If you were asked to name Japan’s stand-out female singer-songwriter of 2025, it would undoubtedly be Lilas. Over the past year, the artist has had an extremely active career, both as ikura of the duo YOASOBI and solo as Lilas. She released three singles under YOASOBI and did the theme songs for season two of “The Apothecary Diaries” and season three of “SPY x FAMILY” as a solo singer-songwriter. In December, she released her first solo studio album in three years, “Laugh,” and made her first solo appearance on NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen. “DUET,” a collaboration with ZICO released as a single on December 19, continues to be a huge hit. A video from January 7 of the two performing the song on popular Japanese YouTube channel THE FIRST TAKE quickly surpassed 2 million views.
If you only know the artist from when she made her breakout debut as YOASOBI member ikura in 2019 with “Into The Night,” you might not be aware of the full scope of what Lilas is capable of, but she’s been a full-fledged singer-songwriter all along. So, if you’re part of that group, consider the five songs below as a guide for exploring the world of Lilas and her amazing vocals.
“DUET” ZICO, Lilas (YOASOBI’s ikura)
Again, there’s no hotter song right now than Lilas’ “DUET” with ZICO. Ever since featuring on the 2021 Japanese version of the TOMORROW X TOGETHER song “0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You),” Lilas has gone on to do plenty of other work in Korea. Last year, she wrote the track “Cafe Latte(English Version)” for the JTBC drama “Surely Tomorrow.” “DUET,” however, is the first song where she sang in Korean and performed it live. When she appeared with ZICO on the YouTube channel Kangnami, Lilas revealed that “DUET” was her first time doing full-on choreography in a music video and onstage. Despite that, she stunned the audience at the 2025 MMAs with a jaw-dropping performance.
ZICO dreamed up the song when he asked himself what it’d be like to do a duet with the perfect partner, and although the two singers have completely different artistic visions, they come together in perfect harmony on the track. With classic ZICO wordplay, like the line “let’s duet” sounding like they’re saying “let’s do it,” you’ll want to give “DUET” a listen and see why Lilas’ bright, lively vocals have both Korea and Japan excitedly singing along.
“Omokage” milet, Aimer, Lilas (produced by Vaundy)
In December 2021, THE FIRST TAKE MUSIC launched its second artist collaboration project, bringing together three of the year’s most celebrated female musicians: milet, Aimer, and Lilas. What’s more, “Omokage” was written and produced by Vaundy, then a university singer-songwriter on the rise. With such an unbelievable lineup of artists, the YouTube video was watched over eight million times within just a week of release, and as of this month has reached 72 million views. The overwhelming response set the stage for the trio to perform “Omokage” together onstage for “Red & White Year-End Song Festival.” Even after that broadcast, the song’s popularity showed no signs of waning. By May 2023, it had been streamed more than 100 million times. Maybe what makes the song so appealing is how three completely different singing styles can come together in such unexpectedly beautiful harmony.
You can see how excited Lilas is to sing alongside her fellow artists in the video. Her voice rings out as clear and radiantly as always, but hearing her harmonize with milet and Aimer is a highlight in its own right. Tune into this Vaundy track and listen as Lilas proudly shows off something totally new and different.
“DREAMER” Lilas
“DREAMER” which was released in March 2025, is also included in Lilas’ second solo album, “Laugh,” released in December. The exact history behind the track is an intriguing tale in itself. The singer-songwriter first wrote the song for Moka Kamishiraishi, a singer and actress who played Eiko on the Fuji TV drama “Ya Boy Kongming!” Lilas went on to release her own version of the song as a single and later on her album. While Kamishiraishi’s rendition of “DREAMER” perfectly captures all the urgency and sorrow that comes with chasing your dreams, Lilas’ version conveys a quiet determination and a sense of hope.
In addition to “DREAMER,” if you’re invested in experiencing the more emotional side of Lilas’ vocals and the way they stand in contrast to her more immediately memorable bubbly singing, listen to her cover of “SWEET MEMORIES” by Seiko Matsuda off the tribute album for songwriter Takashi Matsumoto. If you’re curious to hear her blaze through the notes of a melody with unflinching power, check out her collaboration with ano on “ZeZeZeZettai Seiiki.” For a taste of Lilas’ dreamier side, look no further than “Here, Tomorrow,” the theme song for a recent season of “League of Legends.”
“Koikaze” Lilas
For her song “Koikaze,” released last April, Lilas won the Excellence Album Award at the 67th Japan Record Awards, and the artist went on to perform solo on “Red & White Year-End Song Festival” for the first time to sing it. “Koikaze” serves as the theme song for the dating reality show series “Kyo, Suki ni Narimashita” (“I Fell in Love Today”). With lines like “I’ll take a sure step forward on the breeze you blow,” Lilas’ voice rings out clear as she compares the inward feelings and outward expression of young love to the wind.
When Lilas writes songs for use with other projects, she expertly weaves the message of the media right into the lyrics and the music. For the second-season part one opening theme for “The Apothecary Diaries,” “Hyakka Ryoran,” she worked individual syllables into the intro based on what came to mind after watching the anime and decided to incorporate a key change midway through the song to represent the unpredictable narrative.
The approach is distinct from what she does as one half of YOASOBI under the name ikura, and she deliberately keeps her singer-songwriter and vocalist roles separate. In a recent interview with “Billboard JAPAN,” Lilas explained how she plans to continue challenging herself musically as both ikura and Lilas. Having already proven her singer-songwriter chops, there’s no doubt a lot to look forward to from the artist in 2026.
“Hikari” Lilas
Last up is “Hikari,” the very first song that the artist released as Lilas. When she first revealed the track, Lilas shared a story about friend and actress Rina Ono and how the two encouraged each other to pursue their dreams. “Even if we couldn’t meet up, her just being there became the light (hikari) that illuminated my path,” she wrote, explaining the emotions behind the song. It was Lilas’ dream to debut as a musician at 17 and she was quite serious about it, busking and taking auditions right from middle school. For a four-year period spanning 2017 to 2021, she was a member of the acoustic session group Plusonica. The artist reflects on how she chased tirelessly after her dream during this period on both “Hikari” and the previously mentioned “DREAMER”—the formative years that shaped Lilas into who she is today.
Today, Lilas has come into her own as a musician. But her dreams are far from over. She insists as much at the end of “DREAMER”: “I can’t stop / Not yet / I’m a dreamer.” The same on “Hikari”: “I’ll keep going on to make fruitful dreams come true again with you.” Lilas will only shine brighter and brighter as she continues to pursue her dreams and matures into an ever more radiant singer-songwriter.