SCANDAL released their album 「YELLOW」 on March 2nd.

The girls will celebrate the band's tenth anniversary this August. 「YELLOW」, the first release of their commemorable tenth year, is an album constructed with songs written by only the members. The girls' open and bright mood after successfully bringing their 2015 world tour to a close is packed into these twelve tracks.

To celebrate the release of this work, Music Natalie has carried out solo interviews with the members. We asked about the band's progress, their thoughts that were put into this work, and about SCANDAL's future. Through the words of the four members and each of their thoughts when asked the same questions, we would like you to feel the thoughts and bonds of the band.

---

Looking Back On SCANDAL's 10 Years

Since I had never thought about being in a band as part of my life plan, I clearly remember when we first formed. I was someone who strongly set their mind to 「I'll live doing dancing and singing」, so it was shocking when playing an instrument was recommended to me. However, that was in my third year of high school and it was when I was on the brink of knowing whether or not my dream would actually come true. It wasn't the path I had pictured, but thinking that playing in a band might open up the future was my starting point. Or perhaps the journey from then until now has been because of the members. Starting with zero experience playing instruments, we've learned all kinds of things together. Since we've seen that we have variations in growth, we think, 「I want to catch up quickly to her」. Honestly, I think that I've been able to work hard and come this far because the members have been with me.


The Turning Point When the Band Took a Big Step Forward

We started songwriting in recent years, but what we were able to compose an album with our own songs was our previous album 「HELLO WORLD」. Making our thoughts perfectly into songs and combining them into an album along with being able to tour overseas with that work really helped the four of us have the confidence to move forward.


The Turning Point That Led to My Own Growth

When we released our third album 「BABY ACTION」, I was very hesitant about my singing. Until then I had been singing in the way I learned it at the vocal & dance school I was attending when the band had formed, but I began thinking, 「The way I'm singing now doesn't go with the band's sound」. What broke my concerns was deciding on our first solo live at Budokan. Beginning with thinking 「I can't stand on Budokan's stage when I'm gloomy and worried」, I changed voice training teachers and my awareness grew steadily. It's been trial and error since then, but singing becomes more fun each time I experience various things.


Changes In the Members

When I first met TOMOMI, she gave off the impression of being impeccable and quiet, but as we spent time together I saw that she was soft and gentle (laughs). Her girly side, which was surprisingly missing, has come into view more and more. I've come to really understand that she really opens herself up to us. When I first met RINA she played tennis, so she had a sporty girl, active impression to me. But, as we got older, it has changed into a very gentle atmosphere. She likes movies and seems to watch them often; she's changed from having an outdoor person impression to an indoor one. MAMI had a lone wolf-type from when she was in school and wouldn't flock to others. She's also done many things individually since joining the band, but I'm happy that recently she's been going out, going out to eat, and now does many things together with us (laughs).


My Role Among the Four of Us

Since I'm the oldest, there were times when I thought 「I need to make sure bring the group together」. But, by being governed by that kind of thought diminishes your freedom. So, recently, I've been trying not to wrack my nerves about it. We've all approached our mid-20s, and I don't mind the age difference that much anymore (laughs). I want to fulfill my position as the vocalist and center, so it feels like I'll make sure to be aware of that standing position while letting myself do things freely.

What I Was Aware of While Making 「YELLOW」

We had thoughts of wanting to make a 「bright album」. We adapted to songwriting years ago, and recently, especially, since about a year ago we had been in a mood where we were really positive towards production. By holding our world tour last year, our minds were greatly relaxed even further. Since we love playing lives, we became more expansive by going around to different countries and places on our tour (laughs). We wanted to make this bright band atmosphere into an album. Considering the result, I think we were able to skillfully pack it into our work.


Favorite Songs

It's 「LOVE ME DO」 for me. It's a song written by MAMI and has a 1980s American pop feel to it. I love 70s~80s Western music, so when I heard the demo I felt 「Ah, a new wind is blowing in for SCANDAL」, and we all talked about we wanted to try doing it. For this song, the falsetto in the chorus was all about courage. We hadn't really had any songs that use falsetto, so this was also tied to me stepping it up. It's a song where I really challenged myself.


The Most Important Point of 「YELLOW」

We have a song called 「Heaven na Kibun」, and this song is a song that shows off our dark side, or cool side with its grunge rock written by RINA. On the album, following the songs with poppy, bright sounds to them is 「Heaven na Kibun」...... It's not straightforward, and I think you can feel our style of poison in this.


