As spring blossoms and May rolls around, AAPI Heritage Month reminds us to recognize and reflect on the talents of Asian American and Pacific Islander artists — across the music industry and beyond.

It's vital to celebrate diversity year-round, and May sparks additional dialogue about reshaping spaces to be more inclusive, especially within industries that are traditionally difficult to break into. Today, the music community views difference not as an obstacle, but an opportunity to celebrate individual and collective identity.

While 2023 marks 60 years since the first Asian American GRAMMY winner, AAPI creatives have been making waves in the music community for centuries. Whether you're raging to Rina Sawayama's enterprising electropop or vibing out with NIKI's soulful indie musings, AAPI artists are continuing to shape contemporary genres like never before.

In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, GRAMMY.com compiled an original playlist to honor AAPI musicians' creativity and novelty. Take a listen to the playlist featuring more than 40 trailblazing creatives on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and Pandora.

Smooth Like "Butter": How BTS' GRAMMY-Nominated Mega Hit Came To Be

The GRAMMY Museum joins forces with HYBE to present its newest exhibit, HYBE: We Believe In Music, A GRAMMY Museum Exhibit. This interactive exhibit chronicles the history and impact of HYBE, and showcases its legacy of unparalleled innovation and creativity as a trend-setting global entertainment brand.

The exhibit opens on Aug. 2 in downtown Los Angeles and features spotlight moments with K-pop stars BTS, SEVENTEEN, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, ENHYPEN, LE SSERAFIM, and many more. "HYBE: We Believe In Music" runs through Sept.15. The exhibit will kick off on Aug. 1 with "Global Spin Live: TWS," a program featuring a moderated conversation with K-pop group TWS, followed by a performance.

The exhibit traces HYBE's evolution and influence by showcasing instantly recognizable artifacts from its roster of artists, creators, and fans. The displays notably feature original outfits worn in iconic music videos such as "Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)" by BTS, "MAESTRO" by SEVENTEEN, "Sugar Rush Ride" by TOMORROW X TOGETHER, "Sweet Venom" by ENHYPEN, and "EASY" by LE SSERAFIM. HYBE: We Believe In Music also boasts accessories and performance gear donned by ZICO, fromis_9, BOYNEXTDOOR, TWS, &TEAM, and ILLIT. The exhibit marks the first time these artifacts will be on display together in one location.

Other highlights include interactive sing-along and dance rooms, a dedicated Fan Section celebrating the endless support between HYBE artists and their fandoms, a Mono to Immersive room featuring BTS's 2022 GRAMMYs performance of "Butter," and a Photoism Booth that allows visitors to pose alongside their favorite K-pop artists.  The GRAMMY Museum exhibit will also feature exclusive video content with producers, artists, music videos, and more.

"HYBE and their artists represent the present and future of the global music landscape, and our goal with this exhibit is to deepen the appreciation and respect for its creators and performers," says Michael Sticka, President/CEO of the GRAMMY Museum. "HYBE has contributed to creating a playground of innovation that inspires fandoms that transcend age, gender, geography and beyond. The GRAMMY Museum is thrilled to provide a space where fans can express their love for K-pop and feel closer to their favorite idols."

Read more: 11 Rookie K-Pop Acts To Know In 2024: NCT Wish, RIIZE, Kiss Of Life & More

HYBE Chief Operating Officer Taeho Kim added, "Putting out an exhibition that captures HYBE's journey is a new experience for us. We're very excited about this partnership with GRAMMY Museum, and we look forward to welcoming music fans who visit the museum to enjoy and connect with our historical pieces."

The exhibit highlights the roots of HYBE's meteoric rise. In 2005, South Korean producer, composer, and songwriter Bang Si-Hyuk, known as "hitman" Bang, changed the trajectory of Korean pop music by launching the record label Big Hit Entertainment. He soon signed a talented 16-year-old rapper named RM, which became the first step in creating the label's groundbreaking boy band — BTS. With the group's global success, "hitman" Bang and Big Hit Entertainment became known as musical trailblazers and record industry innovators. Big Hit Entertainment has now evolved into HYBE, which only continues to break boundaries in music and beyond.

