AILI & ORSON Releases ‘Keitai ケータイ’: Belgian-Japanese Duo Sings Entirely in Japanese on Lead Single from Second Album

Surreal Sushi-Restaurant Video Skewers Our Screen Dependence

Out 6th November 2026 via Eskimo Recordings

+ Sung Entirely in Japanese

+ Surreal, Dystopian Music Video: Smartphones Fried, Earbuds Chopped

+ Lead Single from Second Album (2027)

BRUSSELS/TOKYO – Belgian-Japanese electro-pop duo Aili & Orson release “Keitai ケータイ”, out 6th November 2026 via Eskimo Recordings. “Keitai” is Japanese for “mobile phone,” and the track is sung entirely in Japanese, a deliberate step deeper into Aili Maruyama’s heritage and their Asian audience. It is the lead single from the duo’s second album, due 2027.

The Single: Looking Up From the Screen

“Keitai” takes aim at the device that never leaves our side. The duo’s playful electro-pop looks at how the smartphone interrupts human connection, how we check it mid-conversation, and how we stare at the screen waiting for something more important to happen than the person in front of us.

Aili & Orson explain: “The smartphone is everywhere. It lives in our palms, our pockets and on tables. We take it with us to the toilet (like a best friend), the bedside table and our cars, and it interrupts human interaction constantly. More often than not, we check our smartphones in the middle of a conversation. Without any particular goal, we just gaze at the screen as if at any time now something more important than speaking to the person in front of us can happen. We’ve outsourced the way we think and interact with people to companies whose profits depend on our endless scrolling habits.”

The Sound: Nineties Game Soundtrack Meets Warm Orchestral Synths

Warm orchestral synths sit beside quirky drum machines reminiscent of nineties video game soundtracks. The palette is bright and retro, with a playful, slightly off-kilter energy that mirrors the song’s message: a familiar device, turned strange.

The Video: A Surreal Sushi Restaurant Gone Wrong

The video is a surreal, dystopian live-action and green-screen concept set in a strange sushi restaurant. Smartphones are fried in pans, and earbuds are chopped up as ingredients. The absurd, darkly comic imagery turns our daily device habits into a bizarre dinner service, with the duo’s playful performance at the centre of the chaos.

Momentum Across Asia and Europe

Aili & Orson’s previous single “Achi Kochi” (September 2026) was supported by Mixmag Asia, DMY Mag, KEXP and BBC 6 Music. The duo’s partnership with Tokyo’s TOKA label for a Japanese edition of their debut EP ‘Dansu’ established them within Japan’s alternative music community. Their debut album ‘Nandakke?’ reached #1 on KCRW’s Top 30 Album Chart in the US and earned heavy rotation on KEXP, BBC Radio 6 Music and Nova France.

Live Dates

• 22 October 2026: Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), Amsterdam
• 10 March 2027: Ancienne Belgique (AB), Brussels (headline release show)

About Aili & Orson

Aili & Orson is a Belgian-Japanese electro-pop duo made up of Aili Maruyama and Orson Wouters. Formed after a chance meeting in 2019, the duo blends electronic beats, samples and Aili’s distinctive Japanese vocals in a minimalist, colourful universe. Their debut EP ‘Dansu’ (2021) spent eight weeks at #1 on Belgium’s Radio 1 VOX list. Live, they have supported L’Impératrice across Europe, playing L’Olympia Paris, Melkweg Amsterdam and the Roundhouse London.

LYRICS: “Keitai” (Japanese, Romaji and English Translation)

けいたい は わたしたち の まわり を まわる
Keitai wa watashitachi no mawari o mawaru
Mobile phones orbit around us.

ひとびと は、でんわ に かこまれて います
Hitobito wa, denwa ni kakomarete imasu
Humans are absorbed by their phones.

しらない まま インスタ みた、
Shiranai mama insta mita,

やー また やちゃた
yaaa mata yachatta

すみません、ごめんなさい、
Sumimasen, gomennasai,

しゅうちゅうして また べんきょう する
shuchu shite mata benkyou suru
Before I knew it, I was checking Instagram, aaah, I did it again.
Excuse me, I’m sorry.
I’ll get back to my homework.

しらない まま ティックトック みた、
Shiranai mama tiktok mita,

やー また やちゃた
yaaa mata yachatta

すみません、ごめんなさい、
Sumimasen, gomennasai,

もう いっかい はなし を してくれるか？
mou ikkai hanashi o shitekureruka?
Without realising it, I was watching TikTok, aaah, I did it again.
Sorry, I’m so sorry. Could you say that again?

メッセージ、ハート、ライク、
Messegi, harto, laiku,

ノティフィケーション、また メッセージ
notification, mata messegi

はやく こたえて、やー
Hayaku kotaete, yaaaa
Messages, hearts, likes, notifications, another message.
Hurry up, respond, aaaaah!

けいたい は わたしたち の まわり を まわる
Keitai wa watashitachi no mawari o mawaru

ひとびと は、でんわ に かこまれて います
Hitobito wa, denwa ni kakomarete imasu
Mobile phones orbit around us.
Humans are absorbed by their phones.

ともだち かぞく と つながりたい
Tomodachi kazoku to tsunagaritai

にいさん、ねえさん ごめんなさい
Niisan, neesan gomennasai

コントローラー とりもどして
Kontororu torimodoshite

いえる よう に がんばります
Ieru you ni ganbarimasu
I want to stay connected with my family and friends.
Brother and sister, I’m sorry.
I’ll take back control.
I’ll do my best so I can say it.

けいたい でんわ ちゅうどく です
Keitai denwa chudoku desu

かあさん とうさん ごめんなさい
Kasan tousan gomennasai

あっというま こう なちゃった
Attoiuma kou nachatta

しかたがないじゃん ごめんなさい
Shikataganaijan gomennasai
I’m addicted to my phone.
Mum and Dad, I’m sorry.
Before I knew it, I ended up like this.
It can’t be helped, I’m sorry.