#promotion: billboard yokohama 2022

[putschki1969]

Wakana Billboard Live 2022 Promo Video

Check out this short video of Wakana promoting her upcoming Billdboard Lives.

《Billboard Live Osaka》 9/1 

《Billboard Live Yokohama》 9/9

[kokiafans]

KOKIA blog: April 25, 2022

Source: KOKIA.com/blog, April 25, 2022

Thank you, Billboard YOKOHAMA

The Billboard Yokohama performances wrapped up without a hitch.

It might sound like an exaggeration to say each performance so far has been more treasured than ever, but now that it’s no longer a given to attend in good health and have guests coming over, I’m really nervous until the day has come to an end.

Thankfully, the two performances at Billboard Yokohama have safely concluded, and to me, it was appropriate as a fresh start of spring, and it was a time that made me determined to face my 25th anniversary invigorated ahead of time.

Thanks to everyone’s support (the crowdfunding), I’ve been taking the time to make some good progress on the renewal of my homepage, but it’ll be a close call to finish it in the month of April. That’s what I have to report on that.

Also, the new album I’ve been working on at the same time, Gin no kitsune to kin no koucha o (’with a silver fox and golden tea’), is already for sale on the official webshop KOKIA Jirushi, but it’s going to be completed tomorrow! Bravo~!

There was a song I announced at Yokohama a step ahead (Sakura (’cherry blossom’), for which eventually settled for the title Kisetsu hazure no SAKURA ('Cherry blossoms out of season'). Of course, I’m hoping it’ll gradually and eventually make its way to many people.

You might have realized that this is the third entry in my series of mini albums I declared the ‘star album series’.

Every time, one or two songs are the message songs that become the main axis, and then there are supporting songs that give me relief as they keep up the others; the album is constructed with 6 songs, which feels like a good balance and is easy for me to make and deliver frequently.

With April spent just waiting for the start of my website, I’ve already started a countdown; for me, there’s another, big mission left.

That’s the recording of the concert at Opera City Concert Hall.

These last few days, I’ve gotten to the good part of preparing and rehearsing for this stream concert, and every night, I collapse onto my futon like my battery has drained. The days continue like that, but the physical fatigue is a minor category to me compared to the mental display. I might fall asleep wrapped in a feeling of exhaustion, but I feel good, and I’m truly happy.

Once the website is renewed, I’ll immediately share information how to purchase tickets for this stream concert.

Last time, I widened my circle with my first paid stream concert ‘MISSING PIECE’, and I hope many people will tune in to watch! 

Look forward to it!

On the day of recording at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, general public won’t be allowed inside so that the recording can be arranged, and there won’t be a concert. Please, if you intend to send your thoughts and feelings, do so by sending them from your own place. I will sing while imagining all of you there listening to my songs!

[kokiafans]

KOKIA blog: March 10, 2022

Source: KOKIA.com/blog, March 10, 2022

Back to Japan soon

Hello, this is KOKIA.

The weather is nice in London today; it feels like spring.

Since I’ll be returning to Japan next week, I’ve started fluttering about to pack my things.

I will write down my missions to fulfill during my stay in Japan below.

I’ll be happy if I get to meet as many people as possible.

April 3: Makuhari hall event attendance April 16: Billboard Live Yokohama performance KOKIA, title: ‘sounds are dancing on a fine spring day’ (haru urara oto ga mau)

≪Venue≫ Billboard Live Yokohama

≪Date≫ April 16, 2022 (Saturday)

≪Performance times≫

1st stage open 15:30 / start 16:30 2nd state open 18:30 / start 19:30

※ full substitution system

(Yokohama shop)

http://www.billboard-live.com/membersarea/20200625_notice_yokohama.html

And a talk about the KOKIA flowers that are blooming in spring:

🌱 I will be renewing my website! I’m excited.

Thanks to you, I reached the goal amount through the crowd funding campaign I’d started for the website remodeling in the blink of an eye! I bowed my head in front of the computer and told you all ‘thank you’.

I’m currently in the middle of preparing the data to prepare for the reopening of the website after the remodeling.

Please look forward to it, because I think it’ll be a wonderful website tying us all together now that I’m making almost unbelievable progress with it!

🌱 My new album Gin no kitsune to kin no koucha o (’with a silver fox and golden tea’) will go on sale.

I’m planning on the actual shipping to start in May, but preorders will be available very soon this month on the official web shop KOKIA Jirushi.

New songs are born from time to time, and they just become works with the ‘KOKIA seal’ (Jirushi).

