Mad Hope

"Mad Hope" (Hepburn: Maddo Hōpu) is a song by the Japanese singer-songwriter Gen Hoshino featuring American instrumentalists Louis Cole, Sam Gendel, and Sam Wilkes. Written by Hoshino and Cole, it was produced and recorded over three years. Hoshino programmed different parts in Japan and sent these for the musicians to record in America. The song was first released as a 30-second short version on Hoshino's second EP, Lighthouse, in 2023. Afterwards, Hoshino visited Cole in Los Angeles to complete a full-length version, which was released on his sixth studio album, Gen, in 2025. Musically, it is a fusion pop song with elements of Cole, Gendel, and Wilkes' jazz styles, drawing from spiritual jazz, fusion jazz, and avant garde music. The composition is accompanied by Hoshino's poetry-like lyrics, which consists of singular words presented without meaning.

"Mad Hope" was issued to Japanese radio alongside the release of Gen on May 14, 2025. Japanese internet content creator ARuFa directed its first-person music video, which was released on July 24, 2025. The song was the namesake for Gen's headlining tour, where it was also performed. Several Japanese music critics found the collaborative effort of Hoshino and the featuring artists to be surprising or fresh. Commercially, the song peaked at number 37 on the Japan Hot 100.