NEW EUROPEAN TOUR DATES ADDED LONDON SHOW TO BE RECORDED FOR DEBUT LIVE ALBUM + BRAND NEW GUITARIST JOINS BRIDEAR
In preparation for their up-coming September tour of the UK, the revered Japanese metal band BRIDEAR have just announced the addition of shows in France, Germany and the Netherlands.
As the weekends since July 22nd pass us by, Hyper Japan continues to stand as more than just a memory to us all. The experience allowed us to reunite with friends old and new, and despite the stress that may have come with the bustling venue and the heatwave that pursued us all like the evil sun from Super Mario Bro’s, there has also been some undeniably incredible moments that we shall never forget.
One such memory comes in the form of MION, a singer-songwriter who hails all the way from Aichi, Japan, who currently resides in the UK in order to improver herself as a performer. With a sweet voice and powerful music that transcends the language barrier between us all, MION has been working hard since the beginning of 2022 to make a name for herself in the UK convention scene, and is only growing stronger the more she performs here.
With the memories of her music and personal interactions still fresh in our mind, Beyond Senpai’s Tom and Kelly are ready to reminisce about the heat of the Festival Stage at Hyper Japan Festival 2022, and talk about the impact that MION has had on them both.
Born into a music background in Mie prefecture, Japan, and raised in Aichi, the award winning singer-songwriter, MION, has over 10 years of experience behind her, and a catalogue of songs to entertain fans both old and new. Now based in the UK in order to deepen her knowledge of music, MION is growing even more as a performer as she sets her sights on becoming the bridge between Japan and the UK, with a hope to see artists from both countries to collaborate and perform music together.
With her guitar in hand and a passion for music that could rival the British heatwave of ’22, MION has been taking the UK convention scene by storm since the beginning of the year, and shows no sign of stopping any time soon.
Japanese fashion has been at the forefront of design and reinvention of style for the past few decades. The unique and magical world of Shironuri art, which literally translates as ‘painted in white’, has been making an impact in both the Japanese art and fashion worlds, and more recently to the international scene.
Donning thick white make up that removes all the features of her face, allowing a blank canvas to create on how she chooses, the art model, designer and fashionista known as Minori has completely reinvented the style. With extravagant and precise make-up, she creates a living visual that exists in that moment alone.
Adding a vintage twist to her clothing and inspired by nature, Minori has taken an avant- garde approach to her art. Her own designs of layers upon layers of lace and all things floaty and magical, she has developed a style that has garnered her tens of thousands of fans across the globe.
Hot off the release of their ‘best of’ NEO JAPANESE HEROINE and their signing to Setsuzoku Records, exist†trace guitarist and vocalist Miko joined Beyond Senpai for a chat about the release and future plans of the visual kei band.
A financial office worker during the week, and an Idol at the weekend, Tsukimori Kaede – also known by her nickname, Kaepyon – is a self-produced idol that has been making waves within the overseas idol fandom since her solo debut back in 2020.
From desk work to live streams, Kaepyon works hard to make her dreams come true, and encourages her fans – whom she affectionately calls ‘Kaepyonists’ – to also pursue their own dreams, no matter how old they might be! With a cute voice at her disposal and an ever-growing, loyal fanbase, Kaepyon is ready to welcome you into her sparkling world of colour and happiness.
From the voice of Asmodeus, a character from the popular Otome game series, Obey Me!, comes a brand new single that is set for release on May 16th, 2022!
Japanese metal band BRIDEAR have returned with news of their brand new album, Aegis Of Athena, coming next month, alongside an earth-shaking single. ‘Ray Of Chaos’ soars in on feedback and a crushing riff, before unfolding into a melodic epic with the kind of guitar punch that metal fans will love… all topped off with Kimi’s sweetly sensual vocals.
EXIST TRACE signs with Setsuzoku Records – remastered ‘best of’ collection NEO JAPANESE HEROINE out May 20th
Beginning as a visual-kei band, Exist Trace (stylized as exist†trace) has become a hard rock tour-de-force in the Japanese music scene. With a long history and impressive resume, the female quintet’s original lineup—Jyou (Vo), Miko (Gt / Vo), Omi (Gt), Naoto (Ba), and Mally (Dr)—is still transcending music genres, gender tropes, and expectations. Taking elements from traditional rock, gothic, heavy metal, J-rock, pop, industrial, and more, exist†trace expresses ‘traces of existence’ in their music and is capable of rallying voices and inspiring spirits across every type of border. Over the course of their four full-length albums, eight mini albums, and eight singles, the band has produced many memorable anthems including ‘Dream Rider,’ ‘Existence,’ ‘Vanguard,’ and more.