The NFT project City Pop TOKYO is inspired, fittingly, by City Pop, a music genre from Japan that is immensely popular worldwide, particularly among Gen Z. Now, the project is collaborating with the incredibly popular idol group FRUITS ZIPPER!

Starting at the end of April, Legendary NFTs inspired by the members of FRUITS ZIPPER will be released sequentially as part of the City Pop TOKYO NFT collection. These collaborative NFTs feature rare designs that are unique among the other characters in the City Pop TOKYO NFT collection and were drawn by Natsumi Sato, the illustrator who oversaw character design for the collection.

This collaboration will commemorate the release of City Pop TOKYO’s main collection, which will be available starting at the end of April. City Pop TOKYO will allow both NFT holders and non-holders to participate in new character development through a series of Twitter posts after the main NFT collection is sold. Characters will level up by earning training points when they post on Twitter, which will also be reflected in their NFT properties. The final ranking will be based on level, and a subsequent audition will be held, with winners being invited to join ASOBISYSTEM as new talents.

For this collaboration, the wildly popular FRUITS ZIPPER is sure to bring some new excitement to this incredible project.

On February 3, popular music duo GARNiDELiA held a live YouTube broadcast to announce the release of GARNiDELiA COVER COLLECTION on March 22, 2023.

Vocalist MARiA and composer TOKU have been dabbling in cover tracks for some time. The new album will include GARNiDELiA’s spin on popular songs like Haru yo Koi, Friends, DEPARTURES, Kaikai Kitan, and CITRUS. The new album will include 12 songs, including a mix of newly recorded and previously released tracks.

The Deluxe Edition will also include the Blu-ray recording of the Tokyo performance of GARNiDELiA stellacage 2022 -stella ship- OSAKA and TOKYO held in 2022. Fans won’t want to miss out on this incredible concert!

In addition, both the Deluxe Edition and Standard Edition will include tickets to enter to win a spot in an upcoming special event. More details will be announced soon, so check the official website!

GARNiDELiA has also announced a world tour in 2023! GARNiDELiA stellacage 2023 -stella ship- Re:CoNNeCT will commence in May 2023 and more details are expected to be revealed in a YouTube Live on February 17.

Vocalist MARiA and composer TOKU make up the popular duo GARNiDELiA. At the two’s epic finale for 2022, ‘GARNiDELiA stellacage 2022 -stella ship- OSAKA and TOKYO’ at EX Theater Roppongi, the duo announced a world tour coming in 2023.

The world tour, titled ‘GARNiDELiA stellacage 2023 -stella ship- Re:CoNNeCT,’ will take place in over 20 cities around the world from May to September 2023, including Shanghai,  Beijing, Chongqing, Chengdu, Shenzhen, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, and a number of cities in Japan. A new visual was revealed alongside the announcement. 

The duo will also release a Cover Collection series album in the spring of 2023. GARNiDELiA has covered a number of popular J-pop tracks in the past, releasing them on YouTube and streaming services. Fans in the audience were instantly excited by the announcement of the long-awaited album. 

More details about the world tour and upcoming album will be announced in January 2023.

MARiA’s Comment on World Tour

“It’s been four years since our Asia tour. 

Finally…finally…I’ll be able to see all of you.*

It’s been a long road, but we survived. We persevered. We’ll show you our real strength. And to those of you who have been waiting and supporting us over the past four years, we’ll be back to sing for you soon and show our love. I’m excited about this tour, which will be filled with miraculous moments where we’ll finally be able to share our feelings and make up for lost time.”

toku‘s Comment on World Tour

“Although we performed overseas plenty of times following our debut, the last few years have kept us from doing so for the first time. We’re so excited to announce this long-awaited opportunity. We can’t wait to perform for our fans in Japan and abroad so we can make up for so much lost time.”

MARiA’s Comment on Cover Album

“The GARNiDELiA cover series began two years ago as a way to fill the void created by our tour being canceled. We had a lot of fun while working on it, aiming to pay homage to so many great songs and bringing our own unique twist and color to each of them. I think this was made possible by our diversity. We really played around with the sound for this album, and we’d be so happy if you could listen and enjoy!”

toku‘s Comment on Cover Album

“Everyone has heard so many hit songs during their life. We’ve been lucky to have so much inspiration and to be able to play and have fun with this music. I wonder what kind of chemical changes the two of us can make with these songs. At the start of production, I felt like I was really facing each song with a pure heart, encountering a different form of music than I had in the past, partly as a reaction to our tour being canceled. As singers and artists, we’d be so happy if you’d listen to our interpretation of these classic tracks.”

*Maria uses the word for ‘love’ instead of ‘meet.’ Both are pronounced the same way.

