It feels like 2021 has just begun, but here we are, already at its final quarter. Have you been listening to more music than usual over the past year? If so, you are probably not alone. Global recorded music revenue grew 7.4% in 2020, a large part of it attributable to streaming subscriptions. This is hardly surprising, given that music has long been known for its power to heal and connect people. And well, the year hasn’t exactly been easy. As some of us sought comfort in familiar tunes that bring back happy memories, others found joy in discovering new musical styles.
Ready for more music to add to your playlist? Scroll on for a selection of artists making waves in the Japanese music industry this year.
Dubbed by some as Japan’s Maroon 5, Nulbarich is a band with an interesting format. Other than JQ, the lead vocalist and overall producer of the band, no other band members are permanent. It may be easy to mistake Nulbarich as a solo project, but they perform as a band, with five to eight members each time. There are numerous explanations for why the other members remain faceless, one of which is so that the best combination can be formed to suit the concept, performance etc. each time. The same ambivalence is reflected in their band name, which comes from “null but rich”, in that one can be fulfilled despite having nothing, and it’s not just the tangible things that matter.
In just two years after their major debut in 2016, the band played to a sold-out crowd at Nippon Budokan, one of the most prestigious concert venues in Japan. This April, Nulbarich released their first album in more than two years, NEW GRAVITY. Produced in the middle of the pandemic, this album consists mostly of songs that one “feels good listening to out of their living room”. Give some tracks a listen, and you may find yourself bobbing along before you even realise.
A mixed-gender four-piece band from the Aichi Prefecture in Japan, Ryokuoushoku Shakai is made up of three friends from the same high school (Nagaya, Kobayashi, peppe) and Kobayashi’s childhood friend, Anami. Affectionately referred to as “Ryokushaka'' by their fans, their music is characterised by vocalist Nagaya’s clear yet strong vocals, combined with a fresh and catchy sound. At an average age of about 25 years old, the band members are relatively young, but their music has received praise from industry insiders for the amount of potential they show through the variety of their music. Providing the theme songs to several anime series over the past year (My Hero Academia, Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon) has led more people to discover Ryokushaka, and it looks like their popularity will only grow from here. The band is holding a Zepp tour from November onwards, playing alongside a different act at each of the five venues.
Fun fact: keyboardist peppe has a known interest in World Heritage sites, as the topic is something that connects people from around the world, just like music. She has even gone as far as to get herself certified by taking the Level 1 test (second-highest level after Meister Level) organised by the World Heritage Academy in Japan!
Ready for more music to add to your playlist? Scroll on for a selection of artists making waves in the Japanese music industry this year.
Nulbarich
Dubbed by some as Japan’s Maroon 5, Nulbarich is a band with an interesting format. Other than JQ, the lead vocalist and overall producer of the band, no other band members are permanent. It may be easy to mistake Nulbarich as a solo project, but they perform as a band, with five to eight members each time. There are numerous explanations for why the other members remain faceless, one of which is so that the best combination can be formed to suit the concept, performance etc. each time. The same ambivalence is reflected in their band name, which comes from “null but rich”, in that one can be fulfilled despite having nothing, and it’s not just the tangible things that matter.
In just two years after their major debut in 2016, the band played to a sold-out crowd at Nippon Budokan, one of the most prestigious concert venues in Japan. This April, Nulbarich released their first album in more than two years, NEW GRAVITY. Produced in the middle of the pandemic, this album consists mostly of songs that one “feels good listening to out of their living room”. Give some tracks a listen, and you may find yourself bobbing along before you even realise.
Ryokuoushoku Shakai
A mixed-gender four-piece band from the Aichi Prefecture in Japan, Ryokuoushoku Shakai is made up of three friends from the same high school (Nagaya, Kobayashi, peppe) and Kobayashi’s childhood friend, Anami. Affectionately referred to as “Ryokushaka'' by their fans, their music is characterised by vocalist Nagaya’s clear yet strong vocals, combined with a fresh and catchy sound. At an average age of about 25 years old, the band members are relatively young, but their music has received praise from industry insiders for the amount of potential they show through the variety of their music. Providing the theme songs to several anime series over the past year (My Hero Academia, Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon) has led more people to discover Ryokushaka, and it looks like their popularity will only grow from here. The band is holding a Zepp tour from November onwards, playing alongside a different act at each of the five venues.
Fun fact: keyboardist peppe has a known interest in World Heritage sites, as the topic is something that connects people from around the world, just like music. She has even gone as far as to get herself certified by taking the Level 1 test (second-highest level after Meister Level) organised by the World Heritage Academy in Japan!
