| "Life" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Life_Gen_Hoshino.png) Digital single cover | ||||
| Single by Gen Hoshino | ||||
| Language | Japanese | |||
| A-side | "Why" (double A-side) | |||
| B-side |
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| Released | August 14, 2023 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 3:11 | |||
| Label | Speedstar | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Gen Hoshino | |||
| Producer(s) | Gen Hoshino | |||
| Gen Hoshino singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Life" (Official Video) on YouTube | ||||
"Life" (Japanese: 生命体, Hepburn: Seimeitai, lit. 'Life' in the sense of organisms) (Japanese pronunciation: [seːmeːtai]) is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter and musician Gen Hoshino. The song was first released by Speedstar Records on August 14, 2023, as a digital-exclusive single. It was self-produced and written by Hoshino as the main theme to TBS broadcast of the 2022 Asian Games and 2023 World Athletics Championships, which were hosted closely together as a result of rescheduling in the COVID-19 pandemic. With gospel influences, the track has an upbeat rock and R&B sound through a small instrumental line-up, led primarily by piano. Lyrically, the song discusses competition and the exhilaration felt on the field, with international themes applicable to everyday life.
Upon release, "Life" took No. 7 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 and No. 44 on Oricon's Combined Singles Chart. A digital-exclusive release, it took first place on both publications' download charts. A music video directed by GROUPN was premiered to Hoshino's YouTube channel the day of the single's release, featuring guest appearances from sprinter Yoshihide Kiryū, former Nogizaka46 member Asuka Saitō, and dancer THE D SoraKi. Throughout 2023, Hoshino promoted the song through five television performances, including at the 74th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen on New Year's.
On December 27, 2023, "Life" was reissued as a double A-side with "Why", the ending theme to the anime film Spy × Family Code: White (2023). The re-release peaked at No. 2 on the Oricon physical sales and combined sales charts, and on Billboard Japan's Top Singles Sales ranking.