This interview was originally published in Japanese on thefirsttimes.jp. Translated by VK Chronicle.

ZILLION Interview: “Nightmare” — Unleashing Inner Thoughts Through Visual Kei Energy

The eight-member co-ed dance vocal group ZILLION has released their major second single “Nightmare,” coming half a year after their major debut single “EMO.” The track, produced by ☆Taku Takahashi (m-flo), is a slightly dark Halloween song themed around zombies, carrying the message “I just want to live as myself, honestly.” In the music video, the members collaborated with the candy brand Chupa Chups, transforming into zombies and throwing a party. We spoke with the members about their hopes for this new song, which looks set to become a new Halloween standard. (Note: Leader RION was absent due to illness.)

The Song That Erupts With Our Inner Feelings

Q: The song played in the first episode of the drama “Paripi Koumei,” didn’t it?

MOKA: Yes! There’s a scene where Mukai Osamu is working as a bartender at a club. They played it right from the start, and we all watched it together. We genuinely got goosebumps. It fit the drama’s world so well, and I was hoping the song would reach as many people as possible, so it was really appreciated.

Q: I thought this would be everywhere for Halloween this year.

MOKA: We’ve uploaded a dance for TikTok too! It’s catchy and easy to imitate, so we’d love for lots of people to cosplay and dance to it. We want the zombie dance to go viral!

LUNA: (laughs)

Q: How did you feel when you first received “Nightmare”?

KAORA: The moment the intro started, I thought it was so cool! The song style was completely different from what I’d expected. But I personally love darker tracks, so even though it’s super difficult, I got fired up about making it my own.

MOKA: We heard it would release in October, so I thought it was a song that really leaned into the Halloween concept. Even from just one listen, the Halloween world opens up, and it’s the kind of track that leaves an impression.

CASHIN: There’s a Halloween element, but in the chorus there’s the lyric: “Because I want to be loved / I hide behind a mask / I won’t do that / I want to live / As myself, honestly.” I thought that was exactly right. With our previous release “EMO,” I thought more people would listen to it, but it didn’t reach as far as we hoped. I felt really frustrated about that. Even after releasing “EMO,” there was something we were still hiding, feelings we hadn’t fully expressed. So when I saw these lyrics, I thought, “This is the perfect song for our moment!” Everyone felt that strength from the recording sessions on. The performance video really captures our thoughts. It’s a cool song, but it’s one where our inner feelings explode.

TYRA: It’s both a party song and a dance track, but it has real message, doesn’t it?

TYRA: That’s right. There’s a lyric: “Not even a fragment of prejudice to be found.” In a world where people are judged, and moments where you have to suppress yourself even among close friends—I think everyone experiences that. This song lets you release that frustration, to express it. We want people to let loose during the moments they’re watching our performance. That’s why we can bring even more voltage and energy to this song than any other. It’s made us think about how much passion we really have, and we’re putting a lot of power into it.

LUNA: I sing the line “I don’t want to regret anymore,” and I think everyone living their lives has moments of regret. I’ve tried lots of things too, but sometimes I think “I should have done it that way back then” or “I should have said it like this.” But I really don’t want to regret anymore, so after the line “Can I say just this much?” I sing a powerful message with all my heart. Since I’m singing about the pain of not being loved for who you truly are, I’d be so happy if people could relate to that part.

KEIJI: I think this might be the song in ZILLION where the vocal lines are most divided between the guys and girls. The girls nail the hook, and the guys deliver a punchy pre-hook that seals the deal. It’s very much us—we’re expressing our identity while also making real impact. We’ve done fast, assertive tracks like “Jodan ja nai wa” and “Yametokka,” but this is up there with the punchiest of those. It hits hard. In our summer release events, we’d often close with this one, and it works almost like a final weapon—you can completely switch gears and lock into a different vibe. It’s a song that flips a switch.

WATARU: I thought it was super cool, but honestly I was also like, “Can I even do this part?” (laughs) I practiced a lot before recording, and when I went in, I was even changing my expression like I was turning into a zombie. I had to do a separate recording session because it was such a struggle, but in the end, “Zombie Wataru” entered that world and delivered it. The initial anxiety disappeared, and “Zombie Wataru” came to life—I was able to express it well. I want people to pay attention to that.

RION: So Zombie Wataru was born.

MOKA: Speaking of which, we’ve done harmonies between the girls in lots of songs, but we haven’t really harmonized with the guys much before. So “Nightmare” really shows what it means to have guys and girls in the group. Harmonizing with Zombie Wataru…

WATARU: So what does that make you? Zombie Moka?

