SACRA MUSIC―a music label under Sony Music Labels―held a music event entitled SACRA MUSIC FES.2019 -NEW GENERATION- at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Saturday May 18 and Sunday May 19. This non-stop live show housed a 360° stage in the centre of the venue on which artists signed to the label dazzled a total of 12,000 fans across the weekend.

This was the first live event of its kind by SACRA MUSIC. The show’s subtitle “New Generation” refers to artists both signed to the label and the new generation of artists leading the music scene into the future. The line-up feature a diverse array of talent and genres spanning voice actors to rock bands, idols, virtual YouTubers and more.

The line-up for both days included ASCA, Ayano Mashiro, =LOVE, Luna Kaguya, GARNiDELiA, ClariS, Soma Saito, SawanoHiroyuki[nZk], Sangatsu no Phantasia, Spira Spica, TrySail, halca, PENGUIN RESEARCH, and ReoNa. A live band of skilled musicians dubbed the “SACRA BAND” also took to the stage to aid in performing various hits songs and anime songs. Virtual YouTuber Luna Kaguya performed as an opener, and EGOIST also made a surprise performance on screen, fusing the 2D world with the 3D world.

Several special collaborations also took place throughout the festival where artists banded together to perform covers as well as perform each others’ songs. This included ClariS x TrySail, Mikiha (Spira Spica) x halca, Soma Saito x Yoji Ikuta & Shota Horie (PENGUIN RESEARCH), GARNiDELiA x Ayano Mashiro, and ASCA x ReoNa.

At the end of the first night, Eir Aoi appeared as a secret guest to perform three songs including her first single Ryuusei. At the end of the second night, LiSA was the secret guest, who performed several songs including her latest number Gurenge. The two also came together to sing each of their respective hits IGNITE and Rising Hope.

A teaser video was also shown for two new SACRA MUSIC projects titled BATON=RELAY and Tenka Soul. The concerts are only set to continue growing bigger and better.

GARNiDELiA is a Japanese pop rock duo made up of singer MARiA and composer toku. Since forming in 2010, they have come to build a huge online presence collecting well over 100 million music video views.

 

The pair are currently in the midst of their 2019 “Kyoki Ranbu” Asia tour. In their home country of Japan they are well known for their back catalogue of hit anime songs, but did you know they are boast immense popularity in China too? They in fact hold the No. 1 spot on both the country’s music streaming service QQ Music and video sharing website Bilibili. This came about after they uploaded their dance video for Gokuraku Jodo which features dancing from GARNiDELiA’s own MARiA and two others, Miume and 217. This was the first dance video in what has come to be a series of ongoing videos. The video, which was originally posted YouTube, was reposted onto Bilibili by Chinese fans which kindled a blaze of excitement surrounding GARNiDELiA. Since 2014, the duo’s overseas activity has continued to grow. We spoke to both of them about how after their solo show in China they went on to enjoy a surge of popularity in the country, from collaborations with popular mobile games and online animations to being invited to countless events.

Text:Fukuryu（Music concierge）

Translator: Joshua Kitosi-Isanga

アジアツアー 中国 上海公演が終わりましたっ！！！
二階席までびっしり😭本当に嬉しい。今日は皆にめっちゃ助けてもらったなぁ。一緒に歌ってくれて嬉しかったぁぁあ！上海のみんな最棒了✨
本当にありがとうございました、、、✨💓 pic.twitter.com/tdVVREd6k5

— ʚメイリアɞアジアツアー中 (@MARiA_GRND) April 6, 2019

 

――GARNiDELiA’s popularity in China is something amazing, isn’t it?

 

MARiA: We never imagined it would become as it has done. The online world is amazing. You never know that there could be a chance on there somewhere. It began with our video being reposted online, something we didn’t know about, and word about us spread.

 

――Things online spread both like word-of-mouth on the street and like media news.

