MADKID performed their first Portuguese live concert at Iberanime Santarém on May 16. The five-member band participated in a Q&A, meet-and-greet with fans, and closed out the convention’s second day with a thrilling concert. With this packed schedule, they talked to us about their career and popular anisong tracks.
The group consists of vocalists YOU-TA, SHIN, and KAƵUKI, and rappers LIN and YUKI. The use of rap blends with English lyrics and stunning choreography that we witnessed firsthand during Iberanime. Thanks to their unique approach, MADKID delivers a signature sound and live experience that had the Portuguese fandom singing along.
Last year, the band reached a new milestone with their first North American tour with singer NANO, which we discussed during our chat. We were excited to be part of their first step in Europe, and we hope to see more of MADKID during their stay in the upcoming German convention AnimagiC on July 31.
Anime fans may already know MADKID for their performance of the five opening theme songs for The Rising of the Shield Hero, and the opening theme for Digimon Beatbreak, now airing. Other anisongs include tracks for the series Sasaki to Pii-chan, Tadaima, Okaeri, and Haigakura.
With this impressive background under their belt, let’s dive in and discover more about MADKID in the interview below!
Portions of this interview have been lightly edited for clarity. This press conference was conducted with the assistance of an interpreter. Answers are referred to as the band unless otherwise noted.
Q: As a group that has been together for more than 10 years, how do you balance your public personas with your private lives?
A: We all communicate openly with each other and take the time to clear things out when needed. Because we have been doing this for so long, we have a lot of experience balancing our personal lives so that no one ends up with too much on their plate.
Q: MADKID is famous for blending dance music, and rock, creating a unique ‘MADKID sound.’ What are the musical influences that helped you accomplish this?
A: We really found our identity as MADKID when we did the first opening theme for The Rising of the Shield Hero. Our influences came from many places, including Michael Jackson, K-pop, electronic music, and anime as well. All this blended into the sound that is known nowadays, along with the individual style of each member and the music each one has grown up with.
Q: Within the anime community, you are known for your performances in every season of The Rising of the Shield Hero. Could you share who your favorite character is or what your favorite moment from the anime is?
KAƵUKI: I like Erhard, the old man from the weapon shop. He’s a little eccentric, but he also helped Naofumi right at the start.
LIN: What I like is when Naofumi forms his team for the first time and you can really see their bonds.
SHIN: My favorite character is Raphtalia, and my favorite scene is when she tells Naofumi she will always be his sword.
Q: You also perform Mad Pulse for the anime Digimon Beatbreak. Could you share how this work came to be?
A: Usually, writing lyrics is very smoothly for us; we often nail it on the first try. But with Mad Pulse, it was really hard to nail down the lyrics and the song title. It took us at least three attempts and involved a lot of discussion with the anime staff.
Q: Should we expect more performances from MADKID within the Digimon franchise?
A: We want to do it!
Q: How hard is it to include English lyrics and rap in your songs?
A: It’s difficult to nail down the feeling of both English and Japanese for the same song because they are languages with very different cadences and natural flows. In particular, it’s very complicated to nail those particular English intonations that the language has and Japanese doesn’t.
Q: After your successful North American tour in 2025 with NANO, how did performing abroad compare to shows in Japan?
A: One of the biggest things we learned in America, and now here in Europe, is that overseas fans tend to sing along with us. This is part of our overseas experience that we would like to bring back to Japan: we want our Japanese fans to have fun and sing along with us too.
Q: Was there a particularly memorable fan reaction or moment on this tour?
A: We enjoyed visiting the different cities. The unique energy of the fans in each new venue is something we never experienced before. NANO helped us with each show and made us feel relaxed and at home.
Q: This year marks your 12th anniversary. What are some goals MADKID is aiming to achieve in 2026?
A: We are going to have a big tour in Japan this year! We also would love to continue making anime songs. For our fans here in Portugal, we want them to watch those anime and enjoy the songs.
Q: What advice would you give to Japanese artists who want to perform overseas?
A: Foremost, we want them to keep their Japanese pride. They also have to understand that fans overseas usually don’t understand the lyrics; fans learn the song because of anime or J-pop. That’s why you have to let the emotions of the song carry through, rather than relying on the words alone.
Q: Finally, could you share a message for your fans, AXCEL?
A: We are surprised and very happy to have so many fans overseas. We didn’t expect to see that many people in Iberanime for us and to see so many AXCEL members abroad. Our experience in Portugal encourages us to keep trying to do our best and continue to perform live shows overseas.
We hope to see everyone again every time we come back. We are always thankful for everyone’s support!
Anime Corner would like to extend our thanks to MADKID for taking the time for this interview, as well as for their energetic performance. We hope to see more of the band’s future anime song collaborations and new live performances across Europe.
Stay tuned for updates about Iberanime activities and upcoming editions, which we know will be as exciting as this Santarém edition!
Special thanks to the Iberanime staff for facilitating and making this interview possible.
Photos by @cdecasa_s (me) during Iberanime Santarém 2026.
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