaimed: “Stop fussing so much!” Until the very end of the performance, fans could witness the true nature of Cheeky Parade.

Since 10^th June, 5 members that are active in Japan have remained in Cheeky Parade. Including Mariya Suzuki and Marin Yamamoto, who are leaving to study in LA, there are 7 members. After 5 ½ years, are the band members, including Mariya and Marin, ready to face the continuing challenges of the world?

Related article：Cheeky Parade’s members in Japan will now be five. Read the English translations of each member’s comments

Related article：Cheeky Parade’s “Teleportation Live” video from SXSW has now been released!

2017 marks 10 years for Seiko Oomori’s music career. The Japanese singer-songwriter shows no sign of slowing down as she continues to soar through the music scene, having released her third album “kitixxxgaia” back in March this year. With her new record in hand, Seiko Oomori has begun a new Japan tour entitled 2017 LIVE TOUR “kitixxxgaia”. The tour kicked off on June 2^nd at Sendai’s Rensa.

Joining Seiko Oomori on this tour is the indispensable and familiar line-up of A-chan (Kinoko Teikoku, Guitar), Kenji Hatakeyama (H MOUNTAINS, Guitar), Eramegumi (Masakita 89, Bass), Kenta Sakurai (Guitar, Percussion, etc), Pierre Nakano (Ling Tosite Sigure, Drums), and sugarbeans (Tommy & Sammy).

The stage was decorated with a majestic backdrop of the artwork from Seiko Oomori’s new album. Seiko and the band members were ebullient in their performance from the get go. The crowd joined in the fun with their indomitable excitement. The feeling in the room between the fans and Seiko was one of unshakeable unity as the performance began with tracks from “kitixxxgaia.”

As the night went on, Seiko went on to perform the ballad track “Orionza,” singing in cheery unison with the crowd. Seiko Oomori proves once again during this song that her live shows are packed full of emotion thanks to the phantasmagoric tone of the music provided by the band such as the guitar riffs, as well as Seiko’s acapella, and the unified singing of everybody watching that reverberated through the room, all of which combined to bring tears to the fans’ eyes.

A beautiful moment was born during that blissful air as Seiko let an elementary school girl play her guitar that she had been playing. It was also an unexpected song to be performed for one of Seiko’s concerts, so she defied people’s expectations for a good cause.

Seiko Oomori’s tour will continue until July 20^th where it will conclude in Tokyo at ZEPP Diver City. There’s plenty more singing from Seiko to be heard and music from the band to enjoy during this tour. We look forward to seeing her grow even more by the end of it.

It was also announced that Seiko will release a brand-new single on August 9^th which will be performed throughout her tour. We can expect to see plenty more from her as she shows no sign of letting up. For those people who reserve themselves a copy of the new release, you will be eligible to receive a special goodie that you can only obtain at one of her concerts. Be sure to check it out if you plan to go to one of her shows.

Related article：LADYBABY collaborated with Omori Seiko in a two-man live! They announced that Series Vol.4 will be held!

Related article：The 3rd wave of artists announced for “KAGA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2017” including tofubeats, Maki Nomiya & more!

With their latest single “Dead End in Tokyo” in hand, MAN WITH A MISSION recently held the last of their extra shows for their “Dead End in Tokyo Tour” at Shinkiba STUDIO COAST. Joining them as special guests on stage for this string of encore shows was American rock band JIMMY EAT WORLD, who haven’t performed in Japan for almost 6 years (and almost 9 years as a solo act). MAN WITH A MISSION announced at the final show that they will be joining JIMMY EAT WORLD in a joint tour in America for September this year.

JIMMY EAT WORLD stepped onto the stage as the opening act, who released their 9^th album “INTEGRITY BLUES” back in October 2016 which marked their 20^th anniversary since their major debut. The show was a joint gig with set lists that focused around enjoy the bands’ old and new music rather than just the newer material.

From the get go the crowd gave a huge round of applause and cheered for the band as they walked onto stage. The crowd were devoured by the sound of JIMMY EAT WORLD who played songs such as “Work” and “Lucky Denver Mint.”

The crowd sang along for their final two tracks, “Sweetness” and “The Middle,” before their set came to a close. They are two universally love tracks by fans, so people made sure to give it their all for the last of JIMMY EAT WORLD’s performance.

