"King" | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Song by Kanaria ft. Gumi | |
from the album King | |
Language | Japanese |
Released | 2 August 2020 |
Label | Self-released |
Songwriter(s) | Kanaria |
"King" (stylized in all-caps) is a 2020 song by Japanese Vocaloid musician Kanaria. Following its release, it brought Kanaria to widespread popularity, and it received covers from dozens of VTubers and other singers.
King was released on 2 August 2020. [1] The song uses the Megpoid Vocaloid and the music video was illustrated by Nou. [2]
King achieved one million views within two months of its release. [3] The song caused Kanaria to rise to popularity. [4] Subsequently, dozens of VTubers and other singers posted covers of the song, including from Kizuna Ai, Kuzuha , Nijisanji members, and Upd8 member Mei Osanai, as well as a duet by Calliope Mori and Gawr Gura; [4] [1] [5] Eimika Katsuya attributed this widespread trend to the popularity of Kanaria's previous song "Hyakkisai". [4]
Rena Murakami of Real Sound characterizes the lyrics as "reminiscent of the execution of a king". [6] In a column for UtaTen, Amu Machioka characterized the song as an allegory for the house arrest, trial, and execution of Louis XVI (whom they characterized to as the titular King), told from the perspective of his executioner Charles-Henri Sanson. [7] Eimika Katsuya said of "King": "It's a dark song with an absurd string of words, but the lyrics have a pleasant rhyme that makes it addictive." [4] Tower Records Online said of "King": "You can't talk about internet music in 2020 without listening to this!" [3]
It topped the Billboard Japan Top User Generated Songs for 33 weeks in 2021, as well the equivalent charts for the first half and entirety of 2021. [5] [1] It charted at #42 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 and #76 at the Billboard Japan Top Download Songs chart. [8] It ranked second place in Nana Music 's 2021 Most Sung Vocaloid Songs chart. [9]
"King" was included in Kanaria's debut album of the same name, which was released four months after the song. [10] In 2022, it was released as part of Kanaria's greatest hits album Kanaria.code. [11]
Weekly charts
|
Billboard Japan is a sister organization of the U.S.-based music magazine Billboard. It is operated by the Japanese Osaka-based company Hanshin Contents Link, holding an exclusive licence from Billboard's parent company to the Billboard brand name in Japan, and manages, among others, the website www.billboard-japan.com and several "Billboard Live"-branded music clubs located in the country.
"Rabbit Hole" (ラビットホール) is a 2023 song written by Japanese music producer DECO*27, featuring Vocaloid virtual singer Hatsune Miku. Additional arrangement was provided by tepe, and kemu performed bass. About ten months after its release, a short fan-made animation of the song went viral and caused the song to have a resurgence outside of Japan.
Yoasobi is a Japanese pop duo formed in 2019 by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. It is composed of Vocaloid producer Ayase and singer-songwriter Lilas Ikuta, under the moniker Ikura. Represented by the slogan "novel into music", the duo originally released songs based on selected short stories posted on Monogatary.com, a social media website for creative writing operated by the label. Sources later also come from various media like stories written by professional authors, books, letters, plays, etc.
Ado is a Japanese singer. In 2020, at the age of 17, she made her debut with the digital single titled "Usseewa", which peaked at number 1 on Billboard Japan Hot 100, Oricon Digital Singles Chart, and the Oricon Streaming Chart. The song reached 100 million plays on Billboard Japan within 17 weeks of charting, which was the sixth fastest in history and the youngest for a solo singer. In 2022, her song "New Genesis" was used as the theme song for the anime film One Piece Film: Red and topped Apple Music's Global Top 100 charts.
"Usseewa" (うっせぇわ) is a song by Japanese singer Ado, released as her debut single on October 23, 2020. It was released as a digital single through Virgin Music.
The Book 2 is the second Japanese-language EP by Japanese duo Yoasobi. It was released on December 1, 2021, through Sony Music Entertainment Japan, eleven months after their debut EP The Book (2021). It consists of eight tracks, preceded by their all singles released in 2021, and included the new song "Moshi mo Inochi ga Egaketara".
