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ONE N’ ONLY, the Japanese dance and vocal group that blends J-pop and K-pop to create “JK-pop,” released its new album, Departure, on May 17. This album represents the culmination of the “5 N’ 5” project, which began in January to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the group’s formation. Billboard Japan recently spoke with the six members of the group.

You’ve had several releases during your fifth year, but now you’ve capped them off with the release of Departure. It’s a really full album, packed with songs.

HAYATO: It has all the songs we’ve released over the past five months, of course, but it also has a lot of new songs. It’s a special album, and a lot of care went into making it. We didn’t just throw in all our past songs.

So it must have been really tough for you when you were making it.

Everyone: It was so tough! (they laugh)

HAYATO: There were constant release events, and from what I can remember we were always recording material, so we were super busy.

TETTA: I think it’s probably the busiest ONE N’ ONLY has ever been.

EIKU: We met a lot of SWAGs, too (“SWAGs” is the nickname for ONE N’ ONLY fans).

TETTA: We also gave a speech at the premiere of the movie Battle King!! We’ll Rise Again. Our schedules were really packed. We also did a tour of Latin America, took part in EBiDAN THE PARADE (an event put on by their talent agency), and went on a solo tour. When it was all going on, I just had to remind myself that when it was all done, I’d have grown a lot as a person.

The songs on the album are colorful and unconstrained by genre. Which are your personal favorites?

REI: I like “Call me” the most. It’s addictive, and it has elements that will help it go viral on TikTok. It has a reggae feel, and talking to our voice trainer impressed on me just how important it was to have the rhythm in the background. We grew a lot through our work in Latin America, which is what I think put us in the right position to sing the lyrics to “Call me.”

What about you, HAYATO? What’s your favorite song?

HAYATO: I like the first song, “CIRCLE.” JUNE wrote it for us two years ago, and we’ve been keeping it in our pocket till the time was right. I’ve always loved it, so I asked for it to be put on the album. This is our first song to be performed entirely by the rap team, so it holds a special place in my heart.

What about you, rap team members KENSHIN and NAOYA?

KENSHIN: I sang on the song, and it was really hard. The rapping was technical, and there was a lot I had to do in terms of technique, so I broke each part down and analyzed it, one by one.

Like HAYATO said, the song itself was written two years ago, and at the time I couldn’t quite get a good grip on it. But I’ve experienced a lot over the past two years, and it seems like all I’ve learned has really come together. I was happy to be able to sing on “Circle,” and I think it’s a very special song.

NAOYA: This song has an inner strength. It’s not like the sound itself is super powerful, and the song’s hook is laid back, but when I sang on it, I hoped to accent the song with something new. I don’t think that the me of two years ago could have sung that hook. It’s a song that I can sing because of where I am today.

I’m really looking forward to seeing how you perform it live.

HAYATO: It’s probably going to be pretty aggressive. Before we finished recording, we lined the songs all up once. We were talking about the songs, and everyone agreed that “Circle” got them fired up. I think it came out really well.

KENSHIN: I also really like “Set a Fire.” The album has a lot of aggressive songs and a lot of fascinating songs, but “Set a Fire” is a lighter song, in a good way. It’s a party song. When we were thinking about how we could improve ONE N’ ONLY’s live shows, we strongly felt that we needed something that everyone could take part in, that would make them all be like, “ONE N’s shows are so fun!” I think this song adds that kind of spice.

TETTA: It’ll probably get people moving in Latin America. It’d be great to perform outdoors!

NAOYA: I like “10,000 miles,” which is named after the distance between here and Brazil. I personally love the sound of the song, and the fact that we performed in Brazil is what makes us so right to sing this song. Our SWAGs in Latin America are so far away, but we’re always thinking about them, and this song expresses how even though we’re physically far apart, we’re together in spirit.

Wow, looking at the distance as an actual number, that’s really far away.

NAOYA: Yeah. And yet, despite this distance, our fans are out there supporting us. I feel so thankful.

TETTA: I also like “10,000 miles.” It expresses the way we feel, always keeping our SWAGs number one in our hearts. I recommend the song, because it’s got a gentle feel but the sound strikes right at your heart, which I love.

The album is full of bold, rich songs, with both a JK-pop and a Western pop feel.

EIKU: Yeah, it’s a rich album. I like “Reflection,” which I helped write, but I also like “Be Alright,” which is only on the standard version of the album. I played guitar on the recording, and both the melody and the lyrics are wonderful. Even when you’re trying your best every day, there are times when your spirit just crumbles. When that happens, instead of someone trying to encourage you, it feels better to hear “you’re not alone,” “it’ll be alright,” “we’re here for you.” That’s what I wanted to convey when I sang the song.

It sounds like the kind of song that would bring the audience to tears when played live.

EIKU: And us singers, too (laughs). I think that’s the kind of song it’s going to turn out to be.

Do you have a message you’d like to share with the people who are looking forward to this densely packed new album?

HAYATO: Every day has been a really fulfilling one during this fifth year commemorative project, and our new album is the culmination of our series of recent releases. We named it Departure because it’s a starting point, and we want to pick up speed from here. Once we make our spring tour a great success, we’ll use what we learn from the experience going forward, showing off a ONE N’ ONLY that is steadily evolving. I hope everyone can feel how special this album is, a commemoration of our fifth anniversary, and that they experience this boundless emotion together with us. 

—This interview by Kana Yoshida first appeared on Billboard Japan