[Kalen Anzai] ★♫ It's the 2000s again in Kalen's 1st thread ★♫
 

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安斎かれん ★ OFFICIAL THREAD

Kalen Anzai (安斉かれん) is a Japanese singer under the avex trax label. Her debut single 『世界の全て敵に感じて孤独さえ愛していた』was released on March 1st, 2019.

✚ Discography

[2019.05.01] 世界の全て敵に感じて孤独さえ愛していた
https://i.imgur.com/kuDiBcL.png



✚ Links
Website
Instagram

I love it.:heart

I like it. It sounds nostalgic. I'll keep an eye on her.
Thanks for sharing

Wow thank you so much for sharing this. I actually really like this song and the PV looks also good.
The songs kinda reminds me of what Nami Tamaki (e.g Sanctuary) would have released back in the days.

Saw this. It sound a like a bunch of Ayu-songs thrown together...especially M is in the mix.

Thanks for posting. The song is interesting - definitely getting HAL vibes! Will keep my eye on her.

holy that is 100% Ayu lol Seems like avex still has some weird composers, but kinda cool~ I'll look out for her!

Reminds me of vintage Ayumi mixed with the kind of sound Girl Next Door was doing in 2008/2009.

The beginning sounds like Ayu but then I felt like it sounded more like Nami Tamaki. It's basically a great example of making a new Jpop song with the classic sensibilities that made Jpop great in the first place.

Nami! Yes! Haha I knew it was familiar.

I like her look. Very Free & Easy promo. The song isn’t too exciting but I’m interested in what her next move will be!

Same here! I think it's more visually like Ayu, but it sounds more like Nami Tamaki. Regardless, I'm in love with the 2000s vibes :tipsy

Kalen Anzai debuts with classic J-Pop sound on “Sekai no Subete Teki ni Kanjite Kodoku sae Aishiteita”

I guess her debut single was produced by BOUNCEBACK. That would explain the throwback sound and melodies.:yes

This is seriously one of the best tracks I've heard in literally years... The PV is ridiculous too. Gosh. I hope this takes off. It feels so familiar yet so fucking fresh.

You guys are right! Ayu x Nami perfectly describes it.
I'm not quite into Nami Tamaki's style but I have a good feeling about Kalen's potential so I'll keep my eye on her.

Yeah I would say it has more 2000s jpop influences in general (including Nami)...which is GREAT lol. It's just such a great sound.

The song itself is actually a bit dry for me. Love the verses but chorus goes nowhere for me and doesnt hit home. That's okay though. There is a lot of potential here, so I look forward to following her to see where this goes. Also the video is great, so I do appreciate the visuals and hope to enjoy the music more in the future.

I was listening to old I've compilation albums (Verge and Disintegration) and thinking of how much I miss the beautiful and unique vibe created during this era by different parts of the jpop scene. So this is refreshing.

This is pretty much how I feel. The song isn't too exciting melodically (it never really reaches a proper climax) but I love the sound, it's great to hear something so maximalist, hard-hitting and shamelessly pop. I love the throwback to early 00s J-pop, it's a great sound that's been missing from the market lately, I hope it catches some attention and fans for her so we could get more music like this in the future.

Agreed with the comparisons to old Nami Tamaki and I've Sound (though my mind went to the Lament / Outflow era :laugh)!

You guys over here mentioning I've Sound and me over here going "I wish Eiko Shimamiya was still pushing out new songs like she did 10 years ago..." God. I hate how hard it is to get new music out of Eiko, even though it's literally some of the best stuff she's ever created.

Also, the bridge that kicks in at 2:59 and the lead up to it are IMO the best parts of this entire track apart from the intro and the outro pieces. I wish that bridge and the "radio" vocal echo had been used more. It gives me that same "aw hell yeah" moment as the bridge Ayu uses before the chorus in "vogue" and the bridge Ayu uses before the chorus in "Sayonara", where there's just a super satisfying transition in melody.

Overall, just damn. I've listened to this on Spotify like 10 times since last night. Worth every second. I just hope this has a successful run and they fully develop Kalen as an artist rather than letting her go the same way as kaho, whose debut single in 2013, "every hero / Strong Alone", was really amazing (all three tracks were super memorable, as was her voice) but ended up being her only release.

Anyway, I love Kalen's style. I love her voice. I love the PV. The cover is gorgeous. The song is top notch. I don't necessarily think of this sound as being something "old". It's literally a sound that strikes me as "depth". Not just people punching notes out and singing along, but using a myriad of effects to convey momentum, give the sounds a strong sense of depth and atmosphere in the sound space, as well as properly distinguish different types of sounds (delicate, gritty, bright, rough and rigid). It's a characteristic of Ayu's music that's always made it memorable for me. It's what music has always felt like it's meant to be: not just words and a guitar, but a surreal experience in words and sound.

hope she keeps working with bounceback! best j-pop song of the year!

It has ayu vibes of course, but the song is kind of bland IMO.

I didn’t know it was bounceback but it makes complete sense.
I love bounceback, it’s a shame Ayu doesn’t work with them anymore.

But maybe Kalen will be their muse much like Alan was the muse for that one composure (can’t remember his name, he did a whole bunch of iconic Ayu songs).


The “past is future” approach is really strong right now with Japanese youth. (And youth in general) — I heard it’s called futuro? Future retro? Lol

Omg Ayu needs to work with bounceback again. XD I love this! I will definitely be following Kalen's future releases.

kazuhito Kikuchi :D

New pictures from her MAC campaign:



Also, there's a short video on her Instagram with an instrumental in the background. I assume it's a new song? It would make sense since her first single was used to promote the first part of the MAC campaign. It sounds good~ :heart

That’s him! Thank you lol

Did anyone get the free 8cm single from tower records by any chance?

I just bought it for 444 yen in Mercari haha thanks for letting me know

Oh! nice! would you scan the cover or any pictures? if you can please?

I can try to take some pics :) don’t have a scanner though

I was going to ask the same thing! If it's not too much trouble, I'd love to see some pictures :tipsy

She is going to release a new digital single soon. There seems to be No official date in her website it just announced as "coming soon"

She also released a new short video on youtube


The video ís interesting, now let's see how her new Song will sounds like

I'm so excited for her next release! Also, I love that video. It gives me some RAINBOW vibes, and it's so cool to see the pretty pony~pretty pony~pretty pony~pretty pony~pretty pony~ couples in it. :heart

Yessss give me what I need!!!!!!!

I haven’t been interested in an artists releases in so long

I miss when I was interested in every damn artists releases lol

I feel this too.~~~~~:heart

omg I'm glad she's releasing soon!

I hope she releases an actual album eventually. I really like her voice and the material. Do we know who is directing her PVs? Whoever it is has some real skill.

the single is out.

I don't like it.

boo.
booooo.
BOOOOOO. lol

It's a bit of a throwaway, sounds like a tie-in song for some anime. But I'm happy with it. The video is so awesome. A little too similar to her first, but I love the aesthetic.

I kind of wish she'd do a song where her singing is less nasal, but I've fallen in love with this. It's just sooooooooooooooo necessary for J-Pop right now.

I think the new song and video is too similar to the previous work. They both feel less memorable to me. But they are still enjoyable. I still am loving the previous song.:tipsy

I like her first song better. This new is not bad but there is something missing imo.
The pv on the other hand is on the same level as her debut.

Hmm, I kinda have mixed opinions about this. On one side, I really like how they are consistent with the visuals and sound (and structure lol) for the two singles, but the song itself had more potential in my opinion. Maybe with a different chorus, I don't know. The rest of the song is enjoyable. The way in which she sings reminds me of 90s /early 00s jpop which is not entirely my cup of tea, but not bad either.
Also, what's up with those long titles lol

the PV is amazing, but the song needs to grow on me.

I didn't like this song as much as the first one, but it's still good. I love the instrumental at the beginning. The video is really nice, too. It'd be amazing if she kept this aesthetic for an entire album.

Think I'm enjoying this single more than the first.

We'll get a new single soon. She posted some pictures of her recording in the studio in her Instagram stories and today this was uploaded on the avex YouTube Channel

The new Song is called 人生は戦場だ and the music Video also just got released



Will give my opinion in it later on when I got more time

I can’t decide if I prefer this or the debut!
It’s defin better than the 2nd single for me tho

These vocals give me more Nami Tamaki and Hitomi Takahashi vibes. It's so cool to see the old style updated like this.:yes
I do wonder how long she will continue to make music in this current style.:think

J-Pop Star Kalen Anzai Gives First English Interview

new song is the ending song for anime black clover. second single is available for free at tower records~

After I gave the new Song a few listens I would say it's in the same level as her second single for me. The first one still ís my favourite.
I'm curious to see what kind of turn her music might take. If she sticks to the current sound of her music or If we will also see her trying something new after she might release an album.

I like the interview, gives some interesting insight.

