【予選1st 第11ブロックA】OTONOVA2023 - Participation Report

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 11 A 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. YOuHI

Congratulations to Youhi for winning first place 🥇 in this qualifying group and advancing to the next stage. Please continue to give your best.

Founded in 2017, YOuHl is an intriguing husband and wife duo working mainly in distribution media like a Youtube channel ( @YOuHICH), but they also happen to perform live. Youhi wants to bring joy to other people through the music he creates. Youhi is a wonderful couple in which husband Hiromi-san composes the music (melody) and his wife Yukiko-san writes the lyrics. It is also a beautiful journey through life together - resonating with each other through music.

2 Le illumine

In second place with 1640 points was the team Le illumine 🥈 Congratulations on advancing to the next stage! Please continue to give it your all 💪 .

Le illumine is a four-member band formed in June 2021, who have released 7 original songs to date. They are mainly active in live performances in Toyama Prefecture and Toyama radio shows. In July 2022, they were well received by music producer Mr. Kent Matsukuma, who

hosted the outdoor event "UNDER THE SCREAM!!! 2022" .

I recommend visiting their Youtube channel (@leillumine7150) and checking out their latest MV "いや、" which is memorable after one listen (watch) . It's a very lively music video for a great song. Noteworthy is the fact that singer Shiroyama-san plays the guitar while singing at the same time, and the harmony of both instruments (throat and guitar) comes out very well. He also has a very interesting tone of voice. Shiroyama-san is also very well synchronised with his three bandmates.

To better illustrate Le illumine's work, below are the lyrics of their recently released song.

いや、

Music&Lyrics written by Shiroyama

Arranged by Le illumine

雨が垂る交差点にて　

晴れ間飛ぶ鳥を見ていた

それは僕と比として　

時に流した日々を　

足がかりとしてみれば

それは一人逃避として

立ち上がり速む鼓動　

日持ちはしていないけど

その先を絶たれて　絶たれて　

絶たれても

暮れていく

この場所にいた今

その先は難題

星空に勝るほど　

もう二度とないとしては輝くよ

焚いた火

この道は暗い

でもすぐには去る模様

焦る世に紛れては痛みを抱く

雨が語る交差点にて　

晴れ間飛ぶ鳥を見ていた

既に取り留めた未来が喚いた

明日にとなって　

過去に止まってた日もあって

元に戻って　

ひらりと舞って　後にと待って

それもいいね

繰り返し泣いた日や

鳥となり鳴いた日

星空に勝るほど

もう二度とないとしては羽ばたくよ

まあいいや　それもまあいいや

そしてまた速む鼓動　

混ざる世に隠れていた光よ

あれは僕らを虜にして　

街明かりは今日も人の火で

数に限りある何かとして　

すぐに溶ける気がする

あれは僕らを虜にして　

街明かりは今日も人の火で

数に限りある何かとして　

すぐに溶ける気がしている　

あれは僕らを虜にして　

街明かりは今日も人の火で

限りあるものだって言えば　

すぐに溶ける日が　

ひたすら描いた

まだ今痛いな

それらは期待か　いや、

それらは未来だ

3. ニーコ

Third place along with 340 points went to ニーコ, 🥉 who is a young man who wants to share his experiences and feelings with the world through music. While in high school, he became interested in playing the guitar and later started composing his own music as a hobby. On his Tik Tok account (@neco_roziura), you can find short versions of his own compositions and rearranged versions of well-known songs such as Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, which showcase his guitar playing skills.

It is worth visiting his Youtube channel ( @user-or5ep4nr2x), which is rich in his original compositions, which I recommend paying attention to.

ニーコ has a very interesting timbre of voice and his original songs go straight to the heart. He combines guitar playing with singing in a harmonious way.

To better illustrate his work, below are the lyrics of one of his original songs.

独白

誰にも言えないこと

誰かに言いたいのに言えないこと

たくさんあると思います。

この曲は後者

だから君には言わず独りで告白する。

「独白」だったんだ。

ほんとうは

僕は君と、どこまでも逃げたい。

でも現実は非情だった

だから今は

「毒吐く」

4. アピロリズム

By the decision of the audience, fourth place with no points scored went to 

アピロリズム. Under the pseudonym アピロリズム is Yasuo Kakurai, born 15 April 1957, who became interested in playing guitars at the age of 8. He has performed in many music clubs on guitar and played in many bands. He currently plays as a freelancer in studios. 

Youtube: 

https://wvm.youtube.com/channel/UCN2Rw_atlllbZfCfiplM8gA

On his Youtube channel we can get a glimpse of his playing skills in various styles. He is the type of personality with unbridled positivity and shows us that at any age it is worthwhile to fulfil your dreams. 

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 Youhi and Le illumine, and I can't wait to see how they will fare in the Otonova2023 competition.