Translation & Subtitles: thoseguiltyeyes | scandal-heaven.com -Thank you! -What should we talk about?
-Today... -Is it okay to leave it up to you?
Is it? But I'm really nervous and feel like I won't be able to talk well.
We just filmed a collaboration video for Igari's channel.
-Wait, we're filming already?! -Yes.
We are?! You should tell me! (I messed up)
-I start my videos in a casual way. -We've really started? -Yes.
For my video,
-I thought of some things I'd like to ask you, Igari, -Okay.
-so I'd like to have a conversation with you. -Ah, got it.
-We've really started filming?! -We have!
Today's video will be a lavish one.
This is the first time I'm doing a proper collaboration on my channel.
-Thank you very much. -One with someone with their own channel.
I'm very sorry that I'm the first one. (He's awesome)
Thank you very much! I'm sure everyone will be happy.
-This is Igari from HEY-SMITH. -Thanks for having me.
-This is so casual... -Good job on your set!
-We often play [festivals] on the same day. -Yeah, we do.
-Is it okay if we start things off? -Yes.
-Is it okay to do a no-holds-barred discussion? -That's sudden...but yes.
-The first questions will be regular ones. -Then the last ones...
It's totally fine. (I'm really scheming here)
These are things that I haven't had a chance to ask you.
What was your first impression of SCANDAL?
-Is it really okay to be honest? -Yes, it is.
My actual first impression...
-was that you guys were a little risqué. -Seriously?!
-Is that so? -Yeah.
When did that impression change?
Let's see...
-When you appeared on M STATION... -Ah, when we were still wearing school uniforms?
I think so.
At that time, I thought, "Ah, they're adorable."
Eh, really?
I first thought that you guys were really adorable ladies performing as a band,
so my first impression was that you guys were a little risqué. Sorry about that.
-That's honestly what I thought. -Yeah, I did tell you to be honest.
Now that we know each other better, what image do you have of us now?
Rather than really cute ladies performing as a band,
I now see you as ladies who are in a band that are really cute.
Like...
We get to talk to each other backstage at festivals.
You come up to talk to us a lot,
and I really think there are very few musicians who are like that.
-Ah, really? -Since the four of us [in SCANDAL] are often all together,
I think there are times when seems hard to talk to us.
Despite that, we've gotten very buddy-buddy with you.
It really makes me happy.
Originally I had met MAMI when [our friends] would go out to drink.
Ah, that's right.
-You've gone out to eat with MAMI many times. -Yeah, a bunch of us do that and go out to drink.
MAMI doesn't drink that much.
She doesn't do that well with it.
Not sure how well she takes it. (I've never seen her like that, but I totally imagine it)
She's always been resolute.
It was 3 am,
and when I asked her, "Will you be okay tomorrow?"
"Don't you have to get up early?"
She was like, "Well, I'm playing at Budokan tomorrow."
I was like, "What?! Budokan?!"
-Wow. -"Tomorrow?!"
I was like, "You're drinking at this time when you're playing Budokan tomorrow?!"
I asked her that,
and she was like, "I've practiced to death, so I'll totally be fine no matter how much I drink."
-She really said that?! -She did. (This was a story from 10 years ago,)
That made me go, "Wow, that's so cool!" (and she's since aged out of that phase)
I thought she was a really cool person.
That's when I started to see SCANDAL as a proper band,
and it made me go, "Wow, their performances are really intense."
Then I wanted to start talking to you guys, and so did.
Hearing from a musician that you're cool makes you happy in a special way.
There was a time when we weren't invited to festivals at all,
and for a long time we felt like the four of us were all alone.
-Really? -Yeah, so [you talking to us] made us really happy,
and we felt like we were being included.
I think everyone thinks this,
but [the band scene] is said to be a male-dominated one with not many places for women.
They can't really get there.
Most people think that.
For me, when you guys were playing at DEAD POP FESTiVAL,
[Kenta] Koie from Crossfaith and I went to see your set.
Crossfaith and SCANDAL play completely opposite types of music.
So we walked over.
I had a drink in my hand,
and I got so hyped up by SCANDAL that I did this with my drink,
and it got all over me. (So cute)
-Ah, that did happen. -I was going "Ahh!" by myself.
You guys were really great.
That makes me happy!
-I don't think we've talked about stuff like that. -That's definitely true.
-It's kind of hard to talk to you guys. -That's true.
Particularly, I'm told by many people that it's hard to start a convo with me.
-Ah, really? -Yes.
I don't really go out drinking.
I'm nervous to do things that I'm not used to.
You know, Kansai dialect [like yours] really makes me feel at ease.
