Boasting viral music video and dance clips on TikTok, over 5.8 million followers, and major concerts in countries like Brazil and Thailand - ONE N’ ONLY have certainly hit their stride in recent times.
This momentum carried into the last performance of six-member Japanese dance and vocal group's nationwide tour, ONE N’ SWAG 2024 ¿Fiesta?, on 18 January at the Tokyo Garden Theater. The tour spanned six, sold out venues from September 2024, marking the largest tour ever for ONE N’ ONLY. Ahead of their May performance at the historic Nippon Budokan, the group fired up the audience on a stage brimming with the lively “fiesta” vibe reflected in the Spanish title of the tour. ONE N’ ONLY showcased its unique style of music, combining J-pop and Latin music (in a fusion called“Jatin pop”) to their fanbase SWAG.
The show opened with 'Fiesta', the title track from ONE N’ ONLY’s third EP, released in October 2024. The six members dressed in frilly costumes fitting for a carnival and burst onto the stage backed by the Latin-tinged tune. They conveyed a message of encouragement while singing in English, Portuguese and Japanese.
Group leader HAYATO hyped the audience up, saying “Let’s have the ultimate fiesta tonight!” before performing the Brazilian funk track 'DOMINO', mesmerizing the crowd with their bold steps and dance formations. The reggae track 'EVOL', which solidified ONE N’ ONLY’s Latin-inspired style, turned the venue into a scorching party. These three signature songs had fans erupting with joy.
Following a Latin-arranged version of 'YOUNG BLOOD', the rock tune 'OPEN' intensified the energy with raw vocals and a fierce guitar sound. During 'Set a Fire', ONE N’ ONLY descended to the arena area, interacting closely with fans.
With visuals evoking a jungle backdrop, a wild dance break unfolded, backed by a primal track. HAYATO and EIKU introduced a new rap song, 'Dropped', crafted to complement the concept of the tour. KENSHIN and NAOYA joined for a sensual performance of 'Black Hole', while TETTA’s gospel-like vocals on 'Bla Bla Bla' proved a breathtaking highlight. Following that came a big-band jazz version of 'TALKIN’' which brought a glamorous shift to the evening. During this performance, members challenged themselves to present their existing songs in a different way by recreating them into unit or solo arrangements. With the six members wearing white suits, they delivered the iconic love song, 'My Love', with purity and sincerity.
During the MC segment, the members reflected on the significance of performing at a venue they had long dreamed of playing in. TETTA described the view as “It’s so unreal, like singing in outer space,” while encouraging SWAG to make the venue shake with excitement.
In the performance of the new amapiano song from their latest EP, Too Much, the members performed moves choreographed by HAYATO and EIKU. The following song, 'R.U.S.H.', is an EDM tune, also from their newest EP, and was performed for the first time on this day. The track highlighted the group’s artistic growth, with HAYATO contributing to the lyrics and composition of the rap sections.
On 'FOCUS', a song expressing intense love, TETTA and EIKU’s high-tone vocals amplified the sense of frustration and drew the audience into the song’s world. “We’ll rise again,” expressing how ONE N’ ONLY stands up again and again to face their dreams, conveyed their determination and positive attitude towards their aspirations as they look ahead to their upcoming milestone shows at Nippon Budokan in May.
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