I've been a fan of Japanese popular music for 40 years, and have managed to collect a lot of material during that time. So I decided I wanted to talk about Showa Era music with like-minded fans. My particular era is the 70s and 80s (thus the "kayo kyoku"). The plus part includes a number of songs and artists from the last 30 years and also the early kayo. So, let's talk about New Music, aidoru, City Pop and enka.
Credits
I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.
If I'm not mistaken, singer-songwriter Fujii Kaze（藤井風）wasn't included on the 2023 Kohaku Utagassen lineup so it's nice to see him back for 2024 for his third appearance on the New Year's Eve special. Strangely enough, he had released the single "Hana" (Flowers) last October but either he simply didn't get invited or he declined the invitation for last year.
Well, for those who have always wanted a cheerful spin on the fragility and transience of life itself, "Hana" is the perfect song. I've always loved a groovy piano pop tune and "Hana" fulfills that, and so I'm reminded of acts such as Blue Peppers when I hear this one. Although I realize that it's been over a year since its release, I wouldn't mind seeing Fujii Kaze tackling this one on the Kohaku. It reached No. 6 on Oricon.
"Hana" was also used as the theme song for the Fall 2023 Fuji-TV drama "Ichiban Suki na Hana"（いちばんすきな花...My Beloved Flower）.
On Wednesday, I wrote up the lineup for the 73rd Kohaku Utagassen on NHK scheduled of course for New Year's Eve, and at the very bottom, I asked how readers thought about the Red and White teams coming out this year and whether they had been hoping for other acts to come on. One fellow answered that he had been surprised that singer-songwriter and pianist Fujii Kaze（藤井風）hadn't been asked back to the NHK special after appearing last year for the 72nd edition. Although I have one Fujii article up on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", his bouncy debut single of "Nan-Nan"（何なんw）, I have yet to put up his Kohaku contribution, "Kirari"（きらり）which was also one of the commenter's recommendations.
However, I've gotta say that I do like his 10th digital download single, "Matsuri" (Festival), which was released back in March this year. As with "Nan-Nan", the coolness factor is in "Matsuri", we get Fujii's soulful vocals, and there is once again the encouragement to drop the downer shackles and simply enjoy life. And in Japan, what better way is there than walking through the traditional festivals?
In the "Nan-Nan" article, I mentioned that Fujii had taken in a lot of different musical influences such as R&B and kayo kyoku, so it's no surprise that "Matsuri" has mixed in some of that ethereal traditional folk music and a lot of Neo-City Pop feeling. Fujii has even brought a dollop of buzzy rock in the middle. As for the music video, he and his friends introduce their own little dance to go with "Matsuri"; not sure if that became a thing over the summer. According to the J-Wiki article for the song, filming was done at the Rinkoukaku（臨江閣）State Guest House (recognized as an Important Cultural Asset) in Maebashi, the capital of Gunma Prefecture and Rakusan-en（楽山園）which is a traditional Japanese garden also located in the same province; it has been designated nationally as a Place of Scenic Beauty.
"Matsuri" peaked at No. 10 on Billboard Japan's Hot 100. It is also a track on Fujii's 2nd original album"Love All Serve All" which also came out in March this year just like the single. The album hit No. 1 on both Billboard Japan and Oricon.
As you all probably know, I grew up listening to all kinds of music starting with enka and the old standards from The Great American Songbook and then progressing into kayo kyoku, jazz and R&B with some dalliances into classical as well. Well, this fellow had the same experience growing up with his music, and he turned out much more differently and better in terms of looks (probably a good healthy diet with plenty of psyllium fibre from the get-go) and talent.
This guy is singer-songwriter Fujii Kaze（藤井風）, and usually when it comes to describing Japanese names on the blog, I go with given name and family name in that order in English while reversing them in their natural Japanese order in kanji. However, since his Wikipedia article and his own website have gone with the natural Japanese order even in romaji, I'll also respect that and do it here, too.
And what's not to love about his debut (digital download) single"Nan-Nan" (WTF lol) in November 2019? There is the bouncy playful piano, the bluesy guitar and Fujii's own resonant and soulful vocals, and it seems like the music video is a message for folks to get out of their shell and enjoy life on the outside. Even during COVID-infested 2020, it's still good for a nice little breather in the fresh air. There is also something rather Queen-like about the arrangements. Did enjoy watching the singer and his buddies dancing about in New York City.
The single itself may not have done much on the charts despite its quality, but his first album"HELP EVER HURT NEVER" which was released in May of this year peaked at No. 2. Unfortunately, his concerts had to be cancelled due to the pandemic but I'm hopeful that he will continue to burst out with some more of his catchy tunes.
