Ken's Ongaku Go For February 2024!

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!

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‘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!

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‘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!

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‘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!

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‘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!

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‘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!

Gray's Ongaku Go For January 2024

January is already behind us and we here at OTY would like our readers to know what has been 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!

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“Your eyes, Your Voice”  by tonun

What a song tonun has dropped for January. Talk about starting the new year on the right foot. The composition is on the next level the way he layers in all the instruments is done to expert perfection. I’ve been listening to this amazing track on repeat and won’t stop for a while.

Check out “Your eyes, Your Voice” here and in the video below!

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“Raise Me Up” by lol

I've been enjoying lol’s new album since it dropped.“Raise Me Up” reminds me of that “Trigger” energy with this high electronic dance number. It’s nice to hear this from lol since 2023 was a quiet year for them. I’ll be listening to their new album for a while. 

Check out “Raise Me Up” here and in the video below!

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“Lemonade” by White Jam

“Lemonade” is a fun track that has me thinking of a warm summer day, and it’s been a really cold January. “Lemonade” is the second track on White Jam’s latest album, Hourglass, which just dropped. Per usual, White Jam is at the top of their game, and “Lemonade” is a great addition to their discography. 

Check out “Lemonade” here and in the video below!

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“Time Paradox” by VAUNDY

VAUNDY kicks off the year release “Time Paradox” which goes to show how much of a workhorse this man is. I was not expecting him to release anything for a while but to my surprise, this song dropped this past month and for someone who has so many releases it is amazing how he can maintain the quality that he does. 

Check out “Time Paradox” here and in the video below!

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“Aiai” by chilldspot

chilldspot is a new band I’ve been listening to recently, and this is off of their “Madaramoyo EP”. “Aiai”  has a nice quiet opening and stays that way until the mid-point of the song; then it begins to build up to this great explosion before dropping back down. Hiyune is the vocalist for the group and I really enjoy her performance in this song.

Check out “Aiai” here and in the video below!

Luna's Ongaku Go For January 2024!

As 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!

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“Yellow.” by 7co

7co is an artist who jumped on my radar last year with the track “lonely nights” and ever since then I’ve been keeping track of her music. I’m glad I did too as her latest track “Yellow.” that released mid-December 2023 is fantastic. “Yellow.” is more of an upbeat track than “lonely night” as it’s filled with more energy vocally and in terms of composition. The composition showcases an extremely high energy beat that gets you pumped up. “Yellow.” easily could translate into a dance track or even used to just pump you up in general. 7co has shown that she knows how to utilize her vocals no matter what type of composition. I’m looking forward to seeing what is in store for 2024 for her.

Check out “Yellow.” by 7co here and the lyric video below!

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“puzzle” by NAQT VANE

When NAQT VANE announced their latest album, Dispersion, I had it as my most anticipated album of 2024. Dispersion did not disappoint as being anticipated, NAQT VANE hit it out of the ballpark. The new tracks on this album all stuck out and hit hard, but “puzzle” was the one that really resonated with me. Hiroyuki Sawano’s masterful composition pulls you in instantly with its edgy beat, HARUKAZE’s vocals fit perfectly with each verse, chorus, lyrics resonating with my soul. I love how HARUKAZE knows how to intertwine English and Japanese into the lyrics seamlessly.

Check out “puzzle” by NAQT VANE here and the music video below.

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“Vroom” by Koda Kumi

Koda Kumi released the digital single “Vroom” back on December 20, 2023 with a promotion of her Driving Hits -Tokyo Auto Salon 2024- Music card. “Vroom” does not disappoint with its high energy composition that hits with bombastic sounds. The versus’ pulled me in more than the chorus as I love the vocal work Koda Kumi displays in them. The chorus is way catchier, but meshes so well with the versus’. This is such a perfect dance song and has been on my playlist since its release. Crossing my fingers this will end up on a physical release as I was not able to secure the music card.

Check out “Vroom” by Koda Kumi here and the music video below.

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“Poison” by Miliyah, MUD, & Neetz

Miliyah Kato is an artist I’ve been following since her debut single (Never let go/Yozora) back in 2004. I always loved her R&B style she started out with and hearing “Poison”, it feels like she’s once again going back to her roots. Miliyah has the perfect voice for R&B with its smooth and sultry sound, so “Poison” just immediately sunk its way into my playlist. The composition is that chill R&B that I just love, plus this song introduced me to MUD and Neetz, whom I’ve only heard by name until now. I thought MUD’s rap fit it with Miliyah’s vocal quite nicely and like what he brought to the table. Neetz’ beats just fit perfectly with both artists, which is no surprise as he’s collaborated with MUD before and also has done many other renowned collaborations in the hip hop scene.

Check out “Poison” by Miliyah, MUD, & Neetz here and the music video below!

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“Together” by Sala & Shin Sakiura

With the release of Sala’s latest digital singles, “Gacha Gatcha” and “Lazy”, I started to dive further into her discography and discovered the track “Together” that she collaborated with Shin Sakura on. “Together” is an amazing track; Shin Sakiura knows how to compose a track and fit it to that artists strengths with ease. Sala’s vocals are brought out, showing her range as an artist and how veritile she can be. “Together” has more of an upbeat sound but it has that city pop feel with some R&B mixed in. If you are a fan of Shin Sakiura’s other collaborations, such as “Blue Bird” with Maika Loubte, you will love “Together” just as much.

Check out “Together” by Sala & Shin Sakiura here and the lyric video below!

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Ken's Ongaku Go For January 2024!

As 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!

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‘15 minutes’ by LIL LEAGUE

What?! An Exile Tribe song included on my Ongaku Go. What am I Gray? All joking aside, my time with LIL LEAGUE was very enjoyable and no more was that shown with the track “15 minutes. “Upon first listen, I had to do a double take to make sure I was listening to them as it was a complete shocker in both tone and composition. Relying more on their vocal strength, the boys show why they won the competition that brought them together in the first place. The range they show is out of this world and I hope that they will do more styles of tracks like this to break that dance image that Exile Tribe groups usually has. While I know this was an outlier for LIL LEAGUE, I do hope to come back to songs like this in the future.
Be sure to check out the music video below along with the track here!

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‘2MANYTIMES’ by SIRUP, CODY JON, And Taka Perry

What is an OG for me without a reference to SIRUP. However, this time he is not alone as he has the vocalists’ CODY JON and Taka Perry with him on the front. What amazing collaboration this is as it shows how great all three artist are as a vocalist. While not the most impressive from a composition standpoint, the simplicity helps it out overall with minor tweaks from the saxophone through out; the sax made it become a song that I had to absolutely put in my rotation. While I’m not too sure that I’ll listen to Jon or Perry all too much in the future, I am happy to have such a wonderful introduction to them in this track.

Check out the lyric video for ‘2MANYTIMES’ below along with the song here!

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‘Soulsoup’ by OFFICIAL HIGE DANDISM

Going a completely different way, we have OFFICIAL HIGE’s latest release of “Soulsoup” to bring that energy back to my rotation. While not the best track that I’ve enjoyed from the band they’ve done, they do a great job of bringing me in as the listener with this high energy composition, which I feel would bring anyone back jumping. While I do hope that they do have releases like these sparingly, it still go to hear that the group can still bring ‘it’ when be.

Be sure to check out the music video for ‘Soulsoup’ below along with the track here!

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‘Hug’ by IRI

It’s been a while since I had an IRI track on my list and I’m happy to be able to highlight this. “Hug” had featured what I had loved about IRI in the first place, that strong vocal presence that really dictates the mood and is not over-powered by the composition. The overall slow tempo style that this release did was something that I really needed especially with everything that was going on this month. While I should be listening to more IRI this year, if is anything like “HUG”, I’ll gladly be the front of the line.

Check out the music video for ‘Hug’ below along with the track here!

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‘Can You Keep A Secret’ by Hikaru Utada

I blame the Kohaku for this pick, as they did a segment about popular drama songs on our times, and it made me immediately think of Utada’s virtue in this with ‘Can You Keep A Secret’. OG Utada is something that had to be listened to by people who are just getting into Japanese music, and aside from the big hits like ‘Hikari’ and ‘Sanctuary’ the next track would be this one that I would personally introduce newbies to. While I do know Utada’s style has changed significantly from this era, it is still nice to go back and take that nice bit of old school hits.

Be sure to check out the music video for ‘Can You Keep A Secret’ below along the track here!

Ongaku to You 2023 Songs, Artist and New Artist of the Year!

2023 was a very interesting year for the Japanese music industry and we at Ongaku to You would like to praise the songs and artists that helped us traverse this amazing year. Each member broke down the year in three categories; Song of the Year, New Artist We Discovered in 2023, and lastly our Artist of the Year. We hope that 2024 will bring many surprises to the Japanese music industry like we received in 2023!

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Luna’s Song of the Year

“Karappo” by AYANE

As soon as Ken introduced me to “Karappo”, AYANE immediately came on my radar. "Karappo" easily became a leading track in the rotation on my playlist with its easy to follow lyrics, mid tempo R&B composition, and AYANE's sweet smooth vocals. AYANE has a voice has a reminiscence of Nishino Kana except a little more sultry vocal wise. "Karappo" stuck with me throughout the year despite releasing in February 2023, not just in my daily playlists but it is a track that I go out of my way to listen to when I want a chill R&B track with soothing vocals that flow off the tongue.

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Luna’s New Artist of the Year

Sincere

Sincere completely caught me off guard with her track "Water" and her "Just Living EP", which both dropped in Spring 2023. She immediately captivated me with her resounding lyrics, her smooth vocals, and unique compositions. Sincere has had a phenomenal year with all her new releases from Digital Single to EPs and has kept up a good momentum of new tracks.

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Luna’s 2023 Artist of the Year

CREAM

With the release of CREAM's new album Chapters, I created a new 'CREAMIX' playlist that has been played so many times this year I can’t even count but Apple Replay obviously recognized them as my most played artist. Their new album 'Chapters' brought some fresh vibes with the hits, 'Game Over', 'Fridays', and 'Ready4Summer' being my favorites of this year. I have also been going back listening to my usual CREAM favorites that help me get through rough days. CREAM's music holds a special place in my heart and always makes me feel good. From Minami's smooth vocals to Staxx-T's fluid rap, I can never get enough CREAM and this year was no exception.

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Gray’s Song of the Year

“Soul Galaxy” by BRADIO

For me the reason why "Soul Galaxy" is my pick for my number one song of the year is not only because I love how bombastic and energetic this track is but also for the fact that it reignited my love and passion for BRADIO. Due to their newest release, it has made me realize that BRADIO has become one of my favorite all time bands. I love how this track comes together with it great composition which pulls the listener in, leaving them wanting more by the end. BRADIO shows they are still at the top of their game and "Soul Galaxy" is just one example of that.

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Gray’s New Artist of the Year

Kenya Fujita

Mask In Love has captivated me since I first heard it and its hard to believe that Fujita is still in his teens. I am looking forward to how amazing he is going to be once he refines his sound a bit more as he begins to establish himself as an artist. To me, it’s clear that Fujita is just getting started in the industry and I'm excited to watch as he grows as an artist.

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Gray’s 2023 Artist of the Year

BRADIO

The release of DANCE HALL MAGIC reignited my fire and passion for this amazing group. In my eyes, I have not seen any other group that does what BRADIO brings to the Japanese music industry. DANCE HALL MAGIC quickly became my album of the year despite its release later in the year and not to mention the many other albums that I have also loved this year. DANCE HALL MAGIC brought new fresh sounds from BRADIO which pushed all the other artists out, which is one of the many reasons why BRADIO is my artist for 2023. I am looking forward to what BRADIO will bring to the industry in the many years to come.

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Ken’s Song of the Year

“See You Again” by SIRUP

With the 2023 that I went through, there was only one song that can sum up this past year and that has to be 'See You Again' by SIRUP. Fresh off his Blue Blur EP that was released earlier in the year, upon first listen it was an instant add. To be honest it was difficult not to talk about this track in multiple Ongaku Go's as it would be in my rotation quite often. The simplistic composition really highlights SIRUP's vocals is one if the major keys that made me fell in love with this track. Not only the composition but the lyrics had resonated with me throughout the year plus the short but sweet length of the song that made me want to hit repeat on multiple occasions. It was given that 'See You Again' was going to be my Number 1 song of 2023.

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Ken’s New Artist of the Year

MISAMO

Now I know this would be a shocker for some people after my prior comments toward the genre in the past, however, if there is anything I learned in 2023 is that never say never. I will have to say that with just one release, the Japanese sub group of the TWICE, MISAMO is my newest artist of the year for 2023. Through their music and LE SSERAFIM, whom I would of loved to put on here as well but as we were introduced to them via the Kohaku last year, it put them out of the running. Both of these groups, had put me in my place and taught me to enjoy the genre overall. It wasn't until their song ‘Do Not Touch Me’ that had had finally understood why people had fell in love with them. While I do hope that other releases will come from the group in 2024, I can safelty say that without MISAMO I would not have changed my mind.

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Ken’s 2023 Artist of the Year

Kirinji

If there was one artist that checked off every box that defined what I love about Japanese music it would have to be Kirinji. What Takaki Horigome has done in this past year since the reinvention of what Kirinji was, is nothing more than sensational. It only took a handful of songs to put Kirinji into my artist of the year. Either it the track that I talked about that made my top 5, 'Nestling' or on my runner up song "Summer Ghost', Horigome just gets what makes music just so darn interesting. While a lot of bands try to replicate the genre and feel of music, Horigome makes sounds natural, like it is second nature to him. I hope that Horigome never stops evolving his style and just brings it to the next level in 2024 and beyond.