is a song recorded by Japanese singer

LiSA Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...

, released on October 18, 2021. The song was featured as the first opening theme song for the anime ''Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Mugen Train Arc''. It charted at 1 on the Oricon Daily Digital Singles Chart with 36,062 downloads in its first day release. The song also peaked at number one on

Japan Hot 100 The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and '' Hanshin Contents Link'' since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thur ...

and number 107 on ''Billboard'' Global 200.

Background and release

On September 25, 2021, LiSA's official website announced that she will be performing the opening and ending themes for the anime '' ''Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Mugen Train Arc'''' premiering on October 10, 2021, with "Akeboshi" as the opening theme and "Shirogane" as the ending theme. Both songs were released as a

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

single on November 17, 2021. Prior to the single's release, "Akeboshi" is available for download from October 18, 2021.

Composition

"Akeboshi" is composed in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

C-sharp major C-sharp major (or the key of C-sharp) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. It is enharmonically equivalent to D-flat major. Its key signature has seven sharps. The C-sharp major scale is: : It ...

and is set in

time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

with a tempo of 95 BPM, runs for four minutes and 29 seconds. Written and composed by

Yuki Kajiura Yuki, Yūki or Yuuki may refer to: Places * Yuki, Hiroshima (Jinseki), a town in Jinseki District, Hiroshima, Japan * Yuki, Hiroshima (Saeki), a town in Saeki District, Hiroshima, Japan * Yūki, Ibaraki, a city on Honshu island in Japan * Yuki, ...

, the song starts with strings in the intro, giving off an atmosphere of fantasy, melancholy, and mystery; then a guitar riffs reverberates through the middle of the song. The melody is reminiscent of

Aimer is a Japanese pop singer and lyricist signed to SACRA MUSIC and managed by agehasprings. Her name comes from the verb "Aimer" in French, which means "to love". Aimer uses the name aimerrhythm for lyrics credits. Debuted in 2011, she has releas ...

's song " I Beg You" which also composed by Kajiura. LiSA describes "Akeboshi" as a song of entrusted thoughts, hopes and curses.

Music video

The music video for "Akeboshi" was released on November 7, 2021, and directed by Masakazu Fukatsu. Based on the world view of the song, it expresses "a hope in the midst of chaos". It shows LiSA performing the song in a railroad tunnel illuminated by lanterns and on a lawn surrounded by flames at night, mixing with images of liquids called "Alive Painting" created by painter Akiko Nakayama. As of May 2022, "Akeboshi" has over 20 million views on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Personnel

– vocals *

– lyrics, composer, arranger, keyboards, programming * Tomoharu Takahashi – bass guitar * Koichi Korenaga – guitar * Kyoichi Sato – drums * Hitoshi Konno – strings * Takashi Koiwa – record, mixing * Nobuyuki Murakami – record * Mio Hirai – assistant engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sales and certifications

Awards and nominations

References

{{Authority control 2021 songs Anime songs Billboard Japan Hot 100 number-one singles Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Japanese pop songs LiSA (Japanese musician, born 1987) songs Songs written by Yuki Kajiura