The wildly popular track OTONABLUE by ATARASHII GAKKO! won the top prize for the first half of 2023 in the TikTok Trend Awards.

Although the track was initially released years ago, OTONABLUE became popular this year after its curious neck-swing dance became a popular subject on TikTok. As of June 21, 2023, the total number of videos using the song on the short video app exceeds 3.1 billion. The award recognizes the track’s incredible impact on TikTok, considering the total amount of likes and views on related videos. The neck-swing dance has become a major trend with young people both on the app and outside of it.

The group performed OTONABLUE live at the awards ceremony, wowing the crowd with their rendition of the iconic choreography. The award was bestowed by Ichiro Yamaguchi of Sakanaction, a TikTok ambassador and presenter at the ceremony.

New-generation music producer and track maker yonkey released his new song Tobu, Saihate. (feat. Kana Adachi) on May 28. The song serves as the main theme for the anime Artiswitch.

yonkey is a producer who has worked with countless music artists from a diverse range of genres and generations, such as Tempalay, TENDRE, AAAMYYY, Ace Hashimoto who has performed with Mac Miller and Thundercat, Japanese rapper sanari, and more. He has also produced for ATARASHII GAKKO! when they made their international debut from 88rising, has been involved in a remix project for the anime series Lupin III, has written songs for Kai Kubota and sorane, and much more. His production work spans far and wide across the industry, both in Japan and overseas.

Tobu, Saihate. (feat. Kana Adachi) comes as the first song from yonkey in almost a year. The track serves as the main theme for an original animation by Sunrise and ASOBISYSTEM called Artiswitch, the first episode of which is now available to watch on the anime’s official YouTube page. The track features Kana Adachi on guest vocals, a singer-songwriter with over 1.3 million followers across her social media pages. It features yonkey’s trademark edgy electronic sound with majestic strings to weave a dramatic ballad. Kazuma Ikeda, who is directing Artiswitch, also directed the music video for the song.

yonkey | Comment

“I could not contain my surprise when I was first asked to write this song, since it’s my first time doing a main theme for an anime. The melody incorporates themes of facing [challenges], pain, and fighting. It’s a great match for Adachi’s emotional and beautiful vocals. The track itself moved me deeply. I’d love for people to enjoy it alongside the Artiswitch story, [the first episode of which] was released at the same time as the song!”

Kana Adachi | Comment

“This was my first time working with yonkey. I was really taken aback when I was invited to sing on this song, but I was excited more than anything. When I received the demo and listened to it, it felt like a different world compared to what I usually sing to, so I was able to take on the song with a fresh perspective. I sang each and every phrase with equal value. Please enjoy it together with the Artiswitch anime [which started] on the 28th!”

yonkey is a 22-year-old music producer known for his edgy hip-hop electric fusion. Known as the front man in his band Klang Ruler, his YouTube videos are followed by a large number of enthusiastic fans consisting largely of teens and young people in their early 20s. Some of his videos got over 50,000 views in just two months. 

yonkey’s second single, which has already been released,  features vocalist Ace Hashimoto (Brandun DeShay) who is famous for being in Odd Future alongside Tyler, the Creator and is also an avid Japan fan. Through the power of music, the two musicians crossed the international border, joining forces for an epic collaboration. yonkey from Tokyo composed the music and created the track, while Chicago’s Ace Hashimoto wrote and sung the lyrics, layering it with a number of melodies and brushing up on the instrumental arrangement. 

The cleverly weaved lyrics are entirely in English and reflect Ace Hashimoto’s edgy style. The flowing rhythm bounces with pop vibes. Mixing it with yonkey’s refined track, the dope duo churned up their new song Haunter (feat. Ace Hashimoto). 

A statement by yonkey

It was a pleasure to have Ace Hashimoto jump in on my second ever track. With Ace’s dope lyrics as the base for the song, I created a track inspired by lofi hip-hop, which is popular worldwide. I’m so proud of what we made so please check it out!

A statement by Ace Hashimoto

It was incredibly fun making Haunter. Usually I write songs while discussing the track in the same room as the artists and producers but this time, yonkey’s manager was there to help with communication and we discussed our ideas over messages. It was a very unique experience for me to create a song with yonkey without directly talking to him. I first discovered yonkey’s songs in Chicago through my manager and my friend Moe Shop. After visiting Japan in 2017, I became eager to work with Japanese musicians. It’s usually difficult to work with Japanese musicians when you don’t live in Japan but that just made this experience all the more special. yonkey is an amazingly talented producer and I’d love to make more tracks with him. It would be incredible if we could perform Haunter in Japan together and get Moe Shop to jump in on it too.

Last year, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s agent company ASOBISYSTEM collaborated with LINE RECORDS; a music label managed by messenger app LINE. The collaboration saw a nationwide audition called ASOBISYSTEM THE AUDITION 2018 that aimed to seek out talented individuals. The winner was announced to be track maker and singer yonkey, who was presented with the LINE RECORDS award which grants his debut as a music artist from LINE RECORDS along with the privilege to release music digitally from LINE MUSIC. For yonkey’s debut, he teamed up with electronic musician AAAMYYY to released his first single with a featured guest vocalist. The song is called Downer Love (feat.AAAMYYY).

As an exceptional track maker, yonkey worked with AAAMYYY from lo-fi psychedelic pop band Tempalay to create a sensational song. yonkey fused his traditional songwriting style with cutting-edge electronic vibes and edgy hiphop. yonkey was in charge of overlooking all areas of the making of the single from the writing of the lyrics and music to the editing. 

Downer Love is a song about a broken heart. While the song has a dark side to it, AAAMYY’s relaxing vocals are like a beautiful streak of pure light. yonkey’s unique vocal track layering is definitely worthy of note.

yonkey Downer Love (feat. AAAMYYY) Official Lyric Video

A statement by Yonkey:

I am so happy to have teamed up with AAAMYYY to now be releasing my first ever song as yonkey. I made this song about heartbreak because it really suits AAAMYYY’s beautiful vocals. The song has a tight beat and the chorus builds up beautifully. I arranged it to give the song a beautiful reverberating echo. 

A statement by AAAMYYY:

yonkey’s producing skills really shine through the track. The track is smoothly arranged down to the finest detail. From the breathing to the nuances hidden in the lyrics, yonkey has pushed himself to deliver a wonderful song that is full of positive vibes. One by one, yonkey is delivering his wonderful and interesting songs to the world, so please don’t take your eyes off him for a second!