We’ve been feeling the heat for a minute now, but summer is finally, officially, upon us.

What do you have on deck to soundtrack it? Perhaps you’re checking out Camila Cabello’s fourth offering, C,XOXO. Or Jxdn’s expectations-bucking new album, When the Music Stops. And there are so many other worthy candidates for your playlist — from Lupe Fiasco’s Samurai to Omar Apollo’s God Said No.

No matter where your stylistic compass points, this Friday release day has got something for you. As you gather your sunscreen and shades, let’s breeze through a cross-section of what’s out there.

K-pop loves its solo releases, showcasing how the various members of a group can shine individually while combining with ecstatic chemistry. Enter LISA, one-fourth of Korean titans BLACKPINK, who's already turned heads with her 2021 debut album, Lalisa.

"Rockstar" is another swing outside her main gig, featuring serrated chiptune production and LISA's commanding rap flow. The gritty, urban, futuristic video is a visual treat, and the chorus's boast of "Lisa, can you teach me Japanese?" is a multilingual flex — as well as a maddeningly unshakeable earworm.

The "Peter Pan" heavyweight and four-time GRAMMY nominee Kelsea Ballerini has called 2024 "a new chapter of music." Her collaboration with folk/pop singer/songwriter Noah Kahan, "Cowboys Cry Too,"  is the tip of the spear.

More than a month after the pair performed together at the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards, their first recorded team-up is an aching, yearning ballad about breaking down a gruff exterior and revealing true emotions.

"Cowboys cry too/ They may not let 'em fall down in their hometown thinkin' they still got s*** to prove," Ballerini sings in the chorus. "That well runs deep/ But when he's showin' his skin, lettin' mе in, that's when he's toughest to mе."

"So excited to release the best song of all time this friday!," Lil Nas X proclaimed on Instagram. (And on a Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, no less!)

"Here We Go!" comes at an inflection point for the "J Christ" singer: "sorry I've been so scared with my art lately," he added in the same post. "I'm coming around to myself again. I will make you guys very proud."

This pro forma banger certainly inspires pride: tenacious lines like "I'm livin' and livin' I wanna die/ They tryna get even/ I'm beatin' the odds" will get under your skin. As for Beverly Hill Cop: Axel F, the Eddie Murphy joint will whiz to your screen July 3 via Netflix.

Lucky Daye picked up a win for Best Progressive Album at the 2022 GRAMMYs, for Table for Two. After a slew of nominations for work with Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige, he's investigating the Algorithm.

The single "HERicane" was just a teaser, with songs like "Blame," featuring Teddy Swims; "Paralyzed," featuring RAYE;" and "Diamonds in Teal" expanding on and honing his soul-funk-R&B vision.

"Don't know pickin' sides/ 'Cause I'm rollin' in desire," he dreamily sings in the gently roiling "Diamonds in Teal." "I don't know which lie's true/ Or maybe I do, or maybe I'm you." It's a suitable mission statement wrapped in a stealthily seductive package.

A jazzy, soulful, psychedelic band of Aussies, Hiatus Kaiyote has been wowing audiences for more than a decade. Whether through sampling or features, they've crossed paths with Drake, Anderson .Paak, and Beyoncé and Jay-Z.

Love Heart Cheat Code builds brilliantly on their last three albums: their 2012 debut Tawk Tomahawk, 2015's Choose Your Weapon, and 2021's Mood Valiant. Tracks like "Telescope," "Everything's Beautiful," and "Make Friends" are burbling brooks of atmosphere, groove and vibe.

Any fans of deep, pungent funk grooves should investigate Boulevards immediately. The project of mastermind Jamil Rashad, their new album Carolina Funk: Barn Burner on Tobacco Road tips its hat to yesterday's funk with a contemporary twist, bringing a refreshing spin on the well-trod template of syncopated basslines and stabbing horns.

Across highlights like "Do It Like a Maniac Part 1&2" and "Run & Move," Boulevards shows — once again — that few can nail this gritty sound quite like Rashad and crew.

