Japanese music streaming site RecoChoku has announced the top song and album rankings for August 2022!

Unsurprisingly, Ado tops both the single and album charts with her new tracks from the movie ONE PIECE FILM RED. The singer provided the singing voice of Uta, a main character in the film which was released nationwide on August 6, 2022.

New Genesis, the theme from ONE PIECE FILM RED, was released ahead of the movie’s release on June 8, 2022. It ranked 4th in the monthly rankings for June and July, and following the film’s release in August, it shot to the top of the charts for four consecutive weeks, continuing to hold the #1 spot.

Ado also took first place in August’s album ranking with her collection of songs from ONE PIECE FILM RED. Released on August 19, 2022, the album features a number of tracks made for the film, with seven different artists helping to produce these now legendary songs.

For the daily ranking on August 11, the top seven singles were all from this one album. Starting at the top spot, the songs included were: New Genesis, Where the Wind Blows, Tot Musica, The World’s Continuation, Binks’ Sake, I’m Invincible, and Fleeting Lullaby.

In the album ranking, it was number one in the weekly ranking for three consecutive weeks since its release on August 17 and continued its momentum to take the top position in the monthly ranking for the month of August.

Ado had her first top single ranking in February 2021 with Usseewa, and her first #1 album in January and February 2022 with Kyogen.

If you haven’t listened to the singer’s collection of songs from the most recent ONE PIECE film, you’re missing out!

RecoChoku Monthly Music Award – August 2022 (Announced September 1, 2022)

Single Ranking

1st Place: New Genesis (Uta from ONE PIECE FILM RED) – Ado (Released June 8, 2022)
2nd Place: Start Over – THE BEAT GARDEN
3rd Place: Ame Sansan – King Gnu
4th Place: Where the Wild Blows – Ado
5th Place: Mixed Nuts – Official HiGE DANdism

https://recochoku.jp/ranking/single/monthly/

Album Ranking

1st Place: Uta’s Songs from ONE PIECE FILM RED – Ado (Released August 10, 2022)
2nd Place: M – INI
3rd Place: BE:1 – BE:FIRST
4th Place: Falling into your eyes Record – Aimyon
5th Place: Suki Toiunowa Rock Daze! (Special Edition) – Nogizaka46

https://recochoku.jp/ranking/album/monthly/

©尾田栄一郎／2022「ワンピース」製作委員会

In March 2022, the cover song project CrosSing was launched. Amassing instant popularity, tracks featured as part of the project have pulled in hundreds of millions of views. The project has featured popular voice actors Maaya Uchida, Kana Hanazawa, and Akari Kito. 

On July 13, voice actor Yu Hayashi took to the stage to perform a cover of King Gnu’s Sakayume.

Yu Hayashi is a popular voice actor and singer who is well-known as the voice of Manjiro Sano in Tokyo Revengers and Ino Takuma in Jujutsu Kaisen. He’s also member of the vocal unit SCREEN mode. The song the artist chose to perform, Sakayume, was used as the ending theme for the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 film. The actor commented that he put all his energy into his singing, as he has special feelings for the work, having performed in the film. The exquisite balance of Hayashi’s powerful vocals and delicate expressions create something that shouldn’t be missed.

A special video showing the artist recording the track has been uploaded to YouTube.

Sakayume (from CrosSing) – Yu Hayashi (Recording Movie)

Exclusive behind-the-scenes footage has also been posted to the official CrosSing TikTok page. A special interview will be released on July 15 at 20:00. 

Two campaigns have also been announced. The first is a follow and retweet campaign, and two lucky winners will receive Yu Hayashi’s autograph! To enter, just follow CrosSing on Twitter and TikTok and retweet the selected tweets. 

A LINE MUSIC Playback campaign is also underway, and those playing the song over 300 times in the first two weeks will receive a special autographed image. More details will be posted to Twitter, so keep an eye out!

The compilation album CrosSing Collection Vol.1 will be released on September 21, 2022. In addition to many of the songs performed as part of the CrosSing project, Rain by Kana Hanazawa will be included as a bonus track. The song was used as the ending theme for Makoto Shinkai’s film The Garden of Words. There are no other plans for this song to be released in any other format, so be sure to snag this CD! Preorders are open on the Canime online shop.

