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shellfish-honkon · 7 years ago

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Perfume: English Translation of the Interview on Ongaku to Hito 2018.09 (vol.4)

Vol. 4

A group interview for Perfume

Interview: Perfume

At first, I thought the whole album would feature Future Bass, but... (Kashiyuka)

Where the hell has Future Bass gone!? LOL!! (Nocchi)

- This is my first interview to you since "If you wanna", so I've got various things I'd like to ask other than the album.

A: Yeah, you can ask anything!

- First of all, let's talk about "Reframe". That was a superb show, but at the same time, it was a kind of show that was difficult to write an article of.

A, N, K: LOL!!

A: We recorded the sub audio of the show the other day. And there was a tons of stuffs we had heard for the first time there, LOL!!

K: It was too technically advanced to understand, and we could only let the audience to grasp their impression because we didn't have MC.

A: But I really thought it opened a new door for our performances. I really wanted to try something like that!

N: We hope to hold shows like that more. We were a bit worried that we might get the audience left behind, but actually it didn't happen.

- You also held the first fan club tour after a long time.

K: The first fan club tour in 8 years! That's pretty insane, isn't it? LOL!!

N: And there still has been people joining our fan club! They are the ones who truly love Perfume, we really appreciate it.

K: People joined our fan club 7 years ago had not been able to attend any fan club tour before, even a single time, LOL!

A: So, we performed many nostalgic songs in return of their loves.

K: Like "Take me Take me" we performed for the first time since the Budo-kan concert, "Take me Take me" performed by totally grownup 29-year-old ladies, LOL!!

A: If 20-year-old girls sing "Take me Take me", it's kind of cute, right? You'd go like "Aha, right! I'm gonna take you!" But when a 29-year-old is singing like "Take me Take me", it sounds pretty heavy and serious, LOL!

K: She must have some reasons for not being taken until her age, LOL!!

- As you grow up, the meaning of songs changes, LOL!

A: Recalling the choreos were pretty tough, too. Since we hadn't danced them for a long time, we felt like we were dancing them for the first time.

K: We were so desperate, for example, we watched videos and wondering "What the hell was I doing during this part!? It's cut and I can't see!", LOL!!

A: However, that time we recalled old choreos was such a lovely time. We felt as if we were facing our old selves. Being able to think like "What a lovely time this is" might probe that we have grown up. And we also really appreciate that there're people who have wait for those songs to be performed again, since that means they love our old selves, as well as our present selves. So, that was a very, very warm time. No matter what we play, they gave us back the best reactions, we felt as if we were talking to our parents.

N: That's true. They could respond to any reminiscent talks we did.

K: We actually asked our fans to check our old memories, LOL!!

A: We asked them like "Didn't we do something like this and like that before?" from the stage, they shouted back like "That was ○○ you did back in 20xx!", LOL!!

- Wow, they're like Wikipedia, LOL!! After the performance, did you realize like "Ah, I've turned to a grownup"?

N: I did. When we practiced our old dances, the choreos were totally different.

K: Yeah, we actually danced in the style of that time. When we recalled the choreos, we realized the way we used our bodies was different from now, for example.

A: We became our young selves, yeah.

K: And we also learnt we could no longer perform twice a day. Our knees got wobbly, LOL!!

A: Our knees were shaking all the time at the end of the show, LOL!!

- I didn't want to hear episodes like that from you, LOL!!

A: 2 shows in a day wearing that heels is tough. "We'll never perform twice a day!", we decided it at Makuhari, LOL!

- For me, you seem to be 21 years old forever.

A, N, K: LOL!!!

K: Happy to hear that, LOL!! I wish I could stay like that! LOL!

- This is your first album release in 2 years and 4 months.

A: For us, however, it was a blink of eyes. "COSMIC EXPLORER" seems to be quite recent.

N: We've got another masterpiece.

- What kind of stuffs did you talk to Nakata-san at a usual dinner meeting you always hold before album production?

K: 80% of the conversation was silly things, LOL!!

A: For example about HIKAKIN-san (A famous Japanese youtuber), like "Did you watch his video?" and things like that, LOL!

K: He also told us like "If you put "Mitaina Koi (A love like...)" at the beginning of a sentence, you can write a Nakata Yasutaka-ish lyric"*, LOL!!

