Japanese artist NANO has returned to the music scene with a very personal project, following the announcement of her first European tour.

NANO's new mini-album, 'aИomaly,' boasts a total of six tracks that reflect the artist's journey and current state. The title, inspired by the phrase, "My reality is aИomaly," shows NANO displaying raw emotions in the songs: "Do or Die," "ENDGAME," "Devil In Me," "WAKE ME UP," "Oblivion," and "Lost In Gray."

"I make sure that each and every song that I put out there, that I write lyrics to, that I put my voice into, it means something to me so that it can mean something to someone out there," NANO told tokyohive as she discussed the album's making.

Read on the full exclusive interview below!

tokyohive: First of all, congratulations in advance on your upcoming EP! Before we start, tell us a little bit more about yourself, maybe a fun fact, and how 2025 has been going for you so far!

NANO: This is my first European tour, and it's been a while since I released an album. So right now, both emotionally and mentally, I'm very excited. 2025 started off with a North American tour, so it's been very active for me this year so far.

I'm really happy that I'm able to go around the world like this and finally connect with listeners as well as with my new and old fans. I just love being on the road. I love being in the air. I love being on stage. I think 2025 has just been so exciting for me so far.

tokyohive: On your EP ‘aИomaly,’ it’s really interesting to hear how that word and its meaning captured you. “Discomfort” and “Irregularity.” How does it feel to release something that is deeply connected with you not only as an artist but also as a person? Was it hard for you to kind of put out the words you’ve been wanting to share with people who listen to your music?

NANO: I’ve been putting out music for many years now, but I feel like it never gets old. I know that I have many different types of songs. And different songs mean different things to different people. I always appreciate the messages that I receive from fans around the world that tell me what each song means to them. The surprising thing is, originally, I might have written a song for myself or to sort of help myself. But in turns, it means something very deep and helps somebody very, very far away. That kind of thing never gets old for me. I guess no matter how long I have been doing this as a professional sort of occupation, I make sure that each and every song that I put out there, that I write lyrics to, that I put my voice into, it means something to me so that it can mean something to someone out there.

tokyohive: You wrote all six tracks on the album. Could you share with us your thought process and writing process?

NANO: It's always challenging to create a new song because it has to be different. It has to be new. I don't want to just repeat the same things I've done in the past. So it’s always a challenge to find what I can do that's new and something that I haven't done yet but still represents me as a musician that I've been for over 13 years. It’s very tough. The longer the road is, the harder it is sometimes to find something new.

With this new album, ‘aИomaly,’ I wanted to start off with just having fun. I was thinking that perhaps if I decided to do something that was fun for me, that would somehow lead to something that was very true to me but still new. So I decided to ask my fellow companion, Survive Said the Prophet, a great rock band, to collaborate on the lead track. I sort of dug back into my roots of doing a lot of anime-themed songs and game songs. For songs like “Devil In Me,” it has this nostalgic sort of anime or kind of game-sounding vibe to it. I think there's a lot of variety in this album.

tokyohive: And these songs are filled with raw emotions. How was it like recording them? Were there any difficulties that you faced while recording the songs?

NANO: I think it's different for everybody, but my favorite aspect of being a singer is being on stage and singing songs live for people as well as feeling the crowd’s energy when I'm singing. Up until now, sometimes, my least favorite aspect of being a singer has been recording in the studio. Sometimes it's really funny. Sometimes it's a battle with myself and I come out like the studio just drained. Sometimes I sob that it didn't go the way I wanted it to go and I just hate myself. But then in the end, after all is said and done and I sing that song on stage, it's like the puzzle piece has been set and it's complete. I come to love a song once I share it with the crowd.

This album, along with the same as it has been with all my other albums, has both pain and joy in the recording process. “ENDGAME”: I had a lot of fun recording because I knew that it was going to be a sort of concert show song. I could just visualize and hear the crowd singing and vibing with me. It was super fun. Also, having Survive Said the Prophet come and join the recording was super fun.

“Devil In Me” and “Do or Die” are a lot more challenging for me, not just vocally but emotionally as well. The reason it's painful is because in the studio, I'm alone and there's no one there to share the energy with me and I don't get energy from the crowd. So it's just really output only. So sometimes, I really hate recording, but in the end when it's complete, I'm really happy that I went through with it. ‘aИomaly’ is one of those albums as well that I feel really, really happy with now.

tokyohive: What's your favorite song on the album right now?

