The popular female rock band BAND-MAID will perform for the first time at KNOTFEST JAPAN 2023, scheduled for April 1 and April 2 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba.

KNOTFEST was begun by the American heavy metal band Slipknot, and the festival has been held yearly since 2012. BAND-MAID will perform on Day 1 along with headliners Slipknot, Trivium, and MAN WITH A MISSION.

Tickets for the May shows to be held in the United States as part of the BAND-MAID 10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR are none on sale. The group managed to bring in over 20,000 fans during their solo U.S. tour in 2022. In addition to performing at Pointfest 2023, Welcome to Rockville 2023, and the Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival, BAND-MAID will also perform six solo shows. With some venues selling out instantly last year, you’ll want to snag tickets while you can!

On February 3, popular music duo GARNiDELiA held a live YouTube broadcast to announce the release of GARNiDELiA COVER COLLECTION on March 22, 2023.

Vocalist MARiA and composer TOKU have been dabbling in cover tracks for some time. The new album will include GARNiDELiA’s spin on popular songs like Haru yo Koi, Friends, DEPARTURES, Kaikai Kitan, and CITRUS. The new album will include 12 songs, including a mix of newly recorded and previously released tracks.

The Deluxe Edition will also include the Blu-ray recording of the Tokyo performance of GARNiDELiA stellacage 2022 -stella ship- OSAKA and TOKYO held in 2022. Fans won’t want to miss out on this incredible concert!

In addition, both the Deluxe Edition and Standard Edition will include tickets to enter to win a spot in an upcoming special event. More details will be announced soon, so check the official website!

GARNiDELiA has also announced a world tour in 2023! GARNiDELiA stellacage 2023 -stella ship- Re:CoNNeCT will commence in May 2023 and more details are expected to be revealed in a YouTube Live on February 17.

Vocalist MARiA and composer TOKU make up the popular duo GARNiDELiA. At the two’s epic finale for 2022, ‘GARNiDELiA stellacage 2022 -stella ship- OSAKA and TOKYO’ at EX Theater Roppongi, the duo announced a world tour coming in 2023.

The world tour, titled ‘GARNiDELiA stellacage 2023 -stella ship- Re:CoNNeCT,’ will take place in over 20 cities around the world from May to September 2023, including Shanghai,  Beijing, Chongqing, Chengdu, Shenzhen, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, and a number of cities in Japan. A new visual was revealed alongside the announcement. 

The duo will also release a Cover Collection series album in the spring of 2023. GARNiDELiA has covered a number of popular J-pop tracks in the past, releasing them on YouTube and streaming services. Fans in the audience were instantly excited by the announcement of the long-awaited album. 

More details about the world tour and upcoming album will be announced in January 2023.

MARiA’s Comment on World Tour

“It’s been four years since our Asia tour. 

Finally…finally…I’ll be able to see all of you.*

It’s been a long road, but we survived. We persevered. We’ll show you our real strength. And to those of you who have been waiting and supporting us over the past four years, we’ll be back to sing for you soon and show our love. I’m excited about this tour, which will be filled with miraculous moments where we’ll finally be able to share our feelings and make up for lost time.”

toku‘s Comment on World Tour

“Although we performed overseas plenty of times following our debut, the last few years have kept us from doing so for the first time. We’re so excited to announce this long-awaited opportunity. We can’t wait to perform for our fans in Japan and abroad so we can make up for so much lost time.”

MARiA’s Comment on Cover Album

“The GARNiDELiA cover series began two years ago as a way to fill the void created by our tour being canceled. We had a lot of fun while working on it, aiming to pay homage to so many great songs and bringing our own unique twist and color to each of them. I think this was made possible by our diversity. We really played around with the sound for this album, and we’d be so happy if you could listen and enjoy!”

toku‘s Comment on Cover Album

“Everyone has heard so many hit songs during their life. We’ve been lucky to have so much inspiration and to be able to play and have fun with this music. I wonder what kind of chemical changes the two of us can make with these songs. At the start of production, I felt like I was really facing each song with a pure heart, encountering a different form of music than I had in the past, partly as a reaction to our tour being canceled. As singers and artists, we’d be so happy if you’d listen to our interpretation of these classic tracks.”

*Maria uses the word for ‘love’ instead of ‘meet.’ Both are pronounced the same way.

