I just wanted to tell you about a band that is so much more than just a band. They're called Twenty One Pilots, and the 4th of February I saw them live in Stockholm with my dear Amanda. Just saying: best day of my life.
I found out about them after watching a music video on MTV with this kinda weird but interesting duo and their intense fusion of rap, piano pop, rock and electronica. Today they are one of my favorite bands. And after seeing them live, my love has grown even stronger. It was absolutely amazing, and even though we weren't that many people, the crowd was awesome as well. The band really interacted with us, and made us feel involved. It was amazing to sing along with the band and the crowd to my favorite songs and just jump like crazy hand in hand with my best friend. Can't even describe the feeling, it was way too surreal!
Even though they might not be your "typical music taste", you really should give these two guys a chance. Their music and lyrics are amazing and really relatable for a lot of us. Here is a live clip with them performing 'Fake You Out'. If you have a minute over, you really should take some time to read some of their lyrics as well. You won't regret it!

Two things I'm a really big fan of are Ed Sheeran, and everything made by Tolkien. That includes both The Lord of The Rings as well as The Hobbit. Ed is an amazing singer and songwriter; I love as good as everything he does. And well, Tolkien and all of his work are just pure perfection. I'm also a big fan of the film adaptation of The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings (though I'm still a liiiittle bit disappointed of The Hobbit), and what could possibly be better than a combination of that and Ed Sheeran? Apparently the result of that is "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran, and I love it.



Are you, just like me, a big fan of The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings? And are you looking forward to the premier of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug? 

I'm really sorry for the lack of updates (how many times have I said that by now?), but there is a lot of things going on right now, and no matter how much I want, I really can't prioritize the blog over school.  I have so many things I want to blog about but has to wait until things have calmed down a little.
But I don't know if I wrote about it here on the blog, but earlier this year I went to audition for a special music course, and in my case singing. They've chosen only 10 people to be a part of this course, and fortunately I'm one of them! I'm really happy and excited because of this. It doesn't only help me to improve my singing, but also gives me several opportunities to be a part of the schools (that is holding the course) concerts and projects. The "ordinary" sudents who are studying at this school is really talented and skilled, I'm only a newbie compared to them. They are of course older than me, but still. I'm looking forward to meet and play along with them. :) Yesterday I went together with my dad to the first meeting considering this course and next week we will start for real. Dokidoki.

Speaking of music, I've been thinking about for a long time if I should start posting covers of songs. It's something I really want to do, and I think about it several times a week, but I never really do it. Would that be interesting for you to see/read/listen to/whatever-you-call-it? I actually want to start using my youtube channel and maybe posting covers would be a good thing to show there?

And I'm really curious about what you want to see here on the blog as well. Like, what kind of entries you want me to blog about? I have a few ideas myself, but since you're the ones who are reading, I want to hear your opinions as well. So please tell me anything you have in mind! I'd really appreciate it. :)
Oh, by the way! This isn't really relevant, but we watched DIV's video for "Taste of Life" on our natural science lesson the other day haha. Mission complete. ;)

Lazy outfit today! There is no school for me until monday, so today was a watching-dramas-and-eating-things-day + short meeting at school, and tomorrow I'll spend some time with Amanda. We'll try to get tickets for One Direction's new movie "This is us", and it looks like we're going to see it on the premiere here in Sweden haha! Step by step I've started to become a fan of One Direction's music (thanks to Amanda tehehe), but I still don't know anything about them. Seriously, I barely know their names (except Harry, because it's like Harry Potter), but I don't really care. Their music is still good and they seem like nice guys. But I feel like I should at least memorize their names if I don't want all the fangirls at the premiere to kill me with one look. You never know, right?

And one thing I'm very excited for when it comes to the movie is that you can see on the trailer that they are in Japan! It looks like they are in some kind of cosplay-maid café or something. We'll see, but I think the whole movie will be awesome.
Here is the trailer for the movie if you haven't already seen it.



Are you a fan of One Direction? If yes, do you have a favorite song you could share with me? :)

So today some really awesome things have been announced.
The first one is that Takeru, best known as the singer of the band SuG and model for magazines such as KERA and more, will be starting his own solo project! It's titled 浮気者 (Uwakimono), which means 'cheater' in japanese. A mini album with the name I狂U (read as I Kyō You) will be released on 11/20, and Uwakimono's first one-man will be held at Yoyogi Daini Taiikukan on December 29th.
Not much more things concerning Uwakimono have been released yet, but the magazine SHOXX will in their next issue cover the project. I'm really looking forward to this project, and I'm so happy for Takeru since this is happening as well as his clothing brand recently had a "rebirth". It's going well for him right now!



The next thing is something that haven't really been announced, but it's sure getting a lot of attention right now. As many of you, who are into japanese music, might know SuG is on hiatus right now, but apparently the band has a new homepage (sug-web.jp) and their new look is on their profiles on twitter as well as on their new homepage. I got a feeling that a comeback is on it's way, and since SuG is one of my favourite bands, I couldn't be happier right now!

