The band’s cherished desires are presented in their latest single, Safe and Sound
Appearing in both the smartphone game Bandori! Girls Band Party! and the currently airing anime BanG Dream! 2nd Season, Roselia stands out as an authentic band boasting high technical ability. But such an introduction may no longer be needed. This is because the Bandori franchise has expanded into a project that is enjoyed all throughout the world. The real band called Roselia, composed of the five people who voice the characters, has evolved into an indispensable group in the Japanese rock music scene. In this opening feature, they told us about the band’s present location in their own words and focused on their 8th single Safe and Sound, which will be released on February 20th. Witness the band’s new beginning now – 9 months after their first feature and appearance on our cover in June 2018.
This 32-page special feature is a memento of their “first step to the next stage”, as the five of them gaze at their brilliant future.
Eins. Interview with Nakashima Yuki and Shizaki Kanon
Zwei. Bass and Keyboard Equipment Archive
Drei. Interview with Kudou Haruka and Sakuragawa Megu
Vier. Guitar and Drums Equipment Archive
Fünf. Interview with Aiba Aina
Eins.
Interview with Nakashima Yuki [Bass] & Shizaki Kanon [Keyboard]
We’ll get the ball rolling with this long interview with Nakashima Yuki and Shizaki Kanon. These two were entrusted with their roles by their great predecessors, the band’s original members Endou Yurika (B) and Akesaka Satomi (K). What kind of resolution do they have when facing their characters, their instruments, and Roselia’s music?
———2018 must have been a turbulent year for the two of you, as you both joined Roselia during it. How has everything been since then?
Nakashima: Personally, the thing that changed the most is my environment. After all, I have a bass at home, and this urge of needing to play it all the time has sprouted in me (*laughs*). I used to head over to the studio a lot after finishing up a voice recording, but since I joined Roselia I’ve been going there several times a week for bass lessons. It all feels very new. It’s been a very chaotic time, but I’ve enjoyed it so much.
Shizaki: In my case, my life has changed a lot since last summer when I decided to audition for Roselia. I’ve played piano for a long time, but there was a bit of a gap where I didn’t.
———Didn’t you play piano every day when you attended a music college?
Shizaki: I majored in singing in college, but I played for a long time before that. I started to seriously play piano again around the summer of last year. Then, I started taking voice acting lessons right after I passed the audition, but it was my first time doing voice acting work – actually my first time doing any acting work… it was my first experience with a lot of things. That’s why I have so much to absorb, and I feel like I’m studying every day. But I think that playing keyboard and acting and singing are all connected by the concept of “expressiveness”. I feel like the overall quality of my performance can be improved if I can do everything well. Based on that, I feel a sense of accomplishment every single day.
Nakashima: Woah! Amazing~!
Shizaki: Not really… (*laughs*).
———Yukki (Nakashima) has built up a career as a voice actress and entertainer, and Non-chan (Shizaki) studied singing at a professional level at a music college. The circumstances and the paths you’ve followed are different, but I feel like the two of you both have a can-do attitude and a strong sense of motivation that comes out in your activities with Roselia.
Nakashima: Thank you very much. Roselia is a band that’s performance level improves after each and every show. When I joined them, they were already in the process of establishing themselves. Like Kanon-chan, I also had a gap where I didn’t play, so I wondered “will I be okay?” and “will I be able to keep up with them?” and felt some insecurities. But every time I talked with the other members about the set-list or the performance, everyone’s feeling of “wanting to make each show better than the last” really was passed down to me. I’ve wanted to do my best to catch up to them ever since I joined Roselia, and I’ve also started watching more concerts and coming up with my own ideas. It’s an attitude like “everything is a challenge that I will face”.
———Did you have that kind of positive and proactive personality before you entered this industry, back when you were a student?
Nakashima: I wonder where that came from… I was shy and didn’t like to stand up in front of others.
Shizaki: What!?
Nakashima: Yeah, it was like that (*laughs*). That’s why my parents said “we have to do something about her shyness”, enrolled me in an entertainment office, and made me enter this world. So I don’t think I was all that proactive when I was a student. In class, I didn’t even want the teacher to call on me…
Shizaki: I was like that too (*laughs*).
Nakashima: I never raised my hand.
Shizaki: That’s also the same (*laughs*).
———Did your personality change when you started working as an entertainer and voice actress?
Nakashima: My mom says that a lot. “You’ve changed”. “The number of times you’ve said ‘I want to do it’ on your own has really increased”.
Do you feel like you’ve come out of your shell?
Nakashima: Yes. I didn’t notice it myself, but that’s what other people have told me. I didn’t raise my hand in class because it wasn’t something I enjoyed, but doing live performances is something that’s naturally more fun (*laughs*). Seeing the audience react before my eyes makes me happy. It feels like they’re watching me very closely. I want to show everyone that I’ve improved and grown stronger, and I want people to feel that Roselia has become even greater. I’m tackling everything with that perspective.
