Random J Pop

Single Review: Ariana Grande - Hate That I Made You Love Me

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Sun, 31 May 2026 02:45:00 +0000

So, Ariana Grande has released the first single from her album Petal and…girl. [Ties imaginary hair into an imaginary ponytail]

Kelela releases a new single “linknb” and she done pissed me off

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Sun, 31 May 2026 02:10:00 +0000

“idea1” is barely out the door and already Kelela has put on a new wig and released a new song and video. So, now here we are with another song with another odd title all in lowercase with no spaces, “linknb”. And sonically “linknb” carries a similar sound to “idea1” in that it features a guitar. So the gay who said that Kelela’s album is probably gonna be shoegayz, they might be on the money.

Hikaru Utada to release re-mastered versions of Exodus and This Is the One on vinyl on 24th June

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Sun, 31 May 2026 01:18:00 +0000

Somebody grab the fireworks and burn it up like a gay parade. Because it’s actually happening y’all. We are getting Exodus and This Is the One on vinyl.

Single Review: Crystal Kay featuring Yoonmirae - Only One

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Sat, 16 May 2026 20:53:00 +0000

It’s been kinda rough for some of us Crystal Kay fans. Because for quite some time it has felt like Crystal’s music releases were not always reflective of her talents and the career she had built over the years. And even in the few instances where we did get something good, it came with no promo or was followed up with foolishness or something which felt like a step back. The best album celebrating Crystal’s 25th anniversary didn’t even feel like the celebration or retrospective that it should have been, because of the omission of certain songs and the humdrum re-recordings. And the damn thing releasing a year after the year of her 25th anniversary was also a mess.

Girl. Fire the whole management and marketing team.

Madonna’s “Bring Your Love” sounds a lot like Inner City’s “Good Life”. And I have something to say about it.

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Fri, 15 May 2026 16:55:00 +0000

Madonna has released the official first single from her album Confessions II. When I first heard it, my immediate thought was ‘This sounds so much like Inner City’s “Good Life”’, which is a song I adore and an absolute house classic. And lo and behold, the writers of “Good Life” are credited as writers on this song — either because of sampling or the obvious likeness. And I bet they’re making good money off of this song from the publishing split.

Single Review: Hikaru Utada - Pappa Paradise

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Thu, 14 May 2026 16:56:00 +0000

When it was announced that Hikaru Utada was releasing a new song as part of some kids’ show, I had no idea what to expect. It could be some “Boku wa Kuma” type shit. It could be some “Hikari” type shit. It could be some “Chiaki” type shit. It could be any-fucking-thing. So, I didn’t even bother trying to guess how the song would sound or having an expectation for it. But even so, I was still surprised by what “Pappa Paradise” turned out to be. Because even if I were to play the guessing and expectation game, I never would have landed on the song being on some 60s throwback, doo-wop, Happy Days type shit.

Call Hikaru Utada a ballet teacher. Because they be keeping bitches on their toes.

Crystal Kay drops her music video for “Only One”. Her first video in a decade with some coin and production value behind it.

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Sun, 10 May 2026 03:53:00 +0000

When Crystal Kay announced her new single and that it would come with a music video, I expected the worst. Because I cannot remember the last time Crystal Kay released a good music video. Maybe “Revolution”? Because she actually managed to have Namie Amuro agree to show up to the set and learn some choreo. That’s how you KNOW Namie actually liked Crystal. Because Namie wasn’t the type of bitch to just pull up for anybody. If I were Crystal, you wouldn’t be able to tell me shit.

HENNYWAY.

Fujii Kaze’s journey-through-Tekken-stages-and-faith music video for his Pre: Prema song “It’s Alright”

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Sun, 10 May 2026 02:17:00 +0000

Fujii Kaze is STILL giving us music videos for songs off of Prema, and I am here for it. The rollout and promo for Prema has felt a little all over the place at times. But there has been no shortage of Kaze content for fans to mull over, which is a good thing.

Dis Cover: Madonna - Confessions II

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Sat, 09 May 2026 21:10:00 +0000

Confessions II, Confessions on a Dance Floor 2, COAD2 — whatever this blasted album is called, it has a cover. Well, it has 3 covers. Each of which are so different in every way, that you’d think they were for different albums. But 2 of the album covers convey something so specific and seem to be aimed at doing 2 very different, but distinct things, which is very cool. So let’s mull ‘em over.

Hikaru Utada is a joyous tax driver in the music video for “Pappa Paradise”. And then I cried.