"Ichizu" / "Sakayume", is a Japanese double A-side single by King Gnu. It was released on December 29, 2021, by Sony Music Labels. Both songs served as theme songs for the 2021 MAPPA film Jujutsu Kaisen 0, with "Ichizu" serving as the opening theme and "Sakayume" as the ending theme. They were performed by King Gnu, who aimed the theme songs to focus on the chaotic relationship between the leads, Yuta Okkotsu and Rika Orimoto, with "Ichizu" having a strong starting point and "Sakayume" being more melancholic.
Kyōgen is the debut studio album by Japanese singer Ado, released January 26, 2022, by Virgin Music. A J-pop and rock record, the album was produced by various Vocaloid musicians.
"Chameleon" is a song by Japanese band King Gnu. It was originally released on February 28, 2022, as the theme song for the live-action adaptation of the manga series Don't Call It Mystery, and was officially released on March 16, 2022, by Ariola Japan.
"Idol" is a song by Japanese duo Yoasobi from their third EP, The Book 3 (2023). It was released as a single on April 12, 2023, by Sony Music Entertainment Japan, serving as the opening theme of the 2023 Japanese anime series Oshi no Ko. Written by Ayase and based on Aka Akasaka's short story 45510, "Idol" is a combination of Japanese idol-styled pop, hip hop, rock, and video game music, depicting the two-faced nature of a star in the Japanese idol industry from perspectives on the anime's character Ai Hoshino by her fans, her B-Komachi's groupmates, and herself. It additionally features shouts by B-boy group Real Akiba Boyz and gospel-like background vocals.
Inabakumori is a Japanese musician, Vocaloid producer and songwriter. His most notable works are Lost Umbrella (ロストアンブレラ) in 2018 and Lagtrain (ラグトレイン) in 2020.
Orangestar is a Japanese Vocaloid music producer and composer. He began uploading songs to Niconico in 2013. In 2015, he released his first album Unfinished Eight Beats at the age of 17, and the album topped at rank 45 in Japan according to Oricon's weekly charts. Orangestar stopped his musical activities for about two years starting from 2017 due to his missionary responsibilities as a mormon and became active again in 2020. Later that year, he married illustrator Kase.
Sketch is the debut studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Lilas Ikuta. It was released on March 8, 2023, through Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The album was described as her diary and wings flying freely. Commercially, Sketch peaked at number four on the Oricon Albums Chart and number two on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums.
"Undead" is a song by Japanese duo Yoasobi, serving as the theme for anime series Monogatari Series: Off & Monster Season (2024). It was released as a single on July 1, 2024, by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Written by Ayase, the song was based on the light novel Monogatari writer Nisio Isin's short stories Nadeko Past and Shinobu Future.
"Phony" (フォニイ) is a 2021 song written by Japanese music producer Tsumiki (ツミキ), utilizing the CeVIO voicebank KAFU. The song has inspired many cover versions.
"Kamippoi na" is a 2021 song written by Japanese music producer PinocchioP (ピノキオピー) featuring Vocaloid virtual singer Hatsune Miku. The song is one of the most viewed Vocaloid songs on YouTube, and has been covered by singers such as Ado.
"Goodbye Sengen" is a 2020 song written by Japanese music producer Chinozo, utilizing the Vocaloid voice library V Flower. The song is the most viewed Vocaloid song on YouTube with more than 100 million views, and received over 3 billion listens on TikTok by 2022. A light novel adaptation was released on October 25, 2021, and sold over one hundred thousand copies by 2022.
"Mesmerizer" (メズマライザー) is a 2024 song by Japanese music producer 32ki featuring vocals by Vocaloid virtual singer Hatsune Miku and Synthesizer V Kasane Teto. The song's accompanying animated music video, created by Japanese animator "channel", reached 10 million views on YouTube within two weeks of its release, unprecedented for Vocaloid songs.
Iyowa is a Japanese musician, Vocaloid producer, songwriter and illustrator. He is best known for his 2021 single "Kyu-Kurarin", which has been viewed 50 million times on YouTube. His artist name allegedly came about from having a weak stomach.
Kanaria is a Japanese musician. After making their debut with the song "Hyakkisai" (2020), they rose to popularity with their next song "King", released three months later. She has also released two albums, King (2020) and Kanaria.code (2022).