Gently staying close to a wounded heart… A Reiwa-era heartbreak song
Even in the Reiwa era, the desire to have music heal a heart wounded by heartbreak is probably the same as ever.
Unrequited love, love that has ended—its forms vary from person to person, but there are countless songs in the world that those with such experiences will find relatable.
So this time, we’re introducing heartbreak songs born in the Reiwa era.
You’re sure to find tracks that resonate with your own experiences, so be sure to check them out!
- [Tear-Jerking Breakup Songs] A curated selection of love songs that gently comfort a wounded heart!
- Just listening to it makes my chest tighten. A unrequited love song born in the Reiwa era.
- Breakup songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke. Heart-healing songs about parting ways.
- When you want to immerse yourself in music alone! Tear-jerker songs released in the Reiwa era
- A tear-jerking breakup song that washes the pain away with tears
- A tear-jerking love song. A love song that stays close to a hurting heart.
- Breakup songs by female artists recommended for the yutori generation
- Breakup songs that were hits in the 2000s
- [Shōwa-Era Heartbreak Songs] Carefully selected timeless love classics adored across generations!
- A winter heartbreak song. A love song that's just too heartrending.
- [Perfect for Autumn] Heartbreak songs that resonate with bittersweet feelings
- Heal your heart with love ballads: A collection of pure love and heartbreak songs.
- Masterpieces of bittersweet breakup songs. Recommended popular tracks.
Gently staying close to a wounded heart... Reiwa-era break-up songs (11–20)
SparkleIkuta Rira
Released digitally in January 2022, it was selected as the theme song for ABEMA’s romance reality show “Kyou, Suki ni Narimashita.
Mikan Arc.” For this piece, the melody was crafted first, then carefully layered with the tones of an acoustic guitar to complete the track, and it looks back on an unrequited love.
The protagonist’s feelings—overcoming the pain of a love that never came true and trying to move forward into the future—resonate quietly alongside her clear, transparent vocals.
It’s a song that will stay by your side on a night just after heartbreak, when you wish to face forward once again.
umbrellaKing Gnu
A song that resonates with the heart through lyrics that capture delicate emotions and a memorable melody.
Released in October 2019 as the theme song for Bourbon’s “Alfort” commercial, this piece vividly portrays the pain of heartbreak and separation.
It carefully depicts the loneliness felt in a crowded train and the sorrow lurking in everyday life, creating a work that gently accompanies the listener’s heart.
With King Gnu’s distinctive worldview and musicality shining through, it will tenderly embrace those who have experienced heartbreak or carry emotional wounds.
It’s a heartwarming track that you’ll want to listen to on a rainy day.
Sugar losswanuka
A mid-tempo ballad that expresses bittersweet emotions from a unique perspective will stay by the side of your broken heart.
Released in January 2022, this song by Wanuka is a collaboration with Morinaga’s DARS chocolate.
It portrays the pain of heartbreak with a “subtly sweet” touch, showcasing a distinctive sound that blends pop and folk.
The music video, set in a retro candy shop, is also captivating.
Depicting the urge to look away from reality after love falls apart, the piece mixes humor with relatable honesty—highly recommended for anyone looking to heal their heart.
Stars are falling.Senchimirimentaru
This is a winter ballad that sings of lingering feelings for a former lover.
Released by Centimillimental in November 2025, the song was written as the commercial theme for the Laguna Illumination “Carnival of Light and Water,” held at the Laguna Ten Bosch resort in Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture.
Grand piano-and-strings arrangements are layered with Atsushi’s delicate vocals to paint a poignant world where longing and bravado intersect.
The protagonist, torn between wishing happiness for the person they parted from and emotions that won’t fade, resonates powerfully alongside the image of lights pouring down the winter night sky.
It’s a track I especially recommend to anyone trying to face forward after a heartbreak.
an unkind girlKoresawa
It’s a ballad that portrays painfully real emotions, where unrequited love and self-loathing intertwine.
Singer-songwriter Koresawa, who keeps her real face hidden from the media, delivers this track as the closing song of her EP “Atashi no Koibito E.P,” released in November 2025.
It’s a poignant breakup song performed with just a single guitar and voice.
Through everyday scenes, it chronicles a clumsy state of mind—so consumed with thoughts of the other person that tenderness becomes elusive.
Among the tracks that include commercial tie-ins, this one deliberately weaves an unadorned sound whose solitary resonance strikes right at the heart.
On nights when the wound hasn’t healed and you want to cry quietly alone, it will be there to keep you company.
LAST NOTEWashio Reina
It’s a song that lets you sink into a quiet, profound afterglow, like watching the end credits of a film.
This piece closes out Reina Washio’s mini-album “freivor,” released in November 2025.
As the final installment of a trilogy themed around perfume, it delicately portrays the feeling of not forcibly erasing past loves or painful memories, but gently accepting them—like a scent that lingers on the skin.
Telling yourself “I’m okay now” as you try to face forward and walk on alone—that image is truly moving.
Why not give it a listen on a quiet night when you want to spend time with yourself?
Gently staying close to hurt feelings… Reiwa-era heartbreak songs (21–30)
That’s not fair.Ochiai Wataru
They’re someone who says they “love” me, but I know their heart isn’t here.
Even so, I can’t walk away, because those moments when they say it are the only ones that save me.
Wataru Ochiai’s 2021 release sings from the perspective of a woman sinking into a relationship so ambiguous it can’t even be labeled “more than friends, less than lovers,” moving between blaming the other person and loathing herself.
A phone placed face down as they leave; me almost grabbing their arm, then seeing them off with a smile—tiny details of daily life lay bare the reality that I’m not the one.
The simple arrangement, built around acoustic guitar and keys, is chosen to make the words stand out.
Precisely because the vocal delivery is calm and understated, the pain lands with raw immediacy.
After its 2021 release, the song charted in countries around the world, including Thailand, Laos, and Ireland.
The music video features actors Mizuki and Kento Hotta, and is approaching 900,000 views.
For anyone who knows the feeling of “a love you want to end but can’t,” this is a song that will gently stay by your side.