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On April 2, NAQT VANE released their new concept EP, NV. This is NAQT VANE’s first concept EP with its new lineup after welcoming Yunoa. The EP has a total of seven songs, including solo songs “C” and “O” by Yunoa and Harukaze and an “NV Series” of reinterpreted NAQT VANE songs. What kind of spirit and message have they poured into the “NV” concept EP? Billboard Japan talked at length with the two, hot off their nationwide tour, about this and about their thoughts on the tour.

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04/08/2025

You just finished your first nationwide tour as a team of two vocalists, performing eight shows in four cities. What did you think of it?

Harukaze: At first, I thought that it would feel like long, but once we actually started performing, it was over in the blink of an eye. We had a blast performing, and I still feel a little wistful that we’ve already finished all eight shows.

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Yunoa: It went by so fast. It was my first time performing in a solo show from the very start, and my first time touring. So I was really nervous going in, but once we started, I had so much fun. I still can’t believe it’s over, and I’m looking forward to going out on tour again.

On the tour, you represented yourselves as the “sun and moon,” and you had different set lists for your daytime and nighttime shows. How do you feel about that contrast of your individual characters as sun and moon?

Harukaze: During this one meeting we had about the tour, the conversation turned to how to showcase the “pair” aspect of NAQT VANE, now that we have twin vocalists. We wrote down keywords that represented our own individuality and unique characters. One of the things that came up was this concept of “sun and moon,” and we thought that conveyed the concept the clearest. They stand in contrast with each other, but both are essential, and when you have the two of them together, something magical happens. They’re like us in all kinds of ways.

It’s been 10 months since you formed this new lineup, which features your contrasting characters, and now you’ve finished a tour. Have there been any changes during this time?

Harukaze: When we changed to a twin vocal lineup, I knew from the start that it would open up a new path before us. Now, after finishing the tour, we’ve become absolutely essential to each other. We each produced our sun and moon shows, and in both shows, there were parts where we were able to shine because of each other’s presence.

Yunoa: For me, the tour impressed on me again just how fun it is to sing with Harukaze. Also, I didn’t know that I could spend so much time with someone else while always being comfortable staying true to myself. It was such a fun experience. I discovered something new about myself, that I didn’t have any problem being with others. Now I want to always stay close to these people I love so much.

Now you’ve released the “NV” concept EP, which includes “C” and “O,” solo songs that Hiroyuki wrote for the tour. I’d like to start out by asking about these solo songs. Yunoa, how did you feel when you first heard the music Hiroyuki wrote for “C?”

Yunoa: Usually, when I’m working solo as Yunoa, I write my own lyrics, but with “C,” I thought about my own traits and features, wrote them down, and had the lyrics written based on them. There were several parts where the lyrics I received perfectly conveyed what I was thinking. I didn’t feel over-pressured by “C.”

What did you think of the title?

Yunoa: It’s the shape of a crescent moon. I really liked the simplicity of that.

Right. So the same is true for “O?”

Harukaze: It’s the shape of the sun. It forms a set with “C.” When I got the lyrics, I also felt like it had really captured the message that I was trying to convey. My life motto is “I want people to smile,” and that was reflected in the line “Give me a smile.” I didn’t get any instructions to sing in a certain key or in a certain way, but the song has a lot of technical parts which Hiroyuki has complimented me on in past recordings. There are two NAQT VANE anthems, “Beautiful Mess” and “VANE,” and it’s really easy to picture singing them along with audiences.

You use a lot of different vocal tones in your singing, don’t you?

Harukaze: I’d talked to Hiroyuki in the past about how whenever I go in to record vocals, I want to take on new challenges. On NAQT songs, I added twists at the end, or I envisioned different peoples’ vocal tones when I recorded the chorus. I’d think about trying to be a specific type of singer, or I’d try singing in a super low, older man’s voice. I tried out all kinds of different voices, like 15 different people. They’re all in there, and that whole process of including those playful elements in the recording process was a new challenge for me.

You also recorded newly reimagined NV versions of songs from your first album, this time with twin vocals. What song made a particular impact on you?

Yunoa: “Ditty – NV.” There’s a rap part in it that just slaps. It just busts out right from the start. It’s so fast, I can’t even mentally keep up with what I’m saying. You’ve got to hear it.

Harukaze: But you sound like you’re having so much fun in that part. You’re really vibing!  It comes across so clearly. Part of it might be because the song itself is so fun.

Yunoa: It’s probably the most danceable song.

Harukaze: And it has a sense of playfulness. It’s so fast, and your rap part gets me fired up, too. I was surprised to see how much a song could change. The original was already playful, but having two people sing it instead of one makes it so much more exciting.