Vocalist MARiA and composer TOKU make up the popular duo GARNiDELiA, and the two will release their new single Souten on December 8, 2022. The track will be used as the theme song for the Nintendo Switch game Soukai Tenki and was written exclusively for the game itself. For those wondering, Soukai Tenki will be released on the same day. The song has already been performed several times at GARNiDELiA’s live shows and has become a popular song among fans.

The jacket art featuring characters from the game was also released.

The full track was unveiled on FM NACK5’s ‘FAV FOUR’ during MARiA’s regular segment on November 28.

hether you are a fan of the game or not, you won’t want to miss checking out this gorgeous new song!

（C）滄海天記プロジェクト

The NFT marketplace HINATA will start selling collaborative pieces on November 25, combining classical drafts of Kyoto printed silk images with modern art pieces by up-and-coming creators.

Kyoto Printed Silk Draft x Modern Ukiyo-e Artist Ono Tako

Draft (Left) and Spring Dreamland – Sunshine by Ono Tako

Ono Tako is a modern-day ukiyo-e artist who creates unique paintings combining Eastern and Western elements.

A beautiful woman stands in front of lush spring scenery in this gorgeous piece.

Although this is clearly an ukiyo-e piece, it has a more modern flare, expressing a more universal standard of beauty while also infusing traditional elements.

A total of six works will be available in two variations: the soft and warm Sun and the calm and tranquil Shade. 

Ono Tako: https://twitter.com/ono800

Kyoto Printed Silk Draft x Illustrator Omulettomato

Draft (Left) and Full Moon by Omulettomato

Omulettomato is an illustrator who is rapidly gaining popularity for their feminine portraits.

Three different drafts depicting beautiful Japanese nature have been combined and transformed into a modern lady with moe elements.

A total of eight works will be available in three variations: Daybreak, Sunrise, and Full Moon.

Omulettomato: http://omutoma.tumblr.com

Enjoy this curious collaboration and own a piece of classical and modern Japanese culture.

Headquartered in Los Angeles and Tokyo, 1SEC operates the web3 creative studio 1BLOCK. For a limited time, the shoe brand atmos and the wildly popular manga series Space Brothers, which has sold over 28 million copies, will collaborate with the 3D NFT project MetaSamurai and the AIR SMOKE ZERO (NFT) virtual sneakers.

MetaSamurai will incorporate the sensibility and style of atmos sneakers with the beloved characters from Space Brothers. The collaborative AIR SMOKE ZERO sneakers show off the iconic elephant pattern from atmos along with the moon, the main setting for the Space Brothers story.

Don’t miss out on this unique and one-of-a-kind NFT!

©小山宙哉／講談社

The famed Japanese musician and producer Tetsuya Komuro and MARiA from GARNiDELiA have released a collaboration track and music video. Trust On Me -Theme of E.T.E- was released on October 16, 2022.

The track serves as the theme song for the new mobile game E.T.E. Chronicle, launched by bilibili on October 14. The game’s music was written, composed, and arranged entirely by Tetsuya Komuro. MARiA from the music duo GARNiDELiA provided vocals for the theme, known for her work on a number of anime and game properties. 

The music is reminiscent of TM NETWORK’s TIME TO COUNT DOWN released 32 years ago, starting with an incredible piano solo and a sense of speed and urgency. Featuring lyrics about trust and faith, the song is a perfect fit for the game.

The music video features full 3D game footage interspersed with footage of MARiA and Tetsuya Komuro in the recording studio.

“I asked MARiA to provide the vocals because I knew that she could embody the game’s message,” Komuro said. “The most important thing was expressing a sense of speed and femininity.”

“I’m so happy and honored to have been chosen to take part in this wonderful and timeless collaboration,” MARiA said. “I hope this song pulls everyone into the world of E.T.E. Chronicle.” 

©bilibili

A three-day exhibition of XR NFT art created by Japanese artists was recently held at Shibuya PARCO from October 15 until October 17. A hands-on booth was set up on the first floor of Shibuya PARCO’s Nakashibu-dori where visitors could freely view the world on display and take a hands-on tour. The exhibition marked the triumphant return to Japan of the city-linked XR NFT art exhibition originally held by Psychic VR Lab at NFT NYC, the world’s largest NFT event held from June 20 to June 23. Seven Japanese artists decorated New York Times Square during the event, and the recent event in Shibuya featured works by three of these artists. 

On October 15, Psychic VR Lab opened Shibuya Scramble Layer, an XR-ization of the famous Tokyo landmark, using its real metaverse platform STYLY. PARCO provided support for this initiative, which aims to open the metaverse to the city and enhance the experience value of Tokyo itself. Together, the two will work together to create new attractions for visitors to the capital to enjoy.

