MONDO GROSSO, the solo project of Japanese musician Shinichi Osawa, returns with a new album of incredible collaborations featuring the cream of the Japanese music scene. Released digitally today (February 8), ‘BIG WORLD’ boasts a lineup including Ryuichi Sakamoto, Hikari Mitsushima, Mika Nakashima, Takao Tajima (Original Love), Yoshie Nakano (EGO WRAPPIN’), Asuka Saito (Nogizaka46), suis (Yorushika), PORIN (Awesome City Club), CHAI, DONGURIZU, ermhoi (Black Boboi/millennium parade) and RHYME.
Download and streaming links:
https://asab.lnk.to/mondogrosso_bigworld_digi
MONDO GROSSO ‘BIG WORLD’ special site:
https://www.shinichi-osawa.com/bigworld
The advance release in January of the track ‘IN THIS WORLD feat. Ryuichi Sakamoto’ was welcomed by fans around the world, racking up over 2 million views on YouTube. A miracle collaboration, the track features a piano performance from Ryuichi Sakamoto, with lyrics written by UA and sung by Hikari Mitsushima. This was followed by ‘FORGOTTEN (Vocals: ermhoi [Black Boboi/millennium parade］)’, a song about remembering what has been forgotten. And now, a video has been released for ‘STRANGER (Vocals: Asuka Saito [Nogizaka46])’, which shows a different side of Saito than Nogizaka46 fans might expect.
‘STRANGER (Vocals: Asuka Saito [Nogizaka46])’ music video:
Read on below for special messages from all of the participating artists!
IN THIS WORLD feat. Ryuichi Sakamoto (Vocals: Hikari Mitsushima)
“At first I was not sure what I could contribute to a song like this, but I moved my hands as I was led by the melody.” – Ryuichi Sakamoto
“When I first heard the music and read the lyrics, I was moved by how wide-open and natural they felt, and I tried to carry that feeling into my vocals and sing with love. And in the music video I got to fly, too. It’s a bittersweet but happy song filled with endless sensitivity.” – Hikari Mitsushima
FORGOTTEN (Vocals: ermhoi [Black Boboi/millennium parade］)
“A few years back, I was captivated by Hikari Mitsushima’s beautiful voice and the cool music on her previous collaboration with MONDO GROSSO, and I never imagined I’d get to participate in their wide world – but I dreamed it may be possible someday if I really believed. The lyrics ‘We’ve forgotten how to be loud, how to be proud’ are melancholic, but they resonate with me somehow, and I sang them while calmly feeling the weight of expectation. Thank you.” – ermhoi
B.S.M.F (Vocals: DONGURIZU)
“I’m so happy I could produce music with MONDO GROSSO. When I first heard the track, I felt it was a little cool, but it grew more intense and energetic as we worked on it. It’s a track that sounds great in the dark with the volume up loud, but it’s also good for sunny days. You could even blast it from your car speakers on the way to the beach with your friends.” – DONGURIZU
OH NO! (Vocals: CHAI)
“We’ve had one surprise after another since Osawa-san sent us this track! The song made us feel so many emotions; it made us consider what we wanted to express, the image of MONDO GROSSO and how we could subvert it, and how to make the song as interesting as possible. We thought about how CHAI could scream from our hearts like children, and express something ‘fun!’ and ‘strong!’ on this track. The themes on the album are extremely timely, including some parts that echo our feelings as CHAI, so it was a super exciting production. I was reminded how much fun music can be ♡ MONDO GROSS is the best! ♡ – MANA (CHAI)
LAST HEART (Vocals: suis [Yorushika])
“Thank you for this wonderful opportunity. When I first heard the demo for this song, I remember feeling an atmosphere I had never felt before, clenching my fist and saying, ‘This is a new challenge!’ Then when I received the lyrics, I felt intensely close to the music, and I felt the joy of singing something so true to my own life. I hope the lyrics I sang will reach all kinds of people, so that they can each lose themselves in the song in their own way. I’m happy to have been able to sing ‘LAST HEART’, and to have the opportunity to be heard as I really am.” – suis (Yorushika)
STRANGER (Vocals: Asuka Saito [Nogizaka46])
“The last time we collaborated was such a wonderful experience, but I didn’t expect to have the chance to work together again. ‘STRANGER’ has a shoegaze sound that is different from our previous song together, ‘Wakusei Tantra’, but I loved it from the first time I heard it, and the lyrics written by Osawa-san were easy to relate to and easy to sing. Between the song and the music video, I got to show a different side to myself than in Nogizaka46, and I’m thrilled to see how listeners react. It was a joy to participate in this project!” – Asuka Saito (Nogizaka46)
LOST PEOPLE (Vocals: Yoshie Nakano [EGO-WRAPPIN’])
“While respecting the feelings of the singer,
the singer’s thoughts,
and the best way to reach the listener,
how should the lyrics of the singer intertwine with the music?
Osawa-san knows the answer.
Because every sound in the song
exists in its right place,
there is also a right place for the lyrics.
That’s where the act of singing becomes free,
and the singer can start to dance, to smile,
to be sad, to rejoice, to tremble.
Such skill
cannot be achieved simply by hard work.
It’s a world born of Osawa-san’s strong love for music.
Having the opportunity to sing lyrics
that have their own place in the music,
I swung like a fish in the ocean.
