'Ichiban' is the latest single from the J-pop idol group, King & Prince. This track follows the hip-hop motif explored in their previous discography including 'Magic Touch', delving into heavier pop production.
'Ichiban' blends traditional Japanese koto with distorted hip-hop bass, making this an intriguing single that marks a new era for the group. From beginning to end, the track showcases the member's versatile vocals with a mixture of rapped and sung verses. The harshness of the instrumentation is complemented by the vocals with Ren Nagase's soft vocals immersing the listener within the backing instrumentation. What I found most surprising about this track is the group's newfound energy and fierce choreography. This new direction in sound cohesively showcases the individual member's style with the hip-hop influence moving towards a more mature sound that will appeal to a wider audience. I think this has to be one of my favourite songs of 2022 so far, and is by far by favourite King & Prince track since 'Magic Touch'.
Check out 'Ichiban' in the link above and watch the music video. (Note: unfortunately the group's music is not available in the UK, so you can only find clips of their music on YouTube).