 

MARiA: That’s true. We uploaded Gokuraku Jodo on YouTube. For us, we saw it as having uploaded it quite a long time ago, but on Bilibili in China it’s at its peak popularity right now. So it felt strange. Not a lot of information about Chinese culture comes into Japan, does it? Even when we had a show scheduled [in China], we felt anxious the entire time wondering how many people would turn up. ‘There’s no way we can do something like a solo show, is there?’ We think thought like that. But when we got there was packed. My impression of going there for the first time was, ‘Wow, this is amazing!’

 

 

上海謝謝🙏
#garnidelia# #stellacage# #stellacageasiatour# #shanghai# 場所: Bandai Namco Shanghai Base 万代南梦宫上海文化中心 https://t.co/AnJ6mpnaFu

— toku✡GARNiDELiA (@toku_grnd) April 6, 2019

 

――When was your first solo concert in China?

 

MARiA: May 2017, but we were on edge whether we’d made fans. After that we were invited to events in China for what felt like, and we came to realise that we might actually be popular! That’s why we were allowed to headline the Bilibili event despite being Japanese. It began to sink in after that, so we wrote the song Tougen Renka which is a nod to China. Our YouTube views also began to rapidly grow as did the comments not just from China but from various countries. It strengthened our want to spread around the world.

 

 

――You were active overseas even before you had the chance to do all of these things in China, weren’t you?

 

MARiA: Yes, in the anime culture side of things.

 

――Even though your entryway was anime, your popularity grew from the phenomenon surrounding your dance video series.

 

MARiA: That’s right. Up until Gokuraku Jodo became a hit in China, we were strongly associated with anime. As well as that, we were also give the chance to go to lots of different events overseas. We thought, if we’re being invited to this many events outside of Japan, we must be spreading Japanese culture as Japanese people, and so we wrote the Japanese-style song Gokuraku Jodo. We had France, Europe and the West in mind when writing it rather than Asia, but it hit the with people mark in China.

 

 

――How did it feel to perform in China?

 

MARiA: Depending on what country we’re in we completely change the set list. If it’s somewhere like America or Europe we go for EDM. Rather than song arrangements like in the dance video series we go for songs that are more like hard club music. If it’s an anime event, we focus on anime songs. But since our Chinese fans came to know about us from our dance video series we mainly focus on those songs. We’ll even perform Gokuraku Jodo twice, it’s the one that got our name out there. They go crazy. It makes me think how much they really like us. I am so thankful.

――Are you popular on Chinese video streaming sites like Bilibili and music subscription services like QQ Music?

 

MARiA: We’ve reached No. 1 on them. We’re so thankful for it. They’re always excited when we release new material.

――Wow, that’s amazing.

 

MARiA: On Bilibili, we’re ranked No. 1 not in the music section but overall. I was really amazed.

 

toku: They’ve even let us headline the Bilibili event two years in a row.

 

――You’ve really made your name known.

 

MARiA: I wonder about that. There are lots of people on the internet and a lot of material coming out every day. I’m thinking many things about what to do next while being conscious about how difficult it is to stand out from the rest. Thanks to Gokuraku Jodo, Chinese businesses have taken notice of us. As a result, we’ve had talks with them about doing theme songs for Chinese anime and video games, and the number of people who know about us has increased. We’re so grateful.

 

大好きみうめ217とおおお😭♥️
この二人と一緒にパフォーマンスできるのほんっとに嬉しい幸せなの。2人が一緒で本当によかった。2人に出会えて本当によかった✨今日は沢山助けてもらったよぉ😭ありがとう。明日は北京！がんばろーーーっ✊🏻✊🏻✊🏻🇨🇳 pic.twitter.com/nbXlCBlvrl

— ʚメイリアɞアジアツアー中 (@MARiA_GRND) April 6, 2019

 

――Do you know Chinese?

 

MARiA: About that. I actually studied Chinese once before an interview. It’s a hard language to study. But the fans who come to our shows study Japanese for us. We’re spoiled when it comes to that [Laughs]. I more or less study every day.

