Japanese Super Group YAO Is Feeling Lucky With Debut Single “777”

Exclusive Image of YAO for Forbes (Courtesy of YAO)

Photo Courtesy of YAO

What happens when you bring together some of the most famous and talented Japanese artists in the music industry and have them form a supergroup?

Japanese supergroup YAO (short for Yaoyorozu, meaning “an infinite number”) is made up of just that – hip-hop queen Awich, MC king and acclaimed rapper CHICO CARLITO, metalcore kings Paledusk, and global award-winning rock band One Ok Rock. Together, they have launched a new collaborative project, calling themselves YAO, and released their first single, “777,” last month.

“The story we wanted to communicate [with this collaboration] is hidden in our name,” Awich says during the YAO promotion schedule with Takahiro “Taka” Moriuchi of One Ok Rock in Los Angeles last month. “YAO comes from Yaoyorozu, which is a concept in Japanese philosophy that explains everything that surrounds us. There’s spirit living in it, even with the food – in each grain of rice. So you have to take care of your surroundings. The people have spirit, and the relationships and friendships have spirit.”

One Ok Rock, Awich, CHICO CARLITO, and Paledusk are all close friends. The rest of the group are back in Japan, working on their individual/group projects. They’ve each previously worked with each other, and this is their first time all four artists have created a song – with more planned later. Paledusk previously opened for One Ok Rock during their European tour; One Ok Rock and Awich collaborated at the 2024 SUPER DRY SPECIAL LIVE; CHICO CARLITO has lent his voice to One Ok Rock’s tracks; and Awich and CHICO CARLITO have worked together many times. Awich admits that it was during an afterparty from one of their concerts that they realized they should really work together for a song.

“When [CHICO CARLITO, One Ok Rock, and I] finished our show, we had an afterparty, which I do all the time, and had so much fun til the morning,” She explains. “We were singing, dancing, drinking, and talking. Taka became best friends] with CHICO. So he promised CHICO right then and there to collaborate. CHICO held him to it.”

Taka laughs, remembering that moment, “He was so good. It came very naturally.”

CHICO CARLITO and Paledusk actually have a track with One Ok Rock – “C.U.R.I.O.U.S.I.T.Y.” So why not do more? They were all talented and very good friends. They all also admired Taka, who debuted with his group in 2005 at the age of 17, as their elder/sempai in the industry.

“We are really good friends and admirers of Taka,” Awich laughs as Taka smiles shyly. “Everybody just loves Taka. He’s such a King. When we were talking, he said he’s done pretty much everything he needed to do in Japan. It’s now time to inherit all the treasure that he collected through his character onto different arts. He’s contributed so much to Japanese music. So, he was like, ‘Are you ready to receive?’ – and we were ready.”

Though it makes sense to have all the experts in their musical fields working together, One Ok Rock, CHICO CARLITO, Paledusk, and Awich all have very distinct and different sounds and colors. “777” really does showcase these sounds, but gives each artist a moment to shine before blending effortlessly.

Taka admits it was actually hard to blend their styles, but because they have so much respect for each other and the craft, they made it work. He reveals, “It’s not easy. Yaoyorozu means something calm and chill and being nice to people, so we had a very strong vision as artists to put together [this track].”

Awich adds, “We tried not to be overwhelming with the individuality, but found a balance between each other, which is hard for other groups with egos and egotistical nature – but we’re not like that. We love each other and care for each other. The yaoyorozu spirit is with us. We do our thing. If somebody told me to shorten my verse, it’s not a problem. Those little specific details like that and the accumulation of it gave us a great final product.”

Their first project together – “777” – took about six months from creating the demo to completion because of their busy schedules (all of them have their own solo/group projects) and each taking the time to contribute to the track. When they first started working on it, they called it pineapple songs. Awich and Taka laugh recalling the initial name, “Pineapple Disco.”

“It started with the idea of wanting to make people dance with rhythm to rock and hip-hop,” Awich explains. “How do we do that? Taka came up with that drum pattern and the tempo and BPM. It started with the bare minimum. Then we had the demo, and we added the words and hook, which was ‘nah nah nah’.”

As they played the hook, they realized “na” in Japanese means “seven.” After listening to the demo, Taka came up with “777,” which in gambling slot machine terms is lucky and “a symbol of alignment.” Just like the group, they’re all aligned in their goals, talent, and efforts. Awich says this collaborative group is akin to “hitting the jackpot.”

