SE3|EP15 -UPIKO

This week on The Kimi Kato Show, meet UPIKO — a rising Japanese singer-songwriter turning viral buzz into international acclaim with her raw acoustic style and powerful, socially conscious lyrics!

UPIKO - Originally from Yamaguchi, Japan, UPIKO moved to Tokyo in November 2020 to pursue her music career.
She began posting original songs and covers on TikTok and YouTube, using only her voice and acoustic guitar. Her lyrics—often addressing the emotions of struggling youth and reflecting timely issues like online harassment and global conflict—combined with her powerful vocals and emotional expression, quickly gained widespread attention and a rapidly growing fanbase.

In January 2024, her song “CROW (Karasu)” received international acclaim, leading to a flood of performance invitations from both domestic and overseas festivals. She has since appeared at major events across Europe and Southeast Asia.

With her distinctive songwriting style and genre-defying approach, UPIKO is now recognized as one of the most promising emerging artists of 2025!

▼UPIKO
⁠Website - https://upiko.jp/

YouTube⁠ - https://www.youtube.com/@upikoyoutube

⁠Instagram⁠ - https://www.instagram.com/upigram626

THE KIMI KATO SHOW

Host - Kimi Kato

Co-Host - Jeremiah D. Higgins

Executive Producers - Kimi Kato & Jeremiah D. Higgins

Sound Engineer - Graham Parker | Surprise Studio

Theme Music for The Kimi Kato Show - Yamagen “Joyride”

Kimi Kato on Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/kimitaka.kato/

https://www.instagram.com/project_asteri/

Project Asteri Website: https://projectasteri.com

evolve entertainment network - www.thejeremiahshow.com

Pantheon Media - http://pantheonpodcasts.com/

Radio Candy Media - https://www.facebook.com/RadioCandyMedia/

All Inquiries: 

Jeremiah D. Higgins | Executive Producer

https://linktr.ee/jeremiahdhiggins

GRAHAM PALMER’S SOCIALS

Find Graham Palmer Surprise Studio on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/surprise__studio/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SE3|EP14 - BEK & Moberg

Behind-the-scenes stories, music talk, and their brand-new Japanese track “Luna Dansu” out now!

▼BEK & Moberg

YouTube

Spotify

TikTok

Instagram

THE KIMI KATO SHOW

Host - Kimi Kato

Co-Host - Jeremiah D. Higgins

Executive Producers - Kimi Kato & Jeremiah D. Higgins

Sound Engineer - Graham Parker | Surprise Studio

Theme Music for The Kimi Kato Show - Yamagen “Joyride”

Kimi Kato on Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/kimitaka.kato/

https://www.instagram.com/project_asteri/

https://www.instagram.com/asteri_ent/

Project Asteri Website: https://projectasteri.com

evolve entertainment network - www.thejeremiahshow.com

Pantheon Media - http://pantheonpodcasts.com/

Radio Candy Media - https://www.facebook.com/RadioCandyMedia/

All Inquiries: 

Jeremiah D. Higgins | Executive Producer

https://linktr.ee/jeremiahdhiggins

GRAHAM PALMER’S SOCIALS

Find Graham Palmer Surprise Studio on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/surprise__studio/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Kimi Kato Show - SE3|EP13 Hanabi Taikai 


This week on The Kimi Kato Show, we dive into the heart of Japanese summer with HANABI TAIKAI – Fireworks Festivals! 
From ancient alchemy in China to dazzling riverside displays in Tokyo, discover the colorful history, culture, and artistry behind Japan’s beloved fireworks season.

Featured artists: aiko, Mr. Children, back number, Daoko x Yonezu, Gen Hoshino & more!

THE KIMI KATO SHOW

Host - Kimi Kato

Co-Host - Jeremiah D. Higgins

Executive Producers - Kimi Kato & Jeremiah D. Higgins

Sound Engineer - Graham Parker | Surprise Studio

Theme Music for The Kimi Kato Show - Yamagen “Joyride”

Kimi Kato on Instagram 

⁠https://www.instagram.com/kimitaka.kato/⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/project_asteri/⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/asteri_ent/⁠

Project Asteri Website: ⁠https://projectasteri.com⁠

evolve entertainment network - ⁠www.thejeremiahshow.com⁠

Pantheon Media - ⁠http://pantheonpodcasts.com/⁠

Radio Candy Media - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RadioCandyMedia/⁠

All Inquiries: 

Jeremiah D. Higgins | Executive Producer

⁠https://linktr.ee/jeremiahdhiggins⁠

GRAHAM PALMER’S SOCIALS

Find Graham Palmer Surprise Studio on Instagram at:

⁠https://www.instagram.com/surprise__studio/⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THE KIMI KATO SHOW with Jeremiah Featuring THE KIMI KATO SHOW with one of Japan’s most iconic and beloved bands, THE ALFEE!

