Inside The Sound of EN-GÏNE: ONE OR EIGHT is Turning the Gears Toward Their Next Chapter
For ONE OR EIGHT, EN-GÏNE is more than a collection of six songs. The group's first EP arrives at a point when their sound, audience, and ambitions are all continuing to expand, bringing together the high-energy performance style that has become part of their identity with a wider exploration of production, atmosphere, and emotion.
Released following the group's recent pre-release singles, "YANKEE SQUAT" and "INVINCIBLE," EN-GÏNE gives listeners a fuller picture of what ONE OR EIGHT are building. The six-track project moves from the brief introduction of "V8" through the street-influenced energy of "TRANSLATE," the performance-driven "I <3 IT," the heavier atmosphere of "MONSTER," and finally the more emotional "INVINCIBLE." Rather than staying within one sound, the EP allows each track to occupy its own space while contributing to a larger identity.
The timing of this EP also reflects how quickly ONE OR EIGHT's world has been expanding. Following the international attention surrounding "TOKYO DRIFT," the group has continued bringing its music to audiences outside Japan through their recent North and Latin American tour, GATHER, and their appearance at Head in the Clouds in Los Angeles, where they performed "YANKEE SQUAT" and "INVINCIBLE" ahead of the EP's official release.
K Fuse caught up with the members of ONE OR EIGHT at Head in the Clouds to talk about EN-GÏNE from the inside out—from the creative vision behind the project to the production choices that shaped each individual track. Before getting into the individual songs, there is still something important about a project like EN-GÏNE: understanding the artists behind it. For listeners and readers discovering ONE OR EIGHT through the EP, the group's identity is not confined to one genre, performance style, or concept. The six tracks offer different perspectives, but the members themselves remain the constant connecting point.
The following answers have been edited for clarity. For those encountering ONE OR EIGHT for the first time through EN-GÏNE, the group's name itself offers a starting point for understanding what they are trying to accomplish. As SOUMA explains, the name reflects an all-or-nothing mentality while also connecting the eight members to their goal of bringing Japanese culture to audiences around the world.
K Fuse: Welcome to HITC! For fans who may be discovering ONE OR EIGHT for the first time today, how would you introduce yourselves and your group?
SOUMA: Hi, I'm SOUMA. The name ONE OR EIGHT comes from the Japanese phrase meaning "ALL OR NOTHING," and it represents the group's determination to take on challenges globally. Since the group is made up of eight Japanese members, we can share a lot of attractive Japanese culture with the world.
That sense of individuality within a larger group identity is also something the members emphasize when discussing their performances. With eight members bringing different personalities into the same song, ONE OR EIGHT sees that contrast as part of what makes their performances work.
K Fuse: What part of ONE OR EIGHT's personality do you think shows up the most when you're on stage?
RYOTA: Even though we are a group of eight members, each member has a bit of a unique personality, and we believe that we are able to express our own message in a song. We can listen to the tone of a song and balance it while still showing our individual personalities.
K Fuse: What has the HITC experience been like for you, seeing so many different artists and fans come together in one place?
SOUMA: We put a lot of thought into this short 10-minute performance. We flew from Japan to the U.S. just for this 10-minute performance, so we put everything into these 10 minutes. We also met a lot of fans here, not only for us but for other artists, and we wanted to focus on what kind of impression we can give to the fans.
The balance becomes particularly important on EN-GÏNE, where the members intentionally pushed themselves beyond some of the roles they had previously established within the group. The EP represents more than just another release for ONE OR EIGHT. According to RYOTA, it captures what the group has learned through nearly three years of performing, traveling, and encountering audiences from different parts of the world. Those experiences became part of the creative foundation for the project, including the decision to challenge the members' established vocal roles.
K Fuse: Alright, let's break down EN-GÏNE. Your upcoming EP EN-GÏNE kicks off a new era for ONE OR EIGHT. When you look at this project as a whole, what sounds, textures, or emotions do you feel are most central to this project?
RYOTA: So, we have been performing for the last two years, and we will be reaching our third year soon. We have been able to travel to different countries, learn many new lessons, and experience many new things. So, we put all of those emotions into this EP and put a lot of thought into the EP—such as the assignment of the songs, and our vocalists tried to rap while rappers tried vocal parts. So, this switch was our first challenge, and you can see the new side of ONE OR EIGHT going into our third year. So, we feel like we are able to turn on the "EN-GÏNE," accelerate, and move into the next "gear" with 1DERZ with this EP.
That idea of changing gears is more than a phrase attached to the EP's title. It becomes a useful way of understanding the project's structure. EN-GÏNE takes the foundation ONE OR EIGHT has established through their earlier releases and uses it as a starting point for experimentation, allowing members to approach songs differently while still maintaining the group's collective identity. At less than a full-length song, "V8" does not need to establish every side of ONE OR EIGHT. Instead, it functions as the ignition point for what follows. Its placement at the beginning of the EP is directly tied to the group's eight-member identity.
