ZILLION's Major Debut Track "EMO" Expresses Their Growth During the Pre-Debut Period. What Precious Thing Did the Members Gain?
This interview was originally published in Japanese on thefirsttimes.jp. Translated by VK Chronicle.
ZILLION Interview: “EMO” Major Debut
ZILLION, an 8-member mixed-gender dance vocal group formed from over 5,000 applicants in the audition program “ONE in a Billion” judged by Shota Shimizu, has released their long-awaited debut single “EMO.” Since their pre-debut in December 2021, they’ve continued their activities aiming for a major debut. What “past” and “future” have they poured into this refreshingly bright funk tune arranged by CHOKKAKU?
“Our resolve has solidified to keep rising higher and higher, to push forward with all our might”
Q: First, could you share your thoughts on the showcase live “BILLION,” held on February 10 at KT Zepp Yokohama, which was your first solo live?
RION: It was our first solo live where people came specifically to see ZILLION, so honestly it was fun. It was also a starting point for us, so getting to show our growth to fans who’ve been supporting us since the audition was really meaningful. And we got to announce our major debut at that event—being able to share that moment with our fans was truly precious.
MOKA: Just like RION said, it was our first solo live, so being in the same space with people who came to see ZILLION made me really happy. It was genuinely fun, and since we built the show around songs we released during pre-debut, it felt like a culmination of our year as ZILLION before the major debut. With the major debut decided and getting to premiere the debut song, I was thrilled that fans who’ve supported us since pre-debut got to see our debut track performed live.
TYRAKAORA: I was really happy we could show a year’s worth of effort in our first solo live, but it doesn’t end there. Our resolve has solidified to keep rising higher and higher, to push forward with all our might. I want to show everyone an even more powerful, leveled-up version of ZILLION.
TYRA: About a year ago, we found out we’d be able to hold “Billion” at KT Zepp Yokohama, and so many things happened between then and February 10. I was incredibly grateful we could actually hold it, and I felt so much appreciation that we finished safely. And we performed the best songs we could at that moment, but moving forward with more solo lives, I want to perform more diverse songs. We learned so much.
KEIJI: During pre-debut, we performed at live houses and shopping malls. That was our first time performing in such a large venue and environment, which felt fresh. With the cooperation of so many people, I think we showed our current, true-to-self abilities. I positively feel we got a solid new start.
Q: The male members had a section where they danced solo to KEIJI’s human beatbox backing.
KEIJI: Personally, I’m always thinking about how songwriting and my individual weapon—human beatbox—can be a plus for ZILLION. I got to do human beatbox as a session with everyone at the live, and my own compositions were used in ZILLION’s sound effects. That was a moment when I felt it was worth all the hard work. Going forward, I want to try even harder so I can say “I made a ZILLION song!”
CASHIN: Our first stage was as an opening act for Shimizu Shota at Zepp, so we had strong feelings about Zepp. Being able to succeed there was really exciting. But obviously it doesn’t work without the people who come, and I really felt that so many people were doing things behind the scenes for us. The live itself was fun bonding with fans, but right after it ended, I immediately thought I had to work harder to repay that support.
WATARU: Starting about six months ago, I got to perform at opposite-band style lives. At first, there was barely anyone in the audience who came to see ZILLION specifically. But over six months of performances, by February 10’s “BILLION,” when the curtain dropped, there were so many fans with glow sticks and towels cheering loudly. I genuinely remember being moved by that moment. We started small but grew little by little, and there were so many people waiting for us. I want to keep working hard so more people want to see us and meet us.
“Over this year, I learned what position I have in the group and how I can contribute”
Q: What was this past year leading up to your major debut like for you all?
MOKA: Just hearing the word “one year of pre-debut” feels long for us, but we started as eight people who didn’t understand anything. Over this year, I think we learned what position each of us has in the group and how we can contribute to it. We experienced difficult things like the Zepp postponement and a member leaving, all from the same standpoint, and that created a sense of unity and deepened our bonds. I think this year was genuinely necessary for ZILLION. I hope we can keep moving in a good direction with what we learned during this year, even after the major debut.
CASHIN: At the beginning with “Timeless” and “やめとこっか,” I was doing things without understanding what was happening. For me, I didn’t even know how to pose during steel photography shoots, though the others seemed to know. That made me anxious and panicked. But by watching the others and absorbing their approach, I found ways to compensate and fill in gaps. I realized I don’t need to do everything like everyone else—I just need to develop what I can do and contribute to ZILLION as much as possible. I think I grew in that sense.