MOKA: I… I became a zombie too (laughs).

WATARU: You know if you get bitten you become a zombie, right? Since I became one, everyone’s a zombie!

TYRA: …We’re fine now.

CASHIN: (laughs)

We Aligned Our Dance to a Completely New Level

Q: You were all zombies in the MV too.

CASHIN: It was so much fun!

MOKA: It was the longest shoot we’ve ever done, but everyone had energy from start to finish. The zombie switch was on.

WATARU: Zombies have energy?

CASHIN: They don’t sleep.

MOKA: They get even more active at night. It was really fun.

KAORA & TYRA: It was a long shoot, so we figured we just had to hype each other up. We kept making each other laugh and had a blast from start to finish.

MOKA: It flew by.

TYRA: Dancing as zombies, then dancing again—it was a great shoot.

WATARU: We actually aligned our dance to a completely new level this time. Hand height—we’d normally do “above your head,” but this time we adjusted for everyone’s height and made sure all the moves matched. We had perfect synchronization before the MV shoot, so while we’d usually spend time on parts that aren’t quite lined up, since we really drilled the choreography this time, the dance scenes went incredibly smoothly.

WATARU & TYRA: Exactly. We’d been putting in double the practice, so everyone could show up confident. We knew we’d do better than before, and everyone was pushing toward the same goal. The intention was to make something great no matter what, so that’s why we could finish it feeling good.

TYRA: We danced a lot though.

LUNA: Yeah. They shot from different angles so the dance would show, so we did multiple takes.

MOKA: Because everyone was aligned mentally too, the MV came together with real unity, and I think that’s why they used so many dance scenes.

LUNA: Also, the music video has a story: we ZILLION members come back as zombies and go to a prom we couldn’t attend before. We intimidate and hijack the bus driver who was coming to pick up humans, and the zombies crash the prom. There are scenes besides the dancing where we’re doing zombie things, so please pay attention to those too.

Q: KEIJI, you come out of the grave first.

KAORA: Was that hand shot one take?

KEIJI: Yes. After everyone wrapped, it was just me—”Let’s just shoot the hand.”

TYRA: So that was the last thing you shot?

KEIJI: Yeah. But it was amazing. The grave was actually dug out by people. I got to be first, which made me really happy.

TYRA: The grave had actual names written on it. I wanted to take it home.

LUNA: That thing would’ve been nice to keep (laughs).

KEIJI: On the glittery bus heading to prom, where we’re lip-syncing, there were Chupa Chups sitting around and I came in like “I’m kicking things off!” I remember checking my footage afterward and being like “Whoa!” and getting so excited. Also, I don’t usually wear much makeup, so having heavy makeup on made me wonder “Is this going to get on my clothes?” (laughs)

MOKA: CASHIN, our beauty director, do you have something to say about the makeup?

CASHIN: I have black tears flowing, and I think that’s because as a zombie, I’m regretting not being able to do what I wanted. There’s also a part where I’m interacting with the bus driver and singing with Moka, and in my part there, I was able to show an expression I’d never brought out before—something I’d been keeping locked away.

KAORA: It was incredible—you were literally rolling your eyes back!

CASHIN: It was really fun. The white-eye-roll scene is definitely in there, and I gave it 100%, so please watch that.

KAORA: Combined with the makeup, Cashin’s scene is terrifying. It’s completely not normal Cashin—it’s like something possessed him. That scene feels like he’s fully embodied a demon, and his dance and movements are striking, so I thought he was a real zombie, a real demon. It was scary.

Q: Also, the single includes two songs from the summer digital release, plus a new song “Whisper.”

LUNA: It’s a slightly more sophisticated and sexy song than anything ZILLION has done before. Lyric-wise… how do I put this? As the youngest, I shouldn’t explain it, so I’ll leave it to the older members.

Listen Like You’re Being Whispered To Right in Your Ear

Q: It’s about a one-night romance, one-night love, right?

MOKA: Right. I think the most mature we’ve been before was “Hide n Seek,” but this goes even beyond that. We were like, “Can we really have Luna, Kaora, and Tyra—all still teenagers—sing this?” (laughs) It’s a genuinely sophisticated and sensual track. ZILLION keeps updating and evolving, and having the guys and girls sing this together is really something. But we also completely changed our vocal approach. Everyone showed a side of themselves we’d never heard before.

LUNA: We all practiced whispering together, and we worked really hard on it. We’d sing to each other right in the ears, practicing to see if we could pull it off, researching different vocal approaches within ourselves. Everyone was experimenting and adding their own nuance, so I want people to listen like they’re being whispered to right in their ear.

