Track is a collaboration with multi-Platinum Japanese pop band End of the World
Two-time Grammy-nominated artist Steve Aoki and multi-Platinum Tokyo-based group End of the World have released the new self-titled song “End of the World.” Beautifully synchronizing the individual styles of both artists, the single sees End of the World lead singer Fukase’s whispery falsetto smoothly glide over Aoki’s signature electronic groove. The track pulses with positive energy from start to finish, leading with a universal message about tapping into the present.
Aoki, who was recently announced as an Asian Hall of Fame inductee for the class of 2021, says of the project, “I’ve been a big fan of End of the World’s music for a while now, so when the opportunity came up to work with them I was honored. It’s always fun for me to collaborate with Japanese artists given my heritage, and to bring that to the rest of the world. The song we made is special not only in it’s lyrical content, but in it’s uplifting melody, and I am so excited for it to be out for everyone to dance and sing along to.”
End of the World’s Fukase adds, “As our first ever self-titled work, this song brings me back to the time in my life when I had lost everything that it literally felt like it was the end of the world. That’s how the band’s name came about, to remind all of us that it is never too late to start anything, even from the very end. Lyric-wise, this song sounds a lot like a normal love song, but I also feel like every word is meant for my old self in the past.”
The “End of the World” origin story began with Aoki as a fan of the band, who are known for performing in Japan to stadium-sized audiences upwards of 140K fans. Sooner than later, Aoki reached out, and End of the World was excited to join forces. This intense exchange of energy and emotion between Aoki and Fukase inspired them to hit the studio to work on an original collaboration, which would ultimately become “End of the World.”
During the process, the two finally met this summer in July, when Fukase appeared on stage at one of Aoki’s Las Vegas performances. The song’s refrain, “Don’t tell me it’s the end of the world tonight,” suggests a longing for the night to keep going and to feel hopeful again, energized by the return to live music and their shared experience being back on stage.