British drill-inflected MC Headie One first made a splash overseas with his 2023 debut album, Strength to Strength. Less than a year later, he's returning with The Last One.

Back in 2022, he hinted at the existence of his sophomore album in his non-album track "50s" — "The fans calling for 'Martin's Sofa'/ It might be the first single from my second," he rapped. 

Helmed by that single, The Last One features Potter Payper, Stormzy, Fridayy, Skrillex, and more. The album is a leap forward in terms of production, scale and exploration.

Any theater kid worth their salt knows at least a few bars from the musical "Oklahoma!"; country sensation Kaitlyn Butts has just unfolded it into an entire album.

"It's a love story but there's also a murder and a little bit of an acid-trippy feel to it at times; it's set in the same place where I come from," she said in a statement, noting she saw "Oklahoma!" with her parents every summer during childhood. "Once I got the idea for this album," she continued, "I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it before, and it turned into something that completely encompasses who I am and what I love." 

A laugh riot as well as a colorful, openhearted statement, Roadrunner! does the old Rodgers and Hammerstein chestnut good.

Read more: 5 Female Artists Creating The Future Of Country Music: Jaime Wyatt, Miko Marks & More

Futurist Afropopper Amaarae made a gigantic splash with her second album, 2023's Fountain Baby — even Pitchfork gave it their coveted Best New Music designation.

That lush, enveloping album just got an expansion pack: roses are red, tears are blue — A Fountain Baby Extended Play is a continuation of its predecessor with six new songs. The oceanic "wanted," featuring Naomi Sharon, is a highlight, as is a remix of "Disguise" with 6LACK.

"Ooh, I'll be wanted/ I've been wanted," a pitch-shifted Sharon sings near the end, as if turning over the phrase. "Wanted" is one way to describe Amaraae's position in the music landscape.

Learn more: Meet The Latest Wave Of Rising Afrobeats Stars: AMAARAE, BNXN, Oladapo & More

The 50th anniversary of hip-hop may have come and gone, but hip-hop is forever. Today, legendary hip-hop pioneers MC Lyte and Queen Latifah continue to bear the flame of the genre as an elevating force with "King King," a conscious, uplifting offering.

"This is dedicated to all the kings and all the soon to be kings/ We're counting on you/ We love  you/ This is for you, you and you and you," MC Lyte begins, while Latifah holds it down on the chorus with "This your crown hold it/ Even if it all falls down show it/ You know the world is watching now I know you get tired from keepin' it all together/ We need you."

During Women's History Month in March, MC Lyte released "Woman," the first single from her upcoming album, featuring hip-hop icons Salt (of Salt 'N Pepa), Big Daddy Kane, and R&B singer Raheem DeVaughn. MC Lyte's first new album in nearly a decade drops this summer; keep your eyes and ears peeled.

Learn more: 9 Teen Girls Who Built Hip-Hop: Roxanne Shante, J.J. Fadd, Angie Martinez & More

While RIIZE might be a more recent addition to the K-pop scene, you wouldn’t be able to tell. 

RIIZE took the industry by storm last September with their debut single "Get A Guitar." The catchy, retro-synth pop song sold over a million copies in the first week of its release.  

From their debut in 2023, RIIZE was determined to carve out a space for themselves in the expansive K-pop landscape by performing "emo pop" — emotional ballads that still manage to be danceable, evoking the sounds of older gen groups like Got 7 and Super Junior — while also experimenting with other genres. The brightly alluring "Love 119" and disco whirlwind "Talk Saxy" allowed RIIZE to continue their ascent, and netted the group Favorite New Artist and Rookie Of The Year honors at multiple Korean award ceremonies last year.  

On June 17, they'll release RIIZING - The 1st Mini Album. The compilation record features all of the rookie group's releases plus an additional song "Boom Boom Bass," and demonstrates their versatility and willingness to experiment with genres. With their output compiled, it's easy to see that RIIZE's youthful energy and distinct personalities truly shine. 

