Hina Kawago & YONAKA Band announce first CD release, jacket designed by Eric Haze
Hina Kawago & YONAKA Band will release their first CD, "YONAKA," on August 20.

Hina Kawago & YONAKA Band is the solo project of Hina Kawago, a former member of Nogizaka46 who is now also active as a model and designer. The CD will feature a total of six songs, including "When the Night Ends - YONAKA ver.," a reinterpretation of the song "When the Nights Ends" by leading Swedish DJ Manse as a progressive house number with all-English lyrics; the live staple "Ginga Tetsudou no Yoru ni"; and the title track "YONAKA," for which Kawago participated in writing the lyrics for the first time.
The jacket design was handled by graffiti artist Eric Haze, known for his artwork for the Beastie Boys and others.
Hina Kawago (Vo) Comment
For me, this album is like an emotion seeping into the quiet of the night.
It's my first mini-album as Hina Kawago.
All the songs contain the word "night," making it an album with a night theme.
The "night" in this work is not just a dark time, but a special time where you can face your own emotions.
And the band members this time are people who cherish and continue to make music while having other jobs and lives.
The lyrics and music, born from Wada-san's deep love for music, and his bass.
The drumming, where you can feel the resolve in every single one of Yamanaka-san's hits.
Tachibana-san's piano, which resonates like words.
Surrounded by these sounds, I faced my own voice and sang while imagining someone else's "night."
For the lead track "YONAKA," I also tried my hand at writing lyrics for the first time.
This song, which I wrote while searching for the words within myself, is like the core of the album.
I feel like I was able to touch upon my raw, true feelings, face myself, and it truly became "my song" in a real sense.
I have always loved the night. A time when you can be honest, without anyone watching.
You don't have to be smiling, and you don't have to act strong.
I know that there are times you can finally cry or breathe only in that kind of night.
I hope this music can gently stay by someone's side at night.
When you can't sleep or feel vaguely anxious, I hope this album can be there for you.
And I hope you can also feel the beginning of Hina Kawago & YONAKA Band.
Ayaka Yamanaka (Dr) Comment
I was given this wonderful opportunity and participated in the drum recording for all the songs on the album. It had been a while since I last recorded, but my passion for music hasn't changed, and it was the best environment where I could once again feel the joy of playing the drums. Inspired by the passion and sincere attitude toward music of Kawago-san, Wada-san, and Tachibana-san, I put my heart into every single hit.
I believe this album, which contains songs that came together through a miraculous, fateful encounter, has become a powerful work that will move the hearts of its listeners.
As I balance my daily work at a social insurance and labor consultant office with music, the time I spend facing the drums is special to me. As I continue to take on challenges in both paths, I am truly happy to be able to connect with everyone again through the drums.
Please pick up this album and feel the energy of the music!
Tetsuo Tachibana (Key) Comment
Working surrounded by people with such unique personalities and talents as Hina Kawago, Naoki Wada, and Ayaka Yamanaka was an especially passionate and irreplaceable experience in my music career.
The worldview that this conceptual band unleashes upon the world is simple yet intense, but also infinitely gentle.
Please don't hesitate to be drawn into this swamp, the likes of which you've never experienced before.
Naoki Wada (Producer, B) Comment
I became obsessed with music in my teens, and just listening wasn't enough, so I started playing sounds myself.
For me, music is my identity, my oldest friend, like my dearest family, and also a comrade I fight alongside.
That's why I've always turned those feelings into sound and words, whether I was in pain, sad, or happy.
My relationship with music has changed as I've gotten older, but music has always stayed by my side, crying, laughing, and sometimes screaming with me.
Amidst all that, I eventually came to strongly feel that I wanted to cast the sounds and words I had written down within me out into this era.
And then I met three artists—Hina Kawago, Tetsuo Tachibana, and Ayaka Yamanaka.
In them, I finally found "companions to create with."
Hina Kawago breathes soul into my words and sublimates them into beautiful melodies.
Tetsuo Tachibana brings freedom and infinite color to the sound.
Ayaka Yamanaka carves deep affection and sophisticated rhythm into the sound.
And I played bass on all the songs. I put the power to live into the sound, like the strong beat of a heart.
The songs on "YONAKA" are sprinkled with countless "forms of love" that have scattered unnoticed in the cracks of the "modern" era's darkness.
We collected them one by one and named that darkness of the heart "YONAKA."
Please listen.
I would be happy if it quietly catches on somewhere in your heart.
Hina Kawago & YONAKA "YONAKA" Tracklist
01. When the Night Ends - YONAKA ver.
02. Ginga Tetsudou no Yoru ni
03. Futatsu no Kage - YONAKA ver.
04. Good-Bye
05. YONAKA
06. Itsuka no Sotsugyou
Source: Music Natalie
*This content has been translated from Japanese into English using machine translation. We apologize for any mistakes in the current version, and will update accordingly.