#jpop solo artist

[sug4rsweet]

The “Queen of Collabs”—Kaori Takahashi Collaborates with Artists from Psy to Namie Amuro

September 20th, 2013

by E. Cha

With the release of her chart-topping sophomore album Sweet 18, Takahashi is on the top of her game at the moment, and it’s only been 21 months since she first made her debut. The idol’s second album has sold much more than her first, selling over 600,000 copies, and it’s slated to place within the top three of Oricon’s end of the year albums chart, in comparison to the top ten placement Takahashi’s self-title achieved. Her newest single, “Black Night,” became her biggest hit to date, debuting atop the Oricon singles chart and becoming Takahashi’s first No. 1 single. It became the most downloaded song in Japan, and even saw success in America, managing to score a place on the Billboard Hot 100 (her second Hot 100 single so far). And with that level of success, it’s no surprise that other major artists are clamoring to collaborate with her.

The first collaboration to be released was a major one. A remix of Psy’s mega hit “Gangnam Style,” (which hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100) the track was released in June, and its subsequent success cut rather close to that of the original. It garnered two number ones on the Billboard charts, one on the Hot Dance/Electronic chart, and another on the World Digital Song Sales chart. It also debuted at No. 6 on the U.S. Digital Song Sales chart, found itself atop the Oricon charts, and placed at No. 5 on Gaon. Within a mere month, the remix’s music video has also garnered viral status. As of now, it has nearly 90 million views on YouTube, and it’s currently tied with “Black Night” as Takahashi’s most viewed music video. The MV didn’t go viral on the song alone, however. Netizens in South Korea fell in love with Takahashi’s bold makeup, her claw-like nails, and wacky, 2000s-esque hairstyles, with some comparing her to 2NE1’s Dara. There was even a name coined for her style of makeup on Naver, “starliner,” and the trend has gotten so big that it’s spread to England. There was also a scene in the MV of her blowing bubblegum, and since it was the thumbnail, Korean netizens began calling her “Bubble Girl.” Additionally, critics have heaped acclaim on the “Gangnam Style” remix, praising Takahashi for her energetic and unique delivery of her lines, as well as for the versatility in her voice.

The story behind this legendary collaboration is pretty cut and dry, as Takahashi and Psy met at last year’s VMAs. The former’s label, Avex Trax, was quick to push for a collaboration, and due to her status as one of Japan’s fastest rising stars, Psy’s label—YG Entertainment—was just as quick to agree. Takahashi was originally supposed to feature on a remix of “Gentleman,” but she insisted on a remix of “Gangnam Style” instead, as she already had a verse written. And it seems like that change was for the best. An interesting thing, however, is how Takahashi initially believed that there wasn’t going to be a music video for the remix. However, Avex informed her that YG had agreed to one a day before she was set to fly back to Japan. And so, Takahashi remained in Korea for three more days (she was initially there to record her lines), and what is possibly the best music video of 2013 was created.

The second and most recent collaboration to be released was one with South Korea’s very own AKB48 and Flowerbank Entertainment’s most successful girl group, Allume. Released earlier this month, “Cinderella” was also a smash hit, and is probably the most beloved collaboration that Takahashi’s ever done. The gothic concept and traditional J-idol feel of the music video was a favorite among both critics and fans, and Takahashi’s increasingly improving vocal ability saw the most praise, with critics adored how well her voice paired with the members of Allume. And, of course, the track’s commercial performance was just as good. “Cinderella” debuted atop the Oricon chart and found itself at No. 2 on Gaon. It even saw success in the United States, cracking into the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart at a rather high No. 19. With over 6 million views on YouTube, the track has been trending for the past few weeks, and it’s reportedly been playing across Tokyo and Seoul ever since its release.

