It’s 7:30pm in Los Angeles, but in Tokyo, tomorrow has already arrived. Over video call, emerging J-pop sensation, Travis Japan, eagerly talks all things VIIsual. And just as the clock suggests, the band is ahead of their time. The highly anticipated sophomore album lands right in the residual buzz of the group’s sold-out world tour, which wrapped mid-October in NYC. From competing on America’s Got Talent to placing in the World of Dance championships, the multi-talented group has made energetic waves over our screens. Now, they’re solidifying their presence as an international pop staple through their dynamic record complete with 13 tracks. VIIsual is moving in every sense of the word— it’ll get you dancing, and it’ll bring you to tears.
The members, eager to broaden their global reach, admirably put their working knowledge of English to good use during our conversation, with minimal paraphrasing and translation.
VIIsual is out December 4th. What themes run through this project?
In this album, Kaito Nakamura tells me, each member had the special opportunity to produce a song of their own. From “lyrics to track to music,” VIIsual is a carefully crafted mosaic of the boys’ unique experiences and varying takes on the pop genre. The project is a gateway to understanding who the members are as individuals, and who they are when placed beside each other. It’s a concoction that Kaito Nakamura describes as a “whole new world.”
Kaito Nakamura: If you want to know our members, you have to get this album! Because VIIsual has the pace, it’s upbeat and everything. And… if you get joy [out of it, and are] excited about the album, please let me know on social media! Instagram, X, everything! You can say, “Travis Japan’s album is so great”, something like that.
Your recent single, “Crazy Crazy”, is such an energetic song and the music video is really silly. Do you have any crazy stories from behind the scenes on set?
Shizuya Yoshizawa: Chaka and Genta played soccer in their free time. I watched them! And I was so happy and excited because [the music video] was [being filmed] in a school in my hometown.
Ryuya Shimekake: And in this music video, we wore costumes, school uniforms. It brought back memories. [Laughs]
How would you say America’s Got Talent prepared you for a career in performance?
Kaito Matsukura: So, America’s Got Talent was a really great opportunity and experience for us. We were able to get [past] three thousand auditions at the first time. However, we didn’t go to the finals because we didn’t get enough votes. At that time, we realized our own work point. We had to practice our performance more: dancing, singing, everything. We were able to realize [a lot] and it was just a really great moment for us.
Yeah, that’s really useful. And the group lived in Los Angeles from March to October 2022. That’s where I am actually! While you trained as singers and dancers, what were some of your favorite spots in LA?
Kaito Nakamura: I think, Millennium Dance Complex. It’s a kind of dance school. When I lived in LA, we went to the Millennium Dance Complex every day. We’d go to a language school, and then after, we’d go to the dance studio. Every week and every day we got to practice dancing. And also… I love In-N-Out. [Laughs]. Yeah, In-N-Out is so great.
Very true! That’s a popular one.
Kaito Nakamura: It’s only in LA. Why [is it] only in LA? In-N-Out, please come to Japan!
It’s too good, we don’t want to share. [Laughs]. And you told Billboard Phillipines that language is like an “access ticket” that gives you a chance at a deeper connection. In what ways would you say learning English has done this for you?
Kaito Miyachika: Yeah, that’s an important thing because language [can be] very convenient. That’s why we want to [expand our] reach. Because if we’re using a lot of languages, we can get closer [to fans] and [reach] overseas. We keep [working at] learning English, and other languages. Language is [one of] the best and most important things. To communicate, and to give messages or send messages, [you] must use language. We want to learn more, and we [believe that we] should use a lot of languages.
Which of the songs on your sophomore album are you most excited to perform live?
An excited smile grows across Genta Matsuda’s face like that of a kid excited to reveal a shiny new toy to his friends. He chimes, “BO$$Y” and the others immediately agree and name the song with equally smiley faces.
Genta Matsuda: This song is really strong. We want to sing and dance and be in sync. [That’s what] we want to show [with “BO$$Y”].
What do you think sets J-pop apart from other pop genres?
To Kaito Matsukura, J-pop is about the incorporation of Japanese culture into the pop genre. It’s a “way for Japanese culture to really reach a lot of different people in a lot of different genres.” For this reason, he feels that J-pop can be difficult to define in one specific way,
I imagine you each bring unique skill sets to the team. Do you rely on some members more heavily in terms of music or dancing?
Kaito Matsukura: So, each member dances and choreographs, but, especially Chaka. Chaka is the leader of Travis Japan. He makes a lot of the choreography for Travis Japan. Also, Chaka appears on [a] Japanese dance TV show.
He’s been pointing at Kaito Miyachika, aka Chaka, this whole time, but at this point he turns to face Chaka and fondly says, “I love your show,” before everyone starts laughing. “Respect, respect,” he jokes. He goes on to playfully name Chaka the “dance leader”. Then he tells me, “And also, I often make up lyrics. For this album, VIIsual, I did make a song and made the lyrics.”
You’ve had really packed schedules for the past decade, with dance rehearsals, reality competitions, performances, etc. What is that like?
Genta Matsuda: I’m grateful to be so busy, and [that I can] do my best to support us, the members of Travis Japan.
Vogue Japan just covered you in The Ones To Watch 2024. What was that experience like for you?
Kaito Miyachika: A real honor. It was a real honor to get that award. We were most surprised that we were just picked. Yeah, it was a really surprising experience for us and certainly wasn’t expected. We were really humbled and grateful by the chance to be able to do that. It has an interesting through-line to everything we’ve been able to do this year in 2024. [We’ve done] a lot of things, including the national tour [in Japan], the overseas tour, and a lot of other amazing experiences. We’ve done a lot of things for the first time that were certainly unexpected in a lot of different ways throughout this year. And so it was kind of a nice way to continue that through-line of being able to challenge ourselves to everything we can. Our ultimate goal is to be able to share something fun and exciting for our fans. So, the ability to present that in all kinds of ways is a really big part of our overall brand as a group. And we really want the fans to keep being excited and look forward to all the other things that neither us, nor the fans, will be expecting, but will be nonetheless very fun in the years to come.