Here is my favourite song with SuG to celebrate their and Takeru's upcoming plans. :)

So yesterday I went to a concert in Saitama with my friend Lina, and this was the lineup:

Royz / BORN / Lycaon / Crazy★shampoo / Jin-Machine / LANDZ, and opening was Glam Grammar.

Wow. I am not exaggerating when I'm saying that is was magical. The lineup was perfect, and every band did an awesome performance. Glam Grammar started it whole perfectly, and even though I'm not much for Royz, they ended it very well. Crazy★shampoo is one of the most charismatic bands I've ever seen, and they performed quite early if I remember it correctly. Jin-Machine is the funniest and weirdest band ever and LANDZ was really awesome. Same with BORN and Glam Grammar (which by the way only managed to pronounce "Glam" before it sounded more like "Gramsdfhkd").

But if you ask me, Lycaon definitely did the best performance. They did a whole show with everything from a whip to luminous hair, and the crowd went all crazy, in an awesome way. They took this jumping-sideways-thing (knowing names on things is overestimated) to a whole new level, and I had to hold hands with Lina and the cute girl on my left side to not fall. But everyone had so much fun, and you could the happy smiles on everyones faces. And even during the running-towards-the-scene-and-into-each-other-thing, afterwards everyone calmly went back to their places and continued like nothing happened (until the next one started haha).

After my experiences up to now, I really prefer concerts in Japan over those in Sweden and Europe in general, at least when it comes to Visual Kei. I went to Takadanobaba the other day as well, which I'll dedicate an an entry to later. Here is a few pictures from after the concert. :)

I guess most of you, who is into Japan just like me, probably already have heard Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's song Ninjari Bang Bang. But maybe you haven't heard this version, performed on the traditional Japanese instrument Koto.


Koto is the national instrument of Japan, and it has a really beautiful sound. I really like this version of the song, and the performer is really skillful! I always enjoy listening to covers of my favorite songs, and especially different versions and interpretations. :)

Have you ever thought about all the talented persons who posts covers, for example on YouTube, but still don't get the attention they deserve? And still there is plenty of well known musicians who only use auto tune and still gets all the attention in the world. Some people should really deserve people's attention more than others, am I right?

So, today I found a new band which I really like a lot, Black Klaxon! They were formed in May 2012, so they are a quite new band. They are from Nagoya, and I think it's really fun with a new band outside the Tokyo area. Even though their base is in Nagoya, they already have a lot of upcoming concerts in both Tokyo and Osaka. They announced a new maxi-single, a tour, and two One Mans in their hometown of Nagoya and Tokyo on their very first One Man, so it really seem to go well for them! I think the future looks really bright for this band, I hope to see more from them.
Here is some material they've released so far!


Vocal: Rey
Guitar: Yukky
Guitar: K.O.H
Bass: Kouya
Drums: Masahide



I really like their sound! If they will perform in Tokyo when I'm in Japan, I'll definitely try to go and see them! :)

New musicvideo from no one else but Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, with the song Invander Invander!  I have to say that this song is for sure one of my favorites with Kyary, but I'm a little (just a little) disappointed with the video. Don't take me wrong, I love it. But if you compare it with the video for Tsukema Tsukeru or Candy Candy, it's just not in the same class. But instead, the dance in the video is for sure perfection. Same with their outfits! But this is just my personal opinions. :)



What do you think about the video for Invander, Invander? Are you a big fan of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu?

New PV from Mejibray! The song is called "messiah", and overall, I like it. I usually don't listen very much to Mejibray, but they have some really good PVs and songs that I like. This song isn't really my favorite with them, but the PV really lifts it up. I like their look (but the drummer Meto is somehow a little bit creepy..), but I don't really get why Tsuzuku (the vocalist) is smearing color on his face haha. But I think the PV is well made and I also think Mejibray has a lot of potential to become even bigger in the visual kei genre. :)

PS, Tsuzukus lips are perfection. Just saying.

New music from G-Dragon! This song is called Go and is, as usual, another masterpiece from G-Dragon. And this is probably one of the most creative and funny music videos from him if you ask me. I love how he always switches hairstyles, and his videos is always so well made! I'm not very into k-pop (korean pop), but G-Dragon is an exception. His music is always so unique and doesn't sound like anything other. Sometimes, I think k-pop songs can sound a little bit too similar for me to like it. But G-Dragon is definitely something better and unique than anything else within the genre! :)

I'm really happy since I never win anything haha, and right now this was the best thing I could ever win (except maybe a free apartment in Tokyo hehe..). I'll bring my friend Mello with me, who also saw them last year, and I'm looking forward to May now! ^^


Plunklock is one of my favorite bands since the first time I saw them live. They are the reason that I started to love visual kei, and they are really kind and talented guys. You should really check them out and don't miss a chance to see them live. You won't be disappointed!

Oh, finally! They've released a preview for their new song and PV called Shiroi Akuma, which will be released 27/3. I personally love this. This snow theme fits them very well, and the clothes are amazing! And of course, Rookie Fiddler's elf ears are just too lovely.
I really like this band. Their music and themself are unique and doesn't sound like any other band I know. They are really nice and talkative with their fans as well, which I always appreciate. I hate when bands act annoying or disrespectful against their fans, and just because they happen to be quite well known. No, I prefer like bands like Ace! :)

Today (or for me it's tomorrow, but it's already the 25th in Japan) is Rookies birthday! For you who don't know, he plays in the visual kei band called A (ace). Usually he plays violin, but he also do some piano and sing parts as well. For you who have followed me for a while might know that I went to an anime convention this summer, and there I saw A (ace) live for the first time! They were really great, and I hope to see them perform again sometime.

Starting in March, the band Alice Nine will be releasing a single for 3 consecutive months. The first single will drop in stores on March 20th, and it will be titled Daybreak. The single will be available in nothing less but seven different types: Limited Edition, SHOU Version, HIROTO Version, TORA Version, SAGA Version, NAO Version, and Regular Edition. Every type will have two songs  in common, and then a third which varies depending on the type. Except the Limited Edition, which won't have a third song, but a DVD instead. Every "third song" are from a live concert.

What do you think about this? I think it'sa fun and different idea, and I hope they will sell a lot of CDs. I actually want to buy one myself, but it's a little hard to decide which now, haha. ^^

MusicJAPANplus

[News Flash] AND to Disband After Shibuya O-EAST Performance!
2013-01-20AND
On April 20th 2013, AND will be performing at Shibuya O-EAST and with this concert, the band will officially cease all further activities. After numerous discussions between members and staff, it has been decided that it will be the last performance of the band after five years and eight months.
As a last act, AND will perform three concerts in Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo to say their farewell to their bands. While there is only little time left, we hope everyone will support AND until the very end.

AND "FOREVER MISSION"

Date: 2013/04/03 (Wed)Venue: Osaka MUSEOPEN 18:30 / START 19:00

Date: 2013/04/04 (Thu)Nagoya ell.FITS ALLOPEN 18:30 / START 19:00

Date: 2013/04/20 (Sat)Venue: Shibuya O-EASTOPEN 18:45 / START 19:30

I don't have any words. This was the first thing I read when I woke up this morning. What a terrible start of the day. Recently, I've been writing a lot about And, and you have probably understood by now that they as a band mean a lot to me. I could never have imagined that this would happen... I'm really upset, and it's a shame that I won't be able to see them live. But I wish that you'll be able to follow the members with their further activites outside And, and that you'll hear from them even after this band. But even though And won't be active anymore, they will continue to have a special place in my heart. ♥

The next one; UniTE with Aivie! I know this is nowadays a pretty well-known band, but I didn't listen very much to them until very recently. I think that some of their songs might sound a bit too similar, but I really like this one. It has a cozy sound. ^^




Born - Sakura. I just love this song, and the band as well. Particular this song means a lot to me and symbolizes a lot of good things that is going on in my life right now. I get happy everytime I hear it. :)




I suppose you've heard about SuG, right? ;) This is also one of the very well-known bands, and they have a very good reason why. They are both very talented and have a good and uniqe kind of sound! This song, Misora, is one of my favourite songs with SuG, and it's because it's so beautiful. I think its sound differs from their other songs, and the way Takeru sings it is very beautiful. You don't hear him sing like that very often, now you can hear more clearly that he is a very skillful singer. 

I think that was it! It was very hard to pick out just five of my temporary favourite songs. I do listen to many more bands as well, but this five songs are for sure some of those I never get tired of.
Please tell me about your favourite music! I doesn't have to be visual kei, just something you enjoy listening to. I'd like to hear about them. :)

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, pretty as always. She never stops to amaze me with her style, she certainly is one of a kind. It's really amazing if you're able to stand out even in Harajuku, the center of all crazy, beautiful and wierd street styles from Japan, and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu really do. She is a big inspiration for me, and for a lot of other people too.

You have probably heard about Kyary's world tour? I'm really glad for her sake, I'm sure it must be really big for her, and I hope that she will not over work herself and that she will be able to rest a lot. It's already been a tough period for Kyary. It's not an easy thing to be an artist and fashion icon like her. But anyway, here is the schedule for the world tour!


-Fixed: (In the world except Japan)
Belgium : 9 February at "Vk* concerts" Brussels
France : 10 February at "La Cigale" Paris
UK : 13 February at "O2 Academy" London
Hong Kong : 17 March at "Music Zone@E-Max" Kowloon Bay
U.S.A. : 12 April at "Club Nokia LA Live" Los Angeles
U.S.A. : 14 April at "Best Buy Theater" New York

-Unfixed: (The place)
South Korea : 9 March
Taiwan : 15 March

-Unfixed : (The date and the place)
Thailand
Singapore
Australia


Credit to this site for the schedule.