8 J-pop Songs from THE FIRST TAKE YouTube
Because of COVID-19, almost every music concerts have been canceled in Japan, which definitely affected the way people enjoy entertainment. However, it’s also set a new trend in the music industry. We can enjoy the singers’ performances at home through online. And one of the trendiest J-pop YouTube channels is “THE FIRST TAKE”.
What Is THE FIRST TAKE?
YouTube channel “THE FIRST TAKE” was launched in 2019 and has slowly gained popularity. It has posted more than a hundred videos and got hundreds of millions of views so far. As the name says, this channel shows trendy J-pop singers’ videos, singing in a single take without editing or reshooting. To give a unique live performance style, “THE FIRST TAKE” tells the singers one short description.
A microphone and a white studio.
And 1 rule.
You’ve got 1 TAKE.
Perform anything you like.
Show us everything you’ve got for that 1 moment.
by THE FIRST TAKE
All the videos were shot like a mixture of music recording and live performance, giving a piece of live but high-quality music with that concept. All the singers showing up on this channel are relatively new, who have just become popular. Its target audience seems young people between teenagers to early 30s. Under the COVID-19 situation, they also started “THE HOME TAKE”, in which the singer shoots their performance at their home, but with a similar style to the original “THE FIRST TAKE”.
Here are the recommended 8 videos.
YOASOBI – Racing Into The Night (Yoru ni Kakeru)
YOASOBI is a music duo by Vocaloid producer Ayase and vocalist Ikura. “Yoru ni Kakeru” is their first music video uploaded on YouTube in December 2019 and got over a billion views. It also ranked the annual top of the Billboard Japan Hot 100. Definitely, this is one of the most popular J-pop songs in 2020.
Queen Bee – Fire
Queen Bee is a four-piece band, and its vocalist Abu-chan sings their most famous song “Fire” in this video. As you can see, their style & fashion are quite unique, and it catches the viewers’ eye. Their nationality, sex, age, all the information haven’t been publicly announced yet. Their mysterious characters fascinate the audiences.
okazakitaiiku – YES, Eclair
1:20 – YES
4:29 – Eclair
Okazakitaiiku is a musician and songwriter with having somewhat comic style. He sings two songs, “YES” and “Eclair”. Personally, I hesitate to say “YES” is a song, and you will get to know the reason why once you watch it. Having said that, I really like the way he entertains the audience, and the second song “Eclair” is beautifully performed. His voice and its melody remind us of the old-time and makes us nostalgic.
Kana Adachi – Hitoriyogari (ひとりよがり)
Kana Adachi debut in 2014 after winning a Grand Prix award of LINE×SONY MUSIC audition. She has tons of followers on social media such as Instagram and TikTok and gets tremendous support from mostly young ladies. She has a surprisingly powerful voice, which you wouldn’t expect from her cute face. The song title “Hitoriyogari (ひとりよがり)” means “self-satisfaction”.
Def Tech – My Way
Def Tech is a reggae unit by a Japanese Micro and a Hawaiian Shen. In this list, it is a little old song. Their most famous song “My Way” got hit in 2005. They call their music genre “Jawaian Reggae”, which is a coined word of “Japanese” and “Hawaiian”.
SKY-HI × Tanaka – Nanisama feat. Boku no Lyric no Bōyomi
SKY-HI, singing on the left, is a member of the J-pop group “AAA”, and he is also a rapper famous for his fast rap. Tanaka is a solo musician, formerly performed under the name of “Boku no Lyric no Bōyomi” when he was a high school student. In 2020, he announced that he would be a baked sweet potato vendor and his fans sometimes call him “The baked sweet potato vendor with the sweetest voice”. Their lively performance is an exact embodiment of “THE FIRST TAKE”. The song title “Nanisama” means “Who do you think you are?”.
LiSA – Gurenge (紅蓮華)
If you are a big fan of Japanese Anime, you must already know this. The best hit anime song in 2020 from “Demon Slayer”. This is the most successful anime series in Japan; its film got more than 30 billion yen at the box office. The singer LiSa appeared in various media such as TV, Radio, magazine and became widely known.
milet – inside you
milet started her career in 2018 and released “inside you” produced by Toru from ONE OK ROCK, one of the most famous Japanese rock bands these days. She has a low and husky but beautiful voice.
Check original versions on YouTube
The songs performed on “THE FIRST TAKE” YouTube channel are arranged versions. If you get interested in some of the above, you can check the original versions and their other songs as well. And “THE FIRST TAKE” also uploaded some of the most liked songs on various music apps. So, if you want to listen to them on your music app, you may also check here.