Avant-garde pop musician AiNA THE END is coming to Europe for a performance in Spain. She will be appearing on stage at Manga Barcelona in December, one of Europe’s major anime and Japanese pop culture festivals.
She previously appeared in London as part of the special music unit AiNATOAOI for a one-off performance at the first edition of WACK in the UK. Now she will perform solo in Spain, which is being billed as her official international live debut. Manga Barcelona 2025 takes place from 5 to 8 December.
AiNA THE END’s career began 10 years ago in BiSH, the unconventional punk band that performed without instruments. She released her first solo album, THE END, in 2021, for which she wrote and composed all the songs. In 2022, she played the lead role of Janis Joplin in the Japanese premiere of the Broadway musical Janis and made her film debut in October 2023 in Kyrie’s Song, which was directed by Shunji Iwai. She has also collaborated with various artists, including Mondo Grosso and Kenshi Yonezu. In the summer of 2023, BiSH broke up, and since then AiNA THE END has been active as a solo artist.
Her music has been featured regularly in commercials for Glico Pocky, NIVEA, and Volkswagen T-Cross, among others. She has also produced several theme songs for a drama series and a feature film, as well anime series, such as Moonrise, Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain, 18if, Kidou Senshi Gundam: Suisei no Majo Season 2, and recently Dandadan. AiNA THE END seems to dislike sitting still and will be going on a solo tour of Japan in October and releasing her third solo album, RUBY POP, in November. After her performance in Spain, she will tour Japan again in January.
In addition to AiNA THE END, composer Yoko Kanno, known for her musical work for Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell, will be present at Manga Barcelona, as well as singer-songwriter Mai Yamane, who has collaborated extensively with Yoko Kanno. Yoko Kanno’s band SEATBELTS will also be present at the Spanish event, which will be the band’s first performance in Europe. Keep an eye on the Manga Barcelona website for more updates about the event and the guests they are inviting.
