Teaming up to connect the music scenes of Japan and Asia, Styrism Inc. and KSR Corp. have launched a new collective, "CIRQL."
As the first release from CIRQL, Tokyo-based hip-hop soul artist SANDEI, who is garnering attention both domestically and internationally, releases his third new single "D-1," featuring guest artist VivaOla, on May 22.
This work was born from a session with singer-songwriter/producer VivaOla, producer A.G.O, and beatboxer/singer YAMORI. It is an alternative R&B track where comfort and burning passion intersect, intertwining a refreshing, indie-leaning arrangement with a heavy boom-bap beat. The lyrics embody SANDEI's strong determination to push forward with resolve, never forgetting the initial impulse of his "Day 1" when he first started running toward his dreams.
SANDEI’s Comment
-------------------------
"I packed this song with a message to myself: to look back on 'D-1' (Day 1) when I first started chasing my dreams, to never forget that initial impulse, and to keep moving forward with resolve.
We have VivaOla participating as a guest feature. In the first verse, it's written from his perspective as if he is speaking to 'the past me (SANDEI) before I started chasing my dreams,' so I would be happy if you could keep that in mind while listening.
Also, when I first started making music, VivaOla was active in a collective called Solgasa, and I was heavily influenced by them at the time. Being able to create a piece of work together like this makes it a very special song for me."
VivaOla’s Comment
-------------------------
"Precisely because it's a song born from us just casually jamming together, there's a really nice, relaxed vibe to the whole track, and it was a lot of fun to sing over it. Maybe it was also because I played the guitar for the first time in a while, but it was a song that made me look back to my roots. I hope you all catch something from this track as well."
■ SANDEI
A singer-songwriter with roots in jazz, soul, and R&B, who wields a multifaceted sound influenced by hip-hop during his time studying abroad in Melbourne. Under his previous moniker "sangdei," his track "Moonshine" surpassed 1 million streams on Spotify. After changing to his current stage name in 2025, he was selected as one of the "Next Generation Creative Talents Expected to Succeed Overseas" by CEIPA in 2026, marking him as a rising star looking out from Asia to the world.
https://www.instagram.com/sandei_tokyo/
X
https://x.com/SANDEIofficial
TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@sandei_tokyo
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@SANDEI.official
■ VivaOla
A Tokyo-based R&B singer, songwriter, and producer. He captivates audiences with a sophisticated soundscape, lyrics that interweave English and Japanese, and a one-of-a-kind singing voice. Having performed at numerous overseas festivals, starting with SXSW in the US, as well as in Taiwan, Singapore, and The Great Escape in the UK, he is beginning to draw attention as an artist representing Asia.
https://www.instagram.com/viva0la/
X
https://x.com/viva0la
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXKPH3GxEmbU_hhK4kCVcUg
■ A.G.O
A beat-maker originally from Niigata, now based in Tokyo. Following his work on the previous release, highly-sought-after beat-maker A.G.O—whose arrangement for Ayumu Imazu's "Obsessed" won the Planning Award at the 66th Japan Record Awards—handles the sound production once again. He drives the Japanese music scene with groovy productions that fuse live instrumentation with cutting-edge sounds.
https://www.instagram.com/agosoundtokyo/
X
https://x.com/agosoundtokyo
【What is CIRQL?】
Going beyond a simple music label, "CIRQL" is an "Asia-direct collective" that supports cross-border collaborations and next-generation artists. With hubs in Tokyo and Bangkok, it aims to build "circulating premium IP" across Asia.
Guided by the three concepts of "Circulate," "Circle," and "Quality," it generates a new cultural circulation where artists and fans remain permanently connected through "refined musical experiences" that are not consumed by passing trends.
The logo, which serves as the symbol for this project, is designed by creative director YOSHIROTTEN (Y.A.R).
https://www.instagram.com/cirql_official/
X
https://x.com/CIRQL_official
TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@cirql_official
【Release Overview】
Artist：SANDEI
Title：D-1 feat. VivaOla
Release Date：2026/5/22
Track List
M1：D-1 feat. VivaOla
M2：D-1 feat. VivaOla (Sped Up.ver)
Lyrics: SANDEI, VivaOla
Music: SANDEI, VivaOla, A.G.O, YAMORI
Guitar: VivaOla, A.G.O
Bass: A.G.O
Sound Produce: A.G.O
Recording & Mixing Engineer: Kohei Nakatake
Mastering Engineer: Kira Takeo (TEMAS)
Streaming Link：https://sandei.bfan.link/D-1
Styrism Inc.
A music production company that manages artists and produces high-quality music highly evaluated both domestically and internationally, centered around Dance Music, Jazz, and Soul. They also develop businesses focused on corporate branding, such as operating their own label represented by "Suppage Records." In addition to handling event planning and production primarily for corporations, they aim to comprehensively produce all creative operations related to the music business, including visual production centered around music videos, videos for social media, and live performance visuals.
Official HP
https://styrism.com/
Head Office
YK Bldg 302, 3-3-16 Takaban, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-0004
KSR Corp.
A music creative company that operates the label bpm tokyo, mainly dealing with dance music. Focusing on street music such as HIPHOP, R&B, and REGGAE, KSR develops artist originals, distribution, artist promotion, and management support, closely connected to the scene. With a view to the global music market, especially Asia, as well as the domestic market, KSR is strengthening its relationships with global DSPs, overseas domestic DSPs, and overseas original production teams, aiming to create hit content from Asia to the world.
Official HP
https://ksr-corp.com/
Head Office
Jingumae M-SQUARE, 1-4-16 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001
Linkfire
https://sandei.bfan.link/D-1