The four members of ATARASHII GAKKO! feel at home at their company’s new West Coast outpost in the Arts District of Culver City, CA. “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.
Global Success
ATARASHII GAKKO! 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.
“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.”
Unique Sound
Although from Japan, they are not your typical J-pop outfit. ATARASHII GAKKO! 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.”
Creative Process
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.
Future Plans
MIZYU would love to see what ATARASHII GAKKO! 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.”
The day after meeting, 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.
“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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