PSYCHIC FEVER Find Strength in Their Differences on New Album ‘DIFFERENT’: Interview

Ever since their debut four years ago, PSYCHIC FEVER has been active both inside Japan and overseas. Through their musical experiences, they’ve come to realize that their strength lies in the individuality of the group’s seven members. Billboard JAPAN had the opportunity to interview them in London on the occasion of the release of their second album, DIFFERENT, an album which overflows with individuality. We chatted with them at length about everything from the making of the album to how their experience with touring has led them to see music as borderless, and the value that they place on “difference,” as expressed in their own words.

To start out with, let’s talk about your new album. DIFFERENT, your second album, dropped on July 10. In the four years since you debuted, you’ve built up a lot of experience in Japan and overseas. How do you think your interpretation of “different” has changed over this time?

RYOGA: With DIFFERENT, we wanted the album to reflect what we’ve been feeling over the past four years, and the ways we’ve changed and evolved. We’ve been fortunate to be able play not only in Japan but in many other cities, in 15 countries around the world. Over the course of those shows, we’ve realized that all seven of us look different, think differently, and express ourselves in different ways. Each of us has our own way of performing and our own strengths. I think that’s unusual for a modern boy band, and that variety is a good thing. It’s one of PSYCHIC FEVER’s strengths. That’s why we were able to make DIFFERENT.

JIMMY: Just a month after we debuted, we went to Thailand for six months of hardcore training, and then people started sharing “Just Like Dat feat. JP THE WAVY.” Around then is when we realized, thanks to our fans, that from the perspectives of overseas audiences, each of us was really unique and distinctive. Up until then, as a group we had this feeling that we needed to have unified objectives and a unified concept. Our overseas experience showed us that all seven of us have our own individual qualities, so we wanted to put that into our album. We also wanted to share a message with our listeners, that it’s okay to be different, that everyone is unique in their own way, and it’s important to cherish the value of each and every person.

The album covers a wide range of genres, but it never loses that core “PSYCHIC FEVER feel.” Was there anything you focused on when making the album to make sure it came out like that? Were there any particular standards?

JIMMY: We began working on the new album at the start of our fourth year together, after we’d tried out all kinds of different genres, so we focused on music that resonated with our own roots. Hip-hop and R&B is what got us into dancing, and we’d always admired African-American music. I’m part Nigerian, so my roots are also intertwined with Afrobeat. We chose genres that related to us—that we had close ties to. This time, we actually went through the things we’ve tried and pared away different elements to focus more tightly on our roots. I think that makes for a really fresh-feeling album.

On the album, you each express your own different individuality. Are there any parts where you think that a certain member’s character really comes through?

RYUSHIN: Until now, WEESA and KOKORO have been the main vocalists in the chorus sections a lot of the time, but on “Into You,” Ren really takes control of the the chorus. REN has sung the chorus before, on “Best For You,” but with his singing on “Into You,” not only does that PSYCHIC feel come through, but there’s also this great J-pop vibe. It instantly feels like a totally different song. Our group is made up of all kinds of different members, so when a different person sings the chorus, it expands our expressive range. That’s something that I’ve felt throughout the new album, and I think it’s one of our great strengths.

Did you discover any new aspects of PSYCHIC FEVER’s appeal through the process of making the album?

REN: We tried our hand at Afrobeat for the first time, and after we were done with the recording and I listened to the finished song, I remember thinking that, yes, it was Afrobeat, but it also had a strong PSYCHIC feel to it. All ten of the songs on the album, including the R&B, hip-hop, and dance music songs, feel like PSYCHIC FEVER. So through the new album, I discovered that we also have our own sound, that only we can create.

I feel like the lyrics to the songs on DIFFERENT also resonate with people in all kinds of different environments and situations. When you were writing the lyrics, was there anything you paid special attention to when it came to putting yourselves in the listeners’ shoes or striking a chord with them?

JIMMY: Our music turns our experiences, our ethnic roots, our different ways of thinking, and the like into messages that we share with listeners. Our music and our performances turn them all into positive energy. When writing the lyrics, I really focus on keeping a good balance of Japanese and English.

WEESA: I pay a lot of attention to staying true to life. I’m sure that different listeners get different things out of the lyrics, but on the new album, I tried hard to write lyrics with that true-to-life feel. I pick the English and Japanese lyrics very carefully, but I never forget to keep it catchy. For both languages, catchiness is important, and I also want overseas listeners to experience how fun the Japanese language is.

People often talk about how music is an art form without borders. Have you had any experiences that made you feel that way?

TSURUGI: When we played “Just Like Dat feat. JP THE WAVY” at different venues in the US, the local audiences would even sing along with the Japanese parts. It really demonstrated the power of music. A lot of listeners learned what our lyrics meant through our music, and they’d comment on how fun learning Japanese was on their socials. It really made me feel that, with music, there are no borders.

So, you’ve realized that one of PSYCHIC FEVER’s strengths lies in the differences between its members. Is there any message you want to share with the world using this strength?

JIMMY: I want to tell people that there’s no need to compare yourself to others or to feel inferior. We weren’t all that great when we started out. We just practiced hard, and we really delved into what we loved. We were able to successfully do it as a group, and I want to share that with everyone out there. I think in our world, individuality comes from turning what you love into one of your strengths and from doing something different from everybody else. PSYCHIC FEVER doesn’t really have a ‘concept,’ which I think is a good thing. Instead, it’s a group made up of the strengths of each of its members. Like, with the Avengers, you’ve got Iron Man, you’ve got Spider-Man, you’ve got all these superheroes who come together, and they’re what makes the team strong. We try to make music that people with different backgrounds and different ethnicities, living in different environments, can all enjoy.

Since we’re all in London, I’d like to ask a question about London, actually. One of the likes in the song “Uh Oh” is “No idea where I’m going tmr, Paris NY LA, next is London.” Was there some special reason that you put London last?

WEESA: I wrote that part. I feel like lately we’ve had this strong connection with London, and every time we go, I get really inspired and want to put on even more shows here. Of course, I want to play at all the cities in the lyrics, and all kinds of other countries, too, but lately we’ve had a lot of opportunities to go to London, which is why I put it last.

Is there any final message you want to share?

KOKORO: I’d really like to perform in the UK. We’ve just released DIFFERENT, and we’re going to be really showing what it means to be PSYCHIC FEVER, so you won’t want to miss it.

—This interview by Mami Kondo first appeared on Billboard Japan