On January 22, I’m launching and carrying out a project that I’m staking my life on. It’s an event, a documentary film production, and also a club activity. The theme is “pursuing play with absolute seriousness.”
There are still many parts I won’t know until I actually do it, so I can’t explain it in a perfectly clear, straightforward way. In other words, by intentionally not deciding everything in advance, I want everyone to enjoy the “play” that emerges from that openness—together.
I believe this is what “ideal freedom,” grounded in the belief in people’s inherent goodness, is meant to look like. I’m really looking forward to the voluntary participation of all you wonderful people, and I’m excited to share the experience with you. Let’s entrust the outcome to the universe, at least once.
実写版「起業しよう！スタートアップM&AとIPO物語」Presented by (株)ファイナンス・プロデュース様
Dandy Asobi Club Band
2025 is coming to an end today. What kind of year was it for you?
For me, the past three years have been years of constant trial and error. Every year, through meeting all kinds of people, I’ve been transforming not just my activities, but the way I live itself. And this year, right from the very beginning, I had an encounter that was incredibly important to me—one that finally made it clear what I truly want to cherish. Of course, as you can probably tell from my work, what I want to do hasn’t changed. But what used to feel like I was doing things without fully understanding why has become much more defined and clarified. And because of that, in the second half of this year I was able to create songs that I’m genuinely confident in—and I don’t think that was a coincidence.
I’ve also realized again that I really do love beauty. And I don’t mean that in a superficial sense. In modern physics, matter is understood as a form of energy—an aggregation of energy. So the question becomes: how do we generate beautiful energy? For human beings, it’s about how we use our bodies to create beautiful energy in the world. That’s what I want to focus on.
This year I posted a lot of complicated, nitpicky thoughts on my blog and social media—but fundamentally, I believe words are imperfect. Of course, if someone can express beauty through words, that’s wonderful. But I don’t think I have that level of skill. I do try my best to write, but for me, that process is largely about sharpening my own senses. Ultimately, I want to be able to express—or embody—that beautiful energy itself, in whatever form it takes.
Maybe it was because I encountered something—someone—beautiful, and was jolted awake by it. In a way, I may have regained something I was close to losing on a conscious level. I think I managed to live through this year powered by that energy.
So in 2026, my focus will be how to embody that kind of beautiful energy. Right at the start of the year, I’m hosting my event “Dandy Asobi Club,” and I’d truly love for you to come hang out. Beyond that, I’ll be working on my first album, a nationwide tour, and I already have a story in my head—plot and all—that I want to shoot as a short film.
And yes—on a softer note, I hope I can make some new friends, too. Even better if we can create something together. In that sense, I’d love to challenge myself with things that feel completely new as well.
To be honest, I don’t really know what people think of me when I’m not right in front of them. But despite how serious I may sound sometimes, I’ll still casually do street performances in a Santa outfit, no problem. I don’t think I’m particularly prideful. And even if it’s not a “cool guy” role—if it’s a weird or eccentric role—if the script and direction are good, I’d happily do it. My boundaries might be a little different from what people expect, so I’d be really happy if you feel free to reach out casually.
I’m pretty clear about what I can do and what I can’t, so I hope you’ll enjoy that for what it is. And I’d love it if, through all of this, a circle of positive resonance keeps expanding.
With that said—thank you so much for everything this year. From the very beginning, I received tremendous support for going to Hollywood. After that, I hosted events, and for the first time I received an offer to shoot a client’s music video. And then there was my performance at a museum. I received the thrilling (and nerve-racking) request to sing a song a cappella—and I was deeply encouraged to feel that people trusted my singing ability.
I sincerely hope for your continued support next year as well. This year I’m in a period of mourning, so I haven’t decided yet how I’ll greet the New Year—but please, have a wonderful year ahead.
