IS:SUE is a girl crush concept group of four finalists from the same reality competition show that produced the Japanese girl group ME:I. Based on the Japanese word ishu, the group's name reflects their ideology of undeniability — constantly drawing attention with their strong sense of individuality. True to their name, their collective social media presence exceeded 500,000 before the project was even announced. They drew further buzz before their official debut with a self-assured performance at ZOZO Marine Stadium for KCON JAPAN 2024. In the project’s first extended interview, RSJ spoke to the members about their thoughts on the group, their musical influences, and their debut single, “
CONNECT” produced by Korean producer Park Woo Sang.
ーFirstly, can you tell us about your musical roots? YUUKI: I’ve been taking hip-hop dance classes since I was a kid. So, I grew up listening to Western music more than Japanese music, and I especially love R&B. In junior high, I got into rock music a bit and became a big fan of One Ok Rock. They have a lot of English lyrics, which I think made me like them because of my love for Western music. After that, I started following Japanese musicians who were popular overseas, which led me to become a big fan of K-pop. My tastes have gradually expanded to what I like now.
YUUKI（Photo by Kosaku Hoshino） RINO: I got into music by taking piano lessons as a child. My mom and dad didn’t play, but there was always a piano in our house. Eventually, I thought, “Well, it’s here. I might as well learn,” the more I played, the more I wanted to know. Then I started taking vocal training and around that time I began listening to Namie Amuro through my mom.She’s one of the artists I really admired and I still feel nostalgic when I listen to her music.
RINO（Photo by Kosaku Hoshino）RIN: I also got into music by playing piano. I started playing when I was three, and later, I began dancing and sang in my elementary school choir. My high school was known for its music program, so I was immersed in a lot of different music there, too. My favorite artists are Namie Amuro, Ayumi Hamasaki, Yuna Ito, and Mika Nakashima. I particularly love Yuna Ito's “Endless Story,” which is probably my favorite song. I listen to a lot of different genres, but I prefer lyric-driven music and slower, more mellow songs.
RIN（Photo by Kosaku Hoshino）NANO: I’ve loved singing since I was little and used to sing in the bath a lot. I don’t really remember the first time I connected with music; it’s more like I just naturally developed a love for it. I often listened to Aiko because of my mother, as well as AKB48 and E-Girls. I don’t have a specific favorite music genre, I listen to a wide range, but I tend to listen to a lot of pop music.
NANO（Photo by Kosaku Hoshino）ーIf you had to pick one song you've always loved, what would it be?YUUKI: Mine would be Kendrick Lamar's “All the Stars” from the movie “Black Panther,” which I saw when I was little. It sounds
expansive and cinematic, but it’s also so calm and soothing that you can listen to it non-stop.
RIN: For me, either Yuna Ito's "Endless Story" or Dreams Come True's "Kessen wa Kinyō bi."They’ re very different songs, but I love both of them. I got to know these songs from a family member who also loves singing, and now they’re my favorite songs, too.
RINO: When I find a song I like, I listen to it until I get tired of it. So, I go through phases where I switch to something new and then come back to the old ones. Right now, I'm back in a phase with Hikaru Utada's "Kimi ni Muchū," the theme song of the series “Saiai.” For Western music, I've also gone back to "Angel Pt.1" from the movie “Fast X.” I love that movie and all the songs in it.
NANO: I'm up last. I narrowed it down to one of my all-time favorite songs, “This Is Me” from the movie “The Greatest Showman.” I really love that movie and saw it in theaters about three times. Even now, I still rewatch it often. All the music in the movie is fantastic, but "This Is Me" really lifts me up and gives me confidence when I'm feeling down or insecure.
ーIt seems like you all get a lot of music inspiration from movies. YUUKI: We love movies.
RIN: We love them!
ーIt would be great if you could do a theme song for a movie someday. NANO: That's a dream. We want to do that.
RINO: We have a new goal now.
