Kenshi Yonezu Releases ‘Azalea’ As Theme Song for Netflix Global Series ‘Beyond Goodbye’

Global crossover J-pop artist KENSHI YONEZU continues to reach new heights with his new song “Azalea”, a song written as the theme song for the global Netflix series Beyond Goodbye. The music video is directed by Yuka Yamaguchi, capturing Yonezu in a scenery before dawn in the azure cityscape.

The Netflix series started airing on Thursday, November 14, 2024 on the said popular streaming platform. Reminiscent of the main character, Saeko’s experience in the series, the song talks about a painful, inevitable goodbye to one’s greatest love. While touching on this unavoidable fate, the song embodies the hope found in the enduring memories of love and being loved — memories that provide encouragement as life goes on. The series has already made history as the first Japanese entry to be featured at this year’s Busan International Film Festival Onscreen Category, which honors outstanding streaming dramas. Helmed by director Hiroshi Kurosaki, this project marks another collaboration with Yoshikazu Okada following their work on the NHK serial TV novel Hiyokko.

Yonezu shares, “Beyond Goodbye opens with the unusual scenario of Saeko meeting the person who received the heart of her deceased fiancé. While the realities of this world dictate that the chances of this happening are highly unlikely, I think there is an important element to the story that will resonate personally with everyone. As I worked on this song, I reflected on Saeko’s predicament of not knowing where her lost fiancé begins or ends, along with the inner turmoil she faced as she deliberated on whether to maintain her distance. I hope you enjoy listening to this song.”

Chronicling heartbreak and destiny, the new romance drama Beyond Goodbye is written by the renowned Yoshikazu Okada (The 8-Year Engagement, The Last 10 Years), the series stars Kasumi Arimura (We Made a Beautiful Bouquet, Call Me Chihiro) and Kentaro Sakaguchi (The Last 10 Years). The newly released main trailer and key art offer a glimpse into this bittersweet tale.

Beyond Goodbye tells the story of Saeko (Arimura), who loses the love of her life, Yusuke, in an accident on the day he proposes to her. Naruse (Sakaguchi) receives Yusuke’s heart in a transplant, giving him a new lease on life. Drawn together by fate, Saeko and Naruse meet, and Yusuke’s memories begin to awaken inside him. Set against the backdrop of Hokkaido and Hawaii, this story explores the enduring power of love.

ABOUT KENSHI YONEZU

After gaining success with Vocaloid music under the stage name Hachi, Kenshi Yonezu began producing under his real name in 2012. In addition to music, he has attracted attention for his album cover illustrations and video productions. The video for his hit single “Lemon”, the long-running theme song for the TV series Unnatural, is the most-viewed music video in Japan, and topped Billboard Japan’s year-end charts for two consecutive years, leaving a mark on music history both in Japan and abroad. 

His 2020 album STRAY SHEEP set a record of 1.9 million copies sold with the highest-placing Japanese artist ever to appear on the IFPI year-end global ranking chart. He continued to work tirelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic, including performing as the first Asian in a virtual concert hosted by the online game Fortnite. Collaborated globally with UNIQLO on their UT collection with the storefront collaboration displays in NY and other 8 UNIQLO stores worldwide. He was awarded an AAC Award, listed in Forbes’ 100 Asian Digital Stars, and received the Minister of NEWS RELEASE Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists. 

In 2022, he released “M87” as the theme song for the film Shin Ultraman, and “POP SONG” as the theme song for a PlayStation commercial. His single “KICK BACK,” the opening theme for the TV anime Chainsaw Man, made Spotify’s Global Top 50, and became the first Japanese-language song certified Gold by RIAA®. He was also selected as the first and only Japanese artist to be a part of the “RIAA Class of 2023”, with which the association summarized the artists who had flourished in the year. 

In 2023, Yonezu released “Tsuki Wo Miteita – Moongazing” as the theme song for the RPG game Final Fantasy XVI, and “Chikyugi – Spinning Globe” – the theme song Studio Ghibli’s animated film The Boy and the Heron (Academy Award Winner for Best Animated Feature, 2024), directed by Hayao Miyazaki. 

In 2024, Yonezu wrote “Garakuta – JUNK”, the theme song of the movie LAST MILE, and released his sixth studio album, LOST CORNER. Yonezu has also announced a new world tour – KENSHI YONEZU 2025 TOUR / JUNK – in which the J-pop icon will take his new album across the world with shows in Asia, including his first-ever dome performance in Japan and his first-ever headlining dates in Europe and the United States, with stops in London, Paris, New York, and Los Angeles.

As for Yonezu’s music videos, “Lemon” has surpassed 890 million views, continuing to break the records of Japanese artists.  It is one of the 16 music videos of his songs that garnered him a commanding record of surpassing 100 million views each (“Lemon,” “Eine Kleine,” “LOSER,” “Peace Sign,” “Haiirotoao (+Masaki Suda),” “orion,” “Flamingo,” “Kanden,” “Fireworks,” “Paprika,” “Shunrai,” “Uma to Shika,” “Spirits of the Sea,” “KICK BACK,” Foorin’s “Paprika” and Masaki Suda’s “Machigaisagashi”). He has over 7.39 million subscribers on his official YouTube channel.