JIMMY and WEESA of PSYCHIC FEVER on the Group’s Evolution and Strengths Discovered Overseas

In 2026, PSYCHIC FEVER continued expanding its overseas reach, taking on new challenges on a global scale. The group has been steadily building up a wealth of experience, putting on its first North American tour in 2025 and performing at SXSW 2025 in Austin, Texas. Building on the enthusiastic response it has received, it is planning on releasing a new album this July.

Billboard JAPAN talked to JIMMY and WEESA while they were in London.

PSYCHIC FEVER had a fan meeting in London in July 2025, right? What about your London fans made an impression on you?

JIMMY: The reason we were able to come to London is that a lot of overseas listeners got to hear “Just Like Dat feat. JP THE WAVY” thanks to social media. When we performed for the first time in London, we had fans singing along to “Just Like Dat feat. JP THE WAVY.” But what got me really hyped was that fans had also listened to the songs we released after “Just Like Dat feat. JP THE WAVY” and they were singing along as we performed them. The buzz wasn’t just a one-time thing, they really liked PSYCHIC FEVER and were following along with our releases, which made me so happy.

WEESA: The first time we came to Europe, you could feel this powerful energy coming off the fans. They were dancing and singing to our songs even more energetically than we were. Seeing those fans, I welled up with love for performing in Europe. I feel like we’ve been influenced by our European fans, both in our music and the way we perform.

You’ve played in a lot of different countries. What differences have you found in the fans?

WEESA: The songs that get the audience pumped are different depending on the country. Each country has its own sound, and the music that resonates with people depends on the country, so the parts of the shows that get the crowd going in one country are totally different than another country.

JIMMY: In America, the audience really gets into “Just Like Dat feat. JP THE WAVY” and the songs with the 2000s and late 1990s feel that inspired us. In London and the rest of Europe, “Highlights,” which is performed by us and REN, went viral before “Just Like Dat feat. JP THE WAVY.” It has an electronic sound, and it feels like a huge number of the fans are into that kind of genre.

You’re building up a lot of experience with the aim of going global, and I’m sure you’ve had your struggles, but has there been anything that’s made you especially happy or left a lasting impression?

JIMMY: We moved to Thailand soon after our debut, lived there for about six months, and continued to use it as our base for roughly two years. While things didn’t go exactly as we’d hoped, one great thing was that we were able to use that experience as a starting point to perform in all kinds of overseas locations. I’m also really glad that we’ve been able to serve as a gateway for people to become interested in the whole LDH family, both groups that came before us and newer ones. I love that people aren’t just digging us, but other groups too.

I think one of PSYCHIC FEVER’s strengths is that, even though you’re young, you’ve got a message that you convey through your music. Are there any tricks to keeping that steady core?

JIMMY: When we debuted, we didn’t have a really strong concept like “this is the kind of style we’re going for.” We built up our confidence through our overseas experience and the reactions of our fans. So all seven of us were on different pages, but people said that was one of the things that made us great. Those differences are what got people interested in us. Those reactions really resonated with us, which is why we’re able to share our message. The more we get from our fans, the more we want to give back. I think that automatically feeds into the strength of our team.

So as you were building up that, you were also working on your new album, DIFFERENT. What was the creation process like?

WEESA: JIMMY and I wrote lyrics for the first time, and we all talked about what to do from the very start, creating the album from the ground up. A lot of people took part in the album’s creation, so reflecting everyone’s ideas and creating a finished work was really hard, but we were able to pack in even more than our first album, so I think it’s going to come out well.

JIMMY: On our EPs, we’ve tried our hands at hip-hop, R&B, and electronic music. We built up a lot of experience through the process, and I think that’s created the foundation for DIFFERENT. We all have our differences, and that shapes our identity and is one of our strengths. I’ve come to feel that really strongly during the time we’ve been working on the album. This is our first time deciding on a solid concept and creating an album, so it took a lot of time, but we worked hard to create something that would resonate with people around the world.

So there’s a connection between the title of the album, DIFFERENT, and the identities of the group’s seven members?

WEESA: We named the album DIFFERENT to share the message that being different is a good thing. That being different has value. I think there’s also a lot of significance in the fact that we’re releasing this album from London, which is a melting pot of races.

I’m looking forward to the album release. This year, you’ve got a Japanese tour coming up, as well as overseas shows. What kind of hopes do you have for five years down the road?

JIMMY: I’d like to do an arena-sized show. Today, even. My main goal is to perform for a lot of people. Whether the venue is big or small, what we do is the same, but if we want to be seen by a lot of people, we need to perform at venues with capacities in the tens of thousands. I go all out in every performance to get ready for that, but I’d like to further improve my performances.

Changing gears a little, what foods have you liked in London?

JIMMY: I’m constantly eating fish and chips.

WEESA: London has lived up to its reputation for having great meat.

JIMMY: I had meat yesterday.

WEESA: Like steak! There’s this one restaurant I’d love to go to, so I hope I have the chance. There are a lot of delicious restaurants in London.

I’ve heard you really like London, JIMMY. 

JIMMY: London is a great place for learning English, and I like the fashion, so every time I come here I go to the shops and vintage clothing stores around Brick Lane. I’ve been all around the world, and London is my favorite place to go shopping. Recently, there have been a lot of new young street fashion brands coming out, and people around me have been talking about how great London’s street fashion is.

Also, London’s kind of like Japan in a few ways. There are a lot of people who really value older culture and their roots. Even young people will talk about how they’ve gone with a certain look because of the roots of that fashion. I don’t know if I’d exactly call it craftsmanship, but there’s a certain mentality that’s a lot like Japan.

Yeah, Brits do tend to go really deep. I understand why creators like the UK so much. 

JIMMY: British stuff is cool. If I could live anywhere, I’d live in London.

I’m looking forward to hearing about PSYCHIC FEVER playing here in London and whipping up a frenzy in the near future.

This interview by Tomoko Moore first appeared on Billboard Japan