First Love is the debut Japanese-language studio album by Japanese-American recording artist Hikaru Utada, released on March 10, 1999, by Eastworld.
Koshi Inaba is a Japanese singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the rock duo B'z, the best-selling music act in their native Japan. He also has a successful solo career, with six studio albums and five singles topping the Japanese music charts. Inaba collaborated with Slash on the latter's 2009 single "Sahara", and with Stevie Salas on the albums Chubby Groove (2017) and Maximum Huavo (2020).
Valenti is the second Japanese studio album by South Korean recording artist BoA, released through Avex Trax on January 29, 2003. The album's lyrics were written by multiple contributors including Natsumi Watanabe and Kenn Kato, with composition on the album handled by a team of composers including Kazuhiro Hara, Bounceback, Kosuke Morimoto, Ken Harada, and Akira. Valenti is a pop record containing influences from R&B and dance music, and is primarily recorded in Japanese with minor interspersed phrases in English.
Queen of Hip-Pop is the seventh studio album by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released on July 13, 2005, by Avex Trax. The album's lyrical content, composing and arrangement was handled by multiple music collaborators, such as Nao'ymt, Sugi-V, Michico, Tricky Stewart, T.Kura, among many others. It is her second full-length urban contemporary record, and is made up of songs of various musical genres. Amuro uses the term "hip-pop" to describe the music on the album because it fuses pop music with other genres including R&B and hip-hop music. Three different formats were released to promote the album: a standalone CD, a limited edition Playbutton, and a digital download.
Concentration 20 is the third studio album by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released on July 24, 1997, by Avex Trax. The album's musical style is a fusion of genres including pop, dance, rock, reggae and ska. Unlike Amuro's previous effort, Sweet 19 Blues (1996), which primarily had lyrics written by Tetsuya Komuro, Concentration 20's lyrics were mostly written by Marc Panther. Komuro did, however, compose and arrange most of the album's songs and wrote the lyrics to three of them. It was Amuro's second solo album since splitting up with Super Monkey's.
"White Light" is a song by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released by Avex Trax in Japan on November 16, 2005, as a double A-single with "Violet Sauce". "White Light" was supposed to promote Amuro's eighth studio album Play (2007), but it was scrapped from the final track list. Instead, an alternative version of "Violet Sauce" appeared. A demo version of the song was sent to Amuro, who decided it needed a warmer tone and reworked it as a Christmas song. It was modified by Nao'ymt, the song's sole composer, producer, and writer. Musically, it's a midtempo Christmas song with lyrics about love and holiday festivities.
"Bokutachi no Yukue" is Hitomi Takahashi's debut single under Sony Records' label. The single was released on April 13, 2005, in one format. This is the first retail single for her first album "sympathy."
Wink was a Japanese idol duo in the late 1980s and early-to-mid-1990s composed of Sachiko Suzuki and Shoko Aida. They released their first single on April 27, 1988, and their final release was on March 31, 1996. Many of their singles topped the Oricon charts in Japan, including their biggest hit, "Samishii Nettaigyo".
"Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick" is the 31st single by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released by Avex Trax in Japan alongside "Ningyo" on May 17, 2006, as a double A-single. "Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick" served as the second single from Amuro's eighth studio album Play (2007), but "Ningyo" was excluded from the track list. "Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick" was produced by her two most frequent collaborators at the time: T.Kura and Michico for Giant Swing Productions. Musically, it is an upbeat urban contemporary and dance pop song that features a hefty amount of saxophones. Lyrically, it speaks of a lovesick person who can't get anything done when he or she thinks about their lover.
Blue Blood is the second studio album by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, then known as simply X. It was released on April 21, 1989, by CBS/Sony as the band's major label debut. Blue Blood sold more than 700,000 copies, reached number 6 on the Oricon chart and stayed on the chart for more than 100 weeks. The album's singles would also reach the top five on the chart. In 2007, Rolling Stone Japan ranked Blue Blood number 15 on their list of the "100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time".
True is the debut album by Japanese recording artist Mika Nakashima. The album's lyrics were written by a team of songwriters including Nakashima herself, Yasushi Akimoto, Minako Yoshida, Kenn Kato, Takashi Matsumoto, among others. In contrast to the typical Japanese J-pop and Western pop artist at the time, True was one in which Nakashima established a sound that would become her trademark for future albums: a mature, adult contemporary-influenced mixture of smooth jazz and soft pop.
