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Photo by Ashley Crichton

Where words fail to describe Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s impact, their list of vast accomplishments speak. In 2025, they were Japan’s top-selling act, were the first J-pop act to surpass 10 billion streams domestically, and had the fastest song in Japanese history to reach 100 million streams—their song “Lilac,” which achieved that milestone in only 10 weeks. Also known as MGA, the band embarked on a five-dome tour in Japan to celebrate their 10 year anniversary with an estimated 550,000 fans in attendance across 12 dates. To top off their streak of record-breaking, the IFPI published that MGA placed 13th on the Global Artist Chart for 2026, situated between Tyler, the Creator and K-pop group SEVENTEEN. As the organization’s list of best-selling recording artists worldwide from the previous year, MGA was the only Japanese act included for 2025 and was the highest ranking Japanese act in the list’s history. Since we met with the members, they became the first band to sell out an unprecedented four shows at the 68,000-capacity MUFG Stadium in Tokyo. 

Now a household name in Japan, the members originally came together as friends in middle school. Forming officially in 2013 and making their major-label debut in 2015 with Universal Music Japan, the pop-rock trio consists of Motoki Ohmori on vocals and guitar, Hiloto Wakai on guitar, and Ryoka Fujisawa on keys. Frontman Motoki Ohmori is also MGA’s producer, and has received praise and critical acclaim for his skills in songwriting, composition, and arrangement. MGA’s songs touch upon hardships that listeners of all ages can relate to, and the band’s vulnerable lyricism coupled with their powerful live performances has since propelled them into mega stardom in Japan. Achieving these accolades solely through domestic consumption, MGA is now ready to take on the world—but with no international plans currently in their schedule, it’ll be on their own time. On April 6, the band announced their “Phase 3” through a press conference, outlining their plans for the next 3 years, including releasing new music and stadium tours slated to start in the fall of 2026. 

Despite their historic status and idol-like aura, Motoki Ohmori, Hiloto Wakai, and Ryoka Fujisawa unpretentiously share a couch in the OnesToWatch office and exude the humble energy of three friends who have known each other their whole lives. Donned in coordinating red and blue outfits to promote their new song “Brand New” from Spider-Man: Brand New Day, they were eager to chat with us about the track, what this current wave of J-Pop means to them, and what JAM’S can expect from “Phase 3.”

In your own words, who is MGA?

Motoki Ohmori: We formed Mrs. Green Apple in 2013, when J-rock was particularly popular in Japan. During that time, we really focused on J-pop and creating this strong pop sound of music, and now we’ve been active for over ten years.

Your new song, “Brand New,” is featured in the movie Spider-Man: Brand New Day as the official Japanese theme song for the film. You met with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, Spider-Man producer Amy Pascal, and Marvel Studios Music Supervisor Dave Jordan and were even given confidential information about the film that would help inform the song. What does it mean to you to write a song for the Spider-Man movie, and what was the songwriting process like? What emotions did you want to convey through this song? 

Motoki Ohmori: We're huge Marvel fans ourselves, so we were so delighted and honored to be working on the song for Sony Pictures. We were able to meet up with Kevin Feige, along with other staff members from Sony Pictures that we truly respect, and they really welcomed us throughout this process. I would say our meetings were not so much business-like, but they were more about how to come together to truly express our passion and love for Spider-Man. As the Marvel Studios President, Kevin was very forward-thinking and really welcomed us in that sense. We went on to express our love and appreciation, taking on the emotions of the Japanese fans towards Spider-Man. For the message of the song, I believe we were able to depict a very positive, forward-thinking optimistic vision where we are saying “Today is the day to transform, to be reborn. You're the youngest you are today.”

Last year marked the tenth anniversary of your major debut, congratulations! Since your debut, you have been a large part of the rise of J-pop and Japanese music in many different genres both domestically and overseas. What does it mean to you to be leading this wave?

Motoki Ohmori: We're absolutely delighted that Japanese fans have listened to us and have come to learn about us. We began this band with the desire to get as many fans and listeners to appreciate and listen to our tracks, and we've now come to a place where most people in Japan are aware of our band—it’s hard to believe, but it's something that we have always wanted. It feels like we’re in a dream, but at the same time we don’t want to let the next generation and those who continue to love and appreciate music down.

I think for this next phase that we are entering, our hope is to fuel that passion of music in others. That's what we are striving to do for this next generation. We also want to stay excited and energetic at all times, so that our hearts don’t grow old even as we get older—that’s exactly what we were just talking about, right? [Looks at Hiloto and Ryoka] 

Hiloto Wakai & Ryoka Fujisawa: Yes.

Your “Phase 3” began on January 1, 2026, and you announced your plans as a band up until 2029, including the fan club tour Mrs. GREEN APPLE Ringo Jam Tour “SHADOWS” that will kick off this fall. Why was it important for you to announce this information to your fans in this way, and what are you looking forward to? 

Motoki Ohmori: I would say the concept of a band in itself is something rather complicated, and it is something that can constantly be changing, so I wanted everyone to feel reassured. The fans may be also aware of this, but there also may be many fans that were wanting to come see our live shows but haven't been able to have the chance. As a band, we wish to be an energizing and motivating force for all of our fans in that way, so we made this announcement to provide some kind of sense of excitement—and also relief—towards those fans who have been waiting to hear from us.

Ryoka Fujisawa: More than anything, I’m really looking forward to our upcoming Japan fan club tour “SHADOWS.” It's going to be really wonderful, being able to tour the various areas throughout Japan. We are also very much looking forward to releasing our album and being able to share that with our fans, and I hope that they are excited as well. 

You made J-pop history by becoming the first act to surpass 10 billion total streams across your catalog in Japan, and generated over 6.1 billion streams globally. If there is someone that just became a fan of MGA, what song would you recommend to listen to and why?

Hiloto Wakai: I’d have to say our latest song, “Brand New,” is the song that we'd love for listeners to take a look at. It is full of our newest sound as a band, and this is an official Japanese team song for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It’s a song filled with our love, so I’d be happy if everyone could feel that.

Motoki Ohmori: We also had a chance to chat with Tom Holland regarding this track, and he was speaking on how he understood the message, and how deeply this song understands the nuances of the film. I'm really grateful to see global listeners putting out these videos of themselves reflecting on the lyrics and the meaning behind it in connection to the film. It’s great to see it become so widespread and loved among many in the world, I’m very thankful.

Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans in the United States?

Motoki Ohmori: We’ve had the opportunity to visit the US quite a few times, and I believe it's a truly wonderful place, so full of dreams here. The term “global” in itself is becoming much more borderless where we can share and access so many things. I want to continue spreading globally and reaching our audiences in that way. We had times in the beginning where we would struggle to have listeners at our live shows, but now with social media we’re able to reach out and spread this love throughout the world. We hope to continue piquing that curiosity within listeners.

Why do you think you're the “OnesToWatch” artist right now? 

Motoki Ohmori: We are ultimately a band, but we also host, act, and have a variety show with the three of us as well. Of course music is at the center, but first and foremost, I hope people will come to love the members, the people, and the brand itself—Mrs. GREEN APPLE.

Something that's not only our biggest weakness, but also our biggest strength is that there's not really a role model in place that we have as Mrs. GREEN APPLE, so that is something that we hope to continue and keep going with.

Listen to Mrs. GREEN APPLE below: