Imai Tsubasa (今井翼) has spread his wings (“Tsubasa” means “Wing” in Japanese) and released his solo debut single Backborn, almost 8 years after entering the music scene with Takizawa Hideaki (滝沢秀明) as duo Tackey & Tsubasa (タッキー＆翼). No, it’s not a typo or spelling error; “backborn” is a word invented by the 28-year-old from “backbone” and “born”, to illustrate his intention to go back to his roots. And from the name of the 2 concert tours Tsubasa held in Japan last year, his roots would be none other than Dance & Rock.

Long-time fans will marvel at how much Tsubasa has grown with this brand new offering. As his first step to carve out a name for himself, the talented dancer chose to go with a rock number instead of standing firm to his established image as one of Johnny’s “Dancing Kings”. Even the lyrics, penned by the man himself, seem to suggest that he’s not going to just let his wings ride along with the wind, but to show the world who he really is, as he roars that he’s “born to be wild”, “born to be free”, and “born to fly”.

The promotional video (PV), included in the bonus DVD in the “Music Clip” edition, accentuated the rock element well, where the flamenco enthusiast turns into the lead vocalist of a band, working his microphone stand skillfully while throwing a sure-kill look as he lets out a soft breath after the last chorus. It’d be interesting if he’d actually performed a choreography for this upbeat tune.

The song “Backborn” appears to be a showcase of what Tsubasa has absorbed and learnt over time performing other songs of the same genre such as “Samurai” and “Toriko” (“Prisoner”) instead of a virgin attempt. His vocals also proved to have matured into a deeper, richer voice compared to the younger, shallower singing in Tackey & Tsubasa’s debut album, Hatachi.

The coupling track “Kimi to nara” (translated as “If I am with you”) is an instant favourite, where the sweet guy belts out lines such as “守り抜く心を誓うさ” (translated as “I vow with my heart I’ll protect you till the end”) and “例え君が挫けそうな時も / そばにいるから My Precious You” (translated as “At times you feel defeated, I’ll be near, my precious you”), written as a message to his supporters. This lighthearted soft rock arrangement complements these saccharine words, and has the potential of topping karaoke charts as you hum along with him, “Baby, baby, baby”.

[ASAP], included only in the regular edition, is closer to the slightly techno dance genre that Tsubasa’s generally associated with, similar to his other songs like “Slave of Love” and “Edge”. It’s a motivational track that challenges you to “有言でTry” (try without going back on your word) and “勇敢にFly” (fly bravely). There’re some random abbreviations though, that left listeners to their imagination. “T4U” = “Tsubasa for you”?

Backborn is actually a platform for Tsubasa to convey his message, through writing the words for the entire single: that he wants to break out of his shell, to be himself and fly. It was a good choice to experiment different genres while still keeping a reasonable distance within the image he’s established so far. If there’re plans for a next release, UrbanWire hopes he’d go all out to show off what he does best: dance.

Title: Backborn
Artiste: 今井翼 Imai Tsubasa
Language: Japanese
Record Label: Avex Trax
Release Date: Feb 24, 2010

Tracklist:

  1. Backborn
  2. 君となら Kimi to nara
  3. [ASAP]

Share this article with this URL: http://bit.ly/9M5Qq6