Kento Nakajima just released his first single “MONTAGE,” with the title track serving as the theme song for the spring anime Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de.
Letโs dive deeper into the other tracks on the single as well, because MONTAGE isnโt just one storyโitโs an emotional anthology of everything Kento Nakajima stands for right now.
A dramatic, dance-infused theme composed by Hiroyuki Sawano with lyrics co-written by Kento himself, โMONTAGEโ blends suspense and elegance to reflect the mystery-driven world of the anime it accompanies. The music video, directed by YERD, casts Kento as a noir-inspired detectiveโexploring duality, identity, and the thrill of the unknown through cinematic minimalism and stylized choreography.
For Kento, mystery isn’t confusionโitโs potential. And this song is proof that heโs not afraid to chase it.
Inspired by Hokusaiโs iconic works and created in collaboration with the immersive exhibition HOKUSAI: ANOTHER STORY, โ็ขงๆฆโ (“HEKIREKI“) trades the high-stakes drama of โMONTAGEโ for quiet intensity. Co-written with Kanata Okajima, the lyrics reflect on legacy, memory, and the enduring strength of youthโsymbolized by a deeper shade of his signature color blue: โ็ขง.โ
Whether projected on a 14-meter screen in Shibuya or heard through headphones alone, โ็ขงๆฆโ hits just as deeply. For many fans, itโs not just a songโitโs an emotional keepsake. One listener with hearing loss even shared how they โfelt the songโ through Kentoโs expression alone.
Where โMONTAGEโ challenges the listener to piece together a puzzle, โ็ขงๆฆโ offers comfort and quiet hopeโtogether forming a dual expression of head and heart, tension and release.
Featured on his debut solo single MONTAGE, the song โJUST KENTYโโ is an unapologetically bright, self-referencing pop anthem that could only come from Kento himselfโhappiness in a song.
Co-written by Kento, composed by INFX and Corbin, and arranged by Makura, this track bursts with charisma and charm from the very first beat. It doesnโt just lean into his idol personaโit celebrates it. The track originally had the title โThe First Starโ, hinting at how deeply tied it is to fan relationships. In his own words, it tells the story of stars and fans seeing each other as the brightest light in their shared โuniverse.โ
Lyrics like โI JUST KENTYโ and โLOVE KENTY OF MY STARโ are cheeky, self-aware, and bursting with playful flair. Itโs an invitation into his world: confident, sparkly, a little ridiculousโand completely irresistible.
If youโve been following his journey since the “CANDY ๏ฝCan U be my BABY๏ฝ” days, โJUST KENTYโโ feels like a full-circle moment. Where CANDY (2013) was sweet, bubbly, and laced with boyish charmโcomplete with โLOVE KENTY!โ call-and-responseโ”JUST KENTYโ” is its grown-up counterpart. It’s still flirtatious and catchy, but more polished, deliberate, and mature. Think less candy shop, more high-end pop-up bar with LED mood lighting and a cheeky wink behind the glass.
Both songs orbit around Kentoโs quintessential and highly praised โidol power,โ but while “CANDY” asks, “JUST KENTYโ” answers. Heโs not the boy hoping youโll say yesโheโs the star who knows youโre already looking.
Beneath the glitter and groove lies a genuine message of self-acceptance and joy. โTake me! Kenty! Love 100%โ may sound like a tagline, but itโs delivered with earnestness that turns slogan into statement. Heโs not parodying the idol imageโheโs embodying it, rewriting it in his own words.
Online, fans have dubbed it the โultimate superstar anthem,โ with reactions ranging from delighted disbelief to pure adoration for how it manages to be both over-the-top and strangely emotional. Because thatโs the Kenty touch: sincere in its sparkle, heartfelt in its theatricality.
“JUST KENTYโ” isnโt just a solo songโitโs a gift to fans, a constellation of shared joy where the stage and the audience shine as one. Itโs really the grown-up echo of “CANDY,” but with even more glitter and knowing mischief.
In the broader context of MONTAGE, where moody dance numbers like the title track and the sultry โSUPERNOVAโ showcase Kento’s deeper artistic instincts, โJUST KENTYโโ is the wink through the curtain. It reminds us that seventeen years into his career, Kento Nakajima still knows how to make fans smileโand still knows exactly who he is.
Heโs not asking to be your boyfriend anymore. Heโs already the star in your sky.
If โJUST KENTYโโ is stardust and sparkle, then โSUPERNOVAโ is the explosion before it.
โSUPERNOVAโ ignites like a celestial eventโsultry, magnetic, and devastatingly elegant. Crafted by HIKARI with Geek Boy Al Swettenham and lyrics by Shoko Fujibayashi, the track weaves a sonic narrative of cosmic upheaval, where a love so powerful tears through peace and order like a supernova falling onto his planet. It challenged him vocally, especially the falsetto in the chorus. He wanted to test how high he could push his upper register.
โYouโre the supernova fell on my planet / And completely blew up my peace-loving lifeโ
That line says it all. This isnโt about falling in loveโitโs about being obliterated by it. From the very first verse, Kento paints a picture of total emotional annihilation. His once-stable world is gone, scorched in the aftermath of a radiant force he never saw coming. The song’s lyrics evoke the thrill of life redefined, where old values dissolve into a deep abyss of new possibilities.
Vocally, Kentoโs delivery is smooth, low, and intoxicating. He doesnโt beltโhe glides, letting the funk-laced basslines and pulsing groove speak for him. Every line is controlled chaos, seduction laced with surrender. By the final chorus, heโs not resisting anymore. Heโs chosen to let go.
โYouโre the supernova / ใใฃใ hypernova / Now my war is overโ
Thereโs something vulnerableโand quietly powerfulโabout the way he gives in. This isnโt about bravado. Itโs about acceptance. Awe. The kind of love that remakes you, whether you want it to or not.
In an interview with ้ณๆฅฝใใฟใชใผ, Kento revealed that he builds songs around concepts that push emotional boundariesโand here, the “supernova” metaphor becomes more than just cosmic flare. It becomes a story of internal collapse and rebirth. A declaration of fearless transformation.
Fans highlight how it captures a mature, evolved side of Kentoโs artistryโstill idol at heart, but deeper, more dangerous. Streaming platforms and various sites have seen fans sharing their emotional responses, calling it “intimate, hypnotic, unforgettable.“
Behind the sleek seduction of “SUPERNOVA” lies fatigue, fire, and a friendโs push to keep going. Itโs a track sculpted from exhaustion and rebirthโKento testing the edges of his falsetto, falling into emotion, and rising again. Itโs not just a song about being overwhelmed by loveโitโs about giving in to transformation, no matter how it arrives.
Where the title track โMONTAGEโ dazzles with cinematic drama and โ็ขงๆฆโ (“HEKIREKI“) offers poetic introspection, โSUPERNOVAโ pulses with desire and devastation. Itโs the moment you stop trying to control the fire and choose to burn beautifully instead.
This is Kento Nakajima unfiltered. Seductive. Surrendered. Supernova.
“Jasmine Tea” unfolds like a gentle whisper of romance, a tender ballad that envelops the listener in a haze of wistful longing and delicate warmth. It is the steam rising from a freshly poured cupโdelicate, comforting, and quietly transformative.
Self-written and composed by Kento, this track is a fragrant reverie, capturing the fleeting thrill of a love yet to be fully realizedโa spark that lingers like the soft glow of a cherished moment. He wrote โJasmine Teaโ during an emotionally difficult period in autumn 2023. It began as a way to create his own comfort, like a warm drink on a hard day.
Its airy melody weaves a tapestry of quiet intimacy, evoking stolen glances and the subtle joy of connection, inviting the heart to dream in colors of hope and possibility. The songโs essence lies in its ability to feel both deeply personal and universally relatable, a fleeting sip of sweetness that resonates long after the final note.
Kento shares that his songwriting begins with vivid keywords, and here, the notion of jasmine tea anchors a narrative of emotional purity and discovery. Originally released as a raw, lo-fi performance video on Instagram in December 2023 as a New Year’s present to all fans, its raw, home-recorded charm captivated fans, a soulful creation born from Kento’s own hands.
Now, with its studio-polished form included on his solo debut single, the track retains every bit of its sincerity while gaining a new warmth and clarity that elevates its emotional resonance.
For Kento, the songโs creation was a labor of love, crafted with friends on a self-funded music video, a process that deepened his appreciation for the support around him. His songwriting often begins with vivid keywords. Here, โjasmine teaโ becomes the central metaphor for emotional purity, vulnerability, and the soft kind of love that seeps in slowly. Itโs the love that doesnโt screamโit listens. A moment of calm in a world spinning fast.
โJasmine Teaโ unfolds like a gentle whisper of romance, a ballad wrapped in wistful longing and soft luminosity. It doesnโt rush, doesnโt riseโit simply glows. Nakajimaโs breathy delivery glides through lines that speak not of grand declarations, but of shared stillness and subtle connection. Itโs a fragrant reverieโcapturing the flicker of a love not yet fully realized, the sweetness of everyday intimacy, and the quiet thrill of discovering a new kind of happiness.
Its delicate beauty resonates with those who cherish his princely charisma now softened by a reflective sincerity. The songโs lo-fi origins, preserved in its final form, evoke a sense of closeness, as if Kento is singing directly to each listener.
This is a song that meets you in quiet momentsโwhen youโre alone, when youโre reflecting, when youโre wondering if love is meant for you too. And Kento answers, softly: yes.
It wasnโt made for a single. It was made for survival. Written during a time when Kento needed healing, the song became a soft rebellion against burnoutโa cup of comfort he brewed for himself first, then offered to listeners. The version you hear on MONTAGE is the originalโrecorded in his room, with the hum of his air purifier and the quiet resilience of someone choosing to stay tender.
โJasmine Teaโ is a luminous moment of stillness, a song that doesnโt just show Kento’s evolving artistry, but opens a window into his heart. Itโs not just part of MONTAGEโitโs a part of him. A cup of warmth shared with everyone whoโs ever longed for something gentle. Something real.
With MONTAGE, Kento Nakajima is weaving a story entirely his own, each track a vibrant threadโbold, vulnerable, clever, and achingly sincere. Where his debut album N / bias laid the foundation for his solo voice, MONTAGE refines it, distilling his multifaceted charm into a compact yet radiant burst of artistry.
Each track on MONTAGE isnโt just a songโitโs a timestamp. A reflection of where Kento was in that exact moment of creation. From playful gratitude in โJUST KENTYโ,โ to the seductive burn of โSUPERNOVA,โ to the quiet ache and honesty of โJasmine Tea,โ this first single isnโt just a sonic journeyโitโs a portrait of growth. Through fatigue, doubt, laughter, and faith, Kento lays bare what it means to create as a human first, idol second. And weโre lucky to be handed each piece of his heart.
Through it all, Kento reminds us that the best stories donโt offer all the answersโthey ignite a spark, inviting us to feel, reflect, and follow his journey toward an ever-higher peak.
Stream and Download “MONTAGE“:
https://kentonakajima.lnk.to/MONTAGE
For those who want more than just streaming, the CD release offers even more elegance and depthโand perhaps hints at where Kentoโs journey is headed next.
For overseas: Bundle Set of 3 Editions (Blu-ray) | Bundle Set of 3 Editions (DVD) | Type A (Blu-ray/DVD) | Type B (Blu-ray/DVD) | Regular Edition
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