Speaking of MAX, they’re really on a roll this year with music releases, YouTube, and now an upcoming online concert. “MAX ONLINE LIVE ‘Summer Blast 2021′” will take place on Sunday, July 4th (Japan time) and members of their fan club (J-MAX NEO) have access to an after-talk with an encore song. Unfortunately, there is no archive for the concert so it’s a one-time viewing. Info can be found on their production company’s website.
They’ve been busy with their YouTube channel and now we have word that MAX is releasing their 37th single on July 28th! Their previous single, Parthenon, was released two years ago during the summer and it was an upbeat dance tune. The new single is yet-to-be-named but they’re promising it’ll be a banger to make everyone happy this summer.
The boys are back with a new single and music video for their song Oh! My Precious! released on May 26th. The new song follows their March release Dream on the street so they’ve been on a steady release schedule for 2021.
Vocal duo 5 Elements (A-RA and YU) is celebrating their 10th anniversary with the release of a new album THE BEST which features 15 tracks — including the song below (Minami no Shima e Dekakeyou) with sanshin by Maeda Hideyuki.
The new album also features the song Party which was written by Daizou from the group Ketsumeishi. Unfortunately, their music is currently only available in Japan for Apple Music and iTunes so importing the CD seems like the best bet.
ORANGE RANGE‘s guitarist NAOTO and vocalist (mid-range) HIROKI provided the music and lyrics to the 1st major single (double A-side) for J-pop group 7ORDER. The song is titled “SUMMER sama-sama” and is coupled with the single “Ame ga hajimari no aizu” and set to be released on July 7th.
It’s great to see the OR band still active since forming in 2001. On a personal note, I remember seeing OR vocalist RYO at a hotel in Chatan and he was so cool and chill. As this year marks their 20th anniversary, be sure to follow the band’s Twitter for the latest news.
Surprised? Yes, there actually is (soon to be was) an AKB48 (a popular idol group in Japan) member from Okinawa, Miyazato Rira. She is part of Team 8 (there are 5 teams in total named A, K, B, 4, and 8) which was formed in 2014 and was formed to represent one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Miyazato Rira also happens to hold a position in Team 4. On May 12th, it was announced that she will be graduating in July of this year.
In case you’re wondering, the word graduate in the idol world means that the person will be leaving the group and there are various reasons for doing so. For Miyazato Rira, she felt that due to the pandemic she wasn’t able to meet with fans but it did give her an opportunity to think more about her future (i.e. her life after AKB48). Follow her Twitter for the latest updates.
You’re probably already familiar with the pop duo I-Dushi as we have several posts about them this year. On the 19th through their official Twitter account, they announced their first and final live acoustic concert of the year. No, they’re not breaking up but rather singer/sanshinist Cana will soon be going on maternity leave.
So it’s great news all-around even though this will be their first and final concert of 2021. Even greater news? The concert is being streamed online with archive options! Tickets (there are two archive tickets and a one-time ticket available) can be purchased from the Zaiko website (please check to see if your region is supported). The concert date is set for Wednesday, May 26th (Japan time) from 19:30 and it is noted that there is a possibility of it been canceled given the circumstances. This is a great way to support them and to see them in concert for those overseas. Since the pandemic, I’ve attended a few of my favorite artists’ streaming concerts and have never been disappointed. Pro-tip: If you’re able to, I would recommend going with one of the archive tickets so you can watch the concert at your leisure (said from a person that has watched concerts that started at midnight).
Check out I-dushi’s website for the latest news.
Speaking of sub-channels and multiple YouTube channels, GACKT recently created a new one showing him playing games called GACKT GAMEz.
The new channel joins his already established channel with 800K+ subscribers, GACKT Channel Gaku-chan. Judging by the number of likes and comments on his tweet announcing the new channel, it looks to be off to a strong start.
As if one YouTube channel wasn’t enough, we now see sub channels (or is it subchannel?) and additional ones being created for fans. (Even my favorite YouTuber, MKBHD, recently created a new channel for his podcast.) Called【MAX】MTB まっく素のて〜げ〜ちゃんねる ([MAX] MTB [for Max The Bomb] Makku Moto no Teegee Channeru), they will release videos on a leisurely pace and feature personal topics (the latest video [May 9th] has NANA showcasing her Top 10 favorite childhood snacks).
It’s great to see that MAX is still going strong and I believe they’re the longest running idol group in Japan having debuted in 1995! I’m sure other fans are thinking about this too: How amazing would it be if Amuro Namie showed up on one of their videos as a Super Monkey’s reunion?
MAX’s website (still with Avex!). MAX’s regular YouTube channel. MAX on Twitter.
Idol group Chuning Candy recently shared a YouTube clip of their new single MOVING ON!! (April 7th digital release) showcasing their amazing dance performance (just a reminder that their dance performance of Dynamic Ryukyu has over 3-million views on YouTube).
The title of the new single is interesting (coincidental?) given the April 24th sad news that member Sophie was leaving the group which now has Kotone, Lili, Yuuri, and Aiko as the remaining members. Let’s wish Sophie and the rest of the members the best for 2021!
