Obukuro Nariaki is a young singer-songwriter/producer whose voice made Utada Hikaru fall in love with him and who made a guest appearance on her latest album, "Fantôme" ("Tomodachi with Obukuro Nariaki").

He originally ran the label/production company "TOKYO RECORDINGS," and has worked behind the scenes, producing songs for Wednesday Campanella and iri, as well as co-writing the theme song with Yojiro Noda (RADWIMPS) for the film "Narratage," starring Jun Matsumoto and Kasumi Arimura. He will now release his first solo album, "Summer of Secession," produced entirely by Hikaru Utada in April. This album will mark his major label debut with Sony Music Labels EPIC Records Japan. His premium live performance took place at the Spotify Japan offices on February 5th.

This event, titled "Obukuro Nariaki Spotify LIVE," featured the pre-release track "Lonely One" from the album. The event celebrated "feat. Utada Hikaru," becoming the first new male solo artist in Japan to debut at number one on the Spotify Viral Ranking (*) weekly rankings (Japan) on January 25th. The event was attended by media representatives and 10 lucky audience members selected by lottery. Due to the overwhelming number of applicants, the event was also live-streamed on Spotify Japan's various social media platforms. A little after the scheduled time, Obukuro Nariaki and his two backing musicians appeared on stage surrounded by imposing equipment. The air instantly became tense as the teaser video for Obukuro Nariaki's first album, "Summer of Secession," which had already been posted online, was screened. The video, which seemed to question why he decided to make a solo album and what "art" is, immersed us in the world of the work he was creating and the live performance that was about to begin.

He performed seven songs, including his collaboration with Utada Hikaru, "Lonely One feat. Utada Hikaru," without any MCs. In a later interview, he said, "A live performance is an act of reinterpreting my own work." Even in front of the audience, his relentless introspection and self-reflection evoked a sense of almost terrifying intensity.

Of course, attention will be drawn to his incredible vocal talent, which inspired Utada Hikaru to "help bring this person's voice to the world," as well as his musicality, which connects with cutting-edge international music. But these are likely merely embellishments. The result of his constant self-reflection, the resulting songs truly deserve to be called "art." And they deeply moved the hearts of the audience.

Although still only 26 years old, Obukuro Nariaki is a rare talent who has already made a name for himself in the music industry and even been recognized by Hikaru Utada for his talent. Bookings are already pouring in for his first solo concert, scheduled for May. He's garnering significant attention from music listeners, with appearances at the "HOPE!" event at Osaka's BIG CAT, Saitama's largest rock festival ever, "VIVA LA ROCK 2018," and Nagano's outdoor festival, "TAICOCLUB'18." However, despite this, he maintains his commitment as an artist, stating, "I separate 'creating artwork' from 'delivering/selling artwork.'" We look forward to seeing what kind of impact he will have on the Japanese music scene in the future.



(*) The Viral Ranking is a chart created by Spotify of the most popular songs currently being shared and played on social media.