【予選1st 第14ブロックB】OTONOVA2023 - Participation Report (the power of the band)

I am very happy that Mudia exists and supports artists of all kinds. I am glad that events such as Otonova2023 are organised, which I am participating in for the first time.

As someone for whom life would be empty without music, I am even more excited about the Otonova2023 event and looking forward to all the performers taking part.

The course of the first qualification of this block 14 B was very interesting and exciting, as we were able to witness the confrontation of participants representing different musical genres and artistic achievements. It was also noticeable that the criteria for choosing to support a particular performer varied widely: admiration for their work, familiarity with a particular performer, following the majority of people.

Congratulations to all the performers taking part in Otonova2023 for their excellent participation! It was a really exciting duel, which in this group resulted in the following outcome:

1. 街鳴り ("Street noise)

Congratulations to 街鳴り for winning first place 🥇 with 31891 points in this first qualifying group and advancing to the next stage. Please continue to give your best  in the future💪 .

街鳴り is a four-piece rock band from Osaka, comprising Sorako with her strong vocals, which are enhanced by simultaneous guitar playing. Sorako brilliantly combines both, i.e. singing with simultaneous guitar playing. Then we have guitarist Yuuto, bassist Gouya and drummer Nakano Cinema. Their focus is on the days that reverberate through the city. The band creates songs with different themes, but mostly painful, sad, frustrating songs that let people who have so many emotions know that they are not alone with them and reach out to people who are standing still because they find it hard to live. They have five original singles released so far. Below is one of their songs 'クライ' by Sorako, for which you must watch the MV on their channel (@user-qp1fm3iu4m) on Youtube. クライ it's a really beautiful song. It's worth visiting their Youtube channel (@user-qp1fm3iu4m) and their Tik-Tok account (@sorak0707), because they create songs that make you feel better.  

2. Parallel Resonance

In second place with 27820 points was the band Parallel Resonance🥈. Congratulations on advancing to the next stage! Please continue to give it your all in the future 💪 .

Parallel Resonance is a three-piece, multi-national band with mixed blood from four countries. It consists of vocalist Mai, guitarist/arranger Rokki and bassist Yojiham. Mai's vocal skills are mixed with songs and performances with roots in hardcore/punk rock. On their Youtube channel (@ParallelResonancebandjp) we can read the description:

"We are "Parallel Resonance" a.k.a ParaSona. We are Japanese Rock band that covers hot new songs and some hit songs of all time in Rock arrangement. We also rock our own songs 🤘🏻"

What captivated me about ParaSona is the excellent synchronicity between the individual members. They really are a band! Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit song, which I idolise, is so easy to mess up, and they have created a divine adaptation that is underrated on Youtube! The versatility of this band is impressive and I think anyone who visits their channel will find something to enjoy. Utada Hikaru's classic ballad First Love, which was arranged and sung by Takahiro Moriuchi of One Ok Rock, among others, and found its way here - what a pleasant surprise it was. This acoustic version resonates so much with the heart and is beautiful. Their MV for the original song 'Crushin' didn't so much give me goosebumps as it got under my skin. Those overwhelming sounds of Yojiham's bass and Rokka's guitar only further enhance the power in Mai's voice. The song itself is very catchy and once you listen to it, you can't get it out of your mind.

3. 飯森ヒロト (Hiroto Iimori)

Third place along with 5 points went to 飯森ヒロト (Hiroto Iimori) 🥉,  who is one of the youngest performers at Otonova2023, as he is only 19 years old. He is an active student who started writing, composing and arranging music in 2020. He works part-time at a supermarket to save money to move to Tokyo, and is currently working and living in Fukuoka. His goal is to perform live at Shinjuku LOFT. On 26 August 2021, Hiroto submitted 'Natsu no Kaze' to the 2021 National High School Rock Festival in the DTM category, which was selected. I recommended his wonderful song „夏の風”. It is worth visiting his Tik-Tok account (@iimoriri) and Youtube channel (@Hiroto_Iimori) to see what an incredibly talented young man Hiroto is. Hiroto has a very interesting tone of voice and, in addition to singing and composing, he also plays the guitar very well. He also combines both, i.e. singing with playing the guitar at the same time, in a great way.

4. げんおん (Iwao Ohira)

By the decision of the audience, fourth place with no points score went to the げんおん (Iwao Ohira).

Iwao Ohira (げんおん) is a father of two children and his main occupation is as a caregiver. He loves music, which has held a special place in his life for more than 30 years, and enjoys writing songs about what he thinks about: raising children, the importance of family bonds and continuing to fulfil his dreams. Iwao is mainly active in the media and distributes videos on YouTube (@Gen-on) and Tik-Tok (@genon6969). He is also working on starting activities on live performances. As of now, he wants to cherish the time he spends with music as much as possible. I recommend visiting his Youtube channel to see how he brilliantly combines singing with simultaneous acoustic guitar playing. I smiled more than once, especially when I saw his arrangements of Nirvana songs.  

Everyone in this group proved to be very strong and intriguing, from which it was difficult to choose two performers who . I'm rooting for the winners the band 街鳴り ("Street noise) and the band Parallel Resonance and I can't wait to see how they will fare in the Otonova2023 competition.