 

――The townscape of China seems to be evolving doesn’t it? The speed of their technological development is so fast.

 

MARiA: It’s even more flashy than Japan. Having an LED screen as part of the equipment in a venue is natural to them. Even if you’re watching [us live] on Bilibili they are fanatics when it comes to video editing. Their craft is high level. It feels high tech.

 

 

――So how about making a high tech dance video?

 

MARiA: We’d need to work hard for that to happen.

 

――Getting to take your music overseas is a musician’s blessing isn’t it?

 

toku: It sure is. It was one of my dreams, but I never expected it to happen. Fortunately because of that I want ring our songs through different countries.

 

 

―― So this tour is taking you to Hong Kong, Shangai, Beijing, Singapore, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Taipei, and then Japan?

 

MARiA: Yeah. It’s our first time in Singapore. This tour is in support of our album Kyouki Ranbu. What gave us the opportunity to go on tour in Asia in the first place was of course in part due to our songs in collaboration with anime series, but I also believe it’s because of the songs in the dance video series. We want to take the songs in that series and put on a tour where we can dance wildly with everyone just like the name of the album suggests.

 

 

――Your goals as a band will grow in the future, won’t they?

 

MARiA: It feels like a future that we never imagined three years ago is spreading before us right now. Our situation changes every single time we release something, so although I think it can be tough catching up with one of our releases, or our circumstances, I’m happy that there are people waiting for something new from us.

――The comments people write have been amazing, haven’t yet?

 

MARiA: They really have. Another thing is that we need to evolve, not just now, but five years from now too. This year marks five year since our major debut. When we arrive at 10 years I want us to be doing an Asia tour and performing overseas. And at bigger venues. I want our music to reach lots of countries. If we want that to happen we have to be thinking every day.

 

――You’ll need the language acquisition.

 

MARiA: We will. I also want to increase the number of places where people can remember our faces, not just in videos. We have just reached 1 million followers on Weibo [Chinese Twitter]. We were at around 300,000 only just a little while ago. The number increasing like that it’s a common occurrence. I couldn’t keep up. I was like, ‘Whoa, hold on.’ The speed was crazy.

 

――Do you use Chinese on there too?

 

MARiA: I try my best to write in Chinese, but I end up mixing it with Japanese.

 

toku: When that happens our fans translate it for us. We’re thankful for that.

 

MARiA: For sure. Our fans even translate it into Japanese. But we shouldn’t take advantage of or depend on it.

 

――You released your new single REBEL FLAG in Japan on March 13. It’s a hard, fast-paced number.

 

toku: There was a request from the anime producers for a rock sound. It’s quite us, like it’s come full circle to where we started. It’s also a compilation of 5 years of being together.

 

MARiA: This song is the ending theme for the TV anime series Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka. We read the script thoroughly and wrote the song about the protagonist Asuka’s feelings while looking back out how we’ve continued to fight through things ourselves. We’ve had a battle with categorising ourselves. We’ve always thought that we don’t want to fix into a single box when it comes to genres. Like, you can’t pinpoint our individuality. Everyone who has come to know about us has done so differently. There are people who know us from anime or online and probably even fashion. The song is filled with our determination and readiness, like we’re saying we’ve got a lot left to give.

――If you were to send a message to your Chinese listeners going on your tour what would you say?

 

MARiA: Everyone in China has widened our possibilities. They have given us so many chances, and I am grateful for that. Our activity there is split about half and half with Japan, so it feels like a second home country. That’s how much everyone in China means to me, I love them. I’m happy we get to perform at so many places on this tour. I want to go and meet with everyone lots this year too, not just on tour but at upcoming events and elsewhere too . I look forward to seeing you all.

toku: People in China are really perceptible to new things. They have great strength to acquire the things they really like and want. If our music fits into that, then I would love for more people to hear us. Thank you so much for everything as always.

――Your Asia tour will continue in Singapore on April 13, Chongqing on May 11, Shenzhen on May 25, Taipei on June 1, and finally Omiya Sonic City in Japan on August 3.

