Kaitokun no Uta

September 2024, I left Japan once again and crossed the seas to the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand.
The time spent with people I met abroad, and the unwavering support from family and friends back home, pushed this work forward.
Living overseas again gave me space to envision the future, while also facing the events and emotions that shaped my life.

All the beats on this album were produced by Cho5, a fellow RFS beatmaker.
His intricate sound blends weight and delicacy, with deep grooves that bring the emotions behind the words into sharp focus and elevate the rap itself.

On One Last Time, I collaborated with singer Hina098, whose clear yet powerful voice beautifully colors the track.
Unpolished, honest, and true to myself, I kept writing and performing with gratitude, love, and kindness.
All of that time is etched into this album.


0119 Intro
Footage from my first birthday still remains, and the pure expressions and atmosphere from that day stay close to my heart.
I entrusted the footage to Cho5, layering it with the sounds of my first cries and breaths, and rebuilding it alongside piano melodies.
Like the quiet opening of a film, it serves as an introduction that signals the beginning.

HAJIMARI
It's okay to carry the past, regrets, and pain.
Even so, this song captures the impulse of taking a step forward.
A soundtrack of determination, like the hands of a stopped clock beginning to move again.

RAVEN
We are not crows, we are RAVEN.
We're not just a flock.
We are RAVEN FAMILY STUDIO.
An anthem for RFS, carrying pride and solitude.

Flashback
The reality of a friend's suicide resurfaces.
This track traces the process of acceptance, conflict, and the slow move toward forgiveness.
See you tonight, not a goodbye, but a requiem for living on with memory.

Follow me
I took a younger friend, who had shut himself away, on a night drive to Nagano to see the stars.
I've always loved the scene in the French film The Intouchables where Driss takes Philippe on a night drive, and I layered that feeling into the lyrics.
Without many words, sharing the same view and time slowly loosens the heart.
This song portrays that kind of quiet way of staying close.

Michi
Getting lost, stopping, and turning back again and again,
yet still choosing a path with my own feet.
It doesn't have to be the right answer, detours are fine.
Standing here now is proof enough that this path is my answer.

One Last Time
The first love song I've sung in my long music career.
Featuring singer Hina098, whose transparent yet grounded voice gently and powerfully embraces the track.
Because we know the ending, this first moment becomes even more beautiful.

Kaito
On a snowy January night, I was given this name with a wish, to have a heart as wide as the sea and to shine like the stars.
This track closes the album, centered on the love that has been poured into me.
Even when swallowed by the waves, the heartbeat doesn't stop.
The moment I changed from I to we.
Still unfinished, it's a message of gratitude and love dedicated to my family and friends.