MAN WITH A MISSION were then welcomed on stage. Guitarist and vocalist Jean-Ken Johnny screamed, “It’s been a while, Tokyo. Let’s go!” The band stirred up the crowd even more with their performances of “Get Off of My Way” and “Hey Now.”

Bassist for the band Kamikaze Boy ran around the stage, and DJ Santa Monica also left his booth to join in with the madness on the floor in front of the stage. The band went full high-speed from the very beginning, before performing the next song, “Give it Away.”

Amongst a powerful ensemble of instruments, the music was amplified to 100 by Tokyo Tanaka’s powerful vocals and Jean-Ken Johnny’s rapping.

DJ Santa Monica braved a stage dive into the pumped up crowd for “distance” and was joined by Kamikaze Boy who was held up by the crowd as he continued to play his bass.

The latter half of the performance began with “NEVER FxxKIN’ MIND THE RULES” where the band got creative and technical with their sound and played freely.

Spear Rib upped the drive of the crowd even more with his drumming skills. The band then began to play the famous guitar riff of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” which sent everybody in the venue wild.

The band were also having a huge blast, but it was the crowd whose overwhelming power reverberated throughout the room.

Jean-Ken Johnny described the fact that the band had been lucky enough to not only play alongside Hi-STANDARD at the end of 2016 for AIR JAM 2016, but now JIMMY EAT WORLD, as “indescribable.”

The members of MAN WITH A MISSION talked about their ups and down as a band for the past 7 years, looking back at how their path had not just been full of fun times, but also how they had been put down many times before. But they also said to look back at themselves as guys who always have a smile on their face, and to continue working hard together. Their drive and self-confidence is linked to the scale of their sound and their toughness as a band which has continued to pierce through, rather than what kind of music they like or what principles they subscribe to.

Their almost 3-month long tour ended with a ‘let’s meet again at our next show’ to the crowd and a performance of “Dead End in Tokyo.”

The encore consisted of a special digest video entitled “Ookami Daizenshuu V” (Japanese: 狼大全集Ⅴ) and the announcement of their joint tour in America with JIMMY EAT WORLD scheduled for September 2017.

Be sure to keep your eyes on this wolf pack and their endeavours as they continue to pierce through the scene even further.

Related article: MAN WITH A MISSION’s song “Dog Days” features in the new “Asahi Dry Zero” TV commercial song!

Related article: MAN WITH A MISSION is appearing on the video “FENDER FEEDBACK” as a non-human head artist

It was announced that the idol group Cheeky Parade’s members in Japan will now be five in total.

Cheeky Parade was formed in 2012 with nine members. Marin Yamamoto and Mariya Suzuki were in LA for study and the number of the members of Cheeky Parade who work in Japan was seven but Seran Mizorogi and Momoka Kodakari have decided to quit the group on the 9^th of June, 2017 and so the members will become five in total.

Comments by all the members including the two members in LA were upped on Cheeky Parade’s official web site.

It was a sad announcement but through their comments they showed their fans their firm cohesiveness.

※From Cheeky Parade’s Website

Japanese▶http://www.cheekyparade.jp/news/detail.php?id=1049368

 Seran Mizorogi

Firstly, I would like to say thank all our fans who always supported our group. I think everyone was surprised by this announcement and I think there are a lot people who disagree with this outcome. I talked to the members, staff and my family before I decided to quit the group. I feel nothing but thankfulness for all the people surrounding me. I am sorry that I have to announce such sad news. The things that I experienced as a member of Cheeky Parade and all the support we got form our fans and the members of the group are all very important to me and I will never forget these things. Thank you for supporting me until now. I would appreciate it if you could continue to support Cheeky Parade from now on.

Momoka Kodakari

I am sorry to announce such sad news all of the sudden. And I am sorry to let you down. While Marin and Mariya were studying abroad, I thought about a lot of things. I talked to the members and staff a lot and decided that I must go my own way. There must be a lot people thinking, “Why now?” I think the decision I made is very selfish. I am very sorry. I could be a member of Cheeky Parade only because many fans supported me. Thank you for supporting me even though I am immature and cannot do a whole lot. The experiences I had over these five years is something that I will never forget in my lifetime. Again, thank you for supporting me until now.

Asami Watanabe

I feel sorry for our fans who have been supporting our group. We talked a lot and decided to make this decision. After the 10^th of June, we will wait for Marin and Mariya to come back to Japan and rejoin our group. We will try our best to measure up our fans expectations.