K Fuse: "V8" is a short intro, but it immediately sets the tone for the project. What was the vibe like creating this track, and why did you decide to make it such a short intro?
NEO: So, I think that "V8" represents the gears. There are eight guys, and so there are eight gears in our engine. So, we wanted to start off our EP with how we're revving up for the upcoming songs.
It is a simple concept, but an effective introduction to the EP's central metaphor. "V8" is not trying to be a destination, but rather the moment before the acceleration begins. From that short introduction, EN-GÏNE moves into one of the most immediately recognizable tracks. "YANKEE SQUAT" had already been introduced to audiences before the EP's release, making it a natural bridge between what listeners already knew from ONE OR EIGHT and what the group wanted to explore. But for NEO, the song's appeal goes beyond its catchiness. "YANKEE SQUAT" takes a distinctly Japanese cultural reference and turns it into a broader statement about belonging—an idea that became particularly meaningful as ONE OR EIGHT continued to perform outside of Japan.
K Fuse: "YANKEE SQUAT" has already become a key part of this EP. What made you decide to use this concept as the introduction for this EP?
NEO: So, "YANKEE SQUAT," it's really catchy. Nothing special. No twists. We just wanted to grab that attention [of the listener] because there are still people who don't know our music, and we still want to reach a new audience. So we thought we needed a catchy vibe to grab their attention, but within that we wanted to incorporate our thoughts towards our culture, which is "YANKEE SQUAT," which is really a niche concept. However, it also represents wherever you are, that's where you belong. Wherever you "YANKEE SQUAT," that's where you belong, and we want to represent that through music—by singing, performing, wherever the stage is, it is OUR STAGE. For example, we just performed at HITC. We're in LA straight out of Tokyo, but when we're performing, that's our place. So, we wanted to represent that while also being the place for our fans, 1DERZ. So, by us performing, you're also welcome, and that's what we wanted to go with for "YANKEE SQUAT."
The idea of turning any stage into their own space becomes especially significant for a group whose career is increasingly crossing borders. While this track introduces listeners to the world of ONE OR EIGHT, "TRANSLATE" pushes that world into more aggressive territory. Built around a fast-paced, rage-rap-influenced production, the track required some members to approach their performances differently from what listeners may have come to expect. That challenge was particularly apparent for the group's vocal members, who stepped into rap-focused performances while maintaining the intensity of the track.
K Fuse: "TRANSLATE" moves really fast and hits with a lot of energy in both vocals and production. What parts of the beat or arrangement pushed you the most creatively while recording this track?
NEO: So, for this song, I think especially the vocal members—they pushed a new limit because they were rapping. This genre is like rage rap, like Playboi Carti, so it's not a heavily vocal song. I think it was tough for them to shine if they kept what they've built up so far, but they really pushed their boundaries and shone in a new way. I also want to give a shoutout to my friend, CYPRUS, who wrote this song. The moment we received this demo, we knew that this was going to be the lead single, so we are really proud of this song and the story it carries. Obviously, we all speak Japanese, but when we perform, we don't need to translate because you know the vibes. We don't need an interpreter or to translate when we're performing. (Jokingly) Now, with interviews or something like that, yeah, may need a little help.
The title takes on another meaning when NEO connects the song's message to the experience of performing internationally. Language may change from country to country, but the group sees performance as a form of communication that does not always require translation. The idea fits naturally within the EP, as its core concept centers around movement and expansion. The next shift comes through "I <3 IT," a title that initially caused confusion when the track list rendered the heart symbol differently. Once clarified, however, the meaning behind the title becomes much more personal.
K Fuse: So, in the track it says "I LOVE IT," but on the track list, it came through as "I -3 IT," so I have to ask, is that the title?
NEO: Yeah. So, it's supposed to be like an emoji. Like a kiss one.
K Fuse: Got it. So it just didn't translate properly.
NEO: Yeah. So, "I LOVE IT," as in I love what I'm doing, I love the struggles and hardships I'm going through because we actually incorporated a true story of SOUMA's room sinking in water while we were on tour.
The story behind the song takes that idea beyond a general message about overcoming adversity. SOUMA experienced the situation firsthand while returning from the group's GATHER tour, turning an unexpected difficulty into part of the music.
SOUMA: So, it was a very painful experience. I just got back from the 'GATHER' tour, and my room was located on the ground level. My room was flooded—the water level was about waist high, and all of my stuff was fully soaked. You can imagine—we were on tour, and I just got back to Japan, ready to relax and chill, but now look at my stuff. It was really painful, and that experience shows in the lyrics. But I wanted to overcome it, and that also shows in the song as well.
