Japan’s sensational music duo YOASOBI, with the newly released English cover of their debut single, may soon revolutionize English learning in Japan. The music duo, who shot to fame in 2020, surprised fans with the stunning release of the English version of its long-running hit “Yoru Ni Kakeru”, or “Racing into the Night” on July 2. News of the release has been tweeted and re-tweeted a gazillion times, with fans and, not least, English learners, “racing” to download and to listen to the song “well into the night”. 

Hollywood is everyone’s “best” language buddy? 

That said, I have heard it said many times in my life that watching Hollywood movies and listening to English songs are two of the best ways of learning or improving your English. This begs the question: Does binge-watching all 10 seasons of “FRIENDS” or playing Taylor Swift’s greatest hits on Spotify on repeat really work for everyone? The answer is that “it doesn’t” – at least not in Japan. The reason is simple: Japanese people – young and old – listen more to domestic artists than they do American or foreign singers in general. Just pop into any karaoke bar in Tokyo, and you will hear 60(exaggerated!!) different renditions of YOASOBI’s “Yoru Ni Kakeru” seeping through the walls of the poorly soundproofed rooms. It would not be surprising to see a best-selling (English) single worldwide losing out to a domestic Japanese one, such as “Gurenge” by LiSA. But there has always been one problem: Unlike K-Pop songs, J-Pop hits rarely get covered in English or other foreign languages, considering the sheer size of the domestic market. 

YOASOBI’s songs are “revolutionary”? 

YOASOBI’s first English cover could not only revolutionize English learning but also transform Japan’s music scene. For most English learners, the very idea of singing and, sometimes, merely listening to English songs could be a frightening one. On the flip side, singing your favorite songs by your favorite Japanese artist(s) in English may sound much less nerve-wracking – and more enjoyable –to most people. Familiarity is the answer here. It goes without saying that all human beings feel comfortable doing things that they are familiar with. At the end of the day, an English cover is just a foreign version of a domestic song composed by Japanese with a Japanese mindset. In other words, nothing but the language has changed, yet such familiarity may well serve as a key driver of an unprecedented wave of English learning in Japan.

Key Vocabulary 
Sensational (adjective): 人騒がせな
Rendition (noun): 演奏
Revolutionize (verb): に大変革を起こす
Unprecedented (adjective): 空前の
Stunning (adjective): 魅力的な
Binge-watching (verb): 一気見

Author

Name: Brian Yap
Nationality : Canadian
Education : 
M.A. in Pacific Asian Studies, SOAS University of London (SOAS: School of Oriental & African Studies)
Past Work Experience :
- Tokyo Correspondent - Bloomberg Industry Group (An affiliate of  Bloomberg L.P)
- Asia Reporter (Hong Kong-based) - International Financial Law Review, UK-listed Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC
- General News Reporter (Internship) - Thomson Reuters Corporation
Areas of journalism : 
Sports, Entertainment, Politics, Finance, Trade, Business. etc

著者:
Brian Yap ブライアン・ヤップ
学歴:
クワントレン工科大学の新聞学科 (バンクーバー、カナダ)
ロンドン大学東洋アフリカ学院の太平洋研究科 (ロンドン、イギリス)
職歴:
ブルームバーグBNAー東京特派員
ユーロマネー・インスティテューショナル・インベスターアジアレポーター
トムソン・ロイター (インターン) レポーター (香港支社)
報道の経験/分野:
スポーツ、娯楽、政治、金融、貿易、ビジネス

Brian講師が活躍するスパルタ英会話法人部HP：
https://corp.spartan-english.jp/

3ヶ月で英語が話せるようになるスクール スパルタ英会話HP：
https://spartan-english.jp/