Art collective teamLab will exhibit its first NFT work, Matter is Void – Water, at teamLab Planets TOKYO DMM in Toyosu, Tokyo starting November 1, 2022. This is the collective’s first NFT work to be released through Pace Gallery’s NFT platform Pace Verso, and those interested can purchase one starting October 19 at 11:00 EST. Outside of Japan, the work will be exhibited for the first time in Paris at Paris+ par Art Basel, the world’s largest contemporary art fair, and on a giant billboard in Times Square in New York City. At teamLab Planets in Tokyo, the exhibit will be housed in an incredible immersive space. 

The Matter is Void NFT project includes seven NFT works. One of these, titled Matter is Void – Water, will be on display at teamLab Planets.

“Although only one of the seven NFTs will be for sale, anyone can download and own the overall work itself, whether or not they own the NFT. In other words, the uniqueness of the work is not conferred by the NFT, and nothing can distinguish the downloaded work.  Regardless of whether a person owns the NFT or not, it is all still authentic.

teamLab’s work is titled Matter is Void. However, owners of the NFT can change this title, and this change will be reflected in all works downloaded and owned by people around the world. Even the text on exhibition at teamLab Planets will be rewritten!

The value of the work change depending on the text added by NFT owners. If the words are valuable, more people will want to own it–if the words are nonsense or without value, no one will want it on display. This will keep people from writing something offensive or useless. Everyone will want to write something that will make the value increase. It’s all decided by the owners!

Also, even if the NFT owner reverts back to “Matter is Void” after rewriting it in other words, the words “Matter is Void” will be written with different wording.

Once the NFT is altered, it will never go back to the way it was. That makes this a more novel and exciting experience!”

Musical duo GARNiDELiA has released the music video for Genai Yugi, the opening theme song for the anime series My Master Has No Tail. 

The new song features a playful electro sound that has become GARNiDELiA’s trademark, and the track’s lyrics are perfect for the anime series. The music video shows MARiA as a temptress and toku as a detective, and viewers will be pulled into the pair’s bewitching performance. MARiA’s vogue dancing is also worth a watch! “We’ve transformed our feelings about art into a grown-up love game! Be sure to check out the tail dance,” MARiA said in a comment. “The melody blends royal pops and a hint of bewitching playfulness. We hope you’ll enjoy the beat and the speed of the Latin trumpet,” toku said. 

Genai Yugi – GARNiDELiA (Music Video)

On October 19, GARNiDELiA will release Oukaranman, the latest song in their dance series. The duo has been taking on different dance challenges for some time, with videos pulling in over 200 million times. The most popular is Gokuraku Jodo with over 85 million views.

The digital NFT idol project ‘Project B-idol’ has announced its first collaboration with an artist! As the first release, the song Lumière is now available as an NFT. Produced by INIMI, a team of musical artists attracting worldwide attention, the catchy number was released on September 1, 2022.

A number of unique tracks made by both well-known artists and newcomers to music are available on the NFT Marketplace ‘PlayMining NFT Premier.’ Each member of Azure Melodies sang this new track, and those who purchase the song will be permitted to vote on how the group progresses.

Don’t miss out on this musical NFT, available in limited quantities on PlayMining NFT Premier!

Music duo GARNiDELiA will hold its annual Halloween party on October 21, 2022 at Toyosu PIT. The lineup now includes a number of popular acts, including luz, Syounen T, and Shoose. Titled ‘GARNiDELiA Presents HALLOWEEN MiRACLE WONDER PARTY 2022,’ the live performance will invite participating artists to dress up in costumes for one festive autumn night.

Previously, luz appeared on MARiA’s 2nd solo album Moments, performing with the singer on the track Cafe Latte no Uta feat. luz. This will be the first time the pair performs the song live, so expectations are high.

Along with the singers performing at the event, Miume and 217 will participate as dancers for the fourth time. The two previously announced that they would retire from dancing this year. Together with MARiA, the two created the globally popular video series Odocchatte Mita (I Tried Dancing), which has drawn in over 200 million views on YouTube, along with Gokuraku Jodo with 85 million views.

MARiA gave a comment regarding the exciting announcement.

“It’s that time of year again, and it’s time to spend time with GARNiDELiA! Some entertaining and unique friends are coming to play this year, and as we all know, one of the most fun parts of Halloween is dressing up! What costumes will our friends choose? On October 21, come party with us! We’ll be waiting!”

toku also gave his thoughts. “It’s our fourth annual Halloween event. As hosts, we can’t wait to see the artists taking the stage this year. We’ll be waiting for you with collaborations you can only see on October 21! Come out, get dressed up, and have some fun!”

Presale lottery tickets went on sale on August 22 at 19:00 at each artist’s fan club, so be sure to enter if you’d like to party at this incredible event!