Takahashi met Flowerbank’s mega girl group at the 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards, shortly after Marisol and youngest member Analise stated their love for her music. Even though Takahashi and Allume got along well, there was no collaboration planned or even mentioned in passing. However, as Takahashi and Avex were discussing bonus tracks from Sweet 18 to possibly release, she brought up what was originally an unreleased demo, the track formally known as “Chandelier” and what would become “Cinderella.” Since it was a demo, though, the track was unfinished and “empty.” Takahashi, ever the one to take control of her career, suggested Allume as a possible collaboration, as she believed that more than one additional voice would make the song sound fuller. Both Avex and Flowerbank agreed on a collaboration, as Takahashi needed more international exposure, and although Allume was already popular in Japan, more Japanese fans wouldn’t hurt.

Like the “Gangnam Style” remix, behind the scenes of the “Cinderella” MV was posted to Takahashi’s YouTube channel, showing just how much fun she and the Allume girls got along, and there were some truly notable moments between her, Marisol, and Analise. And just a few days ago, Takahashi stated that a live performance of “Cinderella” is in the works, sparking excitement among both fandoms. She also said that she would love for Allume to perform with her during her upcoming tour, and we can only wait and see and hope that it’ll happen.

Even after two major collaborations, Takahashi still isn’t done. Her upcoming single “Telephone” is an exciting one, as she’s set to collaborate with J-pop legend and her biggest inspiration Namie Amuro. The song is reportedly a quintessential 2010s EDM track, topped with the dark concept that was all over Sweet 18. She’s also collaborating with western artists such as Cobra Starship, Ke$ha, David Guetta, The Cataracs, and will.i.am. The first is set to be on the band’s lead single off of their debut album, “You Make Me Feel…” It’s a truly star-studded lineup that shows just how big Takahashi has gotten in the span of just a year and a half, and it’s clear she isn’t slowing down anytime soon. She’s said that she wants to collaborate with as many artists as she can, so we can’t wait to see what she has in store!

allume belongs to @venusvity + @flwrbankent !

[kpopmusic]

岩田剛典 - 言えない (Official Music Video)

[nxmuzluv]

THE FIRST SINGLE … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

“GIRLS DON’T CRY” is the debut single by CHOUKA AIKAWA. Released on April 5th, 2024, the song went on to top charts in various countries. Hailed as one of the best debuts of 2024, critics and fans alike fell in love with the song’s “girlish” and carefree production, and praised how Chouka stayed so true to her hyperfeminine, “princesscore” image. The song’s success as caused critics to name her as a pop girl on the rise.

TRACKLIST … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

GIRLS DON’T CRY ! LEAD SINGLE

CAKE ! B-SIDE

GIRLS DON’T CRY (SPED UP)

PHOTOCARDS … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

Highly praised for its sound and how it fit Chouka’s style, “Girls Don’t Cry” was a resounding success. The music video’s teaser, which was released with no prior notice onto a completely new YouTube channel (“c.a.”) with no previous content (it was later turned into a channel for all of Chouka’s music related endeavors), garnered over 3.2 million views within its first twenty-four hours after Chouka posted it to her Twitter and Instagram accounts. The single’s title was revealed on both platforms an hour later, coinciding with the launch of her official website, which displayed the title alongside a countdown timer.

The song received over 400,000 pre-saves, and the title was trending on Twitter with over a million Tweets. Shortly before “Girls Don’t Cry” dropped, Chouka’s website was updated with the single’s cover, and she posted behind the scenes photos of her on its set, which received over two million likes within the first day.

Upon the song’s release, it was a smash hit. The music video garnered 32 million views within its first 24 hours, finding itself at #1 on YouTube’s trending page, and topping both the Spotify and Apple Music charts. It went on to become the second most streamed song on Spotify in regards to first day streams. “Girls Don’t Cry” topped charts in several countries, including Japan, South Korea, Australia, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the Philippines (it also managed to remain atop the Oricon chart for seven weeks).

Surprisingly enough, “Girls Don’t Cry” would debut at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 with sales of over 200,00 units, despite industry insiders predicting a Top 20 debut; probably due to the song’s immense popularity online. Unfortunately, it would never reach #1, falling to #7 after five weeks and staying there for two until falling off, but Rosettes were still happy to see that Chouka’s debut managed to get that high. In total, the single would sell over 850,000 units within its first week, cracking a million by the end of April.

Additionally, the song was also praised for its lyricism and feminist commentary on how women who are seen as “strong” or “smart” are not allowed to cry or display negative emotions and are expected to act as role models, while women who appear as if they have everything are told to “just deal with it” and that they have “nothing to be upset about.” Many Rosettes (and critics) were also surprised to find out that Chouka had written most of the lyrics, as she never expressed interest in songwriting before.

“Cake” was released as a single a month later, on May 3rd, 2024. Although the music video received over 11 million views within its first twenty-four hours, Rosettes were … a bit divided. It seemed like none of them could figure out whether they liked the song or not, with certain Tweets saying …

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ “ y’all are just HATERS ! like y’all have truly forgotten what real pop music sounds like bc cake is a hit idc ! ”

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ “ chouka girl with all due respect i think letting a major label get a hold of you was a mistake ”

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ “ no bc this is girly girl music ! it’s cute it’s fun it’s bouncy and it’s so HER ! chouka bby get behind me PUT DOWN THE HATERADE NOWWWW !! ”

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ “ #notmychouka girl why does this sound so EMPTY ??? republic needs to pay for their crimes bc ….. ”

Despite the confusion, “Cake” also went on to top charts. It also debuted atop the Apple Music chart, and came in second beneath “Girls Don’t Cry” on Spotify. It managed to debut at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, although Rosettes were gunning for a higher placement (it was definitely because they couldn’t stop beefing with each other). The song remained on the chart for two weeks (managing to jump to #5 during its second), before completely falling off the Top Ten.

Luckily, more retrospective reviews shows that Rosettes have warmed up to “Cake,” saying that it fit the aesthetic of the lead single. Everyone loved the “sugar sweet” concept that Chouka had going on, and expressed pleasant surprise that her try at a music career was going so well.

STYLING … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

ERA HIGHLIGHTS … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

Definitely a fun era! Republic was truly pushing this single and girl, it showed. There were billboards playing her music video (Rosettes in New York even crowded around one when it first launched), ads plastered all across YouTube, “Girls Don’t Cry” was all over the radio, and it was the most popular song on TikTok for a good month.

The promotions were insane! Chouka was all over television this era. She was on the Kelly Clarkson Show (which was too cute! Like Kelly literally complimented her accent), she was on Jimmy Fallon, she was on GMA … like you truly could not escape her! She also had a photoshoot with Harper’s Bazaar and people ate it up! It was very Marie Antoinette themed with huge dresses, pastries, and of course, it was shot at a chateau in France!

And of course she had to promote in Japan! Chouka performed both “Girls Don’t Cry” and “Cake” on Music Station, and no one expected either song to have choreography. But the choreo was so cute, and especially for “Girls Don’t Cry!” Like you could truly tell that Chouka was having a blast, and everyone was so surprised at her stage presence because she’s literally a YouTuber. She also held a press conference in Tokyo, and she even got to visit a pop-up event held by Rosettes at a café in her hometown, Kyoto! It was the cutest thing to see her interacting with her fans, and she thanked them at least five times.

Chouka managed to squeeze in Korean promotions, as well! She performed both of her singles on M Countdown, Inkigayo, and The Show, and she was even on Weekly Idol! She held a small fansign for 200 fans who participated in the pre-order and received a “mystery ticket” with their album, and it was so cute! Chouka was cracking jokes with them and receiving SO many gifts (most of which were either pink or ridiculously expensive; she got a lot of bouquets, too!). Her Korean promos even saw the birth of her first fansite, Strawberry Sweet! She also appeared on the cover of Vogue Korea, and after that, Korean promotions ended unfortunately.