Learn more: 11 Rookie K-Pop Acts To Know In 2024: NCT Wish, RIIZE, Kiss Of Life & More

"We wanted to reflect on how far we’ve come from our debut days and growing as artists," Anton tells GRAMMY.com over a video call from L.A. "[The album is] a culmination of our journey and experiences as young adults who are pursuing their dreams."

It’s clear that RIIZE are enjoying the ride they're on together. They laugh at each other's jokes and finish each other's sentences, demonstrating that there's deep friendship behind their already tight harmonious connection. The group is in the midst of an international fan-con tour that runs through the summer — an experience that will, likely, deepen their already close bond. 

In an interview, RIIZE’s Sungchan, Anton, Wonbin, Sohee, Eunseok and Shotaro offer a track-by-track breakdown of RIIZING - The 1st Mini Album, including the creative process behind each song, how they keep themselves motivated, and their musical dreams for the future. 

"Siren" is your pre-debut song and was one of your most anticipated releases. Can you share a bit about the creation process and how it felt to release this song to the world? 

Shotaro: We have a lot of fond memories when we think of "Siren" as it reminds us of our trainee days. We recorded the song while we were still rookies and shot the video in L.A. I remember being in the studio and encouraging each other to give our best deep voices to make our voices shine. 

Eunseok: I think a large part of why people like "Siren" so much is the rhythmic drum beats and soft piano riffs that creates this high rush vibe. The chorus is my favorite, and was the most fun to sing as it’s very addictive to sing along to.

Your most recent song, "Impossible" is a house track about being determined and never  giving up. Were you nervous at all venturing into a new genre? 

Anton: Growth and youth is a huge part of our music, and that’s something we sought to achieve with "Impossible." House music is a genre that is not usually seen in K-pop, but this is something we wanted to experiment with. So we learned firsthand from long-time house music creatives and input their suggestions into the recording. It was a new experience that allowed us to deep dive into a genre we wouldn’t normally be familiar with.

Sohee: The recording was a little difficult at first, because the vocal keys were a bit higher than our usual pitch. But I feel like we successfully encapsulated the genre very well.

Your new song — the special addition to the EP — is called "Boom Boom Bass." It's a disco-influenced track about playing bass guitar; does anyone in RIIZE have experience playing that instrument?  

Wonbin: We do have experience playing the bass guitar. Getting to recreate those moments in the studio was awesome, and you can hear the excitement in our voices. The song also showcases a totally different side of us that fans haven’t seen before: it’s disco but funk and still pop.

"Love 119" is one of your most successful songs. Can you take me back to the day you recorded it? 

Sungchan: "Love 119" captures the feeling of falling in love for the first time in a dreamy and melancholic manner. We decided to recreate that in the studio and put a lot of our emotions into it by channeling good energy. 

Wonbin: The song samples a beloved Korean song, "Emergency Room," released by the band called IZI in 2005. The song captures the distinct charm of emotional pop, offering a different appeal compared to "Get A Guitar," "Memories," and "Talk Saxy."

Shotaro: We aimed to create choreography that many people could follow. While brainstorming in the practice room with Wonbin, he and I came up with dance moves like the "1-1-9" gesture, that you see in the video. The song has a really bright vibe, making it fun for us to perform. 

Can you detail the creative process behind "Talk Saxy"?  

Sohee: We started creating "Talk Saxy" right after performing at KCON L.A. in July last year and we learned the choreography almost immediately.

We wanted to embody a more confident and breezy sound but still within our niche genre of emotional pop. It took a few weeks of practice to get the perfect take and I think the song helped expand our musical sound by a large mile.

Read more: 9 Thrilling Moments From KCON 2023 L.A.: Stray Kids, RIIZE, Taemin & More 

One of your more recent singles, "9 Days," focuses on your journey as a band. Did you find yourselves feeling nostalgic in the studio?   

Sungchan: "9 days" has a more natural feel because while we were making the song, we had to reference back to our trainee days in practice. The lyrics are a very detailed description of our trainee days and who we were before debuting.  

Anton: I would say we had a fun time in the studio because it felt like we were finally telling our story ourselves and being able to share that with our fans is the best.  

