e5 is an artist gaining traction on the fringes of Tokyo’s new-generation alternative/hyperpop scene. On September 24, 2025, she releases her debut album MODE POP. The worldview sketched across the advance tracks—“WUNACOOL,” “DIVE JOB,” and “SPIDER SILK”—crystallizes as a full album. Guests include 嚩ᴴᴬᴷᵁ, killwiz, and Collie Wave. We spoke with e5 about everything from the impulse behind the record to her view of the scene and fashion.
— About the new record. In a word, what mood or feeling did you want this album to convey?
e5:
I titled the album MODE POP because both “mode = cutting-edge expression” and “pop = mass appeal” matter to me. In today’s scene I’m often framed as being “on the pop side,” but to the broader public my sound can read as “mode.” I wanted to put that duality up front, so this became a statement of intent: “being MODE while being POP.” It’s less a genre name than a name for a stance.
— Was there a song that made you feel, “writing this opened a new door for me”?
e5:
“DIVE JOB.” I challenged myself with a new tactile feel in the track while writing with a strong hook in mind. I also felt I could honestly pour my tangled ideas into the lyrics. The finish is pop, but the inside is pretty deep. I managed to hold both at once.
— Is the track order driven more by narrative or by sonic flow?
e5:
I initially designed it around narrative, but as production moved along, the flow of the sound became just as crucial. In the end, I fine-tuned it so that “the curve of the story and the curve of the sound coincide.” When I reconstruct it for the stage, the sequence should stand up as a single piece of theater.
— What “first risks” or “new methods” did you take this time?
e5:
Boldly placing my self-produced tracks in the front half. I’ve long made beats, but many ended up “shelved” because I hesitated to lean into pop. This time I decided, “I’ll show this side of me too,” and raised the ratio of self-production. Toward the end I placed a co-produced track with Nao Saegara as well, to make the album’s swing between “mode ⇄ pop” explicit.
— How did the features/collabs feel?
e5:
There are three guests. From Japan: 嚩ᴴᴬᴷᵁ and killwiz. From Korea: Collie Wave. If it’s just me, the worldview can skew too subjective; bringing in their interpretations gave the record more entry points. It’s huge that listeners can now enter the work from multiple angles.
09: I AM HERE Feat. killwiz
10: FROG JUMP UCHUU Feat. 嚩ᴴᴬᴷᵁ
12: KANTAN Feat. Collie Wave
— What recent movements in the scene have stimulated you?
e5:
Ramko (lilbesh ramko) still feels singular to me. As the consumption of “type beats” accelerates, he’s pushed his world in an uncharted direction and carved out a space that’s harder to consume. A live show that shakes you no matter how many times you see it—that’s precious.
— Which artists would you like to make something with next?
e5:
I’m interested in working around the STARKIDS crew. Besides the names I mentioned earlier, there are a few conversations in motion both in Japan and overseas. For collabs I decide not by “who it ends up sounding like,” but by “how much it can expand my own self.”
— Roots: how you fell for music and became a performer
e5:
It started with my father. He spent time in the U.S. training as a chef, and after returning to Japan he’d always play Elvis Presley. My mother loves Enya. At family events I sang from a young age and guests praised me—that experience is the origin of the “thrill of standing in front of people.”
Later, during a period when changes at home turned me inward, I discovered Vocaloid culture via Niconico and Flipnote Studio and fell in deep. Songs like “Matryoshka” (Hachi / now Kenshi Yonezu), “Nou Shou Sakuretsu Girl” (rerulili), and the world around Kagerou Project (Jin) pushed me to feel “it’s okay to write personal feelings,” which was huge. Then Jvcki Wai blew my mind, and I began studying the use of Auto-Tune and the force of rap—that’s the rough path.
— How does the city of Tokyo feel to you?
e5:
While it keeps getting more stylish, there’s also a sadness of “the scenery feeling the same wherever you go.” I sometimes sense the “noise” of Harajuku-ness or Shibuya-ness thinning out. That’s why the “heat of the venue” we create on the ground matters even more.
— Changes in today’s club/live scene
e5:
Around 2021–23, energy was concentrated at a few core spots; now there are more events and channels for expression, and consumption moves faster as a result. Music and fashion both saturate easily because the cutting edge is instantly accessible. So rather than “quickly conform to someone’s mold to go viral,” I choose to “stack things up at my own pace.”
— Fashion: what influences you, and how do you build looks?
e5:
“Don’t reference people.” I think in combinations drawn from natural forms (coral, insects, fish), tech, and monster colors/shapes. I prioritize silhouettes that suit my body type and bones, then land the outfit in a space that can’t be boxed by genre names. Like music-making, coord is an act of “editing,” and I think the way you reference changes what “my-ness” becomes.
— Goals ahead and expanding “mode pop”
e5:
I feel like pulling one more body of work together within the year, and I want to hone the MODE POP live show as “theater.” “Mode pop” is less a sound-genre name than an idea-genre name. So anyone can claim it—and it’d be great if more like-minded people did. As for festivals, I want to stand on a 10,000-capacity stage. If I don’t get booked, I’m ready to build an event that reaches that scale myself.
Release Info
e5 — MODE POP — out September 24, 2025.
Advance tracks:
“WUNACOOL” (prod. krynX) / “DIVE JOB” / “SPIDER SILK” (MV dir. JACKSON kaki).
Guests: 嚩ᴴᴬᴷᵁ, killwiz, Collie Wave.
- “WUNACOOL”: advance digital release on July 23. MV out.
- “DIVE JOB”: digital single out August 6.
- “SPIDER SILK”: released September 10 with MV (dir. JACKSON kaki).
“Being MODE while being POP.” True to e5’s words, MODE POP steps lightly over line-drawing while presenting a personal story head-on. In an era of fast consumption, she chooses to compete not with speed but with stance. Which door opens next—and where does it lead? It’s hard to look away from her stride.