SENANAN is returning to the US and bringing Miyako (HINAGAKU. and ex. BURST GIRL and Guso Drop) and Rinchama (Sentimental Shishunki and ex. BURST GIRL and Guso Drop) along with her. The three will be appearing at Oni-con XIX in Galveston, Texas, November 11th through the 13th. SENANAN will be representing Tokyo street fashion brands KRYclothing and XRN. Rinchama and Miyako will be working as models for XRN and also performing a mini-live, reuniting as performers for the first time since departing BURST GIRL. Continue reading
Friends of Homicidols
We Interview (Internet) Idols: Kyunchi♡
If you’re cool and have amazing taste, you might have caught wind that our new best friend Kyunchi♡ dropped a track with Nonamera today. If you’re a little behind, Kyunchi♡ is Thee genderless pop icon from cyberspace, smashing together global pop culture and spitting out high glamour songs for high stakes times.
Previously, we featured their track “Mecha Angel Genesis♡” in our article about the influence of jpop on hyperpop – idol fans are no stranger to the crossover of genres, but this was more than a crossover, an American artist so proudly working with Syva from Codomomental was a shock! And why stop when you have something good? “WORLDWIDE☆GIRL feat. Nonamera” served as a great opportunity to sit down with Kyunchi♡ in the digital realm and really talk about the method to the 200BPM madness.
Invisible Connections: Hyperpop, Jpop and a New Single From Kyunchi!
We love cultural mixing, and not just the KAQRIYOTERROR album! Fans of Japanese music are no stranger to how different musical worlds can collide, that being the reason this blog is even here at all, and today we bring you this: “Mecha Angel Genesis♡” by Kyunchi, produced by Syva from Codomomental!
N.FENI Has Your Song of the Summer Right Here!
A Friend of Homicidols™ is a friend indeed, a wise person once said. N.FENI may no longer be identifying as the charming human named Yoneko, (or even Kanra) and may no longer subscribe to the occasionally limiting genre classification of “idol”, but they’re absolute royalty in our eyes, and we want to do anything for them.
The belief is simple really: If you emerged from one of the most seminal chika units of all time, and you continue a music career that’s going to create music this outstanding, then yeah, we’re right there with you!
And “FUNNY TATOO SEAL” is really outstanding…
Hayasaka Nanse Has Some Harsh Words For the PTA!
You totally know Hayasaka Nanse even if you don’t recognize her name right away. She was a member of the legendary (at least around these parts) Shoujo Kakka no International, i.e. one of the most groundbreaking and seminal chika idol units of all time! Yeah sure, they never got “famous” but they certainly made an impression that still resonates with the idol underground. At the time, Nanse went by the stage name “Fukumaru Mochi”, and shortly after that group disbanded, she became known as DJ OMOCHI when she joined up with, yep, you got it, the beloved rap-idol unit RHYMEBERRY! See, I knew you knew her!
When RHYMEBERRY came to an end, Hayasaka Nanse didn’t join any new groups, but she didn’t fade away either. She maintained her social media presence and streamed live fairly frequently, stating her current role as a vlogger personality and voice actress. (Two frequent post-idol career paths.) And while I don’t fully expect her to entirely brand herself as an idol again per se, it’s very pleasing to see she still records new music on occasion, and now has even graced us with an MV that fits appropriately within the Homicidols canon. Are you stoked yet? Well, you oughta be! Let’s check it out!
Zoomgals Are A Conference Call Of Energizing Awesomeness
If you haven’t seen/heard this yet, I envy you because this is so urgent and exciting that the first time is the best time. (But don’t worry, it’ll still hold up the 323rd listen, trust me, I know.) Just be warned though that if you’re viewing this on your phone, the fire just might burn your hands, so be careful…
With that in mind, turn your volume up as loud as it can go and hit the play button on “GALS” by hip-hop supergroup Zoomgals, joined by special (awesome) guest Yayoi Daimon with an unlikely but welcome cameo of Japan’s esteemed academic sociologist Shinji Miyadai!!!
Her Knuckle Packs Quite a Punch
It’s not often we cover something other than idols here because unsurprisingly, this is an idol blog! Kind of a no brainer. But occasionally there is something that has that driving special something behind it – so without further ado let’s get to know Her knuckle, from Hanako, formerly “that girl Muropanako from BiS”!
Vietnam’s Idol Sensation POLARIS is Truly Truly Contagious!
International idols seem to be making some waves lately! Over in France they’ve got WACK tribute artists ORiYON, and from Italy, (via China I believe) there’s ERISU who’ve gotten some well-deserved buzz going on. It’s enough to get one wondering what else is going on in new idol territory out side of Japan. From the little bits and pieces I’ve picked up online, I do know that there are now pockets of active idols throughout Asia, the Southeast in particular, but these groups are mostly still too niche to really break out just yet. But here’s one group you may want to watch out for, it’s Vietnam’s idol sensation, POLARIS★!
最近 レベルアップしたいのでバブリーダンスを練習しました。非常に振り付けが多くて、動きが早くてとても難しかった
未完成ですが頑張りました。#バブリーダンス#Dancinghero #eatyouup#ポラリス pic.twitter.com/1e57E16APc— POLARIS★ポラリス【公式】 (@Polaris_idolVN) October 29, 2020
They’ve actually been around since 2016, but the group is entirely new to me. As a matter of fact, the MV I came across that brought them to my attention came out in early May, so while we’re a bit late for the party, at least we showed up before it was over! And appropriately enough, it’s a Covid 19 themed song. It makes sense though… if a stupid virus is going to come along and wreck everything, then at least try to have a little cheeky fun in some way with it. So let’s check out this catchy gem of a tune, “Corona Ahahahahaha”!!!!!!
CHILDISH TONES and Beni Remind Us To “God Bless The Girls”…
CHILDISH TONES, the toy-instrument garage-rock band led by Naoki Nemoto seem to have really struck gold ever since they started recording songs with Beni Usakura. They’ve released four highly-prized singles so far, all of which sold-out of their initial vinyl pressings almost immediately upon release, and it seems only natural that it’s time for them to level-up to the long-play format.
So with that, their newest release is a package of twelve twee-pop nuggets, including both the previous singles and and some new stuff as well! “God Bless The Girls” is the title of this collection, and it just dropped last week!
https://twitter.com/usakura_beni/status/1321274882462674945?
Here’s a short trailer with a handful of song snippets from the previous singles to check out…
Bandcamp Friday Is a Perfect Day To Support Some Idols!
While the big streaming services are certainly conveinent and useful, (And surprisingly packed with idol music.) they are, at their core, in league with Satan. And not Satan in a cool metal kind of way, but Satan as in soulless and greedy corporate ogres. You know who’s not in league with Satan though? Bandcamp!
I’ve mentioned it a few times before, but I believe Bandcamp is the very best thing that’s happened to music distribution in the 21st century. I love it and surf it addictively, searching for neat stuff and often striking gold. And the other reason I love is because it’s a terrific company with ethical practices and noble motives. As you may know by now, in light of Covid’s destructive impact on the ability of musicians and music providers to earn a living, the website began “Bandcamp Fridays”, where on the first Friday of every month, the revenue earned on that day goes entirely to the artist. I’ve been trying to keep this when in mind when purchasing from the website, and since today is the first Friday of October, here’s a few idol and idol-adjacent offerings I felt compelled to share with you…
Okinawa Electric Girl Saya has been uploading the majority of her prolific catalog of experimental releases onto Bandcamp, and there’s a couple that especially stand out for me: Continue reading
