The name “ENJAKU” comes from an old Japanese word meaning “little birds,” while “YOYO” expresses a proud, lively and energetic state of being. Together, ENJAKU YOYO represents little birds flying with overflowing confidence. Their central message, “Break out of your birdcage,” refers to breaking free from the invisible limits created by fear, self-doubt and expectation.

Musically, ENJAKU YOYO plays with the balance between chaos, catchiness and technical intensity. Their sound moves between hyperpop, dance and electro pop, combining high-energy production, bilingual lyrics and a sharp sense of melody. On stage, the duo turns that tension into a storm the crowd can dance and sing through, while everything somehow stays tightly locked in.

Since relocating to the Netherlands, ENJAKU YOYO has been building a strong live presence in the Dutch and European scene.
Photographer: Miko Brepols (@mikobshots)

Heritage: Japanese
Location: Heerlen (The Netherlands)

Connect: Instagram | Website

—

Introduce the band:
Jun(Vo/Key/DJ)
Koko(Gt)

3 words to describe you:
Break out of your Birdcage

Describe your sound:
We play with the balance between chaos, catchiness and technical intensity. The crowd dances and sings through the storm while everything somehow stays perfectly locked in.

Describe the moment you knew that you wanted to pursue music:
Jun: When I decided to enroll in music college.

Koko: When Jun asked me to start making music together.

How does your heritage impact your art?
We were both born and raised in Japan. While making music there, we felt that Japan had its own idea of what the “right answer” should be. We wanted to step outside of that framework and create our own version of what feels right to us, which is one of the reasons we decided to continue making music in Europe.

That mindset is also why we mix different genres in our music. Blending hyperpop, dance, electro pop and other influences is our way of breaking out of fixed ideas and building our own sound.

Since we are both from Osaka, Jun often writes Japanese lyrics in the Kansai dialect. The rhythm, pitch accent and attitude of Kansai-ben are very important to us, so he tries to carry that feeling into the melodies as well.

What moment are you most proud of in your music journey so far?
We moved from Japan to the Netherlands without any connections, so we’re proud that we are now gaining experience at various festivals across the Netherlands.

We’re also proud that we will start performing in Germany this year.

Your next music goal:
Our goal is to release an album and tour festivals across Europe.

If you could collaborate with anyone, who and why?
We would love to collaborate with Chibi Ichigo or Aili. We’re drawn to artists who combine electronic music, pop energy and personal cultural identity in a playful way. A dream collaboration for us would be energetic, colorful and catchy.

Tell us about a song that has shaped you:
“Larger Than Life” by Backstreet Boys

We have always been huge fans of them, and one evening we were watching a documentary about the band together over dinner. After we finished it, something shifted in us. We somehow let go of the idea that “we have to become successful in Japan,” and that was when we decided to go to Europe.

3 songs you're listening to right now:
Time Traveler - KNOWER
New Gold(Feat. Tame Impala and Bootie Brown) - Gorillaz, DomDolla Remix
Slider - Bo Ningen
Fly GIirl - FLO (feat.Missy Elliott)
Beat Keep Rockin' - Starjunk95
 
Your community shout out:
We’d like to shout out Hikaru Utada. We’ve been listening to their music since we were children, and we’ve always loved how they move between Japanese and English, pop and electronic sounds, and different cultural worlds without losing their own identity. As Japanese artists making music in Europe, that kind of freedom really inspires us.

Anything else you'd like to share:
Our new single “HONDENA” was released on May 31. It is an energetic hyperpop / dance / electro pop track with bilingual lyrics, and the title comes from the Japanese Kansai dialect, roughly meaning “you know what?”