Release Date: 5 August, Wednesday
Release Time: 00:00 (Local Store Turn)
Type: Single
Language: Japanese
Genre: Pop
Every fan remembers discovering an artist that changed everything. “Gotcha” is about the moment an artist and fan find each other.
Ahead of their VIBY DEBUT SHOWCASE at Nippon Budokan on 31 August, VIBY releases “Gotcha“, a summer dance anthem dedicated to their fan community, TOMO. Written as a celebration of the connection between artist and fan, the track captures the excitement of finally finding the people who make you feel like you’ve found where you belong.
The title carries a double meaning. “Gotcha” is the familiar English expression for “I found you” or “I’ve got you”, while also drawing inspiration from the excitement of a gachapon capsule toy, where what begins as chance somehow turns into exactly the encounter you were hoping for. That idea sits at the heart of the song, transforming a fleeting meeting into something that feels destined.
Built around an irresistible dance beat and shimmering summer energy, “Gotcha” leans into what VIBY calls “Feel Good Pop” – built on catchy melodies, a light rhythm, refreshing guitar tones and polished synths, all designed to feel effortless rather than heavy or intense, and it’s built to become the soundtrack to VIBY’s biggest milestone yet. More than a fan song, it’s an invitation for TOMO to celebrate alongside the group, capturing the shared excitement of standing in the same place after journeys that began far apart.
The music video was filmed at Hokkaido Greenland, set inside a newly opened amusement park called “VIBY LAND“. At its opening event, the five members set off on a mission to find “TOMO the puppy”, a search that leads them into a fateful meeting with TOMO. As the group and their fans work through the day’s twists and turns together, the video builds toward a warm, simple promise: friends, forever from now on.
When VIBY steps onto the Budokan stage on 31 August, “Gotcha” is set to become one of the night’s defining moments, transforming the song’s message into something shared between the group and the fans who inspired it.
Bright, energetic and impossible to stand still to, “Gotcha” delivers everything expected from a summer anthem while carrying a surprisingly heartfelt message beneath its infectious hook. It’s a reminder that some of life’s most meaningful connections begin with a single unexpected encounter.
Member IO describes the song directly: “‘Gotcha’ is a fan song from all of us in VIBY to everyone in TOMO. It’s our way of saying thank you, for finding each of you, and for the five of us finding each other as a group. The line ‘I finally found you, out of everyone’ carries our hope to keep walking this path together with TOMO from here. This song is also the beginning of the story that leads into our debut showcase at Nippon Budokan, ‘VIBY LAND’. We hope you’ll listen to ‘Gotcha’ again and again, and enjoy the world of ‘VIBY LAND’ together with us.”
For VIBY, that encounter was with TOMO. For anyone reading this for the first time, well, that’s kind of the point of the song. Gotcha.
About VIBY
VIBY is a five-member Japanese boy group, with all members in their teens, built around the concept of “voyage”. Unlike most groups, the members didn’t set out chasing the same dream from day one, brought together by a foreign producer, they each came from different places and backgrounds, and are now navigating a shared journey toward the future together.
Members:
IO – born 25 January 2007, age 19, from Kyoto
RENKI – born 15 October 2007, age 18, from Hyogo
AKITO – born 6 February 2008, age 18, from Hokkaido
RYOHA – born 22 April 2009, age 17, from Ishikawa
KOTARO – born 21 November 2010, age 15, from Hokkaido
They debuted 24 June 2026 with their 1st CD single “Miracle: The First Light”. Momentum built fast even before that: their pre-debut track “恋におちたら” passed 10 million views on its music video. Riding that same momentum, VIBY takes on a debut showcase at Nippon Budokan, “VIBY LAND,” on 31 August, just over 2 months post-debut, an unusually fast turnaround for a venue that size.
Their 3rd digital single “Gotcha” releases on 5 August 2026 ahead of that showcase, and it’s built to be the moment fans witness that leap in real time.