 

MARiA: We will also perform at our label’s event “SACRA MUSIC FES.2019 -NEW GENERATION-” at Makuhari Messe on May 18. Speaking of which, our overseas fans actually come to see us in Japan too. It’s easier to buy our CD’s in Japan. And when we do things like signings at release events lots of people from their countries too. CD’s are a kind of merchandise. And our songs can also be streamed overseas. If you’re Japanese or living abroad, please look forward to GARNiDELiA touring, our merchandise and performances at events.

Since their debut, GARNiDELiA have spun a string theme songs for popular anime series including ambiguous for Kill la Kill and Désir for Fate/Apocrypha. Most recently they released their 10th single REBEL FLAG on March 13 which is used as the ending theme song for Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka.

 

The pop rock duo finally embarked on their long-awaited tour solo entitled stellacage Asia Tour 2019 “Kyoki Ranbu”. It began at Mynavi Blitz Akasaka in Tokyo on March 21.

The 13-date tour is being used to promote their compilation album Kyoki Ranbu which is a collection of songs from their popular online dance video series such as Gokuraku Jodo which has over 45 million views on YouTube.

During the Akasaka show the duo announced that the tour finale will take place at SONIC CITY in Omiya, Saitama on August 3. Pre-sale tickets are now on sale over on the band’s fan club “galaxia” until March 31 at 23:59 (JST).

 

 

photo by Kiseki Michiko

GARNiDELiA are set to release their new single REBEL FLAG on March 13 which is being used as the ending theme for the ongoing anime series Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka which began airing in January this year. The single is coupled with another track, PASSION, which has been announced to be used as the main theme for the mobile game Miko Note.

Miko Note follows the everyday lives of shrine maidens living under the same roof. It features 3D drawings created by Japanese illustrator Shirabi. The game is set to be released in Japan sometime this year.

 

GARNiDELiA will promote their new single with a series of release events in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Aichi and Osaka.

 

The pop rock duo will embark on their biggest Asia tour to date stellacage Asia Tour 2019 “Kyoki Ranbu” starting in March.

GARNiDELiA have revealed they will release their 10th single REBEL FLAG on March 13, 2019. The song is used as the ending theme for the ongoing anime series Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka which began airing this month.

The CD cover features vocalist MARiA holding up her ‘rebel flag’ with the band’s name written on there. Release events for the single have also been announced and will take place in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Aichi and Osaka.

The duo will embark on their biggest Asia tour to date stellacage Asia Tour 2019 “Kyoki Ranbu” from March. Further details for the tour are to be announced in the near future.

It was revealed in December that GARNiDELiA’s new song would be used as the ending theme for the ongoing anime series Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka which began airing this month.

The song, entitled REBEL FLAG, has now been released digitally along with a music video.

 

“REBEL FLAG” YouTube Edit Version

The duo will embark on their biggest Asia tour to date starting in March. Be sure to check out their new song and music video if you’re heading to one of their shows.

As we make headway into the new year, information on Japanese artists performing outside of Japan continues to roll out. This first article covers Japanese artists set to perform concerts overseas in the first half of 2019.

・Perfume

The global popularity of multi-platinum electro J-pop group Perfume is clear for all to see, with their latest album Future Pop released back in August charting in at No.1 in 20 countries across the world. And now, international fans in the US and Asia will be excited to hear that the trio are set to hit a city near them in March and April this year.

 

Full Details: https://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/138536

 

 

・SID

SID announced at their 15th anniversary tour Ichiban Suki na Basho 2018 that they are set to perform four dates in Asia.

 

Full Details: https://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/144270

 

 

 

・Kenshi Yonezu

Kenshi Yonezu took the charts by storm in 2018 breaking many records with a string of singles. While riding this wave of success, it has been announced that Yonezu will embark on his first ever arena tour which begins today on January 19. Two dates in Shanghai and Taipei have been added to the tour.

