IA & ONE: “Pray for Real” and “By my side”
There seems to be something for every vocal-synth fan lately, and this winter season is certainly shaping up to be a good one! Another exciting note to the end of this year is that a brand-new album and a DVD featuring IA has been released. They announced the good news in one of their newest videos here:
For a round-up of all the news related to these two releases, keep reading!
pray for real
Continuing the theme of her first album, “Aria of the Planets” the new album titled “Pray for Real” also has themes of love and peace along with deeper themes of liberation and concern for the threat of climate change and the scale of destruction it can cause. The album artwork also reflects this theme, as it features IA floating in the water, hands clasped in prayer as trash surrounds her. Her eyes are dewy and captivating, conveying the poignancy of her message.
Here is the official trailer for the album:
The EP features three new, original songs and two other artists, DANTZ and MINMI. While these artists may be unfamiliar to some, their music is worth checking out and “pray for real” is a good introduction to their work.
Featured songs:
- M1.pray for real feat. MINMI
- M2.DIAMANTE
- M3.Re-PLANET
- M4.Conqueror-DANTZ Remix
DVD features:
- Conqueror（Live Music Video）
- HIGHER（Live Music Video）
- IA MUSICAL & LIVE SHOW “ARIA” Trailer
Special bonus items:
- Lyrics cards x 4 (one for each song)
- Exclusive sticker
- Special calendar (limited to the first run of CDs)
- Lottery application card
For the lottery mentioned, you can actually apply to be a winner of one of two prizes – Prize A (a movie featuring commentary – 3 winners) and Prize B (a character fine art-style graphic, featuring the artwork from the CD jacket – 3 winners). The deadline to apply is January 31st 2021.
As you can see above, also included is a remix of the very popular song, “Conqueror”, courtesy of DANTZ. While enjoying the remix, you can watch a live MV of “Conqueror” and “Higher” both of which will be on the DVD!
IA herself has been introducing the various tracks on the album in some short videos, so make sure to check these out if you’d like to learn more!
For anyone who’s curious, you can even check out the FULL video for DANTZ’s Conqueror remix here too, on IA’s official YouTube channel:
Rankings
Since the EP’s release, IA’s official social media accounts have boasted 1st place ranking for the iTunes J-pop chart in Australia, and 2nd place in US/Canada. Such high ratings definitely got me excited about checking the EP out! And not only that – the album reached no.1 on CD Japan’s website for the amount of preorders people made!
For anyone who’s curious to see how the physical album looks, here it it, straight from Animate:
Other Merchandise – pray for real
But the album isn’t all that fans can buy to show their love of IA; also started selling a variety of related merchandise following the album’s release.
The next most exciting thing to hearing new music by our favorite vocal synths is of course the bonus merchandise being sold on the official HACHIMAKI store. Of course the IA and ONE goods do not disappoint:
- pray for real canvas art – ¥4,800
- pray for real T-shirt – ¥3,500 (please check the official product page for specific information regarding sizing)
- pray for real acrylic coaster complete set of 4 – ¥3,500
- pray for real acrylic coasters (individual) – ¥980 each
>> pray for real / DIAMANTE / Re-planet / Conqueror-DANTZ Remix - Sand Bottle Set – ¥2,000
Buyer bonuses
For fans who were really keen on getting some of the following limited items, you could make a reservation at selected stores. Some of bonus goods for the CD set include tin badges, Christmas themed postcards, and posters:
List of stores and the bonus gifts available:
The CD set will cost ¥2,750 (including tax) from any of these stores, but you may also get the following bonus gifts:
>Amazon.jp – Christmas themed postcard
>Tower Records – Can badge
>Animate – B3 poster
>HMV – can badge
>Neo Wing – 2L portrait decoration
>CD Japan – 2L Portrait decoration
Otherwise, thee CD set is available on
>HACHIMAKI Shop
>mora (digital download)
※ Preorder bonuses/perks are first come first served, the distribution of them will finish as soon as the stock in the stores have run out, so please keep this in mind
※ Please contact the store where you are planning to buy the CD if you’d like to know of the CD and/or bonus gifts are in stock or not.
※There is the possibility that the perks will not be available if the preorder period has finished. The CDs themselves are still likely to be in stock. Merchandise may also be unavailable for a similar reason.
By my Side
Now, let’s not forget about ONE! On the same day as “Pray for Real” was released, a single titled “By my Side” (as well as an accompanying instrumental version) was released, composed by 石風呂 / Ishifuro.
Ranking
It’s been shown that the album reached 7th place in the High-reso Album daily chart on December 23rd, and number one in Aichi prefecture!
Merchandise
In addition, at Lawson convenience stores in Japan, you’re able to print a selection of 5 new, exclusive bromides featuring ONE for a limited time (from December 9th 2020)! Check out the full set of bromides here and below.
Now, there is also a commemorative campaign currently running to celebrate the release of ONE’s single. If you spend at least ￥3,000 JPY on ONE related products on the Hachimaki store, you can receive a free “By my Side” badge. In addition, some products will be discounted at up to 30% off (until January 11th, 2021).
Other Merchandise – By my Side
Of course, the HACHIMAKI store didn’t leave out the additional merchandise for ONE:
- By my Side flag – ¥2,000
- By my Side acrylic keychain – ¥1,200
※Please note that all prices above are listed in JPY
※The above prices do NOT include tax unless otherwise specified
Where to buy “By my Side”
>iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon music, KKBOX, deezer
>mora
>Recochoku
>AWA
>LINE MUSIC
>Lawson stores
Other announcements
Anyone who paid for the digital version of either songs (via mora) before December 22nd would receive an exclusive wallpaper for their smartphone:
And finally, along with the release of “By my Side,” ONE’s own official website was launched! Visit it below to keep up to date on all ONE news, videos, songs and more!
ONE’s official website: https://one-aria.com/
Links
IA and ONE
- IA OFFICIAL SITE
- ONE official site
- IA Instagram
- IA & ONE Twitter
- IA & ONE Official TikTok
- IA & ONE Virtual Broadcast Official YouTube
- FACEBOOK (World Page)
- Tumblr blog
First Place