 Yuna Sekine

I feel sorry to our fans to have to surprise you with this announcement. It is very sad but we (the members of Cheeky Parade and Seran / Momoka) decided to take a different path. From now on, we will wait for Marin and Mariya to come back from LA. Although we feel anxious, we will try to expand the group so please continue to support us from now on.

Rino Shimazaki

To our fans.

Sorry to surprise you with this announcement.

We (the five members of the group) will try our best until Marin and Mariya come back to rejoin our group.

Yuriya Suzuki

I am sorry that we will not be able to fulfill our promise that we (the nine members of the group) will stand on a big stage again. From now, the number of members in our group will become five until Marin and Mariya come back. We will try our best so please support us and thank you for supporting Seran and Momoka up until now.

Hina Nagai

To our fans. Sorry to surprise you with this sudden announcement.

We talked a lot about this.

We decided to respect the opinions of the two of them.

I would appreciate it if you could continue to support the “new” Cheeky Parade consisting of 5 members from the 10^th of June onward.

Marin Yamamoto

I would like to say thank you to our fans who have always continued to  support Cheeky Parade. It is sad that we cannot show the nine members of Cheeky Parade anymore but the “new” Cheeky Parade will try hard to fill in the empty paces so please continue to support us from now on.

Mariya Suzuki

It is sad that we cannot say “WE ARE THE GREATEST NINE9!’” and “The best NINE9!’” anymore but we will try our best. The two of us studying in LA will try hard to fill in the blank. Please support Cheeky Parade.

Currently, Cheeky Parade is holding a fixed term live “LIVE LIVE LIVE!” at Shibuya WOMB LIVE.

They are holding a live concert that will be divided into two sections, one in May and the other in June performing all the songs and Mizorogi and Kodakari will quit Cheeky Parade after performing all the songs at “Cheeky Parade LIVE LIVE LIVE VOL5” that will be held on the 9^th of June (Fri).

Related article：Cheeky Parade’s “Teleportation Live” video from SXSW has now been released!

Related article：Interview: Having performed at the CBGB festival and currently gaining international attention, just who are “Cheeky Parade”?

Haruna luna, a popular animation song artist who sings theme songs for various popular animations, held her 5^th anniversary live concert titled,“Haruna luna LIVE 2017 5^th Anniversary Fes. ♡with you♡” on the 2^nd of May at Zepp Diver City Tokyo (Odaiba). Her concert was a great success and many of her fans were mesmerized.

May the 2nd was Haruna’s 5^th anniversary since her debut. Since her live, called a “Fes.” invited many guest artists, the venue was filled with excitement. The first song was “Binetu no Tuki” which gathered attention because it was included in the addendum CD before her debut. At the beginning of the concert, she performed the rock tunes “Kyoso Refrain” and “Ai wo Utae” and after that she performed her masterpieces such as “Overfly.” The stage then changed to scary atmosphere and she performed Machigerita triptych medley which is a song on her 1^st album.

After that, the first guest AKIRA appeared and they performed “Kinki no Gyosei” which is included in her mini album released in February of this year. After this serious, dark and erotic song, they softened their fans’s heart with some good talking.

After that, Kotoko appeared on stage. They collaborated together which very rare and performed “ANIMAX MUSIX 2017 OSAKA,” “C3 in Hong Kong” and “S×W –soul world-” and set the fans on fire.

Finally, the last guest, Moso Calibration appeared on stage. They performed “Sakurairo Diary” which is the ending theme song of the TV animation “Saenai Kanojo no Sodatekata ♭and announced that they will be holding an event on the 18^th of June (Sun) in SHIBUYA CLUB QUATTRO.

In the last part of the concert, they performed both popular songs and songs that cannot often be heard live and the popular song “Kimiiro Signal.” In this song Moso Calibration performed as dancers.

After the encore, Haruna performed her debut song “Sora ha Takaku Kaze wa Utau” and announced that she will release a new album in the near future. She also told her fans that “We will continue to perform together for 6, 7, 8 years” and concluded the live with “Lunatic Word.” She released her new single “Stella Breeze” on the 3^rd of May and will release her 3^rd album “LUNARIUM” on the 21^st of June. She is also planning to appear on various lives and events, so please check them out.

