A Korean singer, not a Japanese singer, will release an unpublished song by a legendary master who passed away five years ago? Navid's Smile, which was created through Korea-Japan collaboration, was unveiled on the 18th

Apr 18, 2025

Singer Navid posing with Japanese lyricist Jun Hashimoto (below).

There is also this connection.

Singer-songwriter NAVID will release a new song in collaboration with Japanese masters.

Navid will release the Japanese single 'Smile' on music platforms around the world at noon on the 18th, working with the late Japanese composer Kyohae 筒 (2020), and the lyricist Jun Hashimoto.

'Smile' is a work completed by Jun Hashimoto with new lyrics for Navid, to the unreleased melody of the two masters who made the 1969 hit song 'Blue Light Yokohama'. It is a symbolic song that connects the musical legacy to the next generation, and veteran Japanese guitarist Minnobuhiro (根 Shin 宏) participated in the arrangement, adding delicate sensibilities.

Singer Navid posing affectionately in the recording studio with Japanese lyricist Jun Hashimoto.

The collaboration project between Korea and Japan was mediated by Ayumi Ishida, a representative masterpiece of Japanese singer Ayumi Ishida who passed away in March. The Navid YouTube video, which reinterpreted and covered the song with its unique refined sensibility, garnered more than 2.38 million views, drawing enthusiastic responses from fans at home and abroad, and the relationship began when Jun Hashimoto came across it by accident.

Hashimoto "Navid's song brought back old memoriesHe proposed direct collaboration, and in July last year, the two sides met and the work began in earnest.

'Smile' is a warm story about people who walk together on the journey of life. It calmly sings about the feelings of love, sadness, longing, and recovery, but contains a message of hope that it will eventually lead to laughter.

"Bluelight Yokohama"Singer Navid.

Hashimoto described the song as "a beautiful page named life", and Navid delicately expressed the emotion with his unique cozy tone, enhancing the completeness.

'Smile' is expected to be a meaningful collaboration in the history of Korean-Japanese music as a musical tribute connecting Korea and Japan, the past and the present, and as a link between generations.