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Siori (しおり)
I recall hearing about a singer from Okinawa who had made the jump as an indie artist to a major label and it’s funny that I’d stumble upon her via the U.S. iTunes store. Siori (alt. Shiori) is a 21 year-old J-pop singer-songwriter from Shuri who made her indie debut with the 2006 single “Smile”…
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Gackt backs “Kamen Rider” – Tokyograph
The next ‘Kamen Rider’ series, titled ‘Kamen Rider Decade,’ premieres on TV Asahi on January 25. During a press conference for the show on Thursday, it was announced that Gackt will be providing the theme song. The title of the song was not announced, but the single’s release has been scheduled for the spring. This…
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Wallpaper: ORANGE RANGE’s “裏 SHOPPING”
Can’t necessarily say that this one looks better than the last one but if you’re a fan (i.e., probably a die-hard fan) of ORANGE RANGE you’ll want to add this one to your collection too. Supposedly it’ll only be available for a limited time (so it should’ve been gone say, about a week or two…
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This year’s Kouhaku Uta Gassen to feature two artists with ties to Okinawa
From zero artists with ties to Okinawa in last year’s NHK “Kouhaku Uta Gassen,” things look a whole lot better for this year’s one with the return of J-pop quartet SPEED and Yusuke Kamiji who is a member of the group Shuuchishin—making their first appearance on the annual music show. Oh, and let’s not forget…
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Stereo Pony steps up from “Bleach” to “Gundam” – Tokyograph
The new Okinawan girls band Stereo Pony is on a roll. Last month, they released their debut single ‘Hitohira no Hanabira,’ which was used as the ending theme of the hit anime series ‘Bleach.’ Now, they will be doing the theme song for the ‘Mobile Suit Gundam 00’ series, starting on January 11. The ‘Gundam’…
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Yukie Nakama to once again co-host NHK’s Kohaku
On Monday, NHK officially announced that Masahiro Nakai and Yukie Nakama will be this year’s hosts. The full list of performers are expected to be revealed soon. (Link: Mr.Children to make first appearance on Kohaku – Tokyograph.) This will be Yukie’s 3rd appearance (2005, 2006, 2008) as host of the music program and pairs her…
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Beni Arashiro drops last name for new single – Tokyograph
Singer Beni Arashiro is reinventing herself under a new name: BENI. She will once again be focusing on her music career, after months of silence, starting with a new single next month. Arashiro left her previous management agency, Oscar Promotion, at the end of August, and her contract with Avex expired at the end of…
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Kiroro announces another hiatus – Tokyograph
The female duo Kiroro held a short concert in Okinawa on Sunday. During the show, vocalist Chiharu Tamashiro announced that the group will go on hiatus by the end of the year. The news has been expected since August, when keyboardist Ayano Kinjo revealed that she was pregnant with her second child. Kiroro previously went…
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MINA to rejoin MAX!
After leaving MAX in 2002, original member MINA has returned to the group filling in the spot left by the exit of AKI back in August of this year (who ironically took her place). In 2002, MINA left the group to raise her child (she now has two children) and since last year has been…
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melody. announces retirement – Tokyograph
Singer melody. has suddenly announced on her official blog that she will be retiring as a music artist this January. Instead, she will be pursuing another one of her dreams, which is to become a designer of Western-style clothes. The 26-year-old singer made her major label debut in 2003. Since then, she has released 11…
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