-I'm happy to hear that. -I have a really easy time talking with you.
That makes me really happy.
(Shy)
What?
This is kind of similar to what we're talking about.
What kind of person do you picture me as?
(Asking him mercilessly about impressions)
Let's see... (Igari's in a fix)
Like...
-Is it okay if this stings? -Yeah. Ah. I'm about to be hurt.
-You seem very prideful. -Ah, I'm told that a lot!
Why is that?
Rather than prideful,
you have this presence to you.
-Do people tell you that? -They do.
The four of you are close and are often together,
but RINA, you alone...
-Have an ambiance? -Yeah.
-It's kind of different. -People tell me that all the time.
-I really do think it's true, in a sense. -Oh, really?
Like, for women,
it's kind of bad to say, but those in bands are kind of looked down on.
For times like those, it's best for them to definitely keep being a band.
That's kind of RINA-like.
Ah, I see.
I see.
There was a time like that for us.
More than being like "Let's appear at festivals so as not to lose out to the guys in bands,"
we really felt that we wanted to be a band that showed we were women.
-We really wanted to be like that. -I see.
Now, we've kind of mellowed out a bit and have improved.
But yeah, there were many times when we were going towards an odd point.
But it wasn't odd at all.
Like, I think that rigidness was a positive.
Like, you guys had an aura to you. (So nice)
That was a good direction.
That was more risqué.
-That's how it's connected? -Sorry for saying that.
-I mean that as a compliment. -Thanks so much.
I get the impression that you have a lot of friends in bands.
You're someone with a very sociable personality,
but was there ever a time when you felt like you didn't belong?
-Ah, at first, totally. -Is that so?
No matter where we were.
For example, we had only come out with one or two CDs,
and when we appeared at a festival with a bunch of different artists,
we of course felt like we didn't belong.
I really felt that.
Then the feeling of wanting it to feel more homely grew stronger for me.
When I went try and go talk to people...
Like, there'd be Ken of Hi-STANDARD,
TOSHI-LOW of BRAHMAN,
and Hosomi of ELLEGARDEN.
The three of them were talking to each other.
-It was pretty hard to go up and talk to them. -Totally true.
But I decided from the start to go talk to the people who look the hardest to talk to.
Ah, that's commendable.
So I'd be the first one to jump into things where it looked difficult to mix in to.
Then they would remember me.
-It was that kind of repetition. -I see.
With bands, and also when we just go out to drink,
I sit next to the person who looks like they're feeling down.
I do my best to make sure things go well.
-You do it so that they don't feel alone. -Yeah.
That's why you sat next to me.
Do you have a drummer group?
-Friends I can talk about the drums with? -Yeah.
There's Yuna of CHAI,
and as for guys, there's KOUHEI of 04 Limited Sazabys.
-I'm really close with them. -Ah, really?
I think KOUHEI would shoot his shot with you.
No, not at all!
We both can't drink alcohol.
We drink tea. (Tea friends👶🍵)
-That's true. -Yeah.
We've also played joint concerts together.
How do you write songs?
I write songs by myself.
-You accumulate songs as they come to you? -That's right.
Also, when I'm not able to write, I go to one of the southern islands.
I play my guitar on the beach.
-Does that help solve your writer's block? -It does help quite a bit.
-For us, we all write songs as well as do main vocals. -That's amazing.
We're all able to write songs as we like,
but we're really bad when we "have to" write songs.
-That's kind of a problem for us. -I see.
-Like... Is it okay to talk about this? -Of course.
How do you write drum parts?
I do it little by little on my computer.
But I typically write lyrics for our songs.
I write a bunch of lyrics and the other members will add music.
-You write lyrics? -I really do love writing lyrics.
-You do? -I love it a lot.
When I listen to music, the first thing I want to do is read the lyrics.
I really like seeing what words the person used.
Ah, is that right? That's interesting!
That's what I do.
To be honest, I can't really hear the lyrics when I listen to Japanese songs.
I'm listening to the melody instead.
-So I don't really do [what you do]. -I totally understand that.
-I really do enjoy listening to words in music. -Ah, that's so interesting.
When I'm watching concerts,
I of course look at the band members,
but the MCs are what I look forward to the most.
-Seriously? -Yes.
I'm like, "What will this person talk about?"
-Are there people who do that? -Maybe not.
I really look forward to the MCs.
-That's probably because you value words. -That's true.
Also, you can really see what kind of person they are.
When it hits me like, "Ah, this person made it, so the song turned out like this,"
it makes me realize how much fun music is.
Is that so?
That's something I've never considered.
