Full Interview Transcript
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In 2025, Miku returned to Europe for a solo performance, but this time four members will be appearing together on a European stage again after many years. Miku, how did you describe the European audience and atmosphere to the other members?
Ah, I see. Well, yes.
The reception exceeded our expectations. So many people had been waiting for us. When I performed here solo, I felt such warmth. I’m really looking forward to being able to share that feeling with the other members.
And for the rest of the band, what were you most hoping to experience firsthand when returning to Europe together?
It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Twelve years. This is our first European show in twelve years.
How should I put it…? I want to see even more passion than we did last time.
“You don’t just want it… You’re demanding it from them.”
“Yeah, well…”
There’s a big difference between Japan and other countries. The energy and atmosphere at live shows are different. Returning to Paris after so long, I hope we can once again experience the unique way our fans support us here, something we can’t experience in Japan.
We’ll give it our all, and we hope everyone enjoys the show.
We were given this opportunity thanks to all the Cafekkos and visual kei fans here. We want to show our gratitude and make this a concert that people are glad they attended and that was truly worth the wait.
An Cafe was one of the bands that played an important role in the growth of visual kei in Europe during the 2000s. As you return to Paris for B7KLAN’s 20th anniversary, are there any memories or experiences from your earlier European activities that you feel still shape your relationship with the fans here today?
Although we’ve been apart for a long time, we’ve remained connected, and people kept waiting for us. I don’t think that bond has changed. We’ve always considered our fans family, and that feeling remains the same.
For the new music video for “Cherry Saku Yuuki!!”, you returned to the same location where the original video had been filmed sixteen years earlier. Which elements did you deliberately want to preserve from that time, and which parts did you want to reinterpret in a way that represents An Cafe today?
With the camera work and effects, we drew inspiration from the original era to recreate a similar atmosphere.
Um… For me, the goal was simply to show who I am now, so I chose the costume and hairstyle I wanted.
My appearance has changed. It depends on whether I’m wearing this or not, so it gives me a slightly different look.
We re-recorded the same song but made small changes, including some of the playful acting we used to do. It’s nostalgic, but not exactly the same. Those subtle changes were really fun.
When we decided to re-record “Cherry Saku Yuuki!!”, we knew the fans would be eager to hear how it turned out. Recording it in the same place was exciting for us too. Knowing that the fans would be even more excited and eager to hear it made it special for us as well.
Sharing that excitement as we all grow older together… That felt really special.
Since December 2025, much of your earlier catalogue has once again become available on streaming platforms. Aside from the most obvious signature songs, which track would you choose to introduce a new generation to the full range of An Cafe’s music, and what side of the band does that song reveal?
There’s a song called “1/2”. It has a kind of country feel, and it’s quite unique. There aren’t many songs like it in our catalogue.
Personally, one lesser-known song I really like is “Darling”. It’s really cute, and I love its vibe.
For me, it’s “Meguriaeta Kiseki”. Even though it’s an album track, it’s a song that made us cry together with our fans back then. We’re performing it today, and I feel it will still move us. It’s a song we can always cry to together.
There’s a song called “Daybreak”, and I really like its lyrics. They really speak to me now. I relate to them, and I think they’ll resonate especially with adults. I’d love for people to listen to it.
At B7KLAN, there will be fans who have followed An Cafe for many years, as well as people discovering the band for the first time. With limited performance time at a festival, which song or moment do you consider essential for communicating the true character of An Cafe to both audiences?
I see… I think it’s about the feelings behind the music. Every band’s songs are inherently different, you know? Our songs are definitely different from those of other bands. How should I put it…?
It’s about the feelings we bring to the stage. I don’t want any other band to surpass us in passion. I want to draw people in with that passion.
When we first performed overseas, a local staff member kept saying this to us: “Positive power.”
I thought, “I see. That’s our strength.” I hope we can show that today too: positive power.
I want to have more fun than anyone, show that to others and make sure they enjoy themselves too. That’s basically it.
Even if people who don’t know us are watching, if they see me having fun, they’ll probably think we’re doing something fun too. I’ll do my best so that many people say, “An Cafe was fun!”
What I want to convey is the same for those who have been waiting for An Cafe for a long time and those seeing us for the first time today. Ultimately, I want us all to smile and feel happy together.
Positive power!
Choreography, call-and-response and singing together with the audience are important parts of an An Cafe concert. Is there a particular song, movement or interaction that you are especially looking forward to discovering whether European fans still remember?
In the song we mentioned earlier, “Cherry Saku Yuuki!!”, there’s a part where everyone chants, “H, He, Li, Be, B, C, N, O, F, Ne” (“Sui He Ri Be Boku no Fune”), and I wondered if they would do it.
But earlier, when I was in the DJ area, we played a few songs. I actually played about three songs that we aren’t performing today, and I thought, “Wow, they can sing along to all these songs too! They can sing along to all of them!”
Everyone knew so many of the lyrics, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how well everyone remembers the songs we’re playing today.
Do you have a message for the fans?
So many people have been waiting for us, and we’re truly grateful. Japan and France are far apart, but this became possible because everyone here kept waiting for us.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
