Interview: BALLISTIK BOYZ

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BALLISTIK BOYZ is a seven-member dance and vocal group who is a part of the popular sub-group EXILE TRIBE. These seven extremely talented members perform physically demanding acrobatic dance routines while singing emotional and thought provoking lyrics. They are the first in EXILE TRIBE to have all members to hold the microphone to sing, rap, and dance.

After the release of their highly anticipated third album Back & Forth, we were honored to interview them once again for this release! We have linked both the Digital and Physical edition so be sure to check it out. We have linked several song throughout the interview, along with the videos as well!

Ken: Thank you for having us again BALLISTIK BOYZ,  we are looking forward to the upcoming album!

BALLISTIK BOYZ: Thank you for having us again!

K: What should fans be looking forward to with this album release as it's been over 2 years since Pass the Mic in 2021?

RYUTA HIDAKA: This is an album that our fans can fully take in our growth over the past two years and our future possibilities, and I think the fans have been looking forward to it!

YOSHIYUKI KANO: It’s been two years since our last album, and during that time, we had lots of experiences like living in Thailand for six months and holding a live tour in Japan!

The album includes songs produced in Thailand and songs that the band members composed and wrote lyrics for. We tried a lot of new things on this album, and the lead song is also very new since we’ve never included a ballad, so I think you will enjoy it a lot!

… sometimes moving towards our dreams, sometimes being pushed backward, but steadily moving forward one step at a time.

K: Where did the name for your latest album come from? Does it happen to have any special meaning?

MASAHIRO SUNADA: The song represents how we’ve lived since our debut, challenging ourselves in many ways to make our dreams come true, repeating trial and error, sometimes moving towards our dreams, sometimes being pushed backward, but steadily moving forward one step at a time.

K: With Back & Forth being your third album, what was it you learned from your first two albums that helped you with putting this album together?

MIKU FUKAHORI: Since the last album, we’ve become clearer on the BALLISTIK BOYZ style, so we produced it based on that.

RIKIYA OKUDA: Some of the songs on this album were written by the band members, so I think you’ll feel how we’ve grown more mature since our last album was released, and the genre of music has also broadened!

We wanted to create a melody that’s more pleasing to listeners than focusing on expressing our feelings.

K: What has been the biggest challenge you encountered working on your newest album Back & Forth?

MIKU FUKAHORI: Producing the melody for “N.E.X.T.” We wanted to create a melody that’s more pleasing to listeners than focusing on expressing our feelings.

RIKI MATSUI: When we recorded “Drop Dead”, we produced it in Thailand. Only a studio was provided, and we had to do the rest ourselves. It took a long time because we provided all the direction and advice for each other.


K: Which songs did you have the most fun working on for Back & Forth?

MASAHIRO SUNADA: I’d say “N.E.X.T.” Our band member Miku wrote this song, so it felt new, and it was fun to record it under Miku’s direction during the recording.

K: The track ‘In My Head’ is an emotionally based song and is the group's most emotional song to date. Can you walk us through the creative process invoked in ‘In My Head’?

MIKU FUKAHORI: I purposely chose straightforward lyrics and created them by imagining a wistful heartbreak song that could be easily sympathized with.

RIKIYA OKUDA: This is a heartbreak song, so I wrote the lyrics straight out, not in a roundabout way, so that more people can relate to the song. There are various kinds of love stories, and I think you can feel the wistfulness of this song more if you watch and listen to the music video!

By composing and writing the lyrics, we’re able to give shape to our thoughts and music….

K: With “N.E.X.T” you guys did both the writing and composing for this track, what was it like taking on a challenge like that, and should fans be on the lookout for more releases that are written and composed by you?

MIKU FUKAHORI: By composing and writing the lyrics, we’re able to give shape to our thoughts and music that we want to deliver to you, so I hope you will continue to look forward to our music.

RIKI MATSUI: N.E.X.T. is a song about our deepest feelings, so we were worried about how the fans would react when they heard it, but we’re glad that they warmly accepted them. By composing and writing the lyrics, we can deliver our feelings in a more realistic way, so no matter what the content is about, I think it makes the music more enjoyable to listen to.