I do agree that it sounds more like Nami Tamaki and other artists for this newer track (and the second season as well)

I however don't find it as interesting, powerful, nuanced, catchy or whatever as the kinds of old songs people are comparing it to. It's great to revive old sounds and reimagine them, but the music still has to be good for me to appreciate it. I would like more from her in her vocal delivery, and I would like more from the compositions and arrangements. It's just missing a little something (all three singles so far, but more so the latter two). The first single is still the best to me and the vibe is very "cool" so it kind of works. The first definitely grew on me

The imagery is another thing. In the first video, the direction of the video, effects, pacing of the cuts, etc made a lot of sense and went well with the song. Made for a great video. In this most recent video, it's like they do the same things, but it doesn't fit or work well. They could keep the same world and general imagery and still do something different that fits this song.

I feel like avex has an artist like this with plenty of potential, I just need them to act on it.

Anyway, shes really cool, and I look forward to seeing more from her. Just hoping for the best :)

If they make her sound like Tamaki Nami then she's destined to flop

On the 20th, Kalen had her first live performance ever (and this is also the first time she "appears" in public) and... Well, see it for yourself:



There are a lot of rumors online saying that Kalen Anzai is not actually human and is made of CGI instead. :think This sounds ridiculous but after watching that "live performance" I don't know what to think. Why would they hide her so much? I also don't get the whole mirror thing, why not just stand in front of the audience and sing? :dead2 This is just a conspiracy theory, of course, but I thought I'd share it here so y'all could share your opinions as well.

This whole mirror thing confused me so much XD it took me so long to realise that you can see her reflection at some points.
Maybe they tried to create a futuristic performance to match her current style. It was nice to now also getting a live performance even if this one was something different

This conspiracy theory is interessting but I'm not sure how much I should believe it. Until further evidencs pops I think I going to think that she is a real human and that her team/avex wanting to try something different. Following in her Instagram also doesn't leave the impression of a non-human being to me. Yes, GCI can be really realistic but wouldn't that always cost more Money to create the pictures she uploads to her story and in her site than she earns? Well, I don't know how much she earns and how much the creation of such a GCI picture cost, I just assume things tbh
It will be such a mindfuck moment if this theory Turns Out to be true :D

Let's wait and see how other live performances and appearences will turn out. Something on a music show would be cool

The mirror concept does seem a little strange to me too. Maybe it's because we are seeing it from far away and through a camera. The performance was probably designed specifically for the people standing directly in the crowd. We just can't see the full mirror effect. It took me a moment to catch her in the mirror.:dead2
I love the live mix of the songs though. I would love for them to be released as remixes.:yes

The performance was kind of sad lol. The audience was so dead xD

Well, anyway, I went and got my free single today lol.

Ok. This is all about avex "new" brand positioning. I say "new" because avex image was revamped 2 years ago, and ever since then they have been working a lot with graphic artists doing futuristic stuff (i.e. AR, RV). So, they have been pretty SLOW on the music side rather than that, they have been developing other areas of avex group (i.e. avex beauty) and doing other random stuff like workshops and tallks. I was expecting them to debut a Perfume-like group but instead we got Karen Anzai.

I really liked the live! It's interesting you can see related videos on YT with other angles so every recording is unique. I think it's pretty cool. And yes, on the HD ones Karen does look real (And very thin and prettier than the Karen we watch on PVs and endorsements).

I feel I'm more interesed in Karen now

Kalen released a new Version of Jinsei wa Senjou da , which is produced by Taku Inoue
https://i.ibb.co/TkZwkk9/Insta-Save.jpg

And now there will be a new version/remix of 誰かの来世の夢でもいい released next week (22.01). The remix will be produced by Carpainter.
Here's the cover


I love this cover but it also reminds me of so many early 2000s Ayu styles so much :D
After this I Hope we'll get something new and not just a new version/ remix of one of her three singles. But I guess that we might also get one for her first single as well

kanariya tribute?:laugh
I look forward to the new remix. I would like to hear new songs from her though.

Can I still get Karen Anzai CDs at Tower Records?

Hard to say... Since they were free, I imagine they’d be there until the stock is gone. I don’t think there will be any displays of her, so you’d just need to look for her alphabetically. If you happen to be in Shibuya, I’d say it’d be your best bet. And it wouldn’t hurt to check. :)

OK thank you! :)

She will be releasing a new song called "Fake News Revolution" on april 1st


Yay, I'm happy to hear that we will get a new song after all the remixes. They aren't Bad and I Like them but a new song was overdue imo

The new song and pv are out and If you ask me, she totally slays with this song. It's a real bop and mir gut become my new favourite from her

really like the new single! I can bop to it

It's good. Love that it's a modern take on Ayu's poker face, but it's still clearly an AK PV. I'm so happy with her first singles. I would love avex to pull HAL or DAI or someone Ayu has worked with a lot to help her get the right balance of originality and similarity that she's been aiming to do from the beginning.

she's already up on spotify ^^

IT's not like ayu invented that TV in PV tingie tho.

