On Set With SG5: Behind the Scenes of the Sailor Moon Girl Group’s ‘Firetruck’ Video Shoot
The next generation of girl groups has arrived with SG5, the so-called “intergalactic supergroup” based on the popular Sailor Moon franchise. After being unveiled last summer, SG5 launched their global takeover this week with the debut of their first single, “Firetruck.”
Produced by BloodPop, who’s worked with the likes of Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Madonna, “Firetruck” is an absolute banger of a track that heralds the arrival of a fearless, futuristic-inspired sound. The music video, meantime, is equally as fiery, showcasing the five members posing and dancing against a set of flashing lights, flames and yes, firetrucks too.
Rolling Stone went behind the scenes of the SG5 video shoot to meet the group and to get a first glimpse into their debut project. See our exclusive photos and then watch the music video here.
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Behind the Scenes of SG5 “Firetruck” Music Video Shoot
Image Credit: Skyler Barberio for Rolling Stone Though the group was formed in Japan, the members made their way to Los Angeles for the “Firetruck” video shoot, which took place on a balmy day in October.
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Behind the Scenes of SG5 “Firetruck” Music Video Shoot
Image Credit: Skyler Barberio for Rolling Stone The girls say “Firetruck” is a metaphor for girl power: “By embracing the power within ourselves and hyping up our girls along the way, we become the hottest versions of ourselves.”
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Behind the Scenes of SG5 “Firetruck” Music Video Shoot
Image Credit: Skyler Barberio for Rolling Stone “Firetruck,” the girls tell Rolling Stone, is “a song all about the individual flame that burns inside all of us, and a love so pure that it shines brighter than hate or bad vibes.”
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Behind the Scenes of SG5 “Firetruck” Music Video Shoot
Image Credit: Skyler Barberio for Rolling Stone While SG5 is a new group, the five members all came up in the J-pop (Japanese pop) industry: Sayaka, Ruri, Miyuu and Kaede were previously part of the group Happiness, while Rui came from the trio iScream.
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Behind the Scenes of SG5 “Firetruck” Music Video Shoot
Image Credit: Skyler Barberio for Rolling Stone The outfits for the music video are equally as bright and colorful as the video itself, and the girls say they love experimenting with fashion as much as they love experimenting with different genres of music.
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Behind the Scenes of SG5 “Firetruck” Music Video Shoot
Image Credit: Skyler Barberio for Rolling Stone Here, Miyuu gets touched up in between takes. As the leader of the J-pop group Happiness, the singer and dancer has had a lot of success in her career already, but says she’s super excited to see what lies ahead for SG5: “I have experienced a lot as an artist in Japan, but the environment surrounding SG5 is like no other, so I’m very motivated.”
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Behind the Scenes of SG5 “Firetruck” Music Video Shoot
Image Credit: Skyler Barberio for Rolling Stone Just hot how is SG5? “So hot in fact, that the forces of evil might be terrified and immediately need to call a firetruck to cool down the fire,” they say.
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Behind the Scenes of SG5 “Firetruck” Music Video Shoot
Image Credit: Skyler Barberio for Rolling Stone Ruri tells Rolling Stone that “Firetruck” is just a teaser of what’s to come for SG5: “We will continue to hone our vocals, performances, and English skills in order to have as many people know and be proud of SG5,” she says.
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Behind the Scenes of SG5 “Firetruck” Music Video Shoot
Image Credit: Skyler Barberio for Rolling Stone Rui is new to the music scene, having just debuted in 2021 with the trio iScream. But she says she’s ready to give it her all to make SG5 proud. “I am so happy and grateful to be a part of SG5, and to be in the same group with these members,” she says, “and I will do everything it takes to be a global artist that Japan is proud of.”
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Behind the Scenes of SG5 “Firetruck” Music Video Shoot
Image Credit: Skyler Barberio for Rolling Stone During a break in the shoot, the girls got to check out a quick clip of what they just recorded, giving nods of approval back to the team after seeing their performance on camera.
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Behind the Scenes of SG5 “Firetruck” Music Video Shoot
Image Credit: Skyler Barberio for Rolling Stone It’s not all serious with SG5: the girls shared a laugh in between takes and it was clear that they are the best of friends even when the cameras are not rolling.
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Behind the Scenes of SG5 “Firetruck” Music Video Shoot
Image Credit: Skyler Barberio for Rolling Stone Steven Spielberg is that you? Everyone on set was confused for a minute when someone who looked like the famous director appeared in the room. Turns out it was just a prank from music video director Weston Allen, who’s been known to hire impersonators for his shoots.
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Behind the Scenes of SG5 “Firetruck” Music Video Shoot
Image Credit: Skyler Barberio for Rolling Stone As the first music group officially in collaboration with Sailor Moon, fans can expect to see elements of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon sprinkled throughout the music video.
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Behind the Scenes of SG5 “Firetruck” Music Video Shoot
Image Credit: Skyler Barberio for Rolling Stone “Our debut in the U.S. almost still feels like a dream, but we would like to do our best to make SG5 known to people from all over the world,” the group says. “We hope that everyone can feel the girl power and energy that radiates from this song and video, and get excited with us!”