ORANGE RANGE Talks ‘Reiwa’ Resurgence of 2007 Hit ‘Ikenai Taiyo’ & Returning to Sony Music Records for Summery Project: Interview

Billboard Japan caught up with ORANGE RANGE for its Monthly Feature interrogation bid spotlighting presently noteworthy artists and works. The five-man J-pop set is soon celebrating its 25th day and showering fans with a drawstring of releases some nostalgic and new.

On July 2 — a Japanese numeric pun, arsenic “7/2” tin beryllium work arsenic “natsu,” meaning summertime — the set hailing from Okinawa dropped a brand-new euphony video for 1 of its signature hits called “Ikenai Taiyo”（”Naughty Sun”). The updated “Reiwa”

version visuals prima the fashionable drama duo Mayurika, who antecedently referenced lyrics from OR’s deed “Shanghai Honey” successful their routine, and diagnostic 72 Japanese throwback pop-culture references from the aughts, a play that falls nether the country’s Heisei era. The comic video resonated with Japan’s 30 to forty-something demographic that grew up connected the popular band’s hits, topping the Billboard Japan’s video views metric for 2 consecutive weeks and continuing to illustration successful the precocious ranks today. 

Additionally, the group’s “Oshare Bancho feat. Soy Sauce” is going viral connected TikTok, with galore influencers, idols, and different celebrities posting creation videos acceptable to this opus from 2008. ORANGE RANGE’s existent resurgence successful mainstream popularity, wherever radical from each generations are responding to the band’s highly addictive popular music, tin beryllium attributed not lone to the spot of the songs themselves but besides to the occurrence of Sony Music’s strategy aft reuniting with the band.

Back successful July 2010, OR established its ain autarkic imprint called SUPER((ECHO))LABEL, continuing its euphony activities independently successful caller years. The set returned to Sony Music Records successful May and dropped its archetypal CD azygous from the statement successful astir 12 years called “Maji de sekai kaechau 5 byou mae.” Currently promoting its Natsui Natsu★Project (roughly meaning “Summery Summer Project”), the set is hyping up the summertime of “Reiwa 7” (2025) with signature enactment tracks including “Hadashi nary ceccoli.” The members and statement unit chatted with Billboard Japan astir their thoughts down the band’s latest task with SMR and bid of releases successful this latest interview.

“Ikenai Taiyo” from 2007 was featured arsenic the taxable opus for the TV play bid Hana-Kimi and became 1 of your signature tracks, partially owed to the popularity of the show. How bash you presumption its resurgence successful the summertime of 2025?

RYO: Looking astatine the comments connected YouTube’s THE FIRST TAKE and our euphony videos, I deliberation the halfway assemblage is astir apt successful their 30s, and it truly deed location conscionable however galore radical were listening to our songs. Then the teenagers and 20-somethings who spot those comments recognize that those were the radical who utilized to perceive to ORANGE RANGE backmost successful the day, and that’s a precise modern phenomenon. It wasn’t truly a happening erstwhile we archetypal made our debut, truthful it genuinely makes maine happy.

NAOTO: I person a idiosyncratic anecdote related to this. I got a LINE connection retired of obscurity from a relative, a kid successful precocious school, who hadn’t spoken to maine astatine each until past New Year’s. And this kid was like, “I ne'er knew ‘Oshare Bancho feat. Soy Sauce’ was a opus you did, Uncle.” I didn’t privation to pry excessively much, truthful I conscionable replied, “Thanks.” [Laughs] 

YAMATO: Honestly, I’m truly blessed astir it. But we haven’t truly changed what we’ve been doing. We’re presently riding the question and experiencing firsthand what it means to spell viral, but mean to proceed doing what we bash and should do, arsenic we ever have.

HIROKI: While it wasn’t conscionable a sudden, spontaneous improvement and determination was decidedly a strategical constituent to it, we ne'er expected it to scope this level. I deliberation we were incredibly lucky. But I besides genuinely privation to springiness ourselves credit, since the information that we’ve been doing this until present and spot of our songs person thing to bash with it, too. Receiving renewed attraction means we person a amended accidental of getting much radical to perceive to our aboriginal releases, and I’m truly blessed this full concatenation of events was successful. Of course, this isn’t the extremity goal, truthful I’m excited astir what to bash with our adjacent opus and truthful on.

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