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Perfume: English Translation of the Interview on Ongaku to Hito 2018.09 (vol.1)

Vol. 1

The introduction and a personal interview for A-chan

Perfume

Future is in your hands

“You have not been mistaken. And it will start again from now on”

I felt as if someone talks to the 3 like that. Unlike our expectation, Perfume’s new album "Future Pop” does not have the future-bass tasted sound arrangement that was strongly expressed in the single “If you wanna”. Despite having tracks with that taste, the impression I had after listening the whole album was that their vocals were strongly featured, and that there is a perspective of mature ladies, not innocent girls. In this interview, this big change expressed in the album was examined through personal interviews of the 3 and a group interview. I guess the 3 ladies would have expressed anxieties and confusions if they had faced a great change like this. However, Perfume of the present has an overwhelming confidence. I can see their absolute conviction that they would absolutely be alright. Where do those come from? I took time to ask them about this in these interviews.

And now, this is a new start from here. You will not awake from a dream you dream with Perfume, not yet.

Interview: A-chan

“Perfume is something that must continue. I don’t have a sense of vocation like that now”

- Did you go to the Budokan concert of Chatmonchy?

A: Yes, I did!! My eyes were full of tears. The set list was crazy as well, you know? All the 3 songs for the encore were the ones written by Kumiko-san!!

-That’s right.

A: I had goosebumps all the time during the concert. In the past, Chatmonchy evolved again and again, and was born again and again. But at the time when they brought down the curtain, they made us realize that all of those processes were Chatmonchy. They showed off how talented they are when they close the band, and left the stage after making it so obvious that everyone was going to miss them. That’s what a real hero does. If stocks of Ecchan and Akko-chan were available, I would definitely love to buy and invest them, LOL!

- LOL! But when you witnessed the end of a band you love that much, didn’t you identify yourselves with them?

A: Recently, I think less and less about those stuffs. Not only Chatmonchy, Namie Amuro-san is also retiring. However, when I listen to a news like that, now I don’t really think like “This will happen to us someday…” I guess it just doesn’t connect. Although a day like that will come to anyone in some way, I still don’t feel that the day is coming to Perfume, not yet. But it’s not that I don’t want that day to come. It’s more like it exists in a different dimension.

- After covering you for nearly 10 years, I’ve seen the times when the 3 of you held anxiety or chancy-ness. But recently, your conviction like “Perfume is absolute” is getting stronger and stronger, I feel.

A: Exactly. Right now, I really enjoy being Perfume. In the past, I used to be pretty strict to myself during a tour or interview period. ‘Cause I thought I had to be in the best shape as Perfume for concerts, interviews, shootings and things like that. So I put myself under the pressure and tried not to meet friends, strictly checked what to eat and so on. I pushed myself pretty hard to be Perfume everyone wanted me to be.

- Like you had to be like this as A-chan of Perfume?

A: Yeah. I just can’t help it, 'cause all of my family members act like that so… LOL!

- So, that’s caused by the blood of Nishiwaki family, LOL!!

A: I guess it’s from my father’s side, LOL! But little by little, I have been able to forgive myself.

- So you mean you can face Perfume from a neutral point of view now, right?

A: Well, you know what? Things like “Perfume is something that must continue!” I don’t have a sense of vocation like that now. We can keep on our activities if people want us to, and we can take a rest a bit if we’re tired. We can try anything if we find it interesting, even if it’s something we’ve never tried before. And if we’re asked to do something, we would go for it if we feel like it. Now we can stay honest to ourselves. When trying something different from what we have been doing, there definitely would be negative things. But if we think we would find positive things more than negatives, we can try, no matter what it would be. And even if we fail, we can just start it over again. Now I can take everything positive.

- I know what you mean. In the past, you used to be scared of losing something when you were taking a step for something new, and when you decided to try something new, you also became so desperate to meet the expectation.

A: That’s right. We squared up when no one asked us to do so. And one more thing, until recently, I had to take an initiative to announce what the 3 of Perfume would like to do. But nowadays, the other 2 started to express their wills little by little. That might make it easier for me.

- Ah, I see.

A: In the past, there were times in which they didn’t tell what they really thought or didn’t say their opinions in front of others. But when we talked by ourselves or texted each other, our real feelings we couldn’t tell on those moments came out. “Then you should have said it at that time” there was a time I sometimes thought like that.

