Hana Hope's new song "Summertime Blues" will be aired in full on J-WAVE's "STEP ONE"

■A comment from Hana Hope will also be aired on the program.

It has been announced that Hana Hope’s new song “Summertime Blues,” which will be released digitally on August 7th, will be aired in full on J-WAVE (81.3FM)’s “STEP ONE” on July 22nd.

“Summertime Blues” is a danceable yet chill summer tune with a pleasant mix of Japanese and English. The lyrics, which describe a fleeting summer love, will take listeners back to “that summer.” It’s a must-see song that will lightly color the scorching hot summer.

The track is based on an arrangement by sound producer TOM, who has worked on arrangements and songs for many artists including SIRUP, Tokimeki Records, and Miliyah Kato, and is performed by the instrumental band Shappo, consisting of Oto Fukuhara (Gu, etc.) and Yuta Hosono (Ba, etc.), who debuted at the end of 2023 from Kakubarizm, a music label/management company known for good music.

This will be the first time that Hosono Yuta and Hana Hope have performed together in about five years since the tribute concert “Yellow Magic Children – The Genes of YMO 40 Years Later” held in 2019 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the formation of YMO. Coincidentally, the collaboration between the two next-generation groups, Shappo and Hana Hope, who made their debut in 2023, respectively, is also attracting attention.

On July 17th, new artist photos and jackets were released along with the information on the song’s release, and the creative for this work was produced by Hypebae Japan, a media outlet for women run by Hypebeast Japan, which provides information on the latest street fashion, art, design, music, etc. Julie Giesen served as the total director, and Takako Noel was in charge of stills, resulting in a highbrow creative that is unique to Hypebae.

Hana Hope will also hold a two-man live concert with Abe Fuyumi at WALL & WALL in Tokyo on August 11th. Anticipation is building for the new song to be performed soon, but first let’s check out the sound source that will be played on the radio. The program will also include a comment from Hana Hope herself.