When life gives you lemons, these Osaka obachan are here to “give you that power.”
Osaka’s self-proclaimed oldest idol group, Obachaaan, released its first new song in six years this spring. With the average age of the members being over 70 years old, the group’s name is a nod to the Japanese word for an older woman. The group originally formed 12 years ago, releasing its debut song “Obachaan Theme” and dropping new bops every few years, often with an eye towards helping the community. In true Osaka fashion, the members wear flashy, animal-print shirts, sprinkle in words in the Osaka dialect, and move with a powerful flair, not letting age get in the way of their ambitions.
The uptempo new song titled “Overpower” is a song of empowerment which also incorporates a pun in the way that the word is pronounced in Japanese–“obapawaa,” which sounds like “oba power.” As the group’s first official release since the COVID pandemic, layered with general anxiety about the state of the world, rising prices in Japan, and so on, this time the members wanted to dispense words of encouragement (along with free candy) such as “overcome every storm with a smile” in the lyrics. 77-year-old Eiko Funai, the main visual granny in the group with her trademark red waist scarf, shared, “It’s a song that can give anyone strength. We hope that you listen to this song when you feel down and cheer up.” Adding to that sentiment is producer Yusuku Hiza, who said, “I thought that we need meddling and nagging old women like them in today’s age.”
▼ “Overpower” official music video
Just check out this powerful earworm of a chorus, which you should repeat to yourself whenever you’re feeling a bit blue:
“Overpower
Obachaaan power
Overpower
We give you that power
Overpower
From Osaka
Overpower
Over the world”
Another fun piece of trivia is that the dance moves for “Overpower” were choreographed by Osaka-native Akane, the genius behind the famous Tomioka High School Dance Club‘s “bubbly dance.” The music video is super fun as well, incorporating visual effects such as Eiko essentially making a Dragon Ball-style Spirit Bomb heart and a background of exploding rocks at one point (just in case you still needed convincing that the ladies are here to rock your world).
While the release of a new song was long overdue in our book, Obachaaan is also being strategic with its timing since the 2025 World Expo is currently taking place in Osaka. In the words of the members, while the Expo (“banpaku”) is great and all, they also hope that there will be an opportunity for them to perform at the “obanpaku”–another pun on “obachan.” We can only hope that the Expo organizers will take the hint so that the world can be showered with “obachaaan power.”
Source: Yomiuri Shimbun
Top image: YouTube/オバチャーン Obachaaan Osaka granny idol group
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