The unmaking of Friday Night Plans

When she first appeared in the late 2010s, the Tokyo-based singer (who just goes by her first name, Masumi) seemed like a notable new exponent of the sleek, R&B-inflected sound that had emerged in the wake of the city pop revival earlier that decade, typified by artists such as Wonk, Iri and Sirup. Her 2018 cover version of Mariya Takeuchi’s “Plastic Love” (over 28 million YouTube views and counting) was so assured that it got a thumbs-up from the song’s creator. Masumi’s nonchalant bilingual vocals and preference for appearing with her face partially obscured only added to the mystique.