———Did you also have a quiet personality, Non-chan?
Shizaki: Yeah. I was very reserved and introverted when I was little. But as I became more and more interested in music and other things that I enjoy, I was able to become a little more outgoing.
———And then you went on to enter a music college. Was your major in vocals because you were drawn to expressing yourself through music?
Shizaki: That’s right. I’ve always had this desire to express myself on stage and inspire the audience and fans. Roselia’s activities range from voice and stage acting to musical production and concert performances. It’s a wide variety, but it’s fun and exciting because I’ve never done anything like it before. My motivation is really burning brightly. Besides, Shirokane Rinko-chan (the character Shizaki portrays in the franchise) is the type to get very into the sound and the music when she plays instead of putting on an energetic performance. I’ve also kept in mind to express her elegance.
———Nevertheless, I was astonished by the scene at Vier on November 7th at Shinagawa Stellar Ball – where Non-chan was introduced. I wondered “who’s this talented pianist?”.
Nakashima: Yeah, it was really impactful! When I heard the idea “let’s introduce Non-chan by doing this kind of scene”, for some reason I was like “woah!” (*laughs*).
———It’s the highest level of surprise (*laughs*).
Nakashima: But it’s a lot of pressure, isn’t it? When I stood on stage for the first time at BanG Dream! 5th☆ LIVE Day 2: Roselia -Ewigkeit-, it was like I appeared during the last chorus in BLACK SHOUT and just played that. But to think that Kanon-chan would play all of a sudden like that… (*laughs*). Your solo there was around seven minutes in total, wasn’t it?
Shizaki: It was. A medley of Roselia songs performed as a piano solo (*laughs*).
But I think that playing keyboard and acting and singing are all connected by the concept of “expressiveness”. Based on that, I feel a sense of accomplishment every single day. (Shizaki)
———And it was a medley with a classical arrangement. It moved me to tears.
Nakashima: And right after she finished playing that long medley, everyone played LOUDER, with just a short MC break for us to introduce ourselves in between…. I was surprised by Kanon-chan’s strong resolve as we played together.
———From our perspective, you’re also held in the same regard (*laughs*). Vier was essentially your first full show after all. Even so, you charmed everyone with your confident performance and your strong bass playing. And from that, it flowed into the piano solo. The showing at Shinagawa Stellar Ball was really incredible.
Nakashima: It sure was. All of us felt like our heads were going to explode. But I really wanna know how I can get my own mentality to be as strong as Kanon-chan’s! (*laughs*).
Shizaki: Ah, ohh… what should I say… (*laughs*). At the very least, I feel like successfully getting through that piano solo was the first step to getting Roselia’s fans to accept me. Surely, if I could play the solo all the way through without making any mistakes, they would have to approve of me. That’s the kind of enthusiasm I had when I faced that challenge.
Nakashima: Woah!
Shizaki: Even though she reacted like that, Yukki was also very prepared for that concert.
———In a previous interview, Meguchii (Sakuragawa) and Kudoharu (Kudou) both said “the young team has a high level of vitality”.
Nakashima: “The young team” (*laughs*). When I first met Kanon-chan, she told me that she had no voice acting experience and had never really been on a big stage before, so she wondered if it would turn out alright. I really understand that state of mind. When I first got up on stage, the sense of duty – the feeling of “I have to do this” – was stronger than the feeling of “I’ll enjoy this”. So I was a little worried about whether she’d be able to withstand that pressure. But when we all practiced together for the first time, I looked over at Kanon-chan and thought “ah, she’ll be totally fine” (*laughs*).
Shizaki: Eh, really?
Nakashima: It’s like… when I met Meguchii at my first band rehearsal, I was so nervous that I could only play for around 30 seconds because my hands were shaking so much (*laughs*). On the other hand, Kanon-chan has been playing impressively since her very first rehearsal with us. I thought her resolve and mentality were strong in that regard as well. Then at the real performance, Kanon-chan went on stage with her keyboard. The four of us were watching her on the monitor as we got changed backstage. And we were saying things like “oh my god! Kanon-chan’s heading out!” and “you can do it! You’ve got this!”. But she played so well that we didn’t need to worry about her, and she gave good responses during the MC… I thought it was really amazing. So I’m not all that worried about her anymore (*laughs*).
Shizaki: It’s because all the members gave me a lot of support. When I met Yukki for the first time, she immediately invited me out to eat. They all offered me emotional support and it felt like they were making an effort to get close to me. That helped me relax and eased my anxiety and the strange tension I felt. I felt like “all the others are doing their best, so I should be able to too”.
———When you joined Roselia, did either of you have any kind of enthusiasm or ambition? Meguchii once said “Yukki’s bass play fills me with strength and gets me excited”.