Seventh Heaven is the third studio album by the Japanese rock band Buck-Tick. It was released on vinyl, cassette and CD on June 21, 1988, through Victor Entertainment, and has been certified gold by the RIAJ for sales over 100,000 copies. The album was digitally remastered and re-released on September 19, 2002, with two bonus tracks. It was remastered and re-released again on September 5, 2007. The lyrics for "Physical Neurose" mention Gregor Samsa, the main character of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis. "...In Heaven...", "Oriental Love Story" and "Victims of Love" were later re-recorded for the group's compilation album Koroshi no Shirabe: This Is Not Greatest Hits (1992). Seventh Heaven peaked at number three on the Oricon charts, and 1st on the LP chart; it has sold 110,000 copies.
Double is the stage name for Japanese R&B singer Takako Hirasawa. Double used to be the name for the two member R&B group consisting of Takako and her sister Sachiko. After the death of Sachiko, Takako started her solo career adopting Double as her stage name. Double has been titled as the "Queen of R&B" and is considered to be a pioneer for being the first artist to bring American-style R&B to Japan.
Sakura Saku Machi Monogatari, is the debut album by Japanese pop music trio Ikimonogakari. It was released in Japan on March 7, 2007, under the label Epic Records Japan. All of the album's songs were written and composed by members Yoshiki Mizuno and Hotaka Yamashita. Sakura Saku Machi Monogatari is primarily a pop rock record with influences of folk pop, with its lyrics depicting love and scenes in all four seasons.
"Sakura" is the debut single by Japanese pop music trio Ikimonogakari. It was released by Epic Records Japan on March 15, 2006, as a CD single and digital download. It also serves as the lead single for Ikimonogakari's debut studio album, Sakura Saku Machi Monogatari (2007). It was written and composed by Yoshiki Mizuno, and arranged by Masanori Shimada. "Sakura" is an introspective pop ballad which draws influences from folk rock through its instrumentation of which includes acoustic guitars, drums and strings. The song's lyrics depict two people parting ways after a graduation, also depicting a sad love and nostalgic memories.
"Kimi ni Aitaku Naru Kara" is the sixth single released by Japanese pop and R&B singer-songwriter Kana Nishino. It was released on June 3, 2009, by her record label SME Records. The song was written by Nishino and Kanako Kato and composed by Nishino, Jeff Miyahara and Kenji "JINO" Hino; this single marked the first time that Nishino herself has been involved in composing a song. It was used as the commercial song for Recochoku.
Tree is the seventh Japanese studio album by South Korean pop duo Tohoshinki, released by Avex Trax on March 5, 2014. The record was released in four physical versions, each with a seasonal theme cover – Version A (Spring/Summer), a CD+DVD version with music videos; Version B (Autumn), another CD+DVD version with off-shot movies; Version C (Winter), a CD only version with two bonus tracks; and Version D, a fan club limited edition with a CD-Extra. Musically, Tree is a varied pop music album that is influenced by a broad range of musical genres, such as electronic dance music, hip hop, R&B, swing jazz, rock music, power ballads, and reggae. Recording for the album began well before the launch of their sixth Japanese studio album Time in early 2013.
"Luminous" is a pop song by the Japanese duo and idol unit ClariS, written by Shō Watanabe. It was released as the unit's sixth single on October 10, 2012 by SME Records. The song was used as the opening theme to the first two Puella Magi Madoka Magica anime films. A music video was produced for "Luminous". The single peaked at No. 4 on Japan's weekly Oricon singles chart, and was later awarded a Gold Disc by the Recording Industry Association of Japan for having exceeded 100,000 copies shipped in a single year.
With is the eighth Japanese studio album by South Korean pop duo Tohoshinki, released by Avex Trax on December 17, 2014. The record was released in four physical versions – Version A, a CD+DVD version with music videos and live performances; Version B, another CD+DVD version with off-shot movies; Version C, a CD only version with two bonus tracks; and Version D, a fan club limited edition with a CD-Extra. Recording and writing for the album roughly began in the summer of 2013. With is described to be an album composed of nostalgic dance-pop songs that are influenced by disco and jazz, accompanied by marching drumbeats. Its lyrical content explores the general concept of love and friendship.
"Go Round" is a song by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro from her tenth studio album Uncontrolled (2012). It was released as a double a-side single with another album track "Yeah-Oh" and was served as the fourth single on March 21, 2012 by Avex Trax. "Go Round" was written by Aili, produced by T-Sk and co-composed by Tesung Kim and Australian duo Nervo. With a cover sleeve, photographed by Takaki Kumada, showing Amuro in front of a blurry window pane, "Go Round" was recorded both in English and Japanese language and is a dance-pop song.
