In this music column series, we ask Leila Okuhama, a music and film personality active as an MC at festivals and music programs around the world, about artists to watch this month.
With the proliferation of streaming services, we now live in an age where we can keep up with music trends both domestically and internationally in real time. Which artists are currently trending on Spotify's top charts (most played songs) and viral charts (songs currently trending on social media)? With Valentine's Day approaching and feelings of romance running high this winter, we asked her for her recommendations for the latest songs that will touch your heart.
Songs about love are created in the same way in every country and era, and it's a theme that resonates with many people. In the West, songs often express social and political sorrow, or use spiritual themes like loneliness as a motif, but love songs are also a constant presence. From happy love to heartbreak, love songs of all kinds can easily find their way into your heart before you know it. This time, we'll introduce some of the latest hits that will accompany your romantic feelings, perfect for listening to during this cold season.
First up is "Someone You Loved" by Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi, who made his first solo, one-night-only tour of Japan a huge success in January. This song became the UK's best-selling single of 2019.
It was also nominated for Best Song at the 62nd Grammy Awards in the US. It has become such a globally known classic that host Alicia Keys even performed a parody of it during the awards ceremony, eliciting excitement from the audience.
The song expresses the sadness of losing a loved one. Lewis himself says he wrote this song about parting with his beloved grandmother, but most of the songs on the album were inspired by breakups, and he acknowledges that listeners will relate this song to feelings of separation and heartbreak. This is my story: the broad interpretations that fit the unique experiences of each listener are testament to its brilliance.
"It felt good knowing you could take away all my pain."
"I guess I'd grown accustomed to being your loved one."
The heartbreaking melody, spoken like a letter by Lewis's strained vocals over beautiful piano melody, has touched hearts around the world.
However, his appeal doesn't end with his singing voice. He also has a fantastic sense of humor, and his Instagram posts often become a hot topic. One recent example was when, during a stay in LA, the hotel toilet clogged, so he bought a plunger and walked through the middle of the Chinese Theater carrying a "toilet turtle," live-streaming the process on his Stories to unclog it.
One of the reasons he's so loved is the contrast between his personality as a huge hit star (and even though he sings serious songs), and his playful, comedian-like character. His fashion and looks are also, in a sense, "normal" and approachable.
Selena Gomez's "Lose You To Love Me" is a song in which she so frankly expresses her feelings that it feels like it's your own, making your heart ache.
Selena and Justin Bieber were open about their relationship and were often in the news at one time as the world's most famous young couple. They were nicknamed "Jelena" together and had many fans as a couple, but they broke up and got back together repeatedly, and eventually went their separate ways.
In 2018, Justin married model Hailey Baldwin, with whom he had been friends for a long time, and just when it seemed Selena's heartbreak had finally subsided, this song was released. It's a breakup ballad that sings, "I had to lose you to love myself," and the lyrics include, "You found a replacement for me in two months, and you made it look so easy, I almost blamed myself, when I was in the middle of getting over it," a frank message that matches reality, and it also contains the same keyword as the title of Justin's hit album, "Purpose," which has led to rumors that "this song is about Justin."
Afterwards, she appeared on several interview programs and spoke about how she honestly wrote the song about the pain of her breakup, and that she never wanted to be mean to Justin and Hailey, and that she views her breakup in a positive way, saying, "The fact that I was able to turn this experience into a new chapter is a positive and beautiful thing for an artist."
The lyrics include a repeated part that goes, "This dance slowly torments me, so I had to hate you in order to love myself." She expresses her honest feelings in the song, expressing her desire to "be true to yourself above all else. The fact that we can find ourselves through the scars of life is something many people can relate to. I want people to know they can become stronger, feel hope, and become better versions of themselves."
The song ends with "We're saying goodbye to us," which is also very touching, and makes you want to hug her and say, "You've done so well."
By putting her pain into words and facing it head-on, the song offers hints for finding yourself and moving forward. It's a heartbreaking yet powerful song.
Meanwhile, "You Should Be Sad" by Halsey, a pop singer-songwriter with a rock sensibility, is a song that seems to directly sing about a breakup just before it happens. The title is even a bit bold, "You Should Be Sad."