NANO: Well, the first track that was completed was… I forgot the order which we recorded, but it was either “Lost In Gray” or “Do or Die.” “Do or Die” is just one that I seriously love. Like I said earlier, it's one of those songs that I came to love even more once I got the chance to sing it on stage. The next one that I’m looking forward to doing on stage is “ENDGAME.” And I haven't done it yet. So at this moment, I can only imagine how great it's going to be sharing that song on stage. I can imagine that I'm going to love it 200% more in the coming days on my tour when I sing it.

tokyohive: You’ve kind of found the purpose of feeling such a sense of discomfort, and you use that as a driving force to just continue with your life and your career. Could you share with us one of your biggest takeaways in your career or in life in general that you keep to yourself until now and as you move forward?

NANO: Wow, there's just so many. To this day, I feel like I'm still learning so much. I never am completely satisfied with who I am or what I do because every single day, whether it's connected to music or not, I'm like, “Why did I not know this earlier? Why am I still so immature?” There are so many new things that I learn with people and with music every day.

Music has been my biggest mentor in the end, because without music, I probably would not have tried as hard to be a better person. I look at the world in a wider perspective through music. I probably would have been more selfish, weaker emotionally and mentally [without music]. I just think that I'm a lot more positive because it's my motivation to keep striving even through the hardest of times when there are tough things in life.

Music has always been the reason I keep going, so I guess there's not just one thing it has taught me. The fact that music has always been there, I guess has been my biggest savior. I hope that you know my songs in turn have that sort of power for some people out there listening. That's one thing that will always stay with me.

tokyohive: That’s a really great lesson, thanks for sharing that. What has been the most memorable experience or your favorite moment of your career thus far?

NANO: That’s another tough question. Particularly in recent years, I've been able to go to so many countries. I actually started off as what they call an “Utaite,” an internet singer. From being in your room singer to becoming actually physically actively going-around-the-world singer is such a huge transition. I used to think that I was satisfied with just being in front of the screen connecting with people and being in the safe confines of my room where I'm safe and there is nobody to judge you and anything.

But now I can't even imagine going back to that because… It’s just being able to connect with people in real life, and it's such a special thing especially in this generation where there's so many things on the internet and everything is digital. That’s great and all because you have the opportunity to connect with people that you can't physically go and meet. But at the same time, I really do want to treasure this ability to be able to go around the world and actually meet people and directly sing for them. So every time I go to a new country or a new place, that's always such a huge joy. I do hope that as long as you know I'm healthy, I can continue doing these things. That’s my biggest joy: going to places and singing for people.

tokyohive: You’re going to embark on your tour in Europe and Japan later this year. Congratulations on that! What kind of preparations are you doing?

NANO: Rehearsal, of course, is always one of the biggest things. Because I do feel like when I'm on stage no matter what kind of show it is — whether it's my own show or an event show — that I don't want to think about what I'm going to do or what I'm going to sing. I always think of doing practices and rehearsals. Even though it sounds like some people might think of it as an embarrassing thing, “Oh, you have to practice so much.” But I feel like it's such an important thing. So I do really make an effort to be prepared to go on stage.

Physically being in a good state is very important as well. I do sing a lot of rock songs so it takes a lot of energy to get through one show. And when it becomes a tour, you're doing it every day. Sometimes you don't have time to rest, and so if you're not healthy, then you're not going to be able to do a good live [performance].

Even though I'm pretty healthy, I've still had a lot of ups and downs in my tours, like I've fallen on stage and cracked a rib, and I still had to get through the tour. You don't know what's going to happen to you. So physically preparing yourself is also important, and just making sure that the fans know that the tour is going to happen. The fans getting that information is very important, so these interviews like the one you're doing for me right now, that kind of thing is so helpful to get that news across as well. I’m really grateful for that too.

tokyohive: What are some of your ultimate goals as an artist you’re working on achieving, aside from embarking on a tour?

NANO: My short-term goal would be to keep connecting with as many people as possible. I know that the world and the fanbase are ever changing. It’s not like the same listeners are going to be with you your entire career. I mean, everybody comes and goes. But to be able to keep making music that people feel connected with is so important. My short term goal is to keep making good music, to keep connecting with people, so that I can still keep singing 10, 20 years from now. And that connects to my long term goal.

I don't know exactly in what shape or form that I'm going to be doing music. But I do know that music will always be one of the biggest things in my life. So to keep doing music whatever the method it is, trying to be a positive energy to people no matter how the times change, even if the generation changes and everything becomes a lot more technically advanced, I don't think music will ever disappear. It's something that really helps people. As long as music is there, I think I'll keep doing it.

tokyohive: To conclude this interview, do you have any message for tokyohive readers and your fans?

NANO: First of all, thank you so much for interviewing me today. I really appreciated it. I don't know if I answered the questions the way that you were hoping. I'm really grateful to have these opportunities to share my insights and my music with the world. To anybody who's reading this interview, I hope that you can come check out my tour. Hopefully in the future, we have a chance to rock on the stage together. Thank you and keep rocking on! I will, too!