Side note, every performance of “Girls Don’t Cry” started with a costume change! It was usually Chouka tearing off a huge ball gown like skirt to reveal her shorter costume underneath, and her performance on M Countdown was literally her playing a princess getting ready for a ball. There was also a lot of ribbons, platform heels, and satin gloves used styling wise, and Chouka’s makeup was always so soft and pink!

Although she didn’t have enough songs to perform a full set, Chouka attended Coachella anyways and met a bunch of Rosettes! Jason (her fiancé) also tagged along, so fans got to meet him, too! Fashion girls were all over her festival looks too … being raised in Milan truly did wonders for her fashion sense.

Girl, the way the “#GirlsDontCryChallenge” blew up on TikTok is insane. The song had over a million videos underneath it by the start of June, and Chouka was doing it with celebs like Kelly, Tate McRae, Olivia Rodrigo, the members of Aespa, the members of Itzy, Rosé of BLACKPINK, Nayeon and Momo from TWICE, Yuju, the members of Viviz, and a few members of Stray Kids and NCT; among others! Chouka also did the challenge with Leeseo, Rei, and Wonyoung of IVE, and the way Dives and Rosettes were across every social media app absolutely freaking out that Chouka and Wonyoung were the same room was truly crazy.

Towards the end of promotions, a full length documentary covering the making of “Girls Don’t Cry,” the music videos, and the subsequent performances premiered on YouTube. It was a mix of professional camera shots and footage personally shot by Chouka herself, which was refreshing since Rosettes got to see a sillier side to her personality. The documentary garnered over 3 million views within the first twenty-four hours, and would end up at #5 on YouTube’s trending page.

At the end of promos, Chouka posted a long, heartfelt letter to her Instagram thanking fans for their support and expressing how surprised she was at the single’s success. She wrote, “I know that you guys have been waiting three years for me to try my hand at music, and words cannot express how happy I am that it was worth the wait. Over these last few months, you all have shown me so much love, and just thinking about it is moving me to tears as I write this! I promise that I’ll repay your support tenfold. You guys truly mean the world to me, and I wouldn’t be half the person I am today if it weren’t for you. You are truly my other half, even if I unfortunately don’t know you personally (don’t tell Jason I said that). I hope and pray that one day, I’ll be able to meet every single one of you from around the whole world in person, and tell you just how much you mean to me. Until next time, my loves. Ti amo sempre e per sempre. Ciao ciao. ♡”

Additionally, there was also a remix planned with PinkPantheress, but unfortunately, plans ended up falling through because Chouka simply … didn’t want to do it. However, Rosettes ended up finding out about the planned collab, and demand for it was huge. So the remix could happen in the future! Who knows.

All in all, this era was great. It truly showed how much untapped star power Chouka had, and the numbers proved it. It reinforced her “It girl” status, showing that no matter what industry she tried her hand at, she would still dominate. ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

[hopkei]

Keito x FINEBOYS

[minamoto-misaki]

Misaki core aesthetic~

[lunarislilly]

My top 25 Japanese Solo Artists

[chisaiyume]

Ayumi Hamasaki

Website – Twitter – YouTube – Instagram – Facebook -- TikTok

[izylizzy]

OMG NEW SONG

[hot-take-tournament]

(if like me you hadn't heard of ado until now, i linked one of her most famous songs under the cut so you can judge the take for yourself)

HOT TAKE TOURNAMENT

POST PRE PRELIMINARY #106

Submission 423

ado is widely overrated and i’m suprised so many vocaloid fans like her

she kinda falls into the mafumafu category of ‘technically great but i can’t stand their voice’. it feels like with every song i hear her sing she’s trying too hard to be fancy with her vocal techniques, which come off as less impressive and more grating. plus, without the vocaloid producers on her songs, they become instantly less memorable. and when her songs are produced by a vocaloid producer it feels less like her song and more like that producer’s song that she is covering; she adds little than what would be added if miku or another vocaloid was used in her place. this results in ado having very little musical identity to me as a solo artist and i don’t see why people would listen to her. if they like the songs produced by the vocaloid producers, they often have tracks significantly better than what they gave ado, and if they like her tracks not made by vocaloid producers then there’s so many other jpop artists to listen to

Pre-preliminaries will be used to determine what qualifies as a hot take. Propaganda is encouraged!

