Japanese singer Natori was at The Theatre at Mediacorp on July 25 for his first concert in Singapore and there were extra concerns regarding the use of cameras.
That’s because the 23-year-old has never shown his face and full name to the public since debuting in 2021.
AsiaOne was there at the One Man Live show and this reporter was mildly dismayed by the strict no-recording policy – was I really not allowed a quick snap to relive the moment?
The fans we spoke to were, however, delighted to have a phoneless concert experience.
“I can’t wait to watch the concert without any phones in my face,” said ramen restaurant staff Kakob, 28, who’s followed Natori since 2023. “A lot of J-pop organisers sponsors really uphold a no-phone policy [during performances].”
Ant, 23, added that the policy was even more important probably since organisers “don’t want people to zoom in on his face”.
In the theatre, an announcement was made for concertgoers to put phones and recording devices away, or they “may be removed from the venue”, and an advisory that the concert would use special effects reliant on “complete darkness”.
Fans dutifully stashed their devices away and when Natori made his entrance with his song Eat (2026), the theatre was filled with hyped dancing and jumping. It was hard to find anyone glued to their seats.
Going phoneless, staying immersed
With no phones in sight, it was clear that everyone was set on being in the moment as they focused on Natori in the flesh, whose shadowed figure was enveloped by striking LED lights.
As his setlist went on, several signature motifs from his music videos could be spotted on screen, like the peering eyes from the song Serenade (2026), looming streetlamps in Osmanthus (2023) and the chaotic, cyber aesthetic of In My Head (2026).
Throughout the hour-and-a-half set, we were treated to fan-favourite songs like Propose (2026), Sarushibai (2023) and Overdose (2023), which shot him to fame in May 2022. Furthermore, with a full live band in tow, the songs took on a new life of their own with crisp instrumentals that felt invigorating.
With Natori’s music primarily backed by electronic arrangements, fans like Ant were eager to hear the band.
“I think his instrumentals are very fun to listen to because of his bass emphasis,” said the arts charity worker. “I always enjoy hearing J-pop bands live because of the bass – it’s a very under-used instrument in other genres of music.”
During sporadic ments (conversation breaks), Natori spoke to fans in an endearing mix of Japanese and English, where he urged the crowd to keep up their “super dancing”, “super jumping” and “super singing”. Screams of praise, “aishiteru” (Japanese for “I love you”) and hand-hearts filled the space, which flattered him and had him professing his love for his fans in English.
He also spent a whole segment properly introducing his band members and making quips about their personalities, like how guitarist Taiking was “super muscle” and “super groovy”.
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A coveted towel
When the concert was ending and his hit song Absolute Zero (2024) hadn’t come up, I began to fear that I wouldn’t get to hear it live. Alas, he delivered the beloved Windbreaker anime opening with the addition of confetti pops and ecstatic dancing, guitar in hand.
Of course, all that adrenaline had him sweating and before leaving the stage, he took a towel, wiped away his perspiration and flung the cloth far into the crowd, sending the stalls into a frenzy.
The black, unceremonious towel landed in the hands of two sisters, Kay and Jan, with the latter professing that she cried upon catching it.
“I had a feeling he was going to throw it at us. It felt like he was staring in our direction, but I was surprised he managed to throw it that far,” said Kay, 20. Jan, 22, proclaimed that they would use a frame to display the towel, and hang it up in their shared room.
Kay added: “This is going to be a core memory for us. If we had a ball of memories, this would take the very front of it.”
After the concert, they were flanked by enthusiastic fans who asked to take pictures with them and the towel. Others also stayed behind to pick up confetti and pose with the strips to commemorate the concert, with some generous fans giving out their extra pieces.
By the end of the phone-free concert, I still found myself hooked on adrenaline. Overall, beyond Natori’s haunting vocals, I found myself touched by the strong fan community present. Strangers complimented each other’s outfits and costumes, going so far as to exchange contacts. Some fans also gave out freebies such as stickers or art prints.
Several concertgoers showed up in cosplay, dressing up as Windbreaker characters or recurring figures in some of his music videos like Serenade. With Natori’s ever-changing virtual persona appearance, some fans copied his look in the concert’s key visual, or of his schoolboy avatar in the cover of Absolute Zero.
Succinctly describing the experience in one word, Kay told us the concert was “supernatural”, owing to Natori’s “unreal” vocals and the dark aesthetic of the show.
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kristy.chua@asiaone.com
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