J-pop girl group cosmosy is ready to take on the world
The four-piece may be new to the scene, but they're part of Japan's next generation of artists who have their eyes set on global domination
cosmosy performs at Spotify's AAPI Event in New York City.
Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment
Words by Natalia Kabenge
Globally, the United States has led the international music scene for decades. However, neck-and-neck with it (based on revenue, according to Billboard) is a country with less than half its population, which has managed to maintain its status as the number one physical music market in the world.
Japan’s music market has experienced rapid growth since the 1950s, allowing it to become a fierce competitor on an international scale—and as of 2025, girl group cosmosy is joining the cause. Composed of members Himesha, De_Hana, Kamión, and A’mei, the group was formed in South Korea, promotes in both South Korea and Japan, and sings in Korean, Japanese, and English—an impressive feat for any artist.
While cosmosy may be new to the scene, J-pop is not. In the 1980s, the genre began to define itself by its merging of sounds from Japanese enka (traditional Japanese music based on a pentatonic scale), jazz, pop, and rock. Following the rapid evolution of J-pop, it became its own fully developed standalone genre after perfecting this mix, later adding the vocaloid for future generations to experiment with.
In years past, the country’s charts have been dominated by artists such as Mrs. GREEN APPLE, AKB48, and Arashi. With acts like SixTONES and YOASOBI acting as the bridge to new generations, J-pop has seen its share of success strictly within its borders—but newer acts are set out to change this.
Acts like PSYCHIC FEVER, XG, and ONE OR EIGHT have embarked on their musical journeys with deliberation, and a hunger like no other. Japan’s next generation—including cosmosy—has their eyes set on a new prize: global domination. These artists are venturing abroad, leaving behind almost guaranteed success for the sake of expanding their musical horizons, and building a connection with the international music scene.
For cosmosy’s members, finally having the opportunity to debut is a childhood dream come true. “Since I was a child, I’ve loved K-pop a lot,” Kamión says. “When I listened to K-pop music, I wanted to be immersed in the K-pop world.”
Over the years, K-pop groups such as TVXQ and TWICE have successfully integrated themselves into Japan’s music market, selling out Japanese releases and Tokyo Dome concerts. It's only natural then, that cosmosy members have cited many of these artists as their own inspirations for pursuing a career in music. “From the time I was in elementary school, I really liked LISA from BLACKPINK,” A’mei, the group’s youngest member at 17, shares. Consequently, after becoming a dancer herself, she set her sights on becoming a performer just like LISA someday.
Himesha shares A’mei’s origins within the dance world, and says that, after being cast for her company, her determination to share her performances with the world has only grown.
Opposite the dancers is De_Hana. The Nara native spent much of her childhood doing musicals, and says a pivotal moment for her was attending Summer Sonic, a music festival that features a lineup of artists from every corner of the globe. “After attending Summer Sonic and thinking about what I wanted to do in the future, I saw the K-pop idols there and I was impressed by how they could show their visuals through their performance,” she says. Now at 19, she admits that the journey to debuting wasn’t one devoid of struggle, but is grateful to have debuted with cosmosy.
The group’s members have envisioned themselves as part of the industry for years, and now that their goals are just within reach, they’ve hit the ground running. Much like most K-pop groups, the quartet has embarked on an elaborate world-building journey marked by their debut single “zigy=zigy” and second single “Lucky One.”
It’s difficult not to be enamoured by their concept as a group—which they describe using words like mysterious, retro, and horror. While the group has yet to put out an album, they have released a manga-style photobook, yet another perfect marriage of both industries.
As they discuss musical concepts they’d like to try in the future, Kamión suggests a cute concept might be fun, “like Twice sunbaenim,” she says enthusiastically. The group’s immersion in both the K-pop and J-pop worlds has become second nature—as Kamión uses the Korean honorific while responding in English (this continues even once she switches over to Japanese).
The group has only been around since 2024, but they have quite a bit to show for it. The four-piece embarked on their first trip abroad in May, and while they enjoyed many of the tourist attractions the streets of New York has to offer—including the classic “I heart NY” t-shirts, which they bought matching sets of—they also cherish their opportunity to interact with the American music industry firsthand. Himesha voices their hopes to not only represent Japan, but to bridge the two industries together through their efforts, which are already beginning to pay off.
While in the city, they had the chance to perform in Times Square, which not only garnered a crowd of interested bypassers, but a handful of fans that included a familiar face. “One of our fans who became a fan in Japan was there,” Himesha recalls, certain this memory will stick with her for years to come, and grateful that they’ve already managed to build such an authentic connection with fans despite being fresh faces in the industry.
Alongside labelmates YOASOBI, the quartet cites artists like Doechii and Tyla as dream collaborations for somewhere down the line. “We’re not limiting our genre just to K-pop or just to J-pop,” De_Hana says, affirming their belief that going global is the name of the game. And who’s to say Afro J-pop might not be the next big thing?
In the years to come, the members of cosmosy have their sights set on some of the world’s biggest stages, including a Coachella appearance in the future. It’s clear they hope to act as representatives of Japan’s new generation of talent, and it’s a responsibility they don’t take lightly. “The artists that debuted before us have been using the route of debuting globally and bringing their music globally,” A’mei says, adding that though others have walked this path before them, they hope to remain true to their culture while exploring all the possibilities the global market has to offer.
Someday, they hope the culmination of their success manifests in a performance at Tokyo Dome, a venue with a capacity of 55,000, nestled in the heart of the Japanese capital. “If we were able to perform at Tokyo Dome, it would be our way of giving back to our Japanese audience, and also to our home country,” Himesha says.
cosmosy’s journey is only just beginning, and it’s not only their talent, but their eagerness to explore what lies beyond borders that is set to carry them far. Backed by a generation of artists that is expanding its musical horizons, it's almost guaranteed that success is in store for the future of this charismatic quartet.
Published on July 21, 2025
Words by Natalia Kabenge
Natalia Kabenge is a music and culture writer and concert photographer based in New York City. As a first-generation Ugandan-American, her musical interests extend to every corner of the world—some of her favorite genres are RnB, Afrobeats, Metal, and K-Pop. She is currently pursuing a major in Journalism and a minor in Japanese studies at The New School, and has had the opportunity to cover talent such as ATEEZ, Pink Sweat$, P1Harmony, and Travis Japan. Instagram: @nataliakabenge, Twitter/X: @talia__michelle