Connetta
Encyclopedia
Connetta is the second studio album of Japanese singer and actress Ami Suzuki
on the Avex Trax
label. It is the first album released from the "Join" project of Suzuki, that consisted of collaborations with different artists and different genres.
released in December 2005. The subsequent singles released in 2006, "Alright!" and "Like a Love?
", were released as solo singles as well, though the later became noticed by the media mainly because it was the first musical composition made by Ai Otsuka
for another artist besides herself. The first proper "Join" singles were "O.K. Funky God
", "Peace Otodoke!!
" and "Sore mo Kitto Shiawase", which were released between February 27 and March 14, 2007.
For the different collaborations Suzuki worked for the first time in her career with indie pop
(Hideki Kaji, Ayano Tsuji), indie rock
(Scoobie Do, Norhtern Bright) and experimental
(Buffalo Daughter) artists, making this album the most risky in terms of music, as Connetta went a little farther from the regular J-Pop genre she used to sing through all her career.
. Each one of the three "Join" CD singles "O.K. Funky God", "Peace Otodoke!!" and "Sore mo Kitto Shiawase" included the narration drama tracks "7 Days Before", "The Days Before" and "The Days After", which served as preludes for the 30-minute short film which was later included in the bonus DVD of the album (in the A Type version).
The short film tells the story of an art
student (Ami) who is worried because she has not inspiration for drawing a new painting. Her classmate (Kōji, played by Onoue) invites her to help painting a mural for a sempai, and once she gets there and starts helping something begins to change within her.
Some of the musicians that collaborated in the Connetta album made cameo appearances in the short film, like the members of THC!!, MoOog Yamamoto from Buffalo Daughter, and Hitoshi Arai from Norhtern Bright. Arai even performed an acoustic version of "Everything To Me" in a scene.
Ami Suzuki
is a female singer, songwriter, actress and DJ from Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.Having been discovered at the talent TV show Asayan, Suzuki was one of the most popular female singers as an idol in the late 1990s....
on the Avex Trax
Avex Trax
, listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7860 and abbreviated as AGHD, is the holding company for a group of entertainment-related subsidiaries based in Japan...
label. It is the first album released from the "Join" project of Suzuki, that consisted of collaborations with different artists and different genres.
Background
Connetta was first album from the "Join" project of Suzuki, which consisted of collaborations with different artists and different musical genres. However, the first singles released were not originally part of the "Join" project, since this idea originally started at the beginning of 2007. Short time after the release of the first Avex album, Around The World, Suzuki introduced her then new song Fantastic at the encore of her 2005 live tour. The song was later released as a single in February 2006. "Crystal" and "To Be Free" were included in the christmas single Little CrystalLittle Crystal
-Personnel:* Ami Suzuki - vocals* Yoshihisa Tokuda - backing vocals* Yumi Kawamura - backing vocals* Kazuhito Kikuchi - acoustic guitar* Kiku - acoustic guitar* Norio Nakagawa - strings arrangement* Yauko - strings arrangement* Takehito Shimuzu - guitar...
released in December 2005. The subsequent singles released in 2006, "Alright!" and "Like a Love?
Like a Love?
"Like a Love?" is the eighth single released by Japanese singer Ami Suzuki under label Avex Trax. It was released in July 2006.-Information:On June 28, 2006, it was announced that "Like a Love?" would be composed by Ai Otsuka, a popular J-pop singer...
", were released as solo singles as well, though the later became noticed by the media mainly because it was the first musical composition made by Ai Otsuka
Ai Otsuka
is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and actress from Suminoe-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. She is a popular artist on the Avex Trax label and is best known for her 2003 hit "Sakuranbo," which stayed in the Top 200 Oricon Weekly Singles Chart for 103 weeks.A piano...
for another artist besides herself. The first proper "Join" singles were "O.K. Funky God
O.K. Funky God
-Charts:Oricon Sales Chart...
", "Peace Otodoke!!
Peace Otodoke!!
"Peace Otodoke!!" is the tenth single released by Japanese singer Ami Suzuki under label Avex Trax. It was released on 7 March 2007.-Information:"Peace Otodoke!!" would be the second of the three collaboration Weekly single to be released...
" and "Sore mo Kitto Shiawase", which were released between February 27 and March 14, 2007.
For the different collaborations Suzuki worked for the first time in her career with indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
(Hideki Kaji, Ayano Tsuji), indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
(Scoobie Do, Norhtern Bright) and experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
(Buffalo Daughter) artists, making this album the most risky in terms of music, as Connetta went a little farther from the regular J-Pop genre she used to sing through all her career.
