As the writer of many melancholic songs, it might come as no surprise that Natori himself carries the weight of such emotions with him.
The Japanese pop singer, who hasn’t revealed his face since debuting in 2021, released his latest album The Abyss in January, which includes Serenade – a tie-in song that acts as the ending theme for the third season of the popular anime Oshi no Ko. He will hold his first Singapore concert on July 25.
As a fan and manga reader, Natori told AsiaOne in an interview that he was thrilled when his collaboration with the series was confirmed, but felt a strong pressure and responsibility to properly represent it through his music.
In a previous interview with Japan’s Rolling Stone publication, the 23-year-old remarked that while writing the song, there was a period he struggled mentally.
When asked how he coped, Natori told us candidly: “At the core of it, I feel like I’ve lived a life where I haven’t really faced myself head-on. While writing Serenade, I had a strong intuition that it was a song I couldn’t make unless I truly looked inward and re-examined myself.
“As I started asking myself what I actually had within me, there came a moment when I felt like I had nothing at all. Or rather, that I had simply ended up in a fortunate place because of circumstances and that’s why so many people were able to hear my music.”
He remarked that when the realisation hit him, he struggled with insecurity and felt like he had lost something valuable without noticing it.
“I remember feeling like there was a hollow space that opened up inside me and that was incredibly painful,” Natori revealed.
He had written several other tracks for Oshi no Ko and “felt something well up” inside him the moment he came up with the demo that eventually became Serenade.
He said: “I remember thinking that maybe all the struggles I’d been going through up until that point had been leading me to this song. Even now, I sometimes listen to that original demo and after seeing it in its final form, I truly feel like I was given an incredible experience. In many ways, it feels like everything I went through was rewarded.”
Three months on, he has yet to overcome his turmoil. But after gradually learning how to maintain distance from himself, he has begun to understand his emotions better.
Oshi no Ko follows a doctor and his recently deceased patient who are reborn as twins to a famous Japanese pop idol, and they navigate the highs and lows of the country’s entertainment industry while growing up together. Its first theme song Idol – sung by popular J-pop duo Yoasobi in 2023 – was ranked the country’s top song for two consecutive years.
When asked which track in The Abyss he would consider his favourite, Natori said: “Help Me Take Me is particularly memorable. When I listen to it, I can feel my own growth in DeskTop Music (DTM) and it was a lot of fun to create. It’s a rare song where even while I’d been facing an empty version of myself during the production process, I was able to genuinely enjoy making it.”
Still not used to fame
Natori rose to fame at 19 years -old after his song Overdose went viral on social media in May 2022.
Looking back, he said: “When my music reached so many people at the time, I personally felt that there were so many moments where I felt a sense of discomfort or a gap between myself and what was happening around me.”
Even four years on, he has yet to get used to the attention but is grateful to have gone through those times as they’ve allowed him to find comfort in his everyday life at present.
His music has also seen personal growth and depth, as Natori’s DTM and arrangement skills have improved with his deeper understanding of “character” that different sounds bring, leading him to genuinely enjoy more creating songs more through the medium.
Since Overdose, his songs have continued to take on the same bittersweet and melancholic energy signature and when asked if this is his preferred style, he said: “That might be true. I consider myself to be a fairly typical person of this generation and I feel that younger people today tend to view things through certain filters.
“I think I do that more than most. And when you look at things mainly through their unpleasant or darker sides, that naturally carries over into the music as well, which is why those aspects turn our quite evidently in my songs.”
Upcoming Asia concert tour
Natori will bring his third tour One-Man Live Tour – The Abyss across Asia from June to September and make a stop in Singapore on July 25. It would be his first time visiting the country, and he hopes to snap pictures with the Merlion statue.
When asked what fans can expect at his concert here, he said: “I’m not quite sure what the vibe of live shows and music fans in Singapore will be like, but just like what we’ve done in Japan and elsewhere in Asia, I plan to put on a super intense, venue-shaking performance. I’d love it if everyone could shout, sing along and really react with us.”
He remarked that since his 2025 Asia tour where he visited Taipei, Bangkok and Seoul, the atmosphere and emotional range of his music have “expanded” after taking in the reactions of local audiences at his concerts.
“This time, I hope to bring back experiences that can only be found in Singapore through this tour and incorporate them into my music,” said Natori.
Tickets for Natori’s One-Man Live Tour – The Abyss on July 25 at The Theatre at Mediacorp are available on Sistic from $98.
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kristy.chua@asiaone.com
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