Interview with BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE

Hello BALLISTIK BOYZ, thank you for taking the time to do this interview with us!

You just released your eighth single, HIGHER EX, and you are in the middle of a Japanese tour. How do you feel?

Ryuta Hidaka: This year marks the 5th anniversary of our debut, and we consider it a decisive year for us. We released the song HIGHER EX with our thoughts and determination in mind, and we are also touring. I would be happy if you could feel our passion through the songs and the LIVE performances!

Ryusei Kainuma: In one word, I am extremely grateful. HIGHER EX contains our goals. Not only in the single but also in the tour, you can feel our determination, and I personally feel grateful and happy to be able to communicate this to our fans and the world.

You recently celebrated your 5th anniversary as a group. You have evolved a lot since 2019. How would you describe this evolution in terms of musical style and performances?

Riki Matsui: We have been doing this since our formation, so it hasn’t changed much for us, but delivering the songs we created to our fans seems to show our evolution from an outside perspective. Actually, when I listen to the songs we made five years ago, I sometimes think, "This isn't good at all!" So, we might have improved our skills and gotten better at putting what we want to convey into lyrics.

Masahiro Sunada: Since our debut, we have sung various genres of songs! Through that, I think we have found a musical genre and style that is uniquely BALLISTIK BOYZ. However, we are not confined to that genre or style; we choose the style we want to express or the genre we want to challenge at that time and create our works, and we want to continue doing so! In terms of performances, it's true that we have evolved to sing more while dancing compared to our debut. This change resulted from the improvement in our skills and the awareness of the quality and appearance of our performances.

HIGHER EX is your first song written and composed by the members of the group. How did this experience influence your creative process?

Riki Matsui: I think it became a significant point that will greatly influence future BBZ activities. As a creative group that aims to deliver everything we want to convey to our fans by our own hands, this was our first attempt at songwriting and composition, and we want to do this for all our songs in the future.

Rikiya Okuda: Personally, I have been writing lyrics since I was in junior high school, so being able to work on it as an artist myself makes me very happy, and it makes me feel that what I have been doing was not wrong!

It must be quite a stylistic exercise to work on a song with so many people. How did you go about it?

Ryusei Kainuma: Basically, our members Miku, Rikiya and Riki create the base, and from there, the seven of us give various opinions and make final adjustments. So, it is a difficult task, but strangely, we are able to proceed smoothly.

Miku Fukahori: I first make the track, then Rikiya and Riki work on the rap, and I handle the topline for the vocals and the lyrics. We confirm with the members each time.

Can you tell us about the message you want to convey with the song HIGHER EX?

Miku Fukahori: There were goals we couldn't achieve last year, but this song contains our determination to aim even higher without giving up.

Rikiya Okuda: I would be happy if you could feel our determination and way of life through this song. I believe the world view and sense of unity that only the seven of us can express is stronger than any other group, so I want you to receive all of it.

Masahiro Sunada: This song is filled with our determination and intention to keep aiming higher without stopping. In today's world, with so many boy groups around the globe, we created this song as a declaration, saying, "Next is our turn!"

This song shares its title with your current tour. How has the audience reacted to hearing your new songs during your live performances?

Ryuta Hidaka: We received a very good response, with our fans being overwhelmed by the impact of the song and the choreography.

Yoshiyuki Kano: This song is filled with strength, passion, and our dreams! Therefore, we aimed to "show off" and "captivate" the audience. I was excited to see how the audience would react during the first performance, and our fans told us that they thought the song was cool and that they liked it, which made me very happy!

Can you share some anecdotes or memorable moments from the recording of the HIGHER EX music video?

Masahiro Sunada: I had a style where I was shirtless with a jacket for the main outfit, so I worked hard on my training for that, and I was training in the dressing room until the very last minute before the shoot. For the colorful costume, there weren't many close-up scenes, so it was hard to notice, but I wore green colored contacts and drew freckles to create a new look. It's my favorite among the three visuals this time!

Yoshiyuki Kano: There was a shoot at Tsukiji Hongwanji for this work, and the scale was very impressive when I saw it in the video. It was also a place where we rarely get to shoot, so I was very happy! This time we had three types of costumes, and we used CG for the video, making it the best finish ever!


good day good night is your first ballad with the lyrics written by Masato Odake. What was the inspiration behind this song?

Miku Fukahori: I am very happy that Odake, who has written many famous songs, wrote the lyrics for us, and I hope you listen to it while imagining someone important to you.

Mermaid deals with the first feelings of an unrequited love. Can you tell us the story behind this song?

Ryusei Kainuma: This song is very catchy, and the lyrics are pure, making you forget the concept of a rapper. Moreover, songs with this kind of groove are popular worldwide, so we made it as a challenge.