What 「YELLOW」 Means to SCANDAL

I'm very happy that, in our tenth year, we were able to put out on album with all songs written by us. It's something that has taken the place of our business card from here on. As we've aged, the thoughts of 「We want to make a song that we can sing in the years to come」 have gotten stronger, but this album is filled with songs that we could see being able to sing for a long time. This year is not only our tenth year; it's one where there are many songs that we could definitely sing even as we get older.


SCANDAL's Future

There are still many large venues in Japan that we have yet to play a live at, and even though we can say we did a world tour, there are still many countries out there in the world. So, we want to play even more lives. And, we want to stay as we are, no matter what the venue. We want to play lives as we stay the same, if it's a live house or an arena, and no matter where we go overseas, while maintaining SCANDAL's axis.

http://natalie.mu/music/pp/scandal05

#front-page

I love hearing the girls' thoughts on stuff.
I especially loved her first impressions of the other members haha
It sweet to see how they've changed by just being with each other .love.

"LOVE ME DO" might be my fav song from the album too, Haru^w^

Thanks so much for the hard work, Jade! .hail. 
Excited for what the other members had to say

---

Looking Back On SCANDAL's 10 Years

Ten years went by in no time, but looking back it feels like every single year was dense. Being able to fulfill our dream of 「We want to play a solo live at Osaka-Jo Hall」, and being able to do a world tour are big events in our history, but maybe there's more to the topic. It feels like we all gained experience points at any given time and have been able to walk up to this point.


The Turning Point When the Band Took a Big Step Forward

It might be difficult to decide on a point where the band really grew. So far, none of us have been preeminent or left behind; we've grown very well-balanced. HARUNA said that her feelings towards singing changed greatly when we played our first solo live at Budokan. RINA, who had set her sights on being in the world of entertainment from the start, has had a high level of awareness from the start, and she has pulled all of us along. TOMOMI has been skillful since the time we formed, but there have been times when her determination towards music activities has really gotten stronger.


The Turning Point That Led to My Own Growth

If it's recently, the fact that 「Departure」 was popular with people overseas led to me being self-confident in regards to my songwriting. This song was written by me, and it's the first single song that the lyrics and music are credited to one of the members. I cut out Japan's four seasons and everyday scenery and wrote it, but when I asked them, 「Why do you like it?」, it wasn't only the beauty of the Japanese language or the catchiness of the melody but also that it seems that they felt Japan's culture and scenery and loved it; I was really touched by that. I felt glad that I had made it.


Changes In the Members

HARUNA, when we first formed, was the oldest and the leader, and I think she really felt a responsibility. But, I think she's relaxed these days. Also, it seems that nowadays HARUNA has again been able to discover the fun in singing. I challenged her to do many tones of vocals on this album too. When I first met TOMO, she gave off an impression of being quiet. Then, as month or two passed after we were a band, her true personality came out. She was warm and fuzzy and felt like she did things at her own pace (laughs). From the start she's been someone who has her own core; it's been even more visible recently than back then. Since she's someone who has her own sense of judgement, saying, 「This is good, this isn't」, I have a 「If TOMO's okay with it, it's okay」 feeling within me. I think RINA has become active. From the start she seemed like a girl who always spent time at home. But recently on the LINE group that the four of us are in, RINA has suddenly been sending us info about restaurants she recommends. What I thought the other day was the ultimate was info that she sent about an onsen ryokan (laughs). We've always been talking about wanting to go to an onsen. She's even researches stuff like 「This inn comes with open-air baths in private rooms」 and sends them to us. She's been looking up a lot of places recently (laughs). She suddenly became active.


My Role Among the Four of Us

I wonder...... Maybe the neutralizing role. When our opinions are divided, I can see the merits of either side. So, there might be many times where I listen to and summarize each opinion. It might be because I've been writing a lot of songs recently. There have been many times where I've summarized everyone's opinions and made them into one product.

What I Was Aware of While Making 「YELLOW」

When we were on our world tour, overseas media people asked us, 「Is SCANDAL's music happy rock? Serious rock?」, and at that time we thought, 「It's happy rock」. We didn't decide at that point to release an album like that, but with that happening as the start, I feel that we all turned in the same direction, saying, 「For our next work, we want to make something with a feeling of happiness to it」. That's why there are many songs that are happy, and we completed a work that does not have any songs about troubles or hardship in them.


Favorite Songs

The first track 「Room No.7」. We all thought, 「We want a song that acts as the prologue to the album」. It was a pop song when we saw this track as a contenders, so it turned into a talk about 「Should we put in a song that we can play with a heavy impact at live houses?」, and we went with it. With the phrase that just came to mind one day, I sent everyone the demo wondering what pattern to use. We went to the studio like that and made it together while producing sounds, but the song's structure wasn't really decided. In the end, the take of the simple structure composition performed in the beginning was the one we went with. But, this was one part of the album that we really weren't sure about. However, I think the band's tension was able to be packaged just as it is into the recorded track. Because we were able to confine not only our sounds but also the hot atmosphere of the studio, I think we'll be having you experience its enjoyment when listening to it.


The Most Important Point of 「YELLOW」

We were very particular about the sound. As we were touring overseas, we came in contact with the music of local bands we chanced upon; the question 「How would you produce this sound?」 came to mind quite a bit. On this work, we challenged ourselves in Japan to express those sounds we were interested in. We lowered the temperature of the recording booth with the air conditioner to get rid of moisture and tried making those sounds while it was crisp and dry. In the middle of winter we layered up in scarves and coats, went into the studio, and performed (laughs). For instruments, the sound of the wood really changes depending on the temperature. Also, we had been using many effectors until now, but we wanted to shave off that "chemical-ness" nicely. Without using effectors, we created the sounds by turning the knobs on the amps. I think the album has been finished with a natural tone throughout it. Since we really had an 「I want to do this song with this sound」 image this time, we tackled it while making sure to consult with our roadies and arrangers.


What 「YELLOW」 Means to SCANDAL

By finishing an original album this way with songs written by us, I again think, 「We've really come to be able to make songs」. Performing your own work may be a given for a band, but for us we've finally been able to do so in our tenth year. It doesn't mean that there's some clear line now because we've completed a work we're satisfied with at this great timing of ten years, but it's great to have an awareness that we're kicking off to a new start again.


SCANDAL's Future

We're not going to decide on one goal and go ahead with it, since we think, 「We'll go where we're able to go」. We'd like to make many songs and play lives in many places...... There are still so many things we want to do.

#front-page

Nice stuff again. Good idea lowering the temperature. They're really having a lot of fun playing around with songs and sounds of their own

---

Looking Back On SCANDAL's 10 Years

It's really felt fast. As a result of this interview and being told 「It's your tenth year, isn't it?」, it feels like it finally hit me. When we first formed, we were playing street lives every weekend in front of Osaka-Jo Hall. We started from an audience of zero. The four of us talked about how we would get people heading to Osaka-Jo Hall to stop for us, and we would try doing covers of artists that were playing at the hall that day. We headed towards the realization of our dream of 「We want to stand on the stage of Osaka-Jo Hall one day」, fervently worked for it, and it came true three years ago. We were so happy and grateful to everyone who had always been supporting us. We had strong emotions of 「We've made it this far」, but the sense of accomplishment felt odd. We thought, 「We want to play lives many times here」, and when we got to do our world tour last year, it felt like, 「There are still things that we want to do, aren't there?」. They're endless (laughs). That's why right now we're thinking 「It starts from now」.


The Turning Point When the Band Took a Big Step Forward

Working towards fulfilling the first dream we had together, it has to be in 2013 when we had our first solo live at Osaka-Jo Hall.


The Turning Point That Led to My Own Growth

There are parts here and there, but the first time I had thought 「I really summoned up courage」 was when I was in charge of main vocals for the first time for 「Houkago 1H」 on our second album 「TEMPTATION BOX」. I didn't really have confidence in my voice. I thought, 「What kind of reactions will it get?」, and I really was nervous. But, after the album came out, I was really happy that it was accepted by the listeners. There's also a song on 「YELLOW」 that I sing main vocals for, and I think I can sing like this now because of the courage I had then and that I made progress.


Changes In the Members

HARUNA was the person who would listen to everyone's opinions first rather than stating her own, but recently she's come to convey her thoughts and intentions. Being the oldest, leader, and frontman, I think she was under the most pressure. But, she's come to think 「It'd be okay to relax more」. Her being able to say her opinions really is a recent thing. For RINA, her tolerance level has grown. RINA has always been a 「no means no」 girl. She wouldn't eat food of overseas environments she wasn't used to, but the things she can do has increased year by year. I think it's lovely being someone who falls in love with many things, so I think RINA has truly become a lovely person. Ever since I first met MAMI, we've always been having a 「We have no confidence」 conversation (laughs). Because HARUNA and RINA had set their sights on the entertainment world since they were little, they've been people who have worked hard at that. But, MAMI and I are people who have realized they're now where they are. There have been times where we've felt crushed, but MAMI realized 「I'm turning towards being a composer」 and is currently at the helm of production. Recently, she's been telling me, 「I've found a field I'm good at」. It was like she changed and her personality became brighter.


My Role Among the Four of Us

For me...... I really don't know myself, and I can't introduce myself. That's why I also don't know my role. Sorry about that (laughs).

What I Was Aware of While Making 「YELLOW」

On this work we don't have a song on it that you could say is a so-called royal road song that's like 「Strumming minor chords」. We wanted to make an album that was different from the usual standards of ours so far. We wanted to make it something that would make the listeners think 「This might be a bit fun」, and the rhythm is one that you can unconditionally enjoy--the tone is like that too...... We were aware of the crisp, low humidity sound.


Favorite Songs

The song 「LOVE」 that I wrote myself. We've sang many love songs so far, but there have been many of them that sing about the end of love. So, when we decided to make our positive album 「YELLOW」, I thought, 「Okay, I'll try writing a harmonious love song」; this song was made from that chance. I think it turned into a song that depicts midway love and is not too passionate. Adopting a reggae rhythm was a new challenge.


The Most Important Point of 「YELLOW」

I was particular about the equipment this time. The song I used equipment I had on hand to record with is 「Heaven na Kibun」. On this song we performed as we were aware of it being grunge, so we made a very heavy sound by distorting the guitars and lowering the bottom of the drums. Then, I matched the bass to that and used my Sublime (Fender Sublime Bass Fuzz Pedal) effector that is placed on the upper right side of my effector board for lives. This effector is my favorite one, making sounds distorted without reducing low tone, but it's only made an appearance on about 2 songs out of the hundred we have. I was very happy that I got to use that effector on this song. Also, since the bass keeps the balance throughout the song, I'd like everyone to feel that distribution.


What 「YELLOW」 Means to SCANDAL

By being able to make this album, I feel that our future has lengthened a bit. I think 「YELLOW」 has "songs that you can take with you anywhere." They're not songs that you'd listen to in preparation for going to a live; for example, I think it's an album that you can listen to at any time during regular life while driving and such. I'm truly glad that we were able to make that kind of album.


SCANDAL's Future

When we were on our world tour, it really felt like there were hardly any girl bands. We'd be asked 「Why did you decide to be in a girl band?」 in whichever country we went to. EDM is popular worldwide, so we were asked, 「EDM is mainstream, but how do you fight against EDM as a band?」 Since we came from a dance school, our roots are in dance music, and of course we like dance music. That's why we don't think of it as 「fighting」. Besides, an open-minded mood like 「We want to try making something new by mixing EDM into our sound」 has appeared among the four of us. That's exactly why we completed an airy album called 「YELLOW」. Also, by going on a world tour, we feel that 「Isn't there a lack of happy music in the world?」. Many of the songs that we continue to play at lives are happy ones, and we'd like to play that kind of music from here on as well. That's why we'll continue being a "happy rock band."

#front-page

---

Looking Back On SCANDAL's 10 Years

It feels like ten years have passed before we knew it while doing the things we want to do. We made albums at the pace of one per year, and looking back it feels like every year our band mode for that year was able to be represented with our albums. Also, recently, it has really felt like we're able to make casual music. We've taken it easy in a good way and are able to play music with how we naturally are.


The Turning Point When the Band Took a Big Step Forward

I think it was recently, when we released our new album and our previous album 「HELLO WORLD」. We formed the band with members of the same dance school, and we held the thought of 「We'll become bandsmen」 after starting the band. We had anxieties such as, "Even though we debuted as a band, we didn't write our music," "What kind of image will we have?", and "I don't our music will be delivered straightforwardly." Even though we wanted to make music, there was a conflict of our levels not being caught up [to being able to do that], but we've made it this far while being supported by writers and arrangers. Among seeing various ways to make music, we've come to think, 「We want to do this too」 and 「We can do this」, and I think we've finally reached a place where we can think, 「We've done it」.


The Turning Point That Led to My Own Growth

I can't bring all of my equipment with me when we play lives overseas, so the drum set only varies at each venue. That experience is a big thing for me. I've reached the point of experiencing situations of not knowing what kind of set it is until I get there, and that I have to be a drummer that can sound the same sounds at any time, no matter the circumstances. To clear the problems, I don't think of anything beyond 「I can do it」. Also, I think, "How much of my best can I pursue in a limited time?" My thoughts of 「I want to be a great drummer」 grow stronger year by year.


