[Bright & danceable]
No.223 "Party Night" by Mai Hoshimura
Hi. How are you doing toward year-end?
The song we would like to introduce to you today is, "Party Night" by "Mai Hoshimura".
Bright, bouncy, and danceable Pop tune "Party Night" is a song selected from a Pop-rock singer "Mai Hoshimura"'s second album "Joyful" released in 2006.
This song seems to be singing a scene of a night club where a woman, recently lost love, comes for a change.
And she has her mind set on to start a new life when she noticed that it was a tiny past, and there are countless bright futures in front of her.
"Mai Hoshimura" is generally recognised as a singer of active & powerful Pop-rock, or grand ballad rock, because of her hit songs and early albums.
But "Hoshimura" also had been performing lighter & smoother Pop tracks like today's since before, and she seems to be moving toward more Pop and stylish direction in recent albums, which is opposite to hard Pop-rock line she was exploring earlier.
We suppose these light & smooth line of her pop songs could be of interest to light & mellow fans too.
If you like, please listen to.
Links to the music shops, offering song samples, are located on the bottom of this page.
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Cover art today
Song data
| Title | Party Night |
|---|---|
| Artist | Mai Hoshimura |
| Album Title | Joyful |
| Catalog Number | AICL-1659 |
| Track No. | 13 |
| Duration | 5:07 |
| Released | 2006 |
| Publisher | Sony Music Associated Records |
| Lyricist | Mai Hoshimura |
| Composer | Mai Hoshimura |
| Arranger | Yanagiman |
About the creators
Mai Hoshimura Lyricist
The Lyricist & composer of this song is "Mai Hoshimura" , and she is also a singer of this song. .
So, We would like to come back to her in "About the artist" section later.
Yanagiman Arranger
"Yanagiman" is a music producer, composer, arranger, bassist, and a visiting professor of music college active since 1982.
Since a Wikipedia article of him written in English is available, you can check with it for the details about "Yanagiman".
But for just in case, we also would like to introduce him briefly in this section
Early times
"Yanagiman" was born to a music family in an island near Okinawa in 1960, and grown in a music environment.
In 1983, he went on to university, and began to learn in a faculty of pharmacy.
But when he was a 4th grade student, he decided to drop out, for moving to Tokyo to start his career as a musician.
In Tokyo in 1986, he began his new life as a Jazz bassist (Contrabass, or Double bass player).
"Yanagiman" soon became a popular musician, and and participated in many Jazz sessions held in various live venues.
But in 1989, "Yanagiman" halted all his music activities in Japan temporarily. And moved to Boston, the United States, to study music at a reputed music college, "Berklee College of Music".
Because he was allowed to enter as a scholarship student.
"Yanagiman" graduated from college in 1992. And resumed his music activity after returned back to Japan.
Bloom as a music producer
In 1995, "Yanagiman" won the first prize at one of the music contests hosted by a reputed music magazine, "Sound & Recording Magazine".
This made him suddenly popular as a music arranger & producer.
In 2000, "Yanagiman" happened to participate in a newly debuting 4 piece Hip-hop group "Ketsumeishi" (a name of medical herb), by producing their Indies debut album.
Continuous in 2002, "Yanagiman" undertook the job of arranger and music producer for their second album, and the major debut album of "Ketsumeishi", "Ketsunopolis 2".
Surprisingly, "Ketsunopolis 2" debuted at the top of the charts even it was their first major album. (Actually, it contained their well known hit song, "Tomodachi" (friend))
This album is also often praised as the first clear example of mellow RAP by professionals.
Eventually, this album sold more than a million disks.
Through the success of the debut album, both "Ketsumeishi" & "Yanagiman" established their names in each area.
Since then, "Yanagiman" has produced singers or groups like, "FUNKY MONKEY BABYS", "CHEMISTRY", "BoA", "The Elephant Kashimashi", "The Gospellers", "Tiara" and more.
And in 2007, he received a Japan Record Award , Gold prize as the arranger for "BoA"s hit song "Love letter".
Recent
Even now, "Yanagiman" seems to be having a full and busy life as an arranger and music producer.
References
For more details on "Yanagiman", please have a look at the references linked below.
-
(Ref: yanagiman.com,
profile)🇯🇵
Song image & Lyrics
Open
Link to the lyrics
Some notes on the lyrics link
Sound impression
Sunny & danceable
This is a light, stylish and danceable Pop song, which the more than half of it seems to be created by computer programming.
Groovy
The acoustic guitars, drums, bass, brass, and keyboard play a light, groovy, and breezy introduction, and main part starts.
In the main part, the electric guitar, electric piano, and backing chorus also join, and support pure and natural vocal of "Mai Hoshimura".
In the bridge, "Hoshimura" demonstrates a striking piano performance, and plays stylish and melodious phrases.
Music Programming
As older music fans, our staff is familiar with, and prefers music performed by human. since they believe it has a life, passion, groove, natural feeling, and chemical reactions generated by players.
It might be a one-sided view though...
Even in the case of a legendary electronic instrumental group "Yellow Magic Orchestra", their music had a full of groove and chemical reaction.
We suppose it is because musicians were playing instruments by themselves, while all the tones or sounds were generated by synthesizers though.
But even in the case of "Music Programming", we certainly find the songs with nice groove like this one.
Even a computer made sound creates an inevitable artificial atmosphere, human players still able to inject a lively soul, passion, and groove by adding their own play.
And can make a song groovy and joyful like this track, we presume.
It could be a biased view though...
