Koyanagi: You could say that you thought long and hard about yourselves in 2018. Do you feel like you can see the outside now?
RINA: I think that's part of it. Since we're doing this as four women, I was afraid that if we weren't more edgy than necessary, many people wouldn't understand. But now that I'm free from that fear, I'm able to think that it's really cool to have classic melodies and straightforward lyrics. I'm happy about that. I don't feel like I have to play those songs, but rather I want to play them. I can write lyrics that are completely different from what I used to write.
HARUNA: That's how all of us feel right now.
MAMI: When a song that sounds like part 2 of one of our songs is created, we don't try to go beyond it by saying, "We need to put a phrase with more impact here," or "We need to start this way," etc. We only look at part 1. It was around the end of the year that we decided to get rid of that and create a simple band sound. From there, the four of us began to create songs that we could all agree were good. We were in a new mood, and we were able to create something that we felt good about now. That sense of security is a big part of it.
Koyanagi: So, it's like you're moving houses and going, "Onto the next place!" (laughs)
TOMOMI: Essentially (laughs).
MAMI: I don't think we had anything definite in mind, but I think we were thinking a lot about things like, "What are we?"I think I put a lot of thought into things like that. I think everyone understood that, even if we didn't say it in words; they could sense it in the atmosphere. It was overflowing.
Koyanagi: The four of you say you're always having fun, but I think there were some crises after all. It's like the excitement is decreasing, or it seems that way when you think it's a crisis..
HARUNA: Yeah, I think the crisis was a crisis. We might have still been in a crisis if we didn't talk about creating a label.
TOMOMI: And now we can't think of any other way we could do things.
HARUNA: We forcibly created [our label]. We might have done it in a state of uncertainty.
Koyanagi: The name of your label is "her." How did you come up with this name?
RINA: We felt that this was our theme. When we thought about continuing to be a rock band for a long time, and with four women, we began to feel that we did not fit in well with the way men had been doing things. We like things that we can do because we're women, things that are feminine, and we thought it would be better to cherish those things. We wanted to be the four of us to live cool lives as women before being musicians. Lately, we have been discussing "As an all-girl band" a lot, and conversations like "This is a little too masculine" or "Only a girl could do this; how interesting" have been happening on a daily basis. We started to think that was our theme. "her" is a word that can have various meanings depending on the words that come before and after it. We thought that "her" could be a theme for us in the future, including the freedom it gives us.
Koyanagi: So it's a word that came up in conversation. Were there any other candidates?
RINA: There weren't, but our staff asked us to submit up to five choices (laughs), and when we looked again at the names of various companies for reference, we thought that many of them were simple and cool, so in the end we only submitted "her" (laughs).
Koyanagi: Hahaha. It's more of a theme than a label name. It was probably easier after raising that point.
MAMI: Yes, we could see what was ahead. Our fans as well, who were watching us and wondering what would be waiting after HONEY, which we said was an awesome album. I think it was great that we were able to present an image of what was to come.
HARUNA: We're saying it's okay to continue on as women. When you're a woman in a band, sometimes you have to forget that you are a woman. But now that I'm 30, I'm entering a period in my life where I have to take into account the fact that I am a woman in order to continue to play. I was happy to be able to affirm that about myself.
Koyanagi: That's a stylish way of thinking.
TOMOMI: That's the first time we've been told that (laughs).
Koyanagi: It's very chic.
MAMI: Yeaaah. It's kind of embarrassing (laughs).
Koyanagi: You can fight more flexibly from here on.
MAMI: It feels like we can head forward lightly. Freedom is a word that we have always focused on. I feel like we're walking around with a sense of freedom.
Koyanagi: Therefore, the songs that are born are definitely different. You're doing what you're good at, but the way they're born is totally different. I dare say that they're "masterpieces" (laughs).
RINA: (laughs) I went crazy with the lyrics. I decided to use this melody because it is absolutely good, and then I was wondering what kind of lyrics it should start with. To begin with, we don't like singing about ourselves too much. But I thought it would be unnatural to ignore the fact that we had made it 10 years and that we were about to make a new start. The next day in the studio, I said, "We've been avoiding songs where we're the main character, but maybe this is the right time to do it." Everyone said, "That sounds good." So, I was conscious of writing a song that would kick things off.
MAMI: I thought that the words "beginning," "newness," and "rebirth" should come next. From the beginning, I had the impression that it was a perfect fit.
HARUNA: I thought, "Is it still possible to feel like such rookies?" (laughs). It's almost embarrassingly fresh. But we couldn't sing it until now, and I felt like we were able to strip it down and arrive at lyrics that anyone could understand, because we'd accumulated so much experience.
Koyanagi: Your singing is also straightforward.
