Find Your Beauty MAGAZINE × Natalie｜RINA

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This feature is a collaboration project with Milbon, a company that handles hair care items exclusively for hair salons, and Natalie. In addition to an interview with female artists and actresses with the theme of "hair" each time, interviews with hair arrangement videos and conversations about hairdressers or hair+makeup are posted on Find your Beauty MAGAZINE, Milbon's special site.

Our fourth guest is SCANDAL's drummer RINA. As she mentioned, 「I've loved hair + makeup and fashon since I was young」 during the interview, she is the most aesthetic person among the SCANDAL members, going to the hair salon twice a month. We asked why RINA sticks to visuals, such as connections between hairstyles and stage performances.

Trauma of being mistaken for a boy
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──What kind of hairstyle did you have as a child?

I had long hair as a child. My mom was great at doing my hair, and I have memories of going to kindergarten with a different hairstyle every morning. There was a time when I had perms done; I liked putting on a headband then.


──Have you been particular about your hairstyles since you were young?

I have. I think my mom was a big influence, but I've loved hair + makeup and fashon since I was young. When my mom encouraged me to cut my hair very short in kindergarten, the cashier at a supermarket mistook me for a boy and called me by a male pronoun. That was such a shock for me that I grew my hair out for a while (laughs). In my third or fourth year of middle school I thought, 「I probably won't be mistaken for a boy anymore」 and cut my hair short once, but in the end I just kept growing my hair out afterwards.

──SCANDAL made their major label debut in 2008 with the single 「DOLL」. All of the members had long, black hair then.

The band formed when I was in middle school, and at that time I could not dye or arrange my hair because of the school rules, so the four of us were matching with long, black hair. We had black hair at the time of our major label debut since we still had members in high school.


──In the music video for your single 「LOVE SURVIVE」 that released in July 2011 you shed your school uniforms, and a variety of hairstyles and hair colors has increased since then.

That's right. We had more freedom with our hairstyles by shedding our uniforms. After that we've enjoyed putting in very long extensions, putting in inner colors, and doing various hairstyles and colors.

Hairstyles are decided by the merits of the stage
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──Which hairstyle do you think has been your most flashy one to date?

The purple color I had during our arena tour (their 「PERFECT WORLD」 arena tour held from the end of 2015). We all went for simple, casual outfits, and instead made our hairstyles flashy. I would never have done purple if I wasn't in a band. I'm not afraid of any color when I imagine myself standing on stage. When I'm considering hairstyles, I don't really think about ones that would go with everyday life; I think of which ones would be coolest when I'm on stage.


──It seems that having a flashy style there would make it difficult to consider styles for your days off.

I had a flashiness that made even people who didn't know about RINA of SCANDAL suddenly turn and look back at me, so people's eyes......(laughs). During my days off at that time, I put the lower half of my hair into buns and wore a cap so as to make the area of purple as small as possible. But once I made it flashy, my hair color, hairstyle, and my mood were made so as well, but I noticed that people's impressions of me really changed. Your hairstyle really changes how people perceive you; it's a very important factor for girls.

──Wasn't it hard to keep up that color?

I did keep it up, but it was hard to make it purple in the first place. My hairdresser kept dyeing it and checking it from evening to 3 in the morning. If it wasn't right then he'd repeat the process of dyeing it again. It was such a pain to get it to that color. I was so grateful that he kept up with it until that point.


──You chopped it into a bob after that.

When I went purple we thoroughly removed past colors and put in new ones, so I cut it into a bob to reset that damage. Being on stage with a bob, it swings around with even the smallest movements. Just turning to the side makes it spread out easily, and my movements looks huge when I'm lit from behind, so it moves cleanly without any difficulty. Conversely, when you have long hair it doesn't flutter well if you don't make big movements. Since drummers sit on a chair, I like this kind of hairstyle that can give off a dynamic feeling with minimal movement.

I want keep being looked up to
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──RINA, do you arrange your hair on your days off?

I do. I often curl my hair with a narrow barrel curling iron while looking at the mirror. I also straighten it and style it to give it a wet texture. Since its impression changes just by changing texture, I have a lot of styling agents. I'm very particular with my hairstyles; I definitely can't stand it if my hair isn't smooth and silky or is damaged. Because I want to keep my hair healthy no matter what style I do, I regularly go to the salon for maintenance.


──How often do you go?

I go once every 2 weeks. I almost always go the day before a live or shoot. I need to be in tip-top shape when I'm on stage since there might be people who are seeing SCANDAL live for the very first time. Because there are people at any of our live shows who are seeing me for the first time in their lives, or those who will come and expect to see me over the next couple of years, I of course want our set and performance to be beautiful, but I also want my appearance to be beautiful. I want people to go home with memories like, 「That hairstyle then was adorable」.

──Is it the same for the other members too?

I think the things we each cherish differ, but we all have that same motivation for playing lives and making music. I am strongly aware that I care the most about beauty among the members, and I try to care about my appearance very much. There are times when it's not perfect because we keep going out on tour, but I want to stand on stage and have people think 「That's so cool」 or 「It's so glittery」 as much as possible. I think it's fun when you see a band that you looked up to moving and talking in person for the first time, so my commitment to that may be strange. I think that everyone who stands on stage treasures all sorts of things, but that's what my commitment is. Being a fun drummer to watch is one of the ways I face music.


──That'll surely make your fans who look up to you happy.

I want to able to provide 100% of the elements so that you'll be able to enjoy all of SCANDAL. I think there are parts that can't be conveyed even if you're doing your best with only music, so I want us to be a band that makes you want to watch our music videos over and over again, and I want us to be a band that you want to see live. Also, the morning after you go to the salon and look in the mirror, you'll get excited by the beautiful color and silkiness. Good music is born and good performances are possible when the heart is in good condition, so being a band and managing your mentality is very important. I think that the number of phrases that come out of me depends on how many times I felt 「enjoyment」 in my everyday life.

We would like to continue the band until black hair feels fresh again
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──Each of the SCANDAL members' hairstyles differ, but do you decide on styles by discussing it with everyone?

We do. We never change our styles arbitrarily; we do so after discussing it together. For example, when a rock album's finished, we first decide on the outfits and the decide on our hair and makeup. I think it's gret when musicians send out other things besides music. I don't think music will be conveyed honestly if a musician sends out something like, 「I went with this hair color」 or 「My hairstyle and makeup look like this」. Like, it shows a lack of sincerity for your music. I also understand this quite well, but I think that fashion and music are connected; I think that it definitely would better if everyone enjoyed them more easily.

──Enjoying "being a girl" is what is conveyed through SCANDAL's music.

I'm happy you said that. When we changed our hair colors from black hair, the color of the floor seen from the stage changed. An overwhelming number of blondes has increased. It made me happy that it seemed that everyone found more freedom by having fun. That might be due all of us growing up together and starting careers at the same time, and that it happened to link to when students were becoming working adults. We're happy that everyone's daily lives are fulfilled, especially when our activities are involved. There are also voices that want us to go back to having long, black hair again...... I'm happy that there are still people who feel attached that era, but I also want them to realize that it's fun to make yourself anew. If we have long, black hair again, maybe that'll be the day when we've been a band long enough that it feels new again.


──I'm sure those who only know about the current SCANDAL would be shocked if you suddenly went back to having black hair.

We want to stay as a quartet that doesn't know what we'll be doing next. So, I want people to not be able to take their eyes off of us. I want to do activities that'll always feel fresh to our fans and that they will not get tired of.

http://natalie.mu/music/pp/fybm04

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*I'm currently translating the second part featuring RINA's hairdresser doing a "date" hair arrangement on RINA~

A talk with SCANDAL RINA and her hairdresser

Being the coolest I can be on stage

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In the fourth series of news site Natalie and Find Your Beauty MAGAZINE's serialization, we will be delivering a discussion between drummer RINA of all-girl rock band SCANDAL and hair designer Shigeo Obata of ORCHESTRA, the salon that RINA has been going to since her major label debut. We would like you to enjoy this discussion with RINA, who is strongly commited to visuals, and Obata, who continues to make RINA's ideal hairstyles and stoically make new proposals.


A simple arrangement that shows what the hands are doing

How to make this date hairstyle can be found on YouTube!↓↓↓



──Please tell us the theme of this hair arrangement.

Shigeo Obata: The theme this time is date hair. We thought of a hairstyle that'll make guys think, 「She came on this date with a hairstyle like this; it feels like she's more enthusiastic than usual」. It may look a little too short, but guys are simple, so the more visible and elaborate it is, the happier you'll seem. They'll be happy that you woke up early for them.

RINA: I learned for the first time that it's okay to work this hard when you have a date. When you meet up you'll be happy if he notices that you did your best.


──RINA, does it seem like you'd be able to do this arrangement on your own?

RINA: Yes, it does. Even though it's pretty fancy, I think I could arrange it in about 20 minutes, and I think I could do it if I wake up a little earlier. I was surprised that it'd be this cute just by arranging it roughly and rolling up a scarf.

Obata: To make it easy for the readers to manage it, we did it with bobbypins from a 100 yen shop. They sell cute hair accessories at these shops now, and you can try all kinds of arrangements with them. By the way, can you braid, RINA-chan?

RINA: Yes, I can.

Obata: I thought so. Braiding is surprisingly tough to do. So, to make it easy to do, we made it a style where you twist two strands of hair instead of braiding them.

RINA: Braiding's difficult, but it seems like this would be easy to copy.


What is a sought-after hairdresser?

──When did you two meet each other?

RINA: My friend introduced me to this salon right after SCANDAL had our major label debut, so that was about 7-8 years ago. I've been Obata-san's client ever since then. Since we've been together for so long, Obata-san makes the colors I've imagined just by telling him nuances. Conversely, Obata-san gives me many recommendations. Also, we communicate like this because we've been together for a long time.

Obata: Actors and actresses have more natural hair colors and hairstyles, but musical artists change their hair colors every time they release something. Because damage is attached to coloring, I try to avoid putting a burden on hair as much as possible. Since you have hair all throughout your life, I put importance on thinking about the next hairstyle without adding any damage. As for women, hair is something they'll always have. Although they might several occupations, no matter what their occupation is, every one of them is a woman to begin with.

RINA: Obata-san gives me the colors I want without damaging my hair too much. My color right now, he gave me such a vivid color without bleaching it. I don't think there's another hairdresser that can do things as well as he can.

Obata: For example, there are many hairdressers that can do a color they're told to do. But, there are all kinds of methods to achieve that color, and I think it's important to choose the method that does the least amount of damage. It is very difficult to restore hair that has once been broken down by treatments or chemicals. I think that you need to be conscious of things like that in order to become a sought-after hairdresser..


Lyrics that were born at the salon

──RINA, what's something that you often do when you're at the salon?

RINA: Read magazines, talk to Obata-san......I also write lyrics. There are times words I've thought of while at ORCHESTRA and wrote down in a memo on my phone actually became lyrics. Here, I had put together the lyrics for the final chorus of 「Koisuru Universe」 on our latest single. Obata-san understands that I'm working when I pull out my phone, so he always lets me to work on it leisurely by myself.

Obata: Since RINA-chan makes time during breaks from work to come in, I always think she might be tired or not feeling well. So, I try to start treatments after asking how she is, or referring to the drink she bought. RINA-chan updates on social media that she goes to ORCHESTRA, so fans have also come in. When fans come in when RINA-chan's here, RINA-chan talks to those fans. I was worried at first when I saw that and thought I was causing trouble, but I understand that she naturally connects with fans and thinks about details like the way she's facing, the sense of distance, and way of speaking. I think that's truly wonderful.

RINA: I've been told 「I like RINA-chan」 by fans when my hair's being wrapping up their hair or my eyebrows are being dyed (laughs). I want them to enjoy themselves since we were able to meet each other at that timing while I'm thinking, 「Sorry about my appearance right now」. They look on social media and want the same person to do their hair, and they're using their own money and time to come to the salon. I'm very happy that they want to have the same hairstyle as me, and that they see our live shows and activities. I think it uses the same amount of energy as seeing us and picking up instruments. Our fans are really adorable. They buy the same clothes, do the same hairstyles, do their makeup the same. Although I'm not the one doing anything, it really makes me happy to see students who can't dye their hair request Obata to curl their bangs the same way as mine and happily head home with their bangs curled the same.


Proposals that consider her on-stage appearance

──In your Music Natalie interview you mentioned that it took a very long time to get the correct purple color.

RINA: That was such a pain (laughs).

Obata: We thought of how to achieve the purple that RINA-chan had imagined, and at first I thought about trying to make the color by mixing it with white, which would make it look soft and pale. But doing that would have given it an incomplete feeling.

RINA: We bleached it twice. Then we put in color twice.

Obata: It didn't quite turn out the color she was thinking about. To tell you the truth, purple isn't that much in demand in the first place, so we ran out of dye as we were dyeing it over and over again. I searched nearby drug stores to buy some purple (laughs).

RINA: His assistant washed my hair, and when it came time to set it, I was surprised that Obata-san went out to get a lot of coloring agents.

Obata: We finally got the right color around 3 in the morning. RINA-chan said, 「I'm so sorry to keep you this late」, but I was the one who was sorry. RINA-chan has always had a high aesthetic sense and says, 「I'm strongly committed and have many requests」, but we're appreciative of that. It's because we can grow by responding to customers' and RINA-chan's requests. Before RINA-chan changes her hair, she always discusses with me, 「I think I'll go with ___ next time」. In response to that I think about ideas before RINA-chan comes in, and I'm grateful to be able to propose new things. I hope it'll be possible for me to have interactions like that aside from RINA-chan.

RINA: Obata-san comes to see SCANDAL's lives and frequently checks our social media and TV appearances. That's why he gives various opinions such as, 「This kind of red is better when it's hit by the light」.

Obata: I sometimes worry if I'm bothering her (laughs). But, there are reasons to contact her regularly, and RINA-chan is a fan anyway. First, she thinks more about her fans and creating her own visuals rather than her appearance. So, rather than wanting to answer RINA's request, I make sure to work to meet the expectations of SCANDAL fans.

RINA: Obata-san is part of the team that creates RINA of SCANDAL. He doesn't always say yes to my requests, but he does give me different proposals or ideas. It's always interesting going to the salon; I can trust him very much.


You can meet your new self at the salon

──Obata, what part of RINA do you watch at a SCANDAL live?

Obata: It has to be her hair. Also, I try to watch her gestures. Drummers often shake their heads and touch their hair. So, when that happens, I make sure to watch how her hair moves. There are many times when seeing that gives me new ideas.

RINA: We made it a bright color with more beige this summer, which made my hair color spring out in the natural light at outdoor festivals. Seeing that, Obata-san suggested, 「It's better to put in highlights so that it looks three-dimensional when it moves」. It definitely was different when we put in highlights. I realized that when I saw the live photos. By putting in highlights, it becomes easier to understand how the bundles of hair are, and it looks really beautiful when the tips of the hair that we keep cutting moves. I'm grateful because there are many things like that that I don't notice. Obata-san is keen and knowledgable like that since he's always worked as a beautician in a salon in the middle of Shibuya. I think he's a very creative hairdresser who really makes sure to "cultivate" styles instead of just letting the client go if it looks good then and now. I want to have Obata-san take care of my hair forever.


──You were lucky to meet a partner like that at such an early stage.

RINA: I really think so. I don't think there are many opportunities to have other people to talk about your appearance, unless you have a job where you stand on stage. So, if you have a hairdresser who suggests all sorts of things, you can meet your new self that you, nor people who don't have a job where they stand on stage, know about. The salon is that sort of place.


An arrangement for 「date hair」! RINA-chan and Obata-san's discussion video is on YouTube!↓↓↓