I have the feeling one of these songs will be one that I’ll sing a lot on stage from now on. Please look forward to it, since I’m also planning on singing it in Yokohama.

I digress, but... the other day, on my way home after watching a musical, I came across a wild fox in the middle of the city.

Even more, one of the songs that was sung in that musical had the same lyrics as a part of the chorus of the main song I’m singing on the album.

It’s just making me excited, wondering if it’s a sign it might be a smash hit like the owl song from my other album.

🌱 I think I’ll be able to tell you about it at the end of April, along with the launch of my renewed website, but...

I’ll be recording an unprecedented performance during my stay in Japan this spring. (Please root for me in your hearts!) 

If I talk a little bit about it in outlines...

In 2021, around summer that year, I held my first paid livestream concert ‘THE MISISNG PIECE’; that allowed me my first attempt at a recording without an audience, but I feel the end result was a lovely concert.

After streaming finished, I received happy encouragement from my audience;  planning it was very tough, but I wanted to try yet another similar large-scale livestream concert.

However, as a result of my pondering if I couldn’t come up with a plan in which a new approach of recording comes to life, I thought of something!

As fans who have supported me throughout the years may know, when you ut it simply, there are two kinds of tracks in my singing and song writing.

The first is freely creating something I like, and freely singing it. That’s what I call my own album and product, so ‘my works’, so to speak.

And there’s the second kind which is the collaboration or tie-up; I sing a song that I got commissioned to write for a project. As I thought about a way to easily understand it on top of explaining it in words, I called those ‘outworks’ as contrast to ‘my works’. 

For music, I use my right brain for imagining a lot, and it gets developed. If the ‘my work’ songs are created by my right brain, then it’s easy for me to see how I create the ‘outwork’ songs with my left brain and produce them like that.

In short, in contrast to my works for which I turn my mental image into sounds as I wish without having to think about it, my outwork is for a product that already exists, like a movie or a game, so I can’t go against the existing concept, and I work the demands of the client into the sounds... because in that way, it’s like I’m making a construction.

That introduction got long, but despite being involved in many of my left brain projects (outworks), I haven’t really had the chance to introduce those left brain songs on stage before, but finally, this time I decided to record a concert composed only of tie-up songs that are left brain works.

Of course, it will be distributed after.

Now, once I’d decided on it, I made a listing of songs I’ve done as a tie-up in the past, and I surprised myself going ‘I wrote that song too?’. At the same time, most of those songs were included in the works they were intended for, but I haven’t sung them on stage before.

So even though they’re songs I’ve written myself, creating songs and performing them on a stage are two very different stories...

After deciding on this, I now realize myself just how tough these preparations are, though it’s a little late for that. ^^;

Anyway, aren’t you curious about what songs I’ll be singing?

This time, just like the previous time, I’m arranging preparations for digital tickets that get sent out with an URL to watch the performance, both with a ticket and pamphlet included and without a pamphlet.

It might be a spoiler, but I was planning on writing down the musical program in the pamphlet this time around, so I’d certainly recommend a digital ticket that includes a pamphlet.

Feeling like this, as much as it was a momentary sigh of relief that my stage performances, my main axis of motion, had decreased due to corona, I am of course also looking forward to it and zealous in my preparations while I imagine my audience looking forward to doing as much as possible, so please wait just a little longer.

First, I’ll return to Japan via the opposite side of the planet adding four extra hours to my usual travel, so please pray for my safe arrival in Japan.

I’m looking forward to be able to see you all at Billboard Yokohama.

[kokiafans]

KOKIA blog: February 7, 2022

Source: KOKIA.com/blog, February 7, 2022

All kinds of news

Hello, this is KOKIA.

In the brief space of time I thought about how the new year has started and that we’re in the year of the Tiger, it was already February.

As many people celebrate Chinese New Year in London, I felt my spirits rose a little as I enjoyed the New Year’s atmosphere here for the second time. How did you all spend this time?

As February is already a bit short, I’m restless and rushing to prepare for the work I’ll be doing in Japan in spring.

I’ve already told you about this one, but since last Friday, general ticket sales started for my April 16, 2022 live at Billboard Live Yokohama called ‘sounds are dancing on a fine spring day’ (haru urara oto ga mau).

↓ Please visit this page for more information.

http://www.billboard-live.com/pg/shop/show/index.php?mode=detail1&event=13243&shop=4

(Translator’s note: you can find an English translation of KOKIA’s news entry on this performance here.)

I also picked one song each from my 2 part mini album ‘star album series’, Hoshi no uta kaze no naka (’song of stars in the wind’) and kono sekai no katasumi de (’in this corner of the world’), and made them into digital releases, so if you haven’t gotten the album yet, I’d like it if you were to check it out this way and picked them up.

↓ Hoshi ni natta inu (’The dog that became a star’) (from the album kono sekai no katasumi de)

https://linkco.re/Grv3fsqf

↓ Kotou (’isolated island’) (from the album hoshi no uta kaze no naka)

https://linkco.re/mva50v7x

And if you want to listen to the entire album, you can only purchase it via the official web shop KOKIA Jirushi, which you can find below.

↓ KOKIA Jirushi web shop

http://ancocoro.shop-pro.jp/?mode=cate&cbid=1066527&csid=0

And this spring, I’m planning on releasing volume 3 in my ‘star album series’,  so I’m currently preparing for that.

I was planning on announcing new songs just around the time I’ll be standing on the stage of Billboard Live Yokohama, so I’m really looking forward to being able to see you from the stage in spring again.

[kokiafans]

KOKIA Billboard Live Yokohama Performance

Via KOKIA.com/news

Title: ‘sounds are dancing on a fine spring day’ (haru urara oto ga mau)

【Billboard Live Yokohama】 (two performances on one day)

April 16, 2022 (Saturday)

1st performance open 15:30 / start 16:30 2nd performance open 18:30 / start 19:30

Service area ￥7,900 Casual area ￥7,500 (1 drink included)

※ Food and drinks are calculated separately. 

[Inquiries] Billboard Live Yokohama: 0570-05-6565

KITANAKA BRICK&WHITE1F, number 2, block 57, Kitanakadori 5-chome, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 231-0003

Sales date

Fanclub / club BBL members advanced sales: January 28 (Friday), starting 12:00 midday

General ticket sales: February 4 (Friday), starting 12:00 midday

※ On the day itself, the performance will be held with the guidelines announced by national and local governments for the prevention of the spread of the novel coronavirus, and the performances held at each venue will have an adjusted maximum capacity lower than normal for its seating layout to prevent the spread. 

More information: http://www.billboard-live.com/membersarea/20200625_notice.html

Billboard Live Official Web：http://www.billboard-live.com/

【Greetings】

Hello, this is KOKIA.

How did you all start the new year of 2022?

I’ve already had my first performance in Japan as I was able to make a start, feeling refreshed, and it’s gotten me excited, making me feel like similar good things will happen this year. 

At the same time, I’m wishing for it to become a peaceful year somehow, hoping I can spend some time doing what I wanted to do, while also doing what I can do without being greedy, not forgetting my heartfelt gratitude for being able to sing and stand on a stage.

As I’m wishing for that at the beginning of the year, I’m really happy to be able to tell you about my performance that I’ll hold along with the season of spring.

I first got to stand on the stage of Billboard Live Yokohama last year, and it immediately became a favourite venue of mine.

I’m preparing a menu appropriate for the season of April, and I’m looking forward to greeting all of you on a fine spring day.

[kokiafans]

KOKIA blog updates: January 7/12/18, 2022

My apologies - due to personal circumstances (good ones!), I have fallen behind on KOKIA’s blog. To catch up, I have translated her own belated New Year’s message and will summarize the earlier entries from this year below.

Thank you for your patience, and I will try my best to continue translating the full entries!

January 7, 2022:

Happy New Year. May all of your wishes come true in the new year. Tomorrow, I’ll hold my first performance of 2022 at Yatsugatake Kogen Music Hall. I picture tomorrow’s performance looking up at the perfect starry sky that sharpens my mind. Won’t you come over for it? Smiles and silence and hugs and reassurance and wishes... why don’t we find them together in the forest of sounds?

January 12, 2022:

KOKIA has returned to London after her Yatsugatake concert. Her previously mentioned London souvenir campaign has ended on January 10, and winners have been chosen and will start receiving their gifts.

KOKIA’s website and blog are back online, but last year’s mishaps have made her decide to overhaul and update the website this year, which will take a while. She wants to make it more compatible with mobile devices and to make it easier to navigate, also linking to her official Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and independent releases on Tunecore.

January 18, 2022:

KOKIA had attempted to send out information about her upcoming performance in Billboard Yokohama via her mail magazine to club ancoro fan club members. It seems the text got corrupted, so she updated her mail magazine history page for the time being with the information for fan club only advanced reservations.

Once again, she promises the website will be updated completely, aiming for spring as this will take a while.

KOKIA also updated her news page with information about her April 16 performance at Billboard Live Yokohama, Haru urara oto ga mau (’sounds are dancing on this fine spring day’). I will translate this entry as soon as possible.