ONE OR EIGHT takes its name from ichi ka bachi ka, the Japanese idiom for “all or nothing.” The eight members — MIZUKI, NEO, REIA, RYOTA, SOUMA, TAKERU, TSUBASA, and YUGA — made that official with their debut track “Don’t Tell Nobody,” produced by Ryan Tedder and David Stewart, and kept raising the stakes with each follow-up. Not long after, “KAWASAKI (with Big Sean)” widened the frame, putting their international aims front and center.

With that foundation in place, the group is stepping into a new run of music. “POWER,” released January 7, sets the pace for their mini album GATHER, which arrived on January 28 — a project that stretches across moods while keeping the group’s identity intact. You hear the approach immediately on “TOKYO DRIFT,” which twists a familiar sample into something sharper and faster, then stitches it together with vocals that highlight what each member brings to the lineup.

Fortunately, the era won’t live on streaming alone. This spring, ONE OR EIGHT will bring the new music to North and South America, touring through April and May and introducing their performance chemistry to plenty of first-time crowds. Now, in conversation with Stardust, the members of ONE OR EIGHT open up about the ideas driving their latest releases, the mindset that keeps them moving, and how they’re carrying this momentum onto a bigger, global stage.

How does that “all or nothing” mindset show up in the way you work together day to day?

REIA: The name ONE OR EIGHT comes from the Japanese phrase meaning “all or nothing.” The eight of us came together after surviving auditions, and each of us grew up in completely different environments with very different values. Because of that, our personalities and abilities vary widely, and we don’t always agree—we clash more often than not. But that’s exactly why the energy created when all eight of us come together is so powerful. There were moments when our opinions conflicted so strongly that, honestly, we wanted to turn our backs on each other. Still, every one of us shared the same desire—to challenge the world with these members—so no one gave up.

We weren’t a group that started with name recognition or popularity. That’s precisely why we were determined to aim for the top, and ultimately the world, even if it meant starting from the bottom. Aligning that direction as eight, we’ve continued moving forward together. Even now, we set a clear goal and engage in serious discussions time and again. We approach every rehearsal and performance with deep commitment, and I believe that very attitude embodies the name ONE OR EIGHT itself.

MIZUKI: We place great importance on the mindset of taking an “all-or-nothing” challenge. Before joining this group, every member experienced countless challenges and failures. The frustration, anxiety, and resolve we felt during those times naturally feed into our music today. I think that feeling is especially concentrated in the song “Bet Your Life.”

It’s a track that turns the rawness born from taking risks, and our determination, directly into sound, so I really hope people will listen to it. Recently, we’ve also been participating in songwriting camps ourselves, sharing our current thoughts and emotions firsthand as we create new music. Because of that, I believe our upcoming releases will carry an even stronger sense of ONE OR EIGHT’s all-or-nothing spirit.

Staying with that idea, what’s a real all or nothing risk you’ve taken as a group that ended up paying off?

SOUMA: One moment that stands out was when several of us took part in a songwriting camp. There was a moment when I recorded a topline in front of creators who have been nominated for numerous awards, and honestly, I was incredibly nervous. But I thought to myself, ‘If I hold back here, it won’t mean anything,’ so I committed fully. As a result, part of what I recorded was actually used. For me, that became a major success experience—a moment when the all-or-nothing spirit truly took shape.

NEO: For me, it was the moment we decided to move forward as ONE OR EIGHT. To be honest, there were safer and more conventional options. But I felt that even if we failed, choosing a sharper, more daring path would leave no regrets. Although everyone carried their own anxieties, we ultimately made the decision that ‘if we don’t bet on ourselves here, it means nothing.’ That resolve is what led to the ONE OR EIGHT we are today.

You kicked off 2026 with “POWER.” What energy were you trying to capture on this track, and why did it feel like the right first statement for the year?

RYOTA: ‘We won’t stop—and we can’t stop.’ As we move into a new year, we’re coming in hotter than ever, ready to make an even bigger impact on the world. “POWER” embodies ONE OR EIGHT’s immense energy and our renewed resolve. As our first release of 2026, we wanted to show—through sound rather than words—what ONE OR EIGHT is about from this point forward. We’re overflowing with strength, and we feel like we’re at our most powerful right now. That raw feeling is exactly what we poured straight into “POWER.”