How did you feel after getting all seven songs ready for the release?

Yunoa: Really happy. I’ve been a member of NAQT VANE for less than a year, so it’s tremendously exciting to see my own name on a CD for the first time. Our new twin vocal lineup is used to its fullest, and we each have our own solo songs, so the EP highlights the qualities of both approaches. When I saw the samples of the finished EP, I was really impressed. The jackets are all unique variants, each with its own pattern, and each comes with a puzzle piece. The contents of the EP are so cute. There are so many special things about the CD, and more than anything I feel happy and a bit awed that so much is being done on my first ever CD.

Harukaze: I think the new EP packs in the true essence of NAQT VANE. This may be how some people discover us. We want to show our new lineup, and I hope that the EP is a breath of fresh air for everyone preparing for a new beginning [this spring]. The “NV” means both “NAQT VANE” and “New Version,” but it has another meaning, too: “Newborn Vibes.” Vibes are a really important part of the project, so we want to share these new vibes with all our VANEs.

What kind of “New Versions” do you see for the future?

Yunoa: We want to get bigger and bigger. We want more people to discover NAQT VANE. Everyone says we’re at our best in our live shows, so I want everyone to come see us perform live. We want to play in even bigger venues, filling domes.

Harukaze: We want to play at huge venues, and we also want to perform around the world. Our overseas fans send us messages asking when we’ll perform in their countries, so I hope we can really extend our overseas reach and perform in different countries, bringing out each of our own best qualities.

Do you have any closing message for your overseas listeners?

Yunoa: I think there are a lot of people in countries like the U.S. who share the same vibes as us. I’m sure they’d love us if they heard us, so please give us a listen. Then come to our show and go crazy on the dance floor.

Harukaze: When I was in high school, I spent three and a half years living in Vancouver, Canada, and then I went to university for four years in L.A. My dream is to return to Canada and America to put on shows. When I go back, I want to give back to all my old friends and all the people who’ve supported me. We’re going to be communicating more with our overseas listeners, so I hope everyone checks out what we have to say!

—This interview by Atsuo Nagahori first appeared on Billboard Japan

ONE OR EIGHT is an eight-piece boy band made up of members MIZUKI, NEO, REIA, RYOTA, SOUMA, TAKERU, TSUBASA, and YUGA. Their profile is rising thanks to their debut single “Don’t Tell Nobody,” which they released in August 2024, and the buzz generated by their collaboration with American rapper Big Sean on their song “KAWASAKI (with Big Sean).” On March 19, they released a new song, “DSTM.” It uses an authorized sample of Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop The Music” and was created by Stargate, the original producer of “Don’t Stop The Music,” together with fresh young American songwriters. Billboard Japan talked with the group about the approach they used in creating the song.

Your name, ONE OR EIGHT, comes from the Japanese expression “Ichi Ka Bachi Ka,” right?

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TSUBASA: That’s right. The Japanese idiom “Ichi Ka Bachi Ka,” which literally translates as “one or eight,” means “all or nothing” in English. It represents our desire to use an all or nothing approach to take on the world from here in Japan. Also, we’re all Japanese, and Japan’s telephone country code is “81,” so we wanted to reflect that in our name, too.

What kind of spirit runs through your own activities within the group?

NEO: Our tagline is “BET ON YOURSELF.” We want to encourage people by showing everyone how we’re betting on ourselves, constantly taking on new challenges with the support of the other members, staff members, and our fans. We’re performing at a level now that I’d never even imagined, but sometimes you can find yourself swallowed up by the whole experience. We’re working hard, pushing forward and doing our best to make sure things keep going in the right direction. 

What would you say your strengths are as a group?

REIA: Our members. I feel like, with the members we have, we can take on any challenge. Before our debut, we travelled to different countries performing at what we called “STAGE ZERO” events. During these events, we had to deal with all kinds of different problems, but we were able to overcome all of them by supporting each other.

You’re active both in Japan and overseas. What kind of influence do you think this approach has had on ONE OR EIGHT?

SOUMA: Performing overseas has expanded both our expressive range and our adaptability. For example, fans in Thailand create an incredibly welcoming atmosphere, which has helped us develop the ability to stay composed while delivering a more high-energy performance that matches their enthusiasm. In contrast, audiences in Vietnam and Japan tend to embrace us as we are, so our focus there is more on refining our performance itself. That approach has helped us grow a strong base of receptive fans.

REIA: Audience energy and the way people engage with our shows can vary greatly from place to place. In Thailand, many fans seem to be fully immersed in the moment, which brings an exciting dynamic to our performances. Just next door in Vietnam, the atmosphere is more about support and appreciation, similar to Japan.

