While the snowy days of February are behind us that means it’s time for this months Ongaku Go! We at OTY would like our readers to know what was filling our ears for the past month. Each track is available across all digital music streaming platforms, with Apple Music featured on this site, along with our Spotify playlist here!

‘Why’ by Gen Hoshino

Lately, I’ve been tied to Hoshino’s style more and more and with the release of his new EP, I was extremely excited to put that in my rotation. While both of the headline tracks of Why/Life are great, ‘Why’ had slightly edged it out for me. It’s contains a more of a simplistic style and is something that I love the most which is the of the many reasons why I love his style. Usually, Hoshino’s more bombastic style is what draws fans to him, but for me, its his strong vocal style.
Be sure to check out the music video for ‘Why’ below, along with the track here!

‘Saint’ by haruno

haruno is a vocalist that I’ve been following for a while and has been doing some amazing releases over the past year. ‘Saint’ encompasses a lot what makes him very interesting. While not the most flashiest vocalist I’ve heard, haruno displays a vocal style that just lingers and can’t help but draw in more listeners. While I don’t know much about what’s in store for him in the future, I am looking forward to hearing what he will do in the future.

Check out the lyric video for ‘Saint’ below. along with the song here!

‘Naniirodemonai Hana’ by Utada Hikaru

It was a pleasant surprise that Utada released a track this year and even more of a surprise is the fact that it was more of a slow tempo composition. After the bombastic nature of ‘Gold Mata Au Hi Made’, ‘Naniirodemonai Hana’ was a release that Utada needed to show that she could still do this type of song. Even though Utada’s new album Science Fiction is a compilation album (first greatest hits), I am looking forward to it as ‘Naniirodemonai Hana’ will be included on the release along with newly recorded songs.

Check out the music video for ‘Naniirodemonai Hana’ below, along with the track here!

‘White Snow’ by MALIYA

MALIYA is an artist that I had just recently discovered with her song, ‘White Snow’ and I was extremely impressed by what I heard. While the sax was what really made this song for me, MALIYA’s vocals were so smooth and it drew me in. ‘White Snow’ takes you on a ride with the composition and showcases how amazing MALIYA is at crafting her vocals with it. While I do not hope that this isn’t a one hit wonder in terms of impressions, I can’t wait to hear more by her in the future.

Be sure to check out the music video for ‘White Snow’ below, with the song here!

‘miss you’ by m-flo, melody., Ryohei Yamamoto

As a tradition for Valentine Day’s I usually go down a m-flo bender, and one of the major songs by them that I always have to listen to is ‘miss you’. It is one of my absolute favorite by them and was the first song that made me appreciate Japanese music. Everything just works in terms of composition, lyrics, vocals, and lyrical composition for the rap from Taku. While I know m-flo’s music releasing days are behind them, ‘miss you’ is still a pillar in terms of what I want in Japanese rap.

Check out the music video for ‘miss you’ below, along with the track here!