TYRA: For me, living together with the female members was also a first—I’d never lived with other people before. The shoots, the recordings, the member leaving, the solo live—everything was a first. It was a year of learning and absorption. Things that were forgiven because we were in pre-debut, things people said were okay because we were just starting out—that’ll change from now on. But because of this year, I can confidently say I’m ready for the major debut. It was such a precious period.
WATARU: Even now, every day is still a learning experience and we’re doing new things, so I’m still not used to it. But we’ve had training camps together, done MV shoots getting soaked in the rain. We’ve fought, and we’ve been yelled at for all of us being noisy and rowdy together. I’m not sure if this is the right expression, but… we’ve nurtured love, you know?
Members: (laughing)
Q: You’ve cultivated love over this year?
WATARU: Maybe that’s not quite right, but honestly, it was a year packed with love. From here on, I want to nurture and grow that love even more.
CASHIN: This year of pre-debut really wore down my mental state.
WATARU: (laughing) That’s honest!
CASHIN: But I don’t think it’s just me—I think everyone felt that way.
KEIJI: I’m prone to emotional ups and downs, so I experienced those fluctuations. There were definitely a lot of things to think about in terms of how we related to each other. Because we move as a group, there’s this desperation not to damage the group’s reputation. The entire year of pre-debut, I was desperate till the very end.
CASHIN: It’s a mixed-gender group, and our ages differ, so there were disagreements. But those conflicts happen because everyone’s serious about reaching one goal. Some of our fights came from those collisions.
MOKA: When the group first formed, there were a lot of comments like “They’re too friendly for an audition.”
CASHIN: That’s true. But back then, it was more about getting through the moment than understanding each other—everyone was moving to be friendly. But once we became a group, we had to voice our own opinions and intentions. Because we all want to make the same things succeed, conflicts increased. Now I can laugh about it, but at the time we were barely holding it together, so things didn’t always go smoothly. But gradually we understood each other’s personalities better and started coordinating more easily. Communication improved—even when expressing opinions.
Q: So you had some serious fights.
WATARU: Yeah. We had arguments where we couldn’t practice. What was that about?
RION: …I’m not sure.
TYRA: It was a buildup of small things, and we thought even if we said something, we wouldn’t be heard, so some of us left the room.
MOKA: But leaving the room doesn’t solve anything, right? (laughing)
WATARU: We were like, “Let’s all get together and talk.”
TYRA: Usually it meant someone would run out of the practice studio and hide in the bathroom, and everyone would come find them.
WATARU: They’re waiting to be found, though.
Q: Leader, what do you think?
RION: I think this year helped me understand my role as leader within the group. At first, I wasn’t the oldest, and we grew up in different environments, so I kept thinking, “How do I bring these members together? What even is a leader?” But over this pre-debut year, I settled down mentally. I realized what works best for this group and for me.
Q: How did you bring everyone together?
RION: I talked to each person individually. I’m not someone who yells—I observe from a step back and calmly say things like “that won’t work” or “I think this would be better.” I made a point of having one-on-one conversations and listening to what each person thought.
Q: Was there something that deepened the bond?
RION: I guess we just… noticed it gradually.
WATARU: It was different things. Like pushing through tough shoots together, having fights, learning from each other, realizing we should talk things through properly. Those accumulations might have helped everyone understand each other better.
RION: Yeah, exactly.
Q: Hearing all this, I feel like it connects to your major debut song “EMO.”
CASHIN: It really does! It’s a song about laying your emotions bare and loving yourself for being that way. When we weren’t coming together, we weren’t really able to let our emotions clash. When we got this song, I thought it reflected exactly what we were going through. Once we started really saying what we wanted to say and clashing emotionally, we started coming together. When I got this song, I thought, “This is ZILLION’s song.”
“I hope it reaches people who keep themselves locked away”
Q: Did any particular memory come to mind?
CASHIN: Everyone was holding back what they wanted to say. We were like, “It’s okay not to talk about it right now.” But that was mostly just getting by. As we headed toward Zepp, everyone started feeling we couldn’t succeed without unity. That’s when the leader created a space for us all to talk. Everyone spoke their minds, and for the first time, we could really listen to each other’s emotions. Being able to lay our feelings bare and express ourselves was the biggest thing.
