A quick reaction for those interested in my opinion about the newly signed agreement between Israel and Lebanon. Look at this photo. No one is smiling. Everyone is tense. They look like hostages taking a photo for their captors. Even Rubio, who is supposed to mark this as a diplomatic achievement, looks grim. Only the Americans are wearing pins with their flags. The Israeli ambassador (who is an American citizen) is wearing an American flag crossed with an Israeli flag. The Lebanese are not wearing their flags at all. Does this look like the happy occasion of signing a peace treaty to you? Everyone in this photo is a hostage in another one of Trump's harebrained schemes for "peace" in the Middle East. Oh, and a fun fact: Nada Hamade, the Lebanese ambassador, was a senior official in the World Bank until recently. If you know, you know. Perhaps I'm being too kind by calling the Israeli delegation "hostages." Maybe "collaborators" is a better term for Israeli officials who signs away land won by Jewish blood and tears to please a foreign government in return for nothing. Actually, it's less than nothing. The US has already started sending money to the Lebanese military as part of this "agreement." This is not a happy occasion. Not for Israel, not for Lebanon, not for the US. The only winner is Iran. There is nothing to celebrate here.

【SHINJIRO ATAE 「Lay Me Down」(SAM SMITH cover)】 It has almost been four months since I announced the resumption of my artist activities. Working as an independent artist has been a great learning experience. I have more freedom in setting my own time schedule, which has allowed me to spend a lot of time exploring myself and my creativity. While there are many things I want to sing and express, there are also many other things I want to try out. Sometimes I’ve even felt a little stuck, unsure of where to start. What I decided to do in the end was go back to my basics and embrace my love for music. I decided to sing a few cover songs. These are songs that I love and are important to me. The first song I covered was "Lay Me Down" by SAM SMITH, an artist that I deeply respect. As creators, we are happy when people get a chance to see what we’ve made. I hope you enjoy it. アーティスト活動再開を報告させていただき、そろそろ4か月が経とうとしています。 歌いたい事や表現したいことは沢山ある一方で、他に挑戦したい事も色々ある事と、今はある程度自由にタイムスケジュールを組める事もあり、納得のいくものをつくる為に、 「あーじゃないこーじゃない」と 制作に時間をかけてしまい、少し煮詰まってしまう時期がありました。 そんな時期にチームで話し合う中で、 このタイミングだからこそ、一度初心に帰り大好きな音楽を自分なりに楽しんでみようと、 今回カバーソングをしてみることになりました。 僕が好きな曲や、自分にとって大切な曲を数曲カバーさせていただきました。 一曲目は僕の尊敬するアーティストの1人でもあるSAM SMITHの「Lay Me Down」を歌ってみました。 アレンジや撮影編集、ヘアメイク衣装と、普段から仕事の域を越えて仲良くしている仲間達と、みんなで一緒に楽しみながら音楽、映像をつくることが出来ました。 たくさん聴いて、観てもらうことが僕たち作り手の幸せです。 ぜひ楽しんでください。 Thanks for... ・Music Producer: Stephanie Topalian Arranger: Nobuhiro Takamoto ・Movie Photography Director: Kintaro Producer: Nyonyo(accel inc.) Production Manager: Satton(accel inc.) Production: accel inc. Director: Tatsuaki ・Hair & Makeup. Hair & Makeup: Maki Sato ・Stylist Stylist: SUGI（FINEST） Stylist Assistant: Shiori Nagayam（FINEST） Assistant: Sayaka Suzuki ・Special thanks SAM SMITH