Without hesitation,
I saw the translucent blue bottom of the universe.” – Yoshie Nakano (EGO-WRAPPIN’)
ILLUSORY REFLECTION (Vocals: Takao Tajima [Original Love])
“How long had it been since I last saw Osawa-san? It’s been so long that I don’t know how long it’s been. And yet when we reunited for this collaboration, we soon started talking about cars, and while we were in the studio we spent half the time talking about cars and the other half talking about recording! It’s surprising to me that this was only our first time to work together. Either way, it was fun, and I was happy that we are both still working hard at making music. Thanks for the nice track, Osawa!” – Takao Tajima (Original Love)
CRYPT (Vocals: PORIN [Awesome City Club])
“Collaborating with MONDO GROSSO was a major ambition of mine as a vocalist. I first met Osawa-san in 2017 when a mutual friend introduced us at a club. I proclaimed that I would do my best to reach a level where I could work together with him, and about four years later, the offer finally came. At last! I wish I could brag about it to my younger self. On ‘CRYPT’, I was able to absorb Osawa-san’s color completely, and to express myself in the exact opposite of my usual style singing pop music. It’s an ephemeral and addictive song. I hope you will hum along and move your body together with us.” – PORIN (Awesome City Club)
OVERFLOWING (Vocals: Mika Nakashima)
“It is a great honor to be able to participate in MONDO GROSSO’s new album, ‘BIG WORLD’. I’ve received songs from Osawa-san in the past, and they are always extremely, extremely cool. They are songs that my fans and I love, and they are a real treasure. It was so exciting to be able to sing a new song for the first time in a long time. I hope the album can be enjoyed by many people.” – Mika Nakashima
BIG WORLD (Vocals: RHYME)
“Wherever you are in this big world, however you heard about MONDO GROSSO, whenever you listened for the first time or the ten-thousandth time, this new album will hit your core and revive memories from the time of your childhood to this exact moment, today. This is the right time to say, ‘I love you’.” – RHYME
About the new album ‘BIG WORLD’, Shinichi Osawa comments:
“The background and the process of producing the album ‘BIG WORLD’ have become an important part of my life as a musician. I can’t even imagine where I will go from here, but I have no doubt this will be the starting point for my ‘next journey’. To everyone who was involved in making this album and to everyone who will listen to it: Thank you.” – Shinichi Osawa (MONDO GROSSO)
MONDO GROSSO ‘BIG WORLD’
Digital release: February 8, 2022
Download and streaming links: https://asab.lnk.to/mondogrosso_bigworld_digi
Physical release: February 9, 2022
CD+Blu-ray: 4,500 yen (plus tax), RZCB-87060/B (first press limited edition Digipak)
https://shop.buyee.jp/mu-mo_shop/item/rzcb-87060a
https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/RZCB-87060?s_ssid=e33ace61d9016ed636
CD: 3,000 yen (plus tax), RZCB-87061 (first press Digipak)
https://shop.buyee.jp/mu-mo_shop/item/rzcb-87061a
https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/RZCB-87061?s_ssid=e33ace61d9016ed636
CD tracklist
*Details are the same for RZCB-87060/B and RZCB-87061
- INTRO
- IN THIS WORLD feat. Ryuichi Sakamoto (Vocals: Hikari Mitsushima)
- FORGOTTEN (Vocals: ermhoi [Black Boboi/millennium parade])
- B.S.M.F (Vocals: DONGURIZU)
- OH NO! (Vocals: CHAI)
- LAST HEART (Vocals: suis [Yorushika])
- STRANGER (Vocals: Asuka Saito [Nogizaka46])
- LOST PEOPLE (Vocals: Yoshie Nakano [EGO WRAPPIN’])
- ILLUSORY REFLECTION (Vocals：Takao Tajima [Original Love])
- CRYPT (Vocals: PORIN [Awesome City Club])
- OVERFLOWING (Vocals: Mika Nakashima)
- BIG WORLD (Vocals: RHYME)
Blu-ray tracklist (RZCB-87060/B only)
1. IN THIS WORLD feat. Ryuichi Sakamoto (Vocals: Hikari Mitsushima) music video
- STRANGER (Vocals: Asuka Saito [Nogizaka46]) music video
- FORGOTTEN (Vocals: ermhoi [Black Boboi/millennium parade]) music video
MONDO GROSSO profile
MONDO GROSSO made their major-label debut in 1993 with Shinichi Osawa as the band leader and bassist, touring Europe as part of the worldwide acid-jazz movement. The band broke up in 1996, and Osawa continued to use the name as a solo artist. Since then, he continued to innovate musically and released hit albums such as ‘MG4’, which included ‘LIFE feat. bird’, and ‘NEXT WAVE’, which included ‘Everything Needs Love feat. BoA’, before halting activities in 2003. 2017 brought the first new album release in 14 years, ‘Nando Demo Atarashiku Umareru’. Unconventional collaborations with Hikari Mitsushima, Asuka Saito (Nogizaka46) and AiNA THE END (BiSH) captured the attention of music fans, and the music video for ‘Labyrinth’, sung by Mitsushima, gained over 31 million views on YouTube. In 2021, the hits collection ‘MONDO GROSSO OFFICIAL BEST’ traced the trajectory of MONDO GROSSO over the past 30 years.