Crystal Kay's got songs in the oven - Over and Over, Girlfriend ft. BoA, Wonder duet w/Jin Akanishi

As Crystal's tenth anniversary draws closer, she reveals some of the tricks she has up her sleeve. Sneaky Crystal got a little more out of her collaboration with m-flo and BoA earlier this year than she originally let on. A couple of weeks back it was announced that Crystal had scored the theme song for new show DRESS. Over and Over, produced by Taku Takahashi of m-flo, was later debuted by Crystal herself on Japanese radio. Unfortunately, the radio rip is still all that is currently available but at least you can get a feel for the track while you wait for its release in HQ. Over and Over is a house track. Normally that's a dealbreaker for me, but there's no denying this song's heat. Check out Over and Over below (updated with HQ version).


Over and Over
Crystal Kay
BEST of CRYSTAL KAY

Kuri also revealed today on her website that her following single will be Girlfriend, another collaboration with BoA. Even after UNIVERSE, I have to say I'm still interested to hear what they will sound like together, especially without Verbal's rhymes taking up space. Crystal arguably outshined BoA when she was featuring so I'm sure she'll shut BoA down completely now that it's the other way around. Girlfriend will be a tie-in with the Japanese release of He's Just Not That Into You. The song is supposed to be a girl anthem, we-don't-need-boys sort of thing, sort of like one of her very first singles, Girl's Night. Hopefully we get a video this time. Here's an MQ snippet. Sigh. Even a pretty girl like BoA shouldn't stand next to Crystal Kay.

Update!!: Crystal is even busier than I thought! Jin Akanishi, the sexy and most un-Johnny like member of KAT-TUN, revealed a duet with Crystal Kay during their current tour. The track is titled Wonder and it is hot! During the live performance, Jin worked some choreography and sang his part while what clearly appeared to be a music video featuring both Jin and Crystal played on the monitors. If there's already an MV then there's a good shot that Wonder will get the single treatment! The song has a latin vibe to it, similar to the one Crystal worked on the B-side Girl, Move On. And though I'm not hating on KAT-TUN, there's thankfully nothing KAT-TUN about it. There are also rumors going around that Crystal and Jin have a little som'n som'n going on. If she's smart she'll keep that on the low, though. So exciting to finally hear the fruits of Crystal's labor over the past few months. Unfortunately, there are only fan videos from the tour on YouTube. We need some HQ mp3s, stat!!

Special thanks to LuluJay for the heads up on Wonder!!!

BoA, Crystal Kay and Verbal Perform UNIVERSE

うれしい！チェックしてください！

Universe, eyes here - BoA, Crystal Kay & Verbal to Perform UNIVERSE

BoA, Crystal Kay, and Verbal are set to perform their new single, Universe, this Friday on Music Station! This is pretty surprising news because, as far as I know, Crystal and m-flo have never taken to the stage together before, despite their many collaborations. Even their last project, the awesome Love Don't Cry from m-flo's collaboration album Cosmicolor, saw random J-pop ladies filling in for Crystal when performed live. It seems their contractual limitations have been sorted out.

Unlike Crystal Kay tours, performances from Music Station regularly make it over to the States so I'll be sure to post it here as soon as I can get my hands on it. Seems BoA is taking the promotion for Best & USA seriously in Japan. It'd be nice if she could make an appearance in the US, though. I mean, they know who she is over there. Anyways, super excited!! ^_^ Seems I haven't seen a live Kuri performance in ages.

Universe, listen up - BoA, Crystal Kay & Verbal UNIVERSE Single

It has landed. It's been a while since I've looked forward to a single as much as I've been anticipating Universe. It sounds pretty much exactly how you think a collaboration featuring Crystal, BoA, and Verbal would: quirky, yet fierce. I love the chorus. It doesn't knock quite as hard as I would have liked, but I'm holding out hope for the HQ version. BoA took the risk of working with another female artist with more personality and the results were predictable. Crystal takes over. BoA should be shifted to the "feature" spot. Listen to Universe below. Can't wait for the video!!! ^_^

Where's Crystal Kay??? - Tour Info, New Song, & Upcoming Collab

By all appearances, Crystal Kay was gunned down in an alley immediately after shooting the ONE video. Sure, there were rumors of her going on tour in Japan since then, but if the All Yours Tour is anything to go by, no one outside of Japan would ever see any footage. So, as a disheartened Kuri fan, I decided to check her blog and official site to see if I could send flowers to her burial site. To my surprise, Crystal's alive! And apparently kicking...

Kuri did indeed tour in Japan up until the end of November. Her last concert was even broadcast on Japanese television. I still won't hold my breath, but at least that means there's hope that I may see it one day. The tracklist was posted on the TV station's website and it makes my mouth water.

1. I Can't Wait
2. It's a crime
3. Good Times
4. ITOSHIIHITO
5. こんなに近くで。。。
6. トキノカケラ
7. TIME GOES BY
8. 恋におちたら
9. Help Me Out
10. 帰り道
11. 涙のさきに
12. ONE

Crystal has also continued her collaboration with Tully's, a coffee chain, by recording a new track for her new commercial! 出会えた軌跡 [Deaeta Kiseki] (Miracle Encounter), a moody mid-tempo, is quite the departure from her last Tully's song, Dream World. You can check out the commercial here. Check out the full song below.

Finally, Kuri is set to collaborate with BoA, Verbal, and Bloodshy & Avant on the track Universe for BoA's upcoming triple A-side single. Crystal, yes. Crystal and Verbal, oh yes. Crystal, Verbal, and Bloodshy, oh hell yes!! BoA?? She's like the monkey wrench thrown into the gear. True, Verbal and BoA have worked well together in the past, but, to put it lightly, I'll be very interested to hear how BoA and Crystal mix. Kuri seems really excited about it so, here's hoping for good things. The track is slated for a February 18th release.

So, even though Color Change! didn't get the recognition it deserved, I've learned never to count Kuri out! Also, on her blog there's a countdown to her 10-year anniversary in the music business. There's something like 150 days left. I'm sure we can expect something commemorative and exciting ^_^.

Best Music Videos!

Though the last thing my last post needs is a supplement, what is music without the music video?
This list is far shorter, thank heaven, because there weren't that many great videos, I don't think. There may be more of a language issue with this list, but keep in mind, music is universal.
Here's my top five.

5. The Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani



4. Sweet Impact - BoA



3. Love Don't Cry - m-flo L♥Ves Crystal Kay

M-flo loves Crystal Kay - Love Don't Cry
Uploaded by dcbape

2. きっと永遠に (Kitto Eien Ni) - Crystal Kay



1. Candyman - Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera - Candyman
Uploaded by iroonimusic