Vocalist MARiA and composer TOKU make up the popular duo GARNiDELiA, and the two will release their new single Souten on December 8, 2022. The track will be used as the theme song for the Nintendo Switch game Soukai Tenki and was written exclusively for the game itself. For those wondering, Soukai Tenki will be released on the same day. The song has already been performed several times at GARNiDELiA’s live shows and has become a popular song among fans.

The jacket art featuring characters from the game was also released.

The full track was unveiled on FM NACK5’s ‘FAV FOUR’ during MARiA’s regular segment on November 28.

hether you are a fan of the game or not, you won’t want to miss checking out this gorgeous new song!

（C）滄海天記プロジェクト

The Seven Deadly Sins: Grudge of Edinburgh Part 1 will air on Netflix worldwide on December 20, 2022. The new animated film was penned by the original series creator Nakaba Suzuki.

The story will focus on Tristan, the son of the protagonist Meliodas, and his mother Elizabeth. Cast members include Yuuki Kaji as Meliodas, Mikako Komatsu as young Tristan, and Ayumu Murase as teenage Tristan. Sora Amamiya will portray Elizabeth and Yohei Azakami will play Deathpierce.

The new trailer shows off the exciting new story and previews SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:XAI’s theme song Lemonade. The Seven Deadly Sins takes place in an ancient time when humans, demons, goddesses, fairies, and giants all lived together.

In the new film, Tristan inherits the power of the Goddess Clan and with it, the ability to heal people’s wounds, but he often ends up hurting others due to his inability to control his Demon Clan power. To protect his family, Tristan heads to Edinburgh Castle and meets a ton of new friends along the way. The movie takes place 14 years after Meliodas restores peace to the world in the anime series.

The Seven Deadly Sins: Grunge of Edinburgh Part 1 Trailer

http://youtu.be/gH_VSILse-0

The theme song Lemonade is both peppy and emotional. Hiroyuki Sawano created the song as part of his vocal project SawanoHiroyuki[nZk], teaming up with up-and-coming artist XAI.

This song will be included in the first SawanoHiroyuki[nZk] album coming out on January 18, 2023, the first in two years. XAI’s incredible voice has previously been featured in the GODZILLA animated trilogy of films.

|The upcoming film will connect The Seven Deadly Sins and the currently running sequel Four Knights of the Apocalypse currently running in Weekly Shonen Magazine.

Comment from Hiroyuki Sawano

“I’ve been involved with The Seven Deadly Sins since the anime began in 2014, through all of the movies and sequels. I’m so happy to be able to create the theme song for Grunge of Edinburgh as SawanoHiroyuki[nZk].

This time, I worked with the vocalist XAI. Her expressive, emotional, and powerful voice took the song to another level. It was something beyond my imagination! I hope that you’ll enjoy the track along with this new story from the world of The Seven Deadly Sins.”

Comment from XAI

“I’m so happy to perform the theme song for The Seven Deadly Sins, a series that is loved by so many people.

The characters in the series are so incredible. No matter what sins we carry, as long as we have friends by our side, we can’t give up and we can always better ourselves. Lemonade is sure to fuel your sense of adventure, so I hope you’ll enjoy it!”

On October 29, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu took part in Porter Robinson’s Second Sky Music Festival in Oakland, California. The following day, the popular singer also appeared at Porter Robinson + Friends, an afterparty event held in San Francisco. American fans are finding their excitement at a fever pitch as the Harajuku-based artist continues to perform abroad!

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu recently made headlines when she performed an unprecedented 62 songs at Nippon Budokan on October 19 during the final stop on her 10th-anniversary tour. Following this impressive feat, Kyary performed at yet another festival in Japan before hastily returning to the United States following her show-stopping performance at Coachella half a year ago.

Porter Robinson’s Second Sky Music Festival was hosted by and featured performances by internationally acclaimed DJ and producer Porter Robinson. Other important figures in the dance music scene also appeared including SKRILLEX and RL GRIME.

The event took place in a large parking lot adjacent to the Oakland Coliseum, home of the Oakland Athletics MLB team. Since the show took place close to Halloween, plenty of decorations could be found, and fans lined up from the early morning to get inside.