 

Full Details: https://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/158468

 

 

・Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra celebrate their 30th anniversary this year, and what better way to kick off it off than performing at Lollapalooza Chilie in March. Before they do however they will first perform at PA’L NORTE 2019, a 2-day music and art festival in Monterrey, Mexico. They are part of a line-up consisting of big names such as Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon and Santana.

 

Full Details: https://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/146658

 

 

・Taichi Mukai

Taichi Mukai is in the midst of his 2018-2019 “Pure Tour” to promote his newest album PURE. The artist is gaining much attention not just in Japan but across Asia too. Mukai is set to perform in Asia for the first time beginning on March 22.

 

Full Details: https://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/155274

 

 

・HYDE

HYDE started his solo music career up again last year and has various planned for 2019. He performed at L’Arc-en-Ciel’s 2018 Christmas live show “L’ArChristmas” and will embark on an Asia tour in March.

 

 

・GARNiDELiA

GARNiDELiA released Kyoki Ranbu on September 26 this year, an album compiling every song from their internationally acclaimed online dance series including their hit song Gokuraku Jodo. The pop rock duo have announced that they will embark on their biggest Asia tour to date including shows in Hong Kong and Singapore.

 

Full Details: https://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/150236

 

 

・Wednesday Campanella

Wednesday Campanella is no stranger to performing solo concerts and at festivals outside Japan. The next place to be graced by KOM_I’s incredible performance is Barcelona for the Primavera Sound music festival.

 

Full Details: https://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/150817

 

 

 

To all lovers of J-pop, J-rock and any kind of Japanese artist or band living outside Japan – if an artist is coming to a place near you, show your support and don’t miss the opportunity to see them live.

 

Writer: Heir

GARNiDELiA released Kyoki Ranbu on September 26 this year, an album compiling every song from their hugely popular online dance series including their hit song Gokuraku Jodo. They also announced their biggest Asia tour last week which will begin in March next year.

 

It has been revealed that the pop rock duo will perform the ending theme song for the TV anime series Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka which is set to begin airing on January 11, 2019 on MBS, TBS, CBC, and BS-TBS.

The manga series is written by Makoto Fukami and illustrated by Seigo Tokiya and follows five magical girls who are sent to war as Magical Girl Special-Ops to defeat undead creatures that have resurfaced after three years of peace.

 

The anime will be directed by Hideyo Yamamoto (Code:Realize -Guardian of Rebirth-) who is praised for his ability to bring action to life and portray character emotions. It will be produced by LIDEN FILMS (The Heroic Legend of Arslan, Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor). The manga’s author Makoto Fukami is also involved with the anime adaptation along with Norimitsu Kaihō (SCHOOL-LIVE!), so fans can expect a faithful recreation.

Early bird tickets for GARNiDELiA’s 2019 Asia tour are now available via their fan club. The duo will also hold their 5th anniversary event at Sanrio Puroland on March 10, 2019. More performance dates are to be announced so be sure to keep up to date.

GARNiDELiA released Kyoki Ranbu on September 26 this year, an album compiling every song from their internationally acclaimed online dance series including their hit song Gokuraku Jodo.

 

The pop rock duo have announced that they will embark on their biggest Asia tour to date from March next year and also hold an event to celebrate 5 years since their major debut.

The tour is titled stellacage Asia Tour 2019 “Kyoki Ranbu” and will take them across Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan. Additional dates are scheduled to be added, but for now the current schedule can be found below. Additionally, early bird tickets are now available in Japan over at their fan club.

 

It is an annual tradition for GARNiDELiA to hold a fan club-only event to celebrate each of their anniversaries. Their 5th anniversary will be held at Sanrio Puroland on March 10, 2019 for an event titled GARNiDELiA Major Debut 5th Anniversary Party in Sanrio Puroland ~Hoshi no Matataki~. They will perform twice on the day.

Japanese music artists Luna Haruna, GARNiDELiA and Mashiro Ayano performed in Mexico City on October 13 for Anime Music Live 2018, a music concert celebrating music from popular anime series.