With tracks like "I <3 IT," ONE OR EIGHT is showcasing more of their human side while still proving to 1DERZ that they are willing to take on any challenge that comes their way. "MONSTER" explores this same concept, but in a different way. Its slower pace and heavier production give the EP another change in direction, allowing ONE OR EIGHT to step away from the brighter and more immediately energetic moments of the project. For NEO, the track began with the desire to explore a grittier sound while drawing from several different influences.
K Fuse: "MONSTER" changes gears. It's a much slower and heavier mood. What production choices helped you choose to make that shift?
NEO: So, I was actually in the session for this song, and I was part of the creative process as well, so I had some say in that. We really wanted to go for a gritty vibe because we have a pop vibe starting with "Don't Tell Nobody," and going forward we had a hip-hop and R&B vibe. So, we wanted to switch it up and go in the middle with kind of a WEEKND vibe, so that's how it started off. We also wanted to incorporate some MJ vibes, so while we were creating, we just kept getting more ideas. We were like, what should we name this, and MONSTER seemed to be the right fit because we are the monster. When we're stepping on the scene, we got to eat up the show like we're the monsters of the show, so that's what we went for.
This shift in gears reinforces the idea that EN-GÏNE was never meant to sit in one sonic lane. Even the group's concept of being a "monster" is connected back to performance: stepping onto a stage and taking command of the space.
K Fuse: So, the range of this project—the sounds specifically—you can hear the different tempos. You can hear the different emotions in it. When building the track list, how intentional was that range? Just from hearing you all break the EP down, there was a lot of intention in how you created this, so how did you decide that this is ONE OR EIGHT's sound?
NEO: Obviously, there's a lot of layers to it. We had to talk amongst the team, the A&Rs, and everyone involved in the EP. In the end, we wanted to incorporate our thoughts into it, and the reason why we chose these sets of songs was because we wanted to showcase a new side of us because GATHER, we obviously love that album, but it was a collection of our steps as ONE OR EIGHT. Although we really enjoyed that journey in "GATHER," we wanted to showcase and explore a new musicality. We also wanted to show the fans and new listeners that ONE OR EIGHT has a lot more to serve on a plate.
For ONE OR EIGHT, the idea of moving forward ultimately comes back to the people who have been moving alongside them. Throughout EN-GÏNE, the group talks about growth through new experiences, challenging their established roles, and finding new ways to communicate through music. But none of that exists separately from the relationship they have built with 1DERZ. As the interview came to a close, the members reflected on their time at Head in the Clouds and the opportunity to perform in front of 1DERZ. Their message was simple:
K Fuse: Sadly, it's time to wrap up our interview, but before we go, is there a message that you would like to leave for fellow 1DERZ or new listeners who are just now discovering ONE OR EIGHT?
“We are very honored to be here at Head in the Clouds, and we are really excited that we were able to perform in front of 1DERZ while enjoying the new music together. One message that we would like to share with 1DERZ is that we will keep challenging [ourselves], and we want them to keep challenging [themselves] during difficult times as well, and we really appreciate everyone's support.”
That message reinforces the central idea of "TRANSLATE." When asked about a song whose title centers on communication, NEO explained that ONE OR EIGHT do not necessarily need to translate themselves when they perform. The energy, emotion, and connection can speak for themselves. Perhaps no song on EN-GÏNE expresses that connection more directly than "INVINCIBLE."
Placed at the end of EN-GÏNE, "INVINCIBLE" takes on an even greater significance when heard after everything the members have shared about the project. The song had already been introduced as a pre-release single, and ONE OR EIGHT performed it for 1DERZ at Head in the Clouds. Within the full EP, however, its emotional perspective feels more like a message being delivered directly to the people who have been part of the journey, building on the connection established through "DAY ONES" and continuing the group's conversation with the fans who have been there from the beginning.
The lyrics repeatedly turn the focus outward toward the listener. There is a recognition that "you're all a part of the show," the reassurance of being grateful to have someone beside you when "the world begins to get cold," and the promise that "every moment is special, because it's handmade for you." Rather than positioning ONE OR EIGHT as the only performers moving forward, the song makes room for the fans within that journey. In that sense, "INVINCIBLE" brings the EP's ideas of connection, communication, and shared movement into its final track.
After six tracks of changing gears, testing new sounds, switching roles, and exploring different sides of their musical identity, the EP ultimately comes back to the relationship at its center. The engine may represent eight members moving forward, but the journey has never been them moving alone. With 1DERZ beside them, ONE OR EIGHT are not simply accelerating into their next chapter—they are inviting their fans to move into the next gear with them.
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