Original Article [Note: This interview was conducted for the release of Vocalolegend, a CD which Hachi submitted Rakshasa to.]

I'm playing by myself around the clock. (laughs)

So your PVs are all your own work too, but you started out drawing with a mouse... Hachi: I didn't yet have a tablet or a scanner, so I figured I'd just use what I had. Well, I still don't have a tablet, but I can at least scan in drawings.

Creating everything with a mouse must have taken a lot of time, right? Hachi: Nah, it takes more now.

Is that because you draw rough drafts and improve them through trial and error? Hachi: No, I hardly ever draw rough versions. Drawing on top of something I've already drawn once? I'd hate that.

Truly a genius. Hachi: No, no, no. (laughs)

Now, about your most popular work, "Close and Open, the Rakshasa and the Corpse." Users tend to wonder about the peculiar art and the deep significance of the lyrics. Hachi: Everybody imagines all sorts of things. That people would read so deeply into it really surprises me. I just wrote that song with a theme of everyday life, but some people interpret it as being about the services of certain women at night.

That's a long way off from everyday life. (laughs) Hachi: But it makes me happy. Because it means people like it enough that they'd think so much about it.

When you posted that song, did you expect to get so many views? Hachi: No, I didn't think it'd get much publicity at all! In fact, I didn't think it'd get anywhere, much less a million... I couldn't have imagined it. I guess I was too busy thinking it'd be nice if it got 10,000. Not that it'd go so much further...

Were you thinking of making it Japanese-style from the start? Hachi: No, nothing of the sort. I still don't have any idea why I made it like that.

When you're writing a song, how do you usually conceptualize it? Hachi: This isn't just limited to when I'm writing songs, but I have a kind of diorama in my head. From there, I work on introducing the pictures and the music... which kinda feels like playing with dolls or something. When I think of a character, they begin going about their business in my head. What kind of personality will they have? How will they act? I try to imagine these things, then spontaneously come to discover that a situation like this will lead to a song like this. The melody and lyrics pretty much follow from there. After that, I just need to output it.

So have you ever suddenly gotten a diorama forming while doing schoolwork? Hachi: No, I can't think about anything else. (laughs) But yeah, that kind of playing on your own is pretty fun.

On that topic, are there any songs that you've had to particularly contemplate? Hachi: Qualia, definitely. I mean, the PV took tons of time to make, and while the melody of the chorus had been in my head since years ago, giving it form took some thought.

I'm addicted to Vocaloid!

You play in a band. What parts do you play? Hachi: Bass and vocals.

Though now deleted, you uploaded about 30 original songs you sang yourself. Hachi: There were that many?

Yes. So why did you delete them? Hachi: I'd put a lot into them, but listening to them again, it seemed like I couldn't understand them anymore, and I felt really ashamed. So I figured it was my duty to just delete them all already. (laughs)

And you began making songs sung by Hatsune Miku. Did you originally use Miku wanting female vocals? Hachi: That was one reason, but the main one was that I had upgraded my PC. Until then, I'd been dealing with astoundingly terrible specs and could barely go on the internet, so I could hardly do anything. But when I got a new PC, all that changed, things were so much more agreeable. And feeling like I could do anything, I was introduced to digital music, figured I'd give it a shot, and bought Miku.

What did you think of Hatsune Miku? Hachi: I always thought my songs would've been more suited to female vocals, so finally being able to have them that way made me happy.

Your songs get sung by a large variety of women. Have you listened to any of them? Hachi: Yeah, I listen to them all the time.

Any singers in particular you like? Hachi: It's not a woman, but I liked Sekihan singing Mrs. Pumpkin's Ridiculous Dream. He really mixed things up, but it didn't really get in the way of the song.

Would you want to write a song meant for human vocalists? And would you want anyone in particular to sing it? Hachi: I have feelings that I want to sing, but Vocaloids don't have feelings at all. It may be a contradiction, but I really appreciate that they can express my own world views for me. So I really don't have any desire to sing now - I'm too addicted to Vocaloid! (laughs) But, still, people singing for me makes me really happy. I'm listening!

So far, you've only put out Hatsune Miku songs, but have you thought about any other Vocaloids? Hachi: I want to try using Megurine Luka. Her English is supposed to be pretty good, so I thought I might check out her English pronunciation.

Any particular plans for her? Hachi: No. I'm broke. (laughs)

As if I know how I should feel about changing situations.

With such popular songs, you must have had people asking you to contribute to collaboration CDs. What was your first contribution to a major CD? Hachi: That was EXIT TUNES's Supernova.

When you were first talking about it, how did it feel? Hachi: I was like, "really, me?" I felt that I stood alone, and thought that I maybe shouldn't go along. I didn't exactly have any "feelings" about it, though... Anyway, songmaking for me is like an extension of playing, so I figured it was fine. Even so, just like when I upload a song and have to pick out the thumbnail, I started to feel the tension rising. (laughs)

Afterward, you contributed "Close and Open, the Rakshasa and the Corpse" to the same EXIT TUNES's "Vocalolegend." Did you feel the same way then? Hachi: I had more or less the same feelings of excitement, but... well, not quite. (laughs)

Both CDs were compilation albums with contributions from countless other Vocaloid producers. Do you listen to their songs? Hachi: Oh, I definitely do. I really like Furukawa-P in particular. He just seems to have something other people don't.

Is there anyone you secretly consider a rival? Hachi: Well, I don't have any reason for rivalries, but when I first started uploading Vocaloid songs, I was really worried about wowaka, who popped up at around the same time. He gave me a different feeling than other people did, too.

Worried that you were contemporaries? (laughs) Hachi: Like you wouldn't believe! (laughs)

Lastly, a word for the fans. Hachi: Thanks for always listening. I'll keep putting out songs, so I'd just appreciate your encouragement.

Original Article

Among all users of Hatsune Miku, Furukawa-P stands out as one of the most unique.

His novel ways of playing with sound, influenced by electronica and post rock, certainly make for unexpected kinds of songs. For this, he's become extremely popular. Since posting "Piano Lesson" on NicoNico Douga, he's steadily gotten more and more views, and one of his most famous songs, "Alice," has nearly passed 200,000 views.

Naturally, other Vocaloid artists can't help but wonder what kind of person he is, and neither could we. We were having considerable trouble getting in touch with Furukawa given his job, but we finally managed to interview him.

Furukawa-P was born in Kansai and played in a band. For the debut of their CD, they went to Tokyo with much fanfare, but the band was then dissolved. He stayed in Tokyo, and now works as a designer. He's a rather handsome man, but refuses to let out photographs or his real name. He seems to worry about hardships with his band, but is undoubtedly a stylish fellow.

To be honest, he struck me as quite different from the prior impression his ephemeral music gave me, but I grew used to it as we spoke. He talked of an experience of frustration with his band, his ability to work with Vocaloids while managing his job, and some unexpectedly bold ideas.

To Tokyo with the band, never to return

Let's see, where shall we begin... How old are you now? Furukawa: I'm 29.

Where did the alias "Furukawa-P" come from? Furukawa: There's a parking lot in my area called "Furukawa Parking." I was like, "well, it's better than "Whatever-P.""

When did you get into music? Furukawa: Ever since I was around 14, when I got into a band. I couldn't play a single sport, and I wasn't particularly good in any of my subjects. I just really wanted to start a band. Like baseball players looking to play pro baseball, it was also sort of future job planning. I figured I couldn't make half the steps toward going to college and getting a job, so I'd rather be some kind of musician so I could have a job I'd want to work hard at. Not that it exactly went that way, but yeah.

Well, I think that's a reasonable motive. What kind of music did you do back then? Furukawa: I was into visual key, but lots of visual kei guys either stressed technique or came from a metal background. So it was either "fast" or "heavy." I figured one of those two would be satisfying. Also, the people around me seemed to know more songs than anybody else, so I kept going to some fanatical CD shop to try and keep up.

Metal! Well, that's unexpected! Furukawa: When I joined a light music club at university, I finally broadened my horizons. Shibuya style, Swedish pop, European stuff. And when I heard European equal metal, I was like, "oh, so they've got this too!" There had been live shows going on in my area until around halfway through the 20th century.

By the way, what style did your band play then? Furukawa: Guitar rock. When the band fell apart due to a fair bit of trouble, I figured I couldn't meddle with this stuff anymore. I pretty much just... had to stop.

You sound like you might be reluctant to say, but may I ask what kind of trouble? Furukawa: Just, difficulties between the members. Things were getting a bit scary, let's say. We'd even decided to release a CD, but... we haven't done anything since then.

So you stopped just like that? Furukawa: We didn't stop. But we weren't in any position to go back. I still wonder sometimes if we couldn't do anything in the future. I'd always liked doing design, so I wondered if I could possibly do something given that, and then I entered this world.

So you became a designer. ...Um, what's the matter? Furukawa: (Laying head on desk and flapping hands) Uhhh, sorry. I'm not good. At talking about this. I'm not some anime character, okay.

You can make songs you wouldn't see at a show

So how did you get back to music with Hatsune Miku? Furukawa: A superior from my band days gifted it to me for my birthday. But while I was happy to get it, my home computer was an old Mac. So for a while, it sat unused.

Yeah, doesn't run on Macs... Furukawa: Until then I'd never looked at anything on NicoNico besides the Cooking category, but I happened to see [a Hatsune Miku video] and found it interesting. At the time I thought Hatsune Miku was just a thing backed by, I dunno, five or six people at Crypton. I had no idea there were a lot of regular people behind it like I know now. After that, I replaced my computer with a new Windows one and began. That was around June of last year.

Only been about half a year, huh. You've already built up a firm Furukawa-P brand. What was it like switching from the band to Hatsune Miku and digital? Furukawa: I'd never dealt with female vocals before. I'm not the most personable guy in the first place, so I hadn't had much chance at all to get a female vocalist, so being able to do that, I thought "this was MADE for me!"

What parts were you playing in the band? Furukawa: Guitar. Not as if I'm much better now, but at the time I was totally unable to sing while playing. I didn't do choruses, and as an MC I wasted a lot of time, so the rest of the band would never put a microphone in front of me.

Really liked to talk, huh? So how did your style shift from guitar rock to electronica? Furukawa: My reason was simply the quality of Hatsune Miku's voice. At the time I saw it as something like a Daft Punk-esque digital voice, so I figured making the song all bleepy bloopy would be best. Those songs didn't work out, so I didn't end up making them, but... Even though I make songs you'd never see at a show, and I was held back because I knew my office was getting mad, I can now make songs of various genres without worrying about it.

So you felt more free to express yourself without the constraints of the band? Furukawa: That's what I thought, but I found I was surprisingly constrained. I thought I could do just about anything, but I just can't seem to make anything band-esque. But for now, I don't bother trying to bring out those things from inside me.

You seem to have quite a way with words, so... favorite authors? Furukawa: Chuya Nakahara-san. I like him and Hiromi Kawakami-san. Though both have different color hair. And if you're talking lyrics, I love Gendi Ootsuki-san.

Do you put a lot of thought into your lyrics? Furukawa: I put more time into them than the song. How beautifully do these read? How do they sound aloud? Put alongside the melody, do they evoke good feelings? That's the stuff I mainly focus on. And if I have to change the melody for their sake, then so be it.

Less sleep, more work

Is it difficult balancing your music and your work? Furukawa: The theme of each day is "I have to finish up enough that I'll have free time and commuting time for tomorrow." I have to make sure I make the train and lunch, write myself memos about things that are on my mind, take care of things at home, and so on. I generally get to bed at three, so I have seven hours to use after I finish work and get home. I can manage with that.

How many hours of sleep do you...? Furukawa: Four.

Isn't that stressful? Furukawa: You'd be surprised what you can get used to. I'm fine with it. But there are times when I'm... not.

I figure it impacts more than just what you make, but what do you listen to these days? Furukawa: Lately... mum, Haruka Nakamura, and DoF are pretty sweet. I love Sigur Rós. I don't think I feel too strongly about music either way these days. Maybe I was a lot more opinionated when I was in the band, I forget. If I don't think it has some relation to what I output, I haven't listened to it much.

If so, then you can do anything now. Furukawa: I do have the choice of "don't output." To make an extreme example, I could say that starting tomorrow I'll never make a song again. Because my life isn't founded upon that. I could stop anytime I wanted if I really wanted to.

But you won't? Furukawa: I won't. Because it's fun.

What about it, exactly? Furukawa: In the band, there was a severe lag between the completion of a song and it actually going out to anybody, and the tension just died down in the interim. But now I have a place where I can get a song I just finished to be heard by tens, hundreds of thousands of people. I can shoot off a "doing a show!" email to friends without the drudgery of car loans and so forth. I find that environment interesting.

My opinion of my ability has been greatly exaggerated

Must be far more comforting than the band, huh. Furukawa: But it's not all sunshine and rainbows. In an environment where your songs can be easily heard, it can be hard to decide for yourself if people are judging you harshly or not. Also, the framework of NicoNico and Vocaloid made me notice for the first time, "huh, am I too gloomy?" I'm always conscious of that about myself. As free as I am, it doesn't really mean everything's all good.

What about relying on Miku's character? Furukawa: I don't think relying on a character is so bad. Some people use that as a reason to listen to my songs. Take away the character, and I get overlooked for all the plainly-superior other stuff in the plaza, so it's rough being the creator. I'll never have the strength to refute those people if I don't do it and they say, "well, THEY'VE got Hatsune Miku."

You need to hold up to a standard. Furukawa: Right.

Do you feel you exaggerate your ability to yourself? Furukawa: I don't think my songs are bad at all, but I do think I overestimate my skill. I mean, aren't the vocals the most important part of making music with vocals? As soon as someone says "I don't like this voice," I'm screwed. It's a hurdle that rises above music that uses Hatsune Miku. I don't need to put myself down for it, but I do think it's important to keep that in mind as I create.

What do you think about having other creators alongside you? Furukawa: I simply enjoy it. It was much more strained back with the band. It's like, man, how is it so peaceful now?

There were some pressing matters back then. Furukawa: With the band, even if we got excited over finishing something up, as soon as someone said "we're making a major debut," the room froze in an instant.

The realm of Vocaloid isn't like that? Furukawa: Well, it's the internet, anything can happen. But everyone's generally nice and can work together. Or maybe things were just that bloodthirsty before, I don't know.

Seeing visitors at Vocaloid Master

Now, a major debut is one of a number of choices you have. Furukawa: The conclusive difference between now and back in the band is probably that a major debut isn't something to aspire to anymore. Why come to hate it, though? A major debut used to be a cause for celebration...

Why do you think that is? Furukawa: Maybe a major debut just seems uglier now compared to an individual effort. Obviously there are only things that could be achieved in a major debut, but going it alone sounds more interesting to me. Identifying what the main difference between them is, that's the first problem. If it's no different from going it alone, then I'll be inclined to purposefully keep my songs to myself. Perhaps if it were made perfectly clear what "things" could only be achieved in a major debut, I would long for them again.

By what routes do you sell your works? Furukawa: Vocaloid Master. I've barely done any mail order yet.

Why did you choose that? Furukawa: Though it's pretty tedious, I'm always checking my video comments and views, but those aren't perfectly accurate. 100,000 views doesn't mean 100,000 people watched it. It could've just been one guy reloading 100,000 times.

Hahaha... Well, I suppose I didn't think of that one. Furukawa: I thought that because I couldn't see guests in real time. But if you go to an event like Vocaloid Master, oh are there guests. Making lines upon lines. I wondered if all those people were there for themselves or for someone else. So I wanted to see that.

You wanted to see who was coming to buy from and to see Furukawa-P. But it's nothing like a performance hall, right? Furukawa: Not at all. Oh, well, perhaps it seemed like it for those younger and more popular than I, but then again, I don't have much connection to such things at this age. But I got to see the flanks of cosplayers for free, and people coming to buy my CD exhilarated me.

Exhilaration by flanks...? Furukawa: I was just kidding. But seriously, back in the band, I got evaluated by about four people. And stuff like "the vocalist sounds pretty good," "one of your members looks cool" - maybe not even an assessment of my work at all. But, as I'm fundamentally alone in Vocaloid, I of course get the evaluation directed at me. An ordinary salaryman can come to tell me "I'm a fan!" And I feel like I can shave a little more time off my sleep schedule.

You don't have any opposition to otaku culture, like cosplayers? Furukawa: Not at all. I have an older brother who's like, an elite otaku. Really into Gundam, idolizies voice actresses and Morning Musume. As for cosplay, I see it as like a magnificent kind of real-life class change. Maybe I only say that because I have those kinds of people close to me, but I watch quite a bit of anime too.

Even now, people who do regular music have no reason to turn up their nose at Hatsune Miku. Furukawa: Even if one were opposed to the character, that wouldn't be fair. I doubt it's possible to make new things without allowing consideration of new techniques. It's not often you get to see developing technology evolving up close.

Places without aspiration are going obsolete

Recently, you've been getting singers to sing your songs as part of a "Sing For Me" series... Furukawa: That began with people saying to post the karaoke, so I did, then they sang it and said "new song!", but I was quite opposed to that. "Um, it's alright, but... It's my song..." You know. I figured, singers get to choose which songs to sing. So couldn't I do the choosing? So that was the beginning.

And what if the versions sung by people become more popular? Furukawa: The way I see it, Vocaloid songs and "Sing For Me"s both involve something that I created, so when either is positively received I can think "I'm awesome, whooooo!" So there's no real problem. Though I am frightened that perhaps someone will go off the deep end and hunt me down as a Vocaloid traitor.

What do you mean, hunt you down?! Furukawa: If Vocaloids weren't a recognized icon, my songs probably wouldn't get heard. I'm building on a foundation, and switching to human vocals would be like betrayal, or so some people think. Well, I think they should be able to co-exist, but yeah.

Dealing with all this between work must be rough. Furukawa: It's a hobby, and it's fun. If it got boring on the way, I'd stop immediately.

Isn't it a little difficult keeping it a hobby? Furukawa: When I look around, I see new music coming out day after day. Whenever I listen to it, it can make me either joyful or distressed. Like, why didn't I think of this? Someday I want to make something for which I can say "I did this first!" I want to prove myself through my creating. I'll keep going until I accomplish that. Though the hurdles will keep going higher all my life.

You might not be able to do it until you die. So... you'll do it until you die. Furukawa: I'd say so.

It seems to me that the future will hold more musicians like you who do it on the side. What kind of advice do you have to those young people? Furukawa: In terms of the realm of Vocaloid, I want them to recognize that this world we live in now, where they have a video site that lets them publicize things for free or nearly free as a "producer," is unique indeed. With all the works circulating, it's hard to decide an unconditional price to set, but at this rate, it seems music is moving closer and closer to being free.

You mean the way we view the relationship between listener and musician? I suppose it's simply a matter of manners. Furukawa: Much like the realm of Vocaloid, it's a small world for authors and customers, so as you exchange opinions, you might want to look for a better business model. At this rate, I think the choice to take the musician's job you long for might soon vanish, and so too will any music that lacks aspiration go obsolete.

Original Article

In A Band and On NicoNico: The History of Two-Faced Lovers's Two-Faced Author

Hatsune Miku continues to evolve. Songs posted to NicoNico Douga range in genre from ska-punk to hard rock to Shoegazer rock, each making their individual advances. Last year, one user who particularly stood out from the crowd for his charming musical ability was wowaka, or Escape-Reality-P [Genjitsu-Touhi-P].

His first appearance on NicoNico was May last year, when he made his debut with "In a Gray Zone." For still being a student and "taking on the challenge of digital music and finishing a song in a month," it was rather impressive. Incidentally, the name Escape-Reality-P came from his comment in the description of the song that, in the midst of exams, "it's nice to have an escape from reality!"

Afterward, he posted the new songs "The Palm" and "Lineart" in quick succession. Lineart had thunderous guitar and high-pitched vocals. It's highly regarded for expressing beauty amidst the chaos. And with his sixth song, "Two-Faced Lovers," he finally had a song break 700,000 views, in all respects becoming known as a popular Vocaloid artist.

Meeting and talking with him, I found him quite different from the impression I had from his songs, but he regardless came off as an honest youth. He's presently in a band under a pseudonym as well. I asked him about the creation of his songs, his thoughts on NicoNico Douga - and what kind of activity we could expect in the future from this talented youth.

Member of a Rock Band Who Likes POLYSICS

First things first: when did you start with music? wowaka: Around my third year of middle school, I had an interest in bands like "ROCKIN'ON." And then I started listening to a bunch of guitar rock bands. I got into playing music around my second or third year in high school.

So you like rock, huh? wowaka: Yep. I've been listening to rock my whole life, basically.

Huh, really. From your music, I would have thought you'd into more electronic stuff. wowaka: I hear that a lot, but I guess I'll surprise you when I say I don't really listen to any of that. I like POLYSICS, though.

Alright, then. So, you've played music for about five years now. Then when did you start making songs? wowaka: Third year of high school. I made an original song for our band. Digital music I only actually only started doing recently, like April last year.

Have you done any study on song-making? Like, musical theory? wowaka: Nope. Digital music introduced me to the matter of arranging all the parts, too.

Did you have an interest that really drove you? wowaka: I think I started out thinking, "man, I would do anything to make music like POLYSICS." And I knew a bunch of Hatsune Miku songs, and I knew those were all produced by lone individuals. I thought I'd give something fun like that a shot, too.

Have any Hatsune Miku songs left a real impact on you? wowaka: The first song to really make me go "whoa" was kz-san's Last Night, Good Night. I was astounded just one person could make a song like that. That's why I went fishing for other Vocaloid-related songs. That was sometime last year.

Would you do something band-ish with Miku? wowaka: I've thought about it before, but making Miku's voice fit with it is hard. If I could pull it off well, I'd like to have a band-y kind of sound. Uh, emphasis on IF I could pull it off.

You didn't think of making your NicoNico debut with your band, I suppose. wowaka: No. I wanted to see how much one guy could accomplish.

Do you feel there's something limiting about bands? wowaka: No, that's not it. The band is fine being the band, and I do stuff as a "band me" and "wowaka me" who are totally different. I do my best to do what I can do with a band in the band, and the things I can't do there, I do on NicoNico... So maybe those songs don't have a band sound, but a sound that results from that process.

"It Would Always Turn Out That Way": Worry Before the Hit

Were you particular about anything in your hit song "Two-Faced Lovers"? wowaka: I was focused on making it so people wouldn't be able to sing it. "Yes, perfect, this is totally unsingable," I thought. But the very day after I posted it, the singing videos came flooding in. So I lost.

Is having Vocaloids do fast singing difficult? wowaka: No, not particularly. I don't really need to put in the effort there, I just need to tamper with the voice quality with my DAW. It ends up being kind of an inorganic, mechanical, heterogeneous feeling.

Like you're not showing any emotion for it. wowaka: Right. I've told everyone I'm using this Hatsune Miku thing, I might as well do what I usually can't.

What do you think of the Hatsune Miku character? wowaka: Since the existence of a character seems to net you non-musical listeners, I find it very interesting. Yes, having a character to the voice is very interesting indeed.

But none of your songs have really related to the character of Hatsune Miku. wowaka: Because I'M not about to make a song like that. (laughs)

Well, you don't use any illustrations of Hatsune Miku in the videos. Who knows, maybe using some would get you more views. wowaka: When I first uploaded, I was aware people would be seeing my video, sure, but the music is the main attraction, and a video that doesn't suit it wouldn't do at all. And I wanted to show some individuality. So pondering over those two things resulted in what I have now. Maybe the videos are one hitch I have, but I don't really feel as if it's a problem at all. If you have a video that matches the song and makes it something really awesome, then hell yes. So if possible, I suppose I would like to do something fancier in the future.

Sometimes you haven't always gotten a lot of views. What do you think of that? wowaka: Songs that can't seem to be popular just aren't catching eyes, I guess? I know it would always turn out that way, whatever I did. As regrettable as that is.

Has striking upon a hit changed your feelings? wowaka: I suppose I was awfully worrisome while I was working. But of course, even if I did suddenly post a hit, when I was working on said hit I was still thinking about how it'd be received.

You weren't sure? wowaka: I didn't feel like I could hope for much of anything from a song. It's depressing when I can't get much popularity, but if I keep making songs, someone will see them, I thought. I'm still a beginner, so I've got to be naïve first, study, and make something worth listening to. So I did.

Your first song had a very "singable" feeling, but since then you've changed a lot. Is that on purpose? wowaka: Yeah. Coming into contact with lots of digital music, deciding what kind of feeling my own music should have and what would sound good, I gradually worked my way to the direction I'm heading now. I was really just groping around at the beginning, but lately, I've been able to make songs that sound the best and are the way I want them to be. I only post songs that I, too, think are cool.

I Don't Think I'm A Pro: "Sharing In NicoNico's Popularity"

It seems studying through Vocaloid has taught you not only about song-making, but many other things. That said, does it come in handy for your band too? wowaka: Oh yeah. I've really learned a lot about how to promote yourself. How to use the internet well, including Twitter. I had never noticed it at all before, but doing stuff on NicoNico Douga really showed me just how big an influence the internet has.

Has the way your band operates changed any? wowaka: It has. Hopefully in a good way.

What do you think about NicoNico comments? wowaka: They make me happy, most of all. When I uploaded my first song, I was waiting with bated breath wondering when the comments would come, and I was happy as soon as I saw the first one. I never really got any such "comments" on songs when playing in the band. And negative comments are just an inevitability of differing tastes, really.

What a mature outlook. I'd be crushed if I saw tons of negative comments on my video! wowaka: Well, sure, it's not like they don't make me feel crushed. So I work to make sure it won't happen next time.

With such passion for music and popularity, have you ever thought of yourself as a pro? wowaka: No, because I'm really not. I find this is the most interesting position to be in right here. I can do fun stuff even while I'm in school, and I can do whatever I like on NicoNico Douga. And the band is fine being the band... Yes, this is the most fun for me. Even doing it as a hobby, I really get to work with music, and accomplish things I personally like. So I'd like to continue enjoying myself this way.

