ONE OR EIGHT Hone Their Craft on 1st Live Tour -GATHER-
Global boy group ONE OR EIGHT are having an electric year. After releasing their first album, GATHER, at the beginning of the year, the Japanese octet embarked on their first live tour since their debut.
First hitting the ground running in June 2024 with a pre-debut performance video of their single, “KAWASAKI,” ONE OR EIGHT made waves that caught worldwide attention. Following their official debut with “Don’t Tell Nobody,” EnVi spoke with the group later that year about the rebirth of “KAWASAKI” featuring the collaboration with rapper Big Sean. Through that, they cemented their status as a group to keep your eye on.
Throughout their “1st Live Tour -GATHER-” this spring, ONE OR EIGHT performed for their fans, 1DERZ, at 13 stops across North America, South America, and Japan. The members — MIZUKI, NEO, REIA, RYOTA, SOUMA, TAKERU, TSUBASA, and YUGA — sat down with EnVi in early May ahead of their New York City concert to shoot some videos and discuss all things touring and music.
Tokyo Drifting
Alongside the GATHER album, ONE OR EIGHT dropped the hard-hitting lead single, “TOKYO DRIFT,” on January 28. The music video, which featured cars and grungy fashion in all its Tokyo street glory, racked up over 25 million views on YouTube, making it their most popular one yet. The track sampled the iconic Teriyaki Boyz song, combined with ONE OR EIGHT’s unique flavor. It’s not the group’s first time sampling a legendary Y2K (meaning Year 2000) song. Their 2025 single, “DSTM,” sampled Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop The Music” topline over an updated beat.
Sampling presents a unique musical challenge for the group. “To be honest, I feel like it’s easier to just make something from scratch,” NEO admitted. For ONE OR EIGHT, to sample a track is to challenge the bias of existing fans of popular songs. “Obviously not everyone’s gonna enjoy our rendition,” NEO acknowledged. Putting a Gen Z spin on an established Y2K track is a part of the process that he enjoyed, even if sampling isn’t the most popular choice. “I feel like sampling, it’s not really established that much as here in Japan, so obviously we get criticized for that,” he conceded. “But we still believe in what we make and what we do.”
The GATHER album combined other previous single releases from ONE OR EIGHT to make for an eight-track hybrid of pop, hip-hop, and R&B. It’s a cohesive display of ONE OR EIGHT’s artistry and dedication to their craft.
The First Live Tour
A year ago, ONE OR EIGHT visited New York City on their “STAGE ONE “SHŪKAI” fanmeet tour.” The fan meeting helped the group to get to know their American 1DERZ for the first time through games, talk shows, and performances. When asked what they were looking forward to most about returning to New York City, REIA mentioned sightseeing. “I’m really looking forward to seeing the Statue of Liberty up close and personal,” he said excitedly while TAKERU posed as the iconic landmark.
The “1st Live Tour -GATHER-” changed gears, with performance and craft at the forefront of this tour. ONE OR EIGHT structured the shows themselves, choosing which tracks to sing and how best to perform them. To NEO, the changes made the tour more authentic. “Not saying that last time it wasn’t,” he quickly added, “but I feel like it’s more us this time.” 1DERZ seemed to resonate with that authenticity, matching the group’s high-energy performances by waving their hands in the air and jumping to the beat.
ONE OR EIGHT started each concert like they started their year, with high-octane “TOKYO DRIFT.” They wove intricate choreography throughout the tracks of GATHER, curating an explosive setlist that brought their energy to 1DERZ audiences worldwide. “We’re really proud of what we’ve made,” NEO reflected, “We feel like we’ve improved as performers as well as honing our own craft.”
Bringing Japan to 1DERZ
For the group, to return to New York City even after a year was a massive feat. To NEO, hailing from Tokyo and having fans all the way out here was not something to take for granted. That sentiment was not limited to the Big Apple, either. For ONE OR EIGHT to pull crowds in both North and South America is something the group will always be thankful for. “It’s not easy to come over here performing for a whole month straight,” NEO added, “We really wanted to show you our gratitude for the love you give us.”
TAKERU stressed the importance of even their Japanese lyrics bridging the gap to connect with fans. “To bring Japan to the world, and to be able to communicate without words but through music, that’s really special to us,” he said. Fans may not immediately connect with the lyrics if they don’t speak Japanese, but the song conveys the tone and message. With that, ONE OR EIGHT and 1DERZ all over the world can unite through music, no matter what country or language.
Off stage, the group shows a different side of themselves on their YouTube series, CHANNEL 108. Whether they play games, do fun challenges, or vlog daily life, the YouTube series reveals their individual personalities and off-stage personas. “I know that everyone sees us on stage,” TAKERU said, “[but] we really want people to enjoy seeing us as individuals and our personalities and how we bring who we are to the stage.” Prior to ONE OR EIGHT’s tour in the Americas, the members participated in different trivia challenges on the channel about the countries they’d be performing in. They brushed up on their knowledge of the United States, Brazil, and other countries to connect with their fans.
Gratitude and Ambition
It’s clear that 1DERZ mean everything to ONE OR EIGHT. While on tour, the group celebrated their one-year anniversary with 1DERZ, promising to stay by their side. To celebrate a milestone like that while in the midst of meeting fans across the world had a heavy impact on the group. “There’s a reason we do it, and that’s because we love our fans,” NEO said simply, “We’re always happy to be here.”
1DERZ are one part of ONE OR EIGHT’s drive, and the other is their unstoppable ambition. Their tagline, “BET ON YOURSELF,” propels them forward each day towards new goals — but not without having fun along the way. “Our goal and our objective, the way we want to be, is to just always enjoy,” SOUMA shared resolutely. It’s hard work to stay the course and not let any one thing get you down, but enjoyment is a crucial element for him. In fact, it’s infectious. “That’s what we’re trying to do,” SOUMA added, “We are trying to share our enjoyment so [1DERZ] can enjoy what they are doing.”
What’s Next for ONE OR EIGHT?
The members were enthusiastic about returning to 1DERZ in New York City, hoping fans would enjoy all the new material they have released after a year away. New York City marks the final stop in the group’s overseas tour before they return to Japan for two final shows in Osaka and Tokyo in July. They hope fans will continue to come back and stay tuned for whatever’s next for the members of ONE OR EIGHT. “Listen to it, and watch us grow,” SOUMA said excitedly, “We’re looking forward to this journey together.”
You can keep up with ONE OR EIGHT’s latest on Instagram, X, YouTube, and TikTok.
Want to know more about ONE OR EIGHT? Check out EnVi’s previous Exclusive Interview with the group.
