MICHELLE TANIA MAGAZINE

YOASOBI SET TO GO GLOBAL

The 27-year-old composer Ayase only needs one word to sum up the music of YOASOBI: connection. He views the Japanese pair, which consists of 20-year-old vocalist Ikura and himself, as a means of communication. They transform poetic prose into catchy pop lyrics by writing songs based on fictional novels and short stories, connecting meaning to tunes. The intersection of the written word and music is YOASOBI. Each song is a chapter in a book on the human condition, its own mellifluous narrative. The group is expanding their reach for their upcoming release with the release of E-Side, their first English-language album, on November 12. Through an interpreter, Ayase tells PAPER, “We want to reach more people. “We don’t want anything changed. Our goal is to simply convey the essence of to new fans in a new language. But it should be very similar at its core.” In Tokyo, it’s just a little after eight o’clock, which is the ideal time of day for YOASOBI, which loosely translates to “nightlife.” It represents how Ayase and Ikura work hard at building their respective careers throughout the daytime before

becoming YOASOBI at night. While Ayase creates Vocaloid music for digital pop singers like Hatsune Miku, Ikura is a singer-songwriter who goes by the stage name Ikuta Rira. Together, they have produced a number of enthralling successes and have established themselves as one of Japan’s most promising and popular new artists. Eight songs make up the album E-Side, with lyrics written by music director Konnie Aoki. These songs include their most recent single “Blue,” which was influenced by the anime Blue Period, and “Into The Night,” which is the English translation of their first big hit, “(Yoru ni kakeru). The song was made famous byThe Temptation of Thanatos by Mayo Hoshino, also known as Thanatos no Ywaku, has amassed more than 400 million streams worldwide. It peaked at the top of several charts in 2020, including Billboard Japan’s Hot 100 of the Year. The music of YOASOBI is in stark contrast. Drum kicks and piano interludes keep the pace relentless as they advance the disorienting vocal melody. Ikura’s crystal-clear vocal modulations and Ayase’s proficiency with Vocaloid software

are demonstrated through key shifts and octave jumps. However, the story is frequently reflective and even depressing. Two lovers in the story “Yoru ni kakeru” give in to the seduction of death. Within months of its debut, it became a great hit in Japan. It’s romantic and depressing. Ayase attributes the song’s popularity to its numerous access points. Perhaps the dark plot, the catchy tunes, or the vibrant visual style drew in listeners. Ikura adds, “Perhaps my voice.” There are numerous aspects of the song that draw listeners in. These steps in the creative process all function together. The stories that are posted on the wellknown creative writing website monogatary. com serve as inspiration for Ayase and Ikura. It serves as a location where aspiring writers can upload and distribute their work. After choosing a story, Ayase analyses its ideas, tearing it apart into fragments, and reassembling it into music. He absorbs the book and incorporates its themes into his poems. “When I come up with a melody,” claims Ayase,Ayase attributes the song’s popularity to its numerous access points. Perhaps the dark plot, the catchy tunes, or the vibrant visual style drew in listeners. Ikura adds, “Perhaps my voice.” There are numerous aspects of the song that draw listeners in. These steps in the creative process all function together. The stories that are posted on the wellknown creative writing website monogatary.com serve as inspiration for Ayase and Ikura. It serves as a location where aspiring writers can upload and distribute their work. After choosing a story, Ayase analyses its ideas, tearing it apart into fragments, and reassembling it into music. He absorbs the book and incorporates its themes into his poems. “When I come up with a melody,” claims Ayase,He was on Instagram looking for a vocalist to work with him on a new project, writing music based on literature, when he came

across one of Ikura’s videos. He instantly went to her YouTube channel, where she had posted covers and original compositions, and was captivated by her voice. “It was very clear, almost like crystal,” he remembers. “It was also comfortable, but distinctive.” It’s both something you’ve heard before and something you’ve never heard before.” Ikura, then known as Rira Ikuta, wasn’t sure if she wanted to perform other people’s lyrics at first. She’s a Swiftian at heart, a composer at heart. “Taylor Swift is the artist I look up to,” admits Ikura warmly. But she was captivated by Ayase’s efforts in the Vocaloid space and his charisma.”It was a suicide song, and it made me feel something I’d never felt before,” she adds. “The theme was completely unfamiliar to me, but it spoke directly to my heart.” “It was an indescribable sensation.” On the surface, Ayase and Ikura appear to be polar opposites. Ikura is all patterns, colours, and delicate jewellery, but Ayase is all black - black mask, black pullover, onyx ring on his middle finger. His first impression of Ikura was that she was completely innocent. “When I first met Ayase, I was distracted by his ear gauges,” jokes Ikura. Ayase concurs, describing himself as a hybrid of his favourite hardcore rock band, Maximum the Hormone, and J-pop. “He appeared to be a scary guy, but he wasn’t,”And, like any elder brother, Ayase is awestruck by Ikura’s vitality. “I don’t feel like there’s much of an age gap between us,” he says. “But sometimes we work on music until the wee hours of the morning, and Ikura can dance all night and still be cheerful.” “That’s when I realised I’m not so young anymore,” he adds, smiling. Their influences are diametrically opposed. Ikura was born in Chicago and spent her first three years of life there before moving to Japan. As a result, she was raised on the Disney Channel. She

“FUTURE IN THIS MUSIC”

“I feel the future in this type of music,” says Ayase. “I know how difficult it was to create one album in the studio, but now, digitally, if you have a laptop, you can do something with it the moment you come up with something.” From production to distribution, the speed is astounding. You might create it and then upload it right away. “This is the future.” This is what draws people to YOASOBI’s music. It’s where tradition and futurity collide. “We’re using Vocaloid technology, but the base is very organic,” he explains. “It’s the warmth from the novels combined with music made by a machine.” The message is clear with E-Side: “This is YOASOBI,” Ayase states emphatically. “We’re not attempting to appeal to anyone.”Fans from other countries. We’re attempting to distil YOASOBI’s essence and convey it to a global audience.” Ikura’s goal is for “the world to know YOASOBI as a J-pop artist.” “Perhaps people will start listening to our music from this EP,” Ayase continues. However, if you have any feelings for the music, you should start reading the source novels so that you can completely enjoy this project.” It all comes back to the concept of connection — how one piece inspires another, and another after that, in a never-ending cycle of art and interpretation. Whether in Japanese or English, YOASOBI is fluent in the language of creativity..

recalls singing along to the soundtrack of High School Musical and listening to Taylor Swift on repeat. She took up a guitar in junior high and began listening to J-pop acts such as EXILE and J-rock bandIkura has always wanted to be an artist. She has never known a world without music. She can’t even remember when she decided to pursue music because it’s always been a part of her. Ayase, too, was drawn to music at a young age. He used to fancy himself as a member of EXILE, a popular boy band with 19 members, when he was in elementary school. He aspired to be a singer after being inspired by Aiko, and then he found rock music. He founded a band when he was 16, and it wasn’t until the band broke up nearly ten years later that he began recording Vocaloid tracks and submitting them to Niconico, an online video-sharing platform. He became interested in the genre because his sister was a writer.Despite the fact that he admits there were

difficulties. “It was difficult,” he says of the experience. “I was making music in a very analogue way when I was in the studio [with the band].” So switching from a studio to my laptop and putting in all of those signals was a welcome adjustment. It’s exciting to be able to see the music take shape.” Ayase continues to create everything on his laptop. He wrote the group’s debut EP, The Book, which was released earlier this year, there, and he claims to have hundreds of fragmentary demos on his hard drive.

Inside Rita

Ora and Taika Waititi’s Intimate, Never-Before-Seen Los Angeles Wedding

“She proposed to me, and I said yes instantly,” filmmaker Taika Waititi says of how he and singer-songwriter Rita Ora became engaged. While the pair first met at a barbecue in 2018 that Taika hosted at his house in L.A., it wasn’t until 2021, when they were both filming in Australia, that they began dating. Rita popped the question while the pair were on vacation in Palm Springs in the summer

of 2022, and they planned an impromptu wedding to be held in Los Angeles a few weeks later, on August 4. “It wasn’t in London or in France like everyone reported,” Taika clarifies. “It was in L.A. with a small group of friends.”

“At our home!” Rita notes.

“Our address was…no, I’m just joking,” Taika says, laughing.

Over the past year, the two have gotten a kick out of the misinformation about their nuptials that has spread like wildfire across the internet. “It’s actually been quite entertaining for us to see the different stories people made up and all the while getting to keep it to ourselves,” Rita admits. “And, I love that we now get to share what really happened—and to do it on

our one-year anniversary, no less!”

As far as the planning process goes, there wasn’t one: The entire event was dreamed up and executed in just two weeks. “There were about eight people there—just close friends and family, and parents on Zoom,” Taika says, noting he was particularly thrilled to have his best friend Jemaine Clement fly all the way over from New Zealand for the last-minute ceremony. “It was really us and my sister, Elena,” Rita says. “Elena to the rescue!”

The bride wore a Tom Ford dress and Lorraine Schwartz jewels for the intimate ceremony. “Tom Ford is one of

my favorite designers of all time and favorite humans in general,” Rita says. “He’s now one of my close friends, and I adore and admire him so much. To get married in his dress was a dream come

See an exclusive first look at the new video for Rita Ora’s “You & I,” featuring footage from the couple’s wedding day:

true. And because it wasn’t planned, I didn’t know if the right dress was even going to be in town, and I just took the risk and went to the Tom Ford shop, and they had it perfectly waiting with the veil, in my size, no alterations needed to

be done. I mean, it was like it was meant to be, to be honest. And it just made me so happy.”