There seem to be many like that. Put it aside from your occupation, enjoy a hobby as a hobby. If everyone put all their eggs in music, it'd be frightening, wouldn't it? wowaka: In my case, technically, there are things I still haven't done even with digital music... I guess in some ways, I'm sharing the popularity.

What do you mean, sharing? wowaka: I'm kind of riding on the popularity of Hatsune Miku and NicoNico Douga. I mean, there are way more amazing people out there.

Band-Self and Nico-Self, Which One's "Me"?

Now that you're so popular on NicoNico, has your band involvement cooled down? Is it any more or less fun? wowaka: My stance on music is that you do it for fun as a hobby. Whether it's on NicoNico or for a band doesn't change that it's for fun. And if it stopped being fun, I'd quit.

Would your band do a Miku song? wowaka: No way in hell. (laughs)

You could, say, sing it yourself and just hide your identity. wowaka: That'd be okay, I suppose, but I'd rather do something like that by teaming up with other Vocaloid artists. There are quite a lot of Vocaloid songs I'd like to do with a band.

You could probably make your band popular in a hurry if you used the wowaka name. But I assume you won't? wowaka: Nope.

Do the band members know what you do on Nico? wowaka: No, I don't think they do. But they might find me out soon.

Any reason you haven't said anything? wowaka: No real reason... well. Like I said, I'm seeing what one guy can do on NicoNico. And people on NicoNico see me doing that as wowaka, so I guess I don't want them to know that hey, that's me.

Has getting fans affected you? Put on pressure? wowaka: Lately the current's seemed so fast, new songs coming out daily. It's remarkably obvious when you use Twitter. When you see that, you just know you have to work hard.

What do you think of all the fans who come to see you at Vocaloid Master and the like? wowaka: Amazing. I'm honestly shocked how many people seem to have listened to me. People who I've certainly never met hearing my songs and going out of their way to come to an event and see me... it's just incredible.

I see. Well, lastly, a message to the fans. wowaka: Thank you very much for always listening. I want to keep enjoying myself and trying to challenge new things, so I'd appreciate if you kept it up.

Original Article

Never Caving In! The Rocking Flower of Fukuoka in Bloom on Nico, DECO*27

For the two days following February 4th, NicoNico Meet 2010-2011 National Tour FINAL will take place at Tokyo's JCB Hall. Approximately 60 teenagers from NicoNico Douga will get up on stage for their many zealous fans - a "festival," as it were.

Standing seemingly above them all in the fans' eyes is the digital music/Vocaloid user, or "Vocaloid producer," DECO*27 (Deco Niina). Perhaps for most hardcore Nico users, it'd be simpler to say "the Mozaik Role guy."

For several months now, discussion of DECO*27 online has refused to peter out. Just recently, in fact, his collaboration with Shibasaki Kou, Mukei Spirit, topped the rock charts on the iTunes store.

Finally, he's decided to go on stage with his self-led band "DECO*27 feat. marina" on the 5th.

What kind of backbone does this guy even HAVE? And what goals does he plan to relentlessly move onto next? We paid a visit to the UMAA offices and had a chat.

Two Million in Six Months! Mozaik Role Mozaik Role is an incredibly popular song posted in July of 2010 that has accumulated over 2.6 million views in a mere six months. Two other well-known hits of 2010 that follow it are Hachi's Matryoshka and wowaka's World's End Dancehall.

Coming Across Nico, People Listening for the First Time

This will be your first appearance at the NicoNico Meet. How did you feel when that was arranged? DECO: "Sure, I can do band stuff too!" Until last year, the meet was viewed more as a place for singers and performers - not so much representation on the song-making side. But this time, with "DECO*27 feat. marina" playing as a band, [the meet itself] will change dramatically.

Well, you also did a similar performance at November's Ota-JAM. Or do you consider that a different kind of event? DECO: That's different. Nico is where I show myself, so I feel it to be like my... well, "home."

I see. Well, why did you start submitting songs to your "home" of NicoNico? Did you do music in the first place, and decide that sometimes you would put it up there? DECO: No, it was actually the chance Nico presented me that made me want to have people hear my songs.

Playing Megaman for 12 Hours Straight

Now then, what was the first time you came into contact with music? DECO: First CD, I guess? The first ones I bought were SPEED'S "WHITE LOVE" and T.M. Revolution's "WHITE BREATH," way back in grade school.

And you were born in Fukuoka, right? DECO: Right! With the Genkai Sea right in front of my house, many a pair of pants was soaked.

(laughs) I guess that's what it's like to be raised by a sea. So then, why did you start with music? Was it just "to get popular"? DECO: Before I actually got to it, that was at least part of it. (laughs) Initially, my father had a huge influence. He'd come straight out of the bath with a towel wrapped around him, and would just start playing guitar and singing. He wasn't really anything amazing, but I was like, "Man, I don't want my dad doing stuff I can't do!", so I secretly began practicing.

Meaning you were self-taught? DECO: Yep. Back then, I liked Utaibitohane, and I wanted to try making a song just like that, just playing an acoustic guitar. Thanks to my father, I was also into Chiharu Matsuyama and Sadamasashi...

Sadamasashi! That's quite a ways off from your songs now. DECO: I used to do nothing but folk songs, but at some point I started listening to stuff like blink-182, Sum 41, Green Day, and I was like "ROCK!", and got into electric guitar. During high school, whenever I got home, I felt like making music.

Did you ever play in any bands? DECO: Sometimes I joined in just to help. Making songs however you wanted them to be was really what defined "music" to me, so I only let good friends hear the songs I made.

Were you not using the internet back then? DECO: Internet? I was barely even touching a computer! Cellphones and email were about the most I used. My home time was mostly just spent on music and games.

Oh, you're a gamer?! What are your favorite games? DECO: Now? Monster Hunter, Shadow of the Colossus... But back then, I played stuff like SIMPLE1500 THE SHOGI. I think that was parental influence, too.

Oh, also, I absolutely adore Megaman and play it all the time. I played for twelve hours straight once. I got up around 10 AM, went into my grandma's room with the TV, and until about 10 PM, it was Megaman o' clock.

Nuts to granny's room, it's MEGAMAN'S room! DECO: I played it so much, I think it was starting to get detrimental to my vision toward the end. That happens with music, too, getting really absorbed and not being able to pull away. Whenever I gamed like that, my grandma brought me onigiri, which made me so happy. (laughs)

So does your family know all about what you do? DECO: Oh yes. They've told me that they all go out to karaoke and sing my songs.

Aww, that's so sweet...! (sniff)

From a Year-Long "Preparation" to Nico

Did posting music to Nico start when you entered college? DECO: Around my second year of it. In the first year I bought a computer, and while at a friend's house, he was all "Have you heard of NicoNico Douga?" This was around the time Perfume was popular.

And when did you start making songs on that computer? DECO: Well, I didn't have a clue how to use computers when I bought one... I saw kz's Packaged on Nico and thought it was incredible. I wondered, "Are there really people out there with voices like this?" So I looked it up, learned about Hatsune Miku, and a switch flipped that made me go "Wow! I want to do that too!" So I got everything in order pronto and began to study.

You say all this, but your first song, "You, Like Me, I, Like You" (2008), was a finished product unthinkable for such a beginner. DECO: Oh, I was studying all sorts of things for a good year before I submitted that. I mean, you want to hear something good from the get-go, right? Just like a game - it needs to be amusing all the way through.

So everything other than college work was directed to musical study. DECO: Yes. I'd listen to my songs on the way to school so I could think things like "Alright, when I get home, I'm gonna change this." I was just starting, so I really, genuinely wanted to make something that sounded good.

That's some impressive devotion! DECO: That's all thanks to Megaman! Getting tons of comments on my videos made me phenomenally happy. So then I began to feel that even I wanted to hear what was in store next!

You, Like Me, I, Like You

Did Nico users start to become aware of techno-ish rock from then on? DECO: Yeah. It was a time when there was a lot of Hatsune Miku technopop, but not much rock yet. And rock was what I'd been doing, so I thought I'd do well to fill in that gap.

And that's how the 2.6-million-view Mozaik Role came into being. DECO: 2.6 million views... man, that just stuns me. Even getting 100 or so made me so happy at first, but the walls came down and it was out of my hands. The lyrics were rather stimulating, so I was uneasy at first, but the fact of the matter is that it's now come to please a great number of people. So I'm certainly happy about it.

In what kind of way do you make a song like Mozaik Role? DECO: It involves making something solid out of an image or atmosphere. That's paramount, above even the melody and lyrics. To use Mozaik Role as the example, "everyone scoops out their painful parts." It's intertwined with my own experiences, and putting it with the PV adds to a "stabbing" feeling.

Before Cowardly Montblanc, you only used Hatsune Miku. Why is that? DECO: I tried Rin/Len and Luka, but they didn't fit with my image. But then doing a remix of Campanella for one of sasakure.UK's albums gave me my first exposure to Gumi. I thought, "Well, now, this is interesting - can't I do new and different things with Gumi than I couldn't with Miku?" So I got a feel for Gumi's voice and made my first song with her, Cowardly Montblanc.

A Love Letter from the Musical Offices

After that, you released a CD at Vocaloid Master, straying somewhat away from NicoNico. Why did you decide to go in that direction? DECO: Well, because I wanted to release my own CD, duh? I'd heard there were lots of participants, so I didn't see any reason why I shouldn't go to Vocaloid Master too.

You didn't have any opposition to the doujin scene? DECO: I fit right in. I actually first saw Lucky Star from parts of mashup videos on Nico, and thought it was pretty neat. I hardly think I'm some dirty otaku or anything. The same goes for Hatsune Miku.

Hatsune Miku is strong as a character, too. Any qualms with that as a songwriter? DECO: Whichever or whatever if the listeners enjoy it, I say. If you like the character, you can read the lyrics and imagine Hatsune Miku along with them. If you like music, you should enjoy music, simple as that.

I see. So after that, you joined what's now UMAA, whose offices we're in. DECO: I got an email from them in fall of 2009, and that was that.

UMAA's Bunsho Kido (henceforth Kido): I'd always listened to [DECO's songs] on Nico, so I went to Vocaloid Master as a guest. There I bought his CD like usual, listened to it like usual, realized there was definitely talent there, and shot him an email. It was just "I love it!" or something. It was a love letter, really.

(laughs) What did you think about receiving a love letter, Deco? DECO: I was like - (happily) "WHOAAA?!" Well, I was kinda wary. I mean, if someone I haven't met tells me they love me - er, or my music... I don't know what kind of person they are.

You didn't have any desire to enter the music industry before then? DECO: Nope. When I began to get more involved in music, I thought it'd be nice, but it was nothing definite that I saw happening. But through various conversations, there was a part of me that began to think "Yeah!" I figured I could be doing even better things than I was now.

And so you released your first album, Theory of Loving Each Other. Did you meet marina from her band involvement then? Kido: marina was on vocals for the band Girls Dead Monster in the anime Angel Beats!. DECO and I both liked the anime, and we said to each other, "marina is pretty sweet."

So we went to a Girls Dead Monster concert together. Even heard live, those were some impressive vocals! Though it was our first meeting, we handed marina the album and said "If you like, let's do something together!"

DECO: It was a two-person proposal!

Amazing! The second love letter of the story. Kido: Then marina fell in love with the album, saying it really made her feel something, and so we came to do things together. I'm very glad for it.

Kou's Adding Lyrics Expanded My World

So marina did some vocals for your second album, Love-Lost Elegy. Additionally, Bird Love Song had lyrics supplied by Shibasaki Kou. How did that come about? Kido: First of all, at the office, DECO*27 doesn't show himself as an artist, but thinks of himself as a "writer that provides songs." He tries to consider new ways of being a creator.

Thus, various parties got to hear DECO*27's albums. Among them was Ms. Shibasaki, who was given Theory of Loving Each Other, and she was very grateful and pleased with it. So that's where that started.

How did working with Ms. Shibasaki go? DECO: Maybe this isn't the answer you're looking for, but... she was adorable.

(laughs) DECO: Kou wrote some really great lyrics. For Bird Love Song, the song was already done, but she pressed on the point I wanted to communicate and tried to take the image further. It seemed to me that Kou's lyrics expanded the world of my own songs.

Your collaboration with her, Mukei Spirit, topped the iTunes Store rock charts. Since your debut about a year ago, it's been up and up for you. DECO: Well, it sure does feel great. When I finished my first album, I considered what I would do in 2010, and the office. From there I just kept at it, and now, I just can't believe it. Working on songs with Kou was pretty much totally beyond my expectations.

With the Strength Gained on Nico, Off to the Next Stage!

So then, what are your plans for 2011? DECO: I want to do concerts. Though NicoNico Douga has been my "home" for these two years, I'm starting a band with marina this year, and I want to deliver the music directly.

So more about shows than Nico? DECO: Weeell, I want to extend an axle across both.

Two wheels?! You sure you can, uh, survive that? DECO: I'll be fine. Concerts are great fun and all, but I have no intention whatsoever of giving up on Nico. The listeners may not be before my eyes, but getting real-time feedback is just too good to pass up.

But it'll be a thorny path... DECO: Bring it on! I'll be fine!

H-How bold! Well, for now, do you feel the NicoNico Meet this weekend will be different from other shows? DECO: Nico is my home, so I think there'll be lots of people who already know of my songs. So it is quite a bit different from performing in front of people who aren't so familiar.

Not feeling 3000 guests to be too imposing? DECO: Man, I'd be more nervous performing in front of a hundred. No, the more there are, the less tension.

From what I've heard, you don't have a huge amount of experience with concerts. But you're getting used to it? DECO: I've got guts, which is what it takes to get used to concerts. Uploading videos to Nico gets you ridiculous emotional strength, trust me. (laughs) There'll be an echo of happiness, of course, but great comments don't have to come if they don't want to. Posting things to Nico means performing in front of tens of thousands of people.

Aha! That reminds me, the first day of the NicoNico Meet is "Convex" ["deko"], but on the second day, the subtitle is "Concave" ["boko"]. Are you disappointed to have gotten the "Concave" day? DECO: Oh, but there's a reason to appear on such a day. If something has become concave, by my might it shall become convex. "I shall never cave in!"

What a way to end it! Thank you very much. I look forward to the meet!

Original Article

First, tell us about your recent release, Love-Lost Elegy. It's a bit of a departure from your last work, what with mixing in some vocalists. DECO*27: Lots of the people who listen to my music like Vocaloid, so I wanted to use both vocalists and Vocaloids so that I could please my core audience as well as utilize the merits of raw vocals and live performances. Additionally, by collaborating with a variety of vocalists, I thought "Can I make this an album that will get general, vocalist-preferring listeners to like Vocaloids?" That would expand the possibilities of my music, so I made an album that tried to bridge the gap between the two.

These ideas of "bridging the gap" were solidifying in your mind from the start, I bet. DECO*27: I needed to consider how to make this concept of bringing vocalists and Vocaloid together work in harmony. The order of the tracks was one thing, but I also put an excessive amount of thought into who would sing which songs. I appointed vocalists that jived with the concept of each individual song. The album begins with an instrumental and ends with an instrumental, but if you take those out, note that it begins with marina and ends with marina.

Your works are often thought to possess a worldview with a sense of unity. DECO*27: There's even an example of that in the covers for Theory of Loving Each Other and Love-Lost Elegy, both drawn by my illustrator Ryono: they feature the same girl. Theory was fun, with positive, happy views of love, but while Love-Lost is that same girl, her hair is shorter, and she's crying now. I wanted to do that to express the sorrow that can come from love. So I also wanted the album to features a few signs of a connecting story. Oh, and I really like Ryono's illustrations too, of course.

As one can tell from the lyrics - as the word appears frequently - "love" is clearly a common theme of yours. DECO*27: It sure is. There's passionate love, of course, but there's also familial love, self-love, all different kinds of love to make it worthy of having it be a theme of my songs. Lyrics-wise, I had a lot of influence from 19's lyricist 326 and BUMP OF CHICKEN's Fujiwara Motoo. This doesn't apply to absolutely everything, but a lot of the subject matter of my songs is based on my personal experience. If something resounds just a little bit within you, you can use your imagination to make it swell and write it out. When I'm writing about a couple's love, I usually create two characters, let them have conversations in my head, and write from what I imagine there. Rather than write something direct that just gets the job done, I take what's left in the realm of my imagination and run through a filter to create.

I also get the impression that you consider Japanese important. DECO*27: Man, I LOVE Japanese! (laughs) I don't use English in my lyrics too much, because I'm of the attitude that people aren't definitely going to comprehend any English that hasn't become completely ingrained into the language. However, part of the reason I like Japanese is that I like English, too. In studying English, I've had many thoughts of "Man, Japanese is nice..." because I realized some things can't quite be expressed in English, or don't fit with a language that lacks a variety of kanji.

The way I see it, I pull from English through katakana, I pull kanji from Chinese, I rhyme with homophones since I like old literature, and there are practically infinite combinations of characters. Also, when I've got something like, "These have the same sound, but the meaning is different!", I make a neat rhyme in the lyrics by cleverly combining Japanese and English, and I feel pretty awesome for it. (laughs) So basically, I play with words. That's what I do. (laughs)

In your music, you often have an impressive sense of liveliness that suggests a live performance. Is rock your musical backbone? DECO*27: Actually, my musical backbone is folk songs. My dad always played folk songs on guitar, and I was like, "If dad can do it, then so can I!", so I started playing guitar. At the same time, my dad also exposed me to Chiharu Matsuyama and Sadamasashi's music. From there I went on to discover Utaibitohane, 19, and a neofolk artist named Yuzu. Gradually, I started listening to western music, like Green Day and blink-182. By then, I think my own music had taken on a rock quality. Well, perhaps it's closer to that now than it was with my first songs, leading up to Love-Lost Elegy and Mozaik Role, where I made songs with an idea of them being performed live.

Is the same true of Vocaloid? DECO*27: Vocaloids singing is a little different. First of all, it's nice that Vocaloids don't have to take breaths, so they're relatively unlimited by musical intervals. So I made music founded upon that, and found it interesting when I realized how human singing produced songs of a different atmosphere. When I'm going to use Vocaloid, I tend to write fast songs, not so much ballads. At least that's my case.

How did you come to use Vocaloid in the first place? DECO*27: I first felt an interest in Vocaloid by listening to kz's songs, which was the first place I encountered Vocaloid. Despite being Fukuoka-born, and starting to make original songs... embarrassingly, I'd never listened to Staff. (laughs) So telling myself I wanted to make the same kind of Vocaloid music, and wanted to go to events, I went up to Tokyo.

You brought along quite a troupe to your first show at Ota-JAM vol. 1. How did you gather those members? DECO*27: marina and Topi were vocalists on Love-Lost Elegy, but I thought their raw vocals would be more expressive if they could come on stage. While searching for a guitarist, I met Captain Straydum/ARUYO's Nagatomo. As soon as I met him, I knew almost from his voice alone that he'd be able to play my songs in a sweet way. Then Nagatomo told me, "You think this Kajiyama guy who used to play in Sparta Locals might suit your songs, Deco?", and so Kajiyama joined in too. All the members came into the studio around autumn last year, and though it was our first time all being together in there, we all combined our sound and everything went pretty smoothly. It seemed the passion we had when we met still remained, because we were pretty speedy about things.

Your performance at Ota-JAM really was the highlight of the show. DECO*27: I'm proactively considering how to assign vocalists to sing at concerts from here on out. Until now, I've gathered a band out of singers and performers off of NicoNico Douga, but through the sessions there's been no precedent to do anything original with it all. Of course, doing that would be a blast for me, and I'd be so glad if everyone else could enjoy it too.

Lastly, tell us what you plan to challenge next. DECO*27: I've got a positive outlook for concerts this year. Hokkaido, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka... I want to do shows everywhere. Lots of my listeners are students, and I know it's a major issue if local kids have to come out to Tokyo for a show, so I want to go out and meet those people myself, to bring my music to them directly. As for listeners overseas... well, let's just start with Asia for now!

Original Article

Interview on the famous Vocaloid artist Hachi's publicly-streamed studio rehearsal!!

On February 13th, on NicoNico Live, there was a stream titled "Internet Independent Presents "Hachi" Studio Rehearsal Live!!" This broadcast featured a rehearsal for INTERNET INDEPENDENT MUSIC LIVE FES, being held on March 6th at Shinagawa's Stellar Ball. The performers in the stream were Hachi-san, Luschka-san, Captain Mirai-san, acane madder-san, Yumao-san, and Igarashi-san, but there were also gathered additional members from the Vocaloid artist unit "estlabo" as guests: Furukawa-san, wowaka-san, and Toku-P-san.

The songs played in the broadcast included Close and Open, the Rakshasa and the Corpse, Wonderland and the Sheep's Song, Matryoshka, and Panda Hero - songs that NicoNico Douga users are sure to have heard at least once. After watching the rehearsal, I asked Hachi-san his thoughts on the broadcast.

Interview with Hachi-san

Is playing in a band usual for you? No, I don't do it much. I did it a little in high school, a bit in vocational school.

Personally, I think your songs are pretty band-ish. Really. Well, I listen to band-ish songs, so I often have the desire to make such things.

Your thoughts on the broadcast? This constant feeling of "Wait, aren't all these people watching?" made me horribly anxious the entire time... (laughs) There were a total of 120,000 people (who viewed the stream), I think? It made me mentally exhausted.

Did you read any comments on the stream? If so, did any catch your attention? There was a laptop in the studio, so I took a peek a few times. (Any catch your attention?) Not really catching my attention, but whenever I messed up there were "www" comments, which made me phenomenally embarrassed.

Tell us how excited you are for INTERNET INDEPENDENT MUSIC LIVE FES. Hmm... well, I think it's a stage that I've skipped over two or three steps to stand on. When I priorly played in bands, we only had puny concerts with 100 or 200 people at best, and we were total amateurs. But we still did it, so I suppose it was something fun to do, eh? Yeah, I guess, maybe... (long pause) It was fun. Yeah, as long as it's fun, right?

Do you sympathize with the audience that enjoys themselves too? Yeah. I think we're having a ton of fun over here, so I think they should only feel the same.

Excuse me if I may switch the subject. Do you have any favorite writers? I like, uh... Haruki Murakami. Great pretentiousness, I guess? And a way with words. Though that way involves putting things simply.

Has that had an influence on you? I'm sure it has. I think music is something that heavily involves the ability to ponder upon what you see.

Have you thought of writing stories? I have notions of wanting to write, but I sorta lack confidence in my ability to organize logical sentences... that is, I think I suck, terribly. Do I just need to study more, I wonder?

Do you enjoy composing and drawing? Making sound and art is great fun. (Which do you have more fun with?) I usually think of them going together, so I haven't though much about what each is like without the other.

Will you continue doing concerts? Wouldn't you like to know. All I'm thinking about right now is March 6th, so I couldn't tell you what'll happen after that.

Tell us about your relationship with Minakata Laboratory. It's been a rather long while, so we're talking of maybe doing something.

Is working as a team different from going solo? I believe there are things which only (the team) can do, and yet there are things I can only do alone. So I make sure to make a big distinction.

Do you enjoy playing in a band, at least this time around? It's fun. It's really been quite a while, so (at first) we couldn't get any cooperation going at all, but we gradually solidified, got ourselves together, and now it's truly a blast. I blame my utter suckiness for the inability to cooperate, honestly.

What did you do about the cooperation issues? Use body language? I'm not that hardcore! (laughs) It just took time. That's all it could take.

Do the participants all live nearby? The others might have been close to the studio, but I live in Osaka (which isn't).

So you came to a mutual understanding over the net? That process only started when we met, so it didn't happen much online. We could mostly only progress when we met up.

You don't like sending email back and forth? I do not. Although I'm often angry at people who tend to ignore their email.

Phone's easier! Right? Not phones either. I'm so angry at them.

By the way, you're quite tall, and have quite the cool voice. I'm 188 centimeters. Man, I'm so close to 190... Yes, I'm still growing. I actually sorta wish it'd stop already... (About the voice:) Nah, I don't think it's that great...

So, what do you like about yourself? Like about myself...? Nothing much. I only see the bad parts of myself. To put it to an extreme, I'm a man who makes music out of my bad parts.

A word to the Nico users and fans, please. I'm a Vocaloid artist at the moment, but I'm hoping to do a variety of other things in the future. So look at those if you want, I guess, but don't get your hopes up too high.

Though Hachi-san claimed to be a "poor speaker," the way he handled our interview questions gave us the impression that he's a man who places value in words. We also caught another, Furukawa-san, who facilitated and supervised, and asked him what he thought about the broadcast.

Interview with Furukawa-san

Great job! That was wonderful! I was actually wondering how things would go. (laughs) The first part went pretty much to the script, but other things popped up along the way, and it was an ordeal getting it together.

Though you were the facilitator of today's broadcast, tell us what you thought of the stream. The participants surpassed their expectations dramatically... that's what I feel.

From looking at the comments from time to time, you could tell (a rehearsal) wasn't something you saw every day. It was my first time doing actual business in a studio like this, too. We're Vocaloid users and digital musicians, so while there are some who've performed in front of people (on streams or on stage), there are also lots of people thinking "What's going on?" So I thought looking upon the scene would be interesting.

But taking care of it, all on my own, was terrifying. (laughs) I get to watch people doing stuff, so it's fun, right? I had never done any kind of supervising before, so I was worried how it would look. But peeping at the comments showed me there were a lot of people enjoying, so that's a relief.

What interests you about Hachi-san? There's no discounting the greatness of his music and the high quality he always aspires to, but in another way, I guess I would say he's very lucky - he's a man suited to the era.

It's a period perfectly set up with the right circumstances for doing music, and with effort, he's realized his potential at the young age of 19. Not to mention he lives in an era where there's not only places to post music like NicoNico Douga and YouTube, but things like doujin events and concerts also coming into popularity...

Anyway, my point is that the era and the environment support him. Like, that's the result. But of course, his own effort and ability play into them, so what will happen as he simply keeps rolling at full force? There's no reason to regret it, there can only be good things... Well, I just expect promising things from him as one of his fans.