Awich, who is preparing for the music festival circuit in Japan, says they were all very busy, so with their limited time, they made the time together count. She reveals, “We have all the energy in the work. We have all the money and the power. [pauses] No, I’m just playing. [laughs] With all of us together, a lot of things are possible. That’s the only thing that was so difficult, but we’ll make it work.”

Taka shares he has been busy with One Ok Rock as the group has been on their DETOX World Tour since last year, so he’s relied on Awich to write the lyrics on the tracks. He credits having a great partnership with the three artists, which allowed him to step back and enjoy the process.

“There are different vibes with each of them,” says Taka. “That’s why I didn’t write the lyrics this time for the song. She wrote it, and that’s a good approach for me. I can find some really new things from that.

Through the process, Awich and Taka shared that they did learn a lot from each artist, who brought something unique and original to their sound and style. Taka, who is a veteran in the pop and rock world, has performed all over the world to tens of thousands of people from the Vans Warped Tour in the U.S. to Soundwave in Australia to festivals in England, Poland, and all parts of Asia, and their own World Tours. Awich praises Taka for his vocal performances and being able to connect with the large masses of people he’s done for the past 21 years.

“That’s a lot to perform in front of people. And he shows us how to do it,” she elaborates. “He shows us how to keep yourself grounded. He also shows us his musical techniques – the very technical part of making music and having fun while doing it. It’s a fucking trip. Just to be inspired by life and not forgetting the reason why we’re here in the first place. He taught us all of that.”

As she commends Taka, he is touched by the kind words. He calls Awich a “truly real artist.” As part of Japan’s music royalty, Taka has always been around the music industry, as both of his parents are legendary enka singers. He also explains that One Ok Rock has been in the music industry for a long time, and wants to help the younger generation of musicians because “the world sucks” sometimes. He explains that talent like Awich can get hurt by this industry, and he wants to protect her and others who are just so talented and “so real” with her artistry.

He shares, “My position in Japan is different from others, but [Awich and other artists] are the future for Japanese entertainment.”

The two also highlight CHICO and Paledusk’s contributions to the group, as CHICO is a “musical genius” at storytelling and his rich lyrics. Awich, who has worked with CHICO for many years, credits his battle rapping experience for his agility in writing fast song lyrics.

“He’s really in charge of overseeing the music,” she says. “And DAIDAI (one of the members of Paledusk) is young and very innovative. He’s a musical genius and collaborated with Lil Uzi Vert and other rock bands from all over the world. I’d highlight both Kaito’s vocal energy and DAIDAI’s production.”

Because each artist is from different genres, the group doesn’t want to be placed in just one of them – but all of them. That’s the beauty of this collaboration because their individual genre doesn’t define them. Awich doesn’t want to define it by giving it a name. She relays, “Being together makes us stronger. It’s as simple as that. That’s what we want to express in our music. That’s the only thing that we are sticking to. We’re not trying to move intentionally towards a direction of music, but the concept that being together makes us stronger. Period.”

YAO does plan to release more music and has already recorded a few tracks that could lead to an album. The duo has stayed mum about the group’s next plans. Awich smiles, “The song is almost ready to go for the next single. We’ll start creating [more] for a storyline. So, it’s coming.”

The group is also open to collaborating with international artists. One Ok Rock has worked with MAX, Simple Plan, All Time Low, and Tyler Carter. Awich has worked with Jay Park, Joey Bada$$, A$AP Ferg, KR$NA, MasiWei, RZA, and VannDa. Taka casually mentions he’s going to have dinner with Ed Sheeran the next night.

“We want this to be a platform of collaboration with the Yao spirits – the welcoming spirits,” Awich describes. “This is the philosophy that connects, respects, honors, and cares for each other – and the music is the product of it.”

As for the group, they do want to perform their song together one day – whether it be at a music festival or concerts. Taka says he isn’t one to do those big festivals like Coachella or Lollapalooza, but he would do it for YAO. He jokes, “Offer it to us.”

Awich says they have some stuff in the works, but they are all just very busy with their schedules; they’re constantly coming up with ideas and songs, including some emotional ballads – alongside some hip-hop and rap tracks. She jokes, “We might have to make [Taka] rap.”

Taka nods in agreement, then says, “We’re trying to show you guys [who aren’t from Japan] that this is Japan’s music. Just keep watching. [looks over to his team to get the O.K.] We’re trying to make an album.”

Awich adds, “We’re considering broader possibilities, but we’re going to work it out. Trust us, it’s coming. We can’t tell you exactly when, but it’s coming.”

YAO’s “777” is out now and available on all streaming platforms.