- Ah, I see. And I can’t imagine it happening to you recently.

A: Nowadays, both Nocchi and Kashiyuka express their opinions when we discuss with our team. That might be why it becomes easier for me.

- I guess it was difficult for them to express their opinions.

A: I guess it was because of the lack of confidence, rather than difficulty to express opinions. Because expressing opinions means that you’ve got to be responsible for what you’ve said. But it was same for me as well. I wish I can be more confident. But it would have been kind of weird if it was only me who gained the confidence despite working on same activities all together, right? I guess it’s our characteristics to be in sync in those points as well.

- So, even though you didn’t have confidence in yourself, just like the other 2, you regarded that it had been your role to express Perfume’s opinion. Because someone had to say that, right A-chan?

A: Yes, and now it’s changing little by little. That might be why things going so well recently. I can enjoy things more and more.

- I see. Then, what do you think is a right way for Perfume of now to aim for?

A: Personally, I’d love to see Perfume performing stuffs like “Reframe (*"Perfume x TECHNOLOGY” presents “Reframe”, held at NHK hall in March)“ more. It would be wonderful if Perfume has a show studio or something like permanent theater where people from all over the world can visit to watch our performance when they come to Japan.

- So you mean a stage combining technologies and entertainment together?

A: Yes, it’s like a stage combining technologies and humanity together, I guess. When you listen to a word "Technology”, you might have a cold impression. But actually it’s not. There always are human hands involved with it and it has warmth as if it has flesh and blood. And it can convey the emotions men can not directly put into words. That might represent a kind of “Japanese-ness” in some way, I guess. We could only hold “Reframe” show for 2 days. So I’d love people in Japan and around the world to watch a performance like this as a new entertainment of Japan.

- You think in that way because you’d like to meet the expectation?

A: Because I love to challenge! However, this 3 women has always had a desire to meet the expectation, since we had spent a long time without being expected.

- Until you made a breakthrough, right?

A: Not being wanted and expected is such a sad thing and makes you so miserable. I used to blame myself like “I dedicate myself to this job without hanging around and having fun with friends and yet we remain unwanted and unexpected, why? Why do we get our greetings ignored even by the people of our management office? It must be our fault…” Those feelings I had back then have never gone away, even though we’re so privileged to have so many amazing jobs like we do now. Since we remember so well about the fear we felt back then, the joy we feel when we see someone paying attention to us and we’re wanted has never changed even now. A cover page of a magazine like this, TV commercial, things like that…, because those mean that there’re people who would like to use us.

- Those are what you’ve been waiting to happen.

A: As we’re expected, we would like to meet the expectation at any cost. I really wish Ongaku to Hito magazine would sell over 1 million copies, LOL!!

- That would make this magazine the best-selling magazine in Japan, LOL!!

A: However, we would love to work as hard as we can for that goal, rather than taking responsibility of the result, I feel. Oh, by the way, I started to learn English again recently. And my current teacher is Gyaru.

- What? Gyaru?

A: Yeah, her mother is Japanese. She has lived in LA for a long time and started to live in Japan 3 years ago. She and I have girls’ talk in English and that’s so much fun! For example, she was trying to tell me “Isn’t he trying to hit on you?” in English but…

- What kind of English lesson is that? LOL!!

A: It’s basically girls’ talk, so…, LOL!! But I couldn’t pronounce the phrase well so I said like “Ah, that’s difficult…” And she told me “Alright then, listen to this!” (*starting to play a song from her smart phone) This song basically sings like “I’m a man who hit on” all the time.

- I see. You 3, including A-chan, are about to turn 30’s. Do you realize any change of your perspective?

A: I do. People from younger generations started to appear on the scene more and more. People you see on the screen come and go through the time, and it’s same for the bands appear on rock festivals. Therefore, I do realize that we get older pretty much. You can see that from our outfits, recent costumes are more conscious of those mature-ness and elegance.

- Ah, that’s right.

A: 'Cause you know what? I even started Yoga! And I actually enjoy it pretty much!

- So, you are pretty positive and active on what you do now.

A: Exactly. I enjoy getting aged, and as I get older, I’ve got more things I’d like to try. It’s such a pleasure to reach the end of my 20’s with the mindset like this, LOL! As for Nocchi and Kashiyuka, they’re reaching the end of 20’s this year. Moreover, both of them are turning 30 during the upcoming tour. “What should I do on those days?”, I’m thinking right now. Since we stick together all the time during the tour, it’s pretty difficult.

