CHAI

2294 fans

Since breaking out in 2018, CHAI have been associated with explosive joy. At their live shows, the Japanese four-piece of identical twins MANA (lead vocals and keys) and KANA (guitar), drummer YUNA, and bassist-lyricist YUUKI have become known for buoyant displays of eclectic and clever songwriting, impressive musicianship, matching outfits, delightful choreography, and sheer relief. At the core of their music, CHAI have upheld a stated mission to deconstruct the standards of beauty and cuteness that can be so oppressive in Japan. Following the release of 2019’s second album PUNK, CHAI’s adventures took them around the world, to music festivals like Primavera Sound and Pitchfork Music Festival, and touring with indie-rock mainstays like Whitney and Mac DeMarco.

Like all musicians, CHAI spent 2020 forced to rethink the fabric of their work and lives. But CHAI took this as an opportunity to shake up their process and bring their music somewhere thrillingly new. Having previously used their maximalist recordings to capture the exuberance of their live shows, with the audiences’ reactions in mind, CHAI instead focused on crafting the slightly-subtler and more introspective kinds of songs they enjoy listening to at home—where, for the first time, they recorded all of the music. Amidst the global shutdown, CHAI worked on Garageband and traded their song ideas—which they had more time than ever to consider—over Zoom and phone calls, turning their limitations into a strength.

Their third full-length and first for Sub Pop, WINK contains CHAI’s mellowest and most minimal music, and also their most affecting and exciting songwriting by far. While the band leaned into a more personal sound, WINK is also the first CHAI album to feature contributions from outside producers (Mndsgn, YMCK) as well as a feature from the Chicago rapper-singer Ric Wilson. CHAI draw R&B and hip-hop into their mix (Mac Miller, the Internet, and Brockhampton were on their minds) of dance-punk and pop-rock, all while remaining undeniably CHAI. Whether in relation to this newfound sense of openness or their at-home ways of composing, the theme of WINK is to challenge yourself.

WINK is a fitting title then: a subtle but bold gesture. A wink is an unselfconscious act of conviction, or as CHAI puts it: “A person who winks is a person with a pure heart, who lives with flexibility, who does what they want. A person who winks is a person who is free.” YUUKI noted that “With this album, we’re winking at you. We’re living freely and we hope that when you listen, you can wink and live freely, too.”

The lead single “ACTION” was a response to watching the Black Lives Matter protests unfold across America and the world in June of 2020 while the band was in Japan. “Seeing how the world came together during the protests really moved me,” said YUUKI. “I wanted to dedicate that song to the year of action.” In a sense, the flipside is “PING PONG!”: a laserbeam ode to a social activity that CHAI love but cannot currently partake in. In Japan, CHAI would often play ping pong after visits to the public hot springs, called onsen. “PING PONG!” also features YMCK, who brought a gaming feel to the production, which CHAI wanted to match.

“Nobody Knows We Are Fun,” meanwhile, was inspired by an at-home activity: YUUKI was watching 2019’s Booksmart when she had the idea for the song. (The movie’s whip smart protagonists decide to attend a party before high school graduation after realizing, “Nobody knows we’re fun!”) “I thought, ‘We, CHAI, can really relate to that scene,” YUUKI said of the song, which the band describe as “a mix of screaming our annoyances—why don’t you guys notice us!—while trying to be cute and sexy.”

CHAI’s past albums have been filled with playful references, in the lyrics, to food, and WINK’s intimate single “Maybe Chocolate Chips” offers an evolution of this motif. YUUKI wanted to write a self-love song about her moles: “Maybe if people would look at their moles as chocolate chips they would see them positively,” she says. “Maybe Chocolate Chips” features the Chicago rapper Ric Wilson, who they initially connected with at the 2019 Pitchfork Music Festival, and who brought additional layers of depth. CHAI’s adventures on tour—and love of food—also seeped into the single “Donuts Mind if I Do,” inspired by a bit of serendipity in a hotel lobby where free donuts were on offer with the sign “Donuts Mind If I Do.” “Free donuts, how cute. You never see this in Japan,” YUUKI thought, looking at the sign. “But what does it mean?” CHAI’s tour manager explained that it was a play on “don’t mind if I do,” which only stoked YUUKI’s curiosity further: What does that mean? “I looked it up and realize, you really don’t hold yourself back with ‘don’t mind if I do,’” YUUKI said. “CHAI has always been about living freely and doing as you please,” and that spirit of abundance informed this sticky-sweet song.