Sami Knight styled the bride’s hair in soft, loose curls, and Anthony H. Nguyen created a natural, glowy makeup look. Meanwhile, the groom wore Brunello Cucinelli (and received a touch-up or two from Rita’s makeup artist along the way).

For the ceremony itself, the couple kept things simple. “I wore my mum’s pearls that she got married in. My sister, Elena, put [the bracelet] on my wrist. It was beautiful,” Rita says. “My sister walked me down the aisle, and it was just really simple and blissful and calm and private and

fun.”

“Yeah, it was beautiful,” Taika adds. “Just having close friends and not having it too big. We didn’t have table settings or any of the stressful things that go along with weddings, and it was nice to just have it super-simple. My daughters were there, and they made everything really fun and easy: I think just because we didn’t have the pressure of having caterers and all of these things, you know, people turning up late, and all of the different moving parts.”

“I felt really peaceful actually,” Rita says. “It was almost like another day. We just all dressed up and got married.”

After the ceremony, Rita and Taika went to their friend Guy Oseary’s house for a dinner party. “He was so kind to host us at the last minute,” says Rita. “We got a group of people together, and we just had a great time!” As a surprise wedding gift from a friend, an Elvis impersonator showed up to serenade them, before everyone danced the

night away to a playlist of the couple’s own making.

A year later, they both are still reveling in newlywed bliss. “It’s still working!” Taika exclaims. “I can’t believe it’s been a year.”

“Same. I can’t believe it’s been a year,” Rita says. “It feels like nothing’s changed since the day I met him at the barbecue. It just feels so good to be with my best friend.”

Phil Oh and Tommy Ton on Blogging, the Birth of Street Style, and Each

Other’s Favorite Photos

The global business that is street style photography today was initially an amateur pursuit. It started with a couple of point-and-shoot cameras, two first-of-their-kind blogs, and a pair of guys with singular points of view. Before fashion shows became the #content circus that they are, with celebrities and influencers posing for hoards of photographers and publicists herding buyers, editors, and VIPs through barricades, they were insular, if glamorous, events. But then came Phil Oh and Tommy Ton, leading a generation of photographers-turned-bloggers, who leveraged their fashion fanaticism, curiosity, and taste to make the scene outside the shows the main event.

“Another instance of Phil being super quick and brilliantly capturing the reactions of unintentional people passing by.”

“I know Phil definitely was soaking in this moment. To be able to perfectly time and capture the angle of this, he was definitely proud to capture this.”

Other lensmen preceded them. Bill Cunningham reported for the New York Times from 1978 to 2016, and Shoichi Aoki, the founder of the cult street style publication FRUiTS, captured the evolution of Japanese street style through the aughts. But Phil and Tommy were unique in their focus on the street style outside of fashion shows. Posting to their blogs “Mr. Street Peeper” and “Jak & Jil,” they granted their followers access to something that once felt niche and restricted. This was 16 years ago, and in the years since, street style has become a global phenomenon. Graduating from

their blogs to legacy fashion publications, Tommy shot for Style.com, which became Vogue Runway in 2015, and Phil was first a photographer for Vogue.com and now he contributes here at Runway. Brands were quick to notice; these days they spend tens of thousands to dress public figures at their shows, but these two are always on the hunt for the authentic moment. This week, Phil and Tommy are guests on Vogue’s The Run-through podcast. If there’s something to take away from the conversation, it’s that they know each other’s work better than anyone, even if they’re as different

as night and day. The two have been friends for as long as they’ve been photographers. Tommy is an optimist and competitive. Oh is a self-described pessimist with what he calls a “doesn’t really care” attitude. The first thinks of himself “as a fashion enthusiast before a photographer,” and the latter “sort of fell into this backwards.” Their dynamic is as unique as the spaces they’ve built for themselves in fashion, but don’t take my word for it—read the transcript of our interview or listen to it. And don’t miss their edits of each other’s oeuvre.

“I was present for this very moment and I love when Phil is able to encourage the best out of people. It was already surreal to see this couple in their Thom Browne masks but taking Phil’s cue to ham it up really made a fantastic moment.”

“This Michelle Elie photo is one of those moments I’ve missed by oversleep’ing the early-morning Junya Watanabe show. Tommy got it though, of course.”

“This photo of Sarah Rutson in J.Crew… It’s the one time I can remember buying something I saw in a street style picture. I ran over to the SoHo store and got the last of those cashmere sweaters (on sale). I love it and its main reason why I keep moth traps in my closet.”