Dan Mitchel、“愛着”をテーマにしたクリスマスミニアルバムをリリース。新作MV、主催イベント情報も！
「Free」「My Heart Is Still On Her」「Welcome Home at Sweet Christmas」——2025年に生まれた“愛着三部作”を核に、過去作2曲を編み直した5曲の物語
唯一無二のドラマティックアーティストのDan Mitchel が12月23日、“愛着”をテーマにしたEP 『Welcome Home at Sweet Christmas』 をリリースした。 本作は、HIP LAND MUSICによるデジタルディストリビューション&プロモーションサービス「FRIENDSHIP.」がデジタルリリースをサポートしている。
Dan Mitchelにとって2025年は、「愛着」という言葉と向き合わざるを得なくなった一年だった。これまで意識してこなかった概念を学び直すうちに、それが恋愛だけでなく、親子関係、友人関係、職場の上下関係、ひいては社会問題の多くの根にもつながる重大なテーマであることを実感したという。
本作には、2025年夏以降に立て続けに制作された 「Free」「My Heart Is Still On Her」「Welcome Home at Sweet Christmas」 を“愛着三部作”として中心に据え、さらに「愛着を意識していなかった頃」に書かれながら、今振り返ると同じテーマを歌っていたと感じる 「When I Think Of You…」「I swear…」 の2曲を収録。結果として、EPの曲順は不思議なほど リリース順＝制作順 に収束した。偶然か、必然か——その並び自体が、“感情の時系列”になっている。
新曲：「Welcome Home at Sweet Christmas」
「Welcome Home at Sweet Christmas」はクリスマスソングでありながら、いわゆる“正統派”のそれとは異なる。Dan Mitchel自身はクリスチャンではなく、良くも悪くも異文化を取り込み、独自の風習へと変換してしまう “日本のクリスマス” の感覚を音楽に落とし込んだという。キーワードは 多様性／自由／統合。
Dan Mitchel Releases a Christmas EP Themed Around “Attachment” — Plus a New MV and Details on His Self-Produced Event!
“Free,” “My Heart Is Still On Her,” “Welcome Home at Sweet Christmas” — a five-song story built around 2025’s “Attachment Trilogy,” with two earlier tracks re-woven into the narrative.
On December 23, dramatic artist Dan Mitchel released his new EP Welcome Home at Sweet Christmas, centered on the theme of “attachment.” The digital release is supported by FRIENDSHIP., HIP LAND MUSIC’s digital distribution and promotion service.
For Dan Mitchel, 2025 was a year in which he was forced to confront the concept of “attachment.” As he revisited and re-learned an idea he had never consciously focused on before, he came to realize that attachment is not only about romantic relationships, but also a profound theme connected to parent-child relationships, friendships, workplace hierarchies, and even the roots of many social issues.
This EP places three songs created in rapid succession from summer 2025 onward — “Free,” “My Heart Is Still On Her,” and “Welcome Home at Sweet Christmas” — at its core as an “Attachment Trilogy.” It also includes two tracks — “When I Think Of You…” and “I swear…” — which were written “before he was aware of attachment,” yet now, looking back, feel as if they were singing about the same theme all along. As a result, the EP’s track order mysteriously converged into the same sequence as the release order — which also mirrors the creation order. Coincidence or inevitability? The lineup itself becomes a “chronology of emotion.”
New Song: “Welcome Home at Sweet Christmas”
While “Welcome Home at Sweet Christmas” is a Christmas song, it differs from what one might call an “orthodox” or “traditional” Christmas song. Dan Mitchel is not a Christian, and he says he translated into music the sense of “Japanese Christmas” — which, for better or worse, absorbs foreign cultures and transforms them into uniquely local customs. The keywords are: diversity / freedom / integration.
On the sound side, the song centers on a “holy” surge of emotion with the chorus set in A♭ major, while the intro opens the celebration with salsa percussion. Then, in the bridge, the song shifts as if you’ve wandered into another dimension. Though it boldly leaps through multiple modulations and a daring structure, it ultimately returns to the tonic for a triumphant resolution. Though it is a Christmas song, for Japanese listeners it may resonate more with the feeling of year-end closure — the sense of gathering up a scattered year and integrating it into one whole.
