Spotify is once again swapping the artwork on a handful of its biggest official Japanese playlists for childhood photos of the artists themselves, with the change running for one day only on May 5th to coincide with Children’s Day.
Six artists are taking part in this year’s edition of the campaign: Litty, YOASOBI, AiNA THE END, Kento Nakajima, Fujii Kaze, and podcaster kemio, host of Spotify’s ‘kemio no iwasete iu dake EVERYTHING’. Each appears as a child on the cover of their respective ‘This Is’ playlist, while kemio’s photo also fronts Inspiring Voice, Spotify’s playlist spotlighting podcasters on the platform.
Children’s Day, or Kodomo no Hi, is a national holiday in Japan dedicated to celebrating children’s happiness and growth, traditionally associated with displays of koinobori carp streamers. The playlist cover swap has become an annual tradition for Spotify Japan, with previous editions featuring artists including aiko, Vaundy, JO1, and Mrs. GREEN APPLE.
The line-up captures a snapshot of where Japanese music sits on Spotify in 2026. Fujii Kaze is fresh off his Coachella Weekend 1 and 2 performances, with the Prema World Tour kicking off in Asia this October. YOASOBI head to North America this summer for their NEVER ENDING STORIES tour. AiNA THE END continues her climb as a soloist with new single ‘Luminous’ opening the currently airing ONE PIECE Elbaph Arc.
Kento Nakajima graduated from Sexy Zone in March 2024 and has since released two solo albums, the most recent being ‘IDOL1ST’. Litty is one of the newer breakthroughs in Japanese hip-hop, with her 2024 debut EP ‘Just a Girl’ arriving off the back of viral single ‘Pull Up’.
The covers revert to their usual artwork after May 5th.
