U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shared a collection of his favorite songs from the past year, which includes LiSA’s opening theme to Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train, “Homura.”
As Deadline reported, the top American diplomat released two playlists on New Year’s Eve: An “At Home” playlist featuring artists from across the United States, including Olivia Rordrigo, John Batiste, and Taylor Swift, while another features 36 songs from international artists titled “On The Road.”
In a Tweet, State Department spokesman Ned Price called Blinken “our top diplomat with a musical ear.”
AllKPop first noted the inclusion of LiSA’s “Homura” alongside former 2NE1 member Minzy’s track TEAMO. Minzy has pursued a solo career as a singer songwriter since 2016.
LiSA has been featured in several anime openings, with “Homura” being the theme of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train. Anime News Networks reports the single, which has now been streamed over 122 million times on Spotify alone, was certified Platinum by The Recording Industry Association of Japan last January after just 81 days online. The song received a second, separate Platinum certification for its physical release as well.
Her most streamed song, “Gurenge,” is the opening theme of the series’ first anime season. And Gurenge also sang Sword Art Online’s first opening theme, “Crossing Field,” which might be the best thing to come out of that series in this writer’s opinion.
Blinken’s office shared the reason for the selections with Deadline, writing: “Her songs have been featured in anime including Fate/Zero, Sword Art Online and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.”
“Music brings people together,” Blinken said in a tweet sharing the playlists. “It transcends borders and everything else that might otherwise divide us.”
You can stream Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train on Crunchyroll and Funimation.