TYRA: I think the adult fans will really appreciate this. Bright songs are important, and strong-willed songs like “Nightmare” are amazing, but when a slightly sexy song like this comes along, people really react well to it. I’m excited to see what people think. I’m nervous waiting for the release.

MOKA: To enter that world, we talked about dramas and experiences we’d heard about. Starting from the point of grounding ourselves in that atmosphere was really fresh. It was a difficult song emotionally, but when we heard the completed version with all our voices, I think we created a song people should listen to at night. I hope people listen on earbuds alone and let it soak in.

KAORA: I have a lyric that says “forbidden fruit,” and my vocal coach told me, “Kaora, your fruit sounds like strawberries or cherries—express something more mature.” It was expressively difficult, and I had to work on expanding my range, but I managed to express the fruit more like figs and…

MOKA: Or pomegranate (laughs).

WATARU: So you got a little more mature?

KAORA: Yeah, I hope it came across that way. But it was tough.

Q: What about the guys?

WATARU: I don’t think people will believe it’s ZILLION singing. If they just listen to it, they’ll think “This isn’t ZILLION.” It’s sexier than anything we’ve done, and everyone’s voice sounds so different. At first I was like, is this Moka?

MOKA: Yeah, that’s right.

WATARU: But it’s not Moka. When I first heard it, I was like “Who’s singing this?” so I’m really curious what everyone thinks.

KAORA: Yeah, I’m curious too.

CASHIN: “Nightmare” was in my usual rap style, but this time it’s more in the style Keiji and Wataru are good at—cleaner rap. But I actually love that. It flows nicely and sounds good, and the guys’ rap is in there, so I want people to really listen to that.

KEIJI: Like Cashin said, it’s a mellow kind of rap, flowing smoothly within a light vibe. But to me, the overall song feels watery. I felt like it was made imagining water and pale colors, so I rapped with that water-like quality in mind. I want people to listen to it when they want to sink into something melancholic and moist.

MOKA: You’re even talking about champagne bubbles and stuff. Very sophisticated. Completely different from the usual Wataru.

Q: So if “Nightmare” is Zombie Wataru, then…

WATARU: Erotic Wataru, maybe?

CASHIN & KAORA: Playboy Wataru.

WATARU: (playing it cool) Yeah, something like that.

Q: How do you want this to reach listeners?

LUNA: “Nightmare” has a collaboration with everyone’s favorite Chupa Chups. ZILLION is usually pretty colorful, and the colorful vibe of Chupa Chups matches us so well. In the music video, you can see the members holding Chupa Chups and having fun, so if people can spot it, we’d love for them to buy the same flavor and try it.

“Nightmare” Helped Us Grow So Much

Q: Though you might not be able to tell exactly which flavor.

LUNA: I’ve always eaten Pudding flavor, so I went with that. Kaora really wanted to pick the yellow Chupa Chups, but she was like “I really want Cola. Cola!” and went with Cola (laughs). We each picked our own flavor, so even during the MV shoot, having this collaboration kept us entertained. We’d love for fans to try the same flavors we picked.

And with our second major single “Nightmare,” we hope our feelings about wanting more and more people to know about us really come through. For anyone who thinks it’s even a little bit cool, we’d be so happy if you’d share it with friends, family, coworkers—anyone really.

KAORA: It’s a release packed with serious commitment, and through the release events we’ve been doing, we’ve been getting amazing responses—people saying “Nightmare” had incredible impact, it was so cool. We’re feeling really confident about it, and I think it’s a work we can stand behind. We want to keep that passion and confidence, and with the goal of really reaching more people through this work, we’ll keep giving everything in our performances.

TYRA: Getting a track from ☆Taku Takahashi was already something to be incredibly grateful for. It felt like a challenge—setting a higher bar than we normally do, something to push ourselves beyond. It’s been a time of self-reflection for us, and I think the “Nightmare” production period has really helped us grow. We can’t waste this chance. If we keep working steadily, I believe we’ll gain one more fan each day, one more person who knows about ZILLION. That’s what matters, and I want us to turn this release into positive momentum. We’ll keep doing the small things, and we’ll carefully seize every opportunity together.

CASHIN: Even if we put all our confidence and effort into something, if people don’t hear it, it doesn’t mean anything. I’m sure that just getting people to listen will give this song real power, so we want to make sure more people hear it and learn about ZILLION. We’re going to give

Read the original Japanese interview on thefirsttimes.jp