MusicRatty: [single] Ken Hirai

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[single] Ken Hirai - POP STAR

2008-02-20 04:55:55 by Lex in Beyond the Sea

SINGLE REVIEW
Ken Hirai - POP STAR

1. POP STAR
2. Tameiki Kippu
3. POP STAR ~less vocal~

This is Ken Hirai’s 23rd single and it was released on October 26, 2005. This single reached #1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and it has sold around 224,000 copies. The title track was used as the theme song for the drama Kiken na Aneki.

Ummm…surprise! I JUST found out that POP STAR is going to be the opening track on Ken Hirai’s latest album FAKIN’ POP which is out in March so I just had to review the single. I’ve always wanted to review the single anyway so here you go everyone!
I remember when I first heard this song over 2 years ago and being really surprised right from the beginning when Hirai sings that I wanna be a pop star! line. POP STAR is a really cheery track with lots of upbeat synth and it’s very much a lively pop song. The lyrics aren’t about being a pop star like I first thought, but they’re actually a declaration of love, the “pop star” phrase being a metaphor for falling in love.

The B-side is the gorgeous ballad Tameiki Kippu. The strings that open the song are lovely and flow into Hirai’s calm vocals. I loved the accumulation of the music as it slowly builds up to the chorus, where all the strings and additional instruments suddenly surge. It all sounded really beautiful in the end, especially with Hirai giving an excellent vocal performance.

Overall Grade: A+

DOWNLOAD: POP STAR | Tameiki Kippu