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Sat, 09 May 2026 20:35:00 +0000

I have to say. I really am digging this staggered release shit that Hikaru Utada is on. The song releases one day. The music video releases on another day. And then a physical release comes later. YES BITCH. Drag the release out.

Perfume’s Nebula Romance tours finally get a physical home release date

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Sat, 09 May 2026 17:02:00 +0000

Fans had been asking and wondering about the Nebula Romance: Episode 1 physical home release for a while. But as time went on, it seemed almost certain that the supporting tours for parts 1 and 2 of Nebula Romance would release together, and that’s exactly what is happening.

U.S. boy band Full Circle Boys release their (fire) single “Bleachers” and I want to know where the other minute and a half of it is

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Sat, 02 May 2026 19:44:00 +0000

So, this boy band put out a new song on Friday, which nearly slipped through the cracks on a day which saw a bunch of high profile releases — many of which Twitter is dragging left and right, as it does. It’s called “Bleachers” and it’s kinda great. Too bad it’s only 1 minute and 39 seconds long. [Sighs]

Flashback Friday: Madonna on BET’s 106 & Park | Selling Hard Candy to the negroes

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Fri, 01 May 2026 22:59:00 +0000

Do you remember the promotional run for Madonna’s Hard Candy album? I sure do. It’s hard to forget Madonna pulling up to BET’s 106 & Park. I sometimes wonder ‘Was that even real?’ because it seems so ridiculous and like some shit out of a fever dream or a Mad TV sketch. But, it was 100% real. Madonna was on Black Entertainment Television’s 106 & Park to promote her album Hard Candy, because somebody at Warner probably told her ‘You need to promote this album to the negroes’.

For those who are too young to remember 106 & Park or didn’t really watch it — it was basically MTV’s TRL for Black people. So 99% of the artists who showed up were Black. And 99% of the artists they played in their chart countdowns were Black. That 1% being Justin Timberlake, *NSync when they released “Girlfriend”, Lady Gaga and Fat Joe. So, Madonna appearing on the show wasn’t a complete anomaly. But it did feel at slight odds with how and where she had done promo and interviews for the past 10 years. And there was a greater distance that Madonna had from Black audiences at this point of her career compared to the aforementioned music acts.

Crystal Kay to release her first new single in over a year — “Only One” featuring Yoonmirae

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 21:28:00 +0000

Crystal Kay is FINALLY releasing a new single. We got 0 singles in 2025. And 2 singles in 2024 — one at the start of the year and one at the very end. And I swear to God, if Universal do not have Crystal put out a new album this year, I’mma…do nothing. But it’s long overdue. It is beyond ridiculous that Crystal Kay’s last studio album of original material was released in 2018.

Girl. Fire the whole management and marketing team.

Madonna circles the block in her leotard, fishnets and Gina pumps for a follow-up to Confessions on a Dance Floor II. And girl... I get it.

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 20:04:00 +0000

So, Madonna has officially announced her new album, Confessions on a Dancefloor 2, COAD2, Confessions II. Pick your preference, because currently the album is going by all 3 titles. But Confessions II is the one on the album covers.

Madonna’s 15th studio album being a sequel to her widely considered 2005 classic Confessions on a Dance Floor is hardly a surprise to fans, as Madonna has been teasing it for years now. But now it’s OFFICIAL official.

Initially, I was a bit torn on this. But I get why Madonna is doing it. And have come around that it’s probably the best thing for her to do right now.

Hikaru Utada sings the new theme song for the anime series, Chibi Maruko-chan

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:06:00 +0000

One thing about Teruzane, he’s gonna get Hikaru some theme song bags. And I really dig that there is a certain corner that Hikaru occupies when it comes to theme songs. When their songs are for dramas, they’re usually for particular sorts of dramas — First Love, Hana Yori Dango 2, Last Friends, Saiai — heavy and depressing. And when it’s for games and animation, it’s always for things with an extremely broad appeal — Kingdom Hearts, Evangelion and now Chibi Maruko-chan.

So little of what Hikaru and their team does feels like it’s on whims and without purpose. The brand of Hikaru Utada is CONSISTENT.

The best way I can describe Chibi Maruko-chan is that it’s Crayon Shin-chan, but where the main character is a girl. The premises of both manga and their anime adaptations are similar. The main characters live at home with a slightly off-beat family. They get involved in some mess. And then they and their friends try to work their way out of it.

