Hirata Kaori – Stylish Star [Debut Single]
Hirata Kaori’s debut single, entitled Stylish Star, was released on 03.05.08. This single features a techno sound, which other artists are beginning to use as well. Kaori has put her own special cuteness on it that makes her stand out.
The title-track, Stylish Star, is a techno-pop song filled with cuteness. The song begins right off the bat with some slightly distorted vocals over a sugary techno-pop beat. The music of the first verse really stands out due to a repeated sound when she finishes a line and her voice sounds cute and at home with the beat with distortion. The chorus sounds nice and cute. The pure instrumental section is somewhat reminiscent of a video-game and really highlights the power of the instrumentation. Although the song is fairly simplistic in terms of vocals, the instrumentation is really strong and makes for an enjoyable combination.
The B-side to the single, FANTASTIC MEMORIES, is a slower techno-pop song. The track opens up with a more mellow instrumentation that begins with distorted music and soon the true music comes in with Kaori’s vocals. The arrangement leads Kaori’s vocals and she follows it perfectly. The chorus is pretty simple but it has an element of cuteness that keeps it enjoyable. The pure instrumental section is really pretty and like Stylish Star, a video-game feeling is awakened that sounds great.
To promote the single, a PV for Stylish Star was made. The video is pretty strange due to the random special effects added to it but Kaori captures the cute vibe perfectly from the outfit to the dancing. Overall a nice but strange PV as it’s pretty simple.
Single Ranking: A –
Hirata Kaori’s debut single features a cute techno-pop sound that many have begun to use as well. Stylish Star is a cute song that features a wonderful instrumentation that is unforgetttable. FANTASTIC MEMORIES picks up where Stylish Star leaves off only with a slower sound that is still very enjoyable. Both songs on the single show the true power of a strong techno instrumentation and Kaori’s style is displayed on both songs even with distorted vocals.
Amai Wana 