Last Updated on 2026-02-24 by a-indie
Singer-songwriter Kanayo, originally from Kagawa Prefecture, will digitally release her 1st full album 『Fairytale』on February 25, 2026.
Kanayo is an artist who draws influence from classical music, jazz, film scores, and Nordic sounds, constructing a sonic world through her crystalline voice that feels like stepping inside a picture book.
She covers artists ranging from Thom Yorke and Billie Eilish to Japanese singer Ichiko Aoba, exploring vocal expression across both Japanese and English.
This album was given an advance listening session exclusively within the BELONG Media and A-indie Discord community. Messages received from members are featured at the end of this article.
Who Is Kanayo?
Kanayo is a singer-songwriter born in Kagawa Prefecture. She awakened to song and music in 2020, studying her own voice under the influence of Bjork, Thom Yorke, and Billie Eilish.
From 2023 she began creating and performing live primarily in Tokyo, drawing inspiration from Nordic alternative scenes, post-classical, classical, jazz, ambient, and film music to build a cinematic, narrative world.
Her music is defined by lyrics that move between English and Japanese, and a voice that carries both transparency and languor. Alongside her active live presence centered in Tokyo, she has steadily expanded her world through contributions to commercial and video projects.
Additionally, Kanayo provided vocals for the song “Rose of May” on “Midnight Jazz: Final Fantasy IX,” a commemorative album celebrating Final Fantasy IX’s 25th anniversary.
『Fairytale』
『Fairytale』is a debut album that portrays a fantastical world where dim shadows and faint light intersect — a record that sings the voices of “those who are never illuminated.”
Beginning with debut singles 「running horse」, 「lighthouse」, and 「hana no iro」released digitally from February 2025, all twelve tracks — including those three key songs — now come together as a complete 1st full album.
The warm resonance of an acoustic ensemble centered on piano, cello, and double bass, combined with lyrics that weave between English and Japanese,
and a voice that holds both an enveloping gentleness and a childlike sense of adventure, trace a one-of-a-kind story unlike anything that has come before, rendered with a handcrafted texture.
Having discovered song and music during the pandemic, she self-taught and handled all lyrics, composition, and production on every track. Her voice, moving back and forth between English and Japanese,
carries the influence of Bjork, Thom Yorke, and Billie Eilish, producing a sound entirely her own where transparency and languor are intertwined.
Composing from piano as a foundation, she pursues a spatial sound in which cello, double bass, and richly layered chorus voices build and breathe together.
Draped in classical and jazzy atmospheres, the genre-less sound world where countless elements cross over carries a fantastical air where dim shadows and faint light meet, holding a mysterious power that evokes images and stories.
On this record, Kanayo wrote all lyrics and composed all music. Ruai Takeuchi (Pf., Key.) contributed arrangements for 「foggy dew」, 「青い森：満ち欠け」, 「running horse」, and 「mermaid’s lullaby」,
while Mai Kono contributed arrangements for 「fragile」, 「invisible castle」, 「hana no iro」, 「water dance」, and 「December」.
The Meaning Behind the Album Title 『Fairytale』
The artist herself describes the themes of this work as the boundary between reality and dream — a sensation of living inside someone else’s distant memory.
A nostalgic place you feel you have been to, even though you should not know it.
The hope is that listeners will recall one of the many “somewheres” sleeping inside their hearts. That kind of “somewhere” is both a source of solace and, she hopes, a place where someone might feel they belong.
Structured like a short story collection where the scenery shifts with every page turn of an old book, this is a work that shines a light on things that have been forgotten, on those who have never been illuminated.
Advance Listening in the Discord Community
The Discord community operated by BELONG Media and A-indie holds advance listening sessions limited exclusively to trusted members.
Through a trackable distribution system using URL shortening services, the community builds close relationships with fans while keeping the risk of public leaks to a minimum.
The following comments arrived from community members, and listeners who have already immersed themselves in the fantastical world of this album are multiplying.
A strange sensation, like walking through the pages of a picture book
Music that makes me happy when it’s playing at a store or cafe you love
I felt an intimacy that makes you want to listen alone on a quiet night
The gathered comments prove that the cinematic qualities of this work are far from difficult or inaccessible — they gently accompany the listener’s heart.
We hope you will listen to this album and face the “somewhere” that exists within your own memories.
Release Details
1st Full Album 『Fairytale』
Release Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Format: Digital distribution
Label: FRIENDSHIP.
Track listing:
1. a gate
2. foggy dew
3. 青い森：満ち欠け
4. running horse
5. fragile
6. invisible castle
7. lighthouse
8. mermaid’s lullaby
9. hana no iro
10. circulus,
11. water dance
12. December
Streaming Link
Release Live Information
Event: Kanayo 1st Full Album 『Fairytale』Release Live
Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
Doors, Start: 18:30, 19:00
Venue: Grapefruit Moon, Sangenjaya, Tokyo
Tickets: Advance ¥3,700 / Door ¥4,000 + 1 drink
Performers:
Opening act: 放浪 HŌRŌ
Ryota Matsuyoshi (Syn.), Hiroto Honma (Gt.), Kaito Kira (Ba.), Kora Kajiuchi (Dr.)
Kanayo trio set
Kanayo (Vo.), Ruai Takeuchi (Pf., Key., Cho.), Kaito Kira (Ba.)
Kanayo Profile
Singer-songwriter born in Kagawa Prefecture. She awakened to song and music in 2020, studying her own voice under the influence of Bjork, Thom Yorke, and Billie Eilish. From 2023 she began creating and performing live primarily in Tokyo. Drawing inspiration from Nordic alternative scenes, post-classical, classical, jazz, ambient, and film music, she expresses a one-of-a-kind world through a cinematic storytelling vision, lyrics that move between English and Japanese, and a voice that balances transparency with languor. After releasing three consecutive singles from February 2025, she digitally releases her 1st full album 『Fairytale』on February 25, 2026.
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