HARUNA: I feel like the song called to me. I was excited.
RINA: It really suits you.
HARUNA: With SCANDAL as it currently is, we have tried many things and updated ourselves so much that I would never have imagined singing this melody with these lyrics, but now is the time to return to our roots. I didn't think we would be able to come back there.
MAMI: Yeah. I feel like we have to put some kind of a twist on it. I think the song turned out to be one that people can enjoy without having to forcefully create a catchy part. That's what I think it means for SCANDAL to write and sing this song now, after 10 years of experience.
HARUNA: The creation of this song made the rest of the production easier. It's okay to write lyrics about something so easy to understand. No matter who listens to it, they can understand what we want to convey, even if we don't use metaphors or analogies. We have come to a point where we can continue to create songs like this.
Koyanagi: It's like, "It's okay to draw on this pure white canvas." There are still so many firsts even after 10 years.
RINA: There are fewer rules for songwriting. There are some parts where I intentionally leave it rough. Like, there are times when "kimi" (you; typically less polite) and "anata" (you; typically more polite) are mixed together. In movies, there can suddenly be a line spoken to the audience, right? That kind of mixing of trickery and reality is possible in movies, but it is difficult in music. But I thought it would be a good idea to try to make a one-on-one appeal, even if it's just a single phrase. I would never have thought of doing that before. Once "kimi" was used, "kimi" would be used throughout the whole song, but I thought I'd try a new challenge. It's very detailed.
Koyanagi: That's wonderful.
RINA: It's kind of fun.
MAMI: We have been experimenting with different songwriting methods and have gone through several stages, so we have a lot of our own rules. But we talked about whether we should reconsider it. This song was created when we talked about doing whatever we wanted. This is the first song.
Koyanagi: For example, even if there are inconsistencies, you're just like, "Let's just keep it fun and free." This side of SCANDAL is fascinating.
MAMI: Originally, the arrangement was completely different, and I had added a lot of strings. It was a song that developed rapidly toward the chorus. However, for this song, I wanted to incorporate a third party's opinion. I couldn't have made it completely different on my own. I think that's why I was in a situation where I could only do part 2. So, I left the arrangement to the staff who have been working with us for a long time, and I think the fact that we were able to create a completely different song is one of the reasons why SCANDAL is opening up right now. It turned out to be a very satisfying song.
Koyanagi: "Mabataki," the other A-side song, is another wonderful song. I think it's a song typical of RINA, who writes episodes one by one.
HARUNA: We were like, "This will be heard right after 'Masterpiece'; will people be okay emotionally?" (laughs)
RINA: We've written plenty of love songs that escort you to the goal, but I wanted to write a song that starts and ends ambiguously. We finished it with TOMOMI on main vocals for the first time in a while.
Koyanagi: What made you decide to do that about vocals?
RINA: We once tried having all four of us sing vocals, but it turned out to be a little too energetic. So we decided to focus on TOMOMI's voice, and everyone sings the chorus.
Koyanagi: That's also an easy decision.
TOMOMI: It was close to the initial stages of the song. We all sang together once. It felt like it was made like a puzzle.
Koyanagi: I think this sense of privacy is made all the more charming by the word "her."
RINA: We've been talking about music that fits in with everyday life, music that has a lived-in feel, and music that has sex appeal. I thought it would be nice to have girlish music that is more in tune with our hobbies, and I thought we could do that now.
MAMI: Before, I would have thought it was a bad idea to pair them. Now that "her" exists, I feel like we can put out what we really like and what we want to do. If it weren't for "her," we probably would have included this song in the album, but that's the usual pattern, and I think we were able to do that because of "her."
Koyanagi: The songs you make will probably change from now on, and I think you'll be able to make classic J-Pop songs as well. Finally, could you tell us about your hopes and what you want to do in the future?
RINA: I wonder......
HARUNA: There are an infinite number of things to do...but I can't think of anything at all (laughs).
RINA: I feel like I want to live my life with a cheerful mind and create music along the way. It's not like we're going to hold a festival called "her"; rather, I want to live my life as a female musician while releasing music from a place called "her."
MAMI: The way our songs are released to the world and the way we perform live are the same as before, but the way we deliver them and the way SCANDAL wants to deliver them should have changed completely. In any case, I'm very happy that we're able to do this feeling very fresh. Everything is new to us, so I want to have fun doing it while feeling even fresher.
TOMOMI: It really feels like we're making our debut again, like we're rookies. As a first-year student, I want to go to festivals again, and it really feels like everything is new to me. I want to do this with the mindset of starting from scratch.
MAMI: That's surprisingly stoic (laughs).
Koyanagi: You really do seem to be in a good, pleasant mode. I'm looking forward to what's next.
All: We'll do our best!