ONE OR EIGHT On Growing Global Ambitions And Bringing Japan To The World
The Japanese global boy group behind the viral hit “TOKYO DRIFT” opens up about their growing creative ambitions and bringing Japanese culture and identity to global stages.
ONE OR EIGHT: Courtesy of Avex Music Creative Inc.
ONE OR EIGHT: Courtesy of Avex Music Creative Inc.
ONE OR EIGHT are taking their signature Japanese flavor to the global music scene, bringing a little edge to their sound, style, and identity.
Trained under Japan’s Avex Music Creative Inc., the eight-member Japanese global boy group is composed of MIZUKI, NEO, REIA, RYOTA, SOUMA, TAKERU, TSUBASA, AND YUGA.
Since their debut, the group’s music releases have helped lay the foundation for their journey as one of Japan’s rising acts poised to take over the global stage.
Now, as they continue to make waves internationally, ONE OR EIGHT are setting their sights on bigger stages, new audiences, and new ways to expand their creativity.
Ahead of ONE OR EIGHT’s Special SHOW CASE 2026 in ASIA -V8- on October 21 in Singapore, October 23 in Manila, and October 25 in Bangkok, Billboard Philippines chats with the group about their growing ambitions on the global stage, the momentum they’ve built along the way, and what fans can expect from their next chapter.
Billboard Philippines: You trained in Japan and South Korea before making your debut in 2024. Looking back, what are the biggest lessons from that experience that you still carry with you as artists today?
REIA: Six months was the period that I spent in Korea — training. And I really think that those six months built who I am today. So up till that point, I was practicing dance. We were really spending time on dance, but the training period really gave us the opportunity to invest our time, energy, and attention in vocals and rap, respectively. So I think that has enabled us to really set out the music of ONE OR EIGHT in a really appealing way to the audience.
REIA: Courtesy of Avex Music Creative Inc.
Your group name, ONE OR EIGHT, is inspired by the idea of “all or nothing,” while your tagline is “bet on yourself.” At this point in your career, what are you willing to bet on yourselves and your dreams?
RYOTA: We have been continuously aiming for a global audience — the world, but we also feel that that is not an easy task. We feel the difficulty in this. However, obviously we don’t give up. So it’s really about how we pay attention to how we spend every day, really fight our way forward, and then we really want to pursue that path through our performance.
RYOTA: Courtesy of Avex Music Creative Inc.
Your fandomFandomA community of devoted supporters organized around an artist or group, known for shared language, rituals, and collective action. Fandoms drive streaming, voting, and merchandise sales, and Filipino fans areGo to Fandom Glossary is called 1DERZ, which ties into the idea of “wonders.” What is something you’re still wondering about or curious to explore as you continue your career?
MIZUKI: I want to take on a lot of challenges, and notably for the live performances, we want to give a lot of wonders to our fans and really wow the 1DERZ. And also, [it would] be great if we could kind of showcase a certain song, a track, in a way that is unexpected. So it kind of surprises the fans, like a new interpretation in a way. So that’s what we like to kind of communicate throughout the performances.
MIZUKI: Courtesy of Avex Music Creative Inc.
With 1DERZ supporting you throughout your journey, what does their presence and support mean to you personally?
MIZUKI: They are a huge, huge, enormous presence for all of us. We recently had the opportunity to go to Korea, and we performed for about a week. We kind of felt distant, like it was not our wasn’t our home ground. But it was really the Korean 1DERZ, fan clubs, SNS, all those platforms; the 1DERZ really cheered us on, and that really energized and motivated us. The energy that they instilled in us is kind of more than you can imagine. So from the bottom of our hearts, we want to say thank you so much.
You’ve mentioned artists like BTS, Michael Jackson, and Rihanna as some of your biggest inspirations. How do you take inspiration from artists you admire while still developing your own identity and flavor as ONE OR EIGHT?
SOUMA: The members all have their own respective characteristics and uniqueness, and we really put that passion and all of that into our recording sessions, and the way that the subtle nuances differ amongst the members; for example, TSUBASA might have that high tone, and REIA and TAKERU might have a husky, kind of a smoothness to their voices. The way that we exude our uniqueness and characters throughout how we sing and how we really perform, and I think we can say that that is definitely one of the identities of ONE OR EIGHT.
SOUMA: Courtesy of Avex Music Creative Inc.
At this stage of your career, do you feel like you’re already making the kind of music you’ve always wanted to make, or are you still discovering what that sound is?
