Popular boys group BE:FIRST has released the music video for Message. The track was featured on the group’s chart-topping first album BE:1 released on August 31.

Message is BE:FIRST’s first love song, featuring a soundscape punctuated by sweet guitar riffs. The mid-tempo ballad is a collaboration between singer-songwriter eill, whose songs reflect elements of soul and R&B and whose silky, soulful voice is incredibly addicting; Matt Cab, whose musical sense and unique sound is perfect for a wide range of genres; and MATZ and SKY-HI, who have attracted attention as next-generation artists who lead the Japanese dance music scene.

The music video shows seven people in love and was filmed like a drama series. The seven performers portray their daily lives as they fall in love, struggle with love, and learn to move forward. The powerful dance is also a highlight. Check out the dramatic performances of the seven members in this elaborate setting.

BE:FIRST is currently on its first nationwide tour, titled BE:FIRST 1st One Man Tour “BE:1” 2022-2023. The tour will take the members to 17 cities nationwide for a total of 29 shows.

Be sure to watch this dance-filled music video, offering a glimpse at a new side of BE:FIRST.

ACCAMER has released the song Nomic on streaming services! The track serves as the ending theme for the anime series I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss.

Nomic was written by up-and-coming creator Sheeno Mirin. The music, with its impressive arrangement of voice samples, is dynamic and poignant, taking full advantage of ACCAMER’s powerful voice. Capturing the complexity of the series, fans won’t want to miss adding this track to their library.

The jacket illustration was created by Meri, a next-gen artist who has created a number of illustrations for Vocaloid producer Mizunoatsu, whose song live has received over 10 million views.

Comment from ACCAMER

“I’m ACCAMER, and I’m in charge of the ending theme!

When I read the original novel series, I was so obsessed that I read it all in one sitting. 

The song Nomic has a rather strange melody and lyrics that really embody the worldview of I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss. Combined with the incredible sound created by Sheeno Mirin, this is one song you’ll be listening to over and over again. 

I hope you enjoy it!”

Rock band BUMP OF CHICKEN has released the music video for the song SOUVENIR, the second opening theme for the popular anime series Spy x Family. The second cour of the series began airing on October 1.

SOUVENIR is the band’s first new song in about six months and was added to streaming services on September 29. Unsurprisingly, the track has been a hit, performing well on the charts.

The music video was directed by Spikey John, who is working with BUMP OF CHICKEN for the first time. 

Prior to the music video’s release, a fast-paced teaser video shot on a highway was released, and many fans have been anxious to see what the full-length video would look like.

Are you watching Spy x Family? How do you feel about the new opening song and animation? 

©遠藤達哉/集英社・SPY×FAMILY製作委員会

Born in Niigata and living in London, international singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama released her second album Hold The Girl on September 16. The album has already received rave reviews from media outlets worldwide, with NME calling it “the best British pop album of the year.” 

Sawayama has now released the music video for her single Hurricanes, which can also be found on her newest album. The impressive video features an incredibly powerful performance with the band in the middle of a violent storm. Be sure to check it out below!

Hurricanes – Rina Sawayama (Official Music Video)

https://youtu.be/LbB1Qtq3FHY　

A studio performance version of the song This Hell, the first single from the album and a fan favorite, has also been released. The video features incredible dancers and a live band.

This Hell (Live) – Rina Sawayama | Vevo Studio Performance

https://youtu.be/7cilizyYBdQ　

Sawayama has also announced that she will hold her first solo Japan tour in January 2023, which will stop in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. 

On August 31, 2022, the voice actor, hero, and music project PRELUDERS released the album By Your Side. Now, the music video for the song Horizon Climber by High Five has been released, and it’s absolutely gorgeous!

High Five is a group led by Asuka Morito (Junya Enoki), and Horizon Climber is a song filled with hope. Young people are encouraged to listen to imagine the kind of hero they’d like to become!

Horizon Climber Music Video

The music video for Horizon Climber depicts the fifth and final chapter of the voice drama Koubou (Beam of Light), in which the members of High Five and S-quad finally confront the two members of Vice Versa, voiced by Atsushi Tamaru and Shintaro Asanuma. The battle is ready to start, with Asuka (Junya Enoki) and Ko Kujikami (Yuma Uchida) taking on those who would threaten their friends. Be sure to keep an eye out for more from this exciting project!

