Music Monday | HIRAIDAI — HOLIDAY

Hello my luvs!~ It’s Monday again! So I’m back with another summer themed Music Monday post! I’ll be quick today though~ I know y’all think all I listen to is Korean music, but I have a surprise for you! Today’s recommendation is another Japanese track! Today I’ll be sharing HIRAIDAI’s ‘Holiday’! It’s a fun, yet chill and smooth track that definitely fits that summer vibe~

HIRAIDAI (平井 大) was born in Tokyo on May 3, 1991. He’s been interested in music since he was 3 years old when his grandfather gave him an ukulele. He also plays guitar, loves to surf, and loves the sea. Dai also loves and was influenced by Hawaiian music. It’s definitely reflective in his music. He made his debut in May 2011 with the mini-album OHANA. He released his first full album ALOHA in 2012, where he was selected as the iTunes BEST of 2012 J-Pop Best New Artist. Again, you can see and hear the Hawaiian music influences. As for his voice, he has a smooth and gentle kind of singing voice. I feel like it fits pop and R&B pretty well. I feel like his voice and music has a very chill, and calming vibe to it. Over the years, he has changed his image and music style. At one point he switched to a more acoustic sound, and then now it’s a bit more pop with a blend of his previous styles. Honestly, I only found out about him about a year or two ago. I came across [‘Slow & Easy’], and I loved the chill and sweet vibe. Plus, he has a really nice voice that’s sweet, gentle, and calming. It’s nice to listen to. Also, as someone who loves and plays the ukulele (poorly…) I was really into it. It’s another great summer-esque track. Honestly, I’m not super familiar with him. Still, I do really like his voice and music. The more obvious Hawaiian-influenced tracks are lovely, but I like his current tracks too. Y’all know I’m really into that chill pop/r&b sound. Anyway, I definitely recommend checking out his music.

Anyway, our track for the day is ‘Holiday’ from his Life Goes On album. The album dropped back in February 2021, but I think the whole album is perfect for summer. You’ve got alot of different vibes and sounds too. From Hawaiian music influences, to pop, soul, r&b, rock, dancehall, and reggaeton. I love the ukulele sounds in the album, and I love the sounds of the ocean being added to the tracks too. The album is a pretty massive album. It’s a 2 disc album with 16 tracks. I really like “Holiday” because it has a fun, but really chill vibe to it. I also love how it opens with the ukulele, and you can hear the ukulele throughout the track. The track itself also has a pop and chill-hop sound to it. It’s just super chill and fun~ The melody and lines are really catchy too. It’s just my style~ I actually like alot of the different tracks on this album too. My favorites so far are: “Life Goes On”, “Endless Sky”, “僕が君に出来ること”, “陽のあたる場所へ”, “Girl Friend”, “Stand By Me, Stand By You”, “Sayonara”, “Holiday”, “Starbucks, You and Me”, and “Romeo+Juliet -Love Goes On-“. Oh, [“Lonely Beachy Story”] was fun too. It sounded somewhat familiar, and I couldn’t figure out why. I only just realized it gives me the same sound and vibes as Jason Dureulo’s “Savage Love”…. But yeah, that one definitely has a dancehall and reggaeton influence. But, yeah… that’s basically almost the whole damn album lolol They’re good tracks though. Like I like Japanese music, but admittedly, I don’t listen to it as much as Korean music. I used to like J-Pop alot, back in the day. However, I haven’t really gotten into as much J-Pop over the recent years. There just wasn’t alot of artists or sounds that I was into. However, HIRADAI was a pleasant surprise. I’m honestly surprised that I like this album as much as I do. I expected to maybe like just a few tracks. So yeah, I definitely recommend giving the whole album a listen~

You can find ‘Holiday’ and the Life Goes On album on Spotify, here:

You can listen to Holiday on YouTube, here:

I won’t be putting the translations for the song since it’s included in the subs on the lyrics video on YouTube. Although, I don’t like the color of the font. It kind of makes it harder to read… Anyway, it’s just simply a fun, chill, and feel-good track. It’s got a chill and relaxing vibe from the sound of the waves and the ukulele. The ukulele also provides a bright and sweet sound to the track. It’s a nice contrast to the heavier sounds of the beat and other hip-hop kind of elements of the track. Honestly, I wouldn’t have thought it worked as well as it did. So I was pleasantly surprised. The lyrics are just as chill and easy going. It mentions how hectic the world can be. Still, it’s basically about just being easy going, enjoying life and the now, and looking forward to what’s head. It’s positive kind of track~

