Looking overseas, what is happening in the music industry in 2023? Taylor Swift kicks off a Times Tour, breaking various records, and world-renowned artist Ryuichi Sakamoto passes away......
Physical records are the historical records of music, burning artistic expressions from different eras and different souls, and in the past year, these overseas masterpieces imported and released will let you hear the echoes of 2023.
Taylor Swift - 《Midnights》CD/黑胶
As Taylor Swift's 11th solo No. 1 album, "Midnights" broke Spotify's single-day streaming record with 228 million streams.
Physical album sales were equally impressive, with Midnights making Taylor Swift the first artist to have five albums that sold more than one million in their first week. Among them, vinyl has set a new weekly sales record for vinyl in the Nielsen era (1991 to the present) with 575,000 copies.
"Midnights" returns to the synthesizer pop style of "1989", "reputation", and "Lover", but it also continues the experimental trend of two alternative music albums in 2020, which is reflected in the fact that "Midnights" pays more attention to the creation of atmosphere in both synthesizer and vocals, and is a masterpiece of both commercial and artistic performance. In the era of unstoppable fragmentation, one of the greatest creators of all time also used a concept album intertwined with a variety of complex emotions to send out the strongest note that belongs to musicians.
坂本龙一 - 《12》CD/黑胶
To the dismay of music fans around the world, the well-known Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away due to illness on March 28, 2023. In his 71-year creative career, he has brought many important works that have influenced music of all eras, and "12" records the most profound and moving movements in his musical life.
"12" is Ryuichi Sakamoto's 15th solo studio album released on January 17, 2023, his 71st birthday, following the release of "Async" in 2017 and 6 years after a 6-year absence.
As a musical giant, Ryuichi Sakamoto said goodbye to the audience in his own way, and played the transmutation and brilliance of nature through his own life. Art is a thousand years, life is dew, Professor Sakamoto, thank you for all you have done for us.
Mariah Carey
《Merry Christmas》CD/黑胶
If you want to say who is the "Christmas Queen" of contemporary music, it must be Mariah Carey. The work that established this status was undoubtedly her classic Christmas album "Merry Christmas" (Merry Christmas) released in 1994.
On the occasion of Christmas 2023, the 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition Revival CD of "Merry Christmas" and "Christmas Red" color glue are officially available to music fans!
Among them, the 25th anniversary deluxe commemorative edition CD adds live recordings of the famous 1994 New York City landmark St. John's Cathedral + Christmas songs and remixes over the years, as well as a new recording of the opening clip "Sugar Plum Fairy Introlude", a total of 29 songs, which can be described as full of sincerity. The 12-inch solid color "Christmas Red" color glue comes with a beautiful double-sided poster, which is both aesthetic and collectible, allowing you to immerse yourself in the joyful Christmas atmosphere at any time.
Céline Dion
《Let's Talk About Love》黑胶
In 1997, Céline Dion released Let's Talk About Love, the first album to include My Heart Will Go On, which became a worldwide hit and later became one of the best-selling albums of all time, marking an important milestone in Céline Dion's musical career.
In 2023, the 25th anniversary edition of this album will be released in mainland China, which will not only have a high collection value, but also present you with a true sound quality restoration. The 180-gram texture injects more layers and dynamic range into the music, immersing you in the natural sounds of Céline Dion!
Yukiko Kimura
"The Street Where the Wind Lives" / "Crimson Waltz" CD / Vinyl
There are many music that have broken 10W on the NetEase cloud platform, but there are very few pure music works, and "The Street Where the Wind Lives" is one of them. "The Street Where the Wind Lives" was composed by Japanese pianist Yukiko Isomura during her first visit to China, which became her first relationship with China and is also her most famous work.
"The Street Where the Wind Lives" is included in Yukiko Isomura's album of the same name, and has also been reinterpreted into the Chinese special edition album "Crimson Waltz", and in 2023, both albums will be released in vinyl versions, and there are now two major carriers of vinyl and CD for music fans to choose from.
It is worth mentioning that in August 2023, Yukiko Isomura started her first China tour and shared her mental journey during the tour in real time on social platforms. Many music fans not only heard hits such as "The Street Where the Wind Lives" on the spot, but also left precious memories of meeting and communicating with Yukiko Isomura and signing the album in person.
In the new year, which overseas singer's imported album are you most looking forward to?