Yumi Matsutoya, a top legend leading the Japanese music industry, and imase, a new generation artist who will lead the next generation.

"Futsū," a super unexpected collaboration between two artists from very different generations and fields of activity, was released today, May 30th.

This collaboration was born out of a special project celebrating the 60th anniversary of audio manufacturer Bose.

The production of this song began with the innovative idea of "completing a song in a relay format between two people," and as the title "Correspondence" suggests, the melody and lyrics were written in the style of exchanging letters.

It's a song with a completely new style that is modern yet somehow nostalgic, with no sense of déjà vu.

The music video for this song has also been released.

The story is based on the theme of "a tale of letters connected by music," and is a romantic and liberating work set on the Earth and the Moon.

＜NEW RELEASE INFO＞

Release date: Friday, May 30, 2025

imase × Matsutoya Yumi

BOSE 60th Anniversary Collaboration Song "Penpals"

https://lnk.to/buntsu

＜imase × Yumi Matsutoya "Penpals" Music Video ＞

https://youtu.be/8WZ9MWBLwPk

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

< imase comment>

It was truly a dream come true to be able to create a song with Yuming, whose music I've been listening to since I was a child.

This time, we started the production without any prior meetings, and as the title suggests, it progressed like a correspondence.

did.

Once the first chorus was completed, we had our first meeting to discuss the production process and the lyrics.

At that time, Yuming added a wonderful punchline to the song by saying, "What if they met after exchanging letters?"

When we were thinking about lyrics together, we saw his quick thinking and ability to come up with ideas, his humorous word sense and creativity.

I felt like I was constantly being taken by surprise.

I was always excited to see what kind of melody and lyrics Yuming would send me, so it was really fun to work on it, and I look forward to hearing about her future music.

It was a valuable experience that will be beneficial for my life.

This is a collaboration that transcends generations, so I hope it reaches many people.

As an aside, during our meeting, I was shown the handwritten sheet music, and I was told, "Thank you for letting me see this precious thing.

I'm going to learn a lot from this!' I was told, 'The cost of the lesson is 5,000 yen.' That's really cheap (lol)

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

＜Comment from Yumi Matsutoya＞

I prefer analogue watches to digital ones. I like the face.

Rather than just knowing the time, you can also find out things like "There are x minutes left until x o'clock" or "It's already x minutes past x."

By looking at the hour and minute hands and the angles and areas of the numbers, you can unconsciously imagine your own actions.

And I always believe that "there is treasure in the detour."

What's more important than the result is the process.

First, imase sent in the title (Correspondence) and 16 bars of the verse.

I answered the B-melody, chorus, and C-melody pretty quickly, saying, "I won't tell you~ Don't rush the answer."

I only had two meetings with imase, where we met and chatted about the lyrics,

I think that during our time apart we were able to develop this song together.

The exchange was exactly as stated in this old-fashioned title.

And the stylish punchline at the end, which leads to the D melody, was imase 's idea, both in terms of the lyrics and the music.

Hats off.

imase has a keen animal instinct, yet he also has the logic to construct well-structured lyrics.

He also understands the appeal of his own falsetto.

From experience, I know that I hope you never get bored of yourself.

Even in this career I still have something to learn, and that is the greatest treasure for me.

During the production of my album, the session with imase seemed like a detour at first glance.

It was very valuable and fun.

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

In addition, to celebrate this collaboration, Bose is running a campaign to commemorate its 60th anniversary, "#HeyTellMeAboutYourFavoriteMusicXPostingCampaign."

Please check the special website for details.

■Campaign name: "#HeyTellMeAboutYourFavoriteMusicXPostingCampaign"

■Application period: Friday, May 30, 2025, 20:00 to Friday, June 20, 2025, 17:00

■How to apply:

(1) Post on X with the hashtag and a description of your favorite music.

(2) Fill out the application form on the campaign site, take a screenshot of your post on X, and attach the image to the form to apply.

■Prizes:

Nine lucky winners will receive a set of one of the following Bose products: [Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, or Bose SoundLink Home Speaker] and a music keychain featuring the cover design of imase x Matsutoya Yumi's "Penpals"!

*Please check the special website for details such as application terms and conditions and important notes.

＜Special website for "Bose 60th Anniversary Special Collaboration imase × Yumi Matsutoya"＞

https://www.bose60th.jp/