Towards the end of WINK, CHAI’s move towards mellowness shines with two of the sparest and most stunning songs the band has ever recorded. YUUKI wrote the penultimate “Wish Upon a Star” as a lullaby of sorts: What kind of song would I want to listen to before I go to sleep at night? she wondered. (KANA had been experiencing sleep difficulties at the time.) She set out to craft a bedtime ballad that promotes comfort, warmth, and relaxation. Meanwhile, the glowing closer, “Salty,” penned by MANA, is a beautiful exploration of nostalgia and memory: a song about “holding onto a memory and putting it into taste” and what taste can do psychologically. “You bite into a rice ball and you taste the salt and immediately you think of that memory,” MANA says, noting that she was inspired by her kitchen, where she wrote and recorded it.

With these two songs especially, and WINK as a whole, CHAI came to see the album—with its home-y feel—as a collection where each song is like a new friend, something comforting to rely on and reach out to, as the album was for them throughout 2020. “When you can’t sleep at night, you can go to ‘Wish Upon a Star,’” the band says. “When you need to go down memory lane, you can go to ‘Salty.’”

This impulse towards connection is in WINK’s title, too. After the “i” of PINK and the “u” of PUNK—which represented the band’s act of introducing themselves, and then of centering their audiences—they have come full circle with the “we” of WINK. It signals CHAI’s relationship with the outside world, an embrace of profound togetherness. Through music, as CHAI said, “we are all coming together.” In that act of opening themselves up, CHAI grew into their best work: “This album showed us, we’re ready to do more.”
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Top tracks