"Honestly" reminisces about past love. What, or who, were you thinking about while recording it? 

Wonbin: I think we really aimed to capture the theme of putting yourself first and saying a final goodbye to someone you thought the world of. That resonates throughout the song, especially in the lyrics. It’s an emo pop ballad at its core.

"One Kiss" was RIIZE's first foray into emo pop and sets you apart from other groups as you highlight your vulnerability. How did you go about finding that sound?  

Anton: I see "One Kiss" as a song made with our fans in mind, we had a hands on approach with making the video as we wanted it to come from our hearts. 

Sohee: I would not say we have found our sound yet as we are still growing and experimenting. We hope to create more good songs like "One Kiss" in the future.

You’re in the midst of a fan-con tour, what has been your favorite city to tour so far?

Shotaro: We love every city equally, we started off in Korea and felt right at home. In Japan, we had so much eye contact with the crowd as they were very hands on. Previously, in Mexico, the crowd's energy was infectious and awesome.

What are your plans for the second half of this year?

Sungchan: We plan on finishing off our fan-con tour by the end of August. Our fans can expect to see us at end of the year award shows with bigger and better performances from last year.

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As is with most legends, there are different accounts of how the members of Atarashii Gakko! met.

Some say they met in a supermarket aisle when they all reached for the last pack of discounted sushi, others say they’d known each other as kids. Yet others claim that the hallowed halls of their to-be-company Asobisystem were hard at work to rescue humanity. Whatever the story, the wheels of fate were turning to put together a foursome poised to fight the invisible but omnipresent monster of boring, soulless adult life — armed only in their sailor uniforms and chock full of sizzling energy.

Dramatic retelling aside, the quartet — Suzuka, Rin, Kanon and Mizyu — might not be battling titanic fictional villains, but they are up against an equally fearsome foe: boredom. Their recently-released album, AG! Calling, reinforces the quartet’s image as a paragon of fresh, zany energy that sends a shock through sluggish veins. AG! Calling is an escape from the drudgery of the everyday, and Atarashii Gakko! believe it's their "destiny" to spread the joy of seishun (youth) to the world. 

Slotting in perfectly with the group’s core ethos, the "calling" in AG! Calling is taken from the Japanese kanji "Korin," which has a dual meaning of descending, as well as one’s own calling. On their single "Tokyo Calling" — released seven months ago and now included on the album — the group descends upon the concrete metropolitan facade of Tokyo, with Mizyu’s characteristic helicopter ponytails swinging full speed. The group makes an urgent announcement: "Don’t hesitate to move forward! Hope for the future is here!" They repeat this mantra and call forth a ball of light from the sky, leading everyone from mundanity to freedom.  

It’s a proverbial full-circle moment for the group, who heralded themselves as the "Youth Representatives of Japan" — their name in Japanese is Atarashii Gakko no Leaders, or New School Leaders — and championed finding and embracing your individuality in the face of a highly conformist society. Early releases like "Mayoeba Totoshi (If You Get Lost)" confronted listeners with hard-hitting questions: "What is the meaning of freedom? If it’s just acting like an adult, I disagree. Let me find it myself." The eerie and relentless "Dokubana" (2017) bemoaned the fate of an outlier in society, which is "scorned and hated" until it withers in place. 

By the time they got to "Nainainai" — their first release under 88Rising — the group had condensed their ethos into pointed critique wrapped in effervescent eccentricity, representing the unique worldview that the biggest rejection of conformity would be to boldly embrace who you are without rejecting the confines of society outright. With a decidedly '90s-inspired hip-hop sound, the track veered from calling out the pressure students face in school to being miffed about being a late bloomer. Their calling card was their retro-inspired school uniforms, a sound that couldn’t be shoved into a pigeonhole if one tried, and energetic dance moves inspired by Kumitaisou, Japanese gymnastics symbolized by pyramids, which became an extension of the profound feelings on their songs. 

As they have expanded their world — marked by performances on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," a successful debut at Coachella this year and performance at Primavera Sound in Barcelona — and inched further into adulthood, "seishun" has evolved from a philosophy to a way of life. AG! Calling rejoices in its reinvention of everyday tedium and positions them firmly as the cheerleaders of a liberated way of life. 

