Hollywood

June 5, 2026 – Mumbai/ Los Angeles/ Tokyo: Japanese Indian artist Mia Takarabe and 2x-GRAMMY-nominated producer Steve Aoki have released their new single ‘Heartless’ today via Handcraft Entertainment. The collaboration marks a significant moment for J-Pop’s global ambitions and signals a long-overdue conversation about the genre’s potential reach in India.

Mia Takarabe is half-Japanese and half Indian, born in Adelaide and raised between Tokyo and Melbourne. A singer, dancer, and model with a multilingual background and an instantly recognisable vocal style, she represents something J-Pop hasn’t quite had before, an artist whose Indian heritage is not incidental but central to her identity and her appeal. For a country that has consumed Japanese culture through anime, gaming, and fashion for decades, Mia is the pop bridge India has been waiting for.

Check Out the Song Here:
https://youtu.be/sw738RqJkZA?si=TNCv3TaUwAWb7FEs

Steve Aoki brings a proven track record of exactly this kind of cultural bridge-building. His collaboration on BTS’s global hit ‘MIC Drop’ gave K-Pop a significant foothold in Western markets, demonstrating that Asian pop could scale globally without losing its identity. As a Japanese-American artist, Mia Takarabe’s ‘Heartless’ carries personal weight for him too. ” As a Japanese American artist, this collaboration feels especially meaningful to me. Mia represents a new generation of talent and ‘Heartless’ shows how J-Pop can connect with audiences around the world while staying true to its identity,” Aoki said.

For Mia, the record is a statement of intent. “I never wanted to choose between being Japanese and being global. ‘Heartless’ is about proving you can be both completely,” she said.

Driving the project is Michael Africk, founder of Handcraft Entertainment and one of the most decorated Western producers in J-Pop history, with over 20 million records sold, six Japan Gold Disc Awards, and multiple multi-platinum releases in Japan. His vision for his company is simple: to build J-Pop that competes globally without compromising what makes it distinctly Japanese. “This isn’t a crossover experiment. Steve has helped shift the global landscape before, and Mia represents a new generation of artists capable of leading what comes next,” Africk said. ‘Heartless’ is out now on all major platforms.

ABOUT STEVE AOKI
Counting nearly 3 billion music streams to his name, Steve Aoki is a true visionary. Billboard described the 2x-GRAMMY-nominated music producer, artist, fashion designer, entrepreneur, futurist, and Dim Mak Records founder as “one of the most in-demand entertainers in the world.” A Guinness World Record holder for the “Most Travelled Musician in a Single Calendar Year,” Aoki has performed at nearly every top festival around the world, including Coachella, Ultra Music Festival, Lollapalooza, Fuji Rock Festival, Tomorrowland, and Electric Daisy Carnival. Aoki also graced recent covers of Entrepreneur Magazine, Success Magazine, Electronic Musician, and Adweek as their “Visionary of the Year.”

As a globally successful cross-genre solo artist, Aoki has collaborated with an impressive list of varied artists, including BTS, Maluma, Snoop Dogg, Linkin Park, blink-182, One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson, Machine Gun Kelly, Lil Uzi Vert, 2 Chainz and Daddy Yankee, on top of having released three Platinum singles, six Gold singles, and over ten Top 10 radio records.

Aoki approaches each new endeavour with the same sense of dedication he’s put into his past achievements, including the Grammy-nominated Netflix documentary I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (2016) and his memoir BLUE: The Colour of Noise (2019). In 2012, he also founded THE AOKI FOUNDATION to support organizations in brain science and its research. His influential record label Dim Mak, celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026, is known for being a launching pad for the careers of prominent acts like Bloc Party, The Chainsmokers, Bloody Beetroots, The Kills, Zedd, and Diplo.

MORE FROM STEVE AOKI: ONLINE | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE

ABOUT MIA TAKARABE
Mia Takarabe is a global J-Pop artist whose identity and sound are shaped by her Japanese and Indian heritage and a childhood spent between Australia and Japan. Born in Adelaide, Australia, she grew up immersed in both Eastern and Western cultures, creating a perspective that naturally bridges worlds and reflects the evolving future of global J-Pop.

Discovered by multi-platinum producer Michael Africk and signed to Handcraft Entertainment, Mia blends contemporary pop, cinematic textures, and emotional storytelling into music that explores themes of self-discovery, heartbreak, and personal growth. Influenced by both Japanese culture and global pop music, her artistry is rooted in authenticity and connection.

As she enters her debut era, Mia is focused on building a worldwide audience and helping bring J-Pop to new listeners around the globe, establishing herself as a fresh voice in the next generation of international pop artists.

ABOUT HANDCRAFT ENTERTAINMENT
Handcraft Entertainment is a first-of-its-kind global entertainment company dedicated to building the future of “Global J-Pop” and expanding the reach of Japanese culture worldwide. Founded by multi-platinum producer and entrepreneur Michael Africk, the company develops artists, music, fashion, beauty, film, television, anime, live experiences, and consumer products that connect Japanese cultural creativity with international audiences.
Through a uniquely bilingual and bicultural approach, Handcraft Entertainment creates original intellectual property, nurtures emerging talent, and develops cross-platform entertainment brands designed to resonate across borders. By combining Japanese innovation with global storytelling, the company seeks to establish Japanese culture as one of the defining forces in contemporary entertainment.