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With a face always concealed and an identity kept carefully out of the spotlight, yama has made mystery an integral part of their world. Since the 2020 breakout hit Haru wo Tsugeru, yama’s distinctive voice has made a mark on the J-Music scene, all while avoiding confinement to any single image or genre. For yama, the essence lies elsewhere: in the music, the emotions, and that instantly recognizable voice—enough in itself to let the mask fall away.
Emerging from the vocaloid cover scene before joining the band BIN, yama gradually crafted a musical universe where pop, rock, and electronic sounds converge. This musical identity has also shone through in numerous anime theme songs, ranging from Ranking of Kings and SPY×FAMILY to Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury. More recently, the artist teamed up with Vaundy for Tsugai: Daemons of the Shadow Realm, engaging in a mutual cover exchange as unique as their artistic partnership.
At Japan Expo 2026, however, we sought to discover a different side of yama. Who is truly hiding behind the persona, beyond the mask and the labels? In this exclusive interview, the artist looks back on their beginnings and the development of their musical identity.
Before your solo career, you were covering vocaloid songs and were part of the group BIN. What made you decide to go solo under a new stage name?
BIN started out as a group that was simply meant to have fun. But I still wanted to focus more seriously on music, take my career further, and center it around myself. Mr. Shintarō Fujiwara approached me and suggested that we grow our YouTube subscribers. That’s how my solo career began.
Your solo career took off very quickly. Was there a particular moment when you realized your music was truly resonating with the public?
It’s true that my first original single became a hit very quickly. When I was mainly doing Vocaloid covers, I struggled a lot because I felt like I wasn’t making any progress. Then I released Haru wo Tsugeru, and it became an instant success. Unfortunately, it came out right in the middle of the COVID pandemic, when people could only listen to music from home and I couldn’t perform live. Because of that, it was difficult to truly realize that people enjoyed my music. It was only once I was finally able to perform concerts that I realized people were actually listening to it.
Your music blends many different influences—pop, rock, electronic music, and vocaloid. How do you make sure each song still feels unmistakably like a Yama song?
I got into vocaloid when I was a student, but to me, vocaloid is only one of my many musical roots. Before that, I listened to a wide variety of genres, especially city pop and R&B. Those were the styles I really loved. Discovering vocaloid helped me better understand what I truly enjoyed about music. My style is quite unique, even though it’s influenced by pop, and I think what really defines it is the melodies and the lyrics. I create very instinctively—whatever resonates with me naturally ends up becoming what gives my songs their identity.
In March 2026, you released your EP C.U.T. What did you want to express through the songs on this record?
When I was making vocaloid covers, most of my audience consisted of people who spent a lot of time online, so it was music that was easy for a wide audience to listen to. But when I wanted to reconnect with my roots and explore that side of myself more deeply, I came up with the title C.U.T., which stands for Chill Out, Urban and Tender. Those words perfectly reflect the kind of music I love. These three ideas became the foundation for composing the EP, especially since it wasn’t created for an anime—it was a completely original project. For me, it was a chance to reinvent myself and show the audience a new side of Yama.
Among the songs on C.U.T, which one would you recommend?
My first answer would be: all of them! It’s difficult to choose just one. But I think the song that carries the most important message is sanagi. It’s been five or six years since I started my career, and I feel like that song reflects those first years. At the same time, through that song, I want to express that from this album onward, I’m ready to spread my wings.
Do you have one final message for your French fans?
This is my first time in France and my first time performing a concert here, so I’m really looking forward to tonight’s show. I hope I’ll have many more opportunities to meet French audiences in the future. And I also hope people will keep listening to my music for a long time.
Thanks to yama and Japan Expo for hosting this interview!
Interview conducted in collaboration with KAvenyou and Nautiljon.