We shared the same dreams of achieving success in Asia and around the world with everyone in TRINITY and Gulf…

K: What was it like collaborating with Gulf Kanawut and TRINITY for “All I ever Wanted” and “Drop Dead” respectively?  Can you elaborate on how these two collaborations came about?  Will we see more collaborations in the future?

RYUTA HIDAKA: We’ve been working with Thai superstar F.HERO since 2022, and F.HERO introduced us to artists with whom we could collaborate well. We shared the same dreams of achieving success in Asia and around the world with everyone in TRINITY and Gulf, so we were able to create great music in a good relationship, mutually stimulating and enhancing each other's skills. Collaboration allows us to create a worldview that we could not create on our own and bring out what we cannot, so we hope to continue collaborating regularly in the future!

MASAHIRO SUNADA: We met Gulf and TRINITY after being introduced by F.HERO, a well-known rapper in Thailand.

TRINITY has been a great inspiration as a group of people of the same generation who share the same dreams. We’re good friends and rivals.

Gulf is already a superstar in Asia, so we had a lot to learn from someone who is already where we’re aiming to be. He was very friendly, and we went to a cat cafe together. LOL!

K: When creating ‘God Mode’, at the time, did you know it would be the anthem for SIGUMA SQUAD? How does it feel knowing it's the anthem for SIGUMA SQUAD?

YOSHIYUKI KANO: After originally hearing about the collaboration with BUCCHIGIRI?!, we were asked to do a team song for SIGUMA SQUAD, and we got to know what kind of team it was before moving on to production!

So, it was easy for us to visualize what we were looking for, and I think their team's colors match our image!

RYUSEI KAINUMA: I knew about it. However, since we did the production before the animation was completed, I didn’t understand the detailed nuances but heard some of the concepts before recording. I was honestly happy. Be sure to check out the special video that we made for the series as well!

K: What was it like Touring with both THE RAMPAGE and PSYCHIC FEVER for your Thailand and Bangkok concerts and are there any other EXILE TRIBE groups you would like to tour with?

RYUTA HIDAKA: We were able to promote LDH and EXILE TRIBE comprehensively by working as a team with seniors and juniors (of LDH), not only by ourselves.

I’ve had the experience of working with the FANTASTICS before our debut, so I think it would be very interesting if we could perform at  a live concert together again.

MASAHIRO SUNADA: Together with LDH, there was a more masculine and passionate vibe of ‘Let’s do this!” than when we usually perform on our own. I’d like to tour with LIL LEAGUE or KID PHENOMENON. I feel like we have the same vibe, haha!

K: After you finish a live performance what is usually the thing you like to do first?

YOSHIYUKI KANO: First, we discuss the day's live performance, bringing up any corrections or feedback.

I look forward to dinner afterward and when I have time, I eat something famous in the area!

RYUSEI KAINUMA: Playing games back at the hotel!

K: The last time we had interviewed you guys for the single "SUM BABY", you were the youngest of the Exile Tribes, but now there have been several groups that had debuted. Do you feel added pressure from being Senpais for those groups?

RIKI MATSUI: I feel it. But we are us, so we’ll always keep in mind what we think is cool and how we feel, and keep the story going.

MASAHIRO SUNADA: I always wanted to be the youngest, but it didn't work out that way, LOL. There’s a lot of pressure, but it’s a good stimulator. I have no choice but to keep improving myself day by day so that I can become a reliable and cool senior.

K: Do you have free time outside of the studio to pursue other hobbies or does the studio keep you pretty busy?

RYUTA HIDAKA: Thankfully, we’re busy these days, but when we have time, we enjoy our hobbies. I go surfing.

MASAHIRO SUNADA: These days, I’m so busy that I don't have time for a single hobby. I'm glad that I'm busy. But it's hard when I don't have time to work out at the gym, LOL.

K: Do you have a message for your international fans?

MIKU FUKAHORI: We definitely want to do a lot of live shows and events overseas.

Please come visit us when we do!

RIKIYA OKUDA: Thank you for your warm support! I believe that we are all BALLY'S (fans) regardless of where we are in the world, so please continue to give us your love and support more than any other group, no matter which country we are in!

K: Once again, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule, and we look forward to your upcoming releases!

BALLISTIK BOYZ: Thank you for having us once again, and please look forward to Back & Forth!

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