Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to the Monaco Weekly. This time I
Speaker 1: had the pleasure to interview Yaobi, the incredibly successful Japanese
Speaker 1: duo that is conquering the global charts. I've met both
Speaker 1: of them at the Barbican Center after the duo headlined
Speaker 1: two nights at Wembley, London this June. Here is my
Speaker 1: conversation with both the composer Ayase and vocalist Ikura.
Speaker 1: I want to ask about your band. You, I believe
Speaker 1: one of the fir the first Japanese acts to top
Speaker 1: the global charts of Billboard. So are you happy that
Speaker 1: you're having kind of this fan base, not only in
Speaker 1: Japan but outside from Indonesia to the UK to the US?
Speaker 1: Tell us how, how, how are you feeling about that
Speaker 1: kind of success outside Japan.
Speaker 2: What
Speaker 2: humbled and honored.
Speaker 2: Very pleased with the reception. It's amazing. I'd never expected
Speaker 2: this level of reception really when we started, but through
Speaker 2: social media we do receive a lot of messages, direct
Speaker 2: messages from fans, and it's just wonderful to see them.
Speaker 2: And when we play live as well, we do get
Speaker 2: to see the firsthand reactions and interact with them as
Speaker 2: we saw in Wembley as well, so it's been.
Speaker 2: It's been amazing and we hope that it would carry on.
Speaker 1: I was in Wembley on Sunday as well. It was
Speaker 1: an amazing, amazing. So, so tell us, where else have
Speaker 1: you been in Europe? I know you've been also to Spain,
Speaker 1: to the Primavera festival. Uh, so tell us a bit
Speaker 1: more about which countries have you visited.
Speaker 2: So on this tour, those two locations, so Spain, Primarera
Speaker 2: and Wembley to will end. However, we'd love to visit
Speaker 2: other destinations and we cannot wait to meet the fans
Speaker 2: and play there.
Speaker 1: One question, I, I wanna ask the connection of Yobi,
Speaker 1: the duo with uh Japanese literary scene, because I think
Speaker 1: there's a strong connection. Uh, there's the Monogatari as well. Uh,
Speaker 1: I wonder if you can explain a little bit more
Speaker 1: about that.
Speaker 1: Yes,
Speaker 2: so all the songs are based on writing stories and
Speaker 2: but um in Japan, so that there are many different mediums,
Speaker 2: whether it be from books, anime, manga, and all of
Speaker 2: them are interconnected and we do um represent that style
Speaker 2: as well, which is slightly unusual, but um I hope
Speaker 2: that um the audiences get to enjoy the entirety of
Speaker 2: the medium and representation.
Speaker 1: So it's not simply just a pop song. It's a
Speaker 1: little story,
Speaker 2: right? We are
Speaker 2: producing pop songs. However, there is always a background, more
Speaker 2: of a depth and the context through stories that we
Speaker 2: are basing all those songs on. And through that understanding, um,
Speaker 2: music becomes a lot more three dimensional. So it is,
Speaker 2: I see it as more of a new form of entertainment.
Speaker 2: And we produce music in J-pop genre, which I'm very
Speaker 2: proud of. It's something that I love and I want
Speaker 2: to continue um this act. And so through the J-pop
Speaker 2: songs that we produce, we hope that um everyone gets
Speaker 2: to enjoy Japanese culture and this new form of um entertainment.
Speaker 1: Well, you're certainly both representing Japan very well and as
Speaker 1: a big fan of Japanese music, even from the 80s,
Speaker 1: I would like to know from both of you what was.
Speaker 1: Your influences, music influences, could it be a little bit
Speaker 1: of city pop as well, I don't know. I, I wonder,
Speaker 1: I would like to hear from both of you on
Speaker 1: that one.
Speaker 2: I grew up listening to notable Japanese musicians, and the
Speaker 2: front runners at the time. Um, so Anahi, Yi, Ikimonoakari
Speaker 2: are the ones that I can think of right now.
Speaker 2: I mean, if I were to give you an example, um,
Speaker 2: also Japanese bands as well, such as Wims and
Speaker 2: But my parents um were an influence in the sense
Speaker 2: that I did listen to the music that they listened
Speaker 2: to in the 80s and the 90s, for example, Yin,
Speaker 2: Yumi Mattoya and Southern Oars as well. And so all
Speaker 2: those um wonderful musicians have influenced me and I think
Speaker 2: they exist within, as an essence, um, musical influence.
Speaker 2: Uh, for me, yes, um, I have been greatly influenced
Speaker 2: by the J-pop, J-pop as well as folk songs. So, um, yes,
Speaker 2: I have been influenced by Yumi Mastoya, as well as
Speaker 2: Maria Takeuchi and Kubotashinobu as well. Um, so leading on
Speaker 2: to that, I love, um, Japanese R&B as well as
Speaker 2: hip hop.
Speaker 2: Well, um, so both of those genres I love. But I,
Speaker 2: so I was in a band actually, um, my previous
Speaker 2: band music was a lot harder than you be sounds. So, um,
Speaker 2: within that line, I love um metal core, hardcore, and
Speaker 2: so I was very um.
Speaker 2: I was very excited to see the picture of Slipknot
Speaker 2: being displayed in Wembley Arena.
Speaker 1: The.
Speaker 1: One of my surprises on Sunday, uh, of course, I'm
Speaker 1: a fan of your music, but I never seen you live.
Speaker 1: He felt sometimes at like a rock concert, and that
Speaker 1: you're singing the beats. He was very, very energetic. So
Speaker 1: I see a lot of rock in you. Thank you.
Speaker 2: My
Speaker 1: pleasure. And I'd like to ask, I know you just
Speaker 1: released a recent, uh, single, Watch Me. But what's the
Speaker 1: next plans? Because you've just finished as our tour in Japan,
Speaker 1: sold out, many places.
Speaker 1: Are you resting a bit or are there new new
Speaker 1: music coming out or new gigs?
Speaker 2: No, in fact, um, we actually have to wait for
Speaker 2: us which is happening in Japan in 4, so we
Speaker 2: will be playing these shows but for the next week,
Speaker 2: we will be staying in Europe and we use, we
Speaker 2: will use that as an period. So we will try
Speaker 2: and absorb as much as possible. I'm enjoying being in Europe.
Speaker 2: And yeah, that's our plan.
Speaker 1: I
Speaker 1: would like to know because I know the Japanese consume
Speaker 1: music in a different way, like CDs, vinyls are still
Speaker 1: very big in Japan. What do you think of that? How,
Speaker 1: how do you see the Japanese music market compared to
Speaker 1: other places where it's more about streaming? I prefer the
Speaker 1: Japanese way. I love CDs and and physical media, but. Um.
Speaker 2: is that Japanese music scene has shifted more towards streaming
Speaker 2: as well. Um, so they don't sell as well as before. Um,
Speaker 2: most of the people listen to music through streaming CDs.
Speaker 2: Vinyls are being bought as a memorabilia really, especially for
Speaker 2: those um fans who love the music and they just
Speaker 2: want to keep uh just want to buy it for
Speaker 2: as a keepsake. So that does still exist, but mainly, uh,
Speaker 2: people tend to just listen to streaming, so maybe not
Speaker 2: that different to the rest of the world.
Speaker 1: Thank you both Ayasi and Ikura. I'm a big fan
Speaker 1: here and for more information on Yobi and the upcoming concerts,
Speaker 1: go to Y O A S O B I dash music.jp.
Speaker 1: The show was edited by Elliot Greenfield, and I am
Speaker 1: Fernando Gusta Pacheco. Thank you for listening.