INTERVIEW | J-pop's AiNA THE END Dances with Darkness on New Opening Theme for Dan Da Dan Anime

Fresh from the release of her latest single, Kakumei Dōchū – On The Way, and with an upcoming concert in Barcelona this December, Japanese artist AiNA THE END has learned to wrangle her dark impulses into viciously exciting pop music.

Starting her career in 2015 as a member of the "punk band without instruments" BiSH, and also as their main choreographer, the Osaka-born singer and songwriter took her first steps as a solo artist in 2021 with the release of her first solo album, THE END. 

Two more solo albums have followed since then, the most recent being November 2024's RUBY POP. The album features a diverse and addictive selection of songs, from the upbeat Poppin' Run to the melodramatic melody of Love Sick. 

She also played the lead in a Shunji Iwai movie, played Janis Joplin on stage, wrote a book of essays, played a solo show at the Nippon Budokan, and generally smashed her way into the fringes of the mainstream, staying just about in the shadows where the darkness suits her.

I spoke with AiNA THE END about how she learned to love her deep and husky voice, the ups and downs of going solo, and how despair can be the spice of life.

Excerpts from the interview follow.

AiNA THE END

I believe you started dancing from the age of 4 and singing came later. When did you discover your singing voice? Did you always sing in such a husky voice, or did you develop it that way over time?

I always had a husky voice, and when I was young, I thought I was bad at singing. But my mother was originally an idol singer, so singing seemed a natural thing to me. Men are supposed to sing in a low voice and women in a high voice, but I couldn't sing in a high voice. If I tried to sing a girl's part, my voice would crack, so I thought I must be a bad singer.

I think the fact that your voice is so husky is probably the reason it sounds so classic and timeless.

Thank you. Over time, people started to compliment my voice, and that gave me a little more confidence.

Kakumei Dōchū – On The Way is the opening theme song for the second season of the wildly popular anime series Dan Da Dan. It was released as a single on September 3. What's the song about?

The main characters Dan Da Dan are Momo and Okarun. And they have a romantic story, which is interspersed with fighting aliens and meeting spirits. I wanted to represent their strange love story. Rather than being alone, having someone you care about and want to protect can give you the strength to fight, so this song is about that kind of love.

Your music is filled with hope but also darkness, which you brandish to great effect. How does that darkness help you as an artist? 

I'd say that a little darkness can be good for an artist. Despair can be a flavorsome spice. People who find some things difficult or who are not outgoing tend to say more interesting things. Having a sense of inferiority and darkness is a treasure for an artist.

What are some of the differences between performing as part of a group and as a solo artist? 

BiSH was a six-member group, so the responsibility was split between six of us. Sometimes we would disagree and have to compromise, or maybe sometimes you have no strong opinion on something and want to leave it to the others. All these things were divided by six people. 

Now it's only me. I have to decide what I want to do all by myself. But after being in a group for eight years, I didn't have such a strong will at first. I'd been used to compromise. Suddenly I was being asked what I want to do, what position do I want to occupy, what dream do I have, what outfits do I want to wear, what kind of songs do I want to write. I had to decide all of that for myself. Now I'm trying to put myself first and to pursue what is in my heart. That's what defines a solo artist.

You've spoken about how you clashed with the other members of BiSH sometimes, and it was clearly a close creative relationship. As a solo artist now, do you miss having that friction?

I was in charge of choreography in the group for eight years. [And] I would teach the other members the steps I thought looked cool, and I was so proud of it. So when another member offered a different opinion on what they thought was a better dance move, I'd get annoyed about it, and sometimes we'd fight. But now I miss it. It's good to have someone tell you directly why they think you are wrong. That friction was probably a good thing.

I saw you perform at Line Cube in Tokyo in January 2024, and I was really impressed by your performance. You sang beautifully, of course, but also the choreography, and backing dancers, and the set design – the whole thing felt very mature and confident. I also got the same feeling from watching footage of your recent Harinezumi Smile tour and Nippon Budokan concert. Do you like performing live?

I love it, I wish I could go even bigger on stage, and dance on top of a grand piano. The image in my head is larger than I can afford to actually achieve! I want to give it my all so that I can work up to even bigger stages.

Do you actively try to improve upon each tour with the next one?

I always feel desperate to do better, and I can't sleep because the upcoming tour is constantly at the front of my mind. And then by the time it gets to the final night of the tour, I catch up with myself. Touring helps me to grow without even realizing it.