NEO: For me, live performances are like a conversation between performers and the audience. Audiences that get hyped up, like Thai audiences, are like talkative people. In our conversations with them, it’s like we’re engaging with talkative people, and that produces an exciting, fun conversation. Supportive audiences, on the other hand, are like good listeners who pay close attention to all we have to say. That’s why we fully focus on our lyrics, delivering them straight to the audience’s hearts so they viscerally feel our slogan of “BET ON YOURSELF.” It’s not a question of which type of audience is better. Instead, it’s about using different conversational approaches depending on the audience.

I see. You released your new song, “DSTM,” on March 19. What were your initial impressions of the song?

RYOTA: The song has a different tone than the songs we’ve done in the past. I felt like it had the potential to show some aspects of our appeal and some new performance approaches that we’d never shown before.

TAKERU: “DSTM” samples Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop The Music.” The song’s theme is about how we won’t stop as long as the music keeps flowing, and also about how we’ll have fun as we do it. I hope when people are feeling down, seeing us and our performances will put smiles on their faces, and that when they hear “DSTM,” it will lighten their mood and help them forget their worries.

TAKERU mentioned that “DSTM” samples “Don’t Stop The Music.” “Don’t Stop The Music,” in turn, sampled Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” so the music has been passed along from Michael to Rihanna to you. Did you feel like you were under any pressure because of that?

TSUBASA: “DSTM” is tied to these huge names, so its release put a tremendous amount of pressure on us. But, at the same time, because of its new tone, with “DSTM” it feels like we’re breaking new ground and opening the way to a new era. We’re here because of the music we’ve listened to, and as the song title says, we don’t want the music to stop, but to keep going on forever. That’s the spirit with which we’re sharing “DSTM” with the world.

Now you’ve become a part of this process of the song’s transformation. What do you see as the significance of this, and what do you feel is expected of you?

TSUBASA: Through our music, we want to take an all or nothing approach to challenges. If the music stops, then we’ve lost everything. In that sense, we have to keep on carrying the torch of the music. That’s how I see it.

So, for you, these are the ideals represented by the song. What kind of back-and-forth did you have with other members and staff when working on the song?

REIA: To make the song a good fit for us, we needed to preserve the essence of the original song while also giving it the energy of a ONE OR EIGHT song. That’s why Stargate, who produced the original song, and the other writers put our own story into the lyrics.

MIZUKI: We also talked amongst ourselves in the group about what approach to take. The song has been performed by true giants, so we feel really grateful that virtual unknowns like us were given the opportunity to perform it. And just like “Don’t Stop The Music” propelled Rihanna to fame, we also worked hard on the song in the hope “DSTM” could bring greater worldwide recognition to ONE OR EIGHT.

REIA: We also really put our heart into our singing. For example, I sing a part right before the “please don’t stop the music” line, and I made sure that my own part had just as much power as the chorus. My own vocal qualities don’t pack much punch, so I accentuated my performance through physical movement.

TSUBASA: I did some ad-libbing on the last chorus in a part that wasn’t in the original demo. During the recording, I’d felt frustrated because I just couldn’t express what I was going for, so I talked to the producer, and together we created the ad-lib part. That part isn’t in Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop The Music,” though, so there was also a lot of pressure, because people might compare “Don’t Stop The Music” to our “DSTM.” But I’m really satisfied with how it turned out, so I want to keep confidently doing the ad-lib part.

NEO: I do the first half of the first rap verse, and unlike TSUBASA, I found it to be a blast. One of the things that’s appealing about the first verse is the use of Japanese words like “katana” and “sumo” that will be familiar to overseas listeners. I’m very proud of this part, because it conveys the message and shares the feeling that this is coming from Japan. Of course, I was also nervous about including a rap part, because it isn’t in the original song, but it was really fun. The rhythm is easy to get into, so even people who don’t know much about hip-hop will be able to enjoy it. I hope when people hear it, they’ll think to themselves “don’t stop this song.”

Thank you. In closing, what are your future goals?

NEO: I want us to be the kind of group that always has fun taking on new challenges. Our group’s name means “all or nothing,” and I want us to achieve success, no matter what, touring the world and setting our sights high. I hope there are people out there who’ll see us taking on these imposing challenges and it will instill them with pride in themselves and help them feel the fun in taking on new challenges. That’s the kind of world I hope we’ll create. I believe that, joined by colleagues and fans like that, our efforts will prove successful. We’re going to do all that we can, led by our motto of “BET ON YOURSELF!”

–This interview by Azusa Takahashi first appeared on Billboard Japan