Interview: STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION

STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION is the sound making project of songwriter/music producer and former rock band OLDCODEX member R·O·N who produces various sound contents and music for varieties of popular Japanese artists and Anime series.

To celebrate the latest release of his single ‘PEACEKEEPER’ which is the opening theme song for “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime” Season 3 which you are able to listen to here! We were able to interview R·O·N at Hawaii’s anime convention Kawaii Kon!

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Ken: First of all thank you so much for letting us do this interview, we are fans of what you bring to the Japanese music industry. And congratulations on passing your tenth year in the industry!

RON: Nice to meet you Ken and thank you so much for having me!

K: As this is your first Hawaii convention, are you having fun and is there anything you would like to do while you are here?

RON: Yeah, I’m having a lot of fun so far! I wanted to eat Poke (Raw fish with sauce) and I did!

K: Where did you go to eat Poke, might I ask?

RON: Oh just UberEats haha

K: Honestly, one of my favorite places to eat Poke is nearby at Foodland Farms and I would highly recommend it.  Be sure to have the legendary Poke Bowl which is like Danburi style (Fish and Rice) and is very delish.

RON: The Poke I had was very good, however it was also very spicy.

K: Ah I see, yes, they probably gave you the Spicy Tuna which is a local favorite.

RON: I see!

photo credit by jus. management

K: For your upcoming release ‘PEACEKEEPER’, where did you have the idea to talk about a theme of handling the difficulty of communication.

RON: In regard to the lyrics, I first receive a basic overview of the anime and then I think about how I should express the idea for the song. So it ended up not being so difficult to handle a theme like that.

K: Oh I see, so for a majority of the anisong that you have done, is that the usual thought process?

RON: Yeah, yeah it’s almost exactly like that!

K: Oh I see! Since you have done so many anisong in the past, What would you say is your favorite anisong that you have written/composed?
RON: That is such a difficult question haha. In terms of only STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION songs, I would have to say ‘STORYSEEKER’. It is one of my favorites.

K: I see. How do you curate your set list?

RON: So specifically over the last two or three years. I had done about 10 shows or so, and during those shows I developed about 4 patterns of a specific setlist that I built around.

K: Do you take a different approach when making a setlist Japan versus overseas?

RON: Actually as of right now I’ve only performed once in Japan about three years ago, when I was a part of a band setlist. While overseas it’s usually just me as a one-man, so I would say that is the biggest difference.

…my most cherished memory would have to be when I was able to perform in Germany last year…

K: What would you say is your most Cherished memory in the 10 years you have been active?

RON: Oh my most cherished memory would have to be when I was able to perform in Germany last year, mostly due to the fact that I had lived in Germany when I was in grade school and it was a very memorable experience for me.

photo credit by jus. management

K: When performing, how do you prepare?

RON: I usually try to get into the mindset that I hope that the audience would enjoy the setlist that I’m doing. That is the most important thing for me.

K: Is there a venue that you performed at that you’ll never forget? Also is there a dream venue that you would like to perform at?

RON: It would have to be the Mercury Lounge in New York, as it was the first venue that I had done a solo one-man show at.

I hope to perform in Los Angeles and Torrance, California as I used to live there as well haha.

K: Who is the one artist you would love to work with in the future?

RON: Yoshi the vocalist from the rock band SSTP (Survive Said The Prophet), I really want to make a song with him!

…making music feels natural to me.

K: Do you have a process or certain mind set when creating your songs, if so would you like to share that process?

RON: Not really, making music feels natural to me. So there isn’t really a special mind set that I have to be in when composing songs.

K: Which was your favorite song to write/ compose?

RON: I can’t just pick one, I usually compose and write about 200-250 songs a year so to be able to pick just one, is really difficult. I would have to say every song haha .

photo credit by jus. management

K: Which artist would you say is your biggest inspiration?

RON: The rock band Korn ahaha.

K: For international fans, how they usually find out about J-pop is through anime. First do you watch anime, and if so which would you say is your favorite?

RON: Unfortunately, not the recent anime but I used to watch ones like Gundam, Evangelion, Sazae-san, Chibi Mariko-chan. Maybe you might not know the last two haha, but I used to watch Anime.

K: Thank you so much for joining and I look forward to the concert tomorrow (at the time of interview) and enjoy your time in Hawaii!

RON: Yes, Thank you very much, and thank you for having me!

Interview: BALLISTIK BOYZ

BALLISTIK BOYZ is a seven-member dance and vocal group who is a part of the popular sub-group EXILE TRIBE. These seven extremely talented members perform physically demanding acrobatic dance routines while singing emotional and thought provoking lyrics. They are the first in EXILE TRIBE to have all members to hold the microphone to sing, rap, and dance.