The production began with the chorus melody and key phrases coming first, but the process was difficult midway through. Then one day, in a half-dreaming state, Dan felt a sudden conviction: “I think I’ll be able to write the lyrics tomorrow morning.” In one burst, the song came together. Because of its complex structure, the arrangement took time — but after the piece had been given enough “time to be listened to / time to be lived with,” once production resumed, the final form was completed in just one day.
“My Heart Is Still On Her” Music Video Now Available
A music video has been produced for the included track “My Heart Is Still On Her,” and it is now available on YouTube. Directed by and starring Dan Mitchel, this marks his first MV since the short film that was selected for a Hollywood film festival. In this work, the lyrical world — spoken only abstractly in the song — is made decadently visible through drama and dance. Please check it out as well.
Live Info: “Dandy Asobi Club” at Shibuya 7th Floor (Thu, Jan 22, 2026)
On Thursday, January 22, 2026, Dan will self-produce “Dandy Asobi Club,” a multidisciplinary arts event dedicated to pursuing “playing in earnest,” at Shibuya 7th Floor. This installment will be held as a pilot edition, but with the aim of becoming a regular series. By linking it with a nationwide “Free” Tour, the project seeks to expand the circle of “serious play” across Japan — and eventually to export it globally as an art program.
Musically, Dan plans a stage that updates the “exquisite balance” between carefully designed dramatic direction and improvisation, bringing in a DJ alongside his usual support members. The event also plans a project in which music is improvised live to accompany theatre scenes, as well as a collaboration with world-class pantomime artist Kyoichi Kita. Performers and proposal submissions are currently being accepted via the dedicated LINE Open Chat.
Artist Comment
Thank you for your hard work this past year. I’m grateful that every single year brings fresh experiences and realizations — it’s truly the joy of being an artist.
Next year surely won’t be simple either, but with the same unwavering “purity of action,” I want to keep pursuing the most beautiful human endeavor in this world — in other words, “playing in earnest.” Please look forward to it.
“Expected Time Table” 18:30~19:00 DJ×BAND SESSION 19:00~19:30 Dan Mitchel Band Set 1st Stage 19:30~19:45 Opening Talk 19:45~20:25 Acting×Band(Love Story with Romantic Band Music ) 20:25~20:45 Pantomime×Band 20:45~21:00 Break Time 21:00~21:05 Ukulele Live 21:05~21:20 Improvised New Song×Pantomime×Dance 21:20~21:40 Inteview×Band×Acting(Voice of the youth) 21:40~21:45 Ending Talk 21:45~22:15 Dan Mitchel Band Set 2nd Stage 22:15~22:45 Ending DJ
The lineup will continue to be updated as new performers are confirmed. If you believe in your talent and would like to appear in the program, please feel free to send your materials via DM or email at any time. I may not be able to reply to everyone, but I will review every submission.
A genre-crossing art event held 29 times in 2023 in collaboration with FRIENDSHIP. — “Freestyle Session Party (FSP)” — is being refined and rebooted, relaunching as an event, program, and community under the name “Dandy Asobi Club (DAC)”!!
We will hold the pilot edition on Thursday, January 22, at Shibuya 7th Floor.
Theme
“Master Serious Play!”
“Before you know it, it becomes a social phenomenon!”
“Bring Japan’s unique spirit of play to the world!”
Turning serious play beyond genres and generations into a “club activity”
Across music, film/video, dance, theater, philosophy, and more—beyond genre and generation—we aim to pursue “serious play” as a club-like activity, developing it into a 12-episode series.
Building on popular FSP projects such as:
Adding live improvised accompaniment to theater performances
Sessions between DJs and live instrumentalists
Collaborations between reading theater and dancers / pantomime performers
…we also plan to create highly original new formats, including:
A project where I draw out the thoughts of young people, and actors perform them as monologues
A project where we compose a song on the spot with participants present
We aim to deliver an array of creativity-rich projects that are rarely seen elsewhere.
Re-edit the event into a program and share it globally
This time, while keeping it a participatory event with an audience (as before), we want to leverage my track record—including selection at a Hollywood film festival and an award at an Italian film festival—to record, edit, and distribute it as a single program.
YouTube would be an option, but we also plan to explore whether distribution might be possible via Prime Video, Netflix, AbemaTV, and other platforms.
