Particular because of Anime Boston and Chaotic Concord for making this interview potential.
- Interview Location: Anime Boston 2024
- Interview Date: 3/30/2024
Anime Herald: What does magnificence imply to you?
Kaya: For me, magnificence is critical for all times. We get vitamins from meals. Magnificence offers me vitamins for my coronary heart.
Anime Herald: What does magnificence imply to you?
Kaya: For me, magnificence is critical for all times. We get vitamins from meals. Magnificence offers me vitamins for my coronary heart.
HIZAKI: (In English) Good Query.
(In Japanese) For me, residing is “The seek for magnificence.”
Anime-Zing Radio: What impressed your type?
HIZAKI: Ever since I used to be little, I beloved lace, and fluff, and frills.
Kaya: It’s the identical for me. Ever since I used to be little I sought out stunning issues.
Anime Herald: Kaya, in 2009 you joked that you’re very costly and really excessive upkeep. Is that also true?
Kaya: (Laughs) I wish to suppose that’s nonetheless the case.
Anime-Zing Radio: What impressed you to pursue music?
HIZAKI: For me, it began with classical music after I was youthful. Later, I bought concerned with Japanese rock. After that, American metallic like Metallica. That was a few of the music that impressed me after I was rising up.
Kaya: I wasn’t concerned with turning into a musician, as a lot as I wished to grow to be a singer. I fell in love with Japanese singers.
Anime Herald: What have been a few of the classical musicians who impressed you?
HIZAKI: At first it was Mozart and Beethoven. Extra just lately, Vivaldi. It modifications as time goes on?
Anime-Zing Radio: How do you are feeling in regards to the affect anime has had on Western tradition, selling Japanese music to North American followers?
HIZAKI: I believe it’s nice. I used to be in the US final 12 months. I’m pleased to be again, right here at Anime Boston. Searching into the hallways it’s clear that the folks right here love anime and Japanese tradition. Going ahead, I’d like to see it proceed to develop, significantly for the visible kei subculture.
Anime Herald: How has visible kei developed over the previous few a long time?
Kaya: I believe visible kei is at all times evolving.
Having mentioned that, I believe a number of the youthful technology is de facto cool. It’s actually nice to see how they’ve taken visible kei and made it their very own. Trying again at our predecessors, they have been actually cool. The following technology is de facto cool. The singer for “Versailles” at all times says “That’s what visible kei is about. Self-expression.” I believe it’s good to see it proceed to evolve. That’s why we prefer it.
HIZAKI: When you have a look at issues like KPOP, they’re spreading all around the world. Not simply in Japan or the US. As visible kei artists, we have to sustain. We have to proceed to develop all around the world and never lose out to them.
Anime-Zing Radio: Are you able to clarify what visible kei is?
Kaya: Like I mentioned, it’s a mode that permits free of charge expression. Due to that, yow will discover heavier metallic bands, lighter pop bands, all inside visible kei.
HIZAKI: One in every of most enjoyable issues about visible kei is that it offers the listeners an opportunity to seek out what they love. Whether or not it’s a band whose visible type you take pleasure in, or sounds a manner you take pleasure in. The truth that every particular person can discover that’s indicative of what visible kei is.
Anime-Zing Radio: I want extra US bands did that.
HIZAKI: Simply utilizing ourselves for instance. When you choose extra female visuals, we’re nice selections for that. When you’re searching for one thing else, there’s in all probability one thing for you in visible kei.
Anime Herald: Earlier than there was visible kei, there was David Bowie. Bowie was an enormous fan of androgyny, of not being outlined by masculinity or femininity. Does that idea attraction to you in any respect? Do you suppose there are any visible kei bands carrying the androgynous legend because it have been?
Kaya: I believe that it has elevated as time has handed. I believe now we’re way more comfy with gender being borderless. There aren’t any strict definitions for what it means. There’s an Italian band Måneskin. That’s only one instance of many. I believe that’s a very good factor. In visible kei it’s more and more turning into genderless and borderless and free.
HIZAKI: Sadly issues like homophobia and racism, issues that separate us from each other, are in every single place. I’d prefer to suppose that we’re transferring in the direction of a future the place these issues don’t matter and that they don’t separate us. I believe that might be a extra peaceable world.
Kaya: Having mentioned that, there are bands which are tremendous macho or tremendous female, and that’s nice too. Like HIZAKI mentioned, there’s extra selections now. I believe that’s what nice. We get to decide on for ourselves.
Anime-Zing Radio: I believe it’s wonderful with visible kei that folks can concentrate on the music and the artist and never on gender or race. They will concentrate on what you create, and never simply who you’re.
Kaya: We’ve been fortunate sufficient to have the ability to journey. We’ve skilled the ways in which locations may be very completely different. Clearly, there are nonetheless horrible issues occurring, wars. Nevertheless it actually is my hope that we will attain that peaceable protected place for everybody.
Anime Herald: Are there any good or dangerous journey tales that you simply wish to share?
Kaya: I haven’t actually had many adverse experiences. I actually like to journey. I’ve seen we’ve got a number of passionate followers in Latin America. They’re very loud, and never shy about letting us know the way they respect our music. Lately I used to be in Chile and the followers have been actually going for it. It felt good.
HIZAKI: I don’t know if it’s a foul a part of it, it’s simply part of it. Being on tour, there’s a number of journey. 20-hour flights. 40-hours on a bus. I personally don’t thoughts it, however another folks don’t prefer it as a lot, and we’ll get into fights as a result of we’re drained. That’s simply a part of being an artist.
It’s humorous. Even with band members, we’ve recognized one another for a few years. A tour will finish and we’ll really feel like, “Is that this the form of particular person you’re? I really feel like I’m assembly you for the primary time and studying one thing new about you.”
