[2026] A summer song that tightens your chest with bittersweet feelings. A classic summer tune that touches the heart.

fireworkschanyu i

fireworks

Here is “Fireworks,” the title track from singer-songwriter Chanyu-i, whose popularity ignited on social media, released on her second EP in 2025.

She has said it’s a precious song she “honed over the course of a year,” inspired by the fireworks festival in her hometown of Ehime.

The lyrics are deeply evocative, overlaying the fleeting beauty of grand blooms that color the night sky and vanish in an instant with unspoken feelings and a sense of frustration toward the person beside you.

Her warm, comforting voice shines atop a pop melody tinged with a touch of melancholy—surely a gem of a song.

Heartfelt Fireworksmafumafu

[MV] Heartfelt Love Fireworks / Mafumafu

“Koi-gokoro Hanabi,” which has gained attention as the song from the Amazon Prime Video commercial, is a summer number by Mafumafu, known for his multifaceted talents! Set to a dazzling, fast-paced sound, it paints a picture of a faint, bittersweet summer-night romance.

The lyrics poignantly overlay the swelling feelings of love and their transience with the grand blossoms that flare up and fade in the night sky.

Mafumafu’s clear, translucent vocals beautifully convey such delicate emotions, shining especially brightly within the track.

It’s a song brimming with charm that makes you want to listen while reminiscing about a summer to remember.

I Hopeyoru yoru

Yaya ‘I Hope’ Official Music Video

Singer-songwriter Yoyo, who burst onto the scene like a comet in 2025, released “I Hope” in June of the same year—another song that feels perfectly suited for listening at summer’s end.

Co-written with Junji Ishiwatari—formerly of Supercar and now an active lyricist across many fields—the track exquisitely weaves together a nostalgic piano melody with Yoyo’s delicate vocals.

It evokes a bittersweet yet warm world, like leafing through memories imprinted on faded film photos, one by one.

If you listen to this song on the way home, suddenly alone at the close of a lively season, you may experience that special feeling where pale memories glow gently in the depths of your heart.

Blue Hawaii Lemon≒JOY

≒JOY (Nearly Equal Joy) / 3rd Single Title Track “Blue Hawaii Lemon” [MV full]

It’s a refreshing love song that captures a sweet-and-tangy, slightly mysterious crush—sparkling like a shaved ice in the summer sun! This is the 3rd single released in June 2025 by ≒JOY, the idol group produced by Rino Sashihara.

Following their 2nd single “First Love Cinderella,” which made them the first female artist in about three and a half years to score two consecutive No.

1 hits, this track showcases a new side of their appeal.

The story of a “one-summer elopement”—putting down your phone and heading to a secret place with someone you like—is portrayed over a melody that’s both wistful and exhilarating.

It’s a perfect companion for a drive that marks the start of summer.

Midsummer day!Nogizaka 46

Midsummer day!

It’s a number that makes you feel a little wistful yet warm—like suddenly remembering an old friend on a summer afternoon.

Performed by Nogizaka46, the piece features a clear, airy sound colored by strings and piano, comfortably portraying a fresh story of a reunion in a single summer.

Released in June 2025, this track is actually a special song commemorating their 10th performance at the sacred venue of the “Midsummer National Tour,” Meiji Jingu Stadium.

It’s also used as a SmartNews commercial song.

Center member Haruka Kaki’s pure, elegant aura seems to further enhance the song’s nostalgic worldview.

It feels like a perfect work for moments when you want to reminisce about your youth.

No match for itNatsukawa Shiina

No match for it

That slightly languid vibe of “laid-back girls’ rock” makes this a number that feels just right in the summer heat.

The track is included on Shiina Natsukawa’s EP “Ep04,” released in April 2025, and there’s even a story that it had been nurtured since the production of her 3rd album, “Cable Salad.” The band sound crafted by sympathy stirs up the bittersweetness of youth.

The worldview of the lyrics resonates even more poignantly thanks to Natsukawa’s straightforward vocals, which prioritize emotion over technique.

Like the moment a sparkler fizzles out, this piece blends a sharp fleetingness with a refreshing clarity.

It’s perfect for those times when you want to sink into that sentimental mood at summer’s end.

SUMMER ENDiri

SUMMER END

While rooted in alternative R&B and hip-hop, iri weaves in diverse elements like jazz and soul.

Her husky voice beautifully captures those fleeting moments of melancholy that lurk behind summer’s bustle.

A track released in September 2019 is a perfect companion to the wistfulness of summer slipping away.

The sound she crafted with TAAR and Natsuhiko Muraoka seems to dissolve the fragility of late summer and the frustration of unfulfilled love into a smooth, irresistible groove.

Serving as the theme song for AbemaTV’s romance reality show “Koi no Dorama na Koi ga Shitai ~Kiss to survive~,” it captured many viewers’ hearts when the series began airing that August.

Put it on during a night when fond summer memories suddenly resurface, and it will gently wrap you in a sentimental mood.