Japanese pop outfit UQiYO has released a dreamy pop collab single ‘lo V er’ with Singaporean artist MARICELLE.

UQiYO is a Japanese music project started by Yuqi Kato (vocals) and Satoshi Shimada (drums & percussion) in 2010 and well versed in rock, ethnic music and jazz. The music, which takes its name from the word “ukiyo”(a floating world), blends in with everyday life, while its ‘sound image’ and ‘philosophy’ transports the listener to the extraordinary.

Having collaborated with many outstanding creators in the music and art industry, UQiYO has an upcoming album which will include the single ‘lo Ver’, as well as other collaborations from artists in Southeast Asia. The album is slated to be released in Q1 of 2021. 

UQiYO is no stranger to Southeast Asia, with their previous single, ‘FLy’ released under Umami Records at the start of 2020.

As if they already felt the world’s momentum before the COVID-induced lockdown, UQiYO came up with the idea of a song expressing,

“Being physically separated from loved ones, but connecting the heart and soul by transcending time and space”. 

Having met in Japan before the COVID pandemic, both UQiYO and MARICELLE used one of UQiYO’s unfinished loop tracks, and recorded the single in separate rooms without seeing each other’s faces. 

UQiYO shares,

“I wondered what kind of colour we would be able to produce if we were to put all our energy into a bucket of paint.”

“The purpose of making separate rooms for the recording was so that there was a completely different sound in terms of quality of the speakers and what was heard was only the vocals which came and went into each other’s rooms. At first one might feel a sense of discomfort in this sound phase (if we can call it that), but as we gradually progress in the song, we hope that listeners will be able to notice our succession in feeling the love that has transcended through time and space.”

‘lo V er’ takes on an effortless approach to melody and vocals coupled together which will leave you engrossed from the start to finish of the song.