Her cover of Come Again sounds really good. They did a good job recreating they video too! I actually think she looks more like Lisa than Ayu now lol. Chameleon Queen.

Just listened to her cover of come again and I really like her voice in this track. Wonder if ee might get a new song from her that gives in that direction in the future.
Still hoping for an Album Release this year :D

I'm pretty sure she'll have an album this year, maybe after the dorama ends?

Anyway, I also loved her m-flo cover, sounded so fresh and polished

Ironically how her vocals sound way better on that cover than on her own songs. She fits really well the r&b production and vibe. I think that showing versatility is a good thing for her future as an artist, especially since people are probably comparing her to early ayu at the moment (i actually don t see that much of a resemblance).

So far most of the resemblance is purely aesthetics to me, but I wonder how it'll be after the dorama. Seems like this avex revival album is focused on the 90s, so I wouldn't be surprised if we get a 2000s edition, with Kalen covering ayu on it.

her cover of "come again" is really amazing! loving it ♥

Just came here to say the m-flo cover is really good! I don't know if there is a full lenght PV to be released or it's the short CM promo she posted on her IG only

Wow I didn't noticed at first :D

Yeah she maybe is a bit more reminiscent of Kana Nishino, who at one point also drew comparisons to Ayu.

^Yes, I was getting Kana vibes from Come Again too! Actually this song & the snippet of the PV seems more nostalgic to me than any of her own songs.

So on 22nd this month Kalen will Release a new single called 僕らは強くなれる。



Another nice song from her, this could be another bop but waiting for the full version until I say something like that.
But another thing: Where is an Album? i need an Album XD

the intro sounds almost exactly like Depend on you lmaoooo this is too much now

The composer/arranger is Mitsuru Igarashi who usually did stuff with Every Little Thing or day after tomorrow. FRIEND II was his only work with Ayu but that intro is really basically Depend on you, lol.

This song sounds more 80s to me than 90s, though I guess there’s a lot of overlap haha.

It sounds nice though. I didn’t hear Depend on you until I saw people mentioning it and now that’s all I hear :-p

I get what you mean. I thought ASFXX (the album) sounded 80s too!

Looks like Kalen has a MUSIC STATION appearance next week with the new song and the m-flo cover. I wonder how her performance will be received.

Yay, looking forward to the MSta performance!

OMG come again will be performed too!?

I hope she can deliver... emotions...

Karen Anzai a-victory.jp demo album
01. DEPARTURES
02. Time goes by
03. タイトル未定
04. our night, our light...
05. Sweet Emotion

Download
https://www.mediafire.com/file/g9tea...4N541.zip/file

タイトル未定 = Untitled

Found her music station performances

僕らは強くなれる


come again
https://twitter.com/ongaku_tv/status...64623452295169

And another short clip


To me these are two good performances, nothing ground breaking for sure but for her first nation wide tv performance she did quit good. Hope to see her more often at music shows from now on

^

she did really good imo

I like her very much, her released singles and image, the MVs are so cool for me too before her name was on the M Drama, when it was said that Kalen was just an hologram and stuff, later when it was revealed that she was going to be doing ayu charachter it was crazy, now I like her a lot more, even in her PVs there is some ayu vibes, some scenes that reminds me ayu ones.

She's lovely in the latest MS episode, I'm becoming fast a fan of her.

This is the very first single I like from Karen, music and PV wise

I hope next single is just as promising (looking forward to an album!)

Yes, the PV and song are great! Bring on the album!

The new promo/teasers on her IG are really intriguing!

The music sounds pretty early 2000s for the moment. It’s weirdly giving me like, Dragon Ash vibes lol. Or at least that era of J-POP/hip hop.

Yeah, based on the promos it seems it's going to be a very different song from what she has released so far. I can't wait :tipsy

Yes, the teasers have me hyped for the new song!

Does anyone know what her set list at A Nation was?

For some reason I didn't get the Impression that she is teasing a new song with those short clips in instgram but now that you all mentioned it... I totally overlooked the new song hashtag XD
For now the short clips doesn't hype me up só I'll wait was and see what this will lead Up too

Her A-nation performance: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1fa...53662402604953

She did great!