Hikaru Utada Releases New Single “PAPPAPARADISE”, Music Video Now Available

Hikaru Utada has released a new single titled “PAPPAPARADISE”. The track is now available and serves as the ending theme for the anime CHIBI MARUKO-CHAN. It is also featured in a commercial for the tea brand Ayataka.

A 7-inch vinyl version of the single is scheduled for release on June 24.

Alongside the song, the official music video has been released on YouTube. Directed by Tomokazu Yamada, the video shows Utada as a taxi driver interacting with different passengers. The cast includes Min Tanaka, Tokio Emoto, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Junko Asano, and KONO.

Hikaru Utada – PAPPAPARADISE

To promote the release, Utada will appear on Japanese-language audio programs, including J-POP Now Radio on Apple Music and New Music Wednesday [Podcast Edition] on Spotify. The song is also available in Dolby Atmos spatial audio on Apple Music.

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About Hikaru Utada:
Since their debut on 9 December 1998, Hikaru Utada has achieved numerous remarkable milestones in their career. Their debut single “Automatic/time will tell” sold over two million copies, propelling them to become one of Japan’s top artists at the young age of 15. Just a few months later, their first album “First Love” shattered Japanese CD sales records that still stand unbroken today.

In 2022, their eighth album “BAD MODE”, which includes collaboration songs with artists such as Skrillex, A.G. Cook, and Floating Points, garnered high praise both domestically and internationally, and was crowned as the best album of the year by the internationally renowned music media, Pitchfork. In the same year, they made their festival debut at the globally recognized Coachella Festival in California, joining celebrated label 88rising as part of their exhilarating showcase.

The Netflix series “First Love,” inspired by Utada’s eponymous single, achieved tremendous success in Japan and across Asia. On December 9, 2023, Utada celebrated the 25th anniversary of their major label debut in fantastical style, announcing the much-anticipated release of their inaugural greatest hits album SCIENCE FICTION, which was released in April 2024 and followed by their first tour in six years, the nationwide HIKARU UTADA SCIENCE FICTION TOUR 2024, which included stops in both Hong Kong and Taipei.

In 2025, Utada continued their collaboration with the Ayataka green tea brand for a second consecutive year, releasing the single “Mine or Yours” on May 2. Around the same time, they appeared on the YouTube channel THE FIRST TAKE, where performances of both “Mine or Yours” and their iconic track “First Love” generated significant buzz online and beyond. In April, they took the stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival with experimental electronic artist Arca, and later appeared as a surprise act at SONIC MANIA in August alongside British DJ Floating Points. In September, their collaboration with Kenshi Yonezu, “JANE DOE,” became a major hit both in Japan and internationally.

Looking ahead to 2026, Utada’s new song “PAPPAPARADISE” has been selected as the new ending theme for the anime Chibi Maruko-chan. The track will also be featured in a new Ayataka commercial beginning April 6.

Source: Press Release

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