A world where minorities are not disregarded - What RINA thinks about her experience of growing up in a single-mother family of five siblings

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She wants to be an artist whom you can tell just by looking at them does whatever they want to. What are RINA of SCANDAL's sustainable development goals?

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All-girl band SCANDAL, who continues to unleash new charms, is celebrating their 16th anniversary this year. Garnering attention for her expressive playing of the drums and gorgeous presence, RINA shows a wide range of activities that defy the boundaries of being a musical artist. What moved her to continue spreading ethical messages was herself—a little girl who grew up in a single-mother family of five siblings.

The differences in awareness compared to Japan, felt during their overseas tours

RINA is part of the all-girl band SCANDAL, who has always been paving their own way since their debut in 2008. She traveled overseas every year from their indie days to before the pandemic in 2020 to tour. From early on she felt a difference in sustainable and ethical practices in Japan and abroad.

"My awareness has clearly changed," she says, recalling their 2018 "Special Thanks" tour that went around to six cities in the United States and Mexico.

"Since then it's become the norm to use reusable bags overseas, and everyone has been putting into practice campaigns to reduce plastics, and encourage physical movement and eco-friendly efforts. When performing concerts to people who live lifestyles like that, I thought about how it was wrong to use more plastic bottles and disposable straws than necessary. We thought we'd start with something we were able to do, and we changed our on-stage drinks to tumblers and straws to stainless steel ones that can be used repeatedly. I think it's really nice being able to get the audience to notice things like that, and to get them to be aware of it along with our music, so we still continue to do all that."

Enjoying the same clothing for a long time and presenting them in different ways

"It's also important to make things with sustainability in mind," says RINA. The brand FEEDBACK that is handled by SCANDAL also came out with original eco-bags and eco-bottles in order to create opportunities to learn about eco-friendly initiatives. RINA likes the items so much that she still uses them on a daily basis. In everyday life, her perspective of choosing clothing has changed.

"We've often worn casual outfits as part of our stage outfits, so I used to think that I'd want to wear a different outfit every time. But now I think it's okay to present the same clothing in different ways. Your feelings also change by wearing clothing after learning about the sustainable efforts of various brands."

In Japan where there is little information about sustainability, RINA continues to send out messages such as "being as conscious as possible"—however, she won't change everything in her life just because something is eco-friendly.

"I'm from Nara and was raised by a single mother alongside four other siblings. I don't think I can say to my mother, who is busy with all the children, that she should consider the earth as she lives her life. But, I think it is important to live your life while being aware of that. Cherishing things, wearing cute clothes... Even if those things are limited, there should be a big difference depending on whether you're aware of your efforts or not. Though there's a limit to what each person can do, I hope that more people will be able to live their lives while being conscious of what they can do."

Starting activities to help child-rearing/womens' support due to thoughts for her mother

Realizing that "there are things that I can share because I'm a musician," RINA started "MAKE A WISH DAISY PROJECT" during the pandemic. A big reason why she started this project was because of her thoughts for her mother.

"As the eldest of five siblings, I've seen my mother get hurt and work hard alone. She deserves happiness, but her work and children became hurdles, and she couldn't reach the point where she'd think about her own happiness. It was painful for me to see that as a child. That's why I always wondered if I could be some kind of help. From a young age I had a strong desire to fulfill my dreams, so I joined the band in middle school and made my major debut in my second year of high school."

Having grown up in that kind of environment, she always thought, "Someday I want to support in some way those raising children alone, or to deliver feelings of happiness to them."

"I didn't know how to tell the fans about this sensitive topic, so it remained untouched. But when quarantine happened due to the pandemic, I thought, 'Mothers are going to have a tough time.' Moreover, there are those who are living in difficult situations due to DV. I felt that it must be hard for those living completely different lives to be made to follow one rule."

Then, she decided to launch the project with her friend and model Seina who shared the same sentiments. The motto of "DAISY PROJECT" is to have fun, and they make cute items that cheer you up when you pick them up. Proceeds are then donated to households in need of support.

Finding a support destination on their own and delivering the donations directly

"We also search for support destinations by ourselves, call each one, and choose places where support can be directly delivered to those we want to convey our feelings to. It is important to make the project bigger, but I think it's also important to keep things very domestic. Packets of curry are given to houses that need them, and school bags are given to children that need them. We think that having that directness is important, so we do as much as we can without leaving it to others. We enjoy sending out things while making items that'll make purchasers feel that they were able to help out. It would be great if we could create a system that would keep the money going around."

Wanting to deliver music that can boost everyone's self-esteem

Currently, the child-rearing/womens' support activities have gotten to the point where it makes her say, "We have a good cycle that makes us glad we're doing this" with a smile. "We're groping along, but that's fine" - The most important thing is "to continue to do this, which is the hardest thing to do."

"I don't think that those in the minority should be ignored. There are so many times when you get hurt by someone telling you, 'It's usually like this, right?' This is something that we experience as an all-girl band. How we feel about things completely differs among our four members. Even if the other members aren't hurt by something, I sometimes am the only one feeling uncomfortable. So I started to think that I shouldn't put up with something or not say something just because I'm in the minority. Everyone has moments when they're a minority in different situations, when they feel themselves wearing thin, and when they feel down, wondering if things are okay as is. I want to make music that can affirm that, and I want to be that kind of person."

Now in her thirities, when asked about her "ideal self" in the future, she gave a powerful glance and said, "I want to be an artist whom you can tell just by looking at them does whatever they want to."

"Personality, gender, sexuality, lifestyle... I want to be an artist who has various personalities and qualities, and that'll make you go, 'If you look at SCANDAL, you can affirm yourself.' To that end, I think it's important for me to live how I want to. It would be great if I could do what I like, do what I should do, and show how things are changing. I hope I can leave my life behind like that along with my music."

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/jp/culture/a40111605/rina-20220530/

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Wanting to create "awe-inspiring moments"! How RINA trains her mind and body

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RINA is part of SCANDAL, the all-girl band capturing attention all over the globe. At the age of 30, she has embraced her changing self and moved forward during both good times and bad. As an artist and human being, how does she train her mind and body in order to live lithely?

Building a strong, lithe body that'll allow her to continue playing the drums to her heart's content

SCANDAL is celebrating their 16th anniversary this year. RINA has devoted more than half of her life so far to the drums as a musician. Focusing on live performances, she has played tough performances not only in Japan but also overseas. How does RINA prepare her mind for when she goes on stage?

"One hour before we go on, the band members spend time in space for only us, and we ask that no one else enter the dressing room. We've always done that. Right before we go on stage, I'm so on edge that even I think it's funny (laughs). As the drummer I'm the first to go on stage, and in that moment the audience goes, 'Wah!', elevating the mood all at once. I think that's the most exciting moment before we play any music. Nothing has started, but we want people to experience awe-inspiring moments that'll make you go, 'This is insane!' That's why I think it's necessary to have that much concentration and feelings. I might use my stamina the most before appear on stage (laughs)."

"Playing the drums is a whole-body workout." That's why her rule with food is to "eat what I want to eat."

"If you continue to tour or play festivals, your metabolism will increase and you'll be more likely to lose weight as well as use a lot of stamina. But the most important thing for me is to stay healthy and be able to play the drums. That is why I make sure to eat my favorite foods and live a life that makes me feel good."

Keeping in mind how each body has its own beauty to it, she doesn't diet nor have dietary restrictions.

"What I'm aiming for is to have a body that I can move around flexibly for a long time. Wanting to do training at my own pace while communicating with my instructor is why I started going to Pilates again. My recent routine has been to go once or twice a week."

Moving her body is an opportunity to bring herself to the positive side

She has continued doing Pilates and seems to be feeling a change within herself.

"Pilates can reset your mind and body, and I think the studio is a place where you can bring yourself to the positive side. My instructor also energizes me. Having someone whom I can talk with about my body is a source of relief on a daily basis, and training is also a "good luck charm" for when I play the drums, which I think is very therapeutic."

RINA, who takes part in a wide range of activities such as child-rearing support/womens' support, is mentally strong, but she says she's actually "the type to have ups and downs mentally."

"Sometimes I feel really down, and sometimes I don't know how to get rid of my negative feelings. When that happens, what helps me to get back to being positive is to move my body. However, I think I'm currently showing myself in a negative state to our audience. I make both good times and bad times look natural. Of course, I think there are limits to that, but I really want to be a musician who has a very human side to them."

What changed due to her having a herniated disk

RINA says once more, "I feel that it's important to know my body." In fact, she had a herniated disk when she was 25 years old. It had just been 10 years since she first started playing the drums.

"For a long time I continued to have pain I had never experienced before. Even after a month it didn't go away. I went to the hospital several times, but they told me that it was fatigue or sciatica... Eventually, my right buttock became numb, and that numbness stretched from there to my fingertips. It got worse and worse. I was diagnosed with having a herniated disk via an exam at a large hospital, and things finally got easier. Things like, 'That's why it hurt so much. So let's think about how to fix this.'"

Aiming for recovery, she was able to visit several hospitals and meet with good doctors. For a year and half she decided to continue doing rehab while taking medicine.

"My mental health was pretty shaky then (*bitter smile). I was really scared because I would go on stage while worrying if I could play a concert the entire way through. Up to then, I really wanted to be at 100% for my performances. But as I talked to my doctors and continued to do rehab, I started to think, 'If I can do my best for that day, then that would be great!' When I'd do everything I could on a moment-to-moment basis, I'd be like, 'I was able to play a good concert today!', and the number of things that I gained ground with increased."

When asked what happened after she recovered, she said that she now has a habit of sitting up straight as if protecting her lower back. With Pilates, she practices using her backbone softly and continues to do so in everyday life.

"I hope to use my body better so that I can continue to be pain-free for a long time. I've come to understand how to deal with my body, and I think that makes me feel better."

Taking the next step by complimenting herself for her hard work

Having time to prepare her body and mind is "something that's really good for me right now." Changes in herself also seem to inspire her performances.

"I think that 'softness' has come out in our music as well. When we debuted, we were acknowledged as having 'an awesome gap between us being four girls and putting on aggressive performances.' That was what was best for us, but we have more ways of expressing ourselves than that. I hope that we can make music that we'll be able to perform for a long time with various tastes."

It's been 16 years since she started playing the drums on her 15th birthday. She has always spent time doing activities connected to her line of work such as learning French for overseas tours, but recently she's also wanted to cherish her "me time" that's not directly related to anything.

"Before, I used to be the type that was like, 'I don't want to take a rest!' and did a lot of things with a pretty packed schedule. That's exactly why I think that I've completed my phase of 'continuing to run at max speed.' Now, I can praise myself and be like, 'You've come a long way!' I make sure to get some rest and have more me time. I hope to continue expressing my tastes in music and my work pace by thinking about ways to make changes and to keep doing this for a long time."

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/jp/wellness/a40305350/rina2-20220621/

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