Below, Atarashii Gakko! talk about AG! Calling, their successful Coachella performance, and how their core philosophy will develop with them. 

You guys just came off of a very successful Coachella set. How was the entire experience? 

Suzuka: We have been together as a group for nine years, and the show at Coachella was like, Ah, that was why we had to be together, we had to form the group The live performance was the answer of the meaning of being together as Atarashii Gakko! That's the kind of feeling we had.

Suzuka, you actually said in an interview earlier this year that participating in Coachella will bring you one step closer to Beyoncé. Once you wrapped up the performance, did you feel that way? 

Suzuka: [Jumps up and flashes a thumbs up.] Yes! I took one step towards Beyoncé! 

Rin, you got the chance to meet Lauryn Hill, whom you have cited as an inspiration and an idol. Do you want to share how Lauryn Hill has inspired you? 

Rin: My father is a hip-hop fan, so when I was a child, I had already started listening to hip-hop music and Lauryn Hill. And then during [our] last U.S. tour, we — because she was playing in L.A. for her 25th anniversary — went to see her live, and I bought a t-shirt and everything! 

And this time at Coachella, we knew that YG Marley, her son, was going to be playing but we didn't know that she was going to be there! So, I was thinking, like, maybe we'd have a chance to see her or whatever. 

But then I accidentally saw her — she had finished the stage and she came out – and I was like Ahhh; I was shaking! She was very... mother-like, and like "Oh, thank you!", and she was smiling and she took a photo! The first time I saw her I was like Oh yes, she's real! She exist!' I was very happy she treated me like a mother.

Speaking of mother, you guys were also featured on Japanese musical icon Sheena Ringo's album recently. She had lovely things to say about you in an interview, particularly that she was "overwhelmed" working with you guys. She called you "reliable" and "dazzling" — that's a glowing recommendation from such an icon.

Suzuka: We're so happy! Of course, she's very big and we are very overwhelmed and thinking [that the collaboration was] the result of not changing our style and not taking the easy way out! We think it's the result of nine years of effort, and we're so happy that she said that.  

Let's come to 'AG! Calling.' When you guys first started singing about "seishun," you were treating it as something light, something you guys were having fun with. But in this album, you're calling it your destiny, which has a finality and weight to it. Can you describe the evolution of this concept?

Rin: This is not like a result of getting somewhere. From the initial stage, we've had seishun as a philosophy, and we were having fun and enjoying the moment. Rather than being a final point, AG! Calling [represents] our nine-year trajectory: all our experiences of having fun, receiving and giving the power [of youth]. It's like a resumé: this is Atarashii Gakko!, and this is our power. This is us now. From this point, we will keep moving forward. That's what we want people to see. That's why we're flying and floating [on the album visuals]. 

On your early releases, your songs talked about problems that teens and high school students have. But now, you've grown into adulthood. How has the concept of "seishun" evolved in this aspect? 

Suzuka: That's also a coincidence because "Nainainai" was kind of like our first record [under 88Rising] — like a presentation of what we were. We were teenagers too. We were more fresh, we were younger, we were going to school and everything. But now we're facing the world. We are speaking to more people, not only teenagers, so we wanted to focus on the world [going] from a child to an adult. Maybe it was just the right timing.

How do you think this concept will evolve with you guys over time? Youth isn't something that stays with us forever.  

Kanon: In the first place, the "youth" that we were conveying had nothing to do with age. Maybe you think that "seishun" is only for teenagers, but our concept is for everyone. It does not depend on how old you are as long as you're living and enjoying the moment.  

Now that we're adults, we still have [seishun] because we're putting in all our efforts to live and enjoy to the maximum. Whatever the age, if people can enjoy the moment, that's seishun. That's the philosophy we've had from the beginning, so we haven't changed anything about that concept. 

What was the development of this album like? Where did you guys primarily work on this? 

Rin: We began last summer with "Tokyo Calling." 