Also, remember to reblog your favourite polls for exposure! (exposure like when you’re exposed to the fact that the KISS Scooby Doo crossover does actually exist, scarring you for life)

[sinisxtea]

DOYOUNG ALBUM THOUGHTS

ok welcome to my album review rant today we're reviewing doyoung's album. it's a quite lengthy album too. tbh surprised at the amount of songs i actually enjoyed because ballards are usually a hit or miss for me, because i don't like hearing just straight vocals.

(im a doyoung stan i must stream yknow)

not going to review every song on the album bc i tuned out some of them... 😭

little light

upon first listen, i lowkey almost tuned it out, i'm sorry... but second time listening to it, since it is the title track, i'm paying more attention to it. the song is very j-pop coded?? in my opinion, the ballad-rock kinda vibe does fit doyoung and this was what i expected, but a teeny tiny part of me was hoping for a little bit more sm core style of music, with the experimental stuff, but this works too. havent watched the mv yet but i'll check it out soon, maybe look up the lyrics translation, cause songs have more meaning when you understand the lyrics too.

from little wave

tell me why it's giving mario kart... imagine listening to this while driving on rainbow road damn. no but this is such a car cruising driving song, and i pretty much liked it immediately upon first listen. the chorus is SO GOOD??? like doyoungs vocals shine on the whole album cause he's that talented but this one really demonstrates it i think. you can disagree with me lmfao idc. it's kinda giving 80s love ballad, and that's such a beautiful vibe of music i really like it a lot...

time machine

lowkey was a surprise to see mark and taeyeon featured on the album, but i actually really like this one. the vocals hard carried obviously, but mark + doyoung combo really hits hard lowkey they should do more stuff like this together. i'm a sucker for male-female vocal duets, so this one was so cute and sweet. i know why mark considers himself an "ARTIST" not a rapper lmfao. (also im waiting for mark's solo album...... SM PLEASE)

lost in california

THIS IS THE SONG I WILL BE REPLAYING OVER AND OVER THIS MONTH I THINK. hello it's so good why wasn't this the title track? it reminds me of "i don't think that i like her anymore" by charlie puth and that song hits hard. also the vibes are immaculate. seems way more sm core than ballad so obviously i prefer this lmfao... love the little harpsicord instrumental too that was so neat. sm pick ur title tracks better thanks.

rest

i got more appreciative of the song after the chorus came on, but it gives like jpop vibes?? jpop really has that hard metal/rock aspect, and this album has quite a few songs like that. all in all, this wasn't really a favorite favorite, but it definitely stood out to me because it wasn't a ballad lmfaooo. didn't add this one to my playlist but i do think it's pretty good.

dallas love field

this is so country coded guys...... and guess who actually listens to country? me anyways neat cause it's called dallas love field... but regardless i quite enjoyed this a lot, and seeing the country core vibes radiate off of this... like damn im gonna make doyoung cowboy edits soon just watch. (for legal reasons thats a joke im a doyoung stan don't come for me) the only weird part is the bridge, with all the voices chiming in, but other than that i like the phillips phillips vibes that remind me of my 2010s era.

[citybops]

i've only started really getting into japanese music, and i wanna learn more—i'm going to try listening to l'arc en ciel (prior to this i only really know of vaundy and a few 90s artists like puffy ami yumi) so do you have any recommendations? bands, albums, or playlists ? <3

ohhh for larc en ciel try nemuri ni yosete (and if u like this song go through for malize micer's first and second albums) and then their album tierra !!! if u like vaundy i think you'll enjoy lamp, indigo la end, eve and maybe the novembers too. for something similar to puffy try aya matsuura and tommy february6 !!

here is a playlist of japanese synthpop.... hyperpop maybe????? idk

this one is mostly cute sounding j-rock and vkei

this is 90-00s jpop

and this is citypop, wich is 70-80s jpop

[sug4rsweet]

TAKING THE WORLD BY STORM … THE TEEN IDOL TO END ALL TEEN IDOLS … KAORI.