She is currently dating actor Evan Peters, and a photo of the two of them kissing was posted to Halsey's Instagram on his birthday, January 20th, which became a hot topic.
So now she's living a life full of love, but just before that she dated rapper G-Eazy for a year. Based on the lyrics, there are rumors that she is singing about her time dating G-Eazy, but she has not made any clear statement about that.
The song starts off conversational, with "There's something I want to talk to you about. I'm not angry, I don't hold any grudges, but I do have some regrets," and continues with, "I'm telling you this because no one else will. I'll get it down on paper and then I'll get started. "And now I can finally move forward," she says, creating a disturbing atmosphere from the very beginning.
Halsey describes her musical image as country music x Nine Inch Nails, and while the guitar arpeggios that play the melody note by note have a melancholic quality, there are also parts where her vocals become more intense, exuding anger.
"You're not even half the person you think you are. Money, drugs, and cars can't fill that gap. I'm so glad I never had a child with you," she says, her harsh words so intense you start to wonder what on earth happened between the two of them.
Even if you've never had a similar experience, hearing someone sing so clearly about the feelings of someone who knows they're not compatible and tries to make an effort to break up, only for the other person to not change, makes you feel better. Even if you haven't had such a terrible experience, you might even be grateful that she spoke on your behalf!
This song shows off a reliable side of Halsey as a new pop icon empowering women.
Break-up songs tend to be big hits during the cold season, but they're not just sad and tragic; they're also songs that help you look forward, and the very existence of these songs can comfort your weak hearts. We hope you'll find a song that's special to you.
With the proliferation of streaming services, we now live in an age where we can keep up with music trends both domestically and internationally in real time. Which artists are currently trending on Spotify's top charts (most played songs) and viral charts (songs currently trending on social media)? With Valentine's Day approaching and feelings of romance running high this winter, we asked her for her recommendations for the latest songs that will touch your heart.
Leila Okuhama's Music Recommendations Vol. 9
__________________________________
Songs about love are created in the same way in every country and era, and it's a theme that resonates with many people. In the West, songs often express social and political sorrow, or use spiritual themes like loneliness as a motif, but love songs are also a constant presence. From happy love to heartbreak, love songs of all kinds can easily find their way into your heart before you know it. This time, we'll introduce some of the latest hits that will accompany your romantic feelings, perfect for listening to during this cold season.
First up is "Someone You Loved" by Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi, who made his first solo, one-night-only tour of Japan a huge success in January. This song became the UK's best-selling single of 2019.
It was also nominated for Best Song at the 62nd Grammy Awards in the US. It has become such a globally known classic that host Alicia Keys even performed a parody of it during the awards ceremony, eliciting excitement from the audience.
The song expresses the sadness of losing a loved one. Lewis himself says he wrote this song about parting with his beloved grandmother, but most of the songs on the album were inspired by breakups, and he acknowledges that listeners will relate this song to feelings of separation and heartbreak. This is my story: the broad interpretations that fit the unique experiences of each listener are testament to its brilliance.
"It felt good knowing you could take away all my pain."
"I guess I'd grown accustomed to being your loved one."
The heartbreaking melody, spoken like a letter by Lewis's strained vocals over beautiful piano melody, has touched hearts around the world.
However, his appeal doesn't end with his singing voice. He also has a fantastic sense of humor, and his Instagram posts often become a hot topic. One recent example was when, during a stay in LA, the hotel toilet clogged, so he bought a plunger and walked through the middle of the Chinese Theater carrying a "toilet turtle," live-streaming the process on his Stories to unclog it.
One of the reasons he's so loved is the contrast between his personality as a huge hit star (and even though he sings serious songs), and his playful, comedian-like character. His fashion and looks are also, in a sense, "normal" and approachable.