Aside from lyrics, when the rhythm or the tempo is nice
and it completes the song, I have a lot of respect for those kinds of musicians.
I'm not too good at that myself.
Things you can't do, huh. I see.
-This is kind of a sensitive topic. -Sensitive?
Are there times when you think you're unable to continue being in a band?
-There totally are. -There are, huh?
There will be those in the future, too.
You guys have been together for as long as us. 10...
-About 15 years [since 2006]. -Right.
-We're also in our 16th year-- -Our seniors!
-No, this year will be our 16th. -Ah, I see.
We've been doing this for the same amount of time.
What makes you think that way during those times?
The biggest one was...
when our former bassist/vocalist and our trumpet player left the band.
So I think it was during that time.
The bassist/vocalist was our main vocalist.
I sang as well, but he sang more.
When they left, we thought maybe we should disband peacefully.
We didn't plan to continue on.
That was the hardest time for us,
but a lot of people told us to try holding out.
We were like, "We'll try it, but if it doesn't work out then let's break up."
We were careful then.
At first, our audience numbers dwindled due to the bassist/vocalist leaving.
That was tough.
Wow.
I think it's really amazing when a band continues on despite changing out members.
-I think that would be impossible for us. -True.
It probably wouldn't be that we'd go on hiatus or someone leaves the band.
We'd be like, "Let's stop being a band."
That's also impressive.
But you know... This is also a sensitive topic,
but you guys are women, and there are some forms of happiness for women.
And like, you never know if a time will come when you'll all want to break up,
and then maybe all want to try being a band again, which is fine.
And maybe one by one you'll wonder what you'll do about your band activities.
-Wouldn't that difficult? -I think it would be.
Is it okay to choose your own happiness as a woman,
or, like what you said before about how it's "The four of us or nothing,"
Will you have any disputes then?
-We really never have any disputes. -You don't?
If someone wants to get married, or have kids, or finds a partner,
we're all totally on board with things like that.
We all think that getting married isn't the only peak of happiness.
Each of us all have relationships at times...
Ah, you guys have relationships like normal?
-Is it okay to say that? -Yeah, it's fine.
-It is? -Totally.
-I don't think it's good to ask too much about it. -I think that too.
But we just want to be normal—or natural.
That's great.
That's wonderful. You guys are totally bandsmen.
We won't know unless it happens.
I think that if we were to stop once,
I don't know if I'll be at the same level as when we left off.
-So that's why I want to do as much as I can. -I see.
-That's passionate. -It is.
It's very passionate.
-I really love that kind of mindset. -Ah, really? I'm glad.
When you first started your YouTube channel,
you talked about that it'd be nice to have the band side of things get more exciting with what you're putting out.
I thought that was awesome.
I've always thought that doing things ultimately all for the band was impressive.
How would you ultimately want things to be [for your band]?
We don't try to put out one popular album after another.
Our genre has the impression of everyone being strong-willed,
and crafting our own kind of scene or culture.
There's no real meaning in a band suddenly getting popular
and then playing a show at Tokyo Dome.
Elevating things like street culture all in one go...
Like skateboards, tattoos, fashion...
That street culture... it's like...
No, I shouldn't put it that way.
Like...
Well, let's go with it.
This set-up is what rock is. What pop is.
And street culture is the victor over that.
-That's what my ideal [band scene] is. -I see.
I do like pop music, and I also have a lot of idols I support,
but I want street culture to be more awesome than any of those.
That's my ideal.
Do you have any?
I wonder...
But I do hope to leave behind this idea of
"This is one way that an all-girl band can continue on."
There are many guys in the band scene,
but women can totally enjoy it as well.
Wear clothes that get you pumped up,
do your hair and makeup,
use words that you like to use.
You can have a cool and flexible vibe while being in the spotlight.
-I hope to leave behind that kind of stance. -I see.
I think more people of all kinds would join.
You're expressing that with all your strength.
Yes, I still want to do this with all of my strength.
-I think you're totally doing it. -I'm happy to hear that.
I think there are many people who started bands after learning about SCANDAL.
That makes me really happy.
I have a lot of respect for what you're doing.
Thank you so much for a great conversation!
-Is this okay for your viewers? -This was so awesome!
-I'm basically not cutting out anything. -But we did talk a lot.
-I'm happy I got to ask you about a lot of things. -Same here.
-Thank you so much for doing this after your set. -Really, thank you so much.
-If we get another chance... -Let's make another chance.
Yes, let's!
-Thank you so much! -Thank you so much!
We filmed a really crazy video for Igari's channel,
so please check it out if you'd like!
My heart was pounding.
-Thank you so much! -Thank you so much!