The cool Winter breeze of January has passed us by, 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!

“Bansaka” by tuki.

tuki.’s “Bansaka” has taken SNS by storm and also resonated with myself as well. I was a bit late to the game checking out tuki., but once I heard her perform “Bansaka” live on the Kouhaku, I was blown away. I love her vocals in this track as she leads you through the song, not to mention, the composition is very easy on the ears. To some, tuki.’s “Bansaka” may feel a bit like your typical girl with a guitar, but tuki.’s own nuances in this song hit you, specially with the chorus. “Bansaka” is a easy tune to karaoke to and also one that resonates with you on a personal level. You can really feel tuki.’s emotions come through.

Check out “Bansaka” by tuki. here and the music video below!

“Endroll” by Soala

Soala is a newer artist that I had discovered through her collaborations with vocalist AYANE. “Enroll” came out in early December and Soala’s powerful vocals pulled me in immediately. “Endroll” is a gorgeous ballad that starts out with the piano and guitar then brings in Soala’s soulful voice chiming in. The chorus flows beautifully with its relatable and powerful lyrics that captivate you. “Endroll” not only came out as a digital single in November, but is also featured on Soala’s newest EP Bluem, that just released on January 29th!

Check out “Endroll” by Soala here and the song video below!

“Don’t Mind!!” by Nozomi Kitay & GAL D

Nozomi Kitay is an artist I discovered last year through her collorabation with vocalist AYANE in the track “No Way”. “Don’t Mind” stuck out to me with Nozomi Kitay’s smooth vocals, upbeat composition, and cutesy urban feel. It is a fun track that you can enjoy anytime of the year with its poppy yet funky beat. My only complaint is it’s a bit too short and leaves you wanting more. However, as it’s part of her newest EP Love Letter, it leads right into the next song featured with ease.

Check out “Don’t Mind!!” by Nozomi Kitay & GAL D here and the music video below!

“Katasumi no Fantasy” by HIRAIDAI

HIRAIDAI has been releasing an overflow of EPs this past year and they have all hit pretty hard. One of his latest happened to hit with the lead track with the same name, “Katasumi no Fantasy”. HIRAIDAI’s vocals are always music to the ears with how his lyrics flow and roll off the tong and resonate with the listener and this song is no different. The composition has that country folk feel, especially when the music piece comes in the middle of the song. HIRAIDAI’s style of mid tempo ballad knows how to hit that right spot.

Check out “Katasumi no Fantasy” by HIRAIDAI here and the lyric video below!

“No. 5” by LANA

With the release of LANA’s newest single “Cartier” that dropped in December, I went back to her first studio album, 20, that dropped back a month prior (on November 13th). This album had been on repeat, but the track “No. 5” has made it into my weekly rotation as it’s a fun upbeat track that combines hip hop and hop with LANA’s rap, raw vocals, and lyrics. The composition has a more pop feel to it, but LANA’s rap easily brings in that hip pop feel making for a absolutely bop. Not to mention, his song is also so easy to sing to and has easily made it onto my ‘karaoke’ track list as well.

Check out “No. 5” by LANA here and the music video below!

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