[Instagram] Songs that create an emotional vibe for Reels.

Love WindIkuta Rira

Lila Ikuta “Koikaze” Official Music Video

This song gently wraps around a heart that’s become timid about love, like a spring breeze.

It carefully depicts the protagonist, who carries past wounds, meeting someone who looks at them with unwavering eyes and slowly trying to move forward.

The moment when the wish for love to be simpler intersects with the courage to take a step anyway is achingly poignant, and as you listen, it resonates with your own feelings of love.

Lila Ikuta’s clear, translucent voice delicately conveys these wavering emotions and truly strikes a chord.

Released in April 2025, it was chosen as the theme song for ABEMA’s dating reality show “Kyo, Suki ni Narimashita.

New Zealand Edition.” This marks the third time Lila Ikuta has provided a theme song for the series, following “Romance no Yakusoku” and “Sparkle.” It’s a song you’ll want to listen to when you don’t quite have the courage to start a new romance, or when you’re feeling your heart race over a new encounter.

Chronostasiskinoko teikoku

Kinoko Teikoku – Chronostasis (MV)

A song that depicts a comfortable moment with someone by your side as you stroll leisurely through a quiet city night.

Featured on the 2014 album “Fake World Wonderland,” this piece uses the visual phenomenon where a clock’s hands appear to stop as a motif to express the fleeting beauty of time spent with a lover.

Its unhurried rhythm matches the very pace of wandering down a nighttime street that’s so enjoyable you don’t want to go home.

It was also used in the film “We Made a Beautiful Bouquet,” poignantly coloring the story’s bittersweet scenes.

It’s a number you’ll find yourself wanting to hear when you feel a tender affection for those ordinary moments with someone special.

spring melancholyMrs. GREEN APPLE

Mrs. GREEN APPLE – Spring Melancholy

This song, which Motoki Omori is said to have written the day after his own graduation ceremony, faithfully captures the complex emotions felt during the season of farewells.

It was released to the world in February 2018 as the B-side to the single “Love me, Love you.” It was also featured in a Suntory Craft Boss commercial, resonating with many listeners.

The inability to be honest with friends and companions, the moment you realize that the routines of everyday life were irreplaceable—these genuine feelings of graduates are conveyed over a gentle melody.

Chosen as an entrance piece for graduation ceremonies or as background music for reels that look back on memories, it will surely add color to a special day.

ControlKiri T

Kiri T – Control

Singer-songwriter Kiri T from Hong Kong is known for her versatile sound centered on pop and R&B.

With a solid musical foundation honed at Berklee College of Music, she has earned high acclaim, including winning at the Whats Good Music Awards in 2022.

Among her works, a song I especially recommend is this English-lyric track.

Featuring airy, floating vocals and distinctive synths, it seems to depict the psychological push-and-pull over control in a relationship and emotions that don’t go as one wishes.

Its slightly mysterious vibe makes it perfect for an emo reel, so be sure to check it out.

As memory servesTAIL

TAIL / As in My Memories (Official Music Video)

This track comes from TAIL, whose hybrid, R&B-centered sound is a key part of the appeal.

Released in December 2024, the song portrays the tangled feelings of being unable to genuinely celebrate the happiness of a former lover upon reunion.

Its airy synths and beats that make artful use of space weave a soundscape that seems to mirror the ebb and flow of sentimental emotion.

Following November 2023, when TAIL concluded activities under the name Taichi Mukai, this work marks a new chapter of expression and has been entered in two categories at Music Awards Japan 2025.

It’s a song whose faintly wistful vocals linger in the ear—perfect for a sentimental night scene.

CUBEiri

iri – CUBE (Music Video)

A smooth groove that evokes a midsummer night’s breeze makes this track by singer-songwriter iri a delight.

Released in August 2025, the song serves as the theme for the dating reality show “Girl or Lady Season 2.” With ESME MORI as sound producer, it resonates with an urbane, sophisticated alternative R&B sound.

It tells the story of a jagged heart tumbling along, eventually meeting someone and changing shape—conjuring an image that’s tinged with melancholy yet ultimately forward-looking.

Paired with iri’s soulful vocals, this piece lets you sink into both chill and dance moods, making it perfect for a sentimental late-summer night.

It’s a song that gently nestles up to a slightly downcast heart, offering a warm sense of comfort.

SummerHisaishi Joe

Joe Hisaishi – Summer

This is an immensely famous masterpiece by Joe Hisaishi, a composer Japan proudly shares with the world.

Speaking of Hisaishi, you can’t separate his work from films by director Takeshi Kitano.

This piece is the main theme from the 1999 film “Kikujiro,” and it was later used in a Toyota Corolla commercial.

The piano’s fresh, buoyant melody evokes the dazzling sunshine of summer and the thrill of adventure.

At the same time, it deftly conveys fleeting moments of wistfulness and nostalgia, gently touching the listener’s heartstrings.

Hisaishi’s own piano solo version is also included on his 2002 album “ENCORE.” Add it to a summer travel video or a casual everyday clip, and it will color the moment into something unforgettable.