Atarashii Gakko! on Their New Album ‘From Tokyo With Love’

Japanese girl group Atarashii Gakko! has spent the last few years traveling around the world. The four-member outfit has emerged as one of the most innovative and fearless acts to come from the J-pop scene, making it no surprise that they’ve become leaders in the genre’s global push.

Their latest album, From Tokyo With Love, is a reflection of how the four women have felt these last two years. It also allows the members of Atarashii Gakko!, commonly referred to as AG, a place to mirror all of the energy they’ve received. “We wanted to spread [that energy] around the world,” Suzuka, 24, tells The Hollywood Reporter on a recent Zoom.

“We’ve experienced a lot of things throughout the years, and I think in a sense, this album helps us reexamine ourselves, reexamine our performances and how we express ourselves,” Mizyu, 27, says.

The album’s lead single, “Oi AG!” is a groovy, nostalgia-inducing track that the group felt made the most sense for this new chapter. The group first performed the song in Los Angeles at Japanese music festival Zipangu in May.

Kanon notes that performing new music for a live crowd can sometimes confuse an audience because they aren’t yet familiar with the vibe of a song. “When we performed this in L.A., fans just went along with the vibe and were able to understand the song right away,” the 24-year-old says.

“When we premiered ‘Oi AG!’ for the first time, the feeling of being one heart with the audience left a real impression on me,” Rin, 24, adds about that first time playing the song.

With From Tokyo With Love, AG is exploring two sides of evolution — both their evolution as a group and the evolution of Japanese music in the global market. The new album includes group songs, of course, but also features solo songs for the members. It’s a first for the quartet.

“Back in the day, even if it’s just Suzuka singing, three of us would be dancing. Or even if it’s just me and Kanon singing, the other two would be also on stage,” says Mizyu. “It led us to think about the individuality of the personalities behind each of our vocals.”

Below, the four-member group shares more about From Tokyo With Love and how they’ve evolved as artists and a group over the years.

How do you think that your approach to music has changed over the years?

SUZUKA Throughout the last 11 years, we really focused on the dance portion of the performance. We really were making stage performances where it was dance-oriented because I think that’s what suited us best. But as our discography grew — more songs, more albums — we started focusing on the vocal aspect as well and started thinking about what type of vocal style would match. What kind of energy do we want to execute? What kind of performance should we make for this type of vocal style or this type of singing? The balance between a dance performance versus song performance has changed.

Why do you feel adding in moments for each member on their own on the album helps make them stronger?

RIN The personality of Atarashii Gakko! as a group and the personality of each of us as individuals are two very different things, and I think both are really rich in color and dimension. When you zoom in on each person, you get colors and textures that you simply don’t get when the four of us are singing together. Having solo tracks makes the magic of the four of us together shine even brighter. I really believe it brings out the best of what this group is all about.

What are you trying to do with this album?

MIZYU Later in the year, we’re going to be visiting new countries for our concerts. I think we’re taking this as an opportunity to take on new challenges and expand our horizons in terms of trying to express ourselves in new ways. These past 11 years, the songs have been about how we can showcase as the four of us. But this time there’s also songs that focus on each one of us as individuals. This album showcases songs that we can put on only now because of all these things we’ve experienced.

How have you helped each other evolve over the years?

KANON When we formed the group, we were still in middle school. [It was our] high school, ultimate teen years. Now, we’re in our 20s. Ever since we formed, even when we weren’t busy, we were always together, pretending to be busy at times. We would always talk about the group, but we would also talk about our private lives with each other. Like, “Hey, this is going on, what should I do?” When we talk amongst ourselves, we’re very honest with each other and we’re able to share our true feelings with each other. We’re always there to help each other out. I think that’s the main reason why we’ve been able to really grow as a group.