jo0ji’s new song “Lantern” was released for digital distribution on January 31 (Wednesday), and the music video was simultaneously unveiled on YouTube at 8:00 PM on the same day.
The song, which is the first work since the EP “475” released in September 2023, was written by jo0ji himself and arranged by Shingo Sekiguchi, a guitarist and producer of Ovall. The jacket was also designed by jo0ji himself and depicts a lighter as a motif.
The music video was directed by the creative unit Margt, following the “≒” video also included in “475. The video features a fantastic image of jo0ji standing in a forest surrounded by countless lanterns, playing the piano and talking. In the summary section of the music video, he writes “I’ve recently come to think that people die more easily than you might think.
jo0ji is the son of a fisherman from Tottori Prefecture, Japan, who still works at a fishing port. jo0ji started his career in 2022 by releasing a song he created for a friend, “Fuyutsu ni Hana” on YouTube, and in November 2023, he participated in the NiEW-sponsored In November 2023, he performed at the free admission music event “exPoP!!!!!” hosted by NiEW. He has also been featured in Spotify’s “RADAR: Early Noise 2024” and Amazon’s “Breakthrough Japan: Artists to Watch in 2024”.