Although Kyary’s performance was scheduled for quite early in the day, the audience sprawled out as far as the eye could see. As DE.BA.YA.SHI. 2021 began to play, fans began to excitedly call out Kyary’s name. In Japan, regulations are in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus, meaning that audience members are forbidden to yell during concerts–but no such precaution exists in the U.S. It was clear that Kyary was beyond excited to hear the audience’s enthusiasm, and as the show began, the artist called out “Second Sky,” to which the fans responded with excited cries. 

The audience danced wildly to Candy Racer and Dodonpa, two of Kyary’s most peppy tracks, which played in succession. The singer did her best to speak English. “Hello! I’m Kyary Pamyu Pamyu from Japan,” she began. She then complimented a fan in full Kyary cosplay. “Wow! Nice costume! PONPONPON costume, so nice,” she said.

During CANDY CANDY -Remix-, the audience raised their hands high in the air as they followed Kyary’s instructions to jump, swaying from left to right. As the audience moved in sync, a number of hit tracks began to play, including Harajuku Iyahoi and Tsukematsukeru. However, nothing could match the excitement of the moment that the intro to PONPONPON began to play. Porter Robinson, who was watching the live performance from the side of the stage, was moved to tears, and everyone could feel how big Kyary’s presence was for local fans.

Kyary’s performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April of this year became a hot topic, showing that Kyary is still incredibly popular in the U.S. ten years after her major debut.

In addition to her largest national tour to date, Kyary has made numerous appearances at music festivals in Japan and abroad in 2022. The artist’s first overseas performance during her 11th year as a performer was an incredible success and bodes well for Kyary’s future.

＜Setlist＞
2022.10.29 “Second Sky Music Festival”
OP. DE.BA.YA.SHI.2021
1. Candy Racer
2. Dodonpa
3.Invader Invader
4. CANDY CANDY –Remix-
5. Ninja Re Bang Bang –Steve Aoki Remix-
6. Harajuku Iyahoi
7. Tsukematsukeru
8. PONPONPON –Extended Mix-
9. Fashion Monster

2022.10.30 “Porter Robinson + Friends”
OP. DE.BA.YA.SHI.2021
1. Candy Racer
2. Ninja Re Bang Bang
3. CANDY CANDY
4.Crazy Party Night-Pumpkins Strike Back-
5. Kira Kira Killer
6. Isshin Doutai
7. Harajuku Iyahoi
8. Fashion Monster
9. PONPONPON

The Nippon Foundation has been supporting people with disabilities in Japan and abroad for over fifty years. To mark this incredible milestone, True Colors Festival THE CONCERT 2022 will be held on November 19 and 20 at Tokyo Garden Theater. The performance aims to inspire fans to express their uniqueness. 

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu will perform as a guest performer on both days of the concert, which stands to be one of the largest live events in the world put on by artists with disabilities.

Kyary became a smash hit with audiences worldwide after Katy Perry praised her PONPONPON music video on Twitter, and the two are said to be fans of one another. This will be the first time that the two pop icons will perform on stage together. 

“I’m looking forward to performing with so many unique artists from around the world,” Kyary said in a statement. “I’m so happy that I’m going to live my dream of performing with Katy!” 

The famed Japanese musician and producer Tetsuya Komuro and MARiA from GARNiDELiA have released a collaboration track and music video. Trust On Me -Theme of E.T.E- was released on October 16, 2022.

The track serves as the theme song for the new mobile game E.T.E. Chronicle, launched by bilibili on October 14. The game’s music was written, composed, and arranged entirely by Tetsuya Komuro. MARiA from the music duo GARNiDELiA provided vocals for the theme, known for her work on a number of anime and game properties. 

The music is reminiscent of TM NETWORK’s TIME TO COUNT DOWN released 32 years ago, starting with an incredible piano solo and a sense of speed and urgency. Featuring lyrics about trust and faith, the song is a perfect fit for the game.

The music video features full 3D game footage interspersed with footage of MARiA and Tetsuya Komuro in the recording studio.

“I asked MARiA to provide the vocals because I knew that she could embody the game’s message,” Komuro said. “The most important thing was expressing a sense of speed and femininity.”

“I’m so happy and honored to have been chosen to take part in this wonderful and timeless collaboration,” MARiA said. “I hope this song pulls everyone into the world of E.T.E. Chronicle.” 

©bilibili

Musical duo GARNiDELiA has released the music video for Genai Yugi, the opening theme song for the anime series My Master Has No Tail. 

