They trained together before they had a group, before they had debut dates, and before anyone knew where the road would take them. Now, ONE OR EIGHT’s SOUMA and STARGLOW’s TAIKI have reunited to turn those years of pushing each other forward into music, dropping a special beat-jack session, “ONE WHO GLOWS”, on YouTube.
The two artists first met as trainees, where they spent years competing, practising and challenging each other to get better. Now both have made their debut, but in different groups, on completely separate paths, SOUMA as part of eight-member global boy group ONE OR EIGHT, TAIKI as one of the five members of STARGLOW. None of that distance stopped them. Their reunion became the starting point for “ONE WHO GLOWS”, a three-song rap medley that gives both artists space to reflect on where they came from and where they are going next.
This isn’t a polished reunion for the sake of nostalgia. Across the session, SOUMA and TAIKI put their own words to the years they spent chasing the same dream, from the days when becoming an artist was still something they were working toward to the determination and responsibility that comes with finally standing on stage as members of established groups. The result is a high-energy exchange between two artists who already know exactly how hard the other has worked to get here.
For SOUMA, making the session was a chance to turn that history into something tangible. For TAIKI, spending time together in the studio brought back the days when they were simply two trainees trying to make it, while giving them a new way to show how far they have come. The chemistry comes from that shared history, but the music is firmly about who they are now.
The session also gives the two artists room to show a side of themselves that can get lost inside a group. With the beat stripped back, their individual flow, delivery and writing take centre stage, making “ONE WHO GLOWS” feel less like a standard collaboration and more like a conversation between two artists who have been sharpening each other for years.
The timing comes as both groups enter major new chapters. ONE OR EIGHT released their first EP “EN-GÏNE” on 16 September and is bringing it straight to the region, with an Asia showcase confirmed in Singapore, Manila and Bangkok, part of a wider run that also includes a 47-prefecture fan-meeting tour across Japan. STARGLOW will release their first album “Aurora” on 18 November and has already announced their first arena tour for 2027, spanning seven cities and 14 shows.
“ONE WHO GLOWS” isn’t just a look back at where SOUMA and TAIKI started. It’s proof that the push they gave each other as trainees never really stopped, it just found a new form.
