Interviewed+Written by Genius Japan | September 6, 2023In the world of J-Pop idols, where conventions often reign supreme, SixTONES emerges as a game-changer. The six-member boy group under Johnny & Associates broke the mold from the start. Officially formed on May 1, 2015, during Team C's performance at Johnny's Ginza 2015, they chose a path less traveled by deciding to remain together as a unit — an unconvеntional move in an industry where group formations arе typically orchestrated by the management. This bold choice would later define their independent spirit and unwavering control over their destiny.
In our exclusive interview, we dive into SixTONES' world and explore their latest single, "CREAK." This dance-infused pop-rock showcases their exceptional harmonization, highlighting their mysterious charm and charisma. With a visually captivating music video featuring a Burtonesque aesthetic, "CREAK" takes on additional significance as one of the theme songs for mystery drama Knockin' on Locked Door. Join us as we uncover the secrets behind SixTONES' new single and their creative process with 2 members of the group, Juri Tanaka and Yugo Kochi.──Hello, Juri and Yugo! How would you define SixTONES to brand-new fans who are just now getting into your music?

Juri Tanaka: SixTONES is always in pursuit of new things with a sense of curiosity and inquisitiveness. We want to try everything, but we want to do it without compromising who we are or what we stand for. I think everyone in the group has their own favorite artists across different genres such as pop or hip-hop, but I think we are a genre-less group ourselves. We don't fit into any one specific sound, and because of that we can pursue the pure essence of music through sampling various styles not only from our culture but others all around the world.──According to what we've read, you guys took initiative and asked to be formed as a group all the way back in 2012, when you were just around 17 or 18 years old. What do you think about those days now, considering how successful you've become since then?

Yugo Kochi: Looking back on those days, I think everyone is worried about life at the age of 17 or 18. Both here in Japan and probably in other countries as well, you're at the age where you must start making hard decisions for yourself about your future, and the path forward becomes a lot less clear. It was a leap of faith that we would ever make it as a group, but one we made together and so far, it's turned out pretty great!

We were all equally determined to succeed, and I remember a palpable sense of unified confidence that together, the 6 of us could achieve what we wanted. Of course, we're still climbing that mountain, but thanks to having taken that first step we made it at least past the base. And I—or rather, we all—hope to continue to press on without ever forgetting the sense of will and enthusiastic ambition we had back then.──Jumping to the present, SixTONES is releasing "CREAK" which will be your 11th single. What was the most exciting or memorable episode from the set of the "CREAK" MV?

Tanaka: There was a lot of CG in the music video, which you can see on our YouTube channel now. Prior to and during the shoot we were given printed images from the director that kind of showed us how the final cut would look like, but it's hard to get a true sense of that when you're on set surrounded by greenscreens, so we didn't know exactly what was going on until the editing was finished and our sense of surprise at how the CG integrated with the action was probably not that different from when our fans saw it for the first time.

On the other hand, we didn't have much time to learn the choreography. In fact, we didn't even get to start learning it until the day of the shoot, so we divided the dance into 4 parts and got about 1 minute and 40 seconds each to imprint it into our brains. But when we saw how everything came together in the final cut, I was really impressed. I think it turned out great!
──"CREAK" was chosen as one of the theme songs for the mystery drama Knockin' on Locked Door. What do you consider the main point of the track and how does it connect to the theme of the drama?

Kochi: The sense of mystery is woven into both the audio and the video from the very beginning. The image of the door, then passing through the keyhole after a knocking sound…"Who is it? What do they want?" The lyrics also very intentionally call up images of a case-solving detective, which connects to the theme of the drama and creates a sort of metaphor for cracking any sort of mysterious unknown and what it takes to make the impossible possible.

At any rate, I hope people will enjoy it as much as the drama. It stars our own Hokuto Matsumura as well as Daigo Nishihata from Naniwa Danshi, and we tried to reflect a little of their character personalities into the lyrics as well.

Tanaka: The song has a mysterious and dark tone, but because of the way we sing the lyrics and the overall musical progression to the end, it gets increasingly exciting as the song goes on. Some might feel it a bit mismatched from beginning to end, but this was done on purpose.──"CREAK" has a dynamic and hard-driving energy. What is the recording process like for you guys, and were there any challenges or breakthrough moments you encountered?

Tanaka: I'm usually in charge of the rap parts for our music and this song was no different, but it certainly wasn't my usual style of rapping and a challenge throughout the recording process to get a sense of how best to break up the rhythm of the strings with the right vocal beats. I ended up trying something that ignored the music completely, and instead focused only on the verbal accents. Not what I'm used to, but it was a cool experience that allows me more options for future songs.

Kochi: For me, I try not to think too hard and just go with the flow when in the recording booth. For this song, I did a lot of lower-range harmonizing, with some parts a full octave down from my regular voice. Since it was so different from my normal voice, I had to work very hard to stay in the correct key, but overall, it was a good opportunity and a good experience for me.
──This single, which was released on August 30, 2023, is the first time for SixTONES to feature solo songs from all six members. For Yugo, you have a solo song titled "MUSIC IN ME," and for Juri, a solo song titled "Sorry." How would you describe the recording experience? Were you nervous? Emotional?

Kochi: The recording process when working on the song "MUSIC IN ME" was a lot of fun. When it's a SixTONES group song we always share the lyrics and try to balance out who does what part, but sometimes it's fun to keep everything to oneself, especially if it's a genre that I really like. I did the entire song from scratch, and when I was listening back after laying down the vocals. It was one of those "I'm really making my own music" moments of realization and so I was more excited than nervous.

Tanaka: Since I wrote the lyrics to "Sorry" myself, I got to play around with the key, the tone, and the rhythm structure a lot more than I do when it's just my portion of a group song. After I found what I felt were all the right places for the verses, I repeated the process for the chorus and would sing it over and over; continuing to explore how it made me feel even up to when I was in the recording booth. I felt like I was using my brain at max capacity the whole time, so rather than being nervous or having fun, and I was exhausted once it was over; though don't get me wrong, it was fun to relisten to once I had a good nap.
Photos provided by Johnny & Associates. Any unauthorized copying, alteration, reproduction, or distribution is prohibited.
── Thank you for taking some time out of your busy schedules to chat with us, SixTONES' Juri Tanaka & Yugo Kochi!You can read all the lyrics and translations from SixTONES and their latest single, "CREAK" on Genius now.

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