You're getting into a fatherly gaze. (laughs) No, no, no... (laughs) I just think he's great, regardless of age.

Looking back at the broadcast, did you want to focus on any part in particular? I wanted to see Hachi-kun working live with the other members at first, but... then came Jenga. (laughs) I originally bought it for myself, and it somehow got mentioned during the stream, so I figured since I paid for it myself, it would be a good opportunity to enjoy my use of 2800 yen. (laughs)

Thank you very much!

The rehearsal went on through the night, and the interviews were conducted during a break with the energetic performers. Even we got awfully excited watching them. Make sure to keep an eye out for - if not another rehearsal - the main event, INTERNET INDEPENDENT MUSIC LIVE FES.

Original Article

Music in Place of Conversation - The 19-Year-Old Spirit of Vocaloid Artist Hachi

[Picture from Matryoshka: "What's this feeling? What should I do?"] From the video for Matryoshka. It's gathered over three million views.

Late on the night of February 13th, on NicoNico Douga's streaming service NicoNico Live, there was a broadcast themed all around the famous Vocaloid artist "Hachi."

This stream was for a studio rehearsal in preparation for INTERNET INDEPENDENT MUSIC LIVE FES on March 6th. In addition to Hachi, Luschka, Captain Mirai, Igarashi, acne madder [sic], and Yumao also participated. As for guests, there was Furukawa HQ, Toku-P, and wowaka - all told, a collection of many people known on NicoNico. The rehearsal went on for approximately three and a half hours.

[Pictures from the studio.] The rehearsal was performed in a metropolitan studio.

He doesn't cover only music - he's multitalented, reaching out into illustration and video-making. The burning popularity of Close and Open, Rakshasa and the Corpse shot it past a million views in about four months. Songs like clock lock works and Matryoshka, featuring a worldview both dark and high-tension, have brought in many enthusiastic fans, helping the songs easily top the charts.

However, there are many mysteries as to what kind of person he is. So taking the chance offered by the broadcast, we interviewed him and encountered a calming gaze unthinkable for nineteen (not that age has any real relevance to creating). Now to reveal the secrets of the art!

[Hachi and the author of the article at laptops, one with "Comment/Question Monitor" marked on the back.] The scene of the broadcast. Hachi on the left, the author on the right (showing his face for some reason). Despite being late at night on Sunday, the stream was a huge success, getting 128,042 viewers and 200,358 comments in total.

The Chance for Music Came From Flash Animations

When were you first impacted by music? Hachi: In fifth grade, I started getting on the computer at home. It all started with seeing a BUMP OF CHICKEN Flash animation that was popular at the time. In some ways it was a lot like the self-made animations being submitted to Nico now.

So it all started online! You didn't come into contact with CDs or anything? Hachi: Well, the first CD I ever bought was Dango 3 Kyodai in elementary school.

[The same as the previous picture, but closer in on Hachi.] Here's Hachi, who despite his popularity hasn't appeared in many interviews. He says this is because he "doesn't like them much, as talking isn't [his] strong point."

Dango?! Well, that's nothing like your current style. Hachi: I was in elementary school, what did I know about music? It was popular, so I listened to it.

Have you been studying music since you were a kid? Hachi: No, my sister practiced on the piano and I listened, but I didn't do anything myself. Around the end of my second year of middle school, I had some desire to be in a band and started on guitar. That's where it started.

And when did you get an interest in composing? Hachi: That would have to be middle school. I'm pretty sure I got a guitar wanting to compose.

Why was middle school so seemingly crucial in wanting to make songs? Were you looking for popularity, maybe? Hachi: That... may have been a major part of it. I still didn't know squat about musical theory, and just composed by singing along to my lonely guitar.

So you had a computer at the time, but you weren't doing any digital music with it. Hachi: In my middle-school band, everybody pooled their money to buy a multi-track recorder. Plugging that into a computer was my first experience with digital music.

Do you feel your old style is similar to your current one? Hachi: No, it used to be all incredibly simple and impulsive songs. I don't make songs like that anymore. Now it's all about imagination, and evoking feelings so deep you can go diving in them.

What were your interests besides music? Hachi: I liked drawing. Before I got into music, I aspired to be a manga artist, but I suppose priorities have changed.

Well, that art lives on in your videos. So why did the rankings switch around? Hachi: I guess I had intense experience with Flash animations.

So your feelings from then remain the same today. Hachi: Yep.

[The broadcast displayed on a laptop at the studio.] The rehearsal and the interview continued late into the night.

A Feeling of Making A Diorama

What got you thinking about submitting to Nico in the first place? Hachi: I was using Hard Sequencer, bashing away at the drums and bass. I was making stuff, so I wanted people to see it. Then I found out about NicoNico, and I felt like I should submit to there.

How did you feel when you first submitted to Nico? Hachi: I was pretty much terrible, so there weren't very favorable comments... Even the video quality sucked. I got some pretty bitter comments, but I was happy anyway.

You felt crushed? Hachi: Of course I did. But better a response than nothing at all.

Since you got such harsh comments, did you change the way you made songs? Hachi: Well, I wasn't THAT beat up about it. Fundamentally, I make what I feel like making.

For you, your way of creating doesn't often involve finding partners to collaborate with. Hachi: When it comes to videos, I can do it all myself, so I don't often collaborate. Making things with other people necessitates an understanding between us. I'm pretty sure I'm terrible at that.

What's your song-making process? Hachi: There isn't really anything definite. I just make it up as I go.

But at least the melody comes first, then you make the PV? Hachi: Even that depends on the song. Like, say, for THE WORLD END UMBRELLA, I had a base of "So there's a person like this here..." and I worked the music into that. The rest, I made it up along the way based on the song.

Do you like creating? Hachi: Yeah, it's fun.

But you can't make a living off of submitting to Nico alone. Hachi: Right, the opposite: it's just for enjoyment. I don't have much of a sense of making music, but a place... I want to make dioramas. There's a person like this here, living their life like this, and this person has a different kind of life - now I want to make a world just like that.

Is it sort of like making a city in Sim City? Hachi: Yeah, that's about right.

About how much of the day do you spend on music? Hachi: It varies wildly. When I'm working on something, I could spend the day making music for 20 hours or sleeping for 20 hours. On other days, I might do nothing, read books, space out on the net.

Twenty hours...! That's astounding.

Music in Place of Conversation

Do you have any interests besides creating? Sports? Hachi: No, I don't like those much.

What stimulates your creations? Hachi: I read books now and then. Novels, manga. For manga, I like Inio Asano and Taiyou Matsumoto.

You have some very unique designs. Are those influenced by them, too? Hachi: Sure...

What about music? Hachi: I listen to a lot of stuff, really. I've been liking OK Go recently.

Speaking of OK Go, their PVs are quite popular on YouTube. Those who get interested might go on to Flash animation. Hachi: I was first introduced to all this through videos, so I can find fellowship with people like that.

OK Go - Here It Goes Again

When you think about it, the internet might be a major influence to a new generation of producers. Hachi: Yeah... But when you think about it, what would things be like without it? Better, worse, neither? What should the internet tell people - "it's okay not to think"? A wave of things just keeps on coming, and there's no chance to even ask "How did this happen?" Though it is interesting for it.

That's profound. So, we've questioned you about a number of things so far, but we still haven't seen your origins, Hachi... What do you think drove you to produce your unique works? Hachi: I don't think I know that too well myself, but, uh...

Did your sister have a big influence? Hachi: No, that wasn't it.

Maybe your parents liked music and often listened to CDs around the house? Hachi: Nope.

But you got into a band in middle school, and only a couple years later created such fascinating songs. It's a marvel. Hachi: Maybe it's just because music's been all I've been doing. I haven't even stopped for conversation. If you squeezed all my conversations in high school really tight, I think you might get about four months' worth. (laughs) But seriously.

Ah, I think I see. In not conversing, you kept your feelings inward. Hachi: Not to sound too biased... I think a lack of starting conversations might have been what brought me here.

With all that said, do you think you now understand the ways of the genius child Hachi? He'll be leading a band and appearing at INTERNET INDEPENDENT MUSIC LIVE FES on March 6th, in Shinagawa, Tokyo's Stellar Ball.

Hachi said "I can count the number of concerts I've done on both hands. I feel like I've skipped two or three steps, here...", yet also enthusiastically added "but I think they're fun." You should look forward to the monumental day of Hachi stepping from the internet to real life just as much as he does!

Original Article

"An Uneasy or Hazy Feeling Without Fail": Hit NicoNico Creator wowaka Portraying the Feelings of Puberty

Numerous internet creators who center themselves around NicoNico Douga have banded together to establish a new music label of their own, BALLOOM. The first of their releases was an album from wowaka, the man who had already broken records on Nico with numbers like "Rollin' Girl," "World's End Dancehall," and "Two-Faced Lovers."

His May 18th album "Unhappy Refrain" is a production brimming with his music's typical fast-paced feelings, and is saturated in a world view strongly connected to the tremblings in teenage girls' hearts. In the man's own words, along with bringing its own originality, it's symbolic of a link forming between what's begun on the internet via Nico and what's now branching out into CDs. It's surely a work worthy of attention, even from those with an active viewpoint into the music scene.

The Essence of NicoNico Douga is Communing with the Existing Music Scene

You've released independent CDs before this, but I suppose it's your first time with this new label that will bring it to worldwide distribution. I've always asked friends I know on the net to help with the parts about CD design and illustration I don't personally understand, though the sound absolutely begins and ends with me alone. The second disc here is a remix collection, and those remixers took a totally different approach from me, reconstructing my songs, and also getting involved in all sorts of things like engineering and PR and design. Basically, getting all that kind of stuff together gives me something to be proud of, and satisfied with.

I feel, in some ways, that your behavior is rather unique for a musician of the 2010s. You're not solely a performing musician, but through the use of the Vocaloid program, also wear the hats of a track maker and a producer, and even a remixer. Did you have any objectives in putting your works up on Nico? Making music and submitting videos to NicoNico Douga was absolutely a hobby. When I posted my first song, I was only thinking about putting out my own independent CDs, but found this interesting music-making software, and I started on that thinking "well, I suppose I can just do this myself." I began with Vocaloid and digital music simultaneously, but as I was doing it I got better at the technical aspects of both Vocaloid and music, always telling myself I'd make something cooler next time. Even when I got around to making an independent CD, I learned about these events that were selling Vocaloid CDs and art books and such, and since I figured I was already making this music, I reached out. It all just snowballed, basically.

Even so, you were suddenly making some catchy songs. Well, I had already been playing guitar since my third year of middle school. When I uploaded my first song in 2009, I thought up the entire arrangement of a song all on my own, then put it into the computer. I felt very excited when I came across Vocaloid.

When did you learn about Nico? Around the tail end of 2008. Initially I just saw a bunch of songs uploaded, and wasn't too interested in who was making them, but as I listened to more and more, I found some very high quality and impactful songs, and I began to wonder. Then I learned it was all individually-made, and it interested me that lone people could accomplish this. So around March or April of 2009, I bought Hatsune Miku and sequencing software and embarked on my digital music journey.

Compared to other digital music software, what do you feel is the most interesting part about Vocaloid? Well, singing plays an important part - putting some words to the sounds. Since you'd typically want a girl's voice, you're usually shot down if you want to do it all on your own. The idea that you can handle all the parts of creation in a single computer is really fascinating.

Is there a difference between making music with lyrics and instrumental songs? Whether or not you have words along with it changes the implications dramatically, I think. Myself, as a listener, I really like Japanese music, but there's tons of western music that's really cool too. So I find the ones I like and buy the CDs, but since I'm Japanese, what intuitively comes to mind is Japanese.

Compared to the J-Pop scene, is it a different experience in the world of Vocaloid and Nico, where all these arranged versions are constantly being uploaded? There's a fair amount of very poppy, high-quality songs that are good at sticking with you, just like in J-Pop. And - though I know this because I've got my foot more in Vocaloid - there's countless underground musician types, and lots of their songs are really cool. So I'm very glad I got to know about these artists and their methods through tampering with Vocaloid. So, while I think the NicoNico Douga Vocaloid scene is something rather unheard of until now, the truth is, the creators make what they want, and there will be listeners for it. Each producer can make their own kind of thing. And I think it has a certain connection with the existing music scene in that all these countless things are just rolling around.

What did you think of the sudden massive jump in views on your uploaded songs? I didn't do any performing prior to doing live shows that attracted thousands, so I guess I'm not really phased by sheer numbers. It was a mysterious feeling of both joy and of me looking in from the outside.

Building the Whole From Some Riffs

If you were in a band, in a performance hall, doing a show in front of an audience, you could probably get an understanding of the audience just from their faces. But with you uploading music to Nico and users communicating through comments and other songs, what kind of image do you have of your listeners? The best part about posting to NicoNico Douga is seeing people's responses through direct comments, and with each comment or email I get, I see a slightly better picture of them. You could probably say this about the whole Vocaloid scene, but there's tons of teens, middle-schoolers, and high-schoolers. It's fantastic that these youths notice the worth in this kind of scene. What's particularly impressive on me is how many of them make their own CDs and bring them to events. And I'm grateful for them lining up to buy my CDs, giving me handshakes... Having that kind of direct contact made me feel for the first time, "Ah, so there definitely are people who listen."

What were their impressions? "I'm always listening to this song at school," and stuff. (laughs) When I was in high school, I listened to my favorite bands and singers, so it makes me awfully happy to see nothing's really changed there.

Objectively speaking, what do you think makes the "wowaka sound"? Personally, I don't try to establish that intentionally, but there are of course things that crop up no matter what. I like songs with fast tempos, so I've made lots of songs on the fast side, and there's often tunes that assault you with words. You can say that's because it's all from the same creator. I have very definite habits about how I arrange my sound, but I wonder if that could just be blamed on the way I am.

Has that style of song spontaneously emerged since you began making music? I'll make a slow song, I'll make a ballad of sorts, I'll try all sorts of things. But when I'm thinking to myself about what songs I like most, I don't want to simply say "fast!", but I do like songs with lots of words in them best.

What's the most common way you make music? Does it start from a rhythm track? I like music that focuses on riffs, so I often try to come up with a catchy riff first, then build everything else from there. But even that's been changing slightly lately. I've played guitar for a long time, but I'm not familiar with how to do it well in digital music, so I don't use my guitar much in making the song. I'll wail on a MIDI keyboard searching for phrases, and that's how the chords come along. Once the intro is ready, I feel like the song is nearly complete. Then I think about how I can have the pattern I've established develop over the course of the song. And I make the backing track as I'm humming the melody to myself. It's not a strict order, like "first I make the instrumental track and put stuff on top of it, then last I make the melody and lyrics." It all slowly progresses together.

So by the time the planning for a song is done, you've already established more or less what you'll be hearing in the end. I first decide what I want to hear the very most - the catchy part - and consider how to best use that and proceed from it. Lately my guitar has been coming into play more when it comes to creating those riffs.

So I suppose these recent changes can be seen in the new songs on the album? The new songs, yes, but since I also did retakes of all the songs, the arranged portions have changed as well. I put guitar in all the songs, and there were lots of parts from when I was just getting started that were plain clumsy, so I brushed them up.

NicoNico Viewers Interpret the Lyrics for Hidden Meanings

Did any major thoughts go into the way the album was organized? A given song isn't just comprised of its characteristics and qualities. The very fact of it being uploaded as a video gives a certain nuance, so putting together all those uploaded songs into one thing was a really big deal. And naturally, considering the tone and lyrics and everything for each song, I absolutely agonized over the ordering. Priorly they were just made as songs in their own separate places, and their individual sounds didn't have to be compatible with one another. So I had the idea that by rerecording those parts and rearranging the songs, I could sort them out into something more like an album.

Hasn't there been negativity from fans about selling CDs? I felt this at the time, too, but there are tons of people who want to have my songs as material "things," which I'm very grateful for. Of course, they could just listen to it on the net, and if they wanted, download the MP3 and listen to that. But some come to events saying "I'm always listening, and I want this CD, so I came to buy it." I like to believe that CDs have that kind of power. And of course, this is an opinion from an independent creator, but I really, really like CDs. I feel there's worth in them, and so do the listeners who come to buy them, whether at events or by mail order. And I think that this time around I've made a worthy product, so I'd like anyone who watches my videos to get it if they can.

This release coincidences with the establishing of the BALLOOM label. I assume it's a good work environment for you? I participated because it seemed like a place where you could do things thoroughly thanks to the collaboration of various others toward making music, being a creator in general, and furthermore, doing what you want to do. There are things you just can't reach working independently, and this lets you accomplish those things without feeling like you've lost your liberty. Even looking at solely the artists that participated in this, we're all jealous of each other's songs... (laughs) Everyone has their good qualities, but they also have their "nobody's gonna beat me at this!" skills, and that's a good situation to be in.

Your music is decidely different from other musicians on Nico, and I wonder if it has to do with the power of your lyrics. The listeners certainly do listen to them carefully. It's never just a straightforward love song; there can be painful feelings, things about how you connect with the world, things to think about. I felt that even moreso listening to it as an album. When I make a song, I'm always preparing a heroine... or protagonist, at least. I decide a major theme for each song, and make the lyrics such that the theme can be extracted. Every time, without fail, I make sure there's something: a sense of loss, a sense of uneasiness, a hazy feeling. I always picture in my head the girl propped up against a wall between her and the world, and from there I write. In that way, I suppose the album has a single thread of consistency.

It's always a girl? Well, Vocaloid has female voices, so why not.

As if you had a female singer singing a song, then? It's not quite like that... I dunno how to say it. Yes, in my case, it's female vocals, but I also think Hatsune Miku singing gives it a certain bit of persuasiveness. But even if I were to temporarily sing for myself, I think the same kind of world view would remain. There's influences from the music I listen to; for the feminine parts, I kind of like feelings that tie into puberty and rebellion, so I create along those lines. I try to put the haziness of an "I'm all by myself in the world" feeling into the lyrics.

You can read into it too much, or you can read between the lines. Are there lots of comments from listeners who sympathize with the lyrics? Yes. People making interpretations like "Is it just me, or do these lyrics have this hidden meaning?" is a common trend. It's very interesting - I get emails like "I'm certain this part of the lyrics is about a person like this!", even though they're completely off... (laughs) But it's a way for listeners to understand and enjoy the song in their own ways, which is a happy thing for me. But the truth is, when I write them, to me the important part is the sense of the language. I think of the lyrics as I hum the melody, and ultimately I really just choose words with the proper intonation, or words that sound good to the ear... as long as it doesn't make it sound too bad. So there's no such deep interpretation... to speak of. (laughs) Still, I'm happy you're willing to interpret even what I didn't think about too much myself.

Original Article

The refreshing guitar riffs that start off Light Lag would seem to signify that DECO*27 is stepping onto a brand new stage. Having already released two albums while also being a creator on the net, and given astounding performances not only on computer screens but on stages before real audiences, DECO*27 has now released his third album and first single, "Light Lag." As he states, it's a song that "doesn't ride on the coattails of any song he's made before," a work that demonstrates his capability for further expansion. To accompany the release of the single, we talked with DECO*27.

Please, give us your personal thoughts on your first single, Light Lag. DECO*27: Even with all the music I've written thus far, it's still a new and different type of song from all of them. I like key changes, and I've often used them in other works, but the chorus in this song is rather unique, having four or five of them. At the end of the chorus it goes down, but the melody is a half-tone higher, so you hear it as if it keeps going higher and higher. I think I did a good job of utilizing that kind of technique. This is just a single preceding my third full album, but since the concept for the third album has a heavy emphasis on story, I paid close attention to story in Light Lag as well.

So it's a work that puts worldview first and foremost. How do you go about establishing such a worldview? DECO*27: The third album is themed around "a year in the life of a boy and girl starting to date, month by month" - Light Lag is the story of July. Sakura in the spring, rain in the, well, rainy season - those sorts of events are decided, and the two characters play their parts on the changing stages.

So the characters are essentially just the boy and the girl. DECO*27: Indeed. This time, I came up with everything - names, blood types, birthdays, common phrases, heights and weights - and told it all to Himemi Sakamoto-san so she could do the illustrations. The girl is, at least at a glance, an earnest type. The boy studies karate, but he was created as a quiet type. Also, there's a little joke in that his shoes are "DECODAS." (laughs)

Your prior works have more often had lyrics direct and to the point, but I feel this song seems to stress the spectacle and the story. DECO*27: Many people who've listened to my prior songs have said "Oh yeah, I've thought along those lines before, too!" But this time, it's not about that, it's about the feelings and actions that go along with "I wanna go to a fireworks display..." It makes for a different type of response than what I've gotten on previous works. Thinking back on the memories... it's just like that summer I went to see the fireworks.

Tell us exactly how you got the idea to go with this kind of worldview. DECO*27: It was a lot of stuff, but reading shoujo manga was one thing. I really do love them! Even at my age, some of the scenes still really get me. So I thought I'd make a new song that brought out those kinds of feelings in song format. Mostly I like to read stories that seem like they could happen in real life, like Yell For the Blue Sky, or Namida Usagi ~Seifuku no Kataomoi~.

By the way, what kind of life do you live when you're working? DECO*27: My rhythm is something like... sleep at about 7 in the morning, get up around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Does anyone out there tend to take walks as a break? I can't do that at all. If I did that, everything I'd saved up would fall out of my grasp. So even if it's rough, I seclude myself, and continue talking to myself like I'm crazy.

Tell us about Himemi Sakamoto-san, who's in charge of establishing the visual department of this worldview. DECO*27: After meeting up with Topi for the vocals and working with her on the album's worldview, I figured the illustrations would have to match. And just as I was wondering who could step up to the task of drawing illustrations that fit, I took a look on the illustration site Pixiv, and my eyes stopped on Himemi Sakamoto-san's art, and she soon got to it. Of course, her illustrations are superb, but it seems she'd even been listening to my songs as she drew, including Topi singing Ai tihink [sic] so,. And she drew for a book titled "Love-Minded Girl"... it really felt like fate.

Tell us more about Topi-san's role as the vocalist. DECO*27: You could say this song reawakened me to the magnificence of her voice; I certainly wasn't in the wrong to pick her. Her way of singing is rather feminine, but she can make her voice meek or more boyish, and I like that discrepancy.

As for the biggest change, I suppose it would be not using Vocaloids. DECO*27: When I made the album, I knew the worldview I had established couldn't be accomplished with Vocaloids. That being the case, I would show off the good points in humans. I wanted to use human singing well to imbue songs with the singer's emotion. You need to think about different things when making a song for a human or for a Vocaloid. Many people thus worry "Are you not going to use Vocaloid anymore?" I said nothing of the sort! (laughs) I recognize the quality of the songs I've made with Vocaloid in the past, so I'm actually very glad to see that kind of opinion out there.

What are the different things to consider between Vocaloid and vocalist, exactly? DECO*27: They both have their merits, so you need to be aware of what they are when you're working. With Vocaloid, you're generally going to remember the lyrics. So you can put in stimulating lyrics. With vocalists, you're generally going to remember the vocalist. You can also express human emotions more deeply, so you should write the lyrics and arrange it with that in mind.

There's the chorus part in Light Lag, the drums and guitar building up before the chorus in Hourglass, and the dramatic bridge after that... those all left an impression on me. Are those kinds of parts put in there deliberately? DECO*27: I want to make a song that makes you think "that was really nice" after you finish listening. Not just the chorus, not just the intro - I want listeners to feel the story from intro to outro, every little bit. So often, I have little rushes throughout the song, and make the melody and the lyrics swell toward the end.

Where would you personally rank Light Lag? DECO*27: As I said, it's a type of song I've truly never made before. For all my songs up to this point, if they were cool, they were cool. If they were cute, they were cute - you could draw broad lines to put them into. But with Light Lag, it's not on any of those old lines, and it's given way to a brand new direction. Maybe other lines will branch off from this type of song in the future? Or will other bold new lines make their appearance? Even I'm looking forward to seeing those questions answered.

Lastly, DECO*27, you've been called a "creator in a new era" by many. What do you think about that kind of accusation? DECO*27: I honestly don't get what that's meant to mean... (laughs) I think the time from working to release can be very short - what I made in the morning could be publicized by that very night. I suppose the "new era" they're talking about might involve there being a very small gap between my feelings when I made it and when I released it; the songs are still being listened to with my vigor fresh in them. And in that way, I feel like my listeners are always close by.

Original Article

From "Hachi" to His Real Name: The Self-Depicting "diorama"

Kenshi Yonezu, the newcomer who's already become well-known among rock listeners and online music fans. What kind of creature is he? In truth, Yonezu's already received more than 20 million total views on songs he's posted online, being one of the most popular Vocaloid creators, "Hachi." But "Hachi" chose to sing under his real name of Kenshi Yonezu and record brand new songs for his now-complete first album, diorama. This is no doubt a significant event of online talent being unleashed upon the real world.

Handling the lyrics, composition, arrangement, vocals, performance, videos, artwork, and mixing himself, he possesses unheard-of creativity in this online era. His popularity is apparent from the fact that the songs already posted online - "Go Go Ghost Ship," "vivi," and "Love and Fever" - have already amassed a total of 1,700,000 views. A new talent springing up on the rock scene, which has for some time seemed lacking in CDs, lacking in hits, and generally stagnant. Upon the successful release of his album, we conducted the first long-form interview about his album: a diorama-esque portrayal of his profound inner world.

The Emperor's New Clothes

Q. How do you currently feel now that your first album, diorama, is complete? A. Hmm, I guess just "it's finally over." Since I've been planning the album since about two years ago.

Q. Incidentally, Mr. Yonezu, you already had a staggering number of popular songs as the Vocaloid creator "Hachi." Had you simply released, say, an album focused on "Matryoshka" with its 5.5 million views, that alone would have sold easily. So then why an album of brand new songs, with your real name, and your own singing? A. I think everyone thinks of me as someone who's succeeded in Vocaloid, but I had a feeling of not wanting to hide behind the cloak of Vocaloid. The Vocaloid characters are all cute, and work perfectly as pop icons, and they can't have opinions, can they? All that makes it really easy for a creator. But I was always worrying, "What if this is like The Emperor's New Clothes...?" I wanted to get away from that.