(Translater's note: In the original text, it's actually written "at the end of a sentence" instead of "beginning". This is due to the difference of the word orders between English and Japanese. For example, Japanese Lyric of Polyrhythm "Plastic mitaina koi" is "A love like plastic" in English)

N: Yeah, he also told us sometimes he starts to imagine a story from that phrase.

- You talked things like that, and about the album at the end?

K: Yes, briefly at the very end, LOL!!

A: We only talked about the album for 5 minutes. Adults around us started to exchange glances like "Ah..., shall we start discussions about the album?" while eating deserts, LOL!

N: It was held right before the release of his solo album. He let us listen his own album to let us know what kinds of songs were recorded. Then he told us about what he wanted to have in our album, for example, tempos, melodies and things like that.

- More concretely speaking?

N: When we released "If you wanna", 3 of us were not familiar with future bass yet. But in the global charts, music of the genre had already been acknowledged. So he wanted us to play a future bass song to spread the genre to the world, he said.

K: "If you wanna" was made in a basic style of future bass because he wanted to let the world know that Perfume played future bass. But for the album, he was going to add his own arrangements to bring the music to Nakata-san's own genre, he told us. So when we heard that, we thought the whole album would feature future bass.

- Yeah, right? That was what I imagined, too! Because I heard you talking like that in the interview of "If you wanna" But then...

A, N, K: "Huh?", right?

A: I can understand that, LOL!!

N: Where the hell has Future Bass gone!? LOL!!

K: We imagined that we would have pretty few parts for recording since we thought the album to be strongly feature future bass. But when we were handed lyrics, we were like "What!? We've got so many lyrics!", LOL!!

A: We were surprised since the first song we recorded was "Tenku"

K: We still went like "Ah, we understand, there has to be at least one song like this. But the next song will be future bass" But then, the next song also had so many vocal parts, so we went like "What? What?"

N: It was "Let Me Know"

K: In the middle of recordings, we convinced that even though this was not what we had imagined, not all songs leaned toward that side.

N: I really liked "FUSION", so I thought somewhere in recordings, we would receive a strong, cold kind of song with even less lyrics than that. But actually, "FUSION" was the most aggressive song in the album. That made me think he must have gone through so much thinking to figure out the best way to make this sound good.

- Did his song writing go smoothly?

A: It took times!

N: He took more times than ever, I guess.

K: Throughout the whole process of album production, all of the songs were a bit behind the schedule, respectively. The last song we recorded for the album was "Future Pop", but the recording was actually postponed for 1 month.

A: He was so obsessed about this song.

K: Exchange like "I've finished making DEMO. Moving onto lyrics" "I'll make it again from scratch" was repeated again and again. Before the recording of the song, he told us "The next song will be the title track of the album" So, I guess he was willing to determine a direction of the whole album with this song.

A: We visited his studio for the recording, knowing this song would be the title track. When we received the lyrics there, the title "Future Pop" jumped out at us. Even though we didn't know a genre called future pop actually existed, we thought it must have been his message for us to name "Future Pop" for the album featuring future bass, saying we were to make a history. We were totally fired up by that. We felt as if it showed us a new path to move on, like "You've got to move forward with this!" I was like "The words used for the title was familiar to us, but still sound new. He must be a genius to come up with a title like this!" and so moved. But when I looked at him with wobbly eyes, I found messy Yasutaka Nakata, LOL!!

- What do you mean by "messy" Yasutaka Nakata?

A: He had "I put everything I've got into this song"-kind of look. He said "See? Ain't I cool?" in the back! LOL!!

N: He did.

A: Yeah, he did! LOL!! He looked like he was shining to me!

- You felt his passion behind the title so much that he looked like that, I see.

N: We did feel that. We felt his enthusiasm like "Let's make a history!" Nakata-san has confidence on what he makes. So, I felt he named the title like this because Perfume was included in his confidence. So I was like "Yeah, let's do this! Let's make a history!"

A, K: Wow, cool!!! LOL!!

K: I was so surprised to find that there's a word that fits as well as this. I mean, the combination of the words was like, we could have used this combination but actually never did. By combining these single words, we've got the title that fits as well as this and perfectly expresses what we have been doing and will be doing. I had an exhilarating feeling when he came up with this.

- So in a word, you felt like "Ah, this word literally explains what we do"?

