Japanese singer and songwriter MIREI is back with her theatrical concept album Tokyo Stories—a series of chapters capturing the essence life in Tokyo. The record is woven together through beautiful lyrics sewn together in cafés, transpacific flights, and early morning Zoom sessions to create the 14-track masterpiece.
Each song on the album represents a different piece of the city that fits together to build a beautiful puzzle depicting Tokyo. The genre-blending nature of the album aligns with the different people and scenes that can be seen during daily life there.
The album opens with the track 'UNSENT', which blends J-pop hooks with unapologetic verses, establishing the album as an immersive listening experience. It pairs MIREI's vocals with sharp and scalding English and Chinese lyrics written by breakout rapper AK Liu Zhang (AK 刘彰) to create a track that defies borders, addressing the messages we don’t want to send.
The record was co-produced by LA-based producer Zak Leever and Brooklyn-based sound scaper DJ Shiftee. The album was given its signature Japanese flair by Tokyo-based beat maker Masaaki Saitō. The collaborative production uses electro, grunge, hip hop, and sanshin plucks to bring the stories within the album to life.
“These songs are my diary pages,” MIREI says. “Tokyo is equal parts beauty, burnout, danger, and laughter. I want listeners to feel that swirl in real time.”
Tokyo Stories is an exclusive look into life in the city through MIREI's eyes.
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