[Exclusive Interview Q&A] MACO Talks About “Can't End This Love” — Turning Honest Emotions and Contradictions Into Song
Fresh off the release of her 2025 single "だから終われない恋 (Can't End This Love)," Japanese singer-songwriter MACO continues to touch hearts with her honest storytelling and signature emotional delivery. Known for her seamless blend of J-pop and R&B, MACO has built her career on songs about love, heartbreak, and everything in between. With a lot of fans across Japan and beyond, her music resonates with anyone who's ever fallen hard and loved deeply.
This new single, released independently, marks a new chapter for MACO — one where creative freedom, personal growth, and deep emotional honesty come together. She's currently bringing this heartfelt track to fans across Japan on her CAN’T END THIS LOVE TOUR 2025, which kicked off in Tokyo and includes stops in Nagoya, Hokkaido, Fukuoka, Osaka, and more. Due to overwhelming fan support, an additional and final show has been announced for June 22 at Shibuya WWW X. In this exclusive interview, MACO reflects on her songwriting process, the fan reactions that moved her most, and what it's like bringing these feelings to life on stage during her latest tour.
Mikan Box: “だから終われない恋 (Can't End This Love)” has been out for a little while now — how have you been feeling since sharing it with the world?
MACO: I've been spending each day feeling deeply grateful and truly happy. I listen to the song quite often myself. Even though I've released music many times before, every release reminds me of where I began — it's a feeling that never gets old and always surprises me. No matter how many years pass, it’s still such a joy to have my honest feelings expressed through my music and reach all of my fans. This song has truly become one of the most special to me.
Mikan Box: Many fans say this song reminded them of past relationships or student days — were you surprised by how personally people connected with it?
MACO: It always surprises me. Even though I wrote it based on my own personal experience, the fact that people connect it to their own stories makes me feel they’ve truly felt it deeply. I poured a lot of emotion into singing it, so maybe that energy naturally ripples out and reaches people like waves. Even if our backgrounds are different, I think the feelings of falling in love, breaking up, and being left in sadness are something we can all share.
Mikan Box: You’re now back on tour — how does it feel performing this song live for the first time, especially knowing how deeply fans have responded?
MACO: I always get nervous when performing a new song, but I focus on outdoing my recorded performance. As the song builds toward the second half, my emotions rise too — and I can feel the band’s energy intensifying behind me. I can also feel the audience is taking it in — with their bodies, their ears, and their hearts. That’s when I feel there is true exchange of energy through music.
Mikan Box: One fan commented that just hearing the “first syllable” brought back a flood of emotion. Do you intentionally craft your songs for that kind of instant emotional pull, or is it more intuitive?
MACO: I’d say it’s more the latter — it’s mostly intuitive. In this case, the fact that the song starts without an intro and goes straight into the vocals was actually suggested by my producer/arranger, Masanori Shimada. The lyrics came to me naturally, almost instinctively. The song could've been completed with a chorus like, "I love you, love you — is all I want to say to you right now..." But when the line "It’s embarrassing, singing this kind of song again" just came to me, I felt there was something special about this song. Almost like it was gifted to me from a special place.
Mikan Box: From "MY LIFE, MY LOVE" to this release, it feels like you’re opening a new creative chapter. How would you describe this season of your artistry?
MACO: I feel like I have reached a point in my career where I’m shedding all the rules and norms that have become ingrained in me over time. I’m the kind of person who gets more rebellious or creative when I feel restricted — like I want to push back against limitations. But now that there’s nothing holding me back, I sometimes find that freedom can be… a little scary. During the production of this song, I often found myself asking with my producer/arranger, Masanori Shimada, "Is this really okay?" and seeking his opinion — perhaps because part of me is still clinging to some kind of framework. I’m learning to remind myself that freedom isn’t something to fear. I want to embrace it fully and create music with that mindset — because, after all, this is my music.
Mikan Box: For fans listening on repeat, is there a lyric or line you’d love them to really sit with?
MACO: My lyrics are always full of contradictions — and this song is no exception, so I hope my fans can embrace that. In the line "Hey, do you understand? Hey, please understand," I’m desperately trying to convince the person to understand — though I clearly don’t — while also forcing that need to be understood onto that person. Then there’s "Your face, like a stranger’s / I can’t stand who you are now" followed by "I can’t see you, but I long to." After all that, it goes into the line, "only one love that never started," only to end with my honest and weak-hearted "I don’t want it to end — It was the one love I had." I would be happy if these little contradictions in the lyrics help people realize that it was not "Ai" (愛 - true love) — but rather "Koi" (恋 - romantic love).
💬 MACO’s comment on the song:
“While it may be categorized as a bittersweet breakup song, it overflows with her deep love for music. A powerful mix of vulnerability and passion, the song marks a significant step forward in MACO's musical journey, showcasing her ability to connect with listeners through deeply personal storytelling.”
Catch MACO live on the "MACO〜CAN'T END THIS LOVE TOUR 2025〜"
MACO is currently headlining her nationwide tour across nine cities in Japan — "MACO CAN'T END THIS LOVE TOUR 2025"! An additional and final show has just been announced: Sunday, June 22 at WWW X in Shibuya, Tokyo. For full dates and ticket information, visit macoinfo.net.
Listen to "Can't End This Love": https://macoinfo.lnk.to/dakaraowarenaikoi
Follow MACO on Instagram: @maco___official
