I have never heard this song before. And it’s easily becoming a favorite :)

Ai Otsuka (大塚 愛, Ōtsuka Ai?, born September 9, 1982) is a female Japanese pop singer-songwriter and pianist from Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. She is best-known for her 2003/2004 hit Sakuranbo, which stayed in the Top 200 Oricon Weekly Singles Chart for 101 weeks. Ai Otsuka is signed to record label Avex Trax, one of the biggest record labels in Japan and one of the largest independent record labels in the world, which also manages other high-profile artists like Ayumi Hamasaki, Kumi Koda, Sweetbox, BoA, Namie Amuro, Ami Suzuki, Hitomi Shimatani, and Every Little Thing. She is qualified to teach kindergarten, and has said she will become a kindergarten teacher if her singing career collapses.

Her first single, 2003’s “Momo no hanabira”, was only a minor hit, peaking at #24 on the Oricon singles top 100, but stayed on the charts for 21 weeks.

Her next single, “Sakuranbo”, released December of 2003 would become the 12th best selling single of 2004. Gradually climbing the charts to top 5, the single stayed on the chart for 101 weeks (almost two years), and a special “encore press” version was commissioned, which peaked at #4.

In early March, 2004 Otsuka released her last single before her first album. “Amaenbo” was used in a television advertisement for Sato Healthcare’s cold relief tablets Stona Rhini S (ストナリニS, sutona rini S?). “Amaenbo” was unable to reach #1 on the Oricon Charts and ended up at #6 while at the same time “Sakuranbo” was #5. This was the first time in Japanese music history a female artist was able to have two singles in the top ten in the same week, until 2005 Kumi Koda was able to beat Ai with three singles within the same week.

By end of March 2004, her first album “Love Punch” was released, which debuted at #3 on the Oricon charts and sold 190,265 copies in its first week. She continued to release singles and gradually built a diverse and devoted following.

wiki

Taking one of the favorite oldies and transforming it into a beautiful piano piece.

What a talented guy. Too bad he died at such a young age - in a very unglorified way too, might I add.

Frankly, i found it hard to believe that he is not of mixed parentage. He doesn’t look like the typical Japanese guy at all or maybe I haven’t met a fair share to judge, eh? He is just taller, tanner, has a lumberjack jaw….hmm. Oh well, I love his music and i have written about Ken Hirai prior to this before :) Here are some of his music videos, they’re very catchy:

Song title: Pop Star

Song: Life is another story

Song: Aika

This one reminds me a lot of Utada Hikaru’s Final Distance MV.

Here’s one for the fans of Utada’s and fans of Final Fantasy :)

Awaken is an underground rock band / indies music project based in Belgium, Europe. They released two official albums and numerous demo tapes and web-only singles since their early days in 1988. Not related to the modern Belgian scene at all (dEUS, Eté 67, Girls in Hawaii), Awaken gained interest from Vietnamese people since the release of a Vietnamese song and legend, “Chú Mèo Ngủ Quên”, and in Japan with the virtual EP “別府NIGHTS”. Recently, a cover of a Vietnamese children song “Rửa Mặt Như Mèo” has been recorded and has been heard on Vietnamese internet, though not officially released. Since 2005, Awaken is part of the team of the indies Japanese label It’s Oh! Music based in Miyazaki city.

Official Website.

Flavor of Life and Keep Tryin’ are my favorite songs. Please let me know what your favorite Utada Hikaru songs are and I will post them up in the coming weeks.

Check this guy out, he’s songwriter, composer and a musical protege. I think his songs are rather sweet. He wrote a song called Cry No More that was performed by Sony’s Mika Nakashima. Here’s a taste of his music, performed by Mika Nakashima:

Lensei is an Japanese-Australian chap who was born in Australia but is currently performing around the world. You can find some hilarious videos of his life in Japan on Youtube too - just search for Lensei. Here’s his biography:

Lensei was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in August 1984. Shortly after, his family moved to the Gold Coast, where Lensei began his love of music. Starting piano aged just 7, he left school at age 8 when he began home-schooling. “I had so much time once I didn’t have to go to school – I could concentrate on the things I loved to do!” His piano teacher, Nadia McKenzie, took him through the next few years, furthering his piano skills through classical music exams. “I have to thank her for where I am now – she started me composing from age 10.” By 12, Lensei was creating complex songs based on the extensive musical knowledge he had by then.

In 1999 he gained entry to A.B. Paterson College on a full music scholarship. “I got involved in every co-curricular activity possible and enjoyed it all immensely, especially the Bands, Choirs and School Musicals”. Lensei played Pontius Pilate in the 2001 Gold Coast Arts Centre Summer School production of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’. He also played the lead role in school musicals ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ and ‘Guys and Dolls’. In 2001 Lensei was appointed College Vice-Captain and upon graduation received the rarely awarded ‘Principal’s Award for Outstanding Service to the College Community’ in addition to awards for ‘Dux Proximae’, ‘Excellence in the Performing Arts’ and ‘Outstanding Leadership’.

