LOVEBITES Appears in 'Blue Man Group 2025 Shinjuku Performance' - Vocalist Asami Talks About Their Charm and Enthusiasm for the Performance | SPICE - Entertainment Information Media SPICE

The unique show 'Blue Man Group 2025 Shinjuku Performance,' which fuses rock, art, and comedy, will be held at THEATER MILANO-Za (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo) from August 6 (Wednesday) to August 31 (Sunday), 2025. Since its first performance in Japan in 2007, this will be the first time a guest vocalist has been invited for a domestic main performance. We asked Asami of LOVEBITES, who will stand on stage as a 'diva' with the mysterious blue men, about her enthusiasm.

The 'Blue Man Group' was born in 1991 in Manhattan, one of the bustling downtown areas of New York, USA. The street performances by the three members with blue-painted faces attracted great attention, captivating over 50 million people worldwide. Although known for their wordless stage, shows with vocalists are also performed in countries other than Japan. In Japan, they collaborated with singer Kumi Koda when they appeared at the music event 'SUMMER SONIC' in 2007. After a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was announced that Asami, vocalist of the globally active female heavy metal band LOVEBITES, would be invited to the Tokyo performance, which will be held for the second consecutive year.

--Please tell us about your impression when you received the offer.

**When I was based in America, I had seen advertisements. There were large advertisements all over New York City, so when I received the offer, my impression was, 'Is that the Blue Man Group!!!' At that time, I didn't have the chance to see them at the theater, but everyone knew about them. Among the band members, our guitarist Midori had gone to see them, so she was very happy.**

--How did you feel about the 'Blue Man Group' performance?

**I knew they made sounds by hitting pipes, but when I looked closely, I noticed that the pipes had different lengths and shapes, and they skillfully used them to create variations in sound. I thought they were doing something very detailed. Our live performances also have almost no MC, and the concept is to enjoy the sound, so I think the focus on sound is surprisingly similar.**

--Byron Stepp, the Senior Music Director of 'Blue Man Group,' praised Asami-san for her 'overwhelming vocal ability,' 'English proficiency,' and 'sexiness in the beauty of her low notes,' which led to the request. Is that true?

**I'm so happy. It's easy for women to produce high voices, high-pitched voices, but low notes tend to get buried. This is especially true when performing live with the band's loud sound, and how much the low notes stand out in that environment is something I value, and I've been researching how to produce my voice.**

Asami (LOVEBITES)

--LOVEBITES was formed in 2016. After their major debut in 2017, they have been active both domestically and internationally. What kind of activities were you involved in before forming the band?

**I originally sang R&B and soul, and I used to do support chorus for various artists' live performances, such as UVERworld and VAMPS. It's very difficult to sing along with and support a vocalist's voice, and I'm proud of this position, so I'm still doing it. Amidst that, someone told me, 'Asami-chan's voice is suited for rock,' and one day, my current producer asked me, 'Why don't you try singing metal?' At first, I thought, 'Huh?' I could imagine myself singing rock, but 'metal???' So I told my producer, 'I can't do things like yelling 'You guys!!!' during MCs or death growls!!'**

--Your flustered reaction is cute.

**I thought there would be a lot of scary-looking people with chains clanking in the audience. And the image of the costumes was black, so I said, 'Black is a bit...' But when I told him my true feelings first, he said, 'It's fine as you are. You don't have to act,' and so I started, thinking that if I could be myself from the beginning, it would be okay. But at first, I even resisted putting my foot on the speaker during live performances... 'Huh? Put my foot here???' Fans who have supported us from the early days often tell me, 'You were funny in the beginning.' Even my MCs were like, 'Thank you for coming despite the bad weather...'**

--It's hard to imagine that from your powerful performance now. It's a cute gap.

**All the other members of our band are like that too. All five of us can't drink alcohol, and we usually invite each other to 'go for afternoon tea.'**

--I see. To get back to the topic, you will be singing Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love' on the 'Blue Man Group' stage, right?

**Yes. As I mentioned earlier, R&B is my root, so I'm currently thinking about whether to focus on soul or go with a metal shout style. I don't have to paint my face blue, right???**

--I think it's fine (laughs).

**It's also fun to think about what kind of costume to wear. It's rare to have the opportunity to perform with the Blue Man Group, and I hope LOVEBITES fans will also come to see it. Among the Blue Man Group fans, there might be some who are encountering metal for the first time, so I want to deliver a powerful vocal performance and convey the charm of metal.**

--I think fans of the 'Blue Man Group' who have seen their performances in Japan will also be seeing a style with a vocalist for the first time, so their enjoyment will be doubled.

**When I hear 'first time,' I do feel some pressure, but I'm the type who gets into new things and enjoys them, so I want to immerse myself in the world of the Blue Man Group and enjoy it too.**

--And Asami-san, there's good news for those who are captivated by LOVEBITES. A live performance titled 'LIVE AT BUDOKAN' has been decided for March 29 (Sunday), 2026, at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo.

**The long-awaited Budokan. I thought it was a dream within a dream, and I couldn't even say it, but after 3 or 4 years since our debut, I thought, 'We might be able to do it,' and that's when I first said, 'I want to stand at the Budokan.' Once I say it, I have to do it. Of course, it's a place we want to stand, but it might be presumptuous, but I strongly feel that I want to take everyone who supports us to the Budokan!**

--You mentioned 'long-awaited' at first, but have you always admired the Budokan?

**I had stood there as a support musician, but I had never thought about standing there as a frontwoman...**