Suzuka: I don't know exactly how long it was, because we’ve been bringing demos to LA for about two years. It's all mixed, because there were some demos that we didn't put in the last [album]. So we were like, 'Maybe we can change this song a little bit, we can release that one, can remix an old one or compose new ones." So, it's a mix - some are older, and some are new.

Mizyu: We don’t make demos for [specifically] this album or that record. We keep making trials and demos with our producers in LA and Japan, and maybe [the songs] can be on an album, but our style is always looking for new songs.  

I noticed that a lot of imagery on this album was inspired by heroes. When you performed "Tokyo Calling" on Jimmy Kimmel, the outfits were inspired by Ultraman. There are tracks like "Superhuman" or "Hero Show". What was the reason behind this? 

Mizyu: It's true that we are kind of like superheroes [in terms of] the performance and the uniforms. Maybe from our name as well – Atarashii Gakko no Leaders – you already get the ‘superhero’ vibe because we are trying to just have fun, but we are also helping you if you're sad or tired. We are giving you power. We are helping you, so "Superhuman" and "Hero Show" are the results of that. 

You collaborated with MILLI on the song "Drama." How did that happen? Had you heard her music before? 

Rin: Actually, "Drama" was kind of an old song we recorded by ourselves in LA a few years ago. We had this in stock for quite a long time. We were thinking of releasing it with maybe like a plus [factor] or something extra, so that's why we decided on the collaboration with MILLI. We didn't actually record with her, but for us the [final] song is still a fresh creation. But maybe in the future, we can get the chance to sing together or collaborate. There's more possibilities in the future. 

Let’s discuss "Forever Sisters," which focuses on your bond, especially in context of how much you have grown over the past few years. Did you feel like it was important to remind yourself of your relationship with each other? 

Suzuka: "Forever Sisters" is a very important song for us, because we made this song when we were visiting L.A. and working with Money Mark, and we kept working on it online [between] Japan and L.A. It's very special to us, so when we were thinking about the songs we wanted to put on the album, all four of us agreed that this song has to be on AG! Calling.

And also the message — we are more than friends, more than family. Our relationship is very special and very important. It's beyond anything [I can explain]. So this song had to be on AG! Calling, because we're starting a new journey going global.

Money Mark is a longtime collaborator for you guys, along with yonkey. In some ways, some of these people were there as you were establishing your signature sound. So as you expanded globally, did you have conversations with them about how you wanted to develop your sound? 

Suzuka: Yes, we always keep having these kinds of conversations all the time. And from "OTONABLUE," our Japanese team with Yoshio Tamamura — they have a lot of knowledge about the music and what they want to show as Japanese culture, what they want people to perceive as Japan. [Songs like] "Omakase" and "Toryanse" understand that very well. 

We keep having those conversations. The energy that the four of us have and how to go from this point on, they understand that and give us the sound, and we record it and put our lives into it. It's always a good session. 

You guys will celebrate your 10th anniversary next year. Any special plans?  

Suzuka: We still don't have the details of the 10th anniversary actually, because we are living in the present. We're thinking about this year's concerts, but for sure, we will have something big. Maybe [when] we're reaching the time when we start our 10th year, but right now we're not thinking about it. 

Sometimes, for your shows, you write Shuji calligraphy on paper and stick it all over the venue. In a video in 2021, you did one such exercise where Rin wrote the Kanji for "Dream," Kanon wrote "Diligence," Mizyu wrote "Take a relaxing break," and Suzuka wrote "Life." If you had to do the same exercise again, what would you write? 

Suzuka: [To be honest] We're not sure what we wrote! Right now, if we had to write something, we're not very sure [of that either]. Maybe today, we write one kanji and tomorrow, it might change. That's the reality. We're not very sure what Kanji we will write individually.  

Rin: But [if we had to write something] as Atarashii Gakko!, we're very sure about that. The other day, in an event, we put up a big Shuji [calligraphy], like four meters by six meters, which we put together and we wrote AG! Calling. The word "calling" was written using the kanji for "Korin" in Japanese – that was very suitable, and very real as a group from us. So, as a group, we can say AG! Calling is what we will write. 

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