Keep an eye on CrosSing as the 2nd Season continues to heat up!

Japanese music streaming site RecoChoku has announced the top song and album rankings for January 2022!

In the Single Ranking category, Aimer’s Zankyosanka was ranked #1 for the second consecutive month. The song is the opening for the newest Demon Slayer anime arc which began airing on December 5, 2021.

The ending theme for Demon Slayer, Asa ga Kuru, was released on January 10, and quickly climbed the ranks. Aimer is currently celebrating the 10th anniversary of her debut, and this is a powerful start to the year for this talented singer.

As for the Album Ranking, the top spot was clear for January. Ado’s 14-song debut album ‘Kyogen’ sits in the top spot, and includes many of her smash hits. From Usseewa to Aitakute, the album also contains seven new songs which are steadily gaining popularity. Six days after the album’s release, it was ranked #1 for the month of January.

Ado’s 8th single ‘Kokoro to Iu Nano Fukakai’ also ranked 5th on the Single Ranking. Written and arranged by Mafumafu, the song is the theme for the drama series Doctor White starring Minami Hamabe. Ado will also be holding her first solo concert at Zepp DiverCity on April 4, 2022!

As part of Red Bull and King Gnu’s “Go Louder” project, the Japanese pop-rock band held an exclusive live concert at a secret location as part of the Red Bull Secret Gig experience on July 4. That location was Tokyo Bay’s No.2 Sea Fort which invited fans attended on July 4.

Tokyo Bay No.2 Sea Fort

No.2 Sea Fort has a history as formally being a gun battery that’s part of Tokyo Bay Fortress. The site has a lot of large machinery and is normally under strict management, making this the first time a live music concert has been held there. Over 130,000 fans applied to attend the show, and just 70,000 lucky ones were selected to both attend in-person and watch via an official livestream.

To find the venue, fans has to solve a puzzle. 30 illustrations of megaphones were plastered up all around Japan, each facing a different direction. Photos of them were also posted on Red Bull Japan and King Gnu’s official Twitter accounts. The clue fans were given was that all the megaphones were geographically facing the direction in which the venue was located, so everyone had to put their heads together. For those unable to attend or watch the show, part of it along with a behind-the-scenes will be released on Red Bull TV on July 22.

Live Report

An unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience. King Gnu and Red Bull’s secret show was truly something special, treating fans to not only throwbacks, but exclusive sights that will never be beheld again. The main reason behind that was because the concert was held on an unmanned island in the middle of the ocean. Setting foot on this island is strictly forbidden under normal circumstances, but for King Gnu fans, it was all access for this one-night show. The band staff constructed a stage from scratch for King Gnu to stand as the first band to ever perform music there. Out of the 70,000 or so people who were successful to witness the show, only 60 very lucky fans were actually allowed to attend in-person (the rest watched online), and this intimate experience took place on June 5.

Red Bull Secret Gig has taken place at over 10 locations in six countries worldwide, and this was the first time for it to be held in Japan. It took about a month to roll out the megaphone images across Japan from April.

For the concert, the audience were split into two groups at No.2 Sea Fort and transported to the island aboard a small Red Bull Secret Gig ferry from Mikasa Terminal in Yokosuka. It took about 30 minutes for them to reach their destination, during which they could look out at the picturesque bright blue and sun-basked sea. Excitement was high amongst King Gnu’s passengers. Constructed between the mid-Meiji Period (1867-1911) and Taisho Period (1912-1925), No.2 Sea Fort saw the Imperial Japanese Army there before WWII, and later the Imperial Japanese Navy used the island as the key spot to protect Tokyo. The shipping of materials to build King Gnu’s stage began a week before the show started. Lots of mirrors which reflected the silver framework of the stage, as well as megaphones and other decorations, gave a dystopian vibe to the venue.