Nakashima: Eh, gets her excited…? I didn’t even notice anything like that, and I wasn’t even trying to (*laughs*). Didn’t Roselia spend more time building up the band before we joined…? Because I joined the way I did, I thought I had to approach playing bass with both a feeling of “I’ve gotta catch up” and “I’ve gotta do better”. For example, if Kudoharu goes towards the audience during a show, I feel like “I’ve gotta do the same thing on my side and get everyone pumped”. That kind of performance might have gotten the others excited. I’d be happy if that’s the case.
Shizaki: I’m trying to match Shirokane Rinko’s growth within the story while also staying conscious of Akesaka-san’s play-style. I’m keeping those things in mind as I try to get better bit by bit.
———That kind of polite tone is just what you’d expect from the student council president. It’s very Shirokane Rinko (*laughs*).
Shizaki: She unexpectedly became the student council president in the second season of the anime, huh (*laughs*).
Nakashima: I was surprised by that story development. From now on, you’ll need to do your best as president (*laughs*). And as Lisa (Imai Lisa/the character Nakashima portrays in the franchise)… maybe I’ll add a gyaru discount for our concerts (*laughs*).
———Could you say that again in Lisa’s tone of voice? (*laughs*). Since we’re already talking about the anime, its ending theme song is your new single Safe and Sound which will release on February 20th. What were your first impressions when you heard the song?
Nakashima: I thought that Safe and Sound was a kind of song that Roselia had never done before. At the same time, I thought “I’m gonna… play this? The time has come!?” (*laughs*). Up until now, Roselia has had a lot of intense and high-tempo songs, but Safe and Sound has a mellow and clean feeling to it. I need to play each and every note carefully. That’s the kind of difficulty it has. It’s the first time such a calm and beautiful song has been used as the title track of one of our singles. Meguchii, Kudoharu, and Aiai (Aiba) have all said “I’m excited to see what kind of reaction it’ll get”.
Shizaki: I thought Safe and Sound would be difficult to play live because its tempo is similar to that of a ballad. Like Yukki said, Roselia has had many fast-paced songs. That’s why I felt like Safe and Sound was created to match the growth of the band.
———I thought that as well. It seems like the music composition team is creating songs that match real Roselia while also adding in even higher hurdles.
Nakashima: Agematsu-san (Noriyasu Agematsu) from Elements Garden always comes to our shows. Ah, after the last concert, he told me “the way you play the bass is very boyish, regardless of your appearance” (*laughs*).
———That’s the kind of presence you have. When you say things like “ramen is a drink”, that’s also quite boyish (*laughs*).
Nakashima: I wonder if I really said that~ (*laughs*). But yeah, ramen and curry are drinks!
Shizaki: Drinks!? Well, I guess I do have the impression that you eat a lot (*laughs*).
Nakashima: And really fast too (*laughs*).
Didn’t Roselia spend more time building up the band before we joined…? Because of that, I’ve felt like “I’ve gotta catch up” and “I’ve gotta do better”. (Nakashima)
———Back on topic – this song doesn’t emphasize speed; it has a relaxed tempo. You can hear that in the piano part in the intro. I wondered if it was arranged this way because Non-chan joined.
Shizaki: I would be grateful if that’s the case, but I’m also a little nervous because the only instrument playing at that point is the piano. Ever since I received the song, I’ve been practicing and focusing on being able to play it in a way that gives off Shirokane Rinko’s energy.
———You’d been playing piano for 12 years when you joined Roselia. Based on that, does this song fall into an easier category for you?
Shizaki: I played classical piano for a long time. But the keyboard I use in the band is completely different from a classical piano…. To put it in extreme terms, what is important for classical piano is your own rhythm and the emotions within you. It’s essentially my first time to play in a band like Roselia where I can’t afford to get out of rhythm. It also feels very difficult to match my sound with the rest of the band and to keep the tempo. There’s also no synth in Safe and Sound, but I started using one of those after I joined Roselia, so it has given me a fresh perspective on keyboards.
———It was mentioned earlier that every note is important for bass play, and the bass line changes before the last chorus.
Nakashima: I was surprised by that the first time I heard it. I thought “oh, if you listen closely, you can tell the bass moves quite a bit” (*laughs*). But the song hadn’t been finalized at that point. Even so, when I listened to the final version, the bass was moving all around during the chorus. I’d already… prepared myself for that moment (*laughs*). The rhythm is slow, so I can’t slip out of the right tempo. I mean, I shouldn’t get out of sync in fast songs either, but I can usually correct myself if it happens during one of those. If something like that happens with a slower song, it stands out a lot more. If I can’t play so that the ensemble stays together, then it falls apart and the song itself won’t work. Based on that, I think it’s a different brand of difficulty than normal.
———When the song reaches the ending chorus, the bassline and drums intertwine and it feels very emotional. It highlights the rhythm section.
Nakashima: It’s something everyone’s gonna listen for, oh no that’s bad (*laughs*).