■Information

Stella Breeze

Release date: May 3rd

3^rd album

LUNARIUM

Release date: 21^st of June

 “Saenai Utahime no Special Live ♭” Haruna luna × Moso Calibration

Date:June 18th, 2017 (Sun) Open 17:00 / Start 18:00

Venue: SHIBUYA CLUB QUATTRO

Performers: Haruna luna and Moso Copulation

Ticket: Standing \4,860 (tax included)

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Related article：Luna Haruna charms a crowd of 3,000 anime fans at “Kawaii Kon”

Related article: Anime song artist, Luna Haruna will release her new song, “STELLA BREEZE” on May 3rd and she made this lyrics!

“BABYMETAL”. If you haven’t heard of this band yet then you must be living under a rock.

BABYMETAL have proven to be a limitless and unprecedented trio that continue push the boundaries of the music industry.  If you’ve seen their name in the headlines over the past year in particular, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. Just when I thought that these three young girls from Japan had no way of topping that amazing and surreal performance together with Rob Halford of Judas Priest at the Alternative Press Music Awards back in July, the Red Hot Chili Peppers announce that they are to take the same BABYMETAL with them on the UK leg of their “The Getaway World Tour”.

The tour was originally planned to begin on December 5^th and end on December 15^th, with two consecutive performances at a few of the scheduled venues, including the famous O2 Arena in London with a capacity of 20,000. However, due to popular demand, a third date was added for The O2, extending it to December 18^th. This is the show that I attended.

The huge arena faded to black and screams echoed throughout. When the lights came on, out stepped the Kami Band. The girls followed and they opened the night with the epic “Road of Resistance” which included call-and-response interaction with the audience to get them pumped for what was to follow. BABYMETAL performed “KARATE” as well as a number of classics that included “Gimme Choco!!!”, “Megitsune” and of course “Catch me if you can” which has come to be the track where the Kami Band show off their true skills on their instruments with solos from each member.

What truly made the night, however, was when Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers surprised the audience by joining the Kami Band and the girls on stage as the drummer. Chad himself dressed as a Kami Band member, donning the white robes and make-up. He was officially dubbed “Chad Metal” by the girls during his performance. What followed was an absolutely incredible cover of two Judas Priest songs, “Painkiller” and “Breaking the Law”, the same songs the band performed with Rob Halford in July. It was an unexpected treat and loved by fans that recognised the songs. SU-METAL has come a long way with her amazing singing ability, and these covers really showed her potential. SU-METAL thanked Chad Metal for joining them on stage and he went off. But Chad soon returned to the stage with a birthday cake for SU-METAL, whose birthday was on December 20^th, and the entire venue sang Happy Birthday for her. Chad then spoke some heartfelt words about BABYMETAL, saying “BABYMETAL’s been on the tour with us for all the UK. We love having them, they’re amazing. They’re beautiful, wonderful, talented people.”

BABYMETAL are set to tour with METALLICA on their “WORLDWIRED TOUR 2017” in Seoul on January 11^th, 2017. They will then join Guns N’ Roses for their “JAPAN TOUR 2017” where they will play 4 dates on January 21^st, 22^nd, 25^th and 29^th in Osaka, Kobe, Yokohama and Saitama respectively. The power and love of BABYMETAL is evident to see. If they’re heading to a city near you, don’t miss out on your chance to see a performance from one of the biggest names in metal today.

Writer: Joshua Kitosi-Isanga
Studying Japanese and has a deep interest in Japanese pop culture.
Currently enrolled at university in the UK and has studied abroad in Japan for 1-year.
Writer & Translator at MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON.

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■Related article：I can’t know with just the music! What’s the fascination with Perfume & BABYMETAL, two groups gaining attention all over the world!?

■Related article：Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford joins BABYMETAL onstage for an epic performance【Video】

7-member male and female group AAA completed the finale date of their dome tour “AAA Special Live 2016 in Dome -FANTASTIC OVER-” at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday (November 16th).

This was their first ever dome tour since their debut 11 years ago. Across four days they played to a packed out crowd of 18,000 fans at Osaka’s Kyocera Dome and Tokyo Dome. They performed a total of 22 songs, both classics as well as their latest tracks.

Members Nishijima and Urata performed a capella for “Miss you”. For “LOVER”, all the members hopped aboard a luxurious and gorgeous float which had a wireless camera that spanned 10m in length and 6m in height, as well as a huge LED screen, which had the crowd going wild. The screen showed a video that was made by “Possible Productions”, a film production company in LA. They have made film footage for big name overseas artists such as Eminem and Big Bang for their live tours, but this was their first time making one for a Japanese artist. It was an absolutely spectactular performance for their first ever dome tour.

