SACRA Music Fes 2024 is set to go live in Malaysia on February 3rd and we had the opportunity to have a chat with Who-ya Extended, who has made quite a name for themselves with the Jujutsu Kaisen opening theme song, “VIVID VICE”.

Who-ya Extended debuted in 2019 and is composed of vocalist Who-ya and several core members, starting their career with the single “Q-vism”, which was the opening theme of the popular anime series PSYCHO-PASS 3. Since their debut, Who-ya Extended had numerous hits including “Synthetic Sympathy” and “VIVID VICE”, the opening song for the 2nd cour of Jujutsu Kaisen, one of the hottest anime right now, which also got 1st place on Oricon’s daily ranking.

[Interview is edited for clarity]

Future Aspirations 

Who-ya Extended is a young band and has only been active for 5 years, with vocalist Who-ya debuting at the age of 20 years old. In a short timespan, they have gained a lot of fans and released several hits.

Given the bright future ahead of them, we asked the band if they had any plans or goals in mind for the future, such as any new areas or collaborations that they would love to explore.

“There are a lot of things I still want to accomplish, that have yet to come true, but I hope to collaborate with other artists in the future. Also, I have a strong desire to deliver our music personally through overseas live events, especially now that live performances have started after the quarantines.”

Most Memorable Experience 

The upcoming SACRA Music Fes. 2024 is not the first concert that Who-ya Extended had performed at and with their bright career, we wonder if they have any particular experience they find the most memorable and moving that they could share.

To that, the band said that their first solo concert, which was held in Japan in early 2022, was something they will never forget.

“After our first performance, we weren’t able to engage in any live performances due to the effects of the pandemic. And now, finally being able to hold a concert and share our time and space with our audience is the most exhilarating experience.”

Hobbies 

Obviously, as a musician, Who-ya has a huge love for music but we were curious if there are any other interests and hobbies that may have influenced his and his band’s music.

Who-ya responded and said he loves outdoor activities such as fishing and camping, but he also loves spending time indoors playing video games and said that he particularly loves the Monster Hunter series by Capcom.

“Games, just like anime, rely heavily on music and culture, so I believe I absorbed it unconsciously.”

Jujutsu Kaisen

As mentioned previously, “VIVID VICE” is without a doubt one of Who-ya Extended’s most popular songs and with good reason as the Jujutsu Kaisen anime series blew up in popularity. Curious, we asked them about the inspiration for the song came to be and how it reflected the atmosphere of Jujutsu Kaisen.

“The second cour where “VIVID VICE” was the opening theme song of Jujutsu Kaisen, it was the ‘Kyoto Goodwill Event Arc’. That story segment features a much larger cast of characters than before, all engaged in thrilling battles. The song is made to capture the safety and fast-paced action of this arc and it is certainly heartening to see that even after the anime ended its broadcast, the song continues to be loved by many in Japan and abroad.”

PSYCHO-PASS 3

Jujutsu Kaisen aside, another anime that has a strong tie to the band is PSYCHO-PASS 3 as its opening theme song “Q-vism” is what shot the band to stardom. To that, we wonder how the song had impacted their musical career and if there are any interesting anecdotes or teachings they could share.

“At the time of my debut, being entrusted with the incredible opening theme for PSYCHO-PASS brought me immense joy along with a sense of pressure that was hard to put into words. Portraying the deep stories and emotions of characters through music poses many challenges, but I am very happy that ‘Q-vism’ is still loved by many people. In the beginning, I started with illustrations first just to see how the music and the world I imagined would be seen. Looking back, I believe this had quite an impact on me.”

Concerts in Malaysia

SACRA Music Fes. will be the first time that Who-ya Extended arrive in Malaysia for a concert and we asked if he has any plans to hold more concerts here in the country. To that, the band responded with a yes.

“This time, I’ll be having a live performance with my wonderful label mates at SACRA MUSIC FES. However, in the future, I really want to have a solo concert in Malaysia. I don’t want it to be just “Gembira bertemu dengan Anda,” but instead, I want this concert to be the starting point that firmly builds the relationship between us and Malaysia for days to come.”

Of course, Who-ya Extended’s music resonated with many fans around the world, especially in Southeast Asia. Knowing this, the band also added a thank you message to the fans in Southeast Asia.

“Thank you for always supporting Who-ya Extended’s music. As we gradually start presenting more live shows overseas, starting with this concert in Malaysia, I look forward to bringing our music directly to various Asian countries through live shows in the future. I can’t wait to meet you in your country or region! Please come and join us at the live shows!”

We’d like to thank Who-ya Extended for taking the time to answer our question, and we cannot wait to see them perform live at Zepp KL on 3rd February.