Full Interview Transcript
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Hello everyone, we’re with KOKESHI.
Hello.
So, you almost sold out today’s show. How do you feel?
Wait, what?
You almost sold out. How? What?
Wait, was it sold out?
Congratulations! How does it feel?
To be this well-known in Spain really surprised us.
Yeah, everyone was going wild.
I think it was great.
Thank you. Amazing.
For fans who don’t know you yet, “KOKESHI” is the name of a doll, right? A traditional doll? Why did you choose that name?
Yeah, because we like kokeshi dolls.
Yeah, we really do.
Yeah, and there was a shop nearby.
There was a shop called “Kokeshi-ya” near the studio where we always practise, and we thought it sounded nice.
Oh, I see. Thank you.
So, this is your first time in Europe, right? Do you have plans for tours in Japan or America after Europe?
Well, at the moment, there are no plans for a tour.
We’re currently working on our next album.
Once the next album comes out, we’re thinking about doing various tours.
We’re going to Korea too, right?
Oh, that’s right. Although it’s more of a one-off show than a tour.
We’re planning to go to Korea around September this year.
Amazing. Congratulations.
So, what kind of lyrics does KOKESHI have? What are KOKESHI’s lyrics like?
For KOKESHI’s lyrics, first, the guitarist and I work out the concept and worldview together.
Then I take the world he has imagined and flesh it out a little more in my own words. That’s basically how I write the lyrics.
I think about them and write them that way. Whenever I write lyrics, I share them with Adel, saying, “This is what I made.”
Sharing the lyrics sometimes gives us ideas about how to change the music, so I think we create while sharing a lot.
Thank you. So, when you make music, does he handle everything?
Or… Ah, he’s the director.
I’m not sure how to put it. He creates the initial melodies and overall structure for each song.
He basically leads the whole composition.
Thanks. Since time is short, I’ll ask something we ask everyone.
You know the snacks “Kinoko no Yama” and “Takenoko no Sato”, right?
Takenoko no Sato?
Yeah. Which one do you prefer?
Which one?
Well, of course… Why are we talking about Kinoko no Yama and Takenoko no Sato now?
It seems like most people are choosing Takenoko lately.
Really? Then I’ll go with Kinoko no Yama.
I prefer…
I prefer Takenoko.
Thanks. It looks like Takenoko is going up.
Are there any artists you’d like to perform live with, or any favourite artists?
Recently…
How about Kizu?
No, I’m not really sure…
A joint gig…
Tool, perhaps?
Holding a joint gig with Tool would be a bit…
Would they be up for a joint gig?
Wonderful. Maybe it’s not impossible, right?
If I ever do a joint gig with Tool, that would be the pinnacle of my life in a band, right? It’s not impossible, is it?
Maybe it’s not impossible.
No, that can’t be true.
Artists I want to do a joint gig with?
Or those you don’t really want to.
Oh, that’s a difficult question. Let’s not talk about that.
No, that’s not it.
Maybe Justin Bieber?
Let’s keep that a secret. Well, I don’t mean a huge band like Tool, but recently we did a joint gig with a Japanese band called COCK ROACH.
Connected to that, I really love THE BACK HORN.
I originally played guitar, and the first band I copied as a guitarist and vocalist was THE BACK HORN.
They’re a Japanese rock band. I hope we can do something together someday.
Thank you. We’re running out of time.
You want to hear the meaning of “Reikoku”?
“Reikoku”, the album title.
Yes, yes. What does it mean?
Oh! The camera!
Hey! Stop it.
Cut, cut, cut! It’s okay. This is crazy.
Let’s talk about “Ningen ni Kaeru” and its concept.
Please tell us about it.
Wait, we had a question about that, right? Something like, “What was it inspired by?”
We were inspired quite a lot by Final Fantasy. You know it?
Final Fantasy VII. Characters like Jenova.
Jenova… Something like that.
Yeah.
She’s kind of like Sephiroth’s mother, Jenova, and things like that.
We also took some inspiration from the world of Evangelion for “Ningen ni Kaeru”.
And at first…
I wanted to create those kinds of songs.
So I made it with that image in mind.
For me, when I was told about this song…
I was told to imagine a ruined world where humans were being used in a culture medium.
When I listened to the song, I imagined Ghibli. Do you like Ghibli?
I like that kind of worldview. I wanted to do something like that.
So we talked about wanting to do something like that.
Like Princess Mononoke and Nausicaä.
Yes, I love Nausicaä so much. I like the worldview of Nausicaä. Nausicaä is my favourite Ghibli movie.
I like Princess Mononoke.
The blast section at the beginning, the image of the blast in the song…
It changes humans, right? The blast in the first half is like when the Tatari-gami appears in Princess Mononoke. That kind of feeling.
I imagine the Ohmu from Nausicaä.
The Ohmu are scary, right?
Some people say they’re cute.
Yeah, but…
But wait, what about Porco Rosso?
Why are we changing the subject?
Porco Rosso?
That wasn’t related at all.
Yeah. That’s probably not really related to “Ningen ni Kaeru”.
So, the concept was actually presented to me pretty suddenly.
I was told, “This is the kind of world I want to create.” I thought about it a lot.
I thought, “This feels like Ghibli. It feels like Nausicaä.” That’s how I wrote the lyrics.
Amazing. Everyone, please listen to it.
So, talking about your goals…
I want to become the best vocalist in the world. So, Europe…
I want to reach a level that nobody else can reach.
Through this tour, I learned a lot. I felt that there were things I couldn’t do.
I want to take this European tour experience and move on to the next level.
And what about me? Didn’t I say anything? What was it? I had nothing in particular.
Sorry about that. But I hope we can keep touring like this. I want to continue working overseas too.
Lastly, do you have any message for your fans?
Something to tell the fans?
I have nothing to say to the fans.
We’re just projecting our own nothingness.
I want them to feel that within the music and just listen to it on their own.
Yeah, just enjoy it freely. Some people might want to listen quietly, while others might want to move their bodies or go completely wild.
Oh, you mean live?
Yeah, live…
Well, headphones are fine too.
Thank you for watching the interview.
Thank you, everyone.
Thank you very much.
Bye-bye.