07
Solar System
Superorganism
World Wide Pop
03:32
Writer: Superorganism / Composers: Superorganism
01
keep on rocking
CHAI
keep on rocking
03:36
Composers: Kana - Mana - Yuuki
04
END
CHAI
WINK
02:15
Writer: Maná / Composers: Kana - Maná - Reuben Cainer
01
Donuts Mind If I Do
CHAI
WINK
03:48
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: Kana - Yuna - Maná
02
N.E.O.
CHAI
PINK
02:49
Composers: Maná - Yuuki
02
クールクールビジョン
CHAI
ほめごろシリーズ
03:39
Composers: Maná
04
Teenager
Superorganism
World Wide Pop
02:59
Writer: Superorganism / Composers: Superorganism
01
UNITED GIRLS ROCK'N'ROLL CLUB
CHAI
UNITED GIRLS ROCK'N'ROLL CLUB
02:56
Writer: Chai - Carlotta F. Cosials - Amber Grimbergen - Adelaida Martin - Ana G. Perrote / Composers: Yuuki - Amber Grimbergen - Adelaida Martin - Ana G. Perrote - Carlotta F. Cosials
09
LIKE, I NEED
CHAI
CHAI
02:43
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: MANA - Kana - Ryu Takahashi - Masayuki Hirano - Paul 'BaeBro' Wilson
09
KARAAGE
CHAI
WINK
03:11
Writer: Maná / Composers: Kana - Maná
03
ACTION
CHAI
WINK
03:23
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: Kana - Maná - Reuben Cainer
07
It's Vitamin C
CHAI
WINK
02:49
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: Kana - Maná - MASAYUKI HIRANO
01
WHOLE
CHAI
WHOLE
02:52
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: Maná - Kana
01
NO MORE CAKE
CHAI
No More Cake
03:38
Composers: Mana - Kana - Yuuki
05
ACTION (with ZAZEN BOYS)
CHAI
WINK TOGETHER
03:35
Writer: Shutoku Mukai - Yuuki / Composers: Maná - Kana - Reuben Cainer - Shutoku Mukai
10
Miracle
CHAI
WINK
02:37
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: Kana - Maná
04
ウィンタイム
CHAI
PUNK
02:37
Composers: Maná - Kana - Yuuki
06
Nobody Knows We Are Fun
CHAI
WINK
03:01
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: Kana - Maná - Reuben Cainer
01
MATCHA
CHAI
CHAI
03:26
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: MANA - Kana - Ryu Takahashi
05
PING PONG! (feat. YMCK)
CHAI
WINK
03:16
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: Kana - Maná - Ymck
11
Wish Upon a Star
CHAI
WINK
02:47
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: Kana - Maná
04
GAME
CHAI
CHAI
02:45
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: MANA - Kana - Ryu Takahashi - Mathias Hatleskog Tjønn
08
かわいいひと
CHAI
PINK
01:40
Composers: Maná
01
Plastic Love
CHAI
Plastic Love
04:16
Writer: Mariya Takeuchi / Composers: Mariya Takeuchi
08
IN PINK (feat. Mndsgn)
CHAI
WINK
03:45
Writer: Yuuki - MNDSGn / Composers: Kana - Maná - MNDSGn - Alex Mackay
03
PARA PARA
CHAI
CHAI
02:50
Writer: MANA / Composers: MANA - Kana - Ryu Takahashi - Masayuki Hirano - Mathias Hatleskog Tjønn
10
sayonara complex
CHAI
PINK
04:28
Composers: Maná - Kana - Yuuki
07
I Can't Organizeeee
CHAI
CHAI
02:57
Writer: MANA / Composers: MANA - Kana - Ryu Takahashi - Masayuki Hirano - Yuna
01
CHOOSE GO!
CHAI
PUNK
02:41
Composers: Maná - Yuuki
02
GREAT JOB
CHAI
PUNK
03:15
Composers: Maná - Yuuki
08
Driving22
CHAI
CHAI
02:52
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: MANA - Kana - Ryu Takahashi - Masayuki Hirano
11
フラットガール
CHAI
PINK
03:22
Composers: Maná - Kana - Yuuki - Yuna
05
We The Female!
CHAI
CHAI
03:04
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: MANA - Kana - Ryu Takahashi - Mathias Hatleskog Tjønn
01
Sound & Stomach
CHAI
ほめごろシリーズ
03:14
Composers: Maná
06
ファッショニスタ
CHAI
PUNK
02:58
Composers: Maná - Yuuki
12
Salty
CHAI
WINK
01:08
Writer: Maná / Composers: Maná
01
ハイハイあかちゃん
CHAI
PINK
02:20
Composers: Maná - Yuuki