Be sure to give this gorgeous video a watch!

（C)PRELUDERS

Since debuting in 2020, ACCAMER has been impressing audiences with her powerful voice, taking part in plenty of anime tie-ups. Now, the artist will sing the ending theme for the upcoming anime series I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss! The track is called Nomikku, and is the singer’s newest original song following fluoresce. 

Nomikku was written by the up-and-coming creator Sheeno Mirin and features impressive vocal samples and ACCAMER’s incredibly powerful voice. The lyrics combine ACCAMER’s cynicism and the Villainess’s worldview. 

The series follows noblewoman Aileen d’Autriche after her fiance breaks up with her in front of the entire student body. As terrible as the moment is, it shocks Aileen into remembering her past life! As it turns out, she had been reborn as the villainess of a dating sim, and according to the story, she’d meet her end at the hands of the demon king in only three months. The best way to avoid this? Make the demon king fall in love with her, of course.

I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss will premiere on October 1, 2022. Be sure to tune in!

Comment from ACCAMER

“I’m ACCAMER and I’ve been put in charge of the ending theme song for the series!

When I first read the manga series, I was drawn into the world, and I ended up reading through it all in one sitting. 

The song Nomikku has a somewhat strange melody and lyrics inspired by the Villainess herself, and combined with Sheeno Mirin’s incredible sound, this is a song you’ll want to listen to over and over again! 

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!”

©永瀬さらさ・紫真依／KADOKAWA／悪ラス製作委員会2022

The mannequin rap duo FEMM has just returned from an expansive European tour through England, Germany, and France.

The main track from their latest album Tokyo Ex Machina, We Got Each Other, managed to chart for 12 consecutive weeks on the major U.S. radio chart MEDIABASE/Activator Chart, and in September, the two will return to Europe to perform in Spain.

The music video for their song Crawl Away, from their upcoming mini-album THE SIX, has been unveiled. The album will be released on August 17, 202.

Crawl Away (Music Video):

https://youtu.be/4-OuL_OKho0

FEMM has always had cyberpunk as a theme for its visuals, and this time, the duo decided to collaborate with UK-based concept artist Max Prentis to kick up the retro-futuristic feel. The video is both set in a faraway time and nostalgic, bringing together 80s melodies and flashy visuals of a distant Tokyo.

As the duo continues their activities in Europe and the United States, their new song THE SIX is being used as the opening song for the MBS/TBS drama Ikinokotta 6-nin ni Yoru to, which has just begun airing.

GARNiDELiA has chosen REBECCA’s legendary track Friends as the ninth song in their ongoing cover series, also releasing a music video.

GARNiDELiA is composed of Maria, the lead vocalist, and toku, the group’s composer. The duo’s J-pop cover song project was started after the pandemic under the title ‘GARNiDELiA Cover Collection,’ and many popular songs have been featured so far, including Gurenge by LiSA, Hakujitsu by King Gnu, Pretender by Official Hige Dandism, Haru Yo Koi by Yumi Matsutoya, and Kaikai Kitan by Eve. Unsurprisingly, the project has pulled in over 5 million views.

Friends – REBECCA (Covered by GARNiDELiA)

MARiA does the styling for her musical activities and serves as a producer. For Friends, the artist focused on highlighting the feel of the 80s, the era when the track was initially released.

Check out the GARNiDELiA Cover Collection for some new and classic titles covered by this talented duo!

On August 6, BiSH, known as a ‘punk rock band without instruments,’ released the music video for their song Sayonara Saraba! The 8th single released across 12 consecutive months will drop on August 31. 

Sayonara Saraba – BiSH (Official Music Video)

Sayonara Saraba was created in collaboration with Taka from ONE OK ROCK and MEG from MEGMETAL and features lyrics written by KENTA from WANIMA. This is the first time BiSH has collaborated with an outside producer for a series of releases, and this electrifying rock number shows a different side of the group. 

The coupling song, A long way to go, was composed by Taka and MEG from MEGMETAL and written by JxSxK. 

The music video was directed by Kento Yamada, who has produced a number of other videos for the group.

The teaser trailer, released previously, shows a stylish video with an eye-catching red and black color scheme.

