'Are there really fans in Singapore?' J-pop duo Yoasobi say their pandemic-era success feels surreal

SINGAPORE — Their concert in Singapore sold out immediately after tickets went on sale, and their song Idol placed seventh on Apple Music's most-streamed songs around the world in 2023.

But the members of Japanese pop superduo Yoasobi had lingering doubts about their own popularity before arriving in Singapore. 

At an hour-long press conference held on Jan 12 at the Pullman Singapore Hill Street hotel — a day after their first sold-out show here — composer Ayase says in Japanese through an interpreter: "There are often fans leaving comments on social media and asking us to come to Singapore. I was sceptical. I thought: 'Are there really fans here?'"

The 29-year-old's fears were allayed when he saw the 5,500-strong crowd that turned up for the group's show at Resorts World Sentosa.

He adds: "I saw how long these fans had been waiting for us and how receptive they were. They knew all the lyrics to our songs and could sing along. It's unbelievable."

Vocalist Ikura, 23, agrees. "This is our first time performing in front of fans in Singapore and yet, they sang along with us from start to end. I found myself holding my microphone out to them many times throughout the night. I was so moved, I was almost going to cry."

Yoasobi are one of the most popular J-pop acts of the moment and 2023 marks a particularly remarkable year for the duo. 

Their song Idol, the opening theme to the popular anime series Oshi No Ko (2023 to present), sparked a viral dance challenge on TikTok and sat atop Billboard Japan's Hot 100 for 21 consecutive weeks, becoming the longest-running No. 1 song in the chart's history.

The group are also on Spotify's list of most-streamed Japanese artistes outside Japan in 2023. 

Riding on this wave of success, the group kicked off their first Asia tour in December with their first solo overseas concert held in Seoul. Apart from Singapore, the tour will also travel to cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Taipei.

While 2023 is unquestionably the duo's breakout year globally, they have enjoyed a meteoric rise since their debut in December 2019.

Their first song, Yoru Ni Kakeru, was a big hit soon after its release in Japan and eventually became the first song to surpass one billion streams in Billboard Japan's chart history. 

When asked if their quick success feels surreal, Ikura — who also sings as a solo artiste under the name Lilas Ikuta — says she began understanding the duo's outsized popularity only recently. 

"Our debut was in late 2019 so the time when we started getting attention happened to be the period when the pandemic broke out. Everyone had to stay home, no one could go out and all our activities moved online and became virtual. So I didn't really feel this change in my life of people getting to know me and becoming popular. 

"It was only in the last two years when we began performing live and travelling overseas for shows, or seeing people approach me on the streets, seeing our songs break into global music charts, that things started to feel real," she recalls.

Ayase hopes this popularity is a sign of things to come and not the peak of what the group can achieve.

He says: "I see our results and I feel that we are moving forward, but I certainly don't think, 'I'm successful now.' It's not as if I've reached the ultimate goal. We're always progressing and the more we do, the more there is to accomplish, and there are always new things and new obstacles to overcome."

Perhaps one of the duo's goals is to return to Singapore soon, as many fans here were left disappointed when they could not snag tickets for Yoasobi's one-night-only show.

Addressing fans in Singapore, Ayase says: "Please keep listening to us and hopefully we can return and perform in an even larger venue next time."

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.