YOASOBI
Courtesy Billboard JapanJ-pop duo YOASOBI are set to release a new single called “Tsubame” on Oct. 25.
The track is being featured as theme of NHK's SDGs TV series for children Hirogare! Irotoridori, a show that introduces projects and special programs that make learning about Sustainable Development Goals fun and accessible.
The title of the song means “swallow” and it was written based on a Japanese story with a title that translates to “A Little Swallow's Big Dream" by Nana Otsutsuki. The story won the grand prize in the TV show’s project that invited submissions to collaborate with the breakout male-female duo to write a new future-themed song.
The jacket artwork is by Ai Niina (name in Japanese order, surname first), a rising young visual artist who has created YOASOBI’s animated music video for their monster hit “Yoru ni kakeru” and more. The new illustration vibrantly depicts the swallow from the story soaring towards the city in the distance, and the music video for the song will also feature her distinctive animation.
NEWS
Sam Smith recently opened up about the “nightmare” experience of getting liposuction as a teenager.
In a new appearance on the Podcrushed podcast, the Stay with Me singer – who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns – spoke with co-host Penn Badgley about deciding to have cosmetic surgery to remove excess fat at just 13 years old.
“I had an operation on my chest when I was 13, because it was starting to grow,” they explained. “There were different reasons behind it, but mostly, I was being teased so much. I couldn’t go swimming at school, and changing in the locker room was awful. So, I ended up having liposuction at 13.”
Getting emotional, Sam shared that they had long struggled with food and body image, though their parents were “incredibly supportive” of the choice to go through with the procedure.
Although the operation “worked,” the Too Good at Goodbyes star admitted that they wore the post-surgery bandage much longer than they were supposed to.
“It was all part of the struggle with eating and my body,” the 33-year-old said. “The liposuction helped, but it was also a nightmare because they gave me a bandage. If I wore it, I could skip to the front of the lunch line. So, I kept it on for nearly a year, saying, ‘Oh, don’t get too close,’ just so I could eat first… so really, the surgery didn’t fix much because I’ve always loved food.”
Lately, Sam has been performing a residency at the Warsaw venue in Brooklyn, New York.
The next To Be Free concert is set for November 19.