Both groups of fans were treated to performances at the Red Bull Street Jam until they arrived at the island, which saw Red Bull dancers and artists put on a show of breakdancing, freestyle football, and double dutch sessions. Everyone was off the boat by 15:40, and they didn’t have to wait long for the main act to make an appearance. The sound of steel drums surrounded the crowd, white smoke filled the air, and flames roared high from the stage, signalling the start of what was to be a very special day for King Gnu lovers. The band members rolled up to the stage: Daiki Tsuneta began to strum his guitar while Yu Seki began drumming a tight rhythm. The groove ignited the moment Kazuki Arai entered the music with his bass as the band opened with their first song, Senryo Yakusha. The aggressive sound was offset when Daiki Tsuneta and Satoru Iguchi entered with harmonising twin vocals. The band showed off their dynamic performance skills as they offered both a solid yet explosive showcase. Keeping with the exciting energy, they cracked the gears up as they moved on to Sorrows. The stage lit up in a blaze of flames while black smoke shrouded the stage. It was a breathtaking backdrop to behold as the fire, smoke, stage, and setting itself was akin to a mirage floating in a desolate wasteland. But the smell of the smoke, the heat of the crowd, and most of all the flesh and blood of the band’s performance confirmed to everyone that this experience was indeed real.

Aerial shot of the concert

From Kasa to McDonald Romance, King Gnu displayed how unique their music is as they elevated the soundscape from the stage to the sky. McDonald Romance in particular stood out, the love song’s exquisite sound combining a gorgeous groove with Kazuki’s transient and beautiful vocals.

After a short interval, the band moved onto Hikotei. The flames erupted for this heated performance, and black smoke poured around the stage, so much so that the band couldn’t see, but this only served to enhance the performance in all its grand and massive sound. Some of the song’s lyrics struck a cord as they reminded one of how our lives have been drastically affected since 2020.

Black smoke turned to red smoke for Slumberland. This performance was the embodiment of King Gnu establishing a new sense of values during this chaotic period we’re going through. What the crowd witnessed was a band able to perform so well in so much smoke, a condition that wouldn’t be able to be replicated in a normal venue. They didn’t falter even once – their musical precision made them seem almost unhuman, or at least that they definitely aren’t ordinary people.

Changing up the vibe, Daiki went ahead for a peaceful piano solo. The sound of a helicopter could be heard in the sky, adding to the otherworldly atmosphere of the show. Daiki began with The Hole, a delicate and beautiful ballad which Satoru provided some synthesiser for. The music had a tinge of pain and uncertainty to it, a compelling message reminiscent of the times we live in today. It was a standout amongst the set list.

White smoke covered the stage once more, and at the same time, Satoru reappeared having changed clothes into a tank top and red half-pants. This of course could only have meant one thing: Teenager Forever. Satoru was dancing and singing around the stage even more than usual, and Daiki joined in without thinking as he sang too. This rock tune is the most youthful-sounding song in King Gnu’s discography, so it was a refreshing thrill to the set.

King Gnu wrapped up the show with Summer Rain Diver. It opened up the beautiful endless sky overhead with its mysterious and alternative sound which sounds almost like a hymn. This musical fusion of dreams and reality served as the perfect ending for the secret show.

The members looked at the crowd with smiles and satisfied looks before leaving the stage. For King Gnu, this was a show that can never be re-experienced.

Two days after the concert, the stage was dismantled and everything taken back, leaving the island floating quietly and solitarily as if nothing had happened. But fans know that of course isn’t the case, as King Gnu made history there as being the first band to perform live. This Red Bull Secret Gig was a once-in-a-lifetime, unprecedented work of art, and quintessentially King Gnu.

SET LIST

1. Senryo Yakusha
2. Sorrows
3. Kasa
4. McDonald Romance
5. Hikotei
6. Slumberland
7. The hole
8. Teenager Forever
9. Summer Rain Diver

A behind-the-scenes is will be released on Red Bull TV Japan on July 22, 2021.

As part of Red Bull and King Gnu’s “Go Louder” project, the Japanese pop-rock band are set to hold an exclusive live concert at a secret location as part of the Red Bull Secret Gig experience, which has taken place at over 10 locations in six countries worldwide. The show is scheduled for early June this year, and applications for tickets opened on April 27.

Tickets to the Red Bull Secret Gig shows are free, but the venue is kept a secret until the last minute, and concertgoers must solve puzzles and riddles. There are two ways to attend the King Gnu concert: in-person and online, each of which will be determined on fans’ success in the endeavour.