From their explosive debut to their record-breaking achievements, THE ALFEE has captivated hearts and rocked the Japanese music scene for over half a century.

Formed in college in 1973 by MASARU SAKURAI (vocals and bass), KOHNOSUKE SAKAZAKI (vocals, acoustic guitar, and percussion), and TOSHIHIKO TAKAMIZAWA (vocals and electric guitar), THE ALFEE is renowned for their distinctive blend of rock, pop, and symphonic metal.

Over the years, THE ALFEE has continued to dominate the music scene with numerous hits and successful albums, maintaining their relevance and appeal in the industry.

In December 2018, THE ALFEE was recognized in the Guinness World Records® for having the most theme songs by a single artist for the same international sporting event broadcast on TV.

https://www.instagram.com/the_alfee_official/

https://www.facebook.com/alfeefan/

THE KIMI KATO SHOW

Host - Kimi Kato

Co-Host - Jeremiah D. Higgins

Executive Producers - Kimi Kato & Jeremiah D. Higgins

Sound Engineer - Graham Parker | Surprise Studio

Theme Music for The Kimi Kato Show - Yamagen “Joyride”

Kimi Kato on Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/kimitaka.kato/

https://www.instagram.com/project_asteri/

https://www.instagram.com/asteri_ent/

Project Asteri Website: https://projectasteri.com

evolve entertainment network - www.thejeremiahshow.com

Pantheon Media - http://pantheonpodcasts.com/

Radio Candy Media - https://www.facebook.com/RadioCandyMedia/

All Inquiries: 

Jeremiah D. Higgins | Executive Producer

https://linktr.ee/jeremiahdhiggins

GRAHAM PALMER’S SOCIALS

Find Graham Palmer Surprise Studio on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/surprise__studio/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THE KIMI KATO SHOW With JEREMIAH - Featuring July In Japan

From dazzling fireworks lighting up the night skies to energetic matsuri dances echoing through the streets, July is when Japan truly comes alive. Let’s explore together what makes this month so uniquely unforgettable.

July in Japan is hot – and not just a little. We’re talking full-on humid, sweat-through-your-shirt heat. But what makes it bearable are the little comforts: kakigōri shaved ice, uchiwa fans, and those nostalgic sounds of furin wind chimes.

But there’s something poetic about that heat. It slows life down just enough to help us appreciate a breeze, the shade of a tree, or a cold glass of mugicha barley tea.

Join us as we explore the best Japan has to offer in July.

Festivals, Fire, and the Sea

THE KIMI KATO SHOW

Host - Kimi Kato

Co-Host - Jeremiah D. Higgins

Executive Producers - Kimi Kato & Jeremiah D. Higgins

Sound Engineer - Graham Parker | Surprise Studio

Theme Music for The Kimi Kato Show - Yamagen “Joyride”

Kimi Kato on Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/kimitaka.kato/

https://www.instagram.com/project_asteri/

https://www.instagram.com/asteri_ent/

Project Asteri Website: https://projectasteri.com

evolve entertainment network - www.thejeremiahshow.com

Pantheon Media - http://pantheonpodcasts.com/

Radio Candy Media - https://www.facebook.com/RadioCandyMedia/

All Inquiries: 

Jeremiah D. Higgins | Executive Producer

https://linktr.ee/jeremiahdhiggins

GRAHAM PALMER’S SOCIALS

Find Graham Palmer Surprise Studio on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/surprise__studio/

Did you like the music in this episode?

THE PLAYLIST IS HERE

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0JRRDGtbahztCQCjYYcUdU?si=a1fb657832f943b6

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THE KIMI KATO SHOW with Jeremiah - Featuring MACO, Japanese Singer-Songwriter

MACO began writing songs at the age of 17. She started out writing original Japanese lyrics to Mariah Carey's songs. Her singing and songwriting skills were recognized by the agency ONEPEACE, which also manages Matt Cab and tofubeats.