K: Yes, it fitted so well. The combination of these 2 single words perfectly express what we want to do and what we want to express.

- The album has many song-featured songs, but there're future bass tracks at the same time. Setting them up as something "Pop" is what you do, you mean?

A: Exactly. Such a wide range of variety we've got, so.

- "Tiny Baby" is a pretty cute song. But its rhyming is very unique.

K: It seems this song doesn't sing anything meaningful. But it makes you wonder and feel fluttery that there might be a deep meaning behind the lyric.

N: It was fun to sing.

A: But the thing this song wanted to sing most is "I'M SO HAPPY (Japanese-English pronunciation)"

A, N, K: LOL!

A: We sang it like that because Nakata-san's tentative vocal he recorded for us sang it like that.

N: I used to think like the faster bpm is, the cooler and easier to go crazy on the beat the song gets. But nowadays, I prefer more relaxed songs like this one.

K: The gap between "FUSION" and "Tiny Baby"!

A: Right! It even made me think like "Aha, "FUSION" might actually have been made for this!" Don't know why, but it's so comfortable.

K: We actually nominated this for MV.

- MV of "Let Me Know" was very nice, too.

- Yeah, I love that song, too.

- The perspective of that song is totally that of the grownups.

N: When we saw those 3 little girls, we were like "OMG, we're adults!"

A: We really are. In a scene of the MV, closeups of the 3 girls appears on a screen one by one and then move on to a scene of us. When I watch that scene, I'm so surprised that we're totally adults. Nothing surprising about it, but it makes us fully realize that. That's a happy thing for me, though. Because I always wanted to be an adult desperately.

- That means you became mature enough to sing a song like this.

A: Yeah, when we were handed "Baby Face", a song singing about a junior boy, it was pretty shocking to us. But nowadays, we're totally used to it.

K: The song makes me feel as if I'm looking back the whole history since we formed Perfume and facing my old self. But at the same time, the song can be applied to anyone's life, I think. The girls in the MV are a bit younger than the age of us entering Actor's School. So, I was filled with a deep emotion like "We have been together ever since their ages..."

N: That's touching, deeply.

A: Yeah, and now we can sing a song like this. "You're working hard to be somebody, so believe in yourself"

- Nakata-san wrote a lyric like that because he felt you've grown enough to say a message like this, I guess.

K: So happy to hear that.

A: I'm getting close to tears and I can only say "So happy to hear that"

- Alright, let's get back to topics of the tracks. What do you mean by "Chou Rai Rin"?

A: Yeah, it makes you think like that naturally. We also thought this must have been a Chinese word when we looked at the title. But when we asked Nakata-san about that after the recording, he just told us like "Huh? There's no meaning for this" And we went like "What the hell!? There's no meaning for this!?"

N: Well, I also thought this must have been Chinese definitely, so I tried Chinese-ish pronunciation. Then I was told there's no meaning for this, I was so embarrassed, LOL!!

- Vibration of "Chou Rai Rin" sounded nice, I guess.

K: There're some words people keep using without knowing their actual meanings, right? Like words that sound nostalgic to adults but new to kids. I found this song interesting because that kind of play is put in this song.

- "Tenku" made me cry, especially the lyrics.

N: This made me cry, too! I'd like everyone to listen to the lyric of the 2nd verse!

A: Yes! Because Nakata-san often writes the most important things in the 2nd verse! LOL!!

K: For him, 1st verses are to explain, LOL!!

N: Therefore, I felt this is a message song for the younger generations, rather than for ourselves.

- You mean telling like "You can fly high like we did!", rather than telling to yourselves?

K: The world-view the song describes is so bright and shinning. But I felt this song sings about the past to look back, rather than the future waiting ahead.

A: It's kind of nostalgic. I've heard Nakata-san put various old stuffs in this song, such as old materials and sounds he used to use. That might be why it sounds nostalgic.

K: This song is like Updating ourselves including the pas.

- I wouldn't have been surprised if 3 of you had sung a song like this a few years ago, but I'd say it has more meanings to be sung by your present selves.

A: That's such a straightforward song. But I don't feel embarrassing at all when I sing this song.

- I don't know why, but it seems you've received more songs with "Kanji (Chinese Character)" titles.

N: I found it interesting. LOL!!