———The lyrics reference “a clear and passionate sound”.
Nakashima: They do…. I’ll do my best so you can hear that “clear and passionate sound”.
———What about the coupling song PASSIONATE ANTHEM?
Nakashima: The BPM is 195, so the first thing that needs to be said is “it’s fast” (*laughs*). Roselia has a lot of songs with a BPM higher than 190.
Shizaki: It is fast. But I think the melody is very beautiful. It feels a little classical because there’s a symphonic element to the intro.
Nakashima: PASSIONATE ANTHEM also has lots of unexpected parts.
Shizaki: The section that everyone sings in the second verse is very striking.
Nakashima: I remember recording for that part. I recorded a bunch of different takes with different pitches for the melody and other parts. I used to have the impression that Minato Yukina sang the main song alone and then the other members sang in the harmony to add flair. The more recent songs instead have an impression that everyone is singing together. BRAVE JEWEL (released December 12th, 2018) had solo parts for everyone and it was arranged so that we all sang at the end. It feels like the aim of our vocal arrangement or our musical tendencies are changing.
———Do you ever request things like that from the composition team?
Nakashima: The members of Elements Garden are familiar with both us and the members of 2D Roselia, so none of us have ever requested anything. Ah, but Meguchii does request “please add a little more to the drum part” a lot (*laughs*).
———I can picture that scene (*laughs*). But it seems like it’s going to be a particularly difficult song for the instrument team to play while singing during an actual performance.
Nakashima: It’s gonna make me lose my mind (*laughs*). But I’ve already experienced that kind of challenge. During my solo vocal part in BLACK SHOUT, the rhythm of the lyrics and the music are completely different. I had trouble figuring it out at first, and I learned for the first time how difficult it is to play while singing something. As they keep adding more singing parts to the songs, I’ll have to listen carefully to the bass rhythm and the song’s rhythm.
———Did the way you listen to music change after you joined Roselia?
Nakashima: I guess so. Even when I listen to other music casually, I’m curious about stuff, like where they add attack and accents with the drums. I used to only listen to the lyrics and the melody, but now I’m actively listening for all sorts of sounds. When I listen to this single again with that point of view… it’s a song with many high hurdles (*laughs*).
Shizaki: I’m currently in the process of practicing the songs to get them ready for our live performance, but it does seem like the difficulty level of Roselia’s songs keeps getting higher and higher.
———BanG Dream! 7th☆LIVE has been scheduled for February 21st and will take place at the Nippon Budokan. What are your current feelings about that?
Nakashima: We’re all approaching it with the aim of “doing our best even if it kills us”.
Shizaki: Right, even if it does (*laughs*).
Nakashima: The other three have also said “this is a new challenge for Roselia”, so we’ve really got to “do our best even if it kills us” (*laughs*). We won’t actually die, but we’ll act as though we will.
Shizaki: We’ll push ourselves to the brink of death (*laughs*).
Nakashima: Maybe all the fans who have been supporting Roselia so far are thinking “huh!!?” in shock at what we’re saying. There’s a small part of me that’s also been wondering if we can really pull it off (*laughs*). That’s the extent of what we’ve been talking about. I’ve been practicing really hard so I can match everyone else, so I really hope you’ll look forward to seeing it.
Shizaki: I think it’ll be a performance that carries an air of nervousness, but in a good way.
Nakashima: Ah, well, for Kanon-chan, this full performance will be…
Shizaki: Yeah, it’ll be my first one. I made my debut at Shinagawa Stellar Ball last year in November, but I’ve been thinking about approaching this Budokan performance as a second debut.
Nakashima: I’ve memorized something like 10 songs since I joined the band, but as the number of songs I can commit to memory increases, the number of original songs does too. And in that respect, Kanon-chan has more songs to learn than I do…. Yeah, it makes sense that the two of us feel like we have no choice but to “do our best even if it kills us”.
Shizaki: It’s pretty nuts, isn’t it? (*laughs*).
Nakashima: Yeah, it is. Let’s do our best even as we say “this is nuts, this is crazy” (*laughs*)
Zwei.
The latest equipment the pair uses to express the brilliant future
“When you compare it to the Lisa model that is currently on-sale, you can see that the pickups and control knobs have been changed and a finger-ramp has been added. Yurishii-san changed it to match her specifications in a couple different ways. It’s been about 8 months since I inherited it from her, but I haven’t added any new customizations to it so far. But speaking of aspects that did change for me, Yurishii-san preferred pick-style, but I play finger-style, so I adjusted some of the effector settings to match my style better. I’m still amazed by the lightness and playability of the BTL, just as much as I was when I first held it.” (Nakashima)
ESP BTL ROSELIA LISA
Although she previously used a BTL with the same specifications as the commercial model at the Makuhari Messe performance last May (bottom photo), Nakashima has thereafter been using the BTL that she inherited from Endou as her main bass (top photo). Even though its body is built from relatively heavy ash wood, the finished product is an usually lightweight bass. It has been equipped with a Hipshot drop-D tuner and other parts that make it suitable for real performances.
PICKUPS
The BTL she used in the Makuhari Messe performance had Seymour Duncan SSB-4 pickups. In contrast, her current main instrument replaces those with the same company’s custom shop SJB-1s.
CONTROL
The control unit contains ESP’s active circuit “Cinnamon”. The dome-shaped knobs have been modified into flat-top ones with lines for better visibility.
…
“I’ve been using the two units just as Akesaka-san left them, including her tones. Their appearance is also really cute. Akesaka-san decorated them herself. I’ve only ever played classical piano, so things like the delay I can apply to the FA-08’s piano tones and the synth sounds from the JUNO-DS were all new to me. The feel of the keys is similar to a piano, so I was able to start playing without much difficulty. The synth makes sound regardless of how strong the keystrokes are, so I’ve been practicing with that in mind.” (Shizaki)
ROLAND FA-08 & JUNO-DS 61
Shizaki uses a Roland FA-08 (left photo) and JUNO-DS 61 (right photo). The 88-key FA-08 model features an Ivory Feel G keyboard and an escapement that realistically mimics the feel of a grand piano. Therefore Shizaki, who has experience playing the piano, can perform with a familiar style. The other unit, the JUNO-DS, is a synthesizer with a compact and lightweight body and a vast library of stored sounds. It also possesses functions like ‘dual’ and ‘split’.
Drei.
Interview with Kudou Haruka [Guitar] & Sakuragawa Megu [Drums]
Next, we have a long interview with Kudou and Sakuragawa. Beyond simply being a drummer who supports the band’s core and a guitarist who expresses the worldview within their songs, these two also play the role of spokespeople as hosts of a web radio show and come up with ideas for their live performances. What is their perspective of the current Roselia?
———People make resolutions and plans for the upcoming year on New Year’s Day. Do you have any wishes for 2019?
Sakuragawa: My resolution this year is to go out and perform a lot of shows (*laughs*). Don’t you think that’s a great one?
Kudou: It certainly is. I also want to perform a lot of shows, go to a lot of events, and appear on TV again. I want Roselia’s coolness to reach people’s living rooms like that.
Sakuragawa: We want to spread it around more. Both Roselia and Bandori.
———Do you not feel that Roselia has already received pretty wide recognition?
Sakuragawa: I’m thankful that I’ve been able to receive a lot of work because of my attachment to Roselia, but honestly speaking, my stance of “working hard to practice my instrument” hasn’t changed at all since we began.
Kudou: We practice as hard as we can and rehearse with everyone, like “this is fun~!”, or something like that. When it’s over, we all go out to eat (*laughs*).
———Nearly two and a half years have passed since Roselia was formed, but that’s one thing that has remained constant (*laughs*).
Kudou: Oh yeah, it’s been that long already.
Sakuragawa: You don’t feel more like “god, it’s only been that long”? It feels like I’ve known these people for more like ten years, so hearing that it’s only been two and a half is amazing.
Kudou: It feels that long because so much has happened, but it does feel like we’ve come so far in such a short time. We’ve had concerts at big venues, been on TV, and been chosen to be on the covers of magazines.
Sakuragawa: We’ve been rushing forwards at breakneck speed during these two and a half years.
Kudou: It’s been a densely packed time.
Sakuragawa: We take it one day at a time and make sure to feel the weight that each day carries.
Kudou: If the interval between our shows is long and empty, won’t we end up slacking off? So even if we don’t have a concert coming up, all of us go out to eat or to just hangout, and we talk about stuff like “hey, I’ve been slacking off lately” or “let’s try something like this next time we rehearse”.
Sakuragawa: That’s what Roselia is like. What’s that called, that expression…? Not “excessively self-conscious”… It’s “excessively something something”.
Kudou: Do you mean “excessively trying to seem interesting”?
Sakuragawa: Yeah, that! (*laughs*)
Kudou: “Excessively self-conscious” means the exact opposite of that (*laughs*). We’re “excessively trying to seem interesting” by being stoic.
Sakuragawa: What you just said was very Roselia. 10 points!
———Score! This talk is with the golden duo, who work as hosts of the web radio show Roselia’s RADIO SHOUT. Speaking of that, it seems like you’ve been in the studio at least once a week since last summer.
Kudou: I go once a week. But if I happen to have free time that overlaps with the other members’ free time, we go in and say “let’s rent some instruments”.
Sakuragawa: Everyone wants to practice together before our shows, so we schedule time for everyone to meet on our own. I remember when Roselia started.
Kudou: Yeah. It felt like “we won’t be ready for the club showcase”, so we all scheduled our own time to meet and practice (*laughs*).
———It’s a fact of reality that your songs are getting harder and harder.