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Anyway, that’s it for today y’all! I hope you enjoyed the track! I also do recommend checking out the rest of the album, and the rest of HIRAIDAI’s music~ If you want more tracks for those summer vibes, check out the [BAYOG Summer Vibes playlist]. Also, I do apologize for not being on top of my game with posts. If I were to be honest, I’ve just feeling alot of mixed feelings about things. I think I might have lost some confidence in blogging too. But it’s mostly that I DO want to write, but at the same time… I don’t? Part of it is the chaos of 2021 with the many sudden circumstances, being busy, and my routine schedule just being irregular the past couple of months. Another part of it might be random and minor bouts of depression with overthinking I guess. I’m just feeling alot of things. Normally, I blog cuz it helps me. But again, it’s a weird back and forth of wanting to blog, but also not. I guess I’m also just trying to reevaluate myself and my blogging style. Anyway, another quick update… I’ll be out of town this week for my cousin’s 100 day memorial service. I’m also pretty stressed and anxious about that… so that’s another reason I’m kind of a mess right now… So yeah, I might or might not post for the next week depending on how hectic it is, and how I feel… Anyway, y’all have a great day and start to your week! I hope you’re having a wonderful summer! Stay hydrated, take care, and stay safe!

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Stay safe and healthy out there, y’all.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

AS A GROUP OF BIPOC, BAYOG strongly stands with Black Lives Matter. We are all too familiar with the racism that we, our friends, and family have faced on a daily basis. Every life is precious. However, as BIPOC, we also recognize that black people are a group of people that face extreme racism and at a higher risk for their safety. We’ve individually done several donations. Of course, donations to support the cause and support change isn’t the only thing needed. Support for the cause and change also requires conversation and understanding. Make sure to have those conversations. Please remember to be an active supporter, be it through donations, sharing information, and/or conversations and speaking up.

If you can, please consider donating. I’ve donated more than once as well. For one of my donations, I donated through the BTS ARMY x BLM project. I recommend that if you’re unsure of where to donate. This is because the donation will be split amongst several different non-profit organizations. Of course, you can also choose a specific organization(s) if you wish as well. You can find that [HERE].

You can also check out the following:

• http://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co
• http://blackliveswillalwaysmatter.carrd.co
• http://saytheirnames.carrd.co

STOP ASIAN HATE

As an Asian-American, racism, xenophobia, and hate crimes against AAPI isn’t new. It’s always been around. Unfortunately, misinformation and the pandemic has caused an insane surge in racism and xenophobia. There has also been an insane rise in hate crimes. More recently, we’re seeing a surge of hate crimes against the Asian elderly. Particularly in the California and New York areas. Some cases even leading to injuries and even death. The sad thing is that many cases do not get alot of attention, or are just looked passed. It breaks my heart and is cause for concern since it affects our community. Since some of the BAYOG Crew (including myself) are Asian-Americans ourselves, I wanted to use our small platform to help in anyway. Hate, racism, and xenophobia is an ugly thing. We’re friends, in the same community, and against the same social injustices. So be kind and let’s fight these things together.

You can also check the following for more information, ways to help, & to donate:

• http://hateisavirus.org
• https://gofundme.com/AAPI
• http://advancingjustice-aajc.org
• [Donate to Different Organizations to Support AAPI Communities]
• https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co
• https://stopasianhate.carrd.co/

Please report hate crimes at Stop AAPI Hate:

• http://stopaapihate.org

Volunteer
You can see if your community has a volunteer chaperone or neighborhood watch/patrol program.
Some examples:

• Compassion in Oakland @ Oakland, California| http://compassioninoakland.org
• Safe Walks @ NYC, New York| https://safewalx.com/en/welcome
• Guardian Angels| http://guardianangels.org/volunteer
  They’re well known patrol volunteers in NYC, but they do have other branches too.

Volunteer at any other organizations that provide assistance to Asian-Americans; Particularly the elderly.
Some examples:

• Heart of Dinner @ NYC, New York| https://www.heartofdinner.org/
  An organization that supports local businesses and provides meals and care packages to the Asian elderly in NYC.