Q. I see. So you were worried that perhaps it was just Vocaloid's greatness helping you along. Personally, I very much liked "Urban Playground" (from the album OFFICIAL ORANGE, released November 2010), so I was very glad when I learned you were providing all the vocals for this album. A. Urban Playground was like a kind of prototype to move myself forward. I believe I've been having these same thoughts since all the way back then. I thought, if I'm going to be making an album, it seems right that I should sing it myself, and there's lots of different music I want to try. So I decided to make this album, and worked on music and illustrations in my room for two years.

Q. Your risky move of doing the singing under your real name gave birth to a pure yet sensual rock album that shakes both mind and heart. I'm surprised at your arranging ability, Mr. Yonezu. I expect it'll have a big impact on the rock scene, which has stayed distant from Vocaloid culture thus far. A. Hmm. I think in some cases, you can't get something until you give something up. There's the famous quote, "Hold on tightly, let go lightly" (from English director Peter Brooks). To get to someplace new, you have to change yourself. If you make trifling things that still cling to the past, then perhaps it's best to lay yourself bare.

Q. Even the title of the album, diorama, seems to represent you. I think it's an album that expresses your profound inner world like a diorama. A. From the beginning, I wanted to create a sort of miniature little town. I've always loved to imagine characters, stories, and places for people to live in.

I'm Not Good At Communicating With Others

Q. I get a strong impression that you're an aloof creator, Mr. Yonezu, but the idea of trying to communicate to innumerable people through music interests me greatly. A. But I'm not good at communicating with others... I've always thought human relationships have gotten pretty weak in our age, kind of? Even if we live in the same town or school, our bonds are usually so flimsy... We have conversations, but we can't really tell if we're connected or not... I wanted to express that view of the world in my work.

Q. So that's the gist of it. Perhaps it's not going too far to say that social media's rise as a simple communication tool has some effect on that. Incidentally, while of course you handled the videos and artwork yourself, but did you ever consider having any guest musicians? A. Knowing myself, I guess I knew deep inside it'd be no use not working alone... I don't know how to put it, but when working with another on making something, if our ideas differ even a little bit, it takes away all my excitement. I think, "No, they don't understand..." and that's the end of it. It's fine if we can understand each other, but sometimes it's just a huge pain to do so... So I tell myself I should just work alone. And since I can draw, it was perfectly possible for me to do everything myself.

Q. Even if you say you "know yourself," you're carrying yourself very well for a first interview. Have there been any incidents where you sensed serious miscommunication? A. I got in a band in my second year of middle school and was in it until the end of high school, but something just didn't sit well with me... Perhaps it's a bit mean to say I "ran away to the internet," but it's through the faint feeling that things would be easier that way that I arrived here. Additionally, I've sometimes found the desire to create from miscommunication. It makes me think about odd and flimsy relationships...

Q. So then the catchy music of your album is grounded in a desire to communicate? Listening to it myself, I felt a strong intention of trying to surprise and please the listener. A. Perhaps that's true. But I simply like poppy things. I don't like weird things that I don't understand. In my musical life, craving for communication comes first. Like music is the only contact I can make with society... Of course, there's not really anything else I do in my daily life.

Q. Do you feel the Vocaloid works you made as Hachi and the songs you sing now are different? They're rather separate. It's me making both, so the major parts are the same, but I suppose one goes in more deep. Free of the Vocaloid interface, I feel more like I'm laying myself bare. So yes, they're different things.

"vivi" is the Song Nearest to My Inner World

Q. Posting "Go Go Ghost Ship" to NicoNico Douga, calling yourself Kenshi Yonezu for the first time, it broke 700,000 views as a new-wave dance number. Listening to that song, I was wondering if you liked UK rock artists, like those who perform at SUMMER SONIC. A. Well, the title does start with "Go Go." I believe I did focus on UK rock-ness and the addictiveness of the song.

Q. It's a definite feel-good song, with the singing and the pace of the lyrics. Meanwhile, the seventh song "vivi" gave me a pained feeling in my gut. A. I think that's the song that most closely matches my inner world. No matter what, we can't understand each other. Whenever I think we have, we're really just passing each other by. vivi depicts that kind of sadness. I think it was for the best...

A Life of Only Creating

Q. Oh yes, the video for "Love and Fever," on the DVD included with diorama, portrays an absurd world that pushes its ethics and morals. The art made me think of American writer Edward Gorey. He typically used very thin lines, and it had a very artistic monochrome feel. A. I like Gorey's "The Doubtful Guest." Perhaps I was influenced by him. Sometimes I wonder why he drew whole books in pen, but I suppose it's because coloring is a pain.

Q. Still, doing all your artwork must have taken a tremendous amount of time and effort, right? A. It's hard to distinguish the time spend on life and the time spent creating. My life is really one of only creating. When I'm not making something, I'm reading, or taking a look at the internet... making me feel like my life simply is creating.

Q. I suppose the videos, which spectacularly present your world, took just as much time and effort. A. When making the songs, I had a desire to finish everything fully, so I ended up starting on the videos as well. And, as they're my own works, I kept saying "Can't cut any corners..." So they took a fair amount of time in the end.

Q. Back to the "miniature little town," I really like the impact of the "town" being on the back of a giant catfish on the cover. A. There was the earthquake in March last year, right? That comes through a fair bit. In the beginning, I couldn't make anything without sensing the disaster. I thought I would just make an ordinary town. But last year, the town collapsed before my eyes, and I thought it would never be the way it was before... The catfish matches art of catfishes from the Edo era. Since there was a huge earthquake then, too. But I wasn't thinking of trying to make a statement or anything. I think it's all just an extension of my drawing and playing games as a child.

I Like BUMP OF CHICKEN, Kenji Miyazawa, and Yukio Mishima

Q. So what are your musical roots, Mr. Yonezu? A. I like BUMP OF CHICKEN. We got a computer with an internet connection in fifth grade, and it was popular then to make Flash animations to BUMP songs. Perhaps it was a forerunner of the kind of thing done on NicoNico Douga nowadays. "Searchin' for My Polestar" and "Dandelion" bring back memories. Being online got me worked up over them.

Q. I see. They're artists I could see being associated with your fairytale style and monochrome feeling. Judging from the variety of your vocabulary, I get the impression you read a lot. A. I like books. I put emphasis on the way words sound. I like the beautiful anthologies and such by Kenji Miyazawa and Yukio Mishima.

Q. I bet an old bookstore would be good for you. A. Please don't take me. (laughs) I don't like looking around bookstores. I can almost never find the books I want... It's easy online. Just click.

Q. Oh, right. On the gallery page of your official site, there's a storybook posted with the same style as your album. A. I've drawn lots since I was little, but that was my first time drawing pictures to match a story. Actually, I drew it because I didn't have much else to do when I was at my parents' house last summer.

Q. It seems there's a connection between it and characters appearing in the diorama songs, too. A. Indeed. Namely, caribou. My head was full of things for diorama last summer, so they share the style.

Not in a Concert Mood Now

Q. It seems listeners are hoping to see a concert for the release of your album. What are you thinking about holding concerts? A. I'm... not really in a concert mood now. First of all, I have no band... And the diorama album never had any pretense of being associated with a concert. So there's that. But I suppose I'll have to someday...

Q. Well, any last messages for the listeners? A. I'm feeling totally washed-out right now... I hope you can all listen to diorama.

Original Article

Discarding Freedom, To the Outside World: The Determined Santa Maria

Kenshi Yonezu's first single "Santa Maria" releases May 29th. The titular song has a heavy rhythm and an echoing sound of pianos and strings, making it a dramatic middle number. Created primarily by Yonezu, it's his major debut with Universal Sigma.

All his prior work has been done alone; indeed, Yonezu avoided making things with others. About a year after the release of his first album released using his real name, diorama, he has become involved with many others and chosen to work in the field of major labels. In his second appearance on Natalie, he told us how he came to be in this position, spoke about his work as the Vocaloid producer Hachi, and took a look back at the change in his feelings since diorama.

The Readily-Accepted diorama

Q. When you released diorama in May last year, using the name Kenshi Yonezu for the first time, it made 6th on the Oricon charts and was nominated for a CD Shop Grand Prize. Overall, it seems like it made a pretty big splash. Has the response affected you at all? A. I don't think it did, but really, not much has changed since back when I was making music with Vocaloid. Sort of just stepping from one thing to another. My real life hasn't changed a bit, either; since I don't show my face, I don't get noticed on the street or anything. So I hardly notice things getting more heated.

Q. I suppose so. How was the reaction to the album? A. I thought there were some big pros and cons that would divide people at first, but it felt like it was rather well-accepted, ultimately. Though... It sometimes felt like people were dodging the question a bit.

Q. Do you mean you want more negative comments? A. Indeed.

Q. Why is that? A. It seems to me that something's wrong if only praise is being heaped upon. You really need dissenting opinions... a wide range of opinions, or there's no balance, and it ends up becoming very distorted.

Q. Suspicious of the lack of negativity? A. Yes... I've always been that kind of person.

Q. Well, diorama was, in a sense, an album that took away the filter of Vocaloid to reveal the raw you. Since it was so readily accepted, couldn't that attempt be deemed a success? A. Indeed, I'd weigh it as more of a success than a failure for a variety of reasons. Though in a way, diorama took everything I'd done, with Vocaloid and all, and packed it into one album. Even looking at it from that perspective, it was a success. And I'm satisfied with that.

The Drawback of Being a Vocaloid Producer

Q. Did you have a clear vision of what to do next after the release of diorama? A. After the release, there wasn't much of anything going on. For a while, it was just time spent thinking "Well, what next?"

Q. Did you think of returning to Vocaloid? A. I didn't. I realized that if I was to keep going with music, there was a hurdle I had to get over... There were imperfections in my metaphorical body. If my soul were considered to be the songs I made, then performing them for concerts and such would be my body. But those things were always far away, because I remained in Vocaloid.

Q. Since the "body" was covered by the Vocaloids. A. Right, right. The girls took care of that part, coming out in front as pop icons. But I felt that was almost unhealthy. When making music, I felt like I was unavoidably losing my balance. My soul swelled, and my body couldn't hold it, you could say.

Q. You had a feeling of wrongness. A. How do I put it... I thought about how I wanted to have a strong sense of self. Because whatever happened, I would be a Vocaloid producer. I went by the name Hachi, and why were these cute idol girls the ones coming out in front? The identity of a Vocaloid producer is starting to establish itself, and I don't mean to knock it, but I saw problems with it. I couldn't bear the guilt, the worry - the "this isn't good for me, is it?"

Q. And why was that? A. Well, I have to say starting off with Vocaloid had a major drawback. When I first learned of Vocaloid, it was just fun, so I said "Hey, this is nice," and was optimistic going in. But unconsciously, I knew I was imperfect, which is probably why I went with Vocaloid. I was worried that if I didn't better myself, I couldn't make good music anymore. ...So in a sense of taking off my shackles, I decided I'd try stepping away from Vocaloid.

Q. And that was diorama. A. Yes. But I still wasn't quite satisfied. So I haven't returned to Vocaloid because, well, I haven't given a whole lot of thought to it.

Q. So are you saying farewell to Vocaloid? A. Farewell... well, I wouldn't go that far. If there's a chance to do it, I think I definitely will. But when I see big questions before me, I don't think I can be heading to Vocaloid.

Q. Because it would void your reason for making diorama? A. Yes.

Q. It's not that you've simply lost interest in Vocaloid? A. Not at all. I've been thinking a fair bit about how I'd like to if I have the chance. But now just doesn't seem like the time.

I Have to Keep Looking Ahead

Q. How did events progress from there? A. First, I worked hard on the song Pandemonium - which is now on Santa Maria - intending it to be the next song after diorama, but something about it just didn't stick. As I was wondering if this should really be the next song after diorama, I found there was a lot about it that didn't please me. So I thought about what to do... and put Pandemonium aside for the time being. I like ubiquitous, poppy things, so I started collecting things that were recognized as such.

Q. You thought Pandemonium wasn't ubiquitous enough? A. Well, not necessarily... I just wanted to make something beautiful. After taking another look at things, I thought, "I have to keep looking ahead." Perhaps spurred by that, I made Santa Maria to embody my feelings.

Enough Rope to Hang Yourself With

Q. Personally, I was surprised by your major debut, Mr. Yonezu. After the solely-made diorama and its impact, I would have thought you'd continue along similar lines. A. I didn't feel so strongly about changing tracks either, but... I ended up wondering about creating with others. Making something with people who understand my music well, and who are on the same wavelength seemed like the best way to go. Luckily, there happened to be such people in a major label.