Sakuragawa: They sure are…
Kudou: They sure are…
Sakuragawa: If people from GiGS say so, then there’s no doubt.
Kudou: Comparing our recent songs to our early ones, there is definitely a difference in difficulty.
Sakuragawa: I thought it was my imagination. I received the musical score and they told me “do your best, give it your all” same as always, so I thought the degree of difficulty was also going to be the same as always… I feel like I was deceived (*laughs*).
Kudou: But you know, the fact that our songs are getting a little harder is proof that the people in the composition team have been keeping a close eye on our real activities.
Sakuragawa: Yeah, I get that same feeling. With that in mind, we have our new member Non-chan and… I guess I can’t really say she’s still a new member… but Yukki too. It’s important that the two of them had a high level of competence from the get-go.
Kudou: Exactly! Yukki and Non-chan are wonderful.
Sakuragawa: They are doing a terrific job and really working hard. But neither of them shows that side of themselves to others even if they say “I’ll do my best!”.
Kudou: When it came time to change members, someone said something like “they might have a hard time remembering the songs, and might not be able to perform live for a little while”, but they were thinking ahead and said “what if we incorporated the time when we can’t play into a preparation period?”.
Sakuragawa: There was nothing weird about it.
Kudou: But the two of them really worked hard. I try not to keep using the phrase “experienced people” to describe them, but I still thought that those experienced people were amazing. What’s even more amazing about Yukki and Non-chan is that they’re studying Endou-san and Akesaka-san’s live performances to get to know more. That was something that made me really respect both of them.
Sakuragawa: Plus, they happen to match the image of Lisa-nee (Imai Lisa) and Rin-rin (Shirokane Rinko), which is super cool.
———I interviewed them before doing your interview, and neither of them showed any signs that they were feeling put under strong pressure.
Sakuragawa: That’s our Yukki and Non-chan.
Kudou: We’ve also always had a stance of “let’s do things as we like without feeling restricted”. There wasn’t really a lot of “the character is this way, so I definitely should do it this way too”. All we had in mind was that Roselia is “an authentic band that boasts high technical ability”, but that was kind of an exception to the rule. If we get too rigid and tied down to our characters, the fans who are watching us will worry. We want to do shows with our own mentality, with our minds at ease.
Sakuragawa: Hey! You can do it! You’re good at it.
Kudou: Really!? Well, I suppose you can do it too.
Sakuragawa: Right~! That’s what I figured.
Kudou: And Aiai (Aiba) can too.
Sakuragawa: Mm-hmm! …Sorry, that was a super stupid development (*laughs*).
We all have pretty different tastes in music, but I think the end result is interesting because we were on the same wavelength. (Sakuragawa)
———Because you’re the golden duo (*laughs*). As you do more live performances, does it feel like a certain natural spontaneity or openness has emerged?
Sakuragawa: I wonder if our “Roselia-ness” has become part of us.
Kudou: Yeah, really. On the contrary, the characters may have become more similar to us. Concert scenes were actually depicted in BanG Dream! 2nd Season...
Sakuragawa: The two Roselias have definitely come closer together. The second episode has a surprising scene. Ako (Udagawa Ako/the character Sakuragawa portrays in the franchise) says “it’s more fun to perform with friends”, and Yukina-san scolds her and says “this isn’t a game”. I think if this had happened earlier in the story, Ako would have felt a little down. The anime used a take where it seems like it doesn’t slow her down one bit (*laughs*). I’m the same way with Aiai. I always want to mess with her because she’s funny when she gets mad (*laughs*).
Kudou: Ah, we do that a lot (*laughs*). We can tell that our characters are becoming more similar to us, so it’s like we can act more freely and comfortably.
Sakuragawa: It’s like we’re crafting these characters together as part of a big Bandori team.
———The anime’s ending theme song Safe and Sound will be released as a single on February 20th. What were your first impressions when you listened to it?
Kudou: I thought it had been a long time since we’d done a ballad. After Our Path1 came out (March 2018, alongside Opera of the wasteland), it’s been one intense song after another.
Sakuragawa: And it’s the title song this time. Ah, I said it right that time. I didn’t call it the A-side. Excellent~.
Kudou: Excellent~. 3 points.
Sakuragawa: That’s not enough!
Kudou: But Our Path was a tranquil song. Safe and Sound feels like an emotional ballad. My favorite part is the drums in the last chorus. When I heard it for the first time, I nearly shouted “how nice~!”.
Sakuragawa: I get that feeling. That phrase with the toms is super fun to play.
Kudou: Playing a ballad feels more like a “pull” than a “push”, but Safe and Sound doesn’t have that kind of arrangement. It’s fun to play and the intro starts with everyone singing as a group. I think it will be ever better when we get to sing along with all the fans during concerts.
Sakuragawa: Even in our early days, we kept saying we wanted to do a ballad, but the staff told us “it would be tough to do one at Roselia’s current performance and technical level”. So it feels like “we’re finally doing it”. A ballad with this kind of sound… in my head, it has a similar image to Say Anything by X JAPAN (*laughs*).
Kudou: Gotcha. Then Our Path would be like Forever Love?
Sakuragawa: Yeah, like that~. You actually get what I’m saying? (*laughs*).
Kudou: Because of that, we’ve been talking about doing something like “sitting while playing the song live” (*laughs*).
———I personally think it has a flavor reminiscent of American rock music. In addition, each part of the song has something to listen for.
Sakuragawa: I think everyone’s growth will be evident when we play it live. When I received the music, I tried doing it my own way, tapping it out lightly. But I felt like I was struggling to use the hi-hat as the song went on.
Kudou: I play the verses with a lighter touch and then suddenly build up the sound for the chorus.
Sakuragawa: The drums have an important part in the chorus. They trigger syncopation in the rhythm.
Kudou: It’s really really important that I match Meguchii’s drums when the syncopation is audible. Playing ballads is tough, but I think we can grow by trying to do tough things. I think Safe and Sound is a good set piece for us to do that.
———The animation that plays during the ending is a performance scene. Has that inspired you?
Sakuragawa: The video that plays at the end of the anime is of equipment at a concert venue. It’s like it was taken just after a concert ended. Could that mean 2D Roselia has already mastered the song? (*laughs*).
Kudou: Perhaps. You could say that the characters inspire us and keep us going.
———What about the coupling song, PASSIONATE ANTHEM?
Sakuragawa: I love it. Isn’t it very emotional?
Kudou: Right, it is~. I thought it was also a song with a brand-new approach. We’re rapping.
Sakuragawa: Yeah yeah, that approach is extremely new.
Kudou: The plan was originally for it to be sung through normally, but Aiai had a conversation with the staff after trying to record it one time. She said something like “wouldn’t it be super cool if I got to rap this part?”… (*laughs*).
Sakuragawa: Then a recording of that experimental rap version was sent to all of us on LINE.
Kudou: “I did some rapping during the recording, so all y’all might end up doing that too” (*laughs*).
Sakuragawa: I was the next one to record the song. When I went to the studio, I decided to try the rap version, and the rapping relay started from there (*laughs*).
Kudou: The composer found the whole thing surprisingly interesting, so this idea that started from Aiai’s playful mood ended up being accepted and adopted for real.
Sakuragawa: In the anime and game industry, there’s a franchise where voice actors rap called Hypnosis Mic that has become popular. Some of the members were influenced by it, and surprisingly all of us were able to be flexible and sing it. We all have pretty different tastes in music, but I think the end result is interesting because we were on the same wavelength there.
Kudou: We always want the songs to be fun, so we introduced this new rap approach… and more than anything else, it was funny to try rapping as the characters.
Sakuragawa: There are lots of cool and composed characters in Roselia, so Ako’s the one who takes on the role of accenting that part. So for the acting part, I became Ako and went in like “yeah!”.
Kudou: I was the last one to record and everyone’s raps were coming from my headphones at the same time. I laughed like crazy (*laughs*). Everyone was doing it in a different style and it was so messy. Ah, but thinking of that, the number of vocal parts and ensemble parts has grown from how it used to be.
Sakuragawa: I thought we were just going to play our instruments, but we’ve been getting more and more singing parts. That’s something that all the BanG Dreamers have been looking forward to.
Kudou: We see a lot of reactions from the fans where they say things like “it’s so nice when everyone sings”. And it is nice. We’re a band after all.
Everyone is aiming for the pinnacle, and they don’t know what it is, but they keep on pursuing it. Maybe it’s more interesting if we don’t know what the pinnacle is. (Kudou)
———Some of your recent songs have been filled with your ideas.
Sakuragawa: They have been. And we’ve also been doing the arrangements for our shows together too. Like, let’s do it with the coolest arrangement we can do at this moment, not based on how it is in the recording on the CD.
Kudou: The drum parts on the CDs can be a little simple, but they’re a bit more grandiose during our shows. Whenever that happens, the guitar and bass add a little extra too.
Sakuragawa: That’s why our rehearsals are very fruitful.
Kudou: But strangely enough, it still feels like we don’t have enough time. Even at our recent rehearsals, we talk about that while we eat hotpot. “Aah, we got through today. Let’s go grab food.”…
Sakuragawa: “But we didn’t finish anything at all today!”
Kudou: “We can’t make it in time as things are now! Let’s add even more rehearsals to the schedule!!”. Conversations like that…
Sakuragawa: Then when everyone stops talking, the server pops in, “excuse me, here are the extra pork ribs you ordered” (*laughs*).
———Yukki leaked this information to us, but is it true that you’ve been requesting that the composition team make the drum parts more difficult from the very beginning?
