"Ashita e" (明日あした, lit. "Toward Tomorrow") is a song recorded by Japanese singer Misia, from her tenth studio album Soul Quest. A live version of the song was released as a charity single to benefit relief efforts following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami through Ariola Japan on April 27, 2011.[1]

"Ashita e"
Song by Misia
from the album Soul Quest
ReleasedApril 27, 2011 (2011-04-27) (Live Version)
RecordedApril 8, 2011 (2011-04-08) (Live Version)
Studio
  • Crescente Studio
  • RMT Studio
VenueNHK Hall (Live Version)
GenrePop
Length4:43 (Album Version)
5:11 (Live Version)
LabelAriola Japan
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Toshiaki Matsumoto

Composition and release

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After the events of the March 11, 2011 earthquake, Misia recalls feeling powerless and not knowing how to resume her music-related activities.[2] After about a week, she found the motivation to resume touring and decided to set up a relief campaign called Hope for Japan through the non-profit organization Mudef.[2] With a few shows postponed for safety measures, Misia found herself with two to three unscheduled weeks.[2] It is within that bracket of time that she wrote "Ashita e" with Toshiaki Matsumoto.[2] On April 8, 2011, Misia held a concert, her third since resuming touring, at the NHK Hall as part of her The Tour of Misia Japan Soul Quest concert tour.[1] Before performing "Ashita e", she addressed the audience:

Before resuming the tour, I put all my wishes together and wrote a song. I first sang this song in Hiroshima, the city of peace. Everyday, I hear about more people concerned for the future as they follow the coverage of events. I want to sing this song to lift up your spirits. Let's walk towards tomorrow together ... I wrote this song to convey this feeling. There's no studio version yet, but, I would like to record this performance and release it as a charity song.[3]

Her live performance of "Ashita e" was recorded and released as a digital single, with proceeds going toward the Hope for Japan campaign.[1] The live version was featured as ending theme to the ANN coverage program Tsunagarō! Nippon: Terebi ga Tsutaeta Koto, Tsutaetai Koto.[4] "Ashita e" was eventually recorded in studio and released as the closing track to Soul Quest.

Performances

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Misia first performed the "Ashita e" on her first concert following the March 11 earthquake, on April 1, 2011 at the Alsok Hall in Hiroshima.[5] This performance was uploaded to Misia's official YouTube channel four days later.[6] Her May 4, 2011 performance was also later upload to the channel.[7] On December 31, 2012, Misia performed "Ashita e" at Dune 40 of the Namib Desert in Namibia,[8] with temperatures reaching 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius).[9] The performance was broadcast live as part of a two-song medley on the 63rd NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen,[9] marking Misia's first appearance on the show.[10] The performance style of "Ashita e" has evolved since Misia first performed the song, most notably with Misia ending the song with a sustained Tenor C, often for more than twenty seconds.

Credits and personnel

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Personnel[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "MISIA、復興応援ソング配信決定 「明日へ向かって歌っていきます」". Oricon (in Japanese). April 11, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "TRACK LIST MISIA SOUL QUEST". Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  3. ^ "MISIA、復興応援メッセージソング「明日へ」を配信". Barks (in Japanese). April 13, 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
  4. ^ "MISIA 10th フルアルバム!". HMV (in Japanese). June 6, 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
  5. ^ "MISIA @ ALSOKホール (広島県) (2011.04.01)". March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  6. ^ MISIA - 明日へ(復興応援メッセージソング). YouTube. April 5, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  7. ^ MISIA - 明日へ (HOPE FOR JAPAN@神奈川県民ホール MAY 4TH, 2011 WED). YouTube. June 12, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  8. ^ "【紅白】MISIA、アフリカ"灼熱"砂漠から熱唱". Natalie (in Japanese). December 13, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  9. ^ a b "MISIA、世界最古の砂漠から「紅白歌合戦」特別出演". Oricon (in Japanese). December 31, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  10. ^ "MISIA、アフリカから紅白初出場 歌番組出演も15年で初". Oricon (in Japanese). December 13, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  11. ^ Soul Quest (Booklet). Misia. Chiyoda, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan: Ariola Japan. 2011. 4988017677391.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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