Q. In the previous interview, you told us that you can't communicate well with others. But in a major label, surely there are people you'd have to speak with, and furthermore who intervene in your music. Did you find that troublesome? A. The thing is, I wanted that difficulty. I'd been making everything alone. So I could act and do anything on my own accord. I could wake up anytime, start on a song anytime, or give up on one anytime. I continued that nomadic life for a long time. But as it went on, it started to get a little unpleasant. I felt like I was given enough rope to hang myself with. So in order to proceed in just one direction, I needed some way of keeping myself on track. Otherwise, I'd be all over the place. Unable to make up my mind. It really isn't sanitary... It's weak. I wasn't taking any responsibilities.

Q. Since you always avoided making things with others, this must have been a big change. Was there a particular impetus for this? Or was it just the constant thought of it being unhygenic that you kept trying to ignore? A. Perhaps it was something like that. I've worked alone since middle school or so, and I didn't have any problems then. I simply enjoyed doing things alone, so I kept going that way. Thinking on it now, I'm sure there was some amount of evasiveness there. But by continuing alone all that time, perhaps my initial urges weakened. And I saw that staying in the same place was no good. So I stopped trying to be evasive.

Q. You decided to look ahead. A. Indeed.

Thrown Into an Unknown Land of Recording

Q. This was your first time doing band recording. What did you think, Mr. Yonezu? A. Right. It began soon after I decided I'd try working with various others. I like the band sound, so I said I might as well have an actual band.

Q. Sorry, but to bring up the previous interview again, you said that having guest musicians, if they ran the slightest bit counter to your design, would take away your excitement. Were you able to escape from that line of thinking? A. Well, no, there was a fair amount of that. That's mainly due to my own imperfection. But if I train myself for that, I can make do.

Q. Train yourself? A. Just get used to it. It's like being thrown into an unknown land, and at first the food tastes all different and disgusting, and the water seems dirty. That sort of thing will always come with a change in environment. But you gradually get used to it the longer you're there. I was lost very often, it being my first time, but I told myself to just keep going and manage.

Q. Though you were lost, you didn't think "I don't want to do this anymore." A. Right. I had to do it.

Q. Did you feel it was fun, too? A. Definitely, yes.

Q. What did you think of the band members? A. BOBO (drums) was really enjoyable to be around. He would always be talking to himself. He was considerate as well, and easy to work with. Mafune (bass) was sort of a support-from-below, a very bassist-y bassist. He oversaw from beginning to end and helped me stand. A lot like a mother, actually. (laughs) He was a very tender person.

Something That Couldn't Exist Without Others

Q. How did production go? A. First I gave [the members] a demo, and after about two rehearsals we worked out a mutual understanding with our words and bodies. Once we saw a landing spot, we did the real recording. When I gave them the demo, I didn't say much, just "Do what you like." But looking at the end result, not much had changed from the demo, not even the arrangement.

Q. Really? Did you not want to be surprised by an idea you probably wouldn't have thought of yourself? A. Well... Had I gotten that kind of surprise, I might have rejected it. Seeing as mostly-unchanged was the way it just naturally ended up.

Q. There are still things you won't hand over to others in that regard. A. Quite a few. But even though it's almost the same as the demo, it became a work that had the thoughts of others in it, which feels a little off to me, personally. I think that's another imperfection in me, but this could also be considered an experiment to see what the reaction is when it goes out into the world.

Q. Have you felt that you might want to record all your future songs as a band? A. Hmm, I'm not sure about "all" yet. At this stage, I'm not even sure if I'll return to a band at all. Not every song I finish will necessarily be a song that suits the band style. It might be electropop or something. But I am giving some thought to making something that I couldn't complete all on my own - something that couldn't exist without others.

I Can't Do Concerts For Superficial Reasons

Q. I'm sure more and more people are looking forward to concerts now. Why haven't you done any yet? A. Like I've said before, my body is still imperfect. Music, my soul, just keeps getting bigger, and my limbs can't keep up. It's a problem of my own thinking, so perhaps others would say "What the heck are you doing?", but doing concerts is a tall hurdle for me. And I feel that I can't do them for superficial reasons.

Q. It must be hard to keep your resolve firm. A. Perhaps I just have to sit and wait for my mental state to change. Well, I say sit and wait, but it'll be through trial and error. Only time will tell, I suppose.

Q. You don't know yourself how your feelings will change. A. No clue. But I look forward to it. My mental state changing, that is.

Original Article

Kenshi Yonezu has released his first single, Santa Maria. He gained much esteem for his album diorama last year, which portrayed a world with strong aesthetics. Formerly in the limelight as Vocaloid producer "Hachi," he chose to debut with his own voice last year, and his song Santa Maria is a new step in that direction. Recording with Katsuhiro Mafune (bass), BOBO (drums), and Tetsuya Hayata (piano), he's created a truly majestic world. What was he looking to achieve? We had an in-depth talk with him.

As More People Regard You, You Feel Lonelier

Q. First off, I have to say your album last year, diorama, seemed like a rather fully-developed production. A. Indeed. As you say, I was very dedicated to doing it right. It was an album in which I packed all the things I had fostered while making Vocaloid songs.

Q. Was there a point after that where you decided what you would be doing next? A. After that album was done, I was like "Well, I did that, so I wonder what's next?" So I was absentminded for a while. While doing that, I started to rethink why I was making music in the first place. And I decided I'd make something positive and open.

Q. Was it difficult to settle on that? A. Yes. I was really doing nothing but thinking it over for quite a while.

Q. For months? A. Indeed. I thought alone in my room, ate and slept, and thought again. That was my life. It was a pretty mopey couple of months, actually.

Q. If I might say, with your songs made in Vocaloid getting millions of views, and the album released under your name getting such praise, Kenshi Yonezu has come a long way in just a few years. I wouldn't be surprised if you just found yourself thinking "Hooray, my music was recognized!" And yet you went all the way back to "Why am I making music in the first place?" Was there a reason for that? A. I'm grateful that my songs have gotten millions of views; it means there are more people who like me. But as more people regard you, you feel lonelier. I'm sure anyone who's experienced this feels the same way. So it's an ordinary thing to me. My creations and humanity get more popular and are accepted by more people, diffusing across Japan. And as that happens, I feel more and more lonely. That being so, I had to think about myself again. I think that period after making diorama was a good time for it.

Q. Did you feel you began making music to get attention and be recognized? With your album diorama, you talk about not being able to establish a mutual understanding. I think it must be disorienting for that to spread so far. A. Desires like wanting recognition are one reason why I create, music or otherwise. When those desires are fulfilled, I do feel my ambition to create fade a little. So that's true. I guess that's why I had to ask myself "Why am I making music?" Since I had already been recognized, then maybe that meant I didn't have to make anything more. I wanted to do something about those passive thoughts, so I decided I needed to open up.

What's Needed Now Isn't Cynicism, But Honest Expression

Q. The single contains the three songs Santa Maria, Pandemonium, and Flute Without Dancing. Which song was actually completed first? A. First was Pandemonium. If chances permitted, I thought I would make a video for it and upload it to YouTube and NicoNico Douga, but it just wouldn't stick. When I considered if it was right to make this the song I posted after diorama, I couldn't really say that it was. So I put it on hold to make something completely different, the result of which was Santa Maria.

Q. Aren't Pandemonium and Santa Maria total opposites in their melodies and their messages? Pandemonium says "Ah, how does that matter now?", whereas Santa Maria says "Let us hold hands." So Santa Maria feels like a response of sorts to making Pandemonium and it not sticking. A. Indeed. Pandemonium is a song filled with cynicism and irony, and the very act of making a song like that was one of the reasons I decided I needed to open up. What's needed now isn't cynicism or beating around the bush, but honest expression. Something that says that however rubbish it is, you need to keep on moving ahead. I thought that's what I should make.

Q. Something cliché, dare I say? A. Yes, yes. Cliché and pop-like.

Q. You didn't make these songs specifically for a band, yes? Was taking that direction related to "opening up," as you told us? A. Indeed. I was in a band in middle school and high school. But most likely due to my human nature, it didn't seem to suit me. It was much easier to do it all myself, and there was no need for a mutual understanding of intents, right? So I created songs thinking I had no need to work with anyone else, and they were well-regarded. So when I think back on it, I see the things I made alone are at least known. But while not everyone may realize it, there are limits to what I can create alone. If I continued this way, I'd be stuck creating the same things over and over. So I decided to have a band. I guess I just like bands.

Q. How did it go? It was a long time ago when you last made music with others. A. The first thing I thought was how hard it was. I couldn't properly tell others what I wanted in words. With someone who hadn't done it in so long, of course it wouldn't be easy. So I had to get out of my habits. Fortunately, I was given much assistance. It was particularly BOBO on drums and Mafune on bass - they had the power to drag me along.

I Believe Beautiful Things Must Be Dirtied

Q. Well, I'd like to talk about the Santa Maria song. And what I really want to ask about first is dissonance. A. Ah. Yeah. (laughs)

Q. During the ambient loop in the intro, there comes a piano in a different tune. I'd say that's one of the first highlights of the song. How did that come about? A. That's part of a selfish belief I have. I believe beautiful things must be dirtied. If you ask me for a sensible reason why, I wouldn't really know myself. But don't truly beautiful things exist because there are awful things to compare to? When the distance between the two is reduced, I feels like it approaches reality. It's a very visual thing that I like, a flower blooming in the mud.

Q. I see. It's not just Santa Maria, of course. Including all your songs made with Vocaloid as Hachi, Kenshi Yonezu is no doubt a master of dissonance. When making music, one usually has the tendency to go for something feel-good. But you dare to create dissonance. And with that dissonance, you make this era's pop. It's very curious. A. Like you say, people like to go for a sound that feels good, but the thing is, some amount of dissonance feels good for me. How can I dirty my songs? That's always in my mind as I make them.

Q. When you have a bit of dirtiness, it sticks and comes closer to beautiful in your mind? A. Indeed.

I Would Have Music Save Me

Q. But in Santa Maria, that dissonant sound is really only in the intro. From then on, it no doubt pursues beauty. It becomes a very majestic song as the piano and strings come in. A. It's true. When I first created it, I wanted to make the noise in the intro louder. But it didn't seem to fit this particular song. It went against the very elements encapsulated in it. Trying to force it would have just been foolhardy.

Q. What do you mean by the elements encapsulated in it? A. I don't know if I fully understand it myself, but I felt like there was something holy in this song, something that made it so overwhelmingly beautiful that even my "dirty is beautiful" mindset could be brushed aside.

Q. Going back to what you said about "beautiful things must be dirtied," I suppose you investigated that feeling in Pandemonium, which you actually finished before Santa Maria. A. Yeah.

Q. So it must take that kind of "holiness" residing in a song to wash away your "it must be dirtied" mentality. A. Right, that's what it takes. I mean, I kind of do like dirty things. However, compared to all my prior songs, there's not much filth in this one. Because it felt very wrong to me. So perhaps it was a song that required me to reconstruct my own mental philosophy. I think of it almost like a purification.

Q. It really is like you say. After all, Santa Maria does talk about "going toward the light." For example, when a camera flashes, or if you look directly into the sun; really bright places aren't very comfortable, are they? But this song expresses taking the brunt of that discomfort and opening up. A. Indeed. Until now, I had been heading in comfortable directions, wanting to stay low and flow along. As a result, I created my current self. And I predicted that I would fail somehow, or if not fail, then I would be eaten away and become a boring person. So in making this song, I realized I would have music save me. It's a ritualistic song in that way. Making music like this is partly a way to tell things to myself. In fact, I think music is a ritualistic thing to begin with. Something akin to shamanism.

This Song Will No Doubt Affect My Life

Q. This song seems like it may be a big turning point in your career. A. Indeed. I may not know what I'm doing next, but for better or worse, this is one of my most important songs yet. This song will no doubt affect my life.

Q. Incidentally, was there any song earlier on that was a similar turning point for you? A. The Vocaloid song Close and Open, the Rakshasa and the Corpse was the first of mine to get seriously recognized. Until then, I made it around 10th on the NicoNico Douga hourly rankings, but that song made it to 1st. Myself, I just made songs I liked, not sure why some would be more recognized than others. But for some reason, that one became very popular. It was the first song to give me an objective view of my creations.

Q. Matryoshka received the most views of all Hachi songs - did you make use of your experience creating Rakshasa and the Corpse? A. I suppose so. Maybe. I remember making Matryoshka and thinking that kind of song would catch on.

Q. So it was a song you made with the listeners in mind, knowing what would stick with them? A. Indeed. I think it was a song I could make because of Rakshasa and the Corpse.

Q. Understood. Now, to speak a little of the future, if you plan to keep opening up, certainly you'd consider doing concerts. A. Well, I've been thinking about that a lot, yes -

A. And I'm sure many have asked about it. A. Yes, many have, quite forcefully. But to say it another way, opening myself up and working with a band is the process of redeveloping my "body." I had ignored my body completely and proceeded solely with my soul, and it caused my head to get huge. I didn't have the body to match it. So now, I have to bear the full brunt of it. If composing songs involves my soul, then concerts and bands involve my body, so I'm doing my best to train right now.

Q. So basically, "don't yell at me to do concerts, it's not that easy." (laughs) A. Definitely. (laughs) Even if people might tell me I'm being ridiculous for thinking about things that way.