Lensei’s love of singing led him to join ‘The Blenders’, Australia’s gold medal male acappella chorus when he was only 12. In 1999 he traveled to California with the Chorus and competed in the International Championships. In the same year he won a silver medal in the Australian quartet championships. In 2004 Lensei went with The Blenders to Christchurch, New Zealand where they won the Pan-Pacific Championship. In October 2005 The Blenders once again won the Australian championship for the seventh time with Lensei in the front row. Front row of the chorus involves complex choreography and dancing, where Lensei excelled.

He began his professional singing career in 2002 and has entertained in venues around the Gold Coast and Brisbane. His song list includes jazz, swing, rock and pop numbers from the 30s to today’s hits and his own originals, depending on the occasion.
Later that year, Lensei released “It Had To Be You”, his first solo CD - a compendium of 14 songs from the Swing Era. “Fans kept asking me if I had a CD for sale, so I decided to oblige. I get letters from people I don’t know telling me how much they love the CD.”

Lensei travelled during 2003 to Japan for a lucrative position playing as a regular at the Compass Rose Sky Lounge at Westin Hotel, Tokyo, Japan. While there, his talents were not unnoticed and he also entertained at the opening of new Grand Hyatt Hotel in Tokyo. In May 2003, Lensei progressed to the final 16 out of 10,000 entrants in the Sony Auditions in Japan. This resulted in an arrangement with Sony Music Publishing Japan, for which he now writes original music.

In April 2005 Lensei again travelled to Japan where he represented his University, being guest speaker and performing at Queensland Government Seminars at the Aichi World Expo in Nagoya.

While there he met Japan pop-star, Mika Nakashima, who had just released her third album “Music” which features one of Lensei’s songs. (Lyrics re-written in Japanese by Mika and re-titled ‘Rocking Horse’). “It’s such a great arrangement of my song and Mika is a brilliant singer – I got the news that she was recording my song on my 20th birthday. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present!”

In November 2005, Sony advised Lensei that Mika’s next single would be another of his songs “Cry No More”. The song is due for release in Japan on 22nd February this year and will also be used over the closing credits of a prime time animated television show “Blood+”. “I am really happy that Mika will be recording another of my songs. I can’t wait to hear what she does with it.”

Lensei graduated in December 2005 from the Conservatorium of Music, Griffith University, Gold Coast, with a Bachelor of Popular Music. So what’s next for this talented performer and composer?

“I want to sing and record a CD of my own songs.” As Lensei has written over a hundred original songs, he’ll have a lot to choose from. “But first I’m going to Japan, to meet Mika again and see if I can present my songs to other artists there as well.” In the meantime he says “I’m having a great time. When you do what you love, it’s all good.”

- Lensei.com

Well, I hope his talents will flourish into fulfillment someday. Cheers!

Közi (こうぢ Pronounced “Koji”) is a Japanese visual kei artist who plays guitar, piano, keyboard and synthesizer. Közi is most famous for his time in the largely popular visual kei band Malice Mizer. Currently Közi is playing in industrial rock act Eve of Destiny, as well as continuing his own solo project.

Közi’s career began at the end of the 1980s in two bands, Girl’e and Beyond The Reinsight. Information about these bands is very scarce. In 1991 he joined Matenrou (also known as Matenrow) with future Malice Mizer member Mana and released two demo tapes. Mana and Közi left Matenrou after deciding they both had similar ideas about creating music. They formed Malice Mizer in 1992. After Malice Mizer disbanded in 2001, Közi joined Haruhiko Ash and created Eve of Destiny, an industrial rock band that toured outside of Japan, performing at various festivals in Europe.

In 2002, Közi collaborated with Japanese author Minako for the book Izayoi No Tsuki (十六夜の月), which Közi provided the eerie soundtrack for. He then performed a special singing event in Japan which cemented the fact that he was following a solo career. Közi’s first solo release was the double-disc, double-single package KHAOS/KINEMA, which included the memorable “Promenade”. The track was re-released several months later on his debut album Catharsis (カタルシス). Közi’s MEMENTO single is dedicated to the late Malice Mizer drummer Kami (drummer).

During his time in Malice Mizer, Közi often assumed the role of a pierrot doll, dressing in clown-like costumes with large ruffs, always in shades of red, his favourite color. In music videos and on-stage he would often make movements reminiscent of a marionette (string puppet). Közi has continued this visual style to some extent, but his contemporary stage costumes are more gothic. His work on the Izayoi No Tsuki project was reminiscent of carnival music, and artwork for his projects usually follow a dramatic, theatrical theme. Details about his private life are sketchy. Due to lyrical and visual content in his work, it is generally assumed that he is interested in sado-masochism and has an eyeball fetish, a source of continual amusement to his fans.

Wiki

Song: Life Goes On