YUGA: With “POWER,” we wanted to show how ONE OR EIGHT has evolved from last year. At the same time, it’s a song that expresses our determination to keep moving forward, even while carrying our weaknesses and past traumas with us.

With your mini album GATHER arriving right after, what’s the unifying thread across the project—emotionally, sonically, or even in the story you’re telling?

NEO: GATHER is a work that captures the process of scattered emotions and individual personalities coming together to become the ONE OR EIGHT we are today. Rather than forcing the sound or emotions into a single color, we intentionally left in the fluctuations and differences in temperature. I see it not as a polished, completed form, but as an album that preserves who we are in this very moment.

TSUBASA: The title GATHER literally means ‘to come together.’ Each of the eight members of ONE OR EIGHT has a different idea of what ‘cool’ means, who we want to become, and what kind of group we aspire to be. This mini-album, GATHER, brings together those eight distinct values, emotions, and sounds, shaping them into one form. Rather than forcing uniformity in either emotion or sound, we valued allowing each individuality to intersect, creating a single cohesive work. In that sense, GATHER represents ONE OR EIGHT as we are right now.

If someone discovers ONE OR EIGHT through GATHER, what do you want this release to prove about who you are as artists?

TAKERU: ONE OR EIGHT is made up of eight members who came together from truly different places. We’re like completely different ‘species,’ each with our own personalities and backgrounds, who just happened to unite around the same goal. In that sense, I think of us as something like the Avengers.

MIZUKI: We’re definitely not a perfect group. But each of the eight of us has a strong individuality, and by supporting one another and making up for what we lack, we continue to take all-or-nothing challenges toward the world. For those discovering us for the first time, I hope they see us as a group that believes in being true to ourselves and enjoys taking on challenges together while supporting each other.

“TOKYO DRIFT” flips a song people instantly recognize. What did you want to preserve from the original, and what did you change to make it unmistakably ONE OR EIGHT?

NEO: We were determined to preserve the original track’s sense of speed and its instantly recognizable energy. At the same time, we updated both the sound and visuals to reflect the sensibilities of today’s Tokyo and ONE OR EIGHT. With the concept of ‘Tokyo drifting,’ we wanted to convey a message about letting our sound resonate through a city where countless elements intertwine. Rather than ending as a nostalgic piece, it’s a song that clearly defines why it needs to exist now.

SOUMA: The intro was originally created for the music video, but because the sound felt so instantly familiar, we wanted to share it with a wider audience and decided to include it in the song itself. The track was initially intended to feature only the rap members, but adding vocals made it feel much more balanced overall. By making bold changes, I think it became a track that truly represents who ONE OR EIGHT is today.

With eight members, what’s the biggest challenge in moving as one unit—and what’s the biggest advantage that only an eight-member group can bring to the music and the stage?

REIA: When you have eight people, there are honestly many moments when opinions differ or when it’s difficult to fully understand one another right away. But I believe the most important things for us as a group are communication, empathy, and respect. Giving up is easy, but by facing things head-on, we can become stronger, and the eight of us can truly come together as one. I genuinely believe that. In both music and performance, each of us has different strengths and weapons, and when all eight voices and dances come together, something far more powerful is created. Because we are eight members, where not a single one can be missing, we are ONE OR EIGHT.

YUGA: With everyone on different schedules, there are challenges in bringing all eight of us together, and there are moments when we run into walls with one another. But when the eight of us gather, we’re able to make up for each person’s weaknesses and transform them into strength.

With “POWER” and GATHER setting the tone for this era, how are you translating it into a live show for your North and South American tour in April and May?

RYOTA: Compared to our last live show, I want people to see how much we’ve changed—not just in our appearance, but in our mindset and sheer determination. The ONE OR EIGHT we’ve shown through “POWER” and GATHER will come through even more raw and intense in a live setting. More than anything, I want to channel how much we missed our fans, 1DERZ, and the joy of being able to perform overseas again, directly into our performance. For those seeing ONE OR EIGHT for the first time, I hope they pay close attention to the differences in each member’s individuality.

TAKERU: This time, in addition to the catchy track “POWER,” we’ll be performing songs from GATHER like “TOKYO DRIFT,” which strongly represent Japan. Because of that, we want to challenge ourselves with special performances and expressions that can only be experienced in that moment, live on stage.