- Difficult to give them surprises, right?

A: They’ll be keeping eyes on what I do, you know?

- I’m so sure that they’ll notice like “Ah, A-chan is up to something”

A: Nah, Nocchi tends to be like that, but Kashiyuka is not that kind of girl! But when I give her a surprise, she would tell me like “Ah, I knew it’s coming”. I’m so sure about that, LOL!

- You haven’t changed ever since when you were teenagers about those points.

A: That’s true. But back then, we had never imagined that we would be able to remain to be Perfume until this age. We thought it would be pretty lucky if we could continue Perfume for 3 years. After the hit of “Polyrhythm”, there was a time we were in a mood like “This will be a great memory for us. There’s nothing left to regret anymore”

- Like “We could come this far, so it’s enough for us”, you thought?

A: Yeah, I think we felt that our hard work paid off and we were finally rewarded. Since then, we have been kind of like updating every year, like “Can we go any further? We made it, we could reach further! It seems we still can go further! …Is it okay to go further? Shall we go? …Let’s go as far as we can get!” And it seems we still can go further on this year as well.

- But you don’t feel anxious when you think like that, do you?

A: No, not at all. I guess it’s because we’re now confident on what we have piled up until this day. And also because there’re so many people believe in that, not only our staffs, but also our fans. Therefore, we have confidence about that and we would feel sorry for them if we’re not confident in that. So now I’m trying to make all of my dreams come true, no matter how small it is. I’d like to be a hope for them.

- What’s your small dream you fulfilled recently?

A: Sleeping on a bed I’ve been longing for a long time, for example?

- A bed you’ve been longing?

A: Yes, placing a huge bed in my room has been my dream for a long time. There’s a furniture studio I really admire in Shizuoka Prefecture and the bed called “CONTINUE” manufactured in the studio is the one I’ve longed. It’s all hand made by a craftsperson. I don’t know for how long I’ve been dreaming about this and I’ve finally bought it after the fan club tour! And it’s huuuuuuge!! I can even fall asleep like this! So happy!

- Huh? Ah, I see. You can sleep with your both hands wide open.

A: Like “Am I in heaven or what?” LOL!! Though it might be such a tiny dream, making it come true gives me a confidence. It also makes me think “I’ve got to work hard 'cause I’ve bought this” and gives me a strength to move forward in the hard times. I can’t help thinking what an easy person I am, though.

- But it represents your personality very well, I think.

A: Money-wise, I could have bought that bed much earlier than I actually had. However, I used to hesitate fulfilling goals a bit, even a tiny one like this. I was kind of scared like “What should I set as a new goal if I fulfill one?” But now, I’ve got a tons of new dreams and enjoy fulfilling them one by one. That’s what I come to think. What’s left is… marriage maybe? That’s the toughest one, LOL!!

- You had never imagined to turning 30 without getting married, yeah.

A: It’s like I’ve kept walking uncharted territory, LOL! But oh, as we all know, the Olympic is coming to Tokyo in 2 years. So it would be wonderful if we can show our achievement, something we’ve been doing through the career, on the stage like that. I feel that my life will become different whether we can do something for that big stage or not.

- …Ah, may I ask you? Is there any project you’re involved in actually in progress?

A: Nope, not at all, LOL!!

- Oh, I thought something is actually under way behind closed doors, LOL!!

A: No way! We don’t have a power like that, LOL!! But I really want to do something for the Tokyo Olympic! Please, I’m begging you! I’ll do anything!!

- Hey, I’m not an appropriate guy for you to beg, LOL!! However, what you said means that you’d like to give shape to what you’ve piled up, right?

A: That’s right. Like “We fulfilled this, we fulfilled that…, we were able to do that so we should be able to do this” As we piled up so many stuffs, we now have more things we’re capable of doing. And it’s same for our dreams, we still can have more to expand our dreams.

- I think Nakata-san himself knows it, too. That might be why he tries to tell that the future of Perfume who are about to turn 30, is starting from here with this album.

A: I’m so glad about that. But I once again feel I can have dreams like this because Nocchi and Kashiyuka have always been with me. You can’t dream alone. Since the 2 are with me, it becomes alright.

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