Track listing
Singles
| Date | Title | Peak position | Weeks | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 December 2005 | "Little Crystal Little Crystal -Personnel:* Ami Suzuki - vocals* Yoshihisa Tokuda - backing vocals* Yumi Kawamura - backing vocals* Kazuhito Kikuchi - acoustic guitar* Kiku - acoustic guitar* Norio Nakagawa - strings arrangement* Yauko - strings arrangement* Takehito Shimuzu - guitar... " |
22 | 9 | 16,115 |
| 8 February 2006 | "Fantastic Fantastic (song) "Fantastic" is the sixth single released by Japanese singer Ami Suzuki under Avex Trax released on 8 February 2006, in three formats, the two traditional CD and CD+DVD edition versions with the B-side track, and a Limited Edition version without the B-side track.-Information:"Fantastic" is a... " |
14 | 5 | 20,213 |
| 17 May 2006 | "Alright!" | 17 | 6 | 16,200 |
| 26 July 2006 | "Like a Love? Like a Love? "Like a Love?" is the eighth single released by Japanese singer Ami Suzuki under label Avex Trax. It was released in July 2006.-Information:On June 28, 2006, it was announced that "Like a Love?" would be composed by Ai Otsuka, a popular J-pop singer... " |
23 | 4 | 12,980 |
| 28 February 2007 | "O.K. Funky God O.K. Funky God -Charts:Oricon Sales Chart... " |
47 | 1 | 3,699 |
| 7 March 2007 | "Peace Otodoke!! Peace Otodoke!! "Peace Otodoke!!" is the tenth single released by Japanese singer Ami Suzuki under label Avex Trax. It was released on 7 March 2007.-Information:"Peace Otodoke!!" would be the second of the three collaboration Weekly single to be released... " |
46 | 1 | 3,614 |
| 14 March 2007 | "Soremo kitto shiawase Soremo kitto shiawase "Soremo kitto shiawase" is the eleventh single released by Japanese singer Ami Suzuki under label Avex Trax. It was released on 14 March 2007.-Information:"Soremo kitto shiawase" would be the third of the three collaboration Weekly single to be released... " |
49 | 1 | 2,790 |
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
Sales | Time in chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oricon Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... Weekly Albums |
26 | 12,000+ copies sold | 3+ weeks |
Short drama: Join
The "Join" project was not only related to music. A short story entitled "Join" was also made, written and directed by Kazuya Shiraishi, and starring Suzuki and Hiroyuki OnoueHiroyuki Onoue
', born July 16, 1985, is a Japanese actor from Osaka Prefecture.-TV Drama:*When the Last Sword Is Drawn*Doremi Sora*Teru Teru Kazoku*Medaka*Shin Akakabu Kenji Funsenki*Piano*Byakuyakou *Tsunagareta Asu...
. Each one of the three "Join" CD singles "O.K. Funky God", "Peace Otodoke!!" and "Sore mo Kitto Shiawase" included the narration drama tracks "7 Days Before", "The Days Before" and "The Days After", which served as preludes for the 30-minute short film which was later included in the bonus DVD of the album (in the A Type version).
The short film tells the story of an art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
student (Ami) who is worried because she has not inspiration for drawing a new painting. Her classmate (Kōji, played by Onoue) invites her to help painting a mural for a sempai, and once she gets there and starts helping something begins to change within her.
Some of the musicians that collaborated in the Connetta album made cameo appearances in the short film, like the members of THC!!, MoOog Yamamoto from Buffalo Daughter, and Hitoshi Arai from Norhtern Bright. Arai even performed an acoustic version of "Everything To Me" in a scene.
Credits
- Ami Suzuki - Ami
- Hiroyuki Onoue： - Kōji
- Keisuke Horibe - Kamiki
- Ryu Morioka - Ryu
- Ayaka KomatsuAyaka KomatsuAyaka Komatsu is a Japanese model/actress. She was born on July 23, 1986 in Ichinoseki, Iwate Prefecture.-Modeling career:Her modeling agency is Amuse inc. She was a regular model of the now defunct Candy magazine...
- Yukako - Narumi Konno - Haruka
- Kaohiko Kaoda - Yamadera
- Shiho Harumi - Kobayatsu
Personnel
- Director, Script: Kazuya Shiraishi
- Photography: Atsushi Fukumoto
- Illumination: Tokumitsu Ichikawa
- Art: Ryuji Noguchi
- Audio Recording: Takenori Misawa
- Stylist: Mie Egashira
- Hair & Make-up: Yuki Asano
- Assistant director: Kaoru Ogino
- Production Chief: Yuya Satoyoshi
- Line Producer: Hijiri Taguchi
- Associate Producer: Shinsuke Higuchi