Rikiya Okuda: This song Mermaid was created while imagining various distances and stories between me and our fans!

You have a busy tour schedule in Japan right now, but you have also performed abroad. What are the challenges and joys of performing overseas?

Masahiro Sunada: Of course, the joy of meeting overseas fans is great, but it's also very rewarding to feel the local people and culture while performing! Although I can speak English, I think learning and being able to speak the local language more is a challenge! We currently only have Japanese versions of our songs, so I want to create English versions as well! We have already recorded some English songs, so please look forward to them!

Yoshiyuki Kano: We have a dream to perform on larger stages overseas, and meeting our fans abroad is always a joy! I also love going abroad, so I want to go again soon. However, there are differences, like language barriers and understanding how to entertain them best, which are challenging. Still, we always think about how to make our performances enjoyable for everyone and plan the set list and presentation with that in mind.

Have you noticed some differences in how foreign fans interact with your music compared to Japanese fans?

Ryuta Hidaka: Yes, I think it's different. Both groups are incredibly enthusiastic, but overseas fans seem to purely enjoy the music more, I guess. It's hard to express in words, but there's a different kind of excitement compared to when we perform in Japan. What stands out is how they sing along with our songs, making us feel like, "You know that part too?!" It's really impressive.

Miku Fukahori: I feel that foreign fans enjoy the music more. They sing and dance along, creating a sense of unity.

What has been your most memorable experience during your concerts abroad?

Riki Matsui: There were people singing and dancing even more than us! Japanese people are a bit shy, and we don't see such scenes often in Japan, so I was surprised at first, but it gave me a lot of energy and made me feel like we were on stage together. Also, I was surprised that they were singing the lyrics in Japanese! Everyone is so good at Japanese!

Miku Fukahori: Performing at BIG MOUNTAIN FES, which is one of the largest festivals in Asia, is something I'll remember for the rest of my life. Performing on such a big stage was an unforgettable experience.

How do you manage pressure and stress before going on stage, especially during big tours like this one?

Rikiya Okuda: I don't feel any stress at all! On the contrary, I can calm down a lot before going to a stage. As we are aiming for even higher and can see our future dreams and goals through the tour, I want to make sure I don't waste it!

Yoshiyuki Kano: There will be some changes and things to reflect on in the first half of the tour, which I'm looking forward to, but on the other hand, I want to perform with my best so I'm focused! The premise is that I enjoy it and want everyone to enjoy themselves and have fun during the concert, so the time I spend in a concert is great!

Did you feel different before going on stage during your concerts abroad?

Rikiya Okuda: At first, it was quite challenging, but looking back now, whether it's domestic or overseas, the wonderful thing about music remains the same. We want to continue to be a group that delivers love, dreams, and happiness through music!

Yoshiyuki Kano: When performing abroad, we approach it with even more of a spirit of challenge! Because there are differences in language and culture, we have to deliver emotions through our performances, and we want people to love that aspect. That's why we consciously aim for the best performance every time!

Which countries or cities do you dream of performing in one day, and why?

Masahiro Sunada: I lived in New York from the age of 13 to 17, and New York is like a second home to me, so performing there one day is one of my dreams!

Riki Matsui: France, Paris. Personally, I want to visit the country, and traveling around Europe is a dream of mine. If I could tour Europe while performing, I think I'd be so happy that I might faint.

As the song HIGHER EX talks about your determination to keep evolving and reaching new heights, what are the future goals and next steps for BALLISTIK BOYZ?

Riki Matsui: We will be more active in our overseas activities than ever before and aim to fulfill the wishes of our fans outside of Japan. We will advance to the next stage, become a boy group representing Japan, and deliver BBZ's entertainment to an even larger audience. Please look forward to our activities and music.

Ryusei Kainuma: Firstly, we want to successfully complete an arena tour in Japan. This is one of our closest goals at the moment. Additionally, we want to bring our entertainment overseas, so another goal is to hold an "Asia tour" in regions like Asia, not just limited to Japan.

Do you have any final message for our readers?

Ryuta Hidaka: Thank you for reading. We've entered our sixth year since our major debut, but we still have many dreams we want to achieve. We will continue to work hard as a team with the members, staff, and all BALLY'S who support us towards our goal of "From Japan to Asia" and "From Asia to the World." We appreciate your continued support and please look forward to our future efforts!

Ryusei Kainuma: Thank you for your continued warm support. And to everyone who has read this article and is interested, please listen to BALLISTIK BOYZ's music and come to our tour! We aim to be a group that you can be proud of as fellow Japanese people, and we will continue to fight on the world stage! Thank you for your continued support!!!

JaME would like to thank BALLISTIK BOYZ for this interview opportunity.

The members also kindly took the time to record an English comment video for JaME's 20th anniversary, which you can watch below: