RADWIMPS - The Band That Chooses Non-Radio Friendly Singles

For a band that “never really thinks about creating radio hits”, it’s incredible how far RADWIMPS has come. Formed in high school and debuting a mere two years later with an independently released self-titled album, RADWIMPS has steadily carved a unique name and sound for themselves over their 14-year career, all while dominating Japan’s ORICON charts and staging sold-out stadium tours. And even before the international fame that came with scoring the soundtrack of Your Name (the highest grossing Japanese animated film in history), any J-rock fan worth their salt would’ve heard of this revolutionary outfit. As a band that withstood the test of time (and conquered multiple music genres while at it), perhaps the secret to RADWIMPS’ success is their ever-evolving ability to intertwine powerful themes of philosophy, love and other hard-hitting issues into musically relevant tunes that stay true to their brand. Sitting down with the band during the Singapore leg of their 2017 Asia Live Tour, this effortlessness is apparent. “RADWIMPS used to have a straightforward band sound,” frontman Yojiro Noda expresses, “But I’ve since learned how to use computers to create music, which is also [kind of] a global trend.” He quipped cheekily, “RADWIMPS is the band that is choosing non-radio friendly singles (that become hits anyways).” When asked if fans have ever written in to share their own experiences while relating to their music, the band shared, “Many times – everyone’s trying really hard everyday. There were a lot of different aspects [that they related to], like hardships, their love life and family problems.” Indeed, it seems like even after a decade in the business, RADWIMPS still holds the same (if not more) passion for their fans. In fact, their stop here was a last minute addition due to overwhelming requests from fans in the region. Yoji shared his thoughts on kicking off the Asian tour in Singapore, “This is very important. Initially, Singapore wasn’t in this tour, but thanks to the fans, we were able to add it into the tour schedule.” And it paid off. The sell-out show with a 2,300-strong audience was over 10 times what the band performed to during their first showcase here in 2014 – a true reciprocation of love indeed.