YOASOBI

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

YOASOBI · Yoasobi is a Japanese duo formed in 2019. Ayase writes and produces the music, and Ikura sings. The name means nightlife, and Ayase chose it because he wanted to compare his own work with Ikura's as the night, set beside the day of their separate careers. Their motto is that they turn novels into music: the songs are based on stories posted on the writing platform Monogatary.com, and later also on books, letters and other sources.

Music and breakthrough

The breakthrough came in 2020 with Yoru ni Kakeru, their debut single, which spent six weeks at number one on the Billboard Japan Hot 100. It was the first song without a physical release to end the year at number one. Gunjō followed, as did Kaibutsu for the anime Beastars and Idol, the opening theme of the anime Oshi no Ko, from 2023. Idol spent 22 non-consecutive weeks at the top of the Japanese chart and became one of the best-selling songs of the year worldwide. The EPs The Book and The Book 2 were released in 2021 and The Book 3 in 2023. The duo also released English-language versions.

Influence

The music has a fast tempo and a complex structure and is described as a blend of J-pop and Vocaloid. Several magazines call Yoasobi a representative of the J-pop of the 2020s. The group shows how stories, anime and the internet together can make a new kind of pop star.

Listening

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  Idol (アイドル) · YOASOBI, 2023
  Apple Music ↗