Sayonara Saraba – BiSH (Teaser)

More information regarding the 9th and 10th consecutive single has been released! The 9th song will be released on September 21, while the 10th will be released on October 26. Be sure to give them both a listen!

FRUITS ZIPPER, a new idol group from ASOBISYSTEM, has a simple concept: “From Harajuku to the World.” Ready to transmit what they call ‘NEW KAWAII’ from Harajuku, an area known for fashion and individuality, to their soon-to-be global fanbase, the group consists of seven members: Amane Tsukiashi, Suzuka Chinzei, Yui Sakurai, Luna Nakagawa, Mana Manaka, Karen Matsumoto, and Noel Hayase.

This spring, the group released the song Watashino Ichiban Kawaiitokoro, which exploded in popularity on TikTok racking up over 200 million plays. The song also ranked on the TikTok HOT SONGS list and ranked at #1 on Spotify’s viral chart. Fans requested a music video, and after its release, it pulled in over 1.1 million views in one month.

The group’s long-awaited new single RADIO GALAXY was released on July 29, 2022.

This is FRUITS ZIPPER’s 4th single, created in collaboration with trackmaker, singer, and producer YUC’e, who has provided songs for numerous artists and idols in the past.

YUC’e is known for her dance music inlaid with ‘KAWAII’ elements, and the artist has become incredibly popular both in Japan and abroad. It’s no surprise that she chose to work with the adorable members of FRUITS ZIPPER, who are aiming to bring Harajuku culture to fans around the world.

A music video for RADIO GALAXY was posted to YouTube ahead of the song’s streaming release.

FRUITS ZIPPER’s artist photos were created by YUKARI, a video director, art director, and 3DCG artist from the digital creative company OFBYFOR TOKYO.

RADIO GALAXY – FRUITS ZIPPER (Music Video)

A special campaign to celebrate the release of the new song is ongoing on a number of music streaming sites. In addition, FRUITS ZIPPER will hold their first solo concert at Ebisu LIQUIDROOM on September 12.

For a long time, RADIO GALAXY was only known to fans in the in-crowd who saw it performed at FRUITS ZIPPER live shows. Now, everyone can dance along! 

Hybrid voice actress-idol group i☆Ris is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2022. The group released its new track, Queens Bluff, on July 20, and the music video for the song is now available on YouTube! 

Queens Bluff is being used as the ending song for the anime series Kakegurui Twin, which will air on Netflix globally starting August 4, 2022. 

Queens Bluff Music Video (Full Version)

The music video teaser trailer was released on June 5, and the song was first performed during the final performance of i☆Ris’s national tour on July 7. The member’s speedy dance moves and style quickly caught on on social media, and the song has been called the most ‘seductive’ track in the group’s discography.

Since debuting in 2012, i☆Ris has been active in the voice acting scene, with the members starring in the PriPara series. They have also starred in stage performances and films, while also carrying out solo activities.

On November 7, i☆Ris will hold their 10th anniversary concert at Tokyo International Forum Hall A. In addition, they will also release their first best-of album to celebrate this huge milestone. To express their gratitude to their fanbase, the best album will also include a new track written by the members. This song will be performed for the first time at the 10th anniversary concert.

Be sure to keep an eye out for more from i☆Ris on the group’s 10th anniversary!

Japanese hip-hop R&B girls group XG released their second single MASCARA on June 29, 2022. Since then, the group has appeared on a series of popular Korean music shows such as Mnet’s MCOUNTDOWN, KBS 2TV’s MUSIC BANK, and MBC’s Show! Music Core. On July 4, XG revealed a special choreography video for the track on YouTube. 

MASCARA – XG (Choreography Video)

Fans of the group have been posting dancing videos on TikTok and YouTube since the song was released, and many posts describe the choreography during the chorus as the ‘shuriken dance.’ The choreography video shows off the member’s slick moves and fashion, and we doubt you’ll be able to watch it just once.

The original MASCARA music video surpassed 4 million views within four days of its release. Additional videos on the girl’s YouTube channel continue to rank in the YouTube Fastest Rising Ranking for music simultaneously. The group is seeing a massive influx of followers on social media and their momentum seems unstoppable!

XG also appeared on the Korean music program THE SHOW on SBS on July 5. Expectations are high going forward, so keep an eye on XG!