K: Nakata-san actually told us like "It would be funny if we name the album with Kanji after deciding this song order for the album"

A: From the way he said so, I assumed that he might have named it in that way. "Mugen Mirai" was a pretty surprising title FYI.

K: Nakata-san is good at going close to the border line (*of cool and dumb). I had the same feeling when I received "Laser Beam"

- Exactly. "Dream Fighter" was a thing like that, too

K: But the closer you get to the border line, the bigger impact you can leave to the audiences, don't you think?

- Yeah. But you know what? The album does go close to the border line in various aspects, but this album means more to the people who kept watching Perfume, rather than the people who take one step to move on to a totally new world.

N: Ah, that's exactly what I think, too!

K: So glad to hear that!

- This album is the proof that you've faced Perfume and each other as sincerely as that.

A: Yeah, you're trying to make me cry, I know.

#prfm #prfm_um

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shellfish-honkon · 7 years ago

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Perfume: English Translation of the Interview on Ongaku to Hito 2018.09 (vol.3)

Vol.3

A personal interview for Nocchi

Interview: Nocchi

"The last album was so magnificent that it made us wonder "How far are we going?" So I haven't expected this, it was pretty close.”

- Alright, here's a routine question for Nocchi's personal interview, what have you been up to?

N: For a long time, I've been into watching walkthrough and playthrough of the game plays. But recently, I simply couldn't get satisfied enough only by watching game plays so no I play a video game called "Dead by Daylight" all the time. And this is freaking fun!

- Is it the online game?

N: It is. It's kind of like a scary tag. In the game, there're 1 killer and 4 survivors. If a survivor makes it to escape from the field, the survivor wins. As for a killer, a player will be victorious if they managed to hang the survivors up on the meat hook and kill them. LOL!!

- Wow, that's cruel. LOL!!

N: It is cruel. LOL!! I used to play only a survivor to escape from a killer. But recently, I'm into playing a killer and feel a great pleasant sensation to slash down survivors and hang them up on the hook, LOL!! So recently I slash down people I don't know, LOL!!

- You sound so lively when you talk about it, LOL!! Now, it's time for the main issue, can you give me your impression of the album?

N: I love the every albums we released. And for this album, it updates my love toward the album. I have never expected the album to be something like this. The biggest difference is, this album doesn't have a magnificent atmosphere "COSMIC EXPLORER" had. You can enjoy listening to this as an introduction of present and future of Perfume, I think. It reminded me of "GAME"

- The dynamism the existing albums had is eclipsed in this album.

N: This album is like "The club music you can listen at home", LOL!! That was what I felt.

- Honestly, I haven't expected it to be like this. The album might be made to cuddle to the 3 of you Nocchi, Kashiyuka and A-chan, rather than Perfume, I felt.

N: I was pretty surprised, yes. When "COSMIC EXPLORER" was released, I actually thought like "For the next album, it might be nice to have a bit more plays". It was simply too magnificent. I just wondered, "OMG, how far are we going?" LOL!! Nakata-san might have had that kind of feeling in his mind, maybe?

- So, you didn't expected it to be like this?

N: No. We wondered "Where are we heading next?" and it was actually pretty close. That's what I imagined, LOL!

- The album takes a perspective on growth of each individuals, and what is stood out in the album is stuffs that make listeners feel your natural, or real selves, I would say.

N: That's true. When I listened to it, I felt many songs were sung from a perspective of one who supports the younger generations. We did have that kind of songs in our discography, but now, it's almost like the premise. When we shot the MV of "Let Me Know", we had 3 girls as extras. About 2nd grade of an elementary school, I think. Then, we started to talk like "Hey, as women of our age, it's not that strange to have a kid of their age, right?", LOL!!! Until that, we regarded them us our young juniors. But after thinking "We could have kids of their age", we somehow felt their age so real, and we quit talking about that, LOL!!

- Hmm, it is true that you have reached an age old enough to be someone's mother.

N: Yes, I really realize it. "I'm about to turn 30, and is this really what I am supposed to do?", I always think like that while playing a video game, LOL!!

- LOL!!!

N: I want be a grownup, but I don't want to at the same time. I've remained to be like that for a long time.

- What do you imagine from the word "grownup"?

N: For me, a grownup is a one who can put others ahead of oneself. And that's totally impossible for me, LOL!!

- So, you're a self-centered person, LOL!

N: I want to play a video game any time I like, so

- You've got to quit talking about video games, LOL!

