Yayoi Daimon has been on LiFTED’s radar almost since the beginning. Over the past five years, we’ve watched the Japanese artist continually dodge anything resembling a cookie-cutter sound, moving through Afrobeats, Dancehall, Hip Hop, Ratchet Club Music, and more. Now, after spending the past two years in Los Angeles, Yayoi appears to be entering her soft-girl era, leaning further into R&B and showing another side of her artistry.

Around the time of the pandemic, Yayoi started Utadaimon, a live performance series created to bring people a little joy through music. On September 2, she premiered the 20th and final episode on YouTube, bringing the five-year series to a close.

Filmed at Andy’s in Los Angeles, the intimate four-song performance finds Yayoi backed by a seriously groovy live band, giving her plenty of room to show how much she has grown as a singer and performer. She stretches Rihanna’s ‘Man Down’ into a funky extended jam and even slips into Marilyn Monroe mode for a sultry rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ dedicated to her videographer.

For the finale, Yayoi goes back to one of J-Pop’s classics, Hikaru Utada’s ‘Automatic.’ She lets loose with the band one last time, bringing Utadaimon full circle and giving the series the kind of warm, celebratory send-off it deserves.

Check out Yayoi Daimon’s final Utadaimon below.