After the release of their highly anticipated third album Back & Forth, we were honored to interview them once again for this release! We have linked both the Digital and Physical edition so be sure to check it out. We have linked several song throughout the interview, along with the videos as well!

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Ken: Thank you for having us again BALLISTIK BOYZ,  we are looking forward to the upcoming album!

BALLISTIK BOYZ: Thank you for having us again!

K: What should fans be looking forward to with this album release as it's been over 2 years since Pass the Mic in 2021?

RYUTA HIDAKA: This is an album that our fans can fully take in our growth over the past two years and our future possibilities, and I think the fans have been looking forward to it!

YOSHIYUKI KANO: It’s been two years since our last album, and during that time, we had lots of experiences like living in Thailand for six months and holding a live tour in Japan!

The album includes songs produced in Thailand and songs that the band members composed and wrote lyrics for. We tried a lot of new things on this album, and the lead song is also very new since we’ve never included a ballad, so I think you will enjoy it a lot!

… sometimes moving towards our dreams, sometimes being pushed backward, but steadily moving forward one step at a time.

K: Where did the name for your latest album come from? Does it happen to have any special meaning?

MASAHIRO SUNADA: The song represents how we’ve lived since our debut, challenging ourselves in many ways to make our dreams come true, repeating trial and error, sometimes moving towards our dreams, sometimes being pushed backward, but steadily moving forward one step at a time.

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K: With Back & Forth being your third album, what was it you learned from your first two albums that helped you with putting this album together?

MIKU FUKAHORI: Since the last album, we’ve become clearer on the BALLISTIK BOYZ style, so we produced it based on that.

RIKIYA OKUDA: Some of the songs on this album were written by the band members, so I think you’ll feel how we’ve grown more mature since our last album was released, and the genre of music has also broadened!

We wanted to create a melody that’s more pleasing to listeners than focusing on expressing our feelings.

K: What has been the biggest challenge you encountered working on your newest album Back & Forth?

MIKU FUKAHORI: Producing the melody for “N.E.X.T.” We wanted to create a melody that’s more pleasing to listeners than focusing on expressing our feelings.

RIKI MATSUI: When we recorded “Drop Dead”, we produced it in Thailand. Only a studio was provided, and we had to do the rest ourselves. It took a long time because we provided all the direction and advice for each other.

K: Which songs did you have the most fun working on for Back & Forth?

MASAHIRO SUNADA: I’d say “N.E.X.T.” Our band member Miku wrote this song, so it felt new, and it was fun to record it under Miku’s direction during the recording.

K: The track ‘In My Head’ is an emotionally based song and is the group's most emotional song to date. Can you walk us through the creative process invoked in ‘In My Head’?

MIKU FUKAHORI: I purposely chose straightforward lyrics and created them by imagining a wistful heartbreak song that could be easily sympathized with.

RIKIYA OKUDA: This is a heartbreak song, so I wrote the lyrics straight out, not in a roundabout way, so that more people can relate to the song. There are various kinds of love stories, and I think you can feel the wistfulness of this song more if you watch and listen to the music video!

By composing and writing the lyrics, we’re able to give shape to our thoughts and music….

K: With “N.E.X.T” you guys did both the writing and composing for this track, what was it like taking on a challenge like that, and should fans be on the lookout for more releases that are written and composed by you?

MIKU FUKAHORI: By composing and writing the lyrics, we’re able to give shape to our thoughts and music that we want to deliver to you, so I hope you will continue to look forward to our music.

RIKI MATSUI: N.E.X.T. is a song about our deepest feelings, so we were worried about how the fans would react when they heard it, but we’re glad that they warmly accepted them. By composing and writing the lyrics, we can deliver our feelings in a more realistic way, so no matter what the content is about, I think it makes the music more enjoyable to listen to.

We shared the same dreams of achieving success in Asia and around the world with everyone in TRINITY and Gulf…

K: What was it like collaborating with Gulf Kanawut and TRINITY for “All I ever Wanted” and “Drop Dead” respectively?  Can you elaborate on how these two collaborations came about?  Will we see more collaborations in the future?

RYUTA HIDAKA: We’ve been working with Thai superstar F.HERO since 2022, and F.HERO introduced us to artists with whom we could collaborate well. We shared the same dreams of achieving success in Asia and around the world with everyone in TRINITY and Gulf, so we were able to create great music in a good relationship, mutually stimulating and enhancing each other's skills. Collaboration allows us to create a worldview that we could not create on our own and bring out what we cannot, so we hope to continue collaborating regularly in the future!

