[EVENT REPORT] YOASOBI Gets Up Close and Personal at Sold-Out GRAMMY Museum Spotlight Event

J-pop duo YOASOBI took over the GRAMMY Museum’s Ray Charles Rooftop Terrace for a sold-out event of “Spotlight: YOASOBI.”

Comprised of composer Ayase and vocalist ikura, YOASOBI are record-breaking international superstars in the making. Their first song, “Yoru ni Kakeru (Into The Night),” was released in November 2019, immediately attracting attention by reaching #1 on numerous streaming charts in Japan and appearing on viral charts in several countries. More recently, their North American “Never Ending Stories” summer 2026 tour brought them to major venues including the Hollywood Bowl and Barclays Center, followed by their second appearance at Lollapalooza, where they performed on the Main Stage.

The evening began with a talk show about their music, creative process, and journey together, followed by a mini Q&A and a live performance.

Here are some of the highlights from the talk show:

1) You guys were recently here in the US for your North American tour, “Never Ending Stories.” When you are here, what is the energy like from audiences here in the States?

ikura: American audiences are really expressive about how much they’re enjoying the show, which always surprises me. Seeing everyone dancing with huge smiles on their faces, singing along, and really showing how much fun they’re having makes me so happy.

2) YOASOBI started with this beautifully simple concept, turning stories into music. After all these years and all these accomplishments, what does that idea mean to you now?

Ayase: We started with the concept of turning novels into music, so it’s still a very important part of who we are. I also think it’s one of the things that makes YOASOBI unique.

3) ikura, your voice is amazing. With these English recordings, do you view them as translations of what you’ve already done, or as their own performances entirely?

ikura: We originally started making English versions as a gateway for people to better understand YOASOBI’s original Japanese songs. There are times when Japanese expressions can’t be translated directly into English, so we trust the sensibility of Konnie Aoki, who translates all of our English versions. I also feel that he really values expressions that are unique to English.

4) Ayase, you have a really unique process because your music starts with a pre-existing work. It starts with a novel and not a melody or hook. How do you decide which parts to put into the song and which parts to leave out?

Ayase: Of course I read the original work. But the first time, I put the idea of turning it into a song aside and simply read it as a reader. As I read, I naturally come away with different feelings, like thinking it was interesting or that it was a very serious story. So the first time through, I just enjoy it as a reader. Then, based on the feelings that stayed with me, I begin turning it into music.

From there, I go back and reread the parts that caught my attention over and over again, and I take what I feel is the most important part of the story and work on translating that into music.

5) You have been working together for 7 years. What have you learned from each other during that time?

ikura: Of course, I respect his talent as a creator and musician, but it’s more than that. His mental strength when it comes to music and his ability to keep facing and pursuing music are truly incredible. I’ve always really respected him.

Every time a new song comes to me, I’m genuinely moved and excited by it. I always think about how that isn’t something I should take for granted. I feel really fortunate to be a vocalist who gets to experience that excitement every time a new song arrives.

6) Bringing it all back, “Yoru ni Kakeru (Into The Night)” was the song that put you on the map, with hundreds of millions of streams and views on YouTube. It’s a song you play at every concert. When you perform that song now, how does it make you feel?

Ayase: It’s our debut song, so of course it’s very important to us. We often perform it at the end of a concert or during an encore, so we always perform it with a lot of attachment to it.

But recently, I’ve realized that “Yoru ni Kakeru (Into The Night)” is really long! haha Songs are getting shorter and shorter these days, but “Yoru ni Kakeru (Into The Night)” is around 4 minutes and 20 or 30 seconds long.

ikura: For a YOASOBI song, that’s pretty long!

Ayase: When we made it, YOASOBI was still like a baby. I think we wanted to try so many different things and packed all of those ideas and challenges into one song, which is why it ended up being that long. And I think that was the right choice because people have continued to love it all this time. I don’t think I could make that song now. It was something I could make because of who I was at that time, and I think it will always remain an important song for us.

ikura: And my voice sounds so young! I was only 18 back then!

Ayase: I think there’s something really special about the purity and slight uncertainty in ikura’s voice.

The moderated conversation was followed by a mini Q&A, giving fans the opportunity to ask YOASOBI a few questions of their own.

1) If you had the chance to perform in front of aliens, what would you perform for them?

ikura: I think I’d choose “Yoru ni Kakeru (Into The Night).” It’s like our business card, and it was the first song we introduced to the world. It had such a big impact on so many people, so I’d choose it with the hope that maybe something about it would reach the aliens too.

Ayase: Out of all the music I’ve created, I think “UNDEAD” is the song where the craziest things I wanted to try actually came together the way I wanted them to. Even people on Earth probably listen to it and think, “What a chaotic, strange song.” So I’m curious what aliens would think when they hear it.

2) What was ikura’s first impression of Ayase, and what was Ayase’s first impression of ikura?

ikura: When we first met 7 years ago, Ayase was dressed completely in black and didn’t really talk to me. I remember thinking that maybe he was shy, or maybe he was a little scary.

Ayase: There’s a six-year age difference between us, and ikura is even younger than my two younger sisters. My first impression was that this very innocent young girl had appeared in front of me. I was definitely shy, but I also just had no idea what I was supposed to talk about with a girl 6 years younger than me. I think I only talked to her about work-related things.

3) What is your favorite part of being in LA?

Ayase: Venice Beach. Santa Monica Beach was also really nice. I like the beach here.

ikura: The sunset at Santa Monica Beach the other day was really beautiful!

Being back here made us realize again how happy we are to be able to come here and enjoy great food. The people are warm too.

Ayase: I think the overall atmosphere of LA helps create these wonderful moments.

Following the talk show and Q&A, it was finally time for YOASOBI’s concert!

YOASOBI opened the mini concert with “Tabun (Haven’t),” followed by “Yasashii Suisei (Comet).” Before performing “Yasashii Suisei,” ikura asked the audience to turn on their phone flashlights, filling the venue with lights.

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Next came “Orion,” YOASOBI’s collaboration song with Overwatch, followed by “Idol,” which brought a completely different energy. Fans enthusiastically joined in with chants throughout the song, creating one of the most energetic moments of the night as YOASOBI delivered a powerful performance.

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The night came full circle with “Yoru ni Kakeru (Into the Night).” It was the perfect song to close out the evening.

The five-song performance offered a completely different experience from the massive venues YOASOBI has been performing at, allowing the sold-out audience to experience the duo from remarkably close range.

Setlist
Tabun (Haven’t)
Yasashii Suisei (Comet)
Orion
Idol
Yoru ni Kakeru (Into The Night)

From stories about their creative process to first impressions of each other, “Spotlight: YOASOBI” gave fans a closer look at Ayase and ikura beyond the stage.

For a duo now performing at iconic venues around the world, the sold-out GRAMMY Museum event offered something especially rare: the chance to hear their stories and experience their music in an intimate rooftop setting.