Her next big single "Glisten" was used in a make-up commercial for Menard products, and did fairly well in the Japanese market. With this success, she gained even more popularity, and was asked to sing the end theme for the popular TBS animated series Fullmetal Alchemist, entitled "I Will", giving her an easy in with American fans. Because of "'I Will"', the two other songs included with her "I Will" single, "Candy Rain" and "Pearl Color ni Yurete", became popular among American fans. In 2005, her song "Candy Rain" was featured on the Soul Tree: a Musical Tribute to Toshinobu Kubota album and "Pearlcolor ni Yurete" was on the Momoe Yamaguchi tribute album Thank You For.... Likewise, her third single "Fortune" was selected for the American J-Pop compilation album Neo Soul, and "Across my Heart" from the Geofu album was added to the "Smooth Listening Compilation" album.
In November 2004, Sowelu released her 8th single, "Last Forever", which became the TV insert song for the new drama There goes Nurse-man, and her cover of "The Rose" was featured on a Nescafe commercial. Then finally, after one and a half years of waiting, Sowelu released her second album Sweet Bridge on January 7, 2005.
In 2005, Sowelu contributed to m-flo's album BEAT SPACE NINE on the track "So Exclusive", and again on their album DOPE SPACE NINE in the same song, remixed by Korean fusion band, Clazziquai.
In the music video for the song "to YOU" several photographs of her family and her childhood are intercut with scenes of her singing in a wide room with large glass windows. According to her website, the video location is a church about one hour away from Tokyo by car. At the end of the PV, the family members in the photos make an appearance together with Sowelu, including her grandmother, her mother and even Sowelu's pet chihuahua.
Her latest album "２４－ｔｗｅｎｔｙ ｆｏｕｒ－" was released on July 12, 2006. It debuted at #3, her highest ranking yet. The album remained at the #3 spot for two weeks on the Weekly Oricon Album Charts. One of the album's songs entitled "守るべきもの", is used as the ending of the 9th Pokemon movie Pokémon Ranger and the Prince of the Sea: Manaphy.
On December 12, 2007 Sowelu released her latest single "光". The single had moderate success and reached #28 on the Oricon Weekly Charts. More recently Sowelu will participate in the 2008 Nike ad campaign, "MY MUSIC,MY FORCE"; along with Perfume, Home Made Kazoku, Tohoshinki, Shota Moriyama and Shoko Nakagawa.
Glisten
Sowelu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kikoeru kanata ni
Hitori omoide tadoreba
Oh
Mayotta my way to home
Subete kakaete
Hitogomi no naka
Ano toki sagashita basho
Now I find the way, can go stronger
Flyin' high forever
Egai ta mirai no colors afureteku
Kasaneta omoi no ashita ga
Ima kara hajimaru
Hitomi sora sazuni aruki dasuru true story, my own
Night fall
Anata no yokogao
Ima mo asenai manazashi
Oh
Fuan ni se wo muke
Jiyuu atsumete
Kitsui ta kokoro
Wishing
Saki dasu
Atarashi my flow
Now I find the way, can go stronger
Flyin' high forever
Deaeta kiseki no ato uketomete
Tsudutta omoi no subete wo
Ima nara hanaseru
Hitomi sora sazuni tsukuridasu no true story, my own
Now I find the way, can go stronger
Flyin' high forever
Egai ta mirai no colors afureteku
Kasaneta omoi no ashita ga
Ima kara hajimaru
Hitomi sora sazuni aruki dasuru true story, my own
The lyrics of "Glisten" by Sowelu are about finding strength and hope in our memories, dreams, and experiences. The song begins with the image of a waterfall, which is a metaphor for the flow of time and the constant change of life. The singer hears the sound of the waterfall in the distance and remembers a place she used to go to alone. She feels lost and unsure of her way home, but she has all her memories with her as she navigates the crowd.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the singer's determination to move forward and pursue her dreams. She has a clear sense of the colors and emotions that she wants to fill her future, and she believes that her past experiences and emotions have built up and prepared her for this moment. The second verse shifts to the present and acknowledges the anxieties and pressures that the singer faces in her current life. She turns her attention to focusing on what she can control and finding her own freedom in a world that can feel overwhelming.
Overall, "Glisten" is a song about resilience, self-discovery, and the power of our own stories to guide us through life.
Line by Line Meaning
Waterfall
The sound of the waterfall can be heard in the distance.
Kikoeru kanata ni
It can be heard far away.
Hitori omoide tadoreba
When alone, memories come to visit.
Oh
Expressing surprise, wonder or admiration.
Mayotta my way to home
I lost my way back home.
Subete kakaete
Carrying everything.
Hitogomi no naka
In the midst of the crowd.
Wandered
Travelled aimlessly.
Ano toki sagashita basho
The place I searched for at that time.
Now I find the way, can go stronger
Having found my way, I feel empowered.
Flyin' high forever
Flying with freedom and without limits forever.
Egai ta mirai no colors afureteku
The colors of the future I imagined overflow.
Kasaneta omoi no ashita ga
The future that my accumulated feelings bring.
Ima kara hajimaru
Starting from now.
Hitomi sora sazuni aruki dasuru true story, my own
Walking on the ground, telling my own true story with my eyes on the sky.
Night fall
When the night comes.
Anata no yokogao
Your profile.
Ima mo asenai manazashi
A gaze that won't fade away, even now.
Fuan ni se wo muke
Turning my back to the uneasiness.
Jiyuu atsumete
Gathering freedom.
Kitsui ta kokoro
My tight heart.
Wishing
Expressing a desire for something.
Saki dasu
Starting out on a journey.
Atarashi my flow
My new flow.
Deaeta kiseki no ato uketomete
Accepting the aftermath of the miracle we encountered.
Tsudutta omoi no subete wo
All of the feelings we have accumulated.
Now I find the way, can go stronger
Having found my way, I feel empowered.
Flyin' high forever
Flying with freedom and without limits forever.
Egai ta mirai no colors afureteku
The colors of the future I imagined overflow.
Kasaneta omoi no ashita ga
The future that my accumulated feelings bring.
Ima kara hajimaru
Starting from now.
Hitomi sora sazuni tsukuridasu no true story, my own
Creating my own true story while looking up at the sky with my eyes open.
Contributed by Peyton C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.