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  • Discography
Albums
Jisedai Inc. under license to Sub Pop Records
22-09-2023
CHAI
01
MATCHA
CHAI
CHAI
03:26
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: MANA - Kana - Ryu Takahashi
02
From 1992
CHAI
CHAI
03:20
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: MANA - Kana - Ryu Takahashi - Paul 'BaeBro' Wilson
03
PARA PARA
CHAI
CHAI
02:50
Writer: MANA / Composers: MANA - Kana - Ryu Takahashi - Masayuki Hirano - Mathias Hatleskog Tjønn
04
GAME
CHAI
CHAI
02:45
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: MANA - Kana - Ryu Takahashi - Mathias Hatleskog Tjønn
05
We The Female!
CHAI
CHAI
03:04
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: MANA - Kana - Ryu Takahashi - Mathias Hatleskog Tjønn
06
NEO KAWAII, K?
CHAI
CHAI
02:34
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: MANA - Kana - Ryu Takahashi
07
I Can't Organizeeee
CHAI
CHAI
02:57
Writer: MANA / Composers: MANA - Kana - Ryu Takahashi - Masayuki Hirano - Yuna
Access the complete album info (10 songs)
Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., under license to Sub Pop Records
21-05-2021
WINK
01
Donuts Mind If I Do
CHAI
WINK
03:48
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: Kana - Yuna - Maná
02
Maybe Chocolate Chips (feat. Ric Wilson)
CHAI
WINK
02:53
Writer: Yuuki - Ric Wilson / Composers: Kana - Maná - MASAYUKI HIRANO
03
ACTION
CHAI
WINK
03:23
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: Kana - Maná - Reuben Cainer
04
END
CHAI
WINK
02:15
Writer: Maná / Composers: Kana - Maná - Reuben Cainer
05
PING PONG! (feat. YMCK)
CHAI
WINK
03:16
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: Kana - Maná - Ymck
06
Nobody Knows We Are Fun
CHAI
WINK
03:01
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: Kana - Maná - Reuben Cainer
07
It's Vitamin C
CHAI
WINK
02:49
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: Kana - Maná - MASAYUKI HIRANO
Access the complete album info (12 songs)
(P) 2019 Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.
13-02-2019
PUNK
01
CHOOSE GO!
CHAI
PUNK
02:41
Composers: Maná - Yuuki
02
GREAT JOB
CHAI
PUNK
03:15
Composers: Maná - Yuuki
03
アイム・ミー
CHAI
PUNK
03:23
Composers: Maná - Kana - Yuuki
04
ウィンタイム
CHAI
PUNK
02:37
Composers: Maná - Kana - Yuuki
05
THIS IS CHAI
CHAI
PUNK
02:37
Composers: Maná - Kana - Yuuki
06
ファッショニスタ
CHAI
PUNK
02:58
Composers: Maná - Yuuki
07
FAMILY MEMBER
CHAI
PUNK
03:10
Composers: Maná - Kana - Yuuki
Access the complete album info (10 songs)
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.
25-10-2017
PINK
01
ハイハイあかちゃん
CHAI
PINK
02:20
Composers: Maná - Yuuki
02
N.E.O.
CHAI
PINK
02:49
Composers: Maná - Yuuki
03
ボーイズ・セコ・メン
CHAI
PINK
04:18
Composers: Maná - Yuuki
04
ほれちゃった
CHAI
PINK
03:34
Composers: Maná - Yuuki
05
フライド
CHAI
PINK
02:57
Composers: Maná - Yuuki
06
あのコはキティ
CHAI
PINK
03:26
Composers: Maná - Yuuki
07
ぎゃらんぶー
CHAI
PINK
02:59
Composers: Maná - Yuuki
Access the complete album info (11 songs)
EPs
Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., under license to Sub Pop Records
02-02-2022
WINK TOGETHER
01
Nobody Knows We Are Fun (STUTS Remix)
CHAI
WINK TOGETHER
03:41
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: Maná - Kana - Reuben Cainer
02
PING PONG! feat. YMCK (Busy P Remix)
CHAI
WINK TOGETHER
02:49
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: Maná - Kana - Ymck
03
END (Confidence Man Remix)
CHAI
WINK TOGETHER