Sakuragawa: Ah, I have been (*laughs*). It’s why they’ve added fast fills and an arrangement where I use both bass drums even in the backing. I’ve been thinking about using the toms and the bass drum at the same time, or arranging a phrase based on the toms. I feel like I became used to using the double bass around the time R came out. I’ve really grown a whole lot. That’s why I’m really excited to see if PASSIONATE ANTHEM will help me grow even more. Come to think of it, we don’t get as panicked about new songs as we did before.
Kudou: We’ve talked about that before. In the early days, every time we got a new song, it felt like “what the heck is this song!? Isn’t it too hard!?” or “there’s no way this song will end up on our set-lists” (*laughs*).
Sakuragawa: Conversations like “did you hear it? That song… it’s gonna be impossible, isn’t it?” became everyday occurrences. But we did play all those songs we said would never end up on our set-lists (*laughs*).
Kudou: When we get difficult songs these days, it’s more like “this part here is tricky, so let’s practice it hard”. And the conversations have turned to “I’m looking forward to doing it live!”.
Sakuragawa: It makes me happy that the fans have such high expectations for us. As soon as we play the intro of a new song live, everyone starts cheering. It makes me glad that we did it.
Kudou: That’s for sure.
Sakuragawa: Didn’t I say something really good?
Kudou: 7 points!
Sakuragawa: That’s too low again!
Kudou: You got 3 points just a bit ago, so now your total is 10 points (*laughs*).
———You’ve been adding more songs that are fun to experience in real life. Your next show will be February 21st at the Nippon Budokan.
Kudou: Oh my god!! We talked about that yesterday.
Sakuragawa: We call each other every night (*laughs*).
———Do you have any attachment to the Budokan as a venue?
Sakuragawa: I started my career as a singer. Once I started work, every time I went to visit a shrine, I’d pray to “stand onstage at the Budokan”. I’ve accumulated a lot of charms at home over the course of ten years. I’m thinking of going and giving an offering after our Budokan show is over… But I forgot to pray to do it “solo” (*laughs*). Instead of “please let me perform at the Budokan as a solo singer someday”, I ended up with “please let me perform at the Budokan someday, period”. God was listening to me carefully. Ten years ago, I never would have thought that I’d be in a band instead of solo, or that I’d be performing at the Budokan as a drummer (*laughs*). But I’m happy that I get to do it with my favorite people. I couldn’t have done it alone.
Kudou: Maybe not. I used to be a model with an exclusive contract with Seventeen, and one of my seniors back then was Kimura Kaela. And Kaela-san was invited to do her first concert at the Budokan when I was there. I remember thinking “she’s working as a singer while also being a model, and now she’s even singing at the Budokan!”. I was a pretty half-hearted model and I definitely thought there’d be no way I’d ever do anything at the Budokan. I definitely never dreamed I’d stand on that stage as a guitarist. My passion and drive have slowly come out. I guess you never know what life will bring.
Sakuragawa: Also, I’m from Sakuragawa City in Ibaraki Prefecture….
———I think everyone knows that (*laughs*).
Sakuragawa: Oh, thank you (*laughs*). If you tell someone from Sakuragawa City “I was able to stand onstage at Makuhari Messe” or “I got to perform at Ariake Coliseum”, they’d say “I dunno where that is”. But when you say “I’m going to do a show at the Nippon Budokan”, even all the aunties in the family go “oh!”. I’m even going to invite my grandma in Niigata to it.
Kudou: Ah, is she Grandmeow?
Sakuragawa: She has cats, so we call her Grandmeow. Hey, do we really need to talk about this now? (*laughs*). After all, the Budokan is something that just about everyone in Japan knows about. But looking forward… you know, my own way of getting into the spirit has changed from how it used to be. And another important thing is taking care of our health! We’ve gotta take precautions against colds and the flu!
Kudou: I haven’t gone to get my flu shot yet.
Sakuragawa: Me neither. You wanna go this week? Or we could probably go and get it now.
Kudou: This is also something that we talked about last night (*laughs*).
———Roselia is a band that aims for the pinnacle. Isn’t the Budokan the pinnacle for 3D Roselia?
Kudou: Maybe. …God, I really said something like “maybe” (*laughs*).
Sakuragawa: Where is the pinnacle?
Kudou: Tokyo Dome? Saitama Super Arena?
Sakuragawa: Or a stadium… no, there’s no way. Last summer, they let us do the ceremonial first pitch at a collaboration event between Bandori and the Pacific League. The stadium we were at was so big that I got chills.
Kudou: I understand what you mean. That opening ceremony was at Metlife Dome. WANIMA did a concert at the same place the week before that. I thought “they had their show here? There must’ve been so many people”. On those grounds, I think Metlife Dome is more like a dream than a pinnacle.
Sakuragawa: Right, a dream.
Kudou: Then what is the pinnacle? Lately, I’ve been wondering if every performer is the same way. If everyone is aiming for the pinnacle, and they