MOKA: I also love the lyric “感情をさらけ出して さあ声上げて” (Bare your emotions and raise your voice). But everyone mentioned “emotional ups and downs,” whereas I’m the opposite—I don’t really express my emotions outwardly. That wasn’t about holding back, though. Before that even, I wasn’t facing my own feelings properly. The bridge has lyrics like “クシャクシャに笑って／ギラリ睨みつけて／ホロリ涙拭いて” (Laugh crinkled-faced, glare sharply, wipe away tears), and this song became a chance for me to face my own emotions. I hope it reaches people who keep themselves locked away.
RION: The lyric “振り返ればすべてが笑いに” (Looking back, everything becomes laughter) is very ZILLION too. Now we can laugh about our fights, right?
KAORA: It’s ZILLION’s true-to-self song.
Q: The sound is a funky disco tune.
WATARU: Personally, this is my favorite ZILLION song so far! The moment the song starts, my body moves on its own, and I naturally smile. Even if something tough happened, listening to this song makes me happy and pushes my back forward. That was my first impression.
CASHIN: With the 8-member lineup, we completely changed our concept and brought in Black music elements. Our previous track “Cool or Cute” was New Jack Swing, but this one goes back further—it heavily incorporates 1970s funk elements. Many of us have dance backgrounds, and we’ve listened to Black music since childhood, so there’s great chemistry. Plus, it perfectly fits the “New Retro” theme we’re pushing.
KEIJI: I’d sum it up in one word: “catchy.” Personally, the kick is solid, and listening to it naturally lifts your mood—it feels fresh. It’s a pretty abstract expression, but I think that’s beautiful. And with a mixed-gender group like us doing this, I think it’s an interesting song. I hope it becomes a song loved by people.
Q: How was recording?
TYRA: Hearing the other members’ vocals and matching their vibe, LUNA and I have a part where we sing “Now, you say (EMO),” and the “say” was difficult. It kept coming out as the katakana “セイ” (laughs). But it’s an important point in the live. When we say “say,” the audience says “EMO” back—it’s a call-and-response moment we want to enjoy, so we paid careful attention there.
KAORA: The part WATARU and I sing, “いつだって笑ってたいのに どうすればいいの?” (I always want to laugh but what do I do?), and LUNA’s opening “泣けるほど悩んで 本音押し殺して” (Worry so much I cry, suppress my true feelings)—these all match emotions I experienced this past year. Because of that, I put real feeling into it. I think the lyrics will reach people, so I sang hoping various people would relate to them.
“Please do the butt dance with us!”
Q: In those solo shoots, you all did various moves.
WATARU: Yes! There’s a move we really want everyone to copy. We call it the “butt dance”—there’s a move where you shake your butt in a fun way. You’ll understand when you see everyone’s butts in the MV shaking away. Please do the butt dance with us and have fun copying it!
MOKA: In the MV, we’re wearing matching outfits for the first time, shaking our butts, so please pay attention there. After shaking them, we slap our butts to “EMO,” so please copy that too!
TYRA: (looking at WATARU) There’s another new attempt we’re doing, right?
WATARU: Can I say this one too? (laughing) We’re doing something no other group is doing—something only we can do. This time we’re doing acrobatics between the guys and girls. For example, I lift TYRA and she sings while spinning in the air. It’s really impactful, so that’s definitely a must-see point!
Q: At the live, RION rides on the male members’ backs and spins around, right?
RION: During the part where KAORA and MOKA sing “バンジージャンプみたいに飛び込んで” (dive in like bungee jumping), I’m actually doing a bungee jump move.
TYRA: RION’s the only one who can do acrobatics like that, so we’re looking forward to more techniques from her in the future!
KAORA: That “バンジージャンプ” part is what MOKA and I sing together, and in the MV we’re wearing skydiving gear and actually jumping off something while acting. But the platform was kind of high…
MOKA: We were actually scared!
WATARU: You guys were screaming! (laughing)
KAORA: It felt like we actually jumped out of the sky.
MOKA: Please pay attention to our expressions too!
RION: Your facial expressions keep changing, so it’s a track where you can enjoy lots of different expressions—fun for both the ears and eyes.
TYRA: Also, it’s not all in the final video, but there were lots of old cars. We each took photos in front of cars, so we hope fans enjoy the MV behind-the-scenes stuff too.
KEIJI: I have a scene where LUNA ties me up with string. We used a fisheye lens placed on the ground shooting from close distance, so I was pretty nervous at first, but the strange world it created was interesting too. I hope people notice that, but this song has very energetic dancing