Tokyo based R&B Producer and singer-songwriter VivaOla has gathered his frequent collaborators of rising rap artists Wez Atlas and Jua for a new track “Ghost.” The new track released on May 25, 2022 through Hip Land Music is the trio’s third collaboration song together following their previous songs “NEO EGO” and “Vise Le Haut” The latter also being remixed by Grammy-nominated producer StarRo.
VivaOla’s hypnotic melody meshes well with his production to highlight the different lyrical flows of his counterparts Wez Atlas and Jua. The lyrics in the chorus offer words of advice to a loved one who could be in a broken relationship or going through hardship.
On the song VivaOla states: “We really just wanted to make a great song this time around. I’ve noticed lately that a lot of us struggle to practice self-love, especially during these pandemic times. In other words, you become who you surround yourself with and due to all the craziness in the world, it’s so important to love yourself and keep in the company of those who love you for who you are.”
Each of the three artists have been active writing, recording, and touring. VivaOla released his debut full length album Juliet is the moon in 2021, as well as producing and writing music with other artists. Jua recently was featured on the ermoi remixed track of Sen Morimoto’s “Love, Money Pt. 2”. And Wez Atlas recently released his single “(Da Da Da) Day Ones” featuring singer Sagiri Sól.
The video was shot at a collapsed resort facility in Fukushima, Japan. In this video, VivaOla, Wez Atlas and Jua give their own respective interpretations of the main theme of the lyrics written by VivaOla, which is „I felt that it was time to take a fresh look at myself and my surroundings, since our surroundings are a mirror of ourselves”. As a result, the video is divided into three separate concepts, with three different approaches of the lyrics theme.
Bios
VivaOla
VivaOla is an alternative R&B singer-songwriter and producer.He was born in Korea and raised in Tokyo, Japan. He initially garnered attention with the release of his self-produced mini-album „STRANDED” in June 2020, securing a Top 10 spot on J-WAVE’s “TOKIO HOT 100” chart. He also graced the cover of Spotify’s editorial playlist „Soul Music Japan“. In September 2021, VivaOla dropped his first full-length album “Juliet is the moon”, featuring a variety of guest artists including YonYon, ZIN and starRo. On Spotify, VivaOla was selected as the cover artist for three playlists in a single week: „New Music Wednesday,“ „Edge!“ and „J-Pop Shinkansen“.
Wez Atlas
Wez Atlas is a hip-hop artist based in Tokyo, Japan. Switching between his two native languages English and Japanese, Atlas laments his everyday struggles over melodious hooks and potent lyrics. “Overthink” is a crowd favorite, for its relatable one-liners about the complexities of the mind. The song is a part of his first mini-album “Chicken Soup For One”, released in July 2021. The vulnerability that Atlas shows in his lyrics sets him apart from the typical braggadocious rapper, and conveys a sense of transparency in his music.
Jua
Jua is a rapper and model born in Hawaii and raised in Kyoto (Japan). He is of Japanese, French and Cameroonian origins.His work, interlacing Japanese, French and English, is reminiscent of the music of his father B-Bandj, the multilingual rapper known for recording many albums with jazz bands Mondo Grosso and FU-TEN.Performing as a solo artist, he has shared the stage with major Japanese artists in and outside the Hip-Hop scene, such as soul band WONK, popular rock band King Gnu’s leader Tsuneta, or jazz musicians such as Naruyoshi Kikuchi or Yusuke Hirado. As frontman of the funk&hiphop band ALI, he participated in the opening song of the anime „Beastars“ on TV and Netflix.