Dance and choreography are clearly a huge part of your life, not only your career as an artist. What does dance mean to you?

When I was a member of BiSH, I wanted to make sure we had choreography that our fans could enjoy when they came to see us in tiny venues. [I] focused on dance moves from the shoulders and above, with our hands in the air, so that it was easy for the fans to join in. [So,] I thought about that constantly for eight years. And now, as a solo artist, I can do whatever dances I want, and it feels like I have unbridled freedom to be myself.

You played your first official overseas show in 2024 in Taipei, and have another coming up at Manga Barcelona in December. How was the show in Taipei?

"The audience were so sensitive and gave really clear feedback. Like, when I performed Red: birthmark, the ending theme of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, just the intro was enough to make them go crazy. I had no choice but to ride that wave of excitement, and it was great.

What do you expect from the show at Manga Barcelona?

Well, when I played in Taipei, it was a headline show, and the audience was there to see me specifically. But in Spain, I assume most of the audience won't know who I am, so I'm just going to dive in headfirst. 

In the past, when faced with a festival crowd who might not know me, I probably wouldn't have bothered trying to win them over, and I just did my own thing. But now I feel different. The audience has come to have fun, so for this year's summer festivals, my resolution was to stir up the crowds and make it fun.

There was a 12-month gap between your shows in Taipei and Barcelona, but do you intend to perform overseas more regularly in the future?

Well, in April this year, I left my previous management company and joined Avex. So, although I wanted to go overseas again, I first had to focus on Japan and on communicating well with my new team. I do want to perform a lot of overseas shows going forward, though.

Which countries would you like to perform in?

I've always wanted to go to Iceland! I love Icelandic artists like Björk and Sigur Rós, and I want to experience their feelings firsthand. Also, I once performed briefly in London, and I want to experience the rain in London once again. The weather there is a little depressing, which made me sing my songs about life quite differently.

Having known you as a solo artist, it was a surprise to see you move into acting when you played the lead in Shunji Iwai's excellent 2023 film Kyrie no Uta. As Kyrie, you were playing a musician, which I imagine must have partly felt natural to you, but also partly artificial. How did you prepare to play the character of Kyrie?

I did a lot of preparation. Kyrie is a homeless girl, and I figured her skin would be rough, so I avoided using lotion after I washed my face each day, and tried to look a little dried out, and I avoided wearing much makeup, even though I was on tour with BiSH at the time. Kyrie doesn't wear makeup, so neither did I.

You didn't only act as Kyrie, you also wrote a whole album of new songs to sing as her in the film. That was later released under Kyrie's name and titled 'DEBUT.'

That was really hard. One of the songs, I couldn't complete in time. By the spring [of 2023], I was supposed to deliver all the songs that I would sing on-camera, but one song wasn't done, and I asked them to delay the deadline to fall. But even then, I couldn't write it. I got really sick, and I apologized to Mr Iwai, but he told me not to apologize. Eventually, I was able to do it, thanks to the love he showed me."

You played the lead in A Night with Janis Joplin. What did you learn from Janis, and did it stay with you?

I was 27 at the time, which is the age Janis died. When I shout in my songs, my voice is filled with rage, and it's quite strong, but Janis had a voice that was sexy, even when she belted. I couldn't replicate that. Janis was fuelled by sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll, but I didn't know anything about drugs... So I decided not to try to become Janis, but to play it as AiNA THE END playing Janis. I think that was the right choice. If I had become too much like Janis, I might have wanted to die at 27 as well, to be just like her. That would have been too much."

Thanks for talking with us today. Do you have a parting message?

I'm a regular Japanese person, born in Osaka and living in Tokyo, who only knows about Japanese culture. So I want to make more friends overseas and communicate with them through music and conversation – anything's OK. Thank you!

Endpoint

Kakumei Dōchū – On The Way is out now and available here. AiNA THE END's Kakumei Dōchū tour will visit nine cities across Japan in October. She will then perform at Manga Barcelona, which takes place December 5-8 in Spain, followed by a headline show titled nukariari on December 20 at Tokyo Garden Theater. For more information, visit https://ainatheend.jp. 

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Interview by Daniel Robson

Read Daniel's artist interviews and his series Gamer's World on JAPAN Forward, and find him on X (formerly Twitter).