VOGUE JAPAN … JUNE 2013 ISSUE.

How do you feel about your sudden massive success in the music industry? What’s it like and how exactly do you deal with it?

Kaori hummed, appearing deep in thought. “It’s definitely a surprise!” She exclaimed with a laugh. “I mean, I was already pretty popular before, but the music industry is obviously very competitive. Even the most famous of celebrities have trouble breaking into the market. So being met with such support—especially right after my debut—was definitely shocking. Like, I heard that I charted higher than Namie Amuro. That is… insane.”

“And what’s it like? It gave me a lot of whiplash, that’s for sure.” Kaori burst into laughter yet again, pushing her hair from her face. “I flew to New York last month, and there were actually people there who wanted to photograph me! There were some of my fans there, too, and they gave me gifts and asked for my autograph. It’s definitely a bit overwhelming and it’ll take some getting used to, but I’m just grateful that I get to experience this. I don’t think that it’ll ever click that I’m actually a celebrity now.”

How was the recording process of Sweet 18 and how did it differ from your debut album?

“Oh, I had a lot of creative control when it came to this album.” Kaori answered, pride in her voice. “I pushed a lot for a more rock focused sound for this album, in addition to the electropop that you guys heard on my first record. Of course, I had a huge say in the styling and aesthetic for Sweet 18, but the best part was definitely getting to write a lot of the tracks on the album! I also had a hand in composing about… three tracks? And that was especially fun since I haven’t done something like that in three years now.”

Kaori laughed. She was doing quite a lot of that. “Obviously, there’s a huge difference.” She said. “I got to put a lot more time into the intricacies of the album, rather than watching my label do everything for me, you know? It was definitely exciting being able to get so involved in my own work.”

Who are your musical influences, especially at this moment?

“Namie Amuro always!” Kaori exclaimed, excitement instantly lighting up her face. “She’s such a dynamic artist, and her music has been a part of my life since forever. Her longevity really makes me want to make this career of mine last as long as possible.”

“Right now, though?” She continued. “Definitely Ayumi Hamasaki, Koda Kumi, Kesha, and Lady Gaga. I also really look up to artists such as Joan Jett. The first four definitely inspire my more electropop sound, and I always looked to them when I was working on the ‘feel’ of Sweet 18. Of course, Joan Jett was the inspiration for the rock side of the album. Nirvana and Kiss were also some influences, but I leaned more towards Joan. She’s entirely too cool and I love women in rock!”

What do you expect to do in the future, and what would you like to say to your fans?

“I would really like to sell out a stadium or two internationally!” Kaori answered. “That might be a little too ambitious, though, so I can shoot for Tokyo Dome for right now. I would also like to do more international activities and collaborations, as that would give me a chance to interact with more of my fans. And I need to attend Fashion Week at least once.”

The 18-year-old laughed. “And to my fans!” She exclaimed. “Thank you so much for supporting me! I love you so much, and I promise to return the favor tenfold! Please stick around and expect a lot of great things, you guys! Kaori loves you!”

For more, visit www.vogue.co.jp

[kpopmusic]

Watch "岩田剛典 - Ready? (Official Music Video)" on YouTube

[namitamaki-international]

Nami’s official solo visuals for the upcoming musical “RiKōran -Flowers and Flowers-“ are finally revealed!🌹 Remember she’s performing two different roles👇 📸 ① Nami as #YoshikoKawashima | She was always dressed in male’s clothing. 📸 ② Nami as #Lyubatika | She was the Russian friend of Ri Kōran. She looks so beautiful and charming!😍 #音楽劇李香蘭 #玉置成実 #音楽劇 #李香蘭 #namitamaki #tamakinami #jpop #japaneseartist #japanesesinger #instagram #beautiful #girl #jmusic #picoftheday #japanesemusic #japan #japanese #music #artist #singer #love #instalike #followme #instadaily #エンターテイメント #歌手 #アニソン #アーティスト https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmyk6mboS0H/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[ghoulangerlee]