N: LOL!! I was determined to keep a dog if I would have got to be able to take care of myself.

- So you can't have a dog yet?

N: Nope. So I really think A-chan and Kashiyuka are great because they both have pets, LOL!! They've already got something they've got to protect. Really grownups they are, I really think. For me, I'm preoccupied with the care of myself. I'd rather want someone to protect me, LOL!!

- However, Nocchi's self-centered honesty like that served as a big energy for Perfume to move forward, I believe.

N: No way, I just dream innocently without thinking anything, LOL!! I tell the other 2 things like "Why don't we try this?", "Maybe it'll be alright" and so on, without taking any responsibilities.

- But I believe that rootless confidence, kind of immatureness, you've got is pretty important.

N: Really? Then, I can stay immature for a little while more, LOL!! But when I look at our seniors who make their living with music, I see them act like that. Everyone seems to be so innocent toward music or bands and enjoy what they do. That made me come to think that it's better if you can innocently enjoy what is most important for us, and doing what is precious to you.

- Who are the seniors that made you think like that when you watched them?

N: Hmm, the one popped up into my mind right now is Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. I'd love to enjoy music like they do. And I'm pretty sure I can enjoy this album and upcoming concerts pretty much. I think Nakata-san might have sensed that kind of mindset the 3 of us have right now. Because you know, I enjoy now more than ever!

- What makes you enjoy like that?

N: There's no reason for the fun! LOL!!

- LOL!

N: However, the more I think like that, the more often I come to think like "Ah, this might be the last time to do things like this..." I thought like that when we held "COSMIC EXPLORER" tour as well. Moreover, I sometimes feel the same when I'm at Nakata-san's studio, like "Ah, this might be our last recording..."

- That sounds pretty ephemeral and fragile.

N: The better things go and the closer we become, the more often I come to think like that. Therefore, recently I take everything as a special moment when I do Perfume-related stuffs. I wonder why...

- But that doesn't mean Perfume is in a bad situation, right?

N: No, not at all! We see absolutely no signs of things like disbanding or closing our careers. In fact, after working as Perfume for more than 15 years, I enjoy what I do most now. But the more I feel like that, the more I come to think like "Ah, this might be the last time" Or I might actually try to think like that, I guess.

- So that you can avoid getting too dependent on such atmospheres and relationships?

N: I don't know, but I feel I can regard everyday as something special because of that.

- The growth of the 3, including what you have just mentioned, is leading Perfume to a different stage, I feel.

N: True. I also feel Nakata-san deeply considers about how Perfume of the present is supposed to be watched.

- That was clearly shown in the album.

N: We became more subjective about it by that. We are not the ones who creates lyrics and music, but the ones who are given them. That's our role, right? So we've got to fill our job perfectly and meet the expectation. That has been the reason for us to keep the hard works toward the goals such as Budo-kan concert, Dome concert and World Tours. And since we were told we would challenge a genre called Future Bass, the way of thinking toward making set lists had changed. But for this time, although we weren't instructed concretely, we might be wanted to change ourselves and try something in our initiatives, I thought.

- One thing doesn't change is, you're still playing into Nakata-san's hand, LOL!!

N: That's true. But we find a rewarding sense of satisfaction for it. After all, it's our pleasure to get people to know his music.

- And you also realized that you have become mature and you can express your matureness now, I guess?

N: Exactly! In about 2 months, I'm embarking on a new chapter in woman's life!

- LOL! A new chapter in woman's life!

N: Well, it just came to my mind yesterday. The very next day of my 30th anniversary is the first day of the tour. (* September 21st: Nagano BIG HAT) What is the best word to entertain everyone and when is the best timing to say it? When I thought about it, I just couldn't help getting so thrilled, LOL! Because you know, I've never experienced something like this before.

- So you think you'll keep on standing on a stage for a long time?

N: I do. Recently, some artists such as Namie Amuro and Chatmonchy closed their careers in the forms of retirement or conclusion. When I witnessed them, I thought that their wills are so amazing.

- Will?

N: Yes. Making decisions by themselves, deciding when to conclude by themselves and closing the careers by themselves, for me, that's something extraordinary and I actually feel kind of jealous for them in some part.

- Do you think you girls will be able to do those things like that?

N: I think, we won't decide those things by our own wills. Because you know, after all, we are the ones who kept alive by everyone around us. We often call ourselves as “women of fan-service”, LOL!! If we are wanted, we'll do things people want us to do. And if we find ourselves not wanted anymore in one day, we'll simply close the career. That's it. However, I don't think now is the time for that, not at all.

- Alright. So, how do you think you want Perfume to be like?

N: It's difficult to think how I want..., but personally, I would be delightful if there're more people who start something because they watched Perfume. "I want to make music like this", "I want to make a lighting direction like this", "I want to make a radio show like this" or whatever it can be.

- I see.

N: And nowadays, anyone can deliver one's own production easily. So I'd like everyone to try anything they want.

- Like "I start this job because of Perfume" or "I make up my mind to be like this because of Perfume" and things like that?

N: That would be my pleasure. A 30-year-old woman is going to hustle if I hear those stuffs, LOL!! It can be anything. "I start uploading game play videos because Nocchi might watch them!" will do, for example, LOL!!

- LOL!!

N: I'll go like "Gimme the URL!", LOL!! Or it can be "I start playing "Dead by Daylight"!" What makes us delighted is that our existence can serve as someone's motivation to start something.

- You mean things like that will be food of yours.

N: Yes. It's like when I hear things like that are happening, I can feel as if Perfume is alive at so many different places. I feel as if Perfume is keep living there.

- I see.

N: And one more thing, I'd like to meet everyone's expectations. That's pretty important to me. Therefore, I've got to be a wonderful person so that I can stay wanted.

- But you ARE wonderful.

N: Then I'll become even more wonderful! One more thing, I'd like to make our concerts more entertaining, like Cirque du Soleil.

- That's some magnificent goal in a different way, LOL!!

N: "Reframe" was such a fun. I felt that it opened a new door for us, so I'd like to perform performances interacting with technologies more. I also think we'd like to increase opportunities for people to watch performances like that live.

- So you don't have any anxieties for anything.

N: No. We strongly feel loves from our fans and we don't have any anxieties for our physical conditions so we can keep dancing for a while. I'll keep working hard to meet those expectations.

#prfm #prfm_um

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shellfish-honkon · 7 years ago

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Perfume: English Translation of the Interview on Ongaku to Hito 2018.09 (vol.2)

Vol. 2

A personal interview for Kashiyuka

Interview: Kashiyuka

Since I've been through so many things until here, I feel like I'm invincible, or I'm not scared of anything, I should say. I simply enjoy the present time so much, LOL!

- First thing first, can I ask you about your impression of the album?

K: I was surprised by the very bright atmosphere. When I received the master sound source, he wrote a message to us saying "First, I would like you to listen the whole album without looking at the music order. Do not read the music order before you listen"

- I guess he wanted you to face the album as neutrally as you can.

K: Moreover, "Listen through the audio system of the highest quality you can get. No PC is allowed"

- So he was pretty particular about the acoustic elements.

K: And furthermore, "If you don't have a nice audio system, then don't listen to it", LOL!! I thought like, hey what kind of sound source is that? I was surprised that Nakata-san said things like that.

- If I were told things like that, I would feel pretty nervous when I press play, LOL!!

K: I hadn't received any requests or orders like that before, so I thought "I see, this is something" I was pretty conscious when I took the first listen.

- I know, you must have been very curious what would the complete album be like.

K: Therefore, I started listening without reading anything. So I didn't know he put an instrument track "Start-Up" for the 1st song. The moment I listened to it, I felt as if I started to walk toward a new world, just like the beginning of a story of a fairy tale. I was so thrilled by that.

- I know what you mean. Unlike the 1st tracks of your last albums, it doesn't have that magnificent kind of atmosphere.

K: Then, what came next was "Future Pop" I was pretty surprised like "What? Did he bring this for the 2nd track?" But when I listened to it, I felt so glad that I was moved to tears. In the past, I had goosebumps when I listened to a cool song, or got moved when I listened to a song that made me wistful inside. But for this time, I somehow felt delightful. I felt as if I was told "You'll have bright future waiting for you from now on"

- That might be true. Personally, this album seems to cuddle to the past and the future of Perfume.

K: The world view of "COSMIC EXPLORER" was full of powerfulness and a sense of tension of breaking new ground in uncharted universe and future. It was so magnificent, you know?

- And it could be identified with Perfume of that era. It seemed as if the album encouraged the 3 of you who were about to step into an unknown world, including the world tour.

K: This album is totally opposite of that magnificence. It's so soft and gentle, and filled with happiness, I felt.

- That's true. It might be close to a view the 3 of you watching right now. The lyrics are pretty real and it seems as if it's for the girls who are about to reach the next big-zero, or the start of the new chapter I should say...

K: Aha, you're talking about us turning 30's? LOL!!

- ...It seems as if it tells these ladies like "You've come this far, and you can go even further from now on"

K: Yeah, and I'm so glad about that. If you listen to each singles separately, you can sense that coolness and wistfulness. But when you listen to the whole album, even those songs are dragged to the bright world view this album possesses.

- That's what is different from the magnificence of "COSMIC EXPLORER"

K: I felt as if the album lightly ran through us without losing its brightness at all.

- The other thing I noticed, the number of sounds used in the album is pretty limited, right?

K: Yes. Moreover, in some parts of the tracks, some nostalgic sounds are used. You can tell if you listen to new tracks recorded in the album. If you are a longtime fan who knows old Perfume songs, the sounds used behind the melodies would make you feel like "Oh, it sounds kinda nostalgic" And for younger generations on the other hand, it might sound as a new sound.

- I thought Nakata-san sent Perfume a message on that point as well.

K: When we started to perform Techno Pop for the first time, all we could say about the music was "It sounds like a sound of video games" But after experiencing so many things, now I feel nostalgic and my heart twinges when I listen to this kind of sound. Somehow I can feel warmth within the sound.

- And you feel it in digital sounds that are supposed to be impersonal and cold, right?

K: Exactly. It's strange, but really amazing.

- In "Future Pop", you sing "The future is bright" But in the album, the path you 3 have walked is also illustrated, not only the future. That might be the reason you felt so.

K: Soundly accepting our past when we move forward, rather than cutting it off, I see. So for me, this album is pretty close to "Reframe" we performed the other day. Reconstructing the elements we have possessed for a long time and adding our latest elements into them to create something new. I really, really enjoy doing it.

- Wow, you sound so confident.

K: How should I say...? Since I've been through so many things until here, I feel like I'm invincible, or I'm not scared of anything, I should say. I simply enjoy the present time so much, LOL!

- LOL! I know that's the mindset you 3 have right now. So let me dare to ask you, what's the difference between the present and the past?

K: In the past, everything was a challenge for us. And we also had a stronger sense of vocation and pressure to be accepted and get more people to listen to our music. But now, we have arrived at the state of mind like "If people with whom we can understand each other understand us, we're just happy"

- But does that mean you go defensive and play it safe?

K: Oh, I don't think so. It's pretty difficult to update a vivid impression of a thing you felt when you met it for the very first time, no matter what you met. It's same for us and people might get confused to see us doing something different from ourselves of that time. And some people would definitely feel that our music doesn't fit their taste anymore. I also feel things like that toward other bands sometimes. But in any field, you just can't keep doing the same stuff and you've got to make changes. I'd like to create something that we can proudly say "This is what we enjoy most and makes us happy", even if our change is not accepted. I'd like to tell that to others and it would be my pleasure if we could understand each other.

- Extremely speaking, you prefer sharing deep understandings with people who have love for Perfume, rather than getting unstable acceptance from many and unspecified audiences?

K: Hmm..., maybe? I'm not sure. I feel really strange. As you know, we've been working for a long time since we were young and back then, we thought the longer we continued our activities, the bigger our anxiety would grow. We also believed that it would get more and more difficult to import elements of newer generations while maintaining our original policies at the same time, but actually we find it's getting less and less difficult to do so. We had never imagined us greeting like "3 of us together, we are Perfume!" at the age of almost 30 years old, but we actually do it, LOL!!

- LOL!!

K: It's getting more and more fun. Even if what we do get old, we think we can present the fun of the oldness.

- That means you think you don't necessarily have to be cutting-edge?

K: People around us can judge whether we're cutting-edge or not, LOL!! Now we can proudly express "What we enjoy most, what gets us excited most right now is this!"

- In the early days, I saw you struggling to meet the expectation of the surrounding, rather than pursuing what you'd like to do?

K: We don't have that kind of difficulties anymore nowadays. It would be our pleasure if we could get more people to listen to our music and we would love to meet the expectations. But our feeling behind it is more like "We'd like to make your life bright with our music", rather than "We'd like to get more people to love our music" So, it's more like we'd like to cuddle to everyone's lives, not that we'd like everyone to understand us.

- Now I see that your perspective has changed. This is something I told you in the joint interview, the girls in the MV...

K: Oh, you mean "Let Me Know"?

- Yes, exactly. In that MV, there are small girls who look like the projections of your old selves. It indicates that you're already in a position to pass something onto those people.

K: Like, this is how we have been through until now, and I believe you can do it, too, right? It's our pleasure if I could be a little help for those people..., hey, isn't it amazing that I can say things like this? LOL!! Wow, people can change! LOL!!

- Yeah, I've heard you saying like that for recent 3 years, LOL!!

K: Right. So, it's never too late in whatever you do. Nothing can get started if you just give up and say things like "This is who I am so..." And once you get started, you'll notice a more important thing.

- The more important thing?

K: Yes, once you get noticed about that, you can start to think things more lightly like "Alright, let's just give it a try!" even the things you feel pressure and anxiety to do and hesitate to try.

- Hmm, that's true.

K: I thought I was a kind of person who lacked an ability to take action, and was nervous and tended to get distressed over so many things. But recently, my friends tell me like "You know what, Yuka-chan? You're pretty active", LOL!

- LOL!

K: Yeah, and I actually became more active. For example, last year I heard my friends talking "On this weekend, I'm going to go and ride on a drift ice", and I immediately went like "Ah, I'm free on this weekend! I wanna go, so, I will go, too!" LOL!! I've gained the instantaneous force, or activeness I should say, to follow a friend who is up to something I can never imagine doing. Taking fancy ideas like that into action can make your life more enjoyable.

- Such attitude might influence your mindset toward Perfume, I guess.

K: It did, actually, in a good way. Now I don't take things too seriously. After my teenage and 20's, the big 3-zero is just ahead of me right now. Since I've spent my most sensitive ages working on a job like this, I have a tons of anxieties and sorrows I felt in those days. But now I feel all of them were beneficial for me and none of them were a waste.

- That's so true.

K: When I look back from now, I can understand that A-chan and Nocchi were feeling the same back then. But the time helped us forgive each other and we become even closer than we used to be. I really love the 2, not only their good part but including everything such as tough things and sad memories. As we had so many obstacles to get over, we became much closer now and the bonds between us became much stronger.

- I feel your growth like that is projected to this album. As if it's trying to tell us what you have been doing has not been mistaken.

K: I feel this brightness the album possesses is the answer for it. I'm really delightful if Nakata-san actually senses that.

- From my point of view, Nakata-san always senses things like that.

K: Isn't that amazing? We only meet when we have recording or the meeting for the album releases. We never see each other unless the CD release or recording is confirmed. But still, he sensitively gets a scent of each members or the changes of Perfume. He must be genius!

- That's simply because of his pure love, I believe.

K: He started to explain his music by words more and more, like he did when we released "If you wanna" Now I believe he regards us as people who can communicate, LOL!! In the early days, we were like "We won't miss any single word coming out of his mouth!!!", LOL!! But recently, he speaks us more about music and I think that's because now we can have casual conversations.

- That means you became a grownup.

K: I guess I took one step toward the grownup. Now I don't think about "I wanna be a grownup, I don't wanna be a grownup" and things like that. I felt "Ah, I actually became a grownup" since I quit categorizing things as "child" and "grownup"

- I see.

I realize my motivation in life is to be needed by others, regardless whether they're children or grownups. If I'm wanted, I can work harder for it. So, it's like, now Perfume doesn't belongs to the 3 of us alone. Perfume is more like a living system we create with various people, LOL!!

- LOL!! A living system named Perfume!

K: Therefore, each one of them affects Perfume and helps it transform. Though it might be the 3 of us who announce ourselves as Perfume, it is the living system created by our staffs we've worked with, our fans, friends and so many other people, LOL!!

- And it will transform itself by taking the feelings of so many people into considerations, I see.

K: Even things like that are not definite. Now it's becoming something without fixed shapes or styles. And that's exactly why I feel we can do anything now.

#prfm #prfm_um

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shellfish-honkon · 7 years ago

Text

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.

#prfm #prfm_um

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