JAKARTA - Rising star from Japan, Rol3ert, continues his steps on the global and Asian stage by releasing (how could i be) honest?. This time he collaborated with Korean producer DAUL and renowned R&B musician THAMA.
Recently selected in Rolling Stone's "Future 25" as one of 25 artists representing Japan, Rol3ert is quickly emerging as one of his country's most promising new voices on the global stage.
First released in December 2025, "(how could i be) honest?" quickly caught global attention and entered the official Spotify playlist in 18 countries. Across Asia, the song gained strong popularity at the regional level, entering the viral charts in Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, often played on 987FM Singapore, and reached No. 5 on the Singapore Shazam chart.
On Spotify, the song surpassed 500,000 streams in its first month, making it Rol3ert's fastest growing release to date. The streams of his latest releases, including "(how could i be) honest?" and "savior," user-generated content continues to spread organically, expanding its reach among young listeners across the region.
In this new version, Rol3ert et al. present a reconstructed song, not just conventionally remixed - thus expanding its emotional and sonic identity across cultural boundaries. With Korean lyrics written specifically and vocals from THAMA, this song still retains the emotional core of the original version while presenting a new dimension through DAUL's electronic production and THAMA's signature artistic touch.
"When I first listened to the original song, the most striking thing for me was the melody of his vocals. This song has a strong hook and is easy to remember, and I feel the energy and natural dynamics of the band's sound. Instead of drastically changing this song, I focused on maintaining the emotional core and melody of the song while expanding that energy through electronic elements. By reconstructing this song using synthesizers and electronic drums, I tried to create a denser and three-dimensional sound landscape," DAUL said about this collaborative project in an official release.
"With the addition of THAMA, the feel of this song becomes richer. The combination of Rol3ert's signature style and THAMA, coupled with the arrangement, produces a work that becomes more profound every time it is listened to," he added.
"The original song has a rock feel that I usually don't deal with, so it feels very fresh. Rol3ert's voice and melody are very memorable - they remind me of the emo rock bands I listened to when I was growing up," said THAMA.
"During the production process, I focused on maintaining the feel, rhythm, and appeal of the lyrics that Rol3ert presented, while adding new interpretations on top of that foundation. The synth-dominated sound is a key element of this version. I also hope that listeners will pay attention to the first verse that was rewritten, which was not in the original version. I hope people enjoy how this song changes through my voice. "
Rol3ert revealed that he was inspired by the sounds and visuals of the past. He artistically framed it with the help of his collaborators.
"The main thing I focused on was creating something that was really different, but still retained its original charm - its slightly absurd, chaotic, and imperfect nature in a positive sense. I took inspiration from the sounds of the '80s video game to bring a touch of cheerfulness."
"When I first listened to DAUL's demo, I was so happy to hear that the sense of cheerfulness was already embedded in the song. By combining it with THAMA's voice and adding lyrics in Korean - which was a new challenge for me - I feel we managed to create something that feels like a different song, but still retains what makes the original version special. "
Along with this release, a music video featuring Rol3ert and THAMA, which was recorded in Korea, further brings to life this cross-cultural collaboration. On the other hand, Rol3ert has also released a live performance video for the song "savior" recorded during his sold-out main concert, Rol3ert Live "katachi" in Tokyo, which depicts the scale and energy of his performance.
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