When it was announced that Hikaru Utada would be singing the theme song for Chibi Maruko-chan, I had no expectations, because the song could go in any direction. But even so, I still didn’t expect the song to turn out how it did.

Album Review: Madonna - Confessions on a Dance Floor

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:30:00 +0000

I’m just gonna say it right now. I think I’m outside the club when it comes to Confessions on a Dance Floor.

I absolutely get why so many people love this album, and deservedly so. I think a big part of me not holding this album in such high regard is that I didn’t think Madonna’s previous album American Life was the piece of shit that many thought it was. So when I listened to Confessions on a Dance Floor, I wasn’t overcome with this feeling of ‘OH MY GOD, MADONNA IS SO BACK’. Because whilst on the surface Confessions on a Dance Floor feels like this completely different album, it’s…not…really. Because once I got beyond the first 3 songs on the album, I realised ‘Oh, Madonna’s kinda-sorta done American Life again. But there’s a disco ball and a boombox this time’. And I was a little disappointed by that.

Tatsuro Yamashita celebrates the 50th anniversary of his debut album Circus Town, with a music video for the album title track

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 01:37:00 +0000

Wednesday, 8th April 2026 marked the 50th anniversary of Tatsuraggedy Yamashita’s debut solo album, Circus Town. First released in 1976. And to commemorate the anniversary, the album was re-released and the album title track got itself a new music video.

Kelela puts on a Sephiroth bussdown and releases “idea 1”, as the run-up to album number 3 begins

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 01:06:00 +0000

Kelela put on a brand new white bussdown and released a new music video, which could mean a couple of things. She’s a Sephiroth fan. She’s a fan of Storm from the X-Men. A new album is on the way.

On 8th April, Kelela released “idea 1”, the lead single from her third studio album — which is still untitled at time of posting.

Perfume to release a documentary in cinemas and have fans crying into their Nebula Romance towels

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 01:00:00 +0000

THE Japanese girl group that is / was Perfume will be releasing a documentary titled Perfume “Cold Sleep” 25 Year Document. [Sighs at the raggedy name]. But, hey. At least it wasn’t titled Perfume “Cold Sleep” 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Year Document.

Koda Kumi announces her second pregnancy. And the North remembers the Rotten Pussy Fluid Gate of 2008.

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:51:00 +0000

Koda Kumi has announced that she is with child. Well, Avex did. And a lot of the public responses online are bringing up Rotten Pussy Fluid Gate of 2008. If you know, you know. But in case you don’t, pull up a seat.

Charlie Puth and Hikaru Utada join forces for the 2026 realtors anthem, “Home”

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 22:00:00 +0000

When Charlie Puth dropped the tracklist for his fourth studio album and I saw that it featured Hikaru Utada, I gasped a little bit. Then a snippet of the song dropped, and I gasped a little bit more. Then a preview of the music video dropped, and I gasped quite a bit. Now the full song and music video have dropped and, y’all. I’m all gasped out.

Koda Kumi performs covers of Southern All Stars and Bubble Gum Brothers on the Korean variety show, Change Street

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Japanese pop star Koda Kumi made an appearance on Korean TV as a performing guest on the show Change Street — which fellow J-pop star Crystal Kay had also featured on. And just like Crystal, Kumi performed a couple of covers — the number 1 hit ballad “Tsunami” by Japanese rock band Southern All Stars to get the crowd swaying, and “Won’t Be Long” by the slightly problematic Bubble Gum Brothers to get the crowd bouncing their shoulders.

Hikaru Utada features in Burberry’s The Trench, Portraits of an Icon campaign. And fashion sites don’t care.

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Over the past couple of years Hikaru Utada has been popping up more and more at fashion week events. Before there was always some sort of connection. Around the time Hikaru first started popping up at fashion shows, it was for Sacai, which made sense given that Hikaru Utada featured as a brand ambassador for the 2022 Cartier collaboration with Chitose Abe — the founder and creative director of Sacai. And maybe this is when Hikaru got bitten by the fashion show bug. Because since then, every now and then Hikaru would show up to a fashion show.

Hikaru and fashion shows seems random…because it kinda is. But…it also kinda isn’t.

Crystal Kay covers Misora Hibari’s Enka classic “Kawa no Nagare no Yō ni”

noreply@blogger.com (Random J) — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Crystal Kay covered The Queen of Enka, Misora Hibari’s 1989 enka hit “Kawa no Nagare no Yō ni”. A very different style of song than we’re used to hearing Crystal sing. But she sounded amazing, as she always does.