During the encore, the group announced a new single and a new album to be released next year on February 8th and February 22th respectively, which of course had the fans screaming. It’s looking like 2017 will be a year to watch out for AAA.

■Information
AAA / New Single On Sale February 8th・New Album On Sale February 22nd! http://avex.jp/aaa/news/detail.php?id=1043013#

“Namida no Nai Sekai” Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ls3T69eV2o

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■Related Article: Multi Super Performance Group ; AAA

http://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/19630

■Related Article: AAA energise fans with their Asia tour — to be followed by their solo dome tour in Japan & electrifying news!

http://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/18212

Following the concerts in Nagoya and Osaka, Nakata Yasutaka and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu wrapped up their two-man tour 「～SPECIAL DJ×LIVE ZEPP TOUR 2016～『YSTK×KPP』」 with a final performance at Zepp DiverCity on Monday November 14th.

The concert began with the figure of Nakata Yasutaka visible up high in his DJ booth shrouded in dazzling, gorgeous lighting and smoke as he opened the night up with the track “Dancing Planet ft.VERBAL”.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu then took to the stage, dolled up in a red one-piece outfit, and performed “CANDY CANDY” which had the entirety of the huge audience up in a heated frenzy. Kyary featured in the CAPSULE song “Motor Force”, after which her and Nakata Yasutaka performed a special version of “PONPONPON”, all the while displaying their awesome chemistry and perfect synchronisation. It was a night of non-stop action as the performance mixed DJ party vibes together with a concert feel.

Kyary got down with the beat and danced while fans waved their penlights like crazy. Everyone in the venue waved their towels for “Kira Kira Killer”. The whole venue became a dance floor as the songs continued to flow, such as a powerfully arranged version of “Mondai Girl”, and as the sound of the electronic beats beat.

There was then an intermission, during which Nakata played CAPSULE’s “Another World”. Kyary returned to the stage to perform “Ninja Re Bang Bang” and “do do pi do”, and waved a giant flag as she sang, exciting the audience.

To let the audience cool down and rest a bit, Kyary sang her ballad “Oyasumi”, comforting everyone into a relaxed mood. Nakata then performed his latest solo track “NANIMONO (feat. Kenshi Yonezu)” which is used as the main theme song for the movie “Nanimono”.

Afterwards, Nakata and Kyary both assembled themselves on stage for the last spurt of the show. They pushed for the climax as they performed the upbeat song “Invader Invader” and a more dynamic arrangement of “Fashion Monster.”

It was then that the duo performed a song from their upcoming double A-side single for the very first time on the tour, titled “Harajuku Iyahoi” (Japanese: 原宿いやほい), scheduled to be released on January 18th, 2017. Fans threw their fists into the air during the phrase in the chorus “Harajuku de iyahoi! toriaezu iyahoi!” (Japanese: “原宿でいやほい！ とりあえずいやほい！”), bringing a hugely successful end to the performance.

Cries for an encore didn’t stop, bringing Nakata and Kyary back on stage to go all out in a performance of “Tsukema Tsukeru”. Kyary then asked Nakata “How did you find our first two-man live?” to which he responded “It was an amazing experience”. Kyary agreed, saying “It really was. We’ve powered up!”

Kyary went on to give some moving comments: “We’ve been able to perform in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka for this first ever two-man tour. Ever since I debuted, and even now, I have been a huge fan of Nakata Yasutaka, so I was actually really nervous about doing this two-man tour, but it went really well and we have been able to complete all 3 performances with no troubles. Thanks so much to all of you!” Kyary ended in a fired up voice, saying “If we get the opportunity to do this once more please be sure to come along again!”

The duo went on to perform the final song, “Sai & Co”, and fans went all out with their remaining energy, before the curtains finally closed on the night. Nakata and Kyary’s two-man live was extremely special as it displayed the power of their chemistry, while also drawing out new sides of both of them.

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■Information

～SPECIAL DJ×LIVE ZEPP TOUR 2016～『YSTK×KPP』

Zepp DiverCity (DOORS 18:00／START 19:00) DiverCity Tokyo Plaza 1 Chome-1-10 Aomi, Koto, Tokyo 135-0064

・New Single Details

Artists: Nakata Yasutaka/Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

Full details regarding the contents of the single and the single’s title will be announced at a later date.

※The special VR item add-on release from Kyary Pamyu Pamyu that was announced in August will now be released as part of the double-A side single in 2017.

