Whatever K-pop can do… J-pop did it already!
Straight from the streets of Kobe comes KOBE KIDZ! This hunky boy band brings style, looks, attitude and some completely off the charts moves!

Enjoy Kenji, Hiro, Riku and Yoshi’s debut EP Kandy. .

Our guys are Kenji, a twenty year old lead singer who says he loves seafood and his mum and dad; Hiro, also twenty and lifelong friends with Kenji. Hiro says his favourite things to do are sing, dance and sleep! Then we have the youngest guy, Riku, just seventeen and a dance specialist as well as martial arts advocate! Finally, mysterious and brooding Yoshi, the old man of the band at twenty one. Yoshi is the rap exponent in the band and his interests are doing up classic cars and motorcycles, as well as learning to cook as many international cuisines as he can.

Kobe Kandy is the all-Japanese vocals opener. Sung by Kenji and supported by Riku, it’s their first ever recorded track, and is an irreverent homage to all things Japanese.

Second off the rack is You’ll Call. A broody, darker pop track, this one is in English and lead vocals are from Hiro, with chorus from Yoshi.

We go upbeat for track three, titled Amazing. This is designed entirely for dancing and burning up energy! Vocals by Riku (verses) and Kenji (chorus), rapping from Yoshi and Hiro with a surprise verse from Yoshi!

Track four is the hi-energy pop track Deja Vu. Another dance-orientated number, lead vocals are shared by buddies Kenji and Hiro.

Next comes the whimsical Mama. This is a more emotive number aimed at nostalgia for home. The lyrics are aimed at being a child pretending to run away from home but always coming back to a loving, warm Mama. Lead vocals are by Kenji, Riku, Hiro AND Yoshi, and feature the vocal extrapolations of newcomer female vocal trio The Blossom Belles, who also hail from Kobe, Japan. You’ll spot that the verses are in English but the choruses are in Japanese.

Final track is the big ballad It’s Time For Me To Go. This is the tale of the boys’ decision to relocate from the bustle of Kobe to the relatively freer spaces of New Zealand’s biggest city, Auckland.

Kandy was written, recorded and produced by Jack G at Featherston, New Zealand’s Underhill Studios, using SoundTrap Recording Suite. Released on Flash-Trax. As always, the music is real – no AI!