Hakushi Hasegawa Covers Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime,” Apple Music Exclusive

Tokyo-based artist Hakushi Hasegawa shares a festive cover of Paul McCartney’s famous “Wonderful Christmastime” just in time for the holiday season. Earlier this year, Hakushi became the first Japanese artist signed to LA’s renowned Brainfeeder, releasing their single “Mouth Flash (Kuchinohanabi)” for the label featuring bass by the super-talented Sam Wilkes (Leaving Records). A few days later, Hakushi blew fans away making their debut at the iconic music festival Fuji Rock in Japan.

Hakushi shares their inspiration behind the cover: “I chose this song not only because it is my favorite Christmas song that comes to mind, but also because I was touched once again by how broad the lyrics are. When I was asked to participate in this project, I wanted to be close to more diverse forms of life. Even if we are in the midst of sadness and despair, even if we do not have comfortable relationships with society and people, even if we cannot go home because of work, Christmas comes equally to all of us. Especially when we sing about ‘Holidays’, the joyless times are often overlooked. But I didn’t want to ignore it. I wanted to sing to all of you. And with this song, I thought I could sing to none other than you. I hope this cover will be close to you. Please stay healthy!”

Consistent with Brainfeeder’s ethos of seeking out artists operating outside the confines of genre since the label started in 2008, Hakushi’s music is tricky to categorize as it straddles a few genres: alternative, electronic, jazz, pop/J-pop. Sometimes it’s pretty, at times it’s very intense and fast-paced. Releasing music since 2018, they’ve already made a name for themselves domestically in Japan with a string of wonderfully wild releases and started to build a cult following internationally. Collabs to date have included Kid Fresino, yuigot, TOKYOSKA PARADISE ORCHESTRA, Yukichikasaku/men, and Eye from Boredoms.

HAKUSHI HASEGAWA ONLINE
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