ATARASHII GAKKO! on 11 Years, Lasting Bonds, and Playing Together Until They're "Grandmas"

It’s a long way from Tokyo, Japan to the Arts District of Culver City, CA, but the four members of ATARASHII GAKKO! (their name translates to “new school”) feel at home at their company’s new West Coast outpost: a small, white building tucked away on a side street.

“We arrived in LA yesterday,” says SUZUKA, an unfinished In-N-Out drink sweating on the coffee table in front of her. “There’s a sense of comfort being back, and I feel relaxed here.” During the pandemic, the four Tokyo-based women spent two-and-a-half months living in Los Angeles. While there, they worked on songs for Snacktime! their first EP under their US label 88rising.

SUZUKA, the group’s lead vocalist, is joined by RIN, the hip-hop-phile and amateur chef; KANON, the youngest member at 24; and MIZYU, with her signature twin-tail hairstyle.

AG, as they refer to themselves, have arrived in LA via Seattle after a rousing set at Bumbershoot Arts and Music Festival. Their electric live act, which sometimes borders on performance art, is one of the main reasons for their global success. It helped carry them to Coachella in 2024 and through a sold-out 13-city North American tour.

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“As we perform,” RIN notes, “I always notice that the audience’s reaction varies so much depending on the country or region. For example, the timing of when Suzuka goes off stage and into the audience depends on the energy.”

Although from Japan, they are not your typical J-pop outfit. AG reach into a grab bag of everything from hip-hop to techno to rock, all shaped by their signature dance moves and schoolgirl look. Lately, they also ramped up their lyric contributions and creative direction, including visuals.

For the music videos accompanying their latest album, the ’80s-inflected From Tokyo with Love , they asked to work with Tokyo-based director Mackenzie Sheppard.

“Mackenzie-san!” exclaims MIZYU. “The first time we worked with him was when he directed our music video for ‘WOO! GO!’ Ever since, we really loved his vibe and playfulness, so we had always been hoping for the chance to work together again.”

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Although they hired Sheppard for his ideas, there was a natural exchange. “We had a lot of meetings with him,” MIZYU continues. “Whether it was showing him our new costumes or talking about the live-action shots used — it felt like we created it together.”

That “WOO! GO!” video, made for Nike Juku, a Nike program promoting student wellness in Japan, won a Silver Lion at Cannes in 2023. Since their inception, ATARASHII GAKKO! have embodied a “school theme” that contrasts conformity with individuality.

However, their video for their new album’s lead single, “Oi AG!,” shows the four trading their signature schoolgirl uniforms for car-mechanic attire — their leather gloves punching the air.

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When asked if they’ve ever received pushback on an idea they believed in, SUZUKA says no, but their opinions as a group are the priority — especially when it comes to their idiosyncratic dance moves.

“The four of us do have the mindset of, ‘We just really like this, so we won’t listen to what anyone else has to say.’ When it comes to choreography, we always create what works the best for us, with just the four of us.”

“I think that’s an area where we do make sure to draw a line,” RIN adds.

Often, they combine elements of contemporary Japanese culture, like in their performance of “Oi AG!,” at the inaugural Zipangu festival in Pasadena, CA back in May. For that show, they sang wielding brooms with a microphone on one end.

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“The brooms… Well, in Japan, there’s a culture where students will clean their own classrooms after school. And while students clean, they’ll play and use the brooms as mic stands or guitars. With the choreography, we were making those childhood fantasies come true,” explains SUZUKA.

“Recently, though, we haven’t been using the brooms in our performances. To present a rockstar energy in that song, we watched a lot of Michael Jackson’s music videos. The moves are inspired by ‘Beat It.’ ”

KANON elaborates. “We might think ‘We’re finished! It’s 100% complete!’ But as we keep performing, the way we feel about it might change. I think choreography comes to life only after we see the audience’s reaction. We take those reactions into consideration…We’re making constant updates.”

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Michael Jackson aside, from its cover artwork that could double as a fantasy film poster, to its rock anthems and synth-heavy pop, there are many ’80s-inspired elements on the album. When asked how they integrate being Gen Z into music that draws on the past, SUZUKA gives it some thought.

“Our mentality has always been to portray ‘We who live in the now’… But we can also relate to the past, and the cultural phenomena of that time…F or example, I think about how to sing in that AC/DC style while protecting my throat. I’ve also been inspired by The Rolling Stones. And maybe I’m not just simply being ‘inspired’, but also learning throughout the process.”

The quartet has big ideas for the future.

“I feel like ATARASHII GAKKO! has always had songs that incorporated elements of what we consider to be our own take on hip-hop,” RIN says. “But we’ve never actually done a song that’s pure, dope hip-hop.”

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MIZYU would love to see what AG could do with Cirque du Soleil. “ It wouldn’t be a collaboration in terms of a ‘song,’ but I’d like to see how our performances could blend,” she says of the avant-garde French-Canadian circus company.

Perhaps their best collaborators are themselves. They have performed together since 2015 and have known each other since middle-school.

“We’re family, and we’re also best friends. There’s a special kind of fun that we can only experience when it’s the four of us together. It’s irreplaceable,” says SUZUKA, who says she wants to remain with her fellow members sharing all of life’s moments until they’re “grandmas.”

“It feels like they’re a part of me, my body!” KANON quickly adds, with MIZYU jumping in:

“They’re in my cells!”

The day after we met, ATARASHII GAKKO! head back to Japan for a slew of live performances before embarking on a mini-tour of Latin America in December. They’ll return to Mexico and perform for the first time in Chile and Brazil.

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“Performing live makes us feel alive,” SUZUKA says, her hands in motion. “I’m alive, and the crowd is alive. Living, living, living.”

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_Originally reported by [Consequence](https://consequence.net/2026/09/atarashii-gakko-interview/)._