We also aim to add English subtitles throughout the entire program and export it overseas. I believe we must bring the talents hidden in Japan to the world. If we only consider the market within Japan—or only inbound tourists—the long-term potential seems limited, especially when we have the internet.
For the video production team, I hope to collaborate again with the people who supported me during my previous film production. I intend to take responsibility and lead the team, and I believe my countless past failures will support me this time.
Encouraging proactive independence while maintaining authority
Although this is a participatory event, I will carefully review portfolios and submitted materials in advance and give the go-ahead based on the best match for each project.
Therefore, the overall stage quality will not drop due to casual amateur participation. That said, I don’t want anyone to feel intimidated—rather, I want people with fewer achievements to actively challenge themselves. For the sake of discovering bold new concepts, I plan to review everything that is submitted, and within that, I want to design projects where many people can participate in the right roles at the right time.
Any club member can bring in a project idea
Under the banner “Perestroika = Democratization,” we will establish a committee via a LINE Open Chat and invite committee members to propose new projects.
A project will be implemented with the approval of “at least five committee members + me.” Those who vote in favor will also be expected to take responsibility and help operate the project.
LINE Open Chat: “Dandy Asobi Club Planning Committee” is here! (You can join anonymously without adding anyone as a LINE friend.)
Expanding serious play across Japan and aiming for global reach
By linking with the nationwide tour “Free” that I announced previously, we can invite new talents I meet across Japan to perform—energizing both the event and the program—while also making it a place where people from many industries can gather.
Ultimately—“birds of a feather flock together”—I hope to create a club-like space where, across all of Japan, diverse people beyond generations and genres who share my core philosophy can connect, thrive, and prosper.
You can also learn more about my guiding philosophy via my blog and the videos linked at the end.
Serious play can heal division in society
To resolve the countless binaries and divisions in society, I arrived—just yesterday (the memorable date of December 5, 2025) after years of thought experiments—at the conclusion that we need a strong leader with aesthetics and an essential spirit of playfulness.
More details will be shared here. (I will add additional notes later.)
Crowdfunding to raise production costs!!
For the production budget of this project, I would like to raise 1,000,000 yen through crowdfunding!
Primarily, we would be truly happy if you purchase advance tickets, and as an added bonus, you’ll also be able to try our existing services—or, if the project becomes a program, we may run commercial spots as well. (Of course, for corporate supporters, payment by invoice is also possible.)
Last time, we received support from 27 people and raised 1,280,000 yen.
Budget breakdown
Venue: ¥150,000
Performers: ¥150,000
Video: ¥200,000
Sound: ¥100,000
Rehearsals: ¥70,000
Editing: ¥150,000
Operations: ¥30,000
Advertising: ¥150,000
Please click the button below to visit the crowdfunding page, and check the support menus and return rewards there.
Pilot Edition “Dandy Asobi Club” Production Support Fund
再生回数４万回超を記録した前作“Free”を仕上げた1週間後、突然「My Heart Is Still On Her」というフレーズが浮かび、24時間も経たずにストーリーとアレンジまで一気に作り上げた曲。3人の登場人物で構成され、Chillな雰囲気の中に、サビのシャッフルリズム、暴れるエレキギター、そしてピッチを敢えて補正しない自然なままのVocalが混在する。 歌詞の内容は英語でありながら、どこか昭和歌謡のような風情を感じる失恋ソングだが、曲・詞・アレンジすべてで、単なる“未練”に留まらず、主人公の力強い想いと決意が刻まれている。
高校時代に制作された楽曲。クラスメイトの「重い」と言われて別れたエピソードをモチーフにした曲でありながら、Danが失恋するたびに心の支えとなってきた、彼にとっても思い出深い楽曲である。現在匿名で実施している、楽器が弾けないシンガーソングライターが、毎日弾き語りをするInstagram企画「365 Days of Struggling to play what I can’t play」の一環として、クリック無しの弾き語り／ピッチ修正無しで収録した。
Dan Mitchel releases his autumn-themed heartbreak trilogy “My Heart Is Still On Her.” A journey to find resonating supporters through a nationwide 10,000-yen live tour and the launch of a new event-program project via crowdfunding.
