Nanase Aikawa – Yume Miru Shoujo ja Irarenai (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)

1. 夢見る少女じゃいられない
2. Miss You
3. 夢見る少女じゃいられない (カラオケ)

Who is Nanase Aikawa? I have never heard of this artist until this single was released and it’s tearing up the charts like wildfire!

Nanase Aikawa is a new music artist who was discovered by popular Being producer and composer Tetsuro Oda (known for his work with TUBE, WANDS, ZARD, DEEN). So, with a well-known musician and producer on her side, suffice to say, it’s a remarkable start for the 20-year-old, who dropped out of high school at the age of 15 to become a rock star and to be discovered by one of Japan’s top producers.

Nanase Aikawa’s “Yume Miru Shoujo ja Irarenai” is a rockin’ track. I love Nanase’s vocals and just love the whole musical arrangement and guitar-work. Oda does a fantastic job with the guitars on this track!

The coupling track “Miss You” is another rock track and although I like the electric guitar playing in this song, I wasn’t digging the synth-part all that much for the track, nor do I like the DJ scratching. But I guess that’s probably because I have listened to “Yume Miru Shoujo ja Irarenai” so much and felt that style of music suited her much more. In some ways, this track kind of has a INXS vibe but while I love INXS, it doesn’t suite Aikawa’s style. The final track is the karaoke track for “Yume Miru Shoujo ja Irarenai”.

Overall, this is a fantastic debut from Nanase Aikawa and before I proclaim her as the “New Rock Artist of the Year”, I want to hear more of her music and it will be interesting to see if she is a one-hit wonder or she can continue a string of hits. If anything, if it’s like “Yume Miru Shoujo ja Irarenai”, I’m sold!

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