For the concert asks (all of them lol) jk! 1, 2, 17, 18, 19!

very late reply but here we goooooo ive only been to 3 concerts in my life so maybe doing all of them wouldn't be that interesting haha

How many live concerts have you been to

I've been to 3, technically 4 if you could the shitshow on Tuesday. Two were for the same artist and one was a local one I went to bc my brother in law got us in free. I have seen a lot of bands play but they were usually local acts at the town's yearly festival.

2. What was the first concert you ever attended?

2010 in New York City at the Best Buy Theater, I saw this jpop artist named Jin Akanishi. I'm a very big fan of his haha. He'd gone solo and did a few shows in the US.

17. Which show would you say was the most beautiful?

I would definitely say that the stage setup for my first concert. It was called Yellow Gold Tour 3010. Very futuristic and very fun honestly. A lot of well choreographed dancing and stunning vocals.

18. which show would you say was the most fun?

So, because I've been to so little concerts, they've all been fun in their own ways. 2010's Yellow Gold Tour 3010 was something new and that was my first time in New York, my first time going to a concert. We were the only show that tour to get an encore of a beloved song of his. He was very shy about it and someone in the crowd handed him a sheet of lyrics for that song bc he kept saying it was a Japanese song and no one would want to hear it.

when I saw him again in 2012 for the Japonicana tour, it was very different than the previous one but no less fun! I spent 24 hours on the streets of New York City to get barricade haha. That was a wild rush because I was so tired it felt like I was having so much more fun.

I saw Charlie Daniels in 2013 and that was just a great time all around bc I am a big fan of country music at heart and something about seeing The Devil Went Down to Georgia live and just yelling the lyrics along with thousands of other people felt so right.

19. do you scream and lose your damn mind or do you sing along quietly to yourself?

there is absolutely nothing more exhilarating than screaming the lyrics along with the artist and losing your damn mind. I make it a point, whenever I go to a concert, to pour over the songs/set list so I Know what's being performed so I know the songs so I can Sing Along With It. When I was planning to see Jin in 2010, he didn't have an album. I learned all of the songs he performed at the concert specifically by listening to very shakily recorded fancams from the other shows haha.

thank you so much!!!

[myndless88]

5, 7, 14 and 23 for your artist ask.

I love the way you draw Kagami and Kuroko by the way!

Hello! Thank you for the ask! ^__^

5. Anything you haven’t drawn yet but want to?

I'm having a hard time trying to figure out something I haven't drawn (which is probably many things). I attempted trying to draw a gundam once, so maybe try that again.

7. Favourite works of all time excluding your own?

I don't think I have a favorite of all time and my taste is very limited, but if I'm gonna put it in terms of anime/manga, I do love the works of mangaka Kazuya Minekura, creator of 'Gensoumaden Saiyuki'.

14. How has your art changed over the years?

Quite a bit, I suppose. Over time, I've learned to proportion bodies a little more and to start with drawing the head and THEN the eyes. ^^;; I've also been leaving most of my drawings as cleaned up sketches rather than doing actual line art. Again, I've become quite lazy.

23. Do you listen to music or watch shows while you work? If so, what’s your favourite?

Yes, I do! Moreso, listening to music. Since all I really ever listen to is Kpop, Jpop, and anisongs those are my go-to genres. And it's usually songs that kind of pertain to what I'm drawing. For example, when I'm drawing KagaKuro pics, I'll listen to solo and duet songs of theirs.

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And thank you! I'm trying to better myself in drawing them because trying to get Kuroko's eyes the right oval shape and just drawing male bodies in general proves difficult at times. ^__^