to Japan, Hotei played four sold-out shows at the Blue Note Tokyo in late August, and also performed at a private party for the launch of the new Lamborghini Huracán automobile. Hotei wrote and performed the theme song, "Trick Attack (Theme of Lupin The Third)", to the 2014 live-action film adaptation of the Lupin III manga. After spending much of the year writing and recording with a variety of collaborators, the album New Beginnings was released in Japan on October 1, 2014, the title a reflection of the new chapter in Hotei's career, after relocating to London. Iggy Pop contributed lyrics and vocals to two tracks on the album and Vula Malinga vocals to one. 2015–2016 Hotei's released the single "How The Cookie Crumbles" featuring Iggy Pop on vocals in June, the first single to be released from his forthcoming second English-language solo album Strangers, which was released by Spinefarm Records/Universal Music on October 16, 2015. It was his first album to be released globally outside Japan. It includes several songs released on New Beginnings. In addition to Pop, it also features Richard Kruspe from Rammstein, Matthew Tuck from Bullet for My Valentine, Noko and Shea Seger. The album release was accompanied by a performance at Islington Assembly Hall in London, with special guests Seger and Gary Stringer from British rock band Reef. Hotei celebrated his 35th anniversary in music in 2016, which included 57 live shows in Japan in a variety of different venues, from small clubs to major arenas, and finishing with a 35-song performance at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo on December 30. As well as his anniversary, Hotei continued to work internationally to support his Strangers album. In February 2016, Hotei performed showcases at Paradiso/Amsterdam, La Boule Noir/Paris and Cassiopeia/Berlin, with Noko on bass and Cliff Hewitt on drums. In July 2016 he performed live in Los Angeles for the first time, selling out The Troubadour, and also returned to Highline Ballroom in New York. A third single was released from the album, "Move It" featuring Richard Kruspe was released in April 2016, and a fourth, "Walking Through The Night" featuring Iggy Pop, was released in November. Hotei contributed guitar to Zucchero Fornaciari's song "Ti voglio sposare" for the Italian singer's Black Cat album, which was released in April 2016, beginning a series of collaborations between the two artists which included Zucchero's first ever performances in