Interview with THREE1989

Formed in 2014 by vocalist Shohey, keyboard player Shimo and DJ Datch, THREE1989 is an indie band that specializes in catchy R&B and jazz-infused pop tunes. They have released three albums to date, and they recently revealed that they have a fourth on the way.

Ahead of its release, JaME was able to get some insight into their sound, the concept of the new album, their overseas ambitions and the real-life effects of Shohey's appearance on the Netflix-acquired reality show "Terrace House: Opening New Doors".

How would you describe THREE1989's sound to someone unfamiliar with your music?

THREE1989: We added a beat you can dance to to a sound that is reminiscent of urban music.

What inspired you to start making music?

Shohey: I went to a club, and there I came to know of dance music. I then thought that I wanted to sing in a club, but I was told that I had to have original songs in order to do so.


Your music seems to have a strong ‘80s influence, and you even have “1989” in your band name. What draws you to this decade?

THREE1989: 1989 is just the year all three of us were born in. To us, the 80s were a very refreshing era. The feel of our chords is inspired by the 70s, the beat the 80s and recently we have not been limited to those eras and also added in the essence of 90s rock.

You recently performed at Japan Weekend Madrid in Spain. What was that experience like?

THREE1989: Our first European concert was incredibly exciting. We will never be able to forget that scene. Even though they didn’t understand our language, everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun and dancing. Because of that, the feeling that we wanted to go to loads of different places and hold concerts began to blossom, and in 2020 we want to hold a tour of Asia and a tour of Europe.


If you could perform in any city in the world, where would you want to go?

THREE1989: Of course we would want to go to Europe, but we also want to give America a try!

Many overseas fans discovered your music because of Shohey’s appearance on “Terrace House: Opening New Doors”. Shohey, do you find that fans of "Terrace House" seem to have any misconceptions about you or THREE1989 because of how you were portrayed?

THREE1989: In real life, there were a lot of knock-on effects from "Terrace House". Even though a lot of musicians have appeared on "Terrace House", I think that THREE1989 have been the only band to have been invited overseas because of it. I think that because our music has a unique concept of ‘music you can dance to’, it overcomes language barriers and becomes something we can all share.


We hear that you are working on a new album. What can you tell us about it? Are there any particular sounds or themes that dominate the release?

THREE1989: We are releasing one track a week for ten weeks, and after that they will be compiled into a release with a bonus track. It will likely be available February next year. The album's theme is ‘party'. Although we say ‘party’, it is not just about being loud, but before you go to a party you have that excited feeling, right? We thought it would be good to bring that excitement to people every week, and therefore decided to do a weekly release of new songs. It embraces the message that everyone should find their own thing that makes them excited!

Can you please leave a message for JaME’s readers?

THREE1989: We are aiming for the old concept of a ‘soul train”. Everyone is to be a main character. It is a space where there is music, and people can drink, talk, sing and dance. We want to increase the number of chances there are to do that. And so, like we said earlier, we are thinking about holding Asian and European tours in 2020! Please pray that we will be able to do concerts abroad!

JaME would like to thank THREE1989 and brdge press for making this interview possible.