NEO: We were actually struggling to look for a sound the first year after we debuted, but after this album, EN-GÏNE, we feel like we’ve started to discover our identity as musicians, especially “YANKEE SQUAT,” the concept behind it, the energy and the choreo, and how all eight of us were part of the music. We feel like that was a huge part of rediscovering our artistry and who we are as musicians and what kind of message we want to send out as ONE OR EIGHT. So yeah, we feel like EN-GÏNE was a huge turning point for our discography.
NEO: Courtesy of Avex Music Creative Inc.
“TOKYO DRIFT” became a viral hitViral HitA song that spreads rapidly through social media, often on short-video platforms, and then climbs charts as listeners seek it out. Viral hits can come from unexpected places and unlikelyGo to Viral Hit Glossary online. Did you expect the song to resonate with audiences the way it did?
YUGA: To be honest, I didn’t really expect that, but we did. I mean, I and we all put our best into the recording sessions and all. We’re really glad that it made it a hit and really happy that we were able to spread it and have it listened to by a lot of fans.
YUGA: Courtesy of Avex Music Creative Inc.
The track samples The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Beyond music, are there any films, visual styles, cultures, or other forms of media that influence the way you create and express yourselves as artists?
TAKERU: Yes, I would watch dramas and the way that the actors act out, like the kind of acting skills, that’s an inspiration because there are opportunities that we get to act more often than not recently. And not just that, but just like the way, you know, through our daily lives, there’s a lot of inspiration.
TAKERU: Courtesy of Avex Music Creative Inc.
You recently released the EP EN-GÏNE. What did you want listeners to understand or feel about ONE OR EIGHT through this release?
TSUBASA: All the tracks have their respective styles and sounds, so it’s all different. Some resonate with Japanese culture; others, you know, obviously, “TRANSLATE.” So this is about breaking the language barriers, communicating without translation. I love it. This is a simple headbanging song. So, yes, people who are new to ONE OR EIGHT will listen to the EPEPShort for extended play, a collection of songs longer than a single but shorter than a full album, typically containing three to six tracks. Artists use EPs to introduce theirGo to EP Glossary and know who we are. I think that’s the best way to put it.
TSUBASA: Courtesy of Avex Music Creative Inc.
Is there anything new you want to explore musically or creatively that fans might not have seen from you yet?
TSUBASA: There are certain members who are involved in the songwriting process, and also members who are involved in the choreography, although this is not disclosed yet. So, we want to be a creative group and want to stay that way. In that sense, sustainability, but also we want to keep what we’re doing, but also make sure that we know who we are and stay true to ourselves.
For everyone discovering ONE OR EIGHT for the first time and for your supporters who have been with you from the beginning, what do you want them to look forward to?
SOUMA: We just released the EP EN-GÏNE. This is really packed with a lot of emotions and messages. So one is definitely a big thank you to the 1DERZ, and also, as TSUBASA just mentioned, this EP really embodies who we are, like who ONE OR EIGHT is, so hopefully people can acknowledge that. That’s something that everyone can look forward to. And since we’re a group that is kind of sending out or trying to go from Japan to the world, that’s kind of our concept; we definitely want to kind of accentuate the positive things that Japan has and then really break those kind of barriers that stand between Japan and overseas through our performance, that is.
The answers from this interview by ONE OR EIGHT were translated from Japanese into English by a translator, except for NEO, who answered in English.
Frequently Asked Questions
ONE OR EIGHT is an eight-member Japanese global boy group trained under Avex Music Creative Inc. The members are MIZUKI, NEO, REIA, RYOTA, SOUMA, TAKERU, TSUBASA, AND YUGA. The group debuted in 2024 after training in Japan and South Korea. REIA credits six months in Korea for sharpening vocals and rap.
EN-GÏNE is ONE OR EIGHT’s recent EP, which NEO describes as a turning point in the group’s discography. Its tracks vary in style, including “YANKEE SQUAT” and “TRANSLATE,” a headbanging song about communicating without translation, and it is meant to introduce the group to new listeners.
“TOKYO DRIFT” is a ONE OR EIGHT track that became a viral hit online. It samples The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. YUGA said the group put their best into the recording sessions and is glad the song reached so many fans.
ONE OR EIGHT is inspired by the idea of “all or nothing,” paired with the tagline “bet on yourself.” The group’s fandom is called 1DERZ, a name tied to the idea of “wonders.” Members say 1DERZ energize them, including during a week of performances in Korea.
ONE OR EIGHT cites BTS, Michael Jackson, and Rihanna as inspirations, but says its identity comes from the members’ individual traits. Souma points to TSUBASA’s high tone and the husky, smooth voices of REIA and TAKERU as vocal contrasts that define the group’s sound.