04:27
Writer: Maná / Composers: Maná - Kana - Reuben Cainer
04
Miracle (Scoobert Doobert Remix)
CHAI
WINK TOGETHER
02:58
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: Maná - Kana
05
ACTION (with ZAZEN BOYS)
CHAI
WINK TOGETHER
03:35
Writer: Shutoku Mukai - Yuuki / Composers: Maná - Kana - Reuben Cainer - Shutoku Mukai
06
Donuts Mind If I Do (with Beenzino)
CHAI
WINK TOGETHER
03:48
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: Maná - Kana - Yuna - Beenzino
Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., under license to Sub Pop Records
01-12-2021
END (Confidence Man Remix)
01
END (Confidence Man Remix)
CHAI
END (Confidence Man Remix)
04:27
Writer: Maná / Composers: Maná - Kana - Reuben Cainer
(P)2019 Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.
24-07-2019
Kedamanogonjiro
01
Let's Gonjiro
CHAI
Kedamanogonjiro
03:04
Writer: YUKI / Composers: Maná - Kana
02
WasaWasaWasa!
H.E.Demon Kakka
Kedamanogonjiro
03:55
Writer: H.E.Demon Kakka / Composers: H.E.Demon Kakka - pal@pop
03
Let's Gonjiro
CHAI
Kedamanogonjiro
03:04
Writer: YUKI / Composers: Maná - Kana
04
WasaWasaWasa!
H.E.Demon Kakka
Kedamanogonjiro
03:53
Writer: H.E.Demon Kakka / Composers: H.E.Demon Kakka - pal@pop
(P) 2018 Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.
09-05-2018
わがまマニア
01
We Are Musician
CHAI
わがまマニア
02:12
Composers: Maná
02
アイム・ミー
CHAI
わがまマニア
03:23
Composers: Maná - Kana
03
フューチャー
CHAI
わがまマニア
03:21
Composers: Maná
04
FAT-MOTTO
CHAI
わがまマニア
02:58
Composers: Maná
05
Center of the FACE!
CHAI
わがまマニア
03:12
Composers: Maná
(P) 2016 Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.
07-12-2017
ほったらかシリーズ
01
召しませコーフィー
CHAI
ほったらかシリーズ
02:43
Composers: Maná
02
ぎゃらんぶー
CHAI
ほったらかシリーズ
02:59
Composers: Maná
03
ナンダミン to トータルケア
CHAI
ほったらかシリーズ
02:50
Composers: Maná
04
二重センター
CHAI
ほったらかシリーズ
02:38
Composers: Maná
05
ぴーちくぱーちくきゅーちく
CHAI
ほったらかシリーズ
02:47
Composers: Maná
(P) 2017 Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.
26-04-2017
ほめごろシリーズ
01
Sound & Stomach
CHAI
ほめごろシリーズ
03:14
Composers: Maná
02
クールクールビジョン
CHAI
ほめごろシリーズ
03:39
Composers: Maná
03
ボーイズ・セコ・メン
CHAI
ほめごろシリーズ
04:18
Composers: Maná
04
ヴィレヴァンの
CHAI
ほめごろシリーズ
03:54
Composers: Maná
05
sayonara complex
CHAI
ほめごろシリーズ
04:24
Composers: Maná - Kana
Singles
Sub Pop Records
05-04-2023
We The Female!
01
We The Female!
CHAI
We The Female!
03:04
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: MANA - Kana - Ryu Takahashi - Mathias Hatleskog Tjønn
Heavenly Recordings under exclusive license to [PIAS]
30-08-2022
Angry Girl (CHAI Version)
01
Angry Girl (CHAI Version)
Confidence Man
Angry Girl (CHAI Version)
02:50
Writer: Janet Planet, Sugar Bones, Reggie Goodchild, Clarence McGuffie, MANA, KANA / Composers: Janet Planet, Sugar Bones, Reggie Goodchild, Clarence McGuffie, MANA, KANA
Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., under license to Sub Pop Records
03-08-2022
MY DREAM
01
MY DREAM
CHAI
MY DREAM
03:35
Writer: Yuuki / Composers: Maná - Kana
Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., under license to Sub Pop Records
06-07-2022
HERO JOURNEY (feat. Superorganism)
01
HERO JOURNEY (feat. Superorganism)
CHAI
HERO JOURNEY (feat. Superorganism)
01:54
Writer: Yuuki - Superorganism / Composers: Maná - Kana - Superorganism
Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., under license to Sub Pop Records
03-05-2022
SURPRISE
01
SURPRISE
CHAI
SURPRISE
03:22
Writer: Maná - Kana - Yuna / Composers: Maná - Kana