The new song features a playful electro sound that has become GARNiDELiA’s trademark, and the track’s lyrics are perfect for the anime series. The music video shows MARiA as a temptress and toku as a detective, and viewers will be pulled into the pair’s bewitching performance. MARiA’s vogue dancing is also worth a watch! “We’ve transformed our feelings about art into a grown-up love game! Be sure to check out the tail dance,” MARiA said in a comment. “The melody blends royal pops and a hint of bewitching playfulness. We hope you’ll enjoy the beat and the speed of the Latin trumpet,” toku said. 

Genai Yugi – GARNiDELiA (Music Video)

On October 19, GARNiDELiA will release Oukaranman, the latest song in their dance series. The duo has been taking on different dance challenges for some time, with videos pulling in over 200 million times. The most popular is Gokuraku Jodo with over 85 million views.

Japan’s largest sake event, TOKYO SAKE FESTIVAL 2022, will run from October 4 until October 6 at the Shinjuku Sumitomo Building’s Triangle Square.

The event’s aim is to make sake more mainstream around the world, with the first festival taking place in 2020. Tokyo Sake Festival blends sake with entertainment, showing off the very best of Japanese culture to those who may be new to craft sake. For the third year, former NMB48 member Yui Takano will serve as ambassador. Takano is known for leaving her idol career to manage the sake specialty store Yui Sake Shop. 

Tokyo Sake Festival 2022 is bringing together forty carefully selected sake breweries from around Japan, including Inoue Seikichi, winner of the Champion Sake award at IWC 2022. Tonoike Sake Brewery, winner of Kura Master 2022’s President’s Award, will also be in attendance. The full lineup can be found on the official website.

Popular influencers and artists from Raphael to BOYS AND MEN and Ukon Takafuji will take the stage during the event, so be sure to swing by if you’re a fan of Japanese spirits!

GARNiDELiA has announced the start of the GARNiDELiA 3.0 Project, an NFT art project featuring a number of characters inspired by the duo’s popular stage costumes.

In collaboration with Fever of Unknown Origin (FUO), a Web 3.0 fan-based project, world-renowned illustrator YULIA has created fictional illustrations of characters inspired by GARNiDELiA’s stage costumes.

Those purchasing an NFT will be able to set the illustration as their social media profile picture and will be available for purchase by fans from around the world.

A pop-up store sponsored by the Fever of Unknown Origin (FUO) project will be held at Laforet Harajuku from September 5 until September 16 to celebrate the project’s launch and the group’s 12th anniversary on September 11. The GARNiDELiA booth will feature costumes worn by the duo on stage and live videos. 

The pop-up store will also feature collaborative items by illustrator NAPPY and designer Ankin, so come check it out!

Music duo GARNiDELiA will hold its annual Halloween party on October 21, 2022 at Toyosu PIT. The lineup now includes a number of popular acts, including luz, Syounen T, and Shoose. Titled ‘GARNiDELiA Presents HALLOWEEN MiRACLE WONDER PARTY 2022,’ the live performance will invite participating artists to dress up in costumes for one festive autumn night.

Previously, luz appeared on MARiA’s 2nd solo album Moments, performing with the singer on the track Cafe Latte no Uta feat. luz. This will be the first time the pair performs the song live, so expectations are high.

Along with the singers performing at the event, Miume and 217 will participate as dancers for the fourth time. The two previously announced that they would retire from dancing this year. Together with MARiA, the two created the globally popular video series Odocchatte Mita (I Tried Dancing), which has drawn in over 200 million views on YouTube, along with Gokuraku Jodo with 85 million views.

MARiA gave a comment regarding the exciting announcement.

“It’s that time of year again, and it’s time to spend time with GARNiDELiA! Some entertaining and unique friends are coming to play this year, and as we all know, one of the most fun parts of Halloween is dressing up! What costumes will our friends choose? On October 21, come party with us! We’ll be waiting!”

toku also gave his thoughts. “It’s our fourth annual Halloween event. As hosts, we can’t wait to see the artists taking the stage this year. We’ll be waiting for you with collaborations you can only see on October 21! Come out, get dressed up, and have some fun!”

Presale lottery tickets went on sale on August 22 at 19:00 at each artist’s fan club, so be sure to enter if you’d like to party at this incredible event!