Japanese Song Spotlight #1
April 11th, 2025 Edition
Welcome to the first edition of Japanese Song Spotlight! In this series, I’ll be diving into what’s trending, some recent releases, and whatever else I’ve been binge-listening to lately.
Expect a wide range of tracks across different genres and decades. Hopefully there’ll be a few new songs here that’ll peak your interest!
“Turn It into Love” - Wink
🎵 Idol Kayōkyoku 📅 Nov. 1988 📈 27 million views
Most idols in 1980s Japan embraced a very “kawaii” image, but Wink deviated from the norm. The duo dressed in distinct, lolita-inspired outfits and were told to be as emotionless as possible while performing.
I've been a fan of their music for a while, but it was only recently that I realized many of their biggest hits were actually covers.
One of their breakout moments came in 1988, when they covered Kylie Minogue’s Japan-only single “Turn It into Love”. Used as the theme song for a Fuji TV drama series, Wink’s version went on to sell over 645,00 copies sold. It was their first single to top Oricon’s singles chart and their best-selling single overall.
Wink’s rendition goes for a more melancholic vibe with the vocal delivery and bigger emphasis on the synth melody. Their signature emotionless style complements this interpretation perfectly, making for one of my favorite kayōkyoku tracks.
“Cupid” - Miki Matsubara
🎵 City Pop 📅 Apr. 1981 📈 3 million views
Miki Matsubara's discography is often overlooked by many overseas listeners, especially in comparison to other City Pop artists like Anri or Tatsurō Yamashita.
Featured on her 1981 album of the same name, “Cupid” is nearly on par with “Stay With Me” in my opinion. Few love songs cannot match the sense of vulnerability and infatuation that this one makes me feel. The darker, more mysterious piano melody, the subtle nuances of her vocals, and the smooth trumpet solo all blend together so seamlessly.
“SUGAR” - NOMELON NOLEMON
🎵 J-Pop 📅 Aug. 2022 📈 1 million views
Ever since YOASOBI took the world by storm a few years back, I’ve been on the lookout for up-and-coming female vocalist and male Vocaloid producer duos.
The duo that I’ve been obsessed with this year is NOMELON NOLEMON, aka Nomelo. They’re made up of former Plusonica vocalist Miki Maria and Vocaloid producer Tsumiki. Nomelo formed in 2021, and have been on a steady rise ever since.
Pop music doesn’t need to be complex, but it's becoming increasingly rare for more “simple” songs to stand out to me. "SUGAR" reminds me that all I need to get hooked on something during the first listen is a good melody.
The track is centred around this energetic electronic production and the build-up to the choruses are quick and repetitive, but very fun. Miki Maria’s warm and simplistic vocal delivery makes it even easier to get hooked. One of my most-listened to songs since the start of the year.
“LONELY NIGHTS” - tofubeats
🎵 Electropop ● Future Bass 📅 May 2017 📈 33 million views
In 2013, producer Yūsuke Kawai debuted as tofubeats, eventually becoming a defining force in Japan’s pop music scene throughout the 2010s.
“LONELY NIGHTS” pairs tofubeats with rapper YOUNG JUJU from the hip-hop group KANDYTOWN. As the title implies, it’s a fitting track for some late-night driving or pretty much any solitary moment when you’re reflecting upon life.
It’s been my most-listened to song over the past two weeks and that’s because the beat is just so damn catchy. It’s laid-back, but fashionable, and is complemented well by YOUNG JUJU’s delivery. His delivery isn’t aggressive, but it packs a punch alongside the excessive autotune in the chorus.
“main actor” - Minami
🎵 J-Pop 📅 Dec. 2019 📈 28 million views
With my last YouTube upload covering Minami, I had to bring attention to one of her most defining songs.
Minami has unfortunately lost ownership of her early catalogue, but if there's one song that encapsulates her early sound, it's “main actor”.
The track begins with a mellow guitar riff, accompanied by her vocals, which sound like spoken-words from a monologue. She paints a picture of a background character in a manga—someone overshadowed by the hero, watching from the sidelines.
