With CHAI

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Walton produced だれかおるやろ feat. CHAI, the theme for Shingo Murakami of SUPER EIGHT (Kanjani Eight), performed by TAKATSU-KING (Shingo Murakami) featuring CHAI, for Murakami's series on NTT Docomo's Lemino. His other CHAI credits run from the Sub Pop WINK TOGETHER remix (2022) to production on NHK and film themes, and Japan singles including ラブじゃん（ That's Love）, across CHAI's Sub Pop / Sony cycle.

CHAI were a Nagoya-formed quartet built around twin frontwomen MANA and KANA with YUNA and YUUKI. Their core concept was NEO KAWAII: pop, punk, funk, hip-hop, dance, and bright visual language pushing against narrow Japanese beauty standards and turning “complexes” into art. Pitchfork's early Rising profile describes the whole project as an argument about self-acceptance and redefining cute.

CHAI went from Japanese releases to PINK, PUNK, then WINK on Sub Pop, with U.S. and international press coverage. Sub Pop's artist page describes WINK as the album where remote collaboration became part of the band's sound and CHAI looked outward into an international community.

Walton's first CHAI credit is from the WINK / WINK TOGETHER era. “Miracle (Scoobert Doobert Remix)” is on CHAI's 2022 WINK TOGETHER EP with remixes by Confidence Man, ZAZEN BOYS, Busy P, STUTS, and Beenzino, the official remix companion to their Sub Pop album cycle. In Amiri Kawamura's 音楽通信 interview, MANA says she found Scoobert on Spotify's New Music Friday, posted the song to her Instagram story, and he wrote back. She asked him to arrange 「まるごと」 and shared a romantic, nostalgic brief. She does not name the playlist song. This site's credit order identifies it as “I'm an Idiot.”

The production credits followed. WHOLE (まるごと): Sub Pop describes it as produced by San Diego-based Scoobert Doobert with 1990s Japanese TV-drama influence; Apple Music credits programming and arrangement; it became the theme for NHK drama 恋せぬふたり (Koisenu Futari). The series later received the 59th Galaxy Award Special Prize and an Arts Festival Excellence Award; writer Erika Yoshida won the Mukōda Prize for the script — those awards are the drama's and Yoshida's. MY DREAM (夢のはなし) was written for the film さかなのこ (The Fish Tale), starring Non (のん); Sony Music Japan documents Walton on sound production. Non received a Japan Academy Prize Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for the film; that award is hers. ラブじゃん（ That's Love） followed as a Japan single (played, produced, mixed). Walton produced だれかおるやろ feat. CHAI, the theme for Shingo Murakami's NTT Docomo / Lemino original, performed by TAKATSU-KING (Shingo Murakami) featuring CHAI. The April 19, 2023 premiere followed the song and its video. He mixed it and played drums, bass, and guitar. The show credit names MANA and KANA and does not print him.

Other names around CHAI: TAKATSU-KING (Shingo Murakami), of SUPER EIGHT / Kanjani Eight; Non, Kaho Nakamura, Orono, Rivers Cuomo, and Sui Ishida wrote release congratulations for the self-titled album CHAI (Sep 22, 2023).

CHAI disbanded after March 12, 2024 at EX THEATER ROPPONGI. Sony Music Japan released 『We The CHAI Tour! FINAL ～NEO KAWAII IS FOREVER♡～』 on Blu-ray July 3, 2024 (SIXL-3): the full last show (~106 min, 22 songs) plus a ~25-minute documentary. Walton production credits appear twice in the official setlist: #3 ラブじゃん and #11 まるごと.

Luke's archive also records additional instrumental and vocal contributions on selected CHAI-related sessions that are not consistently reflected in public metadata. Studio work on the broader catalog was profiled in Japan's Sound & Recording Magazine (サンレコ). After CHAI disbanded, Walton mixed OKAME and produced for KOMAGOME.

CHAI, in order of credits

Pitchfork lists “Miracle (Scoobert Doobert Remix)” on CHAI’s WINK TOGETHER EP. NME names Scoobert Doobert as producer on “WHOLE,” the NHK 恋せぬふたり theme. Paste covers the WHOLE single. Sony Music Japan documents 「まるごと」 / WHOLE as the drama theme with Scoobert Doobert on sound production. In order: “I’m an Idiot” reached Spotify New Music Friday (2021); CHAI heard the song; Walton remixed “Miracle” for Sub Pop’s WINK TOGETHER (2022), then produced WHOLE (NHK theme) and sound-produced MY DREAM (film theme), both 2022.

• WHOLE / まるごと : CHAI · "WHOLE" / 「まるごと」 · 2022 · produced by Scoobert Doobert · NHK drama theme · Sony Japan / NME / Paste public record

Press and screen coverage: Pitchfork · NME · Paste Magazine · Sony Music Japan · Sub Pop .

• I'm an Idiot : Spotify New Music Friday · 2021
• I'm an Idiot : CHAI hears the song
• Miracle (Scoobert Doobert Remix) : Sub Pop remix credit · 2022
• WHOLE / まるごと : Production / NHK theme · 2022
• MY DREAM / 夢のはなし : Sound production / film theme · 2022

Pitchfork publishes the WINK TOGETHER tracklist including Miracle (Scoobert Doobert Remix); NME states WHOLE was produced by Scoobert Doobert and names Koi-senu Futari; Paste covers the WHOLE single in the same release window; Sony Music Japan's official CHAI pages document まるごと as the NHK drama theme with Scoobert Doobert on sound production. Sub Pop Mega Mart, SoundBetter, and YouTube release metadata list individual roles on WHOLE. Third-party bios and analytics pages repeat the same sequence. Sources: Pitchfork · WINK TOGETHER tracklist (Miracle Scoobert Doobert Remix) · NME · WHOLE produced by Scoobert Doobert · Koi-senu Futari theme · Paste · WHOLE single coverage · Sony Music Japan · まるごと NHK theme · Scoobert Doobert sound produce · Sub Pop · WINK TOGETHER (Miracle Scoobert Doobert Remix) · Sub Pop Mega Mart · WHOLE (produced by Scoobert Doobert) · SoundBetter · WHOLE (producer / arranger / mixing engineer) · Sony Music Japan · MY DREAM / 夢のはなし · Music Metrics Vault · artist bio · Love Music More · public bio . Catalog · Press credits.

See also: Press & credits · Catalog