Dramatic Artist Dan Mitchel will release his 18th single “My Heart Is Still On Her” on November 12 with support from FRIENDSHIP. As the season shifts into autumn and the afterglow deepens, this single brings together three heartbreak songs with a vivid emotional presence.
“My Heart Is Still On Her” Just a week after finishing his previous single “Free,” which surpassed 40,000 plays, the phrase “My Heart Is Still On Her” suddenly appeared in his mind. Within 24 hours, he completed the story, arrangement, and track. The song features three characters and blends a chill atmosphere with shuffle rhythms in the chorus, energetic electric guitars, and intentionally uncorrected natural vocals. Though the lyrics are in English, the emotional nuance carries a sense of Showa-era Japanese ballads. The music, lyrics, and arrangement express not only lingering feelings but also the protagonist’s strength and determination.
“Arrogance” A jazz-leaning ballad recorded at the March 2025 event “Is Tonight Just a Rehearsal?”. It captures the same groove that once made passersby dance on the streets of Hollywood. Piano: Hinata Ishii Bass: Hodaka Kageta Electric Guitar: GODO Terasawa Percussion: Gai Seki The interlude features a bass solo, and the outro shifts to a piano solo. In the video version, internationally active dancer Jasmin Mazlika adds a graceful performance.
“A Broken Man’s LOVE SONG” Originally composed in high school, inspired by a breakup story where a classmate told Dan he was “too heavy.” The song has been a source of emotional support for him through later heartbreaks. It was recorded as part of his anonymous Instagram series “365 Days of Struggling to Play What I Can’t Play,” using only live piano and vocals, with no click track and no tuning correction.
A=432Hz Production While his previous release was produced entirely in A=444Hz, this new single uses A=432Hz throughout, creating a calmer and more soothing atmosphere that fits the theme of heartbreak.
47-Prefecture “10,000-yen Traveling Live & Documentary” Project
Following the strong reception of “Free,” Dan launched a nationwide project offering one performance per prefecture for a fee of 10,000 yen plus travel expenses. The live shows can be held anywhere: private homes, inns, shops, commercial spaces, or outdoors, and can be performed even for an audience of one. In addition to original songs, he performs a wide range of covers showcasing his four-octave vocal range trained in Los Angeles. All performances will be filmed and compiled into a documentary capturing his journey across Japan. As an award-winning filmmaker at international festivals, Dan aims not only to deliver live music but to turn the entire process and the human encounters within it into art. Details: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000005.000158119.html
Freestyle Session Club (FSC) Launch
Dan is reviving his cross-genre Shibuya event “Freestyle Session Party,” which he previously held 29 times, as a redesigned event-program called Freestyle Session Club (FSC), returning after two years. The project aims for a 12-episode series featuring cross-disciplinary sessions integrating music, film, dance, theater, and dialogue. Popular projects from the previous series return, including live improvised film-score accompaniment for stage plays, DJ and live-instrument collaborations, and reader’s theater combined with pantomime. New projects include sessions where Dan listens to young people’s stories and actors perform them as monologues, as well as spontaneous collaborative songwriting with audience members. A pilot version will be produced first, leading to full program development, recurring events, and a participatory community. Talented individuals discovered during the nationwide tour will also be involved, allowing both projects to function as dual pillars of Dan’s creative work. A crowdfunding campaign to raise 1,000,000 yen for the pilot production has begun. Details: https://yep-net.com/2025/11/11/freestyle-session-club/
Artist Comment
“Autumn has arrived, and the air has become quite cold. This time, I gathered three heartbreak songs that feel simple yet painfully real.
The first track is a love song with three characters, something I rarely write. I hope listeners can relate from various perspectives.
I actually produced the track inside Jonathan’s, wearing headphones and shaking along with my small AKAI keyboard. Please don’t imagine that while listening.
The decision to leave the vocals un-tuned came from a conversation with a friend over drinks. Once I realized how delicate that decision was, I trembled a little.
