Ayase, the production mind behind chart-dominating duo YOASOBI, is stepping into the spotlight as a solo artist. On May 27, he released his debut EP dialogue, a fully self-produced project where he handled all writing, composition, arrangement, and vocals.

The five-track EP reflects Ayase's shift toward more personal creative territory. Rather than composing for ikura's vocals, these songs explore themes of dialogue—both internal conversations and exchanges with the people, things, and society around him. The tracks emerged from moments in his daily life and music career, offering a window into his songwriting process when working for himself.

The EP's tracklist includes "PLANETS," "うるさ" (Urusai), "bad therapy," "火花" (Hibana), and the title track "dialogue." To accompany the release, Ayase established a new official YouTube channel and premiered visualizers for all five songs at 20:00 on release day.

This solo venture marks a significant moment for Ayase, who has spent recent years as the production force behind YOASOBI's meteoric rise. The duo—completed by vocalist ikura—exploded onto the global stage with "夜に駆ける" (Yoru ni Kakeru) in 2019, which later became the opening theme for anime Oshi no Ko under the title "アイドル" (Idol). That track set J-POP records by topping Billboard's Global Excl. U.S. chart and Apple Music's global rankings simultaneously.

While YOASOBI continues as a duo (the group released the EP THE BOOK for, just weeks before this solo project), Ayase's dialogue signals his interest in exploring what his music sounds like when he's both creator and performer. For fans curious about hearing Ayase's own voice and artistic vision without the duo framework, this EP offers the first official opportunity to do so.

dialogue is available on all streaming platforms.