milet
Even as a newbie, milet has become one of the most popular up-and-coming Japanese musicians in 2020. It's only been less than two years since she entered the music scene but she's already had several of her songs used in dramas, animes, movies and commercials. Her husky and strong voice stands out from the rest of the female J-pop singers and has led people to compare her vocals to that of Adele and Sia. Her debut song "inside you," produced by ONE OK ROCK’s Toru, may sound more Western pop, but her recent song "us" shows how milet is capable of pulling off songs closer to classic J-pop too. Little is known about this rising singer-songwriter except the fact that she spent her teenage years in Canada, which explains why many of her songs use a mix of English and Japanese.
Hinatazaka46
Those familiar with the Japanese idol scene will know Yasushi Akimoto as well as the AKB48 group. Started in 2005 based on the concept of "idols you can meet", the AKB48 group has since grown to have sister groups across Japan and even Asia, such as BNK48 in Thailand and JKT48 in Indonesia. To jazz up the game, Akimoto produced Nogizaka46 in 2011 as the "official rival group" to AKB48, which in turn spun off another idol group franchise, the "Sakamichi series".
The latest from the "Sakamichi series", Hinatazaka46’s first single reportedly sold 476,000 copies in its first week of release, making them the new record holder for the best first-week sales for the first single by a female artist in Japan. Loved by their fans for their happy and cheery image, the group will embark on their nationwide arena tour this spring.