[INTERVIEW] BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE Establish Their Own Genre

BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE is a 7-member boy group from Japan. This Japanese boy band has been on extensive promotional tours before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Also, they held online fan engagement activities constantly during the lock-down period to ensure they are always engaging with fans.

The band released their latest single, ‘LAST DANCE NI BYE BYE’ last month. Read more about the single and watch the music video here.

Interview With BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE

Please introduce yourselves to the HypnoticAsia readers.

• Ryuta Hidaka: BALLISTIK BOYZ is made up of 7 members who can sing and dance. We all have different voice qualities and specialize in different genres of music, so I believe that our strength lies in our ability to express a wide range of music.
• Yoshiyuki Kano: We are 7 members in the band. Some of us sing while some rap, but essentially we are a band who are all playing the role of singers and performers together rather than specifically only 1 role each. We want to make music that can be enjoyed not only by the ears but also with your eyes, visually with dance moves and acrobatics.
• Ryusei Kainuma: We perform mainly hip-hop, but we also have some ballads and up-tempo music, so I would like to think the BALLISTIK BOYZ is a versatile and ever-evolving band.
• Miku Fukahori: Our music is J-POP infused with Hip Hop and R&B.
• Rikiya Okuda: Our music is a mix of HIP-HOP, R&B and J-POP, which I feel is very much in tune with the current times. 
• Riki Matsui: I think we have a blend of HIP-HOP, R&B with J-POP flavor going on.
• Masahiro Sunada: We sing songs that fuses elements of HIPHOP, R&B and Pop with a mixture of Japanese and English language.

You released your single “Last Dance ni Bye Bye” recently. The single was also accompanied by a music video. Do you have any fun or memorable stories from the recording or filming?

• Ryuta Hidaka: When we recorded the song, we sang parts that were different from what was originally assigned singing parts to us. Some of the parts were also changed. Everyone in the band can sing, but importantly we want everyone to be able to sing parts that suit them the best. 
• Yoshiyuki Kano: I was so fired up for the filming of this music video that I bought myself a necklace, but I was so overzealous that the necklace broke during a dance.
• Ryusei Kainuma: We created most of our choreography for our previous songs, and also this time around we wanted to show ‘We can dance this much’ and amplify our song with our choreography. We also asked dancers of the same generation to create the choreography with us. Although it is a difficult dance, the song is catchy and it helps to enhance the song visually. 
• Miku Fukahori: This time around, the song is the most intense dance song I have done. It was very difficult to dance many times in the music video. 
• Rikiya Okuda: During the music video shoot, there was a shot where we all had to shoot from head to toe. One of the members’ shoe soles slipped off and it was caught on the camera during a good part of the shot. It worked out ok as it was cut, so I’m glad it wasn’t a problem!
• Riki Matsui: The 3 singles recorded this time all have different tastes, but with regard to “WAVIN”, it was a song that made me find a new self.  We had a lot of discussions in the studio with the staff members and arrived at it.
• Masahiro Sunada: Let’s show our dance skills! That was the theme and thought going into creating this piece. The song is catchy with a city pop feel, but the lyrics are sad and frustrating, which makes it actually a very emotionally charged song.

It has been three years since your debut; what would you say has changed the most for you as a group and/or individually?

• BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE: We’ve been on stage with our great seniors (senpai), created works, seen and experienced the world, and held our own live tour. We have continued to pursue our own style and strengths while challenging ourselves with various songs, and although we still have a long way to go, I think we have established the genre of the group BALLISTIK BOYZ to a greater extent than when we first debuted!
  
  Above all, the bond with our fans and the number of memories we have made has grown!

You will soon be going on tour both in Japan and soon Thailand; what are you looking forward to for this?

• Ryuta Hidaka: We will be heading to Thailand for a project that has recently been announced, so we will not only be based in Japan but also in Thailand. Although I do not know what kind of challenges will await me, this is a big step for us in our quest to go global. I am sure that our overseas fans are looking forward to it, and so are we, Asia.
• Yoshiyuki Kano: I am looking forward to the activities we will be doing in Thailand, for the first time in my life for as long as 6 months with 2 groups. 
• Ryusei Kainuma: We will be in Thailand for 6 months starting from August. This is under a partnership with our management LDH JAPAN and F. Hero’s High Cloud Entertainment (Thailand). The more I imagine it, the more it feels like my dream is expanding, the more excited I get. I’m looking forward to it. But before that, we have a tour in Japan, so I would like to save some energy for our Japanese fans before we head to Thailand. I am looking forward to seeing all of you!
• Miku Fukahori: We’ll be in Thailand! We are one step closer to global expansion!
• Rikiya Okuda: Going to Thailand will be a chance to show our entertainment and musicality to many people who do not already know us. We hope to make music with many people in Thailand and create new and fun memories with them, and let them know how good we are.
• Riki Matsui: I am very excited to be able to work not only in Japan but also in Thailand. I am very much looking forward to finally starting something that has been standing still for a long time…I can’t help it.
• Masahiro Sunada: Our upcoming Thailand project!

Do you have any thoughts on visiting the rest of the Southeast Asia countries since you will be in the region?

• BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE: We’ve been to Malaysia and Indonesia once, so we’d love to see all the local fans and people we collaborated with again! I’d also like to visit Singapore and the Philippines, which I’ve never been to!

Is there an artist you’d like to collaborate with that you haven’t already? 

• BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE: We want to collaborate with artists from 88rising! We are also interested to see how we sound like when collaborating with vocals from female artists!

When you aren’t recording/performing, what do you enjoy doing? 

• BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE: Each member has many hobbies, like golf, fishing, surfing, gaming and watching wrestling!

Is there a song from your discography that’s a must listen for fans? Why?

• BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE: It’s HANDS UP! The lyrics include our feelings and thoughts about our fans after Covid’19, as well as our determination to achieve our dreams!

What would you like to say to your fans who have been supporting and cheering for you? 

• BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE: We want to thank you for all your warm support! We have missed you all so much because of the Covid’19 pandemic and have not been able to meet you all in person as often as we would have liked!
  
  We’re really looking forward to finally starting the Thailand project this year, which will give us more opportunities to meet you all in person! Your presence is a source of energy for us to work hard every day! We will continue to do our best so that we can be your proud group and make your lives as happy as possible through our activities!

Also check out their YouTube for more music videos and content.