Anime-Zing Radio: How did the 2 of you meet and determine to work collectively?
Kaya: In all probability (Jasmine) You, the previous bassist for Versailles. He’s handed away. He knew HIZAKI. They knew one another, being of comparable age, and into related music. They knew one another, which is how we met.
Anime Herald: What recommendation would you give to youthful artists getting into the enterprise? What knowledge would you prefer to impart?
HIZAKI: If I needed to choose one factor to move on as a message, it’s “Get on the market. Go journey. Depart the boundaries of your personal nation.”
Again after I began, it was initially round Japan. As I bought older, I bought to journey internationally. It modified the best way I believe. When you don’t, your considering can grow to be slender and restricted. Having the chance to fulfill folks, seeing and studying about different cultures. In Japan, we’re very well timed. Issues are scheduled and on time. Touring to different locations and performing, you study that different locations aren’t as well timed. Studying that different locations are just a little looser on timing was an important expertise.
Even dangerous issues. Studying that there are locations at warfare permits me to make music to try to assist them really feel higher. My recommendation is to journey and to find out about different folks.
Anime-Zing Radio: What recommendation would you give to individuals who wish to discover visible kei, however could be afraid to due to the place they stay or their circumstances?
Kaya: I don’t suppose that is restricted to visible kei. Attempt it anyway. If you wish to get into visible kei, strive make-up, or a brand new piece of clothes. Attempt one thing. The purpose is to cease simply occupied with it and really do it. That’s not only for visible kei. That’s for something.
I believe folks maintain themselves again. It’s essential to have the bravery to take a step ahead and really do it. The one manner you will study is by messing it up. So simply give it a strive.
Anime Herald: Do both of you watch anime or learn manga? If that’s the case, what are a few of your favorites from rising up or present favorites?
Kaya: I like manga.
HIZAKI: I like each. There was some time after I didn’t watch or learn any. Extra just lately, after I journey, I like to make use of a few of the time to observe anime. With the expansion of Netflix, it’s grow to be extra accessible. Lately I’ve been consuming extra.
Anime Herald: Something specifically?
Kaya: Saint Seiya.
HIZAKI: The live-action Saint Seiya (Knights of the Zodiac).
Kaya: As everyone knows Akira Toriyama just lately handed away. Seeing all of his works come again out into the mainstream, it hit house how instrumental he was in spreading Japan’s kawaii and anime cultures globally.
Dragon Ball Z. Dragon Quest. I didn’t understand how surrounded by his works I used to be, as a baby. I wasn’t conscious of how a lot it was a part of my life after I was youthful till now. I believe that it’s nice.
I believe that he’s kind of the daddy of spreading Japanese tradition to the extent it has. As somebody who can also be spreading Japanese tradition, to the US and the world, if we might have a small fraction of the influence he had, that might be nice.
HIZAKI: Usually I have a tendency to observe no matter is fashionable. That’s not only for anime. For motion pictures and music. I prefer to eat no matter is a part of the zeitgeist.
Anime-Zing Radio: How do you are feeling in regards to the affect of social media? Once you first began the web wasn’t as distinguished. It was harder to get found by a world viewers.
HIZAKI: I agree there’s undoubtedly a huge effect. Social media, the web. I believe it’s been nice. I believe it’s an exquisite factor that it’s made, not simply our music, however all the pieces extra accessible for folks. After I was a baby, I dreamed of enjoying a stay live performance. I by no means thought that that dream would come true. I believe it’s due to the web and social media that I used to be in a position to fulfill that dream. That’s an exquisite factor. I believe going ahead there’s going to be extra digital content material, which is able to make issues extra accessible and accessible for extra folks. That’s an important factor.
Anime Herald: What are a few of the culinary highlights out of your worldwide music profession?
HIZAKI: I’ve to say, that after doing a world tour, there’s one thing particular about coming house to Japanese delicacies. It simply hits completely different.
Kaya: There’s one reminiscence that I’ve from 2008. I used to be in Los Angeles. Since then I’ve tried to journey someplace yearly. That 12 months I used to be in Los Angeles. I ordered some tea. “Oh man, it was so candy.” Japanese tea doesn’t normally have sugar. I keep in mind it was so candy.
HIZAKI: I keep in mind having a steak in Texas. It was wild.
Anime-Zing Radio: How is the anime tradition completely different between the US and what you’ve skilled in Japan?
Kaya: Curiously, we don’t have a number of expertise going to those conventions in Japan. One of many greatest issues we’ve seen is the standard of the cosplay in Japan may be very excessive. They spend a number of money and time to create fancy and complex costumes. Right here within the US persons are extra free with it. You’ll be able to inform they’re cosplaying one thing as a result of they like it. They aren’t attempting to do professional-level costumes. They’re simply having fun with one thing that they love.
HIZAKI: In Japan, anime conventions have a number of guidelines. They’re fairly strict. We don’t have a number of possibilities to fulfill with followers. That’s simply not the best way they do conventions in Japan. It could be good if we have been in a position to chat with folks.
Culturally normally, Japan is extra involved with the way you seem to different folks. In that sense, folks listed below are a bit extra free. Individuals are carrying the costumes as a result of they like it. They’re expressing themselves by way of one thing they take pleasure in. I believe it might be good if the conventions in Japan weren’t so stiff and strict.
You will discover HIZAKI on Instagram, Fb, and Twitter. Listed below are Versailles and Jupiter as nicely.
You will discover Kaya on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Alternatively, you possibly can go to Kaya’s web site or YouTube channel, or Schwarz Stein.
