Japanese singer Ado has become one of the most exciting names in contemporary J-pop, building an international following through her extraordinary voice, striking visual identity and chart-topping releases. From her breakout hit Usseewa to her…
Category: News
Japanese music is having another remarkable year. From explosive anime opening themes to viral J-pop hits and experimental Japanese rock, 2026 has delivered an exciting selection of songs attracting listeners across Japan and around the…
Raphael Ravenscroft. Not Bob Holness. Let’s remove that myth immediately. British saxophonist Raphael Ravenscroft played the famous saxophone line on Gerry Rafferty’s 1978 hit “Baker Street”. The idea that Blockbusters presenter Bob Holness played the…
Because if you are launching a television channel dedicated to music videos, the joke is almost too perfect to resist. MTV launched in the United States on August 1, 1981. At 12:01am, the first music…
Jackie DeShannon. Kim Carnes made “Bette Davis Eyes” famous in 1981. But DeShannon co-wrote and recorded the song years earlier for her album New Arrangement. And if you play the original after hearing Carnes’ version…
“Psycho Killer” is a character song written from inside the mind of an unstable murderer. It is not about the Son of Sam killings. The timing made people think it was. Talking Heads had already…
“The Killing Moon” is about the conflict between fate and free will. Ian McCulloch has described the song as dealing with: birth death eternity God destiny and the human struggle against forces we cannot control.…
The phrase “red right hand” comes from John Milton’s Paradise Lost. In Milton’s poem, it refers to divine vengeance: the punishing hand of God. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds borrowed the image and turned…
From energetic anime theme songs to emotional ballads and experimental electronic music, J-Pop has become one of Japan’s most recognisable cultural exports. Artists such as YOASOBI, Ado, Kenshi Yonezu and Fujii Kaze are introducing Japanese…
“Common People” is about class tourism. Specifically: wealthy people romanticising poverty because they know they can leave whenever they want. Jarvis Cocker based the song on a real conversation with a Greek student he met…
