Born in Niigata and living in London, international singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama released her second album Hold The Girl on September 16, 2022. Her Japan-based Hold The Girl Tour saw successful shows in Nagoya, Osaka, and Tokyo, with Sawayama generating plenty of buzz. During the final show on the tour, the singer surprised the audience with a cover of Hikaru Utada’s hit songFirst Love. The video of this incredible performance is now available to watch on YouTube!

 

First Love - Rina Sawayama (Hikaru Utada Cover, Tokyo Garden Theatre)

 

Prior to the Tokyo show, Sawayama took to Instagram, posting a comment for fans. “Since this is the biggest show I’ve ever done, I think I should cover a special Japanese track to commemorate the event,” she said. The singer had previously asked fans to share the songs they’d most like to see performed.

 

“Without this artist and without this song, I probably wouldn’t have become a musician or an artist. I heard this track when I was around six years old, and I remember dancing for my parents who were sitting on the sofa. This artist also celebrated her 40th birthday yesterday. This is my first cover, but I think it’s the perfect way to commemorate this special event. Please enjoy,” Sawayama concluded.

 

The audience responded to this surprise with a chorus of excitement, and this was surely an unforgettable night for many fans.

 

Rina is currently on the Hold The Girl Tour in Europe. At the end of March, she will make her Hollywood debut in the fourth John Wickmovie.

Japanese music streaming site RecoChoku has announced the top song and album rankings for September 2022.   Ado tops both the single and album charts for the second month in a row with her tracks from the movie ONE PIECE FILM RED. The singer provided the singing voice of Uta, the main character in the film which was released nationwide on August 6, 2022. The theme song for the film, New Genesis, ranked top in the weekly rankings on September 7, September 14, and September 28. Back in August, Ado dominated the charts as well, with I’m Invincible and Where the Wind Blows taking the top spots. Ado also took first place in September’s album ranking with her collection of songs from ONE PIECE FILM RED. A number of other popular artists worked on the album, including Yasutaka Nakata, Mrs. GREEN APPLE, Vaundy, FAKE TYPE., Hiroyuki Sawano, Yuta Orisaka, and Motohiro Hata. The album for the film also ranked top in the weekly rankings on September 7, September 14, and September 28.  In August, Ado took the top spot for both most popular song and most popular album on RecoChoku’s download ranking, and the singer has done it again in September.   If you haven’t listened to Ado's collection of songs from the new ONE PIECE film, this is your sign to do so.    

RecoChoku Monthly Music Award – September 2022

(Announced October 1, 2022) Single Ranking 1st Place: New Genesis (Uta from ONE PIECE FILM RED) – Ado (Released June 8, 2022) 2nd Place: Hitotsuboshi - KOH+ 3rd Place: Start Over - THE BEAT GARDEN 4th Place: Velvet - back number 5th Place: I'm Invincible (Uta from ONE PIECE FILM RED) - Ado 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: Luxury Disease - ONE OK ROCK 3rd Place: YUZU ARENA TOUR 2022 SEES -ALWAYS with you- Yuzu 4th Place: Hitotsuboshi ~Galileo Collection 2007-2022 - KOH+  5th Place: BE:1 - BE:FIRST https://recochoku.jp/ranking/album/monthly/    ©尾田栄一郎／2022「ワンピース」製作委員会

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 DANdismhttps://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!

YOASOBI is known for turning novels into incredible music. The duo’s debut song Yoru ni Kakeru was released in November 2019 and immediately attracted attention, dominating the charts in both Japan and abroad. The group also performed at the 71st NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen.    Their first EP, ‘The Book,’ was released in January of this year, and the unique release has become popular, with many calling it a ‘reading CD,’ made with the concept of ‘turning a novel into music.’ Their songs Kaibutsu and Yasashii Suisei were both featured in the BEASTARS anime series, and in February, YOASOBI held their first solo concert at the construction site of the former Milano Theater in Shinjuku. The two topped the Billboard Japan Top Artists ranking in the first half of 2021.    Mister - YOASOBI (Teaser)

 

Comment from Rio Shimamoto

When I heard Mister for the first time, it gently evoked memories of people I will never see again.    I felt my novel blending vividly into the world of YOASOBI, and it was a very surreal experience. This song reminds us of the sad and nostalgic stories that are kept deep in our hearts.  

Novel into Music Project

YOASOBI will be releasing a new song, Mister, on February 16, 2022. This song was created as part of a collaborative project with four Naoki Prize-winning writers: Rio Shimamoto, Mizuki Tsujimura, Miyuki Miyabe, and Eto Mori. This new initiative seeks to turn novels into music that all can enjoy, and all four authors were tasked with writing short stories about firsts in their lives to inspire YOASOBI’s work. This song was based on the novel ‘My Only Owner,’ a story about first love by Rio Shimamoto. A teaser video for the track has also been released directed by Ijigen TOKYO.

Since 2019, musical duo YOASOBI has taken Japan and the rest of the world by storm. Producer and songwriter Ayase, along with singer-songwriter Ikura, base their tracks on short stories, bringing books to life. Their debut single, Yoru ni Kakeru, was released on December 19, 2019, and spent three weeks at the top of the Oricon charts. Their first EP, ‘THE BOOK,’ was released in January 2021, and now, ‘THE BOOK 2’ is less than two weeks away. The duo will also be performing in this year's Kouhaku Uta Gassen New Years’ special. In February 2021, YOASOBI held their first solo concert at the KEEP OUT THEATER in Shinjuku.    ‘THE BOOK 2’ will release on December 1, and the pair’s first face-to-face one-off concert, titled Nice to Meet You, will take place at Nippon Budokan from December 4 to 5.    ‘THE BOOK 2’ will be a limited edition-only release, and the CD will come in a ring binder package. The album will also be available to stream. To commemorate this new release, the group’s first album will be getting a second run starting November 30.