Thanks received by this post:
Message reputation : 100% (9 votes)
Part One: RINA
Edit:
Part Two: TOMO
Part Three: MAMI
Part Four: HARUNA
So I realised I was doing this in reverse order ... XD
- HARUNA straight up told me ...:
- Best Debut
Were there any memorable events that left an impression on you when you debuted?
I transferred schools. Right before we debuted, I transferred to a high school in Tokyo at the end of the summer holidays.
I see. So it really happened right before you debuted.
But I only heard this about ten days before the exam I was taking to transfer schools. For me, I was completely unprepared and still hadn’t been accepted, and I thought, “What?! What is this timing?” I was surprised, impatient, anxious and dreading it all at the same time. At the interview with the school though, I thought we would just talk about normal things like my academic performance and school in general but all I ended up talking about was SCANDAL’s debut (laughs). So I powered my entire way through. It was only much later that we got around to doing the actual interview (laughs).
So that was after you transferred? Did adjust very quickly?
Of course I experienced some culture shock, but I did adjust well afterwards. During our break, my classmates who had bought the debut 「DOLL」 single played the PV; I received a lot of support from them. It’s just that the concept of the「DOLL」PV was kind of like this image where we were messing around so whenever they played it in class, it was really embarrassing.
Best Happy
Tell us about the thing that has made you the happiest since you formed SCANDAL.
It was the time that the song I composed and wrote lyrics for, ‘Emotion’, was starting to take form. Ever since we had debuted, I had always wanted us to write and compose a song at some point. We had talked in circles around it but somewhere along the line we just stopped believing it would happen. But finally, it was in the works and I was already incredibly happy about it.
Ah yes, ‘Emotion’. Didn’t it start off as a mid-tempo ballad?
That’s what it was (laughs). The lyrics weren’t settled yet and at the time we didn’t want to do a song that was too mature or tame. It just turned out by chance, that of all the members to write and compose a song, it was me, but since it was our first song, I was particular about it having our sound. We were forced to up the tempo of the intro, and right up until we started recording, the arranger-san was still changing things. The process of slowly bringing the elements together was so much fun, and in any case, I was completely happy.
Best Unhappy
Well then, tell us about the most unpleasant or disappointing thing that’s happened.
What should I even … obviously, I feel like there are many things from my point of view…
Let me hear specific episode, then.
This was something that happened on our first time at Nakano Sun Plaza on the BABY ACTION tour. I was really enthusiastic about it. So, I had been really hyped up since the night before. For some reason, I had imagined playing ‘Haruka’ in a certain way to express these feelings. Of course, I want to express myself in any song, but on that day, it was ‘Haruka’ in particular that was consciously heightened. Even so, halfway through the outro I stopped halfway …
Huh? How so?
I was the only one who got mixed up in the outro and stopped playing before everyone else. Then, MAMI looked over at me with this really surprised look on her face. Ah, it was like, she was so surprised, it was the perfect example of a speechless expression. I was thinking “Ah! I’ve really messed up!” and my feelings just doubled, of this extreme self-hatred … I can’t forget MAMI’s face when she looked at me like that (laughs).
Best SCANDAL
So what do you feel is something that captures the impression of SCANDAL, the band?
I guess there are a lot of things. When we were recording our third album, BABY ACTION, we talked a lot about composition. We got together at my house.
So it was a regular meeting at your house?
Yeah. I had more equipment at my house, like the synthesiser, and I’m hopeless so I had the guitar set as well (laughs). After that, packing up was simple as well.
You’re a self-professed equipment otaku/maniac (laughs). So, what did you talk about?
Before then, the person who had been writing the lyrics would work on it alone up until the end. With this album, our worldview changed; no matter who wrote the song, it would in turn become a part of us all. So we would all interview the person who wrote the lyrics, and talk about the image and meaning behind the music so we could put these things into the recording. However, I really strongly felt it had such significance because it was just the four of us making time to meet up.
You can see this happen during your concerts, but I guess this means your meetings increased, right?
These meetings were definitely something that was born out of that. It’s because of this, that when we talk, I feel like we’re really a band and I just have this cheesy grin on the inside (laughs).
Best Revolution
Do you think you’ve changed at all?
I think there are a lot of things that are annoying. At the same time, I hate trying to move past something when I don’t completely understand it. This is an attitude I’ve displayed a lot over time. There was a time when HARUNA straight up told me, “That’s not a good attitude.”
That’s quite rare.
Well I already knew it wasn’t a great attitude. But, how did everyone else except me understand? I couldn’t get it. With this mindset, we debated a lot. This probably wasn’t even the first time we had argued about it to that extent. Still, I didn’t understand everything properly and couldn’t move on – to the point where I thought it would be better if I just quit SCANDAL.
So how did you settle things?
I can’t really explain it very well, but I realised that it wasn’t just about getting more fans. But when I think of how things are now, it’s not like I’m blindly doing things without understanding the situation. I don’t want to make excuses, either. I’ve realised the importance of healthy clashes of opinion, but HARUNA clearly telling me what she thought at that time was a really big thing.
Best Future
So RINA, what’s your ideal future?
I want people to tell me that, as an interesting band, SCANDAL has many meanings.
I see. This is a bit different but, what about in very personal terms?
Umm … I want the members to sing at my wedding (laughs). I want them to harmonise.
That would be nice (laughs). What song would you like them to sing?
Uhhh … In that case, a song that’s not too happy … Ah, 「one piece」!
Edit:
Part Two: TOMO
Part Three: MAMI
Part Four: HARUNA
So I realised I was doing this in reverse order ... XD
Last edited by SH_Staff on Tue Dec 06, 2022 2:04 am; edited 6 times in total
Don't mind me... I'm just a geeky gamer who loves SCANDAL
