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Maaya Sakamoto to Sing Theme Songs of Two Anime Starting in January

33rd Double A-Side Single “Mada Tooku ni Iru / un_mute” Out on January 25, 2023

Maaya Sakamoto has announced her 33rd single!

Following her previous single “Sumire / Kotoba ni Dekinai,” this new single will also be released as a double tie-up. The first song will be “Mada Tooku ni Iru,” the ED theme for the WOWOW original anime Hikari no Ō. Hikari no Ō is an anime adaption of a fantasy novel by Rieko Hinata directed by Junji Nishimura, who also directed Kyo kara Maoh!, with Mamoru Oshii in charge of composition and screenplay. Sakamoto wrote the lyrics to “Mada Tooku ni Iru” herself and will also voice the character Akira in the anime.

The other song is “un_mute,” the ED theme for the TV anime REVENGER, which will also begin airing in January. REVENGER is the first original anime in 10 years by Gen Urobuchi (Nitroplus), who has written the scripts for such blockbusters as Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Psycho-Pass.

The songs are rich in mystery, fantasy, and exoticism—a return to Sakamoto's roots—making for an epic double A-side single with the ED themes of two popular anime.

Also included as a coupling song is “Konna Hi ga Kuru Nante,” written by Maaya Sakamoto and arranged by Katsutoshi Kitagawa and acane_madder. In contrast to the title tracks, this is a girly pop song bursting with cuteness, which allows the listener to enjoy two different aspects of Maaya Sakamoto's charm.

The Limited First Edition will come with a bonus CD containing 11 songs from Maaya Sakamoto LIVE 2022 “un_mute,” which was held at Tokyo International Forum Hall A on November 26 and 27, 2022.

A music video (short version) has also been released for “Mada Tooku ni Iru.”
https://youtu.be/87xjv1Z4k40

Product information
Title: Mada Tooku ni Iru / un_mute
Artist: Maaya Sakamoto
Release date: January 25, 2023
Limited First Edition: VTZL-220 / ¥3,300 (inc. tax)
Regular Edition: VTCL-35349 / ¥1,540 (inc. tax)

Tracks
1. Mada Tooku ni Iru (ED Theme of Hikari no Ō)
Lyrics: Maaya Sakamoto, Composition: Umuya Aneta, Sayuri Horishita, Arrangement: Umuya Aneta 2. un_mute (ED Theme of REVENGER)
Lyrics: Yuho Iwasato, Composition: SIRA, Arrangement: Shin Kōno
3. Konna Hi ga Kuru Nante
Lyrics/Composition: Maaya Sakamoto, Arrangement: Katsutoshi Kitagawa, acane_madder 4. Mada Tooku ni Iru -Instrumental
5. un_mute -Instrumental
6. Konna Hi ga Kuru Nante -Instrumental

Limited First Edition bonus CD
The bonus CD will include 11 songs from Maaya Sakamoto LIVE 2022 “un_mute” at Tokyo International Forum Hall A on November 26 and 27, 2022.

Distribution information
Available on streaming services and major download sites such as the iTunes Store, RecoChoku, and mora from January 25, 2023.

Streaming services: Apple Music, LINE MUSIC, Amazon Music Unlimited, AWA, KKBOX, Rakuten Music, TOWER RECORDS MUSIC, Spotify, YouTube Music

Maaya Sakamoto Profile
Born in Tokyo. Active as a child actress from age eight. She made her CD debut in 1996 with the single “Yakusoku wa Iranai.” In 2011, her album You can't catch me topped the Oricon chart. In 2013, she released Singer-Songwriter, the first album for which she wrote all the music.

In 2019, she released her 30th single “Uchuu no Kioku” (produced by Ringo Sheena) and her 10th original album Kyou Dake no Ongaku. In 2020, she released her 25th anniversary album Single Collection+ Achikochi and the digital single “Yakudo,” which topped the Oricon chart.

In 2021, she released her concept album Duets, which featured a variety of artists, and in the same month, she celebrated the 25th anniversary of her CD debut with a concert at Yokohama Arena, which is now on sale on Blu-ray and DVD.

In May 2022, she released the double tie-up single “Sumire / Kotoba ni Dekinai,” with music written and arranged by Shigeru Kishida. In July of the same year, her radio program “Vitamin M,” in which she has been a personality for 20 years, reached its 1,000th broadcast and entered its 21st year.

As a lyricist, in addition to writing her own first album, she has also written many songs for other artists, including KinKi Kids' “Hikari no Kehai,” Mamoru Miyano's “Toumei,” and Walküre's “Kaze wa Yokoku Naku Fuku,” and has published her own lyrics book Shishu (Kadokawa).

She also won the 38th Kazuo Kikuta Theater Award for her performance as Jerusha in the musical Daddy-Long-Legs.

She is a voice actress, actress, lyricist, essay writer, and radio personality, and her vibrant voice has won the support of fans all over the world.

Official homepage: http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/maaya/
Official YouTube channel: https://www.YouTube.com/user/maayasakamotoCh/

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