MASAHIRO SUNADA: We met Gulf and TRINITY after being introduced by F.HERO, a well-known rapper in Thailand.

TRINITY has been a great inspiration as a group of people of the same generation who share the same dreams. We’re good friends and rivals.

Gulf is already a superstar in Asia, so we had a lot to learn from someone who is already where we’re aiming to be. He was very friendly, and we went to a cat cafe together. LOL!

K: When creating ‘God Mode’, at the time, did you know it would be the anthem for SIGUMA SQUAD? How does it feel knowing it's the anthem for SIGUMA SQUAD?

YOSHIYUKI KANO: After originally hearing about the collaboration with BUCCHIGIRI?!, we were asked to do a team song for SIGUMA SQUAD, and we got to know what kind of team it was before moving on to production!

So, it was easy for us to visualize what we were looking for, and I think their team's colors match our image!

RYUSEI KAINUMA: I knew about it. However, since we did the production before the animation was completed, I didn’t understand the detailed nuances but heard some of the concepts before recording. I was honestly happy. Be sure to check out the special video that we made for the series as well!

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K: What was it like Touring with both THE RAMPAGE and PSYCHIC FEVER for your Thailand and Bangkok concerts and are there any other EXILE TRIBE groups you would like to tour with?

RYUTA HIDAKA: We were able to promote LDH and EXILE TRIBE comprehensively by working as a team with seniors and juniors (of LDH), not only by ourselves.

I’ve had the experience of working with the FANTASTICS before our debut, so I think it would be very interesting if we could perform at  a live concert together again.

MASAHIRO SUNADA: Together with LDH, there was a more masculine and passionate vibe of ‘Let’s do this!” than when we usually perform on our own. I’d like to tour with LIL LEAGUE or KID PHENOMENON. I feel like we have the same vibe, haha!

K: After you finish a live performance what is usually the thing you like to do first?

YOSHIYUKI KANO: First, we discuss the day's live performance, bringing up any corrections or feedback.

I look forward to dinner afterward and when I have time, I eat something famous in the area!

RYUSEI KAINUMA: Playing games back at the hotel!

K: The last time we had interviewed you guys for the single "SUM BABY", you were the youngest of the Exile Tribes, but now there have been several groups that had debuted. Do you feel added pressure from being Senpais for those groups?

RIKI MATSUI: I feel it. But we are us, so we’ll always keep in mind what we think is cool and how we feel, and keep the story going.

MASAHIRO SUNADA: I always wanted to be the youngest, but it didn't work out that way, LOL. There’s a lot of pressure, but it’s a good stimulator. I have no choice but to keep improving myself day by day so that I can become a reliable and cool senior.

K: Do you have free time outside of the studio to pursue other hobbies or does the studio keep you pretty busy?

RYUTA HIDAKA: Thankfully, we’re busy these days, but when we have time, we enjoy our hobbies. I go surfing.

MASAHIRO SUNADA: These days, I’m so busy that I don't have time for a single hobby. I'm glad that I'm busy. But it's hard when I don't have time to work out at the gym, LOL.

K: Do you have a message for your international fans?

MIKU FUKAHORI: We definitely want to do a lot of live shows and events overseas.

Please come visit us when we do!

RIKIYA OKUDA: Thank you for your warm support! I believe that we are all BALLY'S (fans) regardless of where we are in the world, so please continue to give us your love and support more than any other group, no matter which country we are in!

K: Once again, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule, and we look forward to your upcoming releases!

BALLISTIK BOYZ: Thank you for having us once again, and please look forward to Back & Forth!

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Be sure to keep up with BALLISTIK BOYZ on all the following links below!
Official website: https://m.tribe-m.jp/Artist/index/195
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOB1X12CH6XJpgzOXZ2jqMw
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ballistik.boyz.official
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/ballistik_fext
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ballistik_fext
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ballistikboyz.official

Interview: LIL LEAGUE

LIL LEAGUE are a six-member dance, vocals and rap boyband with an average age of 16. The group formed as part of iCON Z 2022 ~Dreams For Children~, the largest audition in LDH history. Out of 48,000 entrants, the members of LIL LEAGUE were among 19 finalists in the men’s category. The name LIL LEAGUE was chosen to represent the group’s hope that their youthful energy and momentum will create a unique new vibe. In celebration for the release for their latest album ‘TRICKSTER’, we were able to interview this up-and-coming group!

Iwaki

Nakamura

Yamada

Okao

Momoda

Nanba

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Ken: First of all thank you so much for letting us do this interview, we are big fans and love what you bring to the Japanese music industry.

LIL LEAGUE: Thank you so much for have us!

K: Last year LDH debuted three other groups in the same year as you guys, what was that experience like? Was there a good bit of friendly competition to see who can be the best?

Iwaki: After thinking about the struggles we have gone through up till now, I would think the desire to not lose was the strongest. I think this was demonstrated and led to our friendly competition during our audition period. Since we had won the Grand Prix and were able to debut first out of the other groups,  I would like to work to live up to the expectation of the three groups that were able to win their debuts.

I hope that our fans will use this album as an opportunity to look forward to LIL LEAGUE’s future.

K: With the release of your new album ‘TRICKSTER’ coming out this month. What are you looking forward to most about this release?

Okao: This album is filled with hints of our activities not only in the year since our debut but also for the future, so I hope that fans will listen to it and will see the possibilities for our future. We also hope to continue to grow as artists, so I hope that our fans will use this album as an opportunity to look forward to LIL LEAGUE’s future.

K: What is your personal favorite track off of ”TRICKSTER”?

Iwaki: "GATEWAY". It is not an overstatement to say that it is the theme song of our first hall tour "LIL GATEWAY," which was held last year, and I think it is a song that looks great performed live. I usually sing instead of rap, so I think it is a song that brings out new colors of LIL LEAGUE.

Okao: "Monster". This is the second single we released, and it is a dark song with a rock band atmosphere, a complete change from the pop songs we have released in the past. I like the lyrics because there are many phrases that give me courage.

Nanba: It would have to be “Coloring Book. It is the first song we released and depicts a blank canvas that we are going to color together with our fans. I would like the readers to pay attention to the lyrics.

…the time we spent discussing how to fill the album with our future selves was memorable.

K: Do you have a favorite story in creating your first album “TRICKSTER”?

Iwaki：Because this will be our first album, we had a lot of discussions with the staff to make the content of the album our own, and since we arrived at the release with many twists and turns, the time we spent discussing how to fill the album with our future selves was memorable.

K: I love the theme of ‘Lollipop’ as it is one that you don’t hear about when you become an artist. What was the thought process of going through this track?

Nanba: The theme we wanted to deliver was “front and back,” so we created the song with the motif of “Lollipop,” meaning “candy,” which looks cute at first glance, in mind to express the dark world behind it. The song expresses the other side of the glamorous world of artists, which is not usually depicted.

K: As most of your songs have an upbeat sound. Can you describe what it was like creating the song ‘15minutes’, which takes on a slow tempo composition approach?

Iwaki：This song uses a ferris wheel to express the frustration of wanting to tell someone your feelings but not being able to. Mr. SHOKICHI, who wrote the lyrics, wrote the words in a direct way that suited our age, and I think the song is more convincing because we are teenagers singing it.

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K: Before you were members of LIL LEAGUE, what was the audition and prep work like being in iCON Z Dreams For Children?  Was the prep work more difficult before you were a member of LIL LEAGUE

Okao: I feel that we spent a lot of time looking for the personality of the group. Since we originally lived in different places, we all communicated with each other and tried to understand each other. We had discussions every night and worked hard to find our strengths.

K: Before you were a member of the LIL LEAGUE, were any of you guys fans of EXILE?

Iwaki：I was a fan. My parents taught me about them, and I learned how fun and cool they were through singing and dancing. My introduction to this world of the music industry was just recommended by my parents, but it is true that my intuitive feeling that they were cool at that time has continued to this day.

K: Which Jr Exile group would you like to collaborate with in the future?

Okao: It would have to be THE RAMPAGE. We had performed together at the time for our  final audition, and they gave us a lot of advice at that time. I definitely want to perform with them because I want them to feel that we have grown since our audition.

K: Do you have a process or certain mind set when creating your songs? If so, would you like to share that process?

Nanba: We value giving our best in each and every performance. We work hard to improve our skills every day and constantly update our own performance, so we try to give a new sense of ourselves every time.

We also try to create a lot of our own stories in the choreography, so rather than learning the choreography, we focus on the next step.

K: How long does the choreograph process of a song take to master and was it difficult to do during the ongoing pandemic?

Iwaki：We have had many opportunities to have the same choreographer work on our songs since our debut, and each time I feel that they bring out new aspects of LIL LEAGUE. They understand us and our songs very well and bring out the best in each of us. Therefore, the choreography goes smoothly. We also try to create a lot of our own stories in the choreography, so rather than learning the choreography, we focus on the next step.

K: What song(s) had an impact on you growing up?

Okao: It would be "Rollah Coaster". The song was assigned to us during our audition, and it was a big influence for us to find our own identity in this pop and catchy song.

K: Which artist would you say is your biggest inspiration? Also are there any international artist that inspire you guys as well?

Nanba: It would have to be the Korean group BIGBANG. We study their live performances very closely and receive a lot of inspiration from them. There is no doubt that the entertainment they provide for their fans has influenced the image of the type of artists we aspire to be.

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K: For international fans, how they usually find out about J-pop is through anime, first do you guys watch anime, and if so what would you say is your favorite?

Iwaki: I watch not only classic anime such as "Sazae-san," "Crayon Shinchan," and "Doraemon," but also recently “Demon Slayer”.

Okao: "Crayon Shin-chan" is my starting point.

Namba: I have been watching "Doraemon" since I was a child. I also like "Dragon Ball.

K: How far in advance do each of you prepare for your live performances both as a team and individually?

Iwaki：Practice usually begins as soon as we are told about the live performance. We all live in a dorm, so in our spare time we talk about refining performances.

I would like to stand on this stage by ourselves someday.

K: Is there a venue that you performed at that you’ll never forget? Also is there a dream venue that you would like to perform at?

Nanba: It was when we were the opening act in the dome tour for our senior group EXILE. It left a strong impression on me that I could stand on the dome stage before my debut. I would like to stand on this stage by ourselves someday.

K: What track(s) are your favorite to perform live and why?

Okao: It’s the song "HYPE UP," and we've posted a video on YouTube (below), explaining the fan call, so I hope to get everyone excited at the show.

K: What would you say is your group's most difficult song to perform?

Iwaki："Coloring Book". It is a bright and fun song, so we need to enjoy ourselves from the bottom of our hearts. In addition, being able to continuously hit the high notes throughout the song makes it difficult to perform.

They are the origin and the pinnacle of EXILE TRIBE, so I would like to be able to work with them someday.

K: Who is the one artist you would love to work with in the future?

Okao: I would like to collaborate with EXILE, the senior of LDH. They are the origin and the pinnacle of EXILE TRIBE, so I would like to be able to work with them someday.

K: Do you have a message for your international fans?

Nanba: Thank you for your support. We would like to eventually become a global artist, so right now, I will cherish the present and deliver our music to you all. Please wait for the day when we expand into the world.

K: Once again, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule and we look forward to your upcoming releases!

LIL LEAGUE: Once again thank you for having us!

Interview: I Don't Like Mondays.

I Don’t Like Mondays. (IDLM.) is a four-member rock band based in Tokyo that was founded in 2012. The band focuses on introducing high energy dance compositions with unforgettable choruses and creates as light feeling that would take away the burdens of everyday life, including the dreaded ‘Mondays’ that are inferred in their name. The band members are YU (vocals), CHOJI (guitar), KENJI (bass guitar), SHUKI (drums). We had the honor of interviewing them on the cusp of the release of their album RUNWAY!

Be sure to check out all the versions of the track “Summer Ghost” which is located throughout the interview below, along with their official website here!

YU

CHOJI

KENJI

SHUKI

Ken: First of all thank you so much for letting us do this interview, we are huge fans and had originally done a write up about you in our “Music Corner” write up back in October of 2019. We absolutely love what you bring to the Japanese music industry and congratulations on the release of the album RUNWAY!

IDLM: Thank you so much for having us!

K: What made you choose a path in the music industry? Who had the most inspiration on you and led you to choose this path?

YU: The members of the previous band set me on this path.

CHOJI: I was most inspired by Tak Matsumoto from B’z. I chose this path because I had nothing else I was good at.

KENJI: I started playing in a band when I was 14, after being influenced by a senior classmate’s live performance that I saw at my school festival. I think my unfounded confidence has made me what I am today.

SHUKI: I was influenced by my brother, he’s 5 years older than me and started playing drums first. He also has a career as a professional drummer.

K: Which artist would you say is your biggest inspiration? Also are there any international artists that inspire you guys as well?

YU: As a band, we had common inspiration from groups such as The Killers. As for newer artists, we always keep an eye on The Weeknd.

This album is quintessentially “I Don’t Like Mondays.”

K: Can you walk us through the creative process for your latest Album and what themes or messages were you trying to convey with this release?

YU: This album is quintessentially “I Don’t Like Mondays.” Following our concept of making enveloping music, we want to present our band’s story through RUNAWAY.

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K: What was creative process for “PAINT” and how did you guys feel when you found out that it was going one of the theme songs for the anime ONE PIECE

YU: I just couldn’t believe it. When it actually aired, I still thought it was fake until I saw “PAINT” on the screen.

