Meet Yoasobi, Japan's hottest musical duo who recently performed their first Singapore concert

Yoasobi may not be a household name in Singapore just yet, but if you're constantly on TikTok, you would have definitely heard a few of their songs.

The Japanese musical duo burst onto the scene in 2019 with Yoru Ni Kakeru (Racing Into The Night), a seemingly upbeat song that deals with the topic of suicide. The song quickly went viral on several social media platforms and became the first ever song to surpass 1 billion streams on the Billboard Japan chart. 

Yoasobi followed up on their success with a string of hits including Kaibutsu (Monster) and Shukufuku (Blessing), making them popular among Japanese music lovers around the world.

The group's popularity skyrocketed to an all-time high in 2023 with the release of Idol, the theme song of the hit anime series Oshi No Ko. The song obliterated the charts, not just in Japan but in various parts of the world.

Idol was the first ever Japanese-language song to top the Billboard Global Excl. US chart and became the most-streamed song in Japan that year, with over 520 million streams.

Last November, they even opened for Coldplay's two sold-out shows at the Tokyo Dome.

Even though Yoasobi as a duo is pretty new, the members – Ayase and Ikura – are established musicians in their own right. The 29-year-old Ayase was the former vocalist of Japanese rock band Davinci and he has composed songs for Japanese artistes such as Lisa and Hey! Say! JUMP.

Ikura, on the other hand, was a member of the cover group Plusonica and recently released her debut studio album Sketch to great success.

As Yoasobi, the duo's speciality is turning novels into music. In fact, the group's inception was a result of Sony Music Entertainment Japan wanting to create songs inspired by short stories published on Monogatary, a website that lets users upload their creative writing pieces. Now, Yoasobi's songs take inspiration from a variety of media including stories written by manga authors and even letters.

Ayase and Ikura deftly displayed their musical prowess on Thursday (Jan 11) during Yoasobi's first Singapore concert. Attendees at Resorts World Ballroom were treated to a slew of their hits during the 80-minute-long set. 

Ikura, in particular, deserved praise for her unwavering vocals, despite performing non-stop throughout the entire 80 minutes. She masterfully eased into songs that were sonically different, whether it's the frenetic Seventeen or the mellow Tabun (Probably).

The lighting and vibrant laser works were impressive and added to the visual spectacle that was the sea of light sticks that beautifully moved to the wotagei (a type of dance) performed by enthusiastic fans.

That being said, the audio system could have been improved. It was uneven at best, drowning out Ikura's vocals at certain sections of the concert. This made me question if Resorts World Ballroom was a suitable venue for an act such as Yoasobi.

In a testament to Yoasobi's popularity, the crowd comprised people of different ages. Seated directly in front of me was a young Japanese boy, who appeared to be of elementary school age, along with his father and mother. All three of them knew the lyrics to Yoasobi's songs and were vibing throughout the concert. 

This enthusiasm was mirrored throughout the venue as fans cheered and expressed their love towards Yoasobi. 

And the love was reciprocated. 

Speaking to members of the media the following day, Friday, Ayase and Ikura shared their feelings coming into the Singapore concert – the first stop in their Asian tour – and their feelings towards fans here. 

Speaking through a translator, Ikura said that Yoasobi had previously received messages from Singapore fans on social media, begging the duo to perform here.

"I knew we had fans here but I did not know exactly how our Singapore fans would react. What kind of people are they? However, as we walked out on stage (yesterday), our fans welcomed us with passion and enthusiasm. So we were really happy about that."

In fact, Singapore fans "were so passionate" that Ayase, who serves as a composer for the group, might just use that passion as an inspiration for a future song.

He elaborated: "Singapore fans are passionate and have a very deep love towards Yoasobi. There are all sorts of people here who are all passionate towards the same goal. That's probably something I would infuse into the music if I ever composed a song inspired by Singapore."

When asked to explain Yoasobi's charm as musicians, Ayase mused: "There are many charms of Yoasobi, Musically, we can take on different genres of music. We're free in the sense that we're not constrained to one type of music.

"Ikura and I are different, in terms of (musical) texture, but the one thing we have in common is our playfulness. We're playful in how we approach music. We have a deep love for the music and we release songs that we can present to our fans with confidence, that are based on our playfulness."

Ayase and Ikura ended the session by re-emphasising their love for Singapore fans and their eagerness to perform here again.

"Thank you for all the love you have given us. Thanks to your love, our Singapore concert was possible. We want to return to Singapore, so please continue listening to our music. We'll continue making great music, so please continue to give us your support," Ikura said eagerly.

Ayase echoed her sentiments, adding: "I was very happy to see the faces of our fans... We do want to come back again, so please listen to our music and perhaps, we can perform in a bigger venue and meet even more fans in Singapore next time.

It's safe to say that Yoasobi's maiden concert in Singapore was a memorable experience for both the group and their fans alike. Given their continuous rise, it seems like Yoasobi's story has only just begun.