View this post on InstagramIT'S VALENTINE'S DAY AND SOMEONE YOU LOVED IS NUMBER 1 IN THE UK ITUNES CHART ❤️❤️ Happy v-day to all u mother fuckers in couples ur probably making sex as we speak and to all the single nerds don't worry I've been single almost every valentine's day of my life and it's not like people think it's had a negative effect on me or who I am as a person in any way ??????? white-space: nowrap;"> A post shared by Lewis Calamari(@lewiscapaldi) -
Selena Gomez's "Lose You To Love Me" is a song in which she so frankly expresses her feelings that it feels like it's your own, making your heart ache.
Selena and Justin Bieber were open about their relationship and were often in the news at one time as the world's most famous young couple. They were nicknamed "Jelena" together and had many fans as a couple, but they broke up and got back together repeatedly, and eventually went their separate ways.
In 2018, Justin married model Hailey Baldwin, with whom he had been friends for a long time, and just when it seemed Selena's heartbreak had finally subsided, this song was released. It's a breakup ballad that sings, "I had to lose you to love myself," and the lyrics include, "You found a replacement for me in two months, and you made it look so easy, I almost blamed myself, when I was in the middle of getting over it," a frank message that matches reality, and it also contains the same keyword as the title of Justin's hit album, "Purpose," which has led to rumors that "this song is about Justin."
Afterwards, she appeared on several interview programs and spoke about how she honestly wrote the song about the pain of her breakup, and that she never wanted to be mean to Justin and Hailey, and that she views her breakup in a positive way, saying, "The fact that I was able to turn this experience into a new chapter is a positive and beautiful thing for an artist."
The lyrics include a repeated part that goes, "This dance slowly torments me, so I had to hate you in order to love myself." She expresses her honest feelings in the song, expressing her desire to "be true to yourself above all else. The fact that we can find ourselves through the scars of life is something many people can relate to. I want people to know they can become stronger, feel hope, and become better versions of themselves."
The song ends with "We're saying goodbye to us," which is also very touching, and makes you want to hug her and say, "You've done so well."
By putting her pain into words and facing it head-on, the song offers hints for finding yourself and moving forward. It's a heartbreaking yet powerful song.
She is currently dating actor Evan Peters, and a photo of the two of them kissing was posted to Halsey's Instagram on his birthday, January 20th, which became a hot topic.
So now she's living a life full of love, but just before that she dated rapper G-Eazy for a year. Based on the lyrics, there are rumors that she is singing about her time dating G-Eazy, but she has not made any clear statement about that.
The song starts off conversational, with "There's something I want to talk to you about. I'm not angry, I don't hold any grudges, but I do have some regrets," and continues with, "I'm telling you this because no one else will. I'll get it down on paper and then I'll get started. "And now I can finally move forward," she says, creating a disturbing atmosphere from the very beginning.
Halsey describes her musical image as country music x Nine Inch Nails, and while the guitar arpeggios that play the melody note by note have a melancholic quality, there are also parts where her vocals become more intense, exuding anger.
"You're not even half the person you think you are. Money, drugs, and cars can't fill that gap. I'm so glad I never had a child with you," she says, her harsh words so intense you start to wonder what on earth happened between the two of them.
Even if you've never had a similar experience, hearing someone sing so clearly about the feelings of someone who knows they're not compatible and tries to make an effort to break up, only for the other person to not change, makes you feel better. Even if you haven't had such a terrible experience, you might even be grateful that she spoke on your behalf!
This song shows off a reliable side of Halsey as a new pop icon empowering women.
View this post on Instagram
Break-up songs tend to be big hits during the cold season, but they're not just sad and tragic; they're also songs that help you look forward, and the very existence of these songs can comfort your weak hearts. We hope you'll find a song that's special to you.
The Viral Chart, which lets you know the songs that are currently the hottest topics on social media around the world, is updated daily! Be sure to check it out.
【Profile】
Okuhama Leila
Music and film personality. Active in film stage greetings and as an MC for music programs. Currently writes for the new releases introduction column in the women's magazine "GINZA." Her hobby is attending music festivals overseas.
【Inquiries】
Spotify
www.spotify.com
Okuhama Leila
Music and film personality. Active in film stage greetings and as an MC for music programs. Currently writes for the new releases introduction column in the women's magazine "GINZA." Her hobby is attending music festivals overseas.
【Inquiries】
Spotify
www.spotify.com
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