¡°No one else but me is me,¡± sings Gesu no Kiwami Otome.¡¯s vocalist Enon Kawatani on the group¡¯s second single, ¡°Watashi Igai Watashi Janai No.¡± Released in April, this funky pop song with its straightforward, existential catchphrase delivered in Kawatani¡¯s trademark falsetto voice has seemingly struck a chord with pop enthusiasts and a young generation of music fans all across Japan this year.

Gesu No Kiwami Otome. (literally ¡°Damsel of Extreme Vulgarity¡± ¡ª and the full stop is part of the name) or ¡°Gesuotome¡± as it¡¯s known to?aficionados, only formed in 2012 but was quickly signed to unBorde, a subsidiary of Warner Music Japan, just two years later. The band initially began ¡°for fun¡± as Kawatani¡¯s side project, who is also the lead vocalist of rock band Indigo La End (he uses his real first name, Kenta, on that project). While Indigo La End takes a more guitar-oriented approach in line with bands that sprung from the post-Rock In Japan Festival climate of the last decade, Gesu¡¯s music is both funkier and poppier.

Due to Kawatani¡¯s position as the primary songwriter in both groups, the two bands are understandably similar, both having intricate, complex instrumentation and featuring his high-pitched singing. Indigo La End, who is also signed to unBorde, has gathered a decent following over the years since starting in 2010. However, it¡¯s obvious which of the two bands has become more popular: The mesmerizing video for ¡°Watashi Igai Watashi Janai No,¡± which shows the band playing on a noh stage and a mysterious woman clad in kabuki makeup, has garnered more than 30 million views on YouTube. The song gained further traction thanks to a tie-up with Coca-Cola¡¯s name bottle campaign, further cementing the message within the song; Coke bottles bearing the band members¡¯ names are featured prominently in the music video.