As the song progresses, it shifts inward, reflecting how life can feel meaningless when you're consumed by self-doubt. This struggle of wanting to feel truly alive isn’t too different from that character admiring heroes while feeling stuck in the background.
I interpret this song as a reflection of Minami’s life and internal struggles at the time. It’s nice to look back and think that she became the protagonist of her own story, rather than remaining as a background character.
“Love Was Really Gone” - Makoto Matsushita
🎵 City Pop 📅 Apr. 1981 📈 4.7 million views
Makoto Matsushita’s solo debut album First Light is another classic City Pop record with a summertime feel. It was released in 1981, but was re-released a year later with some slight changes and a new cover photo.
“Love Was Really Gone” would have definitely made The Billboard Hot 100 if it was released in the United States. The lyrics are entirely in English and delve into the theme of lost love. Matsushita's smooth vocals alongside the rich instrumentation create such a dynamic and emotional sound.
Fun fact: The album’s original cover photo was taken in Los Angeles, specifically around this area at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea Avenue.
“Magic Clock” - f5ve
🎵 Dance-Pop 📅 Mar. 2025 📈 1 million views
F5ve is a girl group with a mission to “infiltrate the subconscious mind in order to eradicate self-doubt and negative energy.” They were initially a Sailor Moon-affiliated group called SG5, but later rebranded to f5ve in 2024.
“Magic Clock” is about wanting to revisit nostalgic memories with a clock that can rewind time. As silly as that sounds, the “cuckoo” hook in the chorus will stay in your head long after listening. The production is more toned-down in comparison to their other songs, which makes me even more excited for their debut album dropping in May.
“Be a flower” - Ryokuoushoku Shakai
🎵 Pop Rock 📅 Oct. 2023 📈 54 million views
I started (binge) watching Apothecary Diaries so I’ve been hooked on this track again. I knew this was an anisong, but I didn’t expect it to be used in an anime about palace politics and drugs.
Ryokuoushoku Shakai are a band that formed in 2012 and they’ve had a number of anisong hits over the past few years.
“Be a flower” has a heavy arrangement and uses the metaphor of blooming as a flower to fittingly convey the process of growing into your true self. Haruko Nagaya steals the show with her expressive vocals and the way she modulates her vocals at times just blows me away.
“Hakujitsumu” - Islet (feat Isui)
🎵 J-Pop 📅 Apr. 2022 📈 4 million views
Islet is made up of guitarist Tazuneru and bassist Raku. They worked with vocalist Isui so often that in 2023, they decided to bring her onboard permanently, launching a new unit called tayori.
They aimed to make music that makes people imagine a scenery when they close their eyes and I don’t think any of their songs do this better than “Hakujitsumu”. It’s their most popular track, which pairs Isui’s transparent vocals with this arrangement that has an early 2000s vibe.
“Birds Like to Be Clean” - inuha
🎵 Vocaloid ● Shoegaze 📅 Apr. 2024 📈 2,900 views
Inuha was without a doubt the best obscure discovery of last year. He’s a vocaloid producer who pairs Hatsune Miku with some intriguing dreamy arrangements.
His 2024 EP Fragments of Sunlight didn’t receive much attention, but most of the people who gave it a listen had high praise for it.
“Birds Like to Be Clean” is my favourite track from the EP and one of my favourite Japanese songs from last year. The lyrics convey this feeling of self-cleansing with imagery of birds and nature. It’s a very chill dream-pop production and Miku’s tuning feels perfect. A perfect gateway to get into Vocaloid shoegaze.
Thanks for reading my first write-up, I hope you enjoyed these songs!
If there’s any songs you’d like me to cover in a future edition or general feedback for this newsletter, feel free to reach out to me at goosebumpsradio@gmail.com. I also have a Discord server if you’d like to connect with myself and a bunch of other Japanese music fans.
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Came across Tofubeats a couple months ago, really enjoy their style!