Skip to main content
NEWS EVENT SPECIAL SERIES

C­O­N­T­R­I­B­U­T­O­R­S

Contributors who create NiEW together.

Ryohei Matsunaga

#MUSIC

Born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1968. Started writing with the music magazine "Rhythm & Pencil," which he started with his friends. His books include "Boku no Heisei Pants Socks Shoes Songbook," "20th Century Greatest Hits," "Koizumi Single" (a book accompanying Kyoko Koizumi's best album "Koizumi Chronicle"), "Music Manga Guidebook" as an editor, and books he edited include Goro Nakagawa and Hiroshi Nagai's "Friends Like Music," Ichiro Asazuma's "Hit is Everything," Masao Onose's "Guitarist Daikokuurai," and "Rock Gaho/Kakubarizumu Special Issue. He has also translated Terry Southern's "Red Dirt Marijuana" and Brian Wilson's "The Autobiography of Brian Wilson.

Noise Machida

#MUSIC

Graduated from the Faculty of Humanities at Yamaguchi University, and began her writing career in 2012. He has planned, interviewed, and written mainly about music, movies, and storytelling, and has worked for OKMusic, M-On Entertainment, CINRA.NET, and Billboard JAPAN before going freelance. In parallel, he organizes the crossover culture event “FREAK SMILE” and other entertainment projects. His favorite band is Yurayura Teikoku. His favorite actor is Sanyutei Mantachibana, his favorite adult is Tamagawa Taifuku, and his most envied performer is Sakamoto Yorimitsu.

Yoko Hasada

#MOVIE

Born in 1987. Writer and editor. In addition to writing interviews and columns mainly on gender and feminism, she also conducts interviews on movies, idols, books, and other culture-related topics. Her main publications include "BRUTUS," "anan," "QuickJapan," "CINRA," and "me and you." She writes a manga column for QJweb and a movie column on Sisterhood for PINTSCOPE. She is also involved in writing and editing movie pamphlets, and her major works include "21st Century Girl" and "Eien ga Tsukijikko Suru Ikuru" (Eternity is Passing By).
HP: http://yokohasada.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/yoko_hasada

Maki Shibata

#MUSIC

Born in 1997, Aquarius. From Nishiogikubo on the Chuo Line to Seijogakuenmae on the Odakyu Line.Writing for Musicman, ANTENNA, and other publications. X|Instagram 

Yuga

#MUSIC

Yugawa began her career as a singer-songwriter in 2011, releasing her first full-length album “Tabiji” in 2015; in 2022, she produced the album “On a Night Without Words” with her ally, the members of the Magical Band, and performed at tour live shows and festivals throughout Japan. As Yuuga with Magical Band, he sang the theme song and accompaniment for the NHK drama “Tsukihoku no Yoru wa” and released the soundtrack “Tsukihoku no Yoru wa” for distribution in March 2023. 4 September 2024, he released his 4th album “Love Deluxe”. Her wide-ranging activities include narrating and singing for TV commercials, sound logos, and musicals. She is also active as Jane Jade with Sakura Fujiwara and Yuga.

Ryota Bando

#MOVIE

Born on May 24, 1997 in Hokkaido, Japan, he made his acting debut in 2017, winning the “32nd Japan Film Critics Award” for Best New Actor for the film “Futari no Sekai” in 2022. His recent major film credits include the movies “Haru ni Sasaru” (2023), “Bakanuri no Musume” (2023), “Ichigatsu no Koe ni Joy o Kakume” (2024), “Wakamusha” (2024), and the dramas “Yakushi no Yakushi” (TBS), “What did you eat yesterday? season2” (TX), “RoOT / Route, 366 Days” (CX). His waiting films include “Sisa” (Sept. 13), “Fureru” (Oct. 4), and “Sisa” (Sept. 13). (released on October 4), “Kimi no Forgotten” (starring, released on January 17, 2013), and the drama “Lion's Lair” (TBS, Oct.).

Nayuta Osanai

#MOVIE

Film and foreign drama writer. An "independent theatergoer" working as a playwright, director, and actor in the small theater scene in Tokyo. He continues to watch mainly American movies and TV series.

Tomonori Shiba

#MUSIC

Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1976. Music journalist. After graduating from Kyoto University's Faculty of Integrated Human Studies, he worked for Rocking On before going independent. He is active in a wide range of activities, including interviews and writing in the fields of culture and business, with a focus on music, as well as regular appearances on TV and radio. He is the author of "Heisei no hit songs" (Shincho-shinsho), "The collapse of hits" (Kodansha Gendai Shinsho), "Why did Hatsune Miku change the world? (Ota Publishing), and co-author of "Vocaloid Song Guide: 100 Masterpieces" (Seikaisha Shinsho) and "Shibuya Music Zukan" (Ota Publishing).
Blog "Daily Tones and Words” http://shiba710.hateblo.jp/
Twitter:@shiba710 
note : https://note.com/shiba710/

Koike Grunge

#MUSIC

Graduated from the Oil Painting Department of Aichi Prefectural University of the Arts in 2005. After devoting himself to music, he was responsible for the illustrations of "Unko Drill" (Bunkyosha) and the background art of "Nyanchu! Planetarium Chuu!". Around 2021, he resumed oil painting for the first time since graduating from university.

Tomoaki Baba

#MUSIC

Born in Sapporo, Hokkaido in 1992. Enrolled in Berklee College of Music in 2011. After graduating, he is based in New York. After returning to Japan in 2020, he has focused on leader projects and released three leader albums, including "ELECTRIC RIDER" (2024). In the animated film "BLUE GIANT" to be released in 2023, he played the saxophone of the main character, Dai Miyamoto.

Yuka Ochiai

#MUSIC

Born in Gunma, Japan in 1994 and currently lives in Tokyo. Dropped out of Nihon University College of Art, Department of Photography.
In 2018, became independent after working as an assistant; in 2024, became independent as a retoucher after working for a retouching production for 5 years. Lives with three shelter cats.

junichi nagai

#MUSIC

Born in 1977 in Hyogo Prefecture. Associate Professor, Faculty of Sociology, Kansai International University. D. (Sociology). Specializes in sociology of music and media studies. Travels to music festivals around the world to study their relationship with society. He is the author of “Rock Festivals Sociology: On Festivals in Individualized Society” (2016, Minerva Shobo), co-author of “How Have We Faced Western Music” (2019, Hanaden-sha), “How Have We Faced Western Music? (2019, Kaden-sha), and “Critical Word: Expanding and Renewing Popular Music ” (2023, Filmart-sha).

RECOMMEND

NiEW’S PLAYLIST

NiEW recommends alternative music🆕

NiEW Best Music is a playlist featuring artists leading the music scene and offering alternative styles in our rapidly evolving society. Hailing from Tokyo, the NiEW editorial team proudly curates outstanding music that transcends size, genre, and nationality.

EVENTS