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■Related Article: Worldwide famous and popular Japanese artists including Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and CAPSULE to perform at MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL!

http://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/20082

■Related Article: Kyary Pamyu Pamyu × Nakata Yasutaka to release a Double A-side single! A certain overseas artist will feature in Nakata’s track with guest vocals from Kyary Pamyu Pamyu!

http://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/20427

■Related Article: Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s First art exhibition to be held at Laforet Harajuku from December 16th!

http://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/20731

Eir Aoi had her last live performance on Friday 4^th and Saturday 6^th November 2016 at the Nippon Budokan. When will she spring back into action? We don’t know yet…

In the last 5 years of her musical activity, she had only announced one break. After announcing her long-term break this year in August, she stood on stage at her final live at the Nippon Budokan before a crowd filled with devoted fans. As the tension in the Budokan was rising to its peak, the live performance began and many fans could be seen crying!

As she performed her first song of the evening “Sirius”, the whole venue was wrapped in the warmth of her singing. She continued with many of her biggest hits including “AURORA” and “Cobalt Sky”. She barely took a break to talk to the audience! When she was about to perform her last two songs of the live, she finally started to talk to the audience. Her words were “I know that the performance is almost over, but please enjoy it to the very end!” She finished the live with her latest single “Wings” followed by “INNOCENCE”.

She wore red plaid clothing for her encore and entered the stage alone. She then apologised for announcing her long period break in August and began talking about the many beautiful memories she has of her 5 years as an artist. She performed “frozen eyez” — a song which she calls her “first song”, as it was released before her major debut and even made an appearance in popular magazine “LisAni”. She also performed “Tsunagaru Omoi” — the first ever song she had ever composed and wrote lyrics for by herself. As she performed, the audience could see tears rolling down her cheeks. 

Before performing her final song, she spoke to the audience once more. She directed her gratitude and feelings to the staff and fans and said; “Thank you for finding me. Thank you for loving my songs. Thank you for always supporting me.”

Her final song was “Niji no Oto” and with that, a bright light fired up at the back of the stage which she disappeared into, making everybody question whether her existence was just a dream…Her live LAST BLUE consisted of 24 songs including 3 songs for the encore. With everything that happened over these two magnificent days, the curtains finally closed.

≪ Eir Aoi LIVE summary≫

Eir Aoi 5^th Anniversary Special Live 2016 at the Nippon Budokan 〜LAST BLUE〜

4^th November 2016（Fri）OPEN:18:00 / START:19:00

5^th November 2016（Sat）OPEN:16:00 / START:17:00

It has been announced that WEDNESDAY CAMPANELLA will appear at “Laneway Festival Singapore 2017” next year in January. Laneway began in 2005 and was first held in Melbourne, Australia, and has been held in 7 different cities up to now including those in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. It is the biggest music festival in Singapore, and will be held there for the 7th time on January 21st, 2017. WEDNESDAY CAMPANELLA will be joining the line-up as the first ever Japanese artist to play the festival.

Vocalist of the group KOM_I enthusiastically of the event on TOKYO FM “TOKYO FM WORLD”, “Singapore is a place I really love that I’ve been going to ever since I was small. I’m happy that I’m able to perform there live.” WEDNESDAY CAMPANELLA has performed at a number of music festivals overseas up to now, including SXSW 2016 (Texas, US), J-POP SUMMIT 2016 (San Francisco, US), and SUPER SLIPPA 2016 (Taipei, Taiwan), all to great success and love from the audience. We’re looking forward to seeing the first ever WEDNESDAY CAMPANELLA performance in Singapore.

Also, it’s nearly time for the release of their newest single “SUPERKID”, which will be released digitally next week on November 1st. WEDNESDAY CAMPANELLA will be heading on a one-man live tour the day after the single’s release, titled “WEDNESDAY CAMPANELLA One-Man Live Tour 2016 ～SUPERMAN～”. WEDNESDAY CAMPANELLA are really growing overseas. We’d really like to experience their new live show.

■Information
Laneway Festival Singapore 2017
Official web：http://singapore.lanewayfestival.com/

「SUPERKID」
To be released on Tuesday November 1st from the iTunes Store, Apple Music ※Will be released from all other online stores from Wednesday November 30th

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Cheeky Parade is part of the Avex idol label “iDOL Street”, the second idol group to come out of the label. The group have gained attention both within Japan and overseas for their great vocals and energetic live performances, having performed even in Paris and LA. We interviewed for of the Cheeky Parade members, including Yuriya Suzuki, Yuna Sekine, Seran Mizorogi, and Momoka Kodakari, about two of the members going to study abroad, their latest song “Hands up!”, and their thoughts on their overseas performance.

・First of all, please tell us a little about the group “Cheeky Parade”.
Sekine: “Cheeky Parade” is a nine member group that have been together 4 years this year. Two of the members are currently studying abroad in Los Angeles so we are working with seven members for the time being. Just as our name suggests, we are “Cheeky”, always being mischievous and high energy on stage. If you’re able to come and see us live, I think you’ll know what we mean.

・What kind of songs do you play the most live?
Mizorogi: We perform a lot of songs that everyone can enjoy together! If you hear our music, you’ll be able to forget all the bad things.

・What are the members of the group like?
Mizorogi: We have a lot of very energetic and loud members (laughs). I think the music studio is quiet once or twice a year!
Suzuki: And that energy really comes out on stage! All the members are really lively, and it’s the same on stage. It’s a lot of fun.

・The other groups that are with the idol label you are on are accepting new members, but it was decided that Cheeky Parade wouldn’t accept new members and continue with who you have. What’s the reason for this?
Suzuki: I think because we have ties with each other and we all really get along, and because we’ve been able to come as far as we have together, so it wouldn’t really work if it wasn’t the 9 of us.

・Cheeky Parade seem to be really keen about performing overseas, having gone countries like America and France.
Kodakari: Of course we’d be active in Japan, but going overseas has always been our dream! We were able to go to New York, France and Los Angeles last year and the year before. We were able to learn how people overseas do their thing during performances. I’ve really come to want to spread Japanese culture even more overseas. There are so many Cheeky Parade fans in France that support us, and it’s that which makes me want to return the favour to our overseas supporters.
Suzuki: There really is a Cheeky Parade fan community in France. There’s a French music program that ranks the most popular Japanese songs. Lots of French Cheeky Parade fans voted for us and we placed 3rd in the rankings!

Two of our members, Marin Yamamoto and Suzuki Mariya, are studying abroad in Los Angeles, but once they come back having studied English, I think we’ll be able to become an even stronger group overseas.

・What do you think will be the secret weapon that determines your success overseas?
Kodakari: Music that will get everyone going! When we went to New York, nobody knew who we were, so I wondered what would happen, but as soon as our music came on everyone people came over to watch and were really enjoying it. Even though they didn’t know the lyrics, I feel like it really resonated with them. Music can connect with anybody in the world. Even though the song is in Japanese, if the melody and rhythm are good then it can bring together that many people. I was really happy.
Suzuki: Cheeky Parade have fun choreography and we all jump together a lot during performances, so performing overseas made me want to come up with more fun songs that foreign people can enjoy too – songs that get your body moving, even if you don’t understand the words.

・Are there any songs you’d like people to remember when you perform overseas again?
Mizorogi: I wonder… (laughs). Our new song “Hands up!” is a rock song that even people who don’t like idol music can enjoy, so if there are any people overseas that don’t know about idol culture, I think they’ll be able to have fun with that song. There’s a lot of parts where we dance together, so if they keep listening to our songs, watch our live performances and music videos and learn the dances I’ll be very happy.

・It’s impressive that you wear pajamas in “Hands up!”
Suzuki: Pajamas are popular in the overseas fashion world at the minute, so we tried adopting the latest fashion. On the other hand, with regards to spreading Japanese culture overseas, when we go there we go wearing kimono.

・Finally, please leave a message for your overseas fans.
Sekine: Even if you don’t understand what we’re saying during our performances, you’ll be able to forget anything and everything and have fun just by watching! I want to start going overseas more, so it’s fine if you don’t know our songs, just come and see us and I have confidence that you’ll love us!
Kodakari: We haven’t been overseas wearing these pyjamas yet, so we will perform wearing them, so I’d like all of you to wait for us wearing your pyjamas (laughs).
Suzuki: “I love music”, “I love having fun”. These are feelings that everyone feels and that connect with anyone in the world, so I would be grateful if you can have fun through Cheeky Parade. If you’re someone that likes to have fun, I’d most definitely like you to come and see Cheeky Parade!
Mizorogi: We plan to make Cheeky Parade become bigger and also to become famous overseas, so please be sure to keep an eye on us!

Cheeky Parade Official Website
http://cheekyparade.jp

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