Aina The End - Kakumei Dōchū / On the Way

An unexpected song in "Music for the Next Generation" today, as it is truly music FROM the next generation.

I love this picture.

When I started "Music for the Next Generation" the idea was to share "my" music with younger people, namely my students, who might stop by to sneak a peek here from time to time, as well as any other young adults who are interested.

However, something quite noticeable has happened lately, and I want to tell you about it.
Let me explain.

Despite having listened to a lot of music for decades and having lived in Japan for more than 14 years, I must admit that contemporary Japanese music tends to leave me unimpressed. J-Pop is ubiquitous, and, let's be honest, it's not the most interesting music out there. (Sorry, fans, but... I mean... Well, you know...)

However, lately, I feel that I'm not the only one who thinks the genre has run its course in its current form. These past few months, I've come across various Japanese musical artists who are original, creative, and even talented.

Among them is Aina The End. She started her career in a band called Bish, which I hadn't really heard of before trying to learn more about her. While they were a "girl band," they marketed themselves as an anti-girl band. Some of their music is definitely J-Pop, but they didn't embody the typical J-Pop girl band image. They even ventured into punk music.

The band split in 2023, and some former members started solo careers. Among them is Aina the End (all members had weird nicknames), who I think was definitely the most talented member of the band.

This woman can really sing. She even writes some of her own songs. She clearly knows a variety of musical styles. Although she is largely a J-Pop singer, her solo music also leans more toward rock and jazz.

I'd be lying if I said I'd been a fan for a long time; I only heard about her a few months ago. Am I even a "fan"? I'm not sure. I haven't listened to all her songs, and I've already stumbled upon some that I'm not too fond of.

However, her current single, Kakumei Dōchū, anglicized as On the Way, but literally meaning "on the way to revolution," is really good, in my opinion. It's everywhere in mainstream media right now.

So, let's listen to it, shall we? You may hear more from her here in the future.

While researching this post, I stumbled upon an interesting YouTube channel called "The First Take." On this channel, mostly Japanese singers perform in near-live conditions, i.e., one take, no autotune or other similar silliness. In other words, the artists invited to the channel can actually sing. Hopefully, it will help me find more decent Japanese music in the future. I've already found some, which may be featured here soon.