#jpop soloist

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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 !

[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˗

[frizzy2ne1]

Chanmina Korean interview with Rolling Stone Korea

[sakukaguxxi]

*sigh* I really hope Chanmina goes to Korea to promote Mirror soon. Promotions for Don’t go were lacking. If she doesn’t get decent exposure, Korea won’t pay attention to her and she’ll remain unknown without recognition. Advancing to Korea was supposed to be a big dream of hers, but the situation has been underwhelming from the onset. It feels like her management aren’t taking it seriously and doing below the bare-minimum for publicity. Give us music show appearances🤲😭 Make an effort to elevate her career, why don’t you? Korean activities should not just consist of releasing unpromoted singles and not even stepping outside of Japan. I really hope the 2nd song will be a different situation

[kpopmusic]

岩田剛典 - 言えない (Official Music Video)

[iznsfw]

IZ Days of Christmas 2023

This is a masterlist of all my stories under the series of IZ Days of Christmas.

It is a series done as a challenge to myself to post a corresponding smut for each IZ*ONE member for twelve days of December, starting from the fourteenth of December to the twenty-fifth.

🎄 Day 1 - Kwon Eunbi

Trouvaille

🎄 Day 2 - Miyawaki Sakura

Here, Kitty, Kitty!

🎄 Day 3 - Kang Hyewon

Ms. Kang Hyewon

🎄 Day 4 - Choi Yena

Manic Robotic Dream Girl

🎄 Day 5 - Lee Chaeyeon

Not All There Is To It

🎄 Day 6 - Kim Chaewon

She's No Fucking Angel

🎄 Day 7 - Kim Minju

Lucid Dream

🎄 Day 8 - Yabuki Nako:

Dirty Little Pleasures

🎄 Day 9 - Honda Hitomi:

Cutest Corruption

🎄 Day 10 - Jo Yuri:

Transparency

🎄 Day 11 - An Yujin:

Midnight

🎄 Day 12 - Jang Wonyoung:

Reputation, Or Whatever That Is

[y2k1d]

Namie Amuro | Woofin’ Girl September 2005 issue

[choa-hyuna]

* ✧ ˚ ·MALIYA - Hot Spot - 2021* ✧ ˚ ·

[asahiteru]

☕ 𖣠 ❄️

☃️ 𖣠 🧤

[uhmjvnghwa]

scans for namie amuro's debut album "sweet 19 blues" (1996)

[w1ckedwoman]

God, why 90s and early 2000s Jpop and Jrock are so fucking good

[sug4rsweet]

YOU THINK YOU KNOW ME?

YOU DON’T.

… COMING APRIL 19, 2013.

[weidol-ent]

WEIDOL ENTERTAINMENT RELEASES CAST FOR NEW SURVIVAL SHOW " IDOLMAKER: COMET FACTORY; " PILOT PREMIERES NOVEMBER 7TH

After a year of suspense, WEIDOL Entertainment has not only released the name of their new trainee survival show, but also its cast and premiere date. On October 11th, WEIDOL Entertainment announced the name of the show to be IDOLMAKER: COMET FACTORY, and revealed the eighteen trainees who will be competing to debut as a group of seven.

Three years after the commercial success of their first survival show, WEIDOL GIRLS PROJECT, the shocking growth of WEIDOL Entertainment has founder and CEO Kim Chul-sung plotting out the next steps for the company. With the influx of new trainees, each of them eager to debut, the best of the best will have the chance to prove themselves - in every aspect.

" While each of them have incredible talents, " states Kim Chul-sung, " the intention [of COMET FACTORY] is similar to that of WEIDOL GIRLS PROJECT, in that it's meant to test trainees on all aspects of an idol's performance: dance, vocals, rapping, charisma, and more. We don't expect perfection, but we expect the ability to learn. To represent WEIDOL is not to be perfect, but to understand how every piece of the puzzle comes together. "

Many speculate that the biggest change between WEIDOL GIRLS PROJECT and COMET FACTORY will be the judging system - where the former heavily relied on public voting, COMET FACTORY will be using audience votes sparingly, focusing more on judges' critiques and progress reports. While many netizens say that ditching the public vote prevents voting fraud and allows for more meaningful critiques, others claim it could lead to a higher amount of producer bias. Discussions have also turned to the legitimacy of voting during WEIDOL GIRLS PROJECT, which WEIDOL Entertainment has not commented on.

IDOLMAKER: COMET FACTORY is set to premiere on November 7th, 2022, and contestant biographies will be revealed over the coming days. Will you be tuning in?

COMMENTS.

[ +90 / -3 ] sooooo exciting!!!! can't wait to see what the dolls have in store

[ +37 / -12 ] are they always just going to go for east asian trainees?? where are my SEA girls :(

ㅤㅤ⤷ [ +14 / -25 ] it's not that deep bestie calm down

ㅤㅤ⤷ [ +178 / -2 ] they have a couple of southeast asian trainees set to debut actually!!

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ⤷ [ +84 / -31 ] SOURCE???!!!?!!?!

[ +206 / -61 ] this seems like it's going to be good! taking out the audience voting was a great decision on wdl's part, i can only imagine the relief the girls are feeling

[ +82 / -7 ] sadako and younghee my beloveddddd <3 all of them are so cute, a show full of visuals

[ +89 / -17 ] have you guys seen charlie's tiktoks?! she's hilarious, i can't wait to see her on the show!!!!

[ +20 / -102 ] weidol needs to focus more on their other groups first :/ like ok. new girl group. where's the harpy club full album we were promised a year ago??

ㅤㅤ⤷ [ +209 / -1 ] this ain't about them!!! just focus on supporting our girls <3

HOW DOES THIS ARTICLE MAKE YOU FEEL?

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x.

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[kpopmusic]

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