When Japanese pop duo Yoasobi landed in London for two sold-out shows at the OVO Arena Wembley, it marked a high point in a journey that has seen them become Japan’s most streamed musical act and its biggest international export. With more than 12 billion streams to their name and the honour of completing the largest-ever arena tour by a Japanese artist, their unique blend of melodic J-pop, rock’n’roll influences and literary storytelling is resonating far beyond their home country.

Monocle Radio spoke to the duo – composer Ayase and vocalist Ikura – about what inspires the music that has made Yoasobi so popular.

You are the first Japanese act to top the global Billboard charts. How do you feel about this success outside Japan?
Ayase: We’re extremely humbled and honoured, and very pleased with the reception. It’s something that I never expected when we started. We receive a lot of messages from fans through social media, which is wonderful. It’s nice to see their reactions when we play live as well, like we did at Wembley.

You mentioned that there’s a connection between Yoasobi and the Japanese literary scene. How central is that to your music?
A: All of our songs are based on stories. There are many different narrative mediums in Japan, such as novels, anime and manga, and they are all interconnected. Our style reflects that, which is slightly unusual, but my hope is that our listeners get to enjoy the art of Japanese storytelling as a whole.

So your music is not just pop songs but also a storytelling device?
A: We produce pop songs but always with a deeper context. Because our lyrics are based on stories, the music is much more three-dimensional. I see what we do as a new form of entertainment and we hope that our audience will get to enjoy Japanese culture through it.

What influences have shaped your compositions and songwriting?
Ikura: I grew up listening to Japanese musicians such as Arashi, Yui and Ikimono-gakari, who were all frontrunners at the time. Rock band Radwimps was a big influence too. My parents’ musical tastes had an effect on me – they introduced me to artists such as Yumi Matsutoya and Southern All Stars.

A: I have been greatly influenced by the J-pop scene, as well as folk songs. I listen to Yumi Matsutoya as well but musicians such as Maria Takeuchi and Toshinobu Kubota also come to mind. I also love Japanese R&B and hip-hop. 

You can listen to the full interview with Yoasobi on the latest episode of ‘The Monocle Weekly’ here.