Changes In the Members

HARUNA has come to challenge all kinds of things. Since she's in a position where she can deliver songs or words by using her voice, she's shouldered with the thoughts of the other members as well. I think there have been times when she's been troubled over things like how she should sing something or how she should convey it, but recently her singing voice has gotten very colorful. Even though she previously said she wasn't good at singing falsetto, she's been able to say herself, 「I want to try doing a song where I sing in falsetto」. She's become very sturdy as a vocalist. MAMI has written many songs and is SCANDAL's melody maker, and she's come to really have confidence in herself there. The song 「Departure」 that MAMI wrote was the best and super popular on our 「HELLO WORLD」 world tour. I think overseas people liking that song boosted her confidence. It feels like she discovered that 「This is my role」. For TOMOMI, the width of her interest in music keeps growing. There's a song called 「LOVE」 that we challenged ourselves with to doing a reggae rhythm on this album, and this song was written by TOMOMI. If the music she usually listens to didn't change, this sort of new expression wouldn't have emerged.


My Role Among the Four of Us

I think it might be to shorten the distance between us and our fans. I like writing things and sending out many SNS updates and am good at it, so I put my thoughts into text as much as possible on a daily basis and try to send it out to everyone. Also, I want to stay as someone who can help [the members] when, for example, HARUNA had said, 「I want to say this, but I can't find the words」. I'm always by HARUNA's side when we appear on TV and such, and when she's stumped, it's okay for her to hand it over to RINA. I really want to keep being HARUNA's reassurance. Rather, aside from playing, I want to make it so that the members have no worries.

What I Was Aware of While Making 「YELLOW」

Wanting to make a happy album, our feelings of wanting to make it an album with a feeling of happiness was a large image. We started production for the album in the spring of 2015, and at that time everyone had that kind of consciousness in them. That's why a happy mood has seeped into all of the songs. It was an album we made while wanting to properly make our sunny side take shape.


Favorite Songs

Perhaps 「Heaven na Kibun」. Although it's a pop album throughout, we also wanted to make a cool song. So, we thought, 「Let's make a cool song that's easy to understand」, and wrote a theme that's like our own brand of grunge rock. This song was completed by taking in influence from the atmosphere we experienced in Istanbul. After our world tour we appeared in a music festival in Istanbul, Turkey. Istanbul has a river in it, dividing it into an Asian side and a European side, and both cultures are rooted in this one region. We were able to spend many days in this very mysterious atmosphere. So, during our stay, I listened to bands like Nirvana and Mudhoney. Lumped together with that mood, I feel that I was able to confine my favorite ones into a song, making it my favorite one [on the album].


The Most Important Point of 「YELLOW」

You can casually and comfortably listen to it. We made sure to put our hearts into each and every song, and we'd be happy if your heart lightens up a bit when you listen to the album, or if it makes you feel that you can do your best again from tomorrow. We'll be satisfied with just that.


What 「YELLOW」 Means to SCANDAL

It's an album that seems like we'll cherish it forever. We never declared thoughts of 「We want to be able to make all of the songs on an album by ourselves」, but it had always been an objective among the four of us. If there are people who listen to this work and fall in love with our music, we'll gain more confidence in our music...... I truly think it's an album that almost depends on the life of the band. But, it'd be great if it happily spreads to all kinds of people.


SCANDAL's Future

When we were on our world tour, it felt like the people of many countries accepted us, but it also felt like 「We will keep making you pay attention to us」. When we played a live in London, among the people having fun were people who were drinking alcohol at the bar counter and leaving the venue. We wouldn't have thought that was a positive thing several years ago, but we can now think, 「Ah, that's interesting」. At that time, we felt the joy of being able to still taste that kind of sensation in our tenth year. That's why we want to take a long time again and have many people fall in love with SCANDAL. Rather than reach out for many dreams in a hurry, we want to aim at being a band that will continue on for a long time. Currently, according to Guinness World Records, the girl band who was active the longest for many years is ZELDA with 17 years. First, we want to hit that goal.

#front-page

Thanks for sharing these interviews. As you know, I'm still very much a new fanboy of Scandal; it's nice to see how each of the girls thinks, and I'm encouraged that they all have the same drive, each with their individual focuses to improve themselves. Thanks so much for your translation work over the whole site, it's really appreciated!