ATARASHII GAKKO!

ATARASHII GAKKO! are a four-member Japanese dance and vocal group comprising MIZYU, RIN, SUZUKA, and KANON. Formed in 2015, they built their identity around sailor uniforms, member-created choreography, and the idea of being the “Youth Representatives of Japan”, using music and performance to champion individuality and freedom without simply reproducing the conventions of the idol scene. Dance, physical comedy, theatrical staging, and deliberately eccentric character work have remained as important to the group as the songs themselves, while their music has moved freely through J-pop, Showa-era kayōkyoku, jazz, hip-hop, funk, rock, and punk.

After early performance and commercial projects, the group made their major-label debut through Victor Entertainment in 2017 with ‘Dokubana’, a H ZETT M-produced piano-rock track with a Showa kayōkyoku streak. Their first two albums, ‘Maenarawanai’ in 2018 and ‘Wakage Ga Itaru’ in 2019, developed the offbeat school-age themes, retro Japanese pop references, live-band arrangements, and self-choreographed performance style that defined their early years. In 2020 they released ‘OTONABLUE’, produced by yonkey, a song whose deliberately nostalgic sound would later become their biggest domestic breakthrough.

Their international expansion began before that breakthrough. ATARASHII GAKKO! signed with US-based Asian music company 88rising in late 2020 and made their worldwide debut in January 2021 with ‘NAINAINAI’, adopting ATARASHII GAKKO! as their overseas name. Releases including the Money Mark-produced ‘SNACKTIME’ EP broadened their sound and international audience, but ‘OTONABLUE’ changed their scale in 2023 when its neck-shaking choreography became a major TikTok trend. The revival led to a breakout year in Japan that included appearances on THE FIRST TAKE and NHK’s Kōhaku Uta Gassen, as well as an Excellent Work Award at the Japan Record Awards.

By 2024 the quartet had turned that viral attention into a sustained international live career. They sold out Nippon Budokan, performed at Coachella, released their third album ‘AG! Calling’, and undertook their first headline world tour across Europe, Asia, and North America, including their UK debut in London. Their tenth anniversary in 2025 brought a large-scale Makuhari Messe concert and career-spanning best album, while 2026 saw the release of fourth album ‘From Tokyo with Love’ and their first anniversary concert outside Japan at London’s Roundhouse. Across each phase, the same four members and their self-created choreography have remained at the centre of ATARASHII GAKKO!, turning a deliberately unconventional Japanese school-uniform concept into one of the country’s most recognisable global performance acts.