To promote her talent, MACO began publishing Japanese covers of songs by Western artists such as Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and Ariana Grande. The videos garnered 6 million views in just 5 months. In April 2014, she released her first indie mini-album, 22, which topped the iTunes charts. 

She was subsequently signed by Universal Music Japan and followed up with a second mini-album release, 23, which also topped the digital charts and reached #10 on the weekly Oricon charts. 

Later that year, the mini-album was repackaged as a deluxe release under the title 23.

MACO was the opening act of Ariana Grande's 2014 Japan tour.

MACO Social Media

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/maco___official/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/macopage/

THE KIMI KATO SHOW

Host - Kimi Kato

Co-Host - Jeremiah D. Higgins

Executive Producers - Kimi Kato & Jeremiah D. Higgins

Sound Engineer - Graham Parker | Surprise Studio

Theme Music for The Kimi Kato Show - Yamagen “Joyride”

Kimi Kato on Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/kimitaka.kato/

https://www.instagram.com/project_asteri/

https://www.instagram.com/asteri_ent/

Project Asteri Website: https://projectasteri.com

evolve entertainment network - www.thejeremiahshow.com

Pantheon Media - http://pantheonpodcasts.com/

Radio Candy Media - https://www.facebook.com/RadioCandyMedia/

All Inquiries: 

Jeremiah D. Higgins | Executive Producer

https://linktr.ee/jeremiahdhiggins

GRAHAM PALMER’S SOCIALS

Find Graham Palmer Surprise Studio on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/surprise__studio/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THE KIMI KATO SHOW with Jeremiah Featuring June: The Rainy Season in Japan

Today, we’re wading into the wet and wonderful world of June in Japan—a month known for rain, romance, reflection, and rhythm.

Pull out your umbrellas, put on your headphones, and take a walk in the June rain in Japan with us!

- - - - - - - - - -

THE KIMI KATO SHOW

Host - Kimi Kato

Co-Host - Jeremiah D. Higgins

Executive Producers - Kimi Kato & Jeremiah D. Higgins

Sound Engineer - Graham Parker | Surprise Studio

Theme Music for The Kimi Kato Show - Yamagen “Joyride”

Kimi Kato on Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/kimitaka.kato/

https://www.instagram.com/project_asteri/

https://www.instagram.com/asteri_ent/

Project Asteri Website: https://projectasteri.com

evolve entertainment network - www.thejeremiahshow.com

Pantheon Media - http://pantheonpodcasts.com/

Radio Candy Media - https://www.facebook.com/RadioCandyMedia/

All Inquiries: 

Jeremiah D. Higgins | Executive Producer

https://linktr.ee/jeremiahdhiggins

GRAHAM PALMER’S SOCIALS

Find Graham Palmer Surprise Studio on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/surprise__studio/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THE KIMI KATO SHOW with Jeremiah

Kimi visited four major cities on his trip back to Japan: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Kyoto. He visited three shrines, attended the Music Awards Japan 2025, bought new fashion from his friend, attended three concerts, and also visited his parents in Nagano.

How's that for a two-week trip?

Kimi's primary reason for traveling to Japan was to attend Music Awards Japan 2025. Think of it as Japan's answer to the Grammys—a brand-new international music award designed to celebrate and elevate Japanese and Asian music on the global stage. Organized by the Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA), a coalition of five major Japanese music organizations, this new award show aims to:

The key awards of the night were:

- Best Song Asia: aespa – Supernova

- Top Global Hit from Japan: YOASOBI – Idol

- New Artist of the Year: tuki. – Bansanka

- Best Singer-Songwriter Song: Vaundy – Kaiju no Hanauta

- Artist of the Year: Mrs. GREEN APPLE – Kusushiki

- Album of the Year: Fujii Kaze – Kirari (from LOVE ALL SERVE ALL)

- Song of the Year: Creepy Nuts – “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born”

Kimi also visited these three shrines:

- Tenkawa shrine [天河神社] in Nara 

- Kashihara Jingu [橿原神宮] also in Nara

- Yasui Konpiragu [安井金比羅宮] in Kyoto

Kimi saw these three concerts:

 - Official Hige Dandism’s first stadium show in Osaka

- The ALFEE’s show at the NHK Hall in Shibuya, Tokyo 

- MACO’s show in Nagoya

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

THE KIMI KATO SHOW

Host - Kimi Kato

Co-Host - Jeremiah D. Higgins

Executive Producers - Kimi Kato & Jeremiah D. Higgins

Sound Engineer - Graham Parker | Surprise Studio

Theme Music for The Kimi Kato Show - Yamagen “Joyride”

Kimi Kato on Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/kimitaka.kato/

https://www.instagram.com/project_asteri/

https://www.instagram.com/asteri_ent/

Project Asteri Website: https://projectasteri.com

evolve entertainment network - www.thejeremiahshow.com

Pantheon Media - http://pantheonpodcasts.com/

Radio Candy Media - https://www.facebook.com/RadioCandyMedia/

All Inquiries: 

Jeremiah D. Higgins | Executive Producer

https://linktr.ee/jeremiahdhiggins

GRAHAM PALMER’S SOCIALS

Find Graham Palmer Surprise Studio on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/surprise__studio/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THE KIMI KATO SHOW with Jeremiah Featuring Music Awards Japan 2025

The Music Awards Japan is a brand-new international music award designed to celebrate and elevate Japanese and Asian music on the global stage. 

Organized by the Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association also known as CEIPA, a coalition of five major Japanese music organizations, Music Awards Japan aims to promote Japanese and Asian music worldwide and foster a globally recognized music culture from Japan, and encourage international artists to engage with the Japanese artists.

Kimi and I also talk about who we idolized as teenagers and the posters that we hung on our bedroom walls.

THE KIMI KATO SHOW

Host - Kimi Kato

Co-Host - Jeremiah D. Higgins

Executive Producers - Kimi Kato & Jeremiah D. Higgins

Sound Engineer - Graham Parker | Surprise Studio

Theme Music for The Kimi Kato Show - Yamagen “Joyride”

Kimi Kato on Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/kimitaka.kato/

https://www.instagram.com/project_asteri/

https://www.instagram.com/asteri_ent/

Project Asteri Website: https://projectasteri.com

evolve entertainment network - www.thejeremiahshow.com

Pantheon Media - http://pantheonpodcasts.com/

Radio Candy Media - https://www.facebook.com/RadioCandyMedia/

All Inquiries: 

Jeremiah D. Higgins | Executive Producer

https://linktr.ee/jeremiahdhiggins

GRAHAM PALMER’S SOCIALS

Find Graham Palmer Surprise Studio on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/surprise__studio/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THE KIMI KATO SHOW with Jeremiah Featuring Golden Week - Japan's Springtime Spectacle

Golden Week, or "Gōruden Wīku" (ゴールデンウィーク) in Japanese, is a collection of four national holidays, that occur within seven days, typically from April 29th to May 5th.

It's one of Japan's busiest holiday seasons, alongside New Year and Obon. During this time, many Japanese people look forward to this week, plan vacations, travel domestically or internationally, and enjoy leisure activities.

The Holidays Within Golden Week

The national holidays making up the Golden Week are:

Join us for an exploration of Springtime in Japan and Golden Week!

Tue, Apr 29, 2025 – Tue, May 6, 2025

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2282.html

THE KIMI KATO SHOW

Host - Kimi Kato

Co-Host - Jeremiah D. Higgins

Executive Producers - Kimi Kato & Jeremiah D. Higgins

Sound Engineer - Graham Parker | Surprise Studio

Theme Music for The Kimi Kato Show - Yamagen “Joyride”

Kimi Kato on Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/kimitaka.kato/

https://www.instagram.com/project_asteri/

https://www.instagram.com/asteri_ent/

Project Asteri Website: https://projectasteri.com

evolve entertainment network - www.thejeremiahshow.com

Pantheon Media - http://pantheonpodcasts.com/

Radio Candy Media - https://www.facebook.com/RadioCandyMedia/

All Inquiries: 

Jeremiah D. Higgins | Executive Producer

https://linktr.ee/jeremiahdhiggins

GRAHAM PALMER’S SOCIALS

Find Graham Palmer Surprise Studio on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/surprise__studio/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices