• YOASOBI’s mastermind Ayase officially launches solo career — the shared “Ayase / YOASOBI” YouTube channel splits into two
• Brand-new solo EP dialogue drops May 27 — all 5 tracks written, composed, arranged, and sung entirely by Ayase himself
• His first non-Vocaloid solo release, marking the shift from behind-the-scenes composer to front-stage singer-songwriter
• YOASOBI continues its “novel-to-music” project, kicking off a North American tour in August
• ⭐ Kaia’s Take: From Vocaloid-P to J-pop’s most prolific hitmaker — Ayase’s solo era has officially begun
📑 Table of Contents
🎤 Who Is Ayase? — The Vocaloid-P Turned Composing Prodigy
Born April 4, 1994, in Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Ayase was introduced to the piano by his grandmother as a child and picked up the guitar in elementary school — the first song he ever learned to play was by Ringo Sheena. In high school he formed the rock band Davinci, performing under the name “Keiichirō” as vocalist and bandleader, and moved to Tokyo in 2016 to pursue music.
But the real turning point came in 2018 — Ayase was hospitalised with a gastric ulcer, forcing Davinci into hiatus. Unable to sing while recovering, he started making music on his hospital bed using Hatsune Miku. On December 24 of that year, he uploaded his first track as Vocaloid Producer “Ayase” — “Sentensei Assault Girl” — to Niconico and YouTube.
In April 2019 he released “Last Resort”, which exploded across the Vocaloid community and became his breakout hit. That November saw his debut EP Ghost City Tokyo, a full album voiced entirely by Hatsune Miku. By this point Ayase was already a shining star in the V-family scene — his signature blend of breakneck tempos, complex song structures, and electronic rock fusion laid the DNA for what would become YOASOBI.
His musical influences are surprisingly wide-ranging: from J-pop staples like EXILE, RADWIMPS, aiko, Yumi Matsutoya, and Mariya Takeuchi, to Western rock and metal acts like Post Malone, Slipknot, and Bring Me the Horizon — even K-pop and 80s–90s music find their way in. That omnivorous listening background explains why his output spans so many genres with such ease.
🎵 The YOASOBI Hit Factory — From “Yoru ni Kakeru” to “Idol”
In mid-2019, Sony Music’s fiction platform Monogatary.com launched a project: turn user-submitted short stories into music. Ayase was invited to participate. While browsing Instagram, he stumbled upon a young female singer covering an Aimyon track — that singer was Ikura (Lilas Ikuta). Ayase reached out directly, convinced her to form a duo, and named it after the Japanese phrase for “playing at night” — YOASOBI was born.
Their debut single “Yoru ni Kakeru” (Racing into the Night) dropped digitally on December 15, 2019. There was no physical CD — it spread purely through streaming platforms. Then the pandemic hit, social media exploded, and Ikura’s solo rendition on THE FIRST TAKE provided a massive boost. The song climbed from #76 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 all the way to the 2020 year-end #1 — the first chart-topper in history without a physical release.
The records kept piling up: “Yoru ni Kakeru” became the first song in RIAJ history to earn a Diamond certification (500 million streams) in 2021, then reached Double Diamond (1 billion streams) in 2025.
What followed was an unbroken streak of hits:
- 🎨 “Gunjō” (Ultramarine) (2020) — an anthem inspired by the manga Blue Period, also Diamond-certified, now a staple at school choir performances and sporting events across Japan
- 🐺 “Kaibutsu” (Monster) (2021) — the OP for BEASTARS Season 2, named one of TIME magazine’s 10 Best Songs of 2021, Diamond-certified
- ⭐ “Idol” (2023) — the OP for Oshi no Ko, this track rewrote the global perception of J-pop: #1 on Billboard Global Excl. US (a first for a Japanese artist), the longest-running #1 in Japan Hot 100 history at 22 consecutive weeks, and one of the best-selling songs worldwide in 2023
On the group front: the THE BOOK EP trilogy all hit #2 on Oricon; four appearances on Kōhaku Uta Gassen; a 2024 Coachella set; and a signing with CAA (Hollywood’s biggest talent agency). Ayase has also written for other artists — “Saikai” for LiSA×Uru, “Episode X” for Ado (the Doctor-X movie theme), “Bakamajime” for Creepy Nuts×Ikura — showcasing his versatility as a composer far beyond the YOASOBI brand.
🆕 Solo Career Launches — Channel Split + dialogue EP Arrives
In May 2026, the official YOASOBI X account (@YOASOBI_staff) issued a major announcement:
“As composer Ayase’s solo activities officially commence, the YouTube channel ‘Ayase / YOASOBI’ will be split into the ‘YOASOBI Official Channel’ and the ‘Ayase Official Channel.’ From his very first steps as a Vocaloid-P ‘Ayase’ to the journey that became YOASOBI — this channel has documented that entire arc. While it’s a bittersweet farewell, this is a new challenge to bring the expression and activities of ‘the artist Ayase’ to audiences more deeply than before.”
— YOASOBI official X, May 2026
In simpler terms: the “Ayase / YOASOBI” channel that’s been shared since YOASOBI’s 2019 debut is now splitting in two. The original channel becomes the “YOASOBI Official Channel”, focused on group content; Ayase’s solo work moves to the newly created “Ayase Official Channel”. Ikura’s personal channel continues independently. Three channels running in parallel — a clear sign of the brand architecture maturing.
Arriving alongside the announcement is Ayase’s first non-Vocaloid solo EP, dialogue (digital release, May 27, 2026). Five tracks, entirely written, composed, arranged, and sung by Ayase himself. This EP marks his debut as a singer-songwriter — no Hatsune Miku, no YOASOBI “novel-to-music” framework, but Ayase speaking directly in his own voice.
The lead single “Urusa” dropped a week earlier, and the new channel has already uploaded several Ayase solo tracks with a noticeably different flavour from YOASOBI — rawer, more personal, more experimental. For fans who’ve followed him since the Vocaloid days, the lingering question is whether the new channel will eventually feature fresh Vocaloid works. That悬念 remains deliciously open.
🔊 Kaia’s Take — From Composer to Full-Stack Singer-Songwriter
Ayase’s evolution is worth unpacking. His musical DNA was cultivated in Vocaloid culture — breakneck tempos, intricate song structures, electronic rock fusion, narrative-driven lyrics. YOASOBI is, at its core, a successful experiment in transplanting that DNA into a J-pop framework: Miku-esque rapid-fire melodies paired with a human vocalist, bringing dōjin music’s creative methodology into the mainstream.
But with dialogue, he makes one crucial decision: using his own voice. This isn’t a technical upgrade — he could always sing, he was the frontman during the Davinci years. It’s an identity shift. Up until now, his role has been “in service of the work” — writing for novels (YOASOBI), for anime (Monster, Idol), for other artists (Ado, LiSA). dialogue is the first time he’s writing for himself. The EP cover’s frosted glass — visible yet not fully transparent — mirrors this state perfectly: it’s still the same Ayase, but this time the voice you hear is unmistakably his own.
The symbolic weight of the channel split is just as significant. This isn’t a signal that YOASOBI has run its course — on the contrary, it’s a sign of a maturing brand architecture. Ayase’s solo brand can now explore music outside the YOASOBI framework — darker, more experimental, more personal — while YOASOBI continues as the flagship “novel-to-music” project. Ikura has maintained a solo career all along; now Ayase is walking the same path. Three brands, each with creative breathing room. In the long run, that only makes YOASOBI’s music richer.
📋 Ayase Quick Facts
| Stage Name | Ayase |
| Born | April 4, 1994 (age 32) |
| Hometown | Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan |
| Affiliation | YOASOBI (composition & production), Echoes (Sony Music Japan) |
| Years Active | 2012–present |
| Notable Solo Works | Ghost City Tokyo (2019), dialogue (2026), “SHOCK!” (2023), “Hiten” (2023) |
| Notable YOASOBI Works | “Yoru ni Kakeru”, “Gunjō”, “Kaibutsu”, “Idol” |
| Socials | YouTube @AyaseOfficial |
❓ FAQ
🔹 Is YOASOBI breaking up?
No. YOASOBI is very much still active — they’re kicking off a North American tour in August 2026. The channel split simply separates Ayase’s solo work from YOASOBI releases. Both brands continue in parallel, just as Ikura has maintained her solo career alongside YOASOBI all along.
🔹 What’s special about Ayase’s new EP dialogue?
dialogue is Ayase’s first non-Vocaloid solo EP, released digitally on May 27, 2026, with 5 tracks. The standout feature: every track is written, composed, arranged, and sung entirely by Ayase himself — his debut as a singer-songwriter.
🔹 What is Ayase’s musical style?
Ayase’s musical DNA comes from Vocaloid culture — fast tempos, complex song structures, and electronic rock fusion. The YOASOBI era wove this into a J-pop framework; his solo work is rawer, more experimental, and more personal.
🔹 Was Ayase in a band before?
Yes. He formed the rock band Davinci in high school, serving as vocalist and bandleader (2012–2020). A gastric ulcer hospitalisation in 2018 led him to explore Vocaloid music production during recovery — the turning point of his musical career.
🔹 Will Ayase release new Vocaloid music on his new channel?
Nothing official has been announced yet. But Ayase’s roots are in Vocaloid, and the V-family fanbase remains hopeful for new Vocaloid works down the line.
📖 Further Reading
🔗 More Info
🎬 Ayase Official Channel (new YouTube channel)
🎬 YOASOBI Official Channel
🎬 Ikura Official Channel
📢 Official announcement: Channel split notice (YOASOBI official X, May 2026)
📋 Ayase Wikipedia
📋 dialogue EP release news (E-Talentbank, 2026-05-18)
