Kirin Media Co.

Jin Akanishi Live in Los Angeles

As you may already know, Jin Akanishi is branching out from his J-pop boy band KAT-TUN days and is now touring the US with his brand new, all English album, Japonicana. Not sure what the big deal is about Jin Akanishi? It’s kind of like when Justin Timberlake left N*SYNC, but with much hotter people involved.

The setting? Los Angeles. March 9th. Jin fans both old and new were treated to a night of high energy dance songs and a new perspective of Jin that they hadn’t seen before. From an audience perspective, it’s hard to separate the Jin who is embarking on a separate US solo career from the Jin who was previously apart of the boy band but I feel he showed us a new side to him that would’ve been impossible to see several years back. The commitment he’s made to being a solo artist tied in to this show.

Japonicana’s Appeal: Captivating, Tight Sound

We gotta give Jin some much deserved props. The prepared effort labored into this album shows on virtually every track. Japonicana is a strong contender for the US market and has a very mainstream sound that would suit just about anyone who enjoys a good Pop / R & B album. There are 9 tracks total. The runtime is a bit short but for this album, it’s quality over quantity and every single song adds something significant.