Yoasobi

• 1. Formation And Origins

  ›

  In 2019, a social media platform for creative writing called Monogatary.com launched an unusual project. Yohei Yashiro, the founder of the site owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan, proposed creating songs as prizes for authors instead of book or anime adaptations. He enlisted Shuya Yamamoto to handle artist relations after meeting at a party. Ayase received an offer from both men in the mid-year to produce music for this initiative. During discussions about vocalists, Ayase discovered Aimyon's song "Kimi wa Rock o Kikanai" covered by Ikura on Instagram. He checked her YouTube channel and contacted her directly to persuade her to form a duo. They announced their debut via a teaser video on October 1, marking that date as their anniversary. The first song, "Yoru ni Kakeru", was based on the short story Thanatos no Yūwaku written by Mayo Hoshino. This story won the Monocon 2019 novel contest organized by Sony Music. Their music video uploaded to Ayase's YouTube and Niconico channels on the 16th of November 2019, reached one million views within just one month. The track released to digital platforms on December 15 under their personal label distributed by Orchard.

• 2. Breakthrough Success

  ›

  Yoasobi originally planned to make only a few songs as a trial run before expanding further. However, early 2020 brought the COVID-19 pandemic to Japan, changing everything for the new duo. "Yoru ni Kakeru" went viral on social media through a Home Take solo performance by Ikura. It climbed to number 76 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 in March before ascending to number one in May. Five months after its initial release, the song topped several streaming service charts across Japan. It spent six non-consecutive weeks at the top of the chart, with three consecutive weeks included in that total. The single also reached number one on the Oricon Combined Singles Chart. By the end of 2020, it finished as the year's number-one Japan Hot 100 song. This made it the first-ever single without physical release to top the year-end chart. The Recording Industry Association of Japan certified the song diamond for exceeding 500 million streams in 2021. In 2025, it achieved double diamond status for surpassing 1 billion streams. No other song in history has reached these specific milestones before Yoasobi. The track won Song of the Year at both the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards Japan and the 2021 Space Shower Music Awards.

• 3. Evolution Of Discography

  ›

  Yoasobi released their debut EP The Book on the 6th of January 2021, featuring all previously issued singles plus new material. The album expressed a theme of "reading CD" using a binder package design. It debuted at number two on the Oricon Albums Chart and Billboard Japan Hot Albums. Sales figures showed 150,000 CDs sold alongside 100,000 digital copies by 2021. The second EP, The Book 2, arrived on the 1st of December 2021, containing that year's singles including "Moshi mo Inochi ga Egaketara." This record topped the Billboard Japan Hot Albums for the first time while debuting at number two on Oricon. Their third collection, The Book 3, came out on the 4th of October 2023, covering releases from late 2022 through September 2023. The duo entered the English-language market by translating songs into English starting with Into the Night in July 2021. They followed this with E-Side 2 in November 2022 and E-Side 3 in March 2024. A major collaboration occurred when they worked with four Naoki Prize-winning novelists: Rio Shimamoto, Mizuki Tsujimura, Miyuki Miyabe, and Eto Mori. These writers contributed stories published as Hajimete no on the 16th of February 2022. Songs based on each story appeared throughout 2022 and early 2023 before collecting onto a companion EP released the 10th of May 2023.

• 4. Global Expansion Strategy

  ›

  Yoasobi performed overseas for the first time in December 2022 at the Head in the Clouds Festival held in Indonesia. Their international momentum accelerated significantly during 2023 and 2024. In August 2023, they played their first Western Hemisphere show at another Head in the Clouds Festival event in the United States. By December 2023, they embarked on an Asia tour running through January 2024. The duo received an invitation to perform at a state dinner hosted by US President Joe Biden for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House East Room. They signed an agent contract with Creative Artists Agency shortly after that high-profile appearance. Major music festivals followed including Coachella and Lollapalooza in April and August 2024. A dedicated concert series called Yoasobi Live in the USA completed their North American schedule. Their Chō-genjitsu Dome Live tour from October to November 2024 drew 170,000 audiences across Japan. This was followed by a second Asia tour attracting 140,000 people between December 2024 and February 2025. Spotify reported the duo as the most streamed Japanese artist outside Japan for four consecutive years from 2021 to 2024. Ado took the top position in 2025, dropping Yoasobi to number two globally.

• 5. Musical Methodology

  ›

  Ayase writes songs by creating demos using Logic Pro software on his laptop combined with Vocaloid software. He primarily uses Hatsune Miku rather than real instruments during early production stages. This approach allows him to avoid distortion based on human vocal interpretation. After receiving the demo, Ikura writes her first impression of the lyrics before choosing how best to sing them. She records actual vocals only after finalizing her method. The duo describes their process as DIY, hands-on, and handmade. Ayase repeatedly reads each source story to understand its content before selecting suitable sounds and melodies. He interprets feelings and experiences related to the narrative when writing music. Ikura sings from the perspective of the protagonist or narrator instead of herself. Music director Konnie Aoki translates most English versions while maintaining original rhythm and sound structure. Real Sounds Natsume Sogami described their output as derivative work contrasting sharply with other musicians. Their genre combines pop, rock, and electronic elements rooted in Vocaloid traditions. Billboard Japan noted they emphasize live performances through synth-pop and electropop styles. The Asahi Shimbun observed complex structures with shifting rhythms alongside catchy melodies and memorable hooks.

• 6. Cultural Impact And Legacy

  ›

  Yoasobi received the Noma Publishing Culture Award by Kodansha in 2021 for excellent contributions to publishing regardless of form. They won Person of the Year at the 2023 Japan PR Awards organized by the Public Relations Society of Japan. Oricon named them the tenth best-selling artist in Reiwa era history by December 2023. Digital platform gross figures showed billion yen earned in 2022, billion in 2023, billion in 2024, and billion in 2025. Four songs achieved diamond streaming certification or higher: Yoru ni Kakeru, Gunjō, Kaibutsu, and Idol. Abema called the commercial success of Yoru ni Kakeru a symbol of the beginning of the streaming era in Japan. Originally favored on CD format, physical media sales declined while digital consumption surged. Yoasobi is credited as one of the artists who re-popularized J-pop internationally following its decline during the 2010s. Their popularity extended strongly into South Korea where Japanese culture import had been prevented due to historical occupation. Online magazine Nippon.com identified them as the most listened-to Japanese artist since 2023. Apple Music listed three of their tracks among the 500 most-streamed songs between 2015 and 2025. Critics described their music as a Reiwa-like appearance with a Shōwa-like inner self citing frequent chord progressions.