Reference
About Google translate
About the artist
Mai HoshimuraEternal eighteen
"Mai Hoshimura" is a singer-songwriter, and pianist active since 2002.
She is familiar to music fans with her hit song "Hikari" (light) released in 2008.
She is also known as "A barefoot piano girl", since she often plays the piano in bare feet at the stage.
By the way, "Eternal eighteen" is a catch phrase that "Hoshimura" has been using. Presumably because her songs are more or less singing the sentiments of young women in that generation.
"Mai Hoshimura" debuted in 2002 with a single, "Stay With You". Since then, 18 singles, and 6 original, 2 mini, 1 live, and 2 best albums, and 1 Box set have been released until now.
(Ref: Wikipedia-en, Mai Hoshimura)
Early times
According to some references, "Mai Hoshimura" began to learn the classical piano when she was four years old.
She continued piano lesson even at high school. But at the same time, "Mai Hoshimura" began to write popular songs by herself, and once formed an amateur band, and performed in front of the audience at a high school cultural festival.
In fact in this period, "Mai Hoshimura" was strongly influenced by the women singer-song writers like "aiko" or "Ringo Shiina".
Because "Hoshimura" was so impressed by their self-accompaniment style performance, and began to think she should sing her original songs in the same way in the future.
In 1998, when "Hoshimura" was a third-year student of high school, she applied for an open audition for a brand-new female singer-songwriter hosted by Sony music entertainment.
Luckily, "Hoshimura" advanced to the finals. But she had to pass up the final round this time, since the day of final contest conflicted with the entrance exam of music college.
Debut
Fortunately, "Hoshimura" passed the exam, and began to study the piano and singing.
During her fourth year of music college, she again joined the same new female singer-songwriter contest she took on before.
Auspiciously, she was selected as a qualified applicant once again.
And in October 2002, "Mai Hoshimura" debuted as a singer with her first single "Stay With You".
Hit song
In May 2003, "Mai Hoshimura" pretty hard Pop-rock "GET HAPPY" as her fourth single.
For the first time for her, this song was selected as an opening theme for a TV drama series.
Thanks to the popularity of the TV series, her song also draw attention from audience, and the song eventually became her first middle hit.
Through this success, the songs of "Hoshimura" began to be recognized by professionals, and became more widely adopted in various TV drama series, or animated TV programs.
Smash hit
In March 2007, "Hoshimura" released her 10th single "Sakura biyori" (Perfect day for cherry-blossom viewing), for the first time since she moved to the new label SME Records(Sony).
A melodious & dramatic ballad-rock "Sakura biyori" was selected as an ending theme for a popular animated TV series "Bleach", and became another middle hit for her.
In 2008, "Hoshimura" was requested to write, and sing a main theme for a newly starting TV drama series.
She composed, and sang another melodic ballad rock "Hikari" (right) for this drama series.
"Hikari" was repeatedly aired in the drama, and also released as her 14th single CD.
By virtue of the popularity of the TV series, "Hikari" became her first smash hit.
And thanks to this unexpected success, "Mai Hoshimura" victoriously established her name as a competent singer-songwriter.
Barefoot piano girl
Fans or mass media often called "Mai Hoshimura" a "Barefoot piano girl".
Because she tends to play the piano in bare feet in her live concerts.
Some references say, that "Barefoot" is not a performance at all, but a "Normal" when she plays the piano.
Since "Hoshimura" began to play the piano at the age of four, she is not wearing socks whenever she plays it.
Even in a practical exam of the piano in the music college, she played the piano in bare feet in front of the examiner.
Because "Hoshimura" finds it very relaxing, since she tend to get nervous according to her.
So, quite naturally, "Hoshimura" played the piano in the same way even on her concert stage.
But for the audience and mass media, it was a novelty. They quickly gave a catch-phrase to "Hoshimura", and began to call her "Barefoot piano girl".
(There are some electronic organ players, who play the instrument with sock on, after taking off their shoes at the stage. But "Barefoot" is rare, we suppose.)
Recent
In 2010 "Hoshimura" left from the major label, and moved to a newly founded Indies label, "Heart-Voice Records".
Under the new environment, she became able to pursue her own music in a more free-range atmosphere.
Since then, she is releasing new songs, or holding concerts in her own pace.
In 2013, "Hoshimura" performed in Brazil on "Super-con 2013".
In 2014, she married with a gentleman who had been a steady boyfriend for a long time.
And in 2018, "Hoshimura" released a jolly good new album "MH" for the first time in six years.
It is a lovely light, smooth, and stylish album, and we are sure that light & mellow fans will be attracted.
Like that way, she seems to be continuing music activities in her own pace.
References
For more details about "Mai Hoshimura", please have a look at the references linked below.
-
(Ref: www.hoshimuramai.jp,
biography)🇯🇵
Video clip
We could not find any music clip of today's song "Party night" on Youtube.
So, instead of that, we would like to introduce a music clip of other nice tune of her. Namely, "Honey" from her fourth album "Evergreen" (2012).
As mentioned earlier, "Mai Hoshimura" is primarily good at singing Pop-rock or ballad rock, but there are still some tracks like this which are of interest also for light & mellow fans.
If you like, please listen to.
Music Samples
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AD: Listening samples (Free)
Amazon JP(en)
recochoku.jp
music.apple.com (Track No.13)
Japanese Letters
| Song Title | Party Night |
|---|---|
| Artist | 星村麻衣(Mai Hoshimura) |
| Album Title | Joyful |
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