The second song was written shortly before my track ‘Angel Heart.’ I truly like this piece and want to make a proper studio version, but the production budget has not come together yet, so it remains a live recording for now. Fortunately, the live take is already close to complete, so I think it works fine.
Musically, the song modulates frequently in small steps. Even I’m not sure what key signature should go on the sheet music. Lyrically, it is the most hopeless song of the three. As a background story: right after shooting a short film, while I was driving, the actress and makeup artist in the back seat were talking about how ‘heartbreak songs tend to sell.’ I thought, ‘Fine, then I’ll write the most hopeless one possible.’ Please forget that.
The third track, A Broken Man’s LOVE SONG, was written in high school, back when I had never dated anyone. It amazes me that I was able to write something like this from imagination alone. I was obsessed with complicated chords at the time, so the song is extremely difficult to play. There is no click track and no pitch correction. My piano playing is honestly poor, but that’s the concept this time.
This song was also rehearsed in the event ‘Is Tonight Just a Rehearsal?’, so please check out the video as well.”
Release Information Dan Mitchel “My Heart Is Still On Her” Digital Release: November 12, 2025
Tracklist
My Heart Is Still On Her
Arrogance (Live from “Is Tonight Just a Rehearsal?”)
A Broken Man’s LOVE SONG (365 Days of Struggling to Play)
It’s a daily diary of my struggles as a singer-songwriter who can’t play instruments, trying to do piano accompaniment and singing.
I’m planning to update it every day.
For now, I’m thinking of not openly revealing that I’m Dan Mitchel—maybe I’ll come clean if it starts to gain some traction, haha.
No edits at all—I’m done with that. No sound fixes, no face fixes. Just me, shot on a phone.
Will this strategy actually work?
At the very least, I’ll probably get a bit better at singing and piano, right?
I’m also taking requests, so don’t hesitate to let me know what you’d like to hear! I’ll be happy so much if you follow and like this account and posts quietly.
Thanks to all of you, my latest release “FREE”has been receiving an incredible response.
APPLE MUSIC: 24,000 streams YOUTUBE: 10,000 views and counting
To express my gratitude—though only three months remain in 2025— I’d like to announce a special Thank-You Campaign: a Nationwide Tour!
My company, Dramatic Frontier Co., Ltd., normally offers a custom “Your Only Live Show” on-site performance service. The standard rate is ¥30,000 per solo performance + travel expenses, but for this campaign, I’m opening one slot per prefecture in Japan at:
¥10,000 + travel expenses
(first come, first served)
You can host the show anywhere. I’ll bring my amp and travel to any location— your home, outdoors, a small gathering, a large venue—no problem at all. Of course, if the space has a stage or proper sound equipment, I can perform at my full potential.
Requests for the setlist are welcome!
The only conditions are:
① I perform one song—“Free”—during the show. ② You allow me to film (as much as possible) for the nationwide tour documentary.
For those who don’t know: I’m not only a singer-songwriter but also a film director, and my short film has won awards at international film festivals. This project will have a Lo-Fi aesthetic by design—but I hope you’ll still look forward to it.
This is a type of challenge I’ve never taken on before, but if we can all enjoy it together—and if it leads to new and wonderful encounters— that would make me truly happy.
My 17th Single “Free” is out on 3rd September, 2025. Curated by FRIENDSHIP. @friends_hipland (HIP LAND MUSIC’s) You can listen to these songs on any platforms of music subscription services freely
After turning thirty, I find myself reflecting on so many things. Almost as a survival strategy, I’ve grown cautious, afraid of getting hurt. As my senses grow numb, I begin to lose sight of how I’m binding myself in place. Though I once longed for freedom above all else, I end up choosing restriction on my own. Perhaps it really does take someone’s great love to be freed from such oppression. I feel as though I’ve only recently begun to realize that. My “story of self-transformation” has only just begun. I am in no position to speak as if I have it all figured out. But if you could keep this song close to your life, I would be truly glad. For both the human spirit and works of art such as music hold infinite possibilities beyond the reality of society. If my work can serve even a little in that direction, it would bring me great happiness.
Dan Mitchel 