Unveiling her beloved car! The reason why TOMOMI of SCANDAL chose a MINI Clubman

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SCANDAL is Japan's leading all-girl band who has completed tours such as a world tour that visited 10 cities in 8 countries, and a tour that went around all 47 prefectures of Japan. As a matter of fact, it seems that bassist TOMOMI loves cars and driving. After hearing those rumors, we were aware that it might have been seemingly impossible task to ask her to show us her car, but she unbelievably said yes! And so, she arrived in her first-generation MINI Clubman. We asked her why she chose a Clubman, and what car she'd want to drive one day.

Buying a car after looking at Carsensor

――When did you get your Clubman?

TOMOMI: About three years ago. I've been in the band since I was in high school, so I didn't have time to attend driving school, and in 2015 I finally got my driver's license. Actually, MAMI and I went to the same driving school together.

When I would go there with MAMI, we'd also talk about things like, "If you get your license, what kind of car do you want to drive?" At first I thought about going with a used car, so when I was buying a car I'd often look at Carsensor (laughs).


――Oh, that makes us happy!

TOMOMI: I was excitedly looking at all kinds of cars online, and when I'd find a car that I thought looked good, I'd go and look at the shops..... Choosing a car was a lot of fun.


――Did you decide to purchase a Clubman from the start?

TOMOMI: No; so many cars caught my eye. I of course thought MINIs were cute, and also the Volkswagen New Beetle and the Mitsuoka Viewt. Since I often drive in Tokyo, I was looking for a small car with a small turning radius. The cars at the driving school were also small, so I was a little worried to go with a larger one.


――Why did you go with a Clubman?

TOMOMI: When you recline the backseat in a Clubman, you can also vertically stack the base shut in a hard case. Also, since I've been going camping as a hobby recently, I had wondered if you could stack a lot of luggage in the Clubman. I'm still camping with my friends now, but I've been thinking that I'll get my own equipment and would like to try camping solo.

Wanting to drive a vintage car

――A Clubman certainly seems to fit the image of camping.

TOMOMI: But I actually wanted to drive a different kind of car......


――Hm? What kind of Clubman?

TOMOMI: When you look at outdoor magazines and sites, they feature people who enjoy camping with old cars, right? I longed for that kind of atmosphere. I wanted to drive a Ford Bronco or a Toyota Land Cruiser.


――A Bronco! That's quite a maniacal choice.

TOMOMI: It was exciting to imagine myself driving cars like that, but getting a big car wasn't realistic...... So, I decided to go with a small car, and after that I just checked out old MINIs and Beetles that had a similar atmosphere.


――You like vintage-like designs, don't you?

TOMOMI: I do! I also only checked out vintage camping gear at first. However, the fact of the matter is that I hate bugs (laughs). It's no good if the inner tent doesn't keep you bug-free. With old cars, I also considered, "What if it breaks down......"


――Was there a car that jumped out at you?

TOMOMI: It was difficult. That's why, while aiming to find one, I was looking at cars with a relatively new but old-fashioned feel. (Taking out her phone) By the way, this is the Bronco I wanted.


――The yellow body is cute. Rather, by bringing out this image right away, isn't that proof that you're always looking at cars (laughs)?

TOMOMI: Most older Broncos and Beetles are stick shifts/have manual transmissions. My license is limited to cars with automatic transmissions, so I think it's better remove restrictions.

――What is driving a Clubman actually like?

TOMOMI: I like that it's really easy to drive. I like plants, and I often go around to plant nurseries on my days off. It's really easy to pack this car with the plants I buy! The barn doors in the back are also cute.


――It's fun to drive a MINI.

TOMOMI: Driving itself is also fun, and I also like the sound of the engine. At first I thought it was noisy, but it quickly became comfortable. The rounded interior that matches the atmosphere of the exterior is also pretty.


――You've been driving this car for three years. Have you also done some modifications yourself?

TOMOMI: I haven't remodeled it drastically, but I look at all kinds of pages to see if doing x will make it even cuter.

――Are you looking into it to actually fiddle around with things?

TOMOMI: Actually, when I bought it, my dashboard had a portable navigation system. But, I really didn't like that square box in the middle of the cute, round atmosphere......


――A square thing certainly might look a little off.

TOMOMI: The place where I bought the car told me, "MINIs have large speedometers, so that can't be helped," but after doing a lot of research, I found a place that would embed the navigation under the speedometer. I went to the place right away and got my car navigation embedded.


――You barely had to do any footwork (laughs).

TOMOMI: I like it very much now because the interior is clean and cute.

Excited to return as if rookies now

――SCANDAL has established their private label "her." Did you previously feel that you wanted to have your own label?

TOMOMI: Since our major label debut, we've always shared the common view of how we've been able to continue working with excitement. When we reached a crossroads, we chose to walk down the more fun path.

Then, when 10 years had passed since our debut, we found out that each of the members was thinking, "What should we do to get even more excited after this?"


――All of you were feeling fuzzy about the same thing.

TOMOMI: Yes. When we found that out, we all talked together. Then, we decided, "Our excitement might be cut off if we keep going like this. If so, then let's not stay in the same place as we are now; let's go to a totally different place."


――You then established "her." How are you feeling now?

TOMOMI: It feels really fresh, almost as if we're back to being rookies (laughs). We're excited that it feels like we can go anywhere from here onwards!

SCANDAL's TOMOMI talks about her everyday driving and where she longs to drive to

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SCANDAL is a popular all-girl band who has completed tours such as a world tour that visited 10 cities in 8 countries, and a tour that went around all 47 prefectures of Japan. We interviewed TOMOMI in the middle of their busy schedule for the release of their new single 『Masterpiece / Mabataki』 that was released on 3/27. We asked her about how she enjoys driving in her beloved MINI Clubman.

Going to see shooting stars by car after making up her mind

――TOMOMI, do you drive to work in your car?

TOMOMI: When we go to a studio for rehearsals, I do occasionally drive there. It's just that I drive to do personal things more, like going shopping. I occasionally drive long distances too.


――Like where, for example?

TOMOMI: MAMI and I have gone out to Fuji-Q Highland before (laughs). I also go camping often. When my friends camped at a campsite on a riverbed in Kanagawa Prefecture, I also drove on the highways and met up with them......


――You like taking it easy in nature.

TOMOMI: I still feel like I'm sticking close to my friends. I want to be able to go camping solo at any time with my own equipment. So, when there's someone at a campsite who's using cute equipment, I unconsciously end up talking to them. Like, "What brand is that?", or, "Is that easy to use?"

――It's been three years since you got your Clubman. Have you had any memorable drives in particular?

TOMOMI: I have a friend whom I've spent almost every day with since we were in high school. One of our convos on LINE was, "It seems like there's going to be a meteor shower today," and we hastily ended up going to see the meteor shower.


――Meteor showers happen in the middle of the night, don't they?

TOMOMI: Yes. It was around midnight when I headed out. I hurriedly went to pick up my friend, and we gazed up at the shooting stars falling innumerably for hours while lying down in a dark riverbed. It was so much fun!


――You went out as soon as you made up your mind. That was fun precisely because you had a car.

TOMOMI: I felt that way too. That was when no trains were running, so if I didn't have a car then I wouldn't have been able to see those shooting stars. Also, my parents have also been quite enjoying driving recently.


――Your parents? How are they enjoying it?

TOMOMI: My parents will go to a live show of SCANDAL's no matter where it is in the country. They'll drive even if it takes eight or 10 hours. Also, they always send me pictures via LINE of all the places they drive to (laughs).


――That sounds fun (laughs).

TOMOMI: One day, my mom told me, "Going to SCANDAL's live shows, we've returned to being lovers. Thank you." Although they're my parents, I feel envious that they're able to keep this kind of relationship even after getting married.

Driving to Chatsubomi Moss Park on a rainy day!

――TOMOMI, is there somewhere you want to go to right now via car?

TOMOMI: Do you know of Chatsubomi Moss Park? It's in Gunma Prefecture, and there's a moss that grows only here in Honshu. I like plants, and I'm also interested in growing all kinds of things like bonsai or moss.


――It seems like it'd be lovely to go during a plentiful rainy season.

TOMOMI: I too think that if I were to go, going on rainy or cloudy day would be good. However, the wipers on my Clubman aren't working very well, so I need to fix that.


――If you were to go driving with the members of SCANDAL, where would be a good place to go?

TOMOMI: I wonder. Since we all love to eat, driving somewhere to look for delicious foods sounds like it would be fun.


――Since there are all sorts of specialities around the country, it would probably be a fun drive.

TOMOMI: A little while ago, we drove to Utsunomiya to eat gyoza for a feature in our fan club magazine. Everyone had a great time chatting and having fun. Ah, I'd love to go to Shizuoka. I want to eat hamburg steak at the famous Sawayaka!


――Sawayaka! It's so popular right now that waiting in a line is inevitable. Speaking of driving, what kind of music do you often listen to when you drive?

TOMOMI: I usually listen to FM radio. What I want to listen to the most while driving is tobaccojuice or Kenji Ozawa. I'm not the type to play intense songs and drive fast.


――Do you also choose music to match the time of day and the scenery?

TOMOMI: I do. When it gets dark, I listen to mellow hip-hop like underslowjams. When I drive on the beach, I listen to surf rock like Jack Johnson.

New single is perfect for listening to while driving

――When we interview musicians, there are often many who try listening to their newly completed songs in the car. Do you do that too?

TOMOMI: I do. I'm sure there are also people who buy our CDs and listen to them while driving, which would be streaming from the radio while they're driving. We try things like, "How does this sound?" while imagining all sorts of scenes. Recently, we've also been loading our songs into our phones and listening to them throughout the city.


――Speaking of which, on 3/27 you released your double A-side single containing the speedy "Masterpiece" and the poppy, girly "Mabataki."

TOMOMI: Since it's the first single on our private label "her," we expressed that we can go anywhere by pairing of two completely opposite songs. We wanted to put out completely different songs in front instead of putting either one or the other in front.


――It feels like the lyrics of "Masterpiece" represent the current state of SCANDAL.

TOMOMI: That's part of it. We're making a fresh start, and since it's releasing in the spring, we'd be happy if it gives positive strength to those who listen to it.


――It seems like you can get hooked on this song's speediness by listening to it while driving.

TOMOMI: That might be true too (laughs). Since we recorded this song after first playing it live many times, it feels like we were able to pack in that live atmosphere. I think that the amount of heat suits driving.


――In what kind of situations would you like those who purchase this single to listen to it?

TOMOMI: It might be good to listen to it while driving. This season is when environments change, such as finding employment or changing occupations. I think that you can get lost in many things, and that there are many opportunities where you can look back on yourself. When I think, "What should I do now?", I often go on drives. It feels like you're in a secret base when you're in a car, so it's perfect for thinking things over. I'd be happy if you spent your time with these songs during those times.