Pick of the day: Hyna Taratika

Hyna is a new artist who is set to release her debut single Taratika on June 15th. The release of her video on Youtube has sent many people desperately looking for more on her and if the comments on Youtube are anything to go from then she is making a splash in the industry. Described as a mix between Ayu, Koda Kumi and Jasmine she is definitely a singer to check out but has her debut lived up to expectations?

The song starts off with her singing over the sounds of people clapping, already her voice sounds highly autotuned but as the song begins to start more we hear more of her voice, at first she has quite a deep voice but becomes less deep throughout the song. Throughout the song an electro beat is playing until it begins to fasten up at the 1:02 mark. Once the chorus begins she begins to sing faster and you can't help but tap along with the song. The beat is energetic and her voice is nice, it fits in with the song. The breakdown is nice as well, at first the song slows down before we begin to hear the instrumental before her voice once again returns. The PV is interesting, its very energetic and will for sure cause waves throughout Japan. I haven't been able to find English lyrics to the song yet but i'm sure they will be uploaded around the release date of the single.

Overall I find this single enjoyable, it's a great way to debut and she is already making a unique personality for herself. A singer I will be watching to see what else she releases in the future^_^

Pick of the day: 安室 奈美恵/Namie Amuro The Speed Star

Girl Talk/The Speed Star was Namie Amuro's 34th single and was released on October 14th 2004. The Speed Star was not included on her 7th studio album Queen of Hip-Pop but Girl Talk was and since then many fans have questioned wthether this was the right choice. Read below and see if I believe The Speed Star should have been left off!

The song starts off with the sound of a car being turned on before an electropop/hop beat is played. The beat immediately makes you want to move your legs, Namie begins to sing around the 0:31 mark over what sounds to be an electrorock beat. Once the chorus kicks in Namie begins to sing more and the beat become faster as an electro sound is played over the beat. Namie's voice sounds as it always does, good but not amazing. I personally prefer her voice in Break it/Get myself back (http://jpopobsessed.blogspot.com/2011/04/single-review-namie-amurobreak-itget.html) but it's not terrible in this song. The breakdown is catchy, she sings more softer and slowly and the beat has slowed down too, it leads up to the final chorus being played. The PV is nothing amazing, you can watch it but in my opinion it's not something you will be wanting to watch again. The lyrics talk about how she doesn't care what people think of her, she enjoys having fun and that she is ""The Speed Star"! She ends the song by singing "Now it's time to prove i'm The Speed Star".

"I really don't care who and what I was, now it's time to prove i'm The Speed Star"


Overall I prefer The Speed Star to Girl Talk and if I had to pick one for Queen of Hip-Pop I would have picked The Speed Star. The song isn't that great though, I don't find myself listening to it much but it isn't terrible (Break it/Get Myself back are better than this though). I find Namie's songs are always hit and miss (especially pre-Style) and whilst this song is alright it definitely isn't one of her best songs, anything from Play and Past Future in my opinion pretty much beat this song.

Pick of the day: Hikaru Utada Show me love (Not a dream)

Pick of the day is when I pick a song (usually a non-single) of any singer and review just that track. Todays pick is Hikaru Utada's Show me love (Not a dream), a song that was featured on her recent Single Collection volume 2 which was released on November 24th last year. In the past the only Japanese single of hers I had heard was Boku wa kuma and this song is alot different to that. Read below my opinion on this pick of the day song!




The song starts off softly with the sound of a piano being played, her voice then comes in slowly and softly. She sounds right on point and clear. The instrumental sounds somewhat electro but once the chorus kicks in that completely goes as the sounds of guitars and drums being to play. Her voices hits higher points and the chorus gives off a dark vibe, it sounds like something emotionally bad has just happened to her. The hook "It's all in my head (show me love)" is dark yet catchy. The second verse continues the rock sound and as the song goes on she continues to sound more "involved" in the song, I wasn't expecting the song to turn into a rock song when the song first started and i'm sure it will catch you off guard as well. The song was written apparently when she was deciding to go on hiatus and the lyrics reflect a dark and lonely vibe. A PV was not made for the song.

"I suppressed it, but it didn't fade."

Overall I found this song to be a surprise. Not only did the rock tinge come out of nowhere but I didn't expect myself to like it as much as I do and the hook is catchy despite what the song overally sounds like. A dark rock sound, completely different to the happy and brightful Boku wa kuma (though that was a childrens song). Show me love (Not a dream) is a must listen for any Jpop fan, especially those who are fans of dark rock tracks.