I didn’t really think deeply when I was making this song…LOL. I was carefree and having fun making it…

K: On your track “LEMONADE”, how did you come up with the concept? Such as writing the lyrics, creating the composition?

CHOJI: I didn’t really think deeply when I was making this song…LOL. I was carefree and having fun making it, then I happened to realize that the song was finished.

K: The track ”Beautiful Chaos” has a good mixture of English in it. The lyrics are very resonating. How did you come up with the lyrics and composition? Is there a story behind it? Was this as a group or an individual member?

YU: As for lyrics, I got inspired by the climactic part at the end of the track. As for the melody, we wanted a song that would be good at the end of a concert, so we made this type of song.

K: What is it like teaming up with ESME MORI and DPR CREAM? Were you familiar with their works before?

SHUKI: Of course! Two of them were artists I’ve loved for a long time. It was our second time collaborating with ESME MORI since 2020, but it turned out to be a song even better than last time. As for DRP CREAM, we all went to watch them perform when they came to Japan, but we never dreamed we could collaborate with them.

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K: What has been the most challenging song to produce so far?

SHUKI: I think “DO YA?” was challenging.

KENJI: It was a genre we weren’t really familiar with, so it took a lot of effort to make it.

As for the bass, we made it in the style of a well-known phrase that seems to exist already. LOL

K: For international fans, how they usually find out about J-pop is through anime. First, do you guys watch anime, and if so what would you say is your favorite?

YU: Recently, it’s “Jujutsu Kaisen” and “HUNTER×HUNTER.” I used to love “Dragon Ball” before, too.

K: Is there a venue that you performed at that you’ll never forget? Also is there a dream venue that you would like to perform at?     

CHOJI: An unforgettable venue was the live house in Shibuya, Tokyo, with a capacity of about 100 people. I used to perform many times before my debut, but at that time, only people I knew came to watch.

SHUKI: I want to perform at Aloha Stadium in the future!

K: Do you have a message for your international fans?

YU: Although we can’t meet that much, we would love to have more opportunities to perform overseas, so please listen to our songs, watch our videos, connect with us through social media, and look forward to the day we can meet!

Ken: Once again, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule and we look forward to your upcoming releases!

IDLM: It was our pleasure!

Interview: NAQT VANE

NAQT VANE is a creative team project which was founded in September of 2022. Produced by Hiroyuki Sawano, this project welcomed Harukaze, a vocalist who had just returned from the states, with creative collective Classic 6 in charge of the art direction for the team.
Both Hiroyuki Sawano and Harukaze have their stories that this project will blow the “new wind” into, as to free themselves and saying hello to the new version of themself.

We were able to interview the wonderful Haruzkaze and the timing couldn’t be more perfect as NAQT VANE just announced they will be having their first live-stream concert on Saturday May 20, 2023 at 18:00 (JST) via the streaming site ZAIKO. Be sure to check out their official bio and be purchase your tickets to their concert here!

For those interested in hearing a bit of NAQT VANE’s unique style be sure to check out the music video for their track “CHRONIC” below!

Ken: First of all thank you so much for letting us do this interview, we are big fans and love what you bring to the Japanese music industry and congratulation!

Harukaze: Thank you so much for having me! So excited to answer your guys’ questions.

K: What made you choose a path in the music industry? Who had the most inspiration on you and led you to choose this path?

H: I’ve been wanting to pursue my career in music as my parents were both in the music industry and I have been witnessing their works since I was very young. I would say my dad- who is a concert promoter in Japan- inspired me the most as he always took me around to his work and concerts, teaching me the joy of making people entertain and happy with the power of music.

K: Which artist would you say is your biggest inspiration? Also are there any international artists that inspire you guys as well?

H: We can for sure say that we get the inspiration by discussing what we want to tell through songs we deliver. We would have a casual conversation and that often leads to inspiration. We also do get inspired from a lot of genres and a variety of artists all around the world but we don’t have a specific artist who we want to become like- we want to be the one and only.

K: Can you share with us your experience debuting as a music artist and how it has been so far?

H: After I graduated school in LA with a bachelor in Music Business , I moved back to Japan and started to work as an A&R for a record label. I did release a couple of singles as “Harukaze '' during my time in LA but it wasn’t anything very serious. Although, I gave up my dream to be an artist once and started working for other artists, I kept posting covers on instagram which later caught Sawano-san’s eyes. Then, I got an email from Avex, the current label I’m signed with, saying if I was interested in working as a vocalist for the project. At first I thought it was one of those scam emails and I was about to ignore it but my inner instinct made me reply to it; I’m so glad I did haha. After that I met up with Sawano-san and the team and the process to debut went by really quick.

K: Who are your biggest musical influences and how have they impacted your sound? Can you walk us through the creative process with Hiroyuki Sawano for your latest EP?

H: As we answered previously on the inspiration related questions, we don’t have any specific artists we get inspired from, however, I personally think I was influenced a lot by Tatsuro Yamashita. Although his style is far from what we deliver as NAQT VANE, he is the artist who influenced ME the most.

As for the EP creative process, we started off by adding two new songs to the four we already had released. Sawano-san brought me the instrumentals and from there we did a discussion on what we want these songs to be like. I had clear visions of the message I wanted to tell through these songs so it was quick from there.

Each song is like a letter to the listeners, spreading messages. We want to keep spreading powerful and motivational messages through our music and aim for larger fan base. 

K: What themes or messages were you trying to convey through your latest EP? How do you see your and Sawano-san’s music evolving in the future?

H: NAQT is a word from a german term “NACKT” which means naked in English. This title comes from our project NAQT VANE, and thus it shows our true self through 6 songs. It’s an EP that even if you didn’t know us you can grasp what kind of artist we are. Each song is like a letter to the listeners, spreading messages. We want to keep spreading powerful and motivational messages through our music and aim for larger fan base. 

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K: Can you share with us any advice you have for aspiring music artists?

H: I’ve just started my career as an artist so I can’t say anything big but just know the dream will come true if you believe and love yourself the most. Keep trying and someone is definitely watching you and know you are doing the most you can do. Confidence and manifesting is the key!

K: How have you been staying creative and motivated during the pandemic?

H: NAQT VANE officially debuted in 2022 so the situation wasn’t that bad compared to the most pandemic era- we were still able to meet and go out to be creative. I personally was staying motivated by watching other artists’ endeavors to deliver their best during the hard time (online concerts, delivering home-made music video and all)

K: What can fans expect from you in the coming months?

H: In May, we have our first-ever show and we are super stoked for that! Since the debut we have been wanting to deliver our “NAQT” self through performances. It’s the first time Sawano-san and I will perform together too, so we are preparing for that. We are considering the streaming of this show too so I hope to see participants from all around the world. We are also working on new music as well so please stay tuned for updates.

K: What is it like teaming up with Hiroyuki Sawano? Were you familiar with his works before?

H: It was a very eye-opening experience to team up with such a talented person. It’s always a learning experience and I’m super thankful and honored to be in the same project as him. I wasn’t really familiar with anime before the debut so I was only aware of his name.

K: When working on your debut in NAQT VANE, did you already have songs written? Or did you write your lyrics as you began your debut? Did you have a certain theme you were specifically wanting to sing about?

H: I first listened to the demo and started to brainstorm. It was difficult to write them all on my own as Sawano-san has these specific rules to follow when writing for his songs. So I learned those from other lyricists and with their help I was able to word them. I wanted to write about how it’s important to be ourselves which relates to where the name” NAQT VANE '' is coming from, that I will be explaining below.

K: How did the name NAQT  VANE come about?

H: “NAQT” comes from a term in German “NACKT’ which means “naked” in English. “VANE” is defined as a broad blade for windmills or a wing, /to be moved by the air. We decided to name it NAQT VANE as we want people to be naked (be true to themselves) and move with the air/flow that they believe in. The era we live in right now is also called “era of air” which sounded right to us to name it NAQT VANE- as “era of air” is defined to be an era that values knowledge, experiences, human connections, networks, and new things.

K: In your song 'Break Free' you sing about liberation, what inspired the lyrics for it?

H: Break Free is all about my thoughts prior to the debut. Becoming my true self and breaking free from whatever was holding me back changed my life. I feel like there are a lot of people who can’t say their dreams out loud and have to be silent on what they actually want to be- this song is for those people to believe in themselves and try for once.

I feel like the best part of being an artist is when the message we want to deliver actually reaches out…

K: What are you looking forward to most in this project?

H: To meet listeners in person/perform for them. I feel like the best part of being an artist is when the message we want to deliver actually reaches out, and the best way of doing that is by actually seeing them, making eye contact and singing songs with your heart out. We definitely want to tour around Japan and globally!

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K: Two of your tracks, Break Free and VANE have English versions (at the time of this interview). Is there a reason you decided to do an English version of these specific tracks?  Can fans expect more tracks to have English versions?

H: We actually have English versions to all the four singles ( Break Free, VANE, TOUCH, and CHRONIC). We decided to release that as we seek to be abroad in the future and we want non-Japanese listeners to understand the meaning of these songs. It’s pretty funny how some of my listeners abroad like the Japanese version more and some Japanese listeners prefer English versions. We are planning to continue releasing English versions of our songs in the future too, as we feel like we can deliver slightly different vibes in each language.

K: What has been the most challenging song to produce so far?

H: I feel like every song was challenging for me in various ways but I think “VANE” was the one I remember being hard to record as I had to keep shouting the chorus.

K: The image for your “NAQT” is you taking your face off like a mask, where did that idea come from and what kind of symbolism were you going for there?

H: NAQT VANE consists of three members - myself, Sawano-san and there is a creative team called “Classic 6”. They are in charge of all the art work of NAQT VANE. With the keyword “Metamorphose”, the image shows the mask, which symbolizes the new “real” NAQT face that NAQT VANE and the listeners find as they move along the generation.

Evolution unfolds in time as we live, and we hope that people find the next new mask to suit the purpose.

K: What song(s) had an impact on you while on this project?

H: We feel like every song has impacted our growth but TOUCH and CHRONIC has been a good impact for us as we feel like we were able to reach more audiences through dramas that these songs were used as theme songs. We felt more reactions from listeners and we were able to hear what they wanted from us, so it definitely affected us in a good way.

K: What are some challenges you have faced as an artist? How have you overcome them?

H: I personally still struggle with the high notes with chest voice-  I am still trying to control my voice and practice to get better but NAQT’s songs are never chill (lol) so I’m trying to figure out how to perform all the songs without running out of breath.

I also am facing the difficulties of how to actually be myself while showing them in an attractive/fascinating way to people. I feel like all those artists I admire know how to show their best- so I’m learning from them.

K: Is there a particular genre of music that you would like to try that you haven’t already?

H: In this EP “NAQT '', for the first time ever we have a ballad song - not too ballad but definitely quieter than other songs we put out. Having this out I received many compliments as we were able to show NAQT’s other side. In the future I definitely want to try more ballad/chillipop or very rock tunes.

K: For international fans, how they usually find out about J-pop is through anime. First, do you guys watch anime, and if so what would you say is your favorite?

H: I actually don’t really watch anime but I know a lot of you do. When I was in the states, I got so many questions about anime and I was a little sad that I didn’t know any of those titles that people were talking about. I am interested in watching them if any hits my interest. Please let me know if any of you have recommendations!

The dream place that NAQT VANE wants to perform in the future is any stadium in the world.

K: Is there a venue that you performed at that you’ll never forget? Also is there a dream venue that you would like to perform at?

H: I had a chance to perform for Tokyo’s volleyball team last fall and the arena was astonishing that I can precisely remember the performance and atmosphere even after half a year. The audience was so warm enough to put the phone flashlights on when I was singing and the sound was amazing too.

The dream place that NAQT VANE wants to perform in the future is any stadium in the world. When we first debuted I claimed that we will be performing at the stadium in 5 years- so people who are reading this, you are the witness! We’ll see you all at the stadium.

K: What track(s) are "your favorite to perform live and why?

H: I love performing “CHRONIC”! The energy the song has just gets me very excited to perform and it’s also easy to motivate the audience to move/vibe along.

K: What would you say is your most difficult song to perform?

H: I would say the debut song “Break Free” is the most difficult song to perform. It is the song I’m used to singing the most but there is no rhythm going on for first verse so I really have to be careful not being late on the beat. While this is my favorite song to sing, I do have hard time practicing it. Practice makes perfect though, got to put more work to it!

K: Who is the one artist you would love to work with in the future?

H: Honestly there are many, however, some come to mind such as, Dua Lipa, ONE OK ROCK, Tate McRae, BIBI, Sofia Carson, One Republic, and so many more…Any artist in the world who’s down to do a collabo with us !!!

K: Do you have a message for your international fans?

H: To all the readers of Ongaku to you, we’d like to thank you all again for reading this and listening to our music! If you haven’t, I hope this interview made you want to dig into our world. We hope to bring good vibes and blow the good motivational wind to you all so that you can become your true self and challenge many things! We are hoping and we will try our best to be able to perform and see you all soon face to face! Please love our newest EP “ NAQT” and stay tuned for the updates through our social media! I hope your day is going to be filled with happiness ! xx

K: Once again, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule and we look forward to your upcoming releases!

H: Thank you so much for having us! Answering these was so much fun, we’ll do our best to deliver songs so please interview us again :)

Once again we thank Harukaze for the wonderful interview and be sure to check them out in the following socials below!

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