On November 19, it was revealed that YOHIO will participate in Melodifestivalen 2013, the Swedish national selection for TV-show Eurovision Song Contest 2013. On February 2, 2013 he performed the song "Heartbreak Hotel" in the first semi-final in Karlskrona. He finished on 1st place in that semi final and was qualified to the final in Stockholm on March 9, 2013. In the final he finished on second place with 133 points. However, he received the most votes of the televotes with over 100,000 more votes than the winner Robin Stjernberg.
YOHIO released a full studio album entitled "BREAK the BORDER" on March 27, 2013 in Sweden and June 26, 2013 in Japan. The album was released in a English lyrics version (released in Sweden) and a Japanese lyrics version (released in Japan). Both albums contain the same songs (with English and Japanese titles) except for "Heartbreak Hotel" which was substituted on Japanese version by "Last Kiss", song originally written in Japanese, that has never been officially translated to English.
On August 18, 2013 YOHIO released "You're the One", ballad atypical to a visual-kei artist.
On October 12, 2013 "Welcome to the City" was released, as a cover of Amy Diamond's song.
YOHIO participated in "Melodifestivalen 2014", Swedish national selection for Eurovision song contest. He competed with a song called "To the End", single released on February 23, 2014. In a Semifinal 1, which was held on February 1, 2014 in Malmö, YOHIO qualified directly to the finals, however, did not note previous success as in 2013.
Another studio album called "Together We Stand Alone", which features "To the End" has been released on March 19th, 2014. It contains 12 tracks, 11 of them have English lyrics, 1 being instrumental rock/folk mix track. Also, 1 track (Before I Fade Away) has a bridge in Japanese. YOHIO noted that unlike BREAK the BORDER, he has no intentions of translating Together We Stand Alone, as it's meant for western audience, and that music is not something his Japanese fans would like.
Official site (Japan): http://universal-music.co.jp/yohio
Innocence
YOHIO Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A weakened state of mind
Disgusted, is this who we are?
This wicked kind of lust
How can you deny?
Why can't I just die?
This time my sins won't matter
Innocence won't be here anymore
Trapped inside this tainted soul
so colorless of sin
All this time I've listened to this
deceiving voice within
Take this grief
Bury me
How far will I go
to fill this deep hole?
In all the shadows of the world
I keep on living
Born to prey on the innocence inside
This time my lust is taking over
Inside this hollow body
My own sins won't ever seem to end
My poisoned heart is crying faintly
I hope that light will find me
I can't seem to find it anymore
Innocence harassed by filthy minds
The song INNOCENCE by YOHIO delves deep into the feelings of a person who is struggling with his own wicked tendencies. The singer talks about how his twisted heart is beating slower, indicating his own realization about his deteriorating mental health. He talks about his weakened state of mind, where he can't see clearly anymore. The chorus of the song is a poignant question, where he asks how someone can deny their own twisted desires, and why he can't just die. The lyrics showcase the singer's inner struggles, where he is grappling with his own demons while simultaneously praying for light to find him.
As the song progresses, the singer talks about being trapped inside his own tainted soul, where everything seems colorless and mundane. He is aware of the deceiving voice within him that has been leading him astray. The singer then talks about how far he is willing to go to fill his deep hole, indicating his own desperation to overcome his inner darkness. The song concludes with a very somber tone, where the singer talks about how innocence is harassed by filthy minds, indicating the societal evils that contribute to the eroding mental health of individuals.
Line by Line Meaning
Can't see, though my sight is clear
I am aware of what's happening, but I am unable to stop it
A weakened state of mind
My mind is fragile and prone to being influenced
Disgusted, is this who we are?
I am disgusted by the wickedness present in us
This wicked kind of lust
The immoral desire that is driving me towards sin
How can you deny?
Why don't you acknowledge what you're doing is wrong?
Why can't I just die?
Death seems better than a life of immorality and sin
My twisted heart is beating slower
My conscience is getting weaker and can't take the guilt anymore
This time my sins won't matter
At this point, I've done so many evil things that it doesn't make a difference anymore
Innocence won't be here anymore
Any hope for purity and righteousness is gone
Trapped inside this tainted soul
I am stuck in my corrupted ways
so colorless of sin
Sin has consumed me to the point where it's become monotonous
All this time I've listened to this deceiving voice within
I've allowed my own sinful desires to deceive me
Take this grief
I wish for someone to take away the sorrow and pain of my guilt
Bury me
I want to be rid of my corrupted self
How far will I go to fill this deep hole?
How much more will I indulge in sin to satisfy my desires?
In all the shadows of the world, I keep on living
Even though I'm surrounded by darkness, I still have to keep going
Born to prey on the innocence inside
My very being is driven to exploit and defile purity
This time my lust is taking over
My immorality is overwhelming me
Inside this hollow body
I feel empty, as though there is nothing left of me
My own sins won't ever seem to end
It feels like I will never be able to break free from my own wickedness
My poisoned heart is crying faintly
Even though I've become numb to sin, a part of me still feels the sorrow of it all
I hope that light will find me
I wish for a way out of this darkness and into righteousness
I can't seem to find it anymore
I've lost sight of the hope for redemption
Innocence harassed by filthy minds
The pure are being corrupted by the depravity of others
Writer(s): Yohio Copyright: Sony/ATV Music Publishing (Scandinavia) Kb, Bolero Publishing, Ninetone Songs
Contributed by Nicholas I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
KGN
I like how the the J-Pop/Soft Rock sounds are actually mixable with some hardcore music. This is quite interesting.
lifecore 777
I was literally looking for this song for over two years and then suddenly pops up on my phone, and I had a weird feeling like maybe this is the song I've been looking for and yes it was. đđđ
LISA BALLAD
I LOVE THIS SONG đđ
Daniel Jaensson
Sjukt bra , skulle vilja se mer sÄnna hÀr lÄtar frÄn honom !
Daniel Andersson
JÀvligt skön lÄt !!!
TbcAlex
This is his best song!
lojsanj
I luv this song. I see myself in this sometimes<3
Anton Renfors
Ălskar denna lĂ„ten sĂ„ sjukt mycket! :)
Ingrid Jao
SÄ jÀvla bra! <3
simone avenali
This is art