 

The concert took place at Auditorio BlackBerry in the capital which was packed with a crowd of around 2,000. It was planned by Japanese music label SACRA MUSIC which established itself in April 2017 and whose reach aims to extend overseas. The three artists who performed are all signed to all signed to SACRA MUSIC.

The night began with a special collaboration between GARNiDELiA vocalist MARiA, Luna Haruna and Mashiro Ayano who heated up the crowd with a cover of ClariS’ Connect (2011).

The show then moved onto Mashiro’s solo performance who played five songs including her hit tracks ideal white and Lotus Pain.

Next up was Luna Haruna who is set to release her first greatest hits album LUNA JOULE this November. The singer performed six songs including her debut track Sora wa Takaku Kaze wa Utau and her hit number Kimiiro Signal.

 

Last of the solo performances was GARNiDELiA. Vocalist MARiA was backed by fierce dancers as she performed a total of 6 songs including ambiguous and SPEED STAR.

After the three artists had completed their sets the crowd believed that was it for the program – but the words “COLLABORATION” appeared on the stage screen with Luna Haruna and Mashiro Ayano stepping on stage once more to perform Overfly.

The collaborations didn’t end there however, as it was Luna and MARiA’s turn to team up, performing a cover of Eir Aoi’s INNOCENCE. MARiA and Mashiro then performed a cover of The Everlasting Guilty Crown by EGOIST.

Finally the three artists came together to perform oath sign by LiSA which launched the crowd into the stratosphere.

This was the first event of its kind by SACRA MUSIC to take place in Mexico and it was a roaring success.

GARNiDELiA will release Kyoki Ranbu on September 26, 2018, an album compiling every song from their internationally acclaimed online dance series including their hit song Gokuraku Jodo.

 

In the run up to the album’s release, GARNiDELiA released the eighth entry to the hugely popular choreography video series on their official YouTube channel. Titled avra K’Davarah, the song is also available for digital download.

The new song was first performed in Shanghai on July 22 at BILIBILI MARCO LINK 2018, an event organised by Chinese video streaming website Bilibili. Fans’ jaws dropped at the reveal of the brand new song, causing the room to burst in a roar of excitement in an instant.

 

GARNiDELiA’s dance series has garnered popularity not only in Japan but overseas too where people have been waiting in anticipation for new content. Fans will be happy with this brand new video being dropped.

The duo will perform at BILIBILI MARCO LINK 2018 again in October 6 in Beijing. There are eight videos in the series so far, but the album will contain a total of 10 tracks. We can’t wait to see videos 9 and 10.

 

GARNiDELiA performed a live stream concert on messenger app LINE on June 29 where they announced a new album and an additional date to their nationwide tour.

The title of the new album is Kyouki Ranbu and it will be released on September 26. The record is filled exclusively with tracks from their popular dance video series online, with hits such as Gokuraku Jodo which has over 33 million views on YouTube. It will includes all 7 tracks available so far, as well as an additional 3 they have planned to release also with dance videos.

The video series is managed by toku, the other half of GARNiDELiA who’s responsible for the music. The video features the duo’s own vocalist and dancer MARiA as well as Miume and 217, two other dancers popular not just in Japan but overseas too.

 

Speaking about the album, MARiA said, “This compilation album is a collection of all of our dance series songs! There some new ones in there too, so look forward to it! We’ll be making more new stuff this year and will continue dancing!”

 

A new date have also been added to their upcoming Japan tour stellacage Live House Toue 2018 “glow”. It will be on September 29 at Zepp Diver City in Tokyo. Early-bird tickets are now on sale for members of the group’s mobile fan club galaxia.

 

Also, they are taking pre-orders for their new album at every venue on the tour. Those who pre-order at the concerts will have the opportunity to hi-five GARNiDELiA.

MARiA will also take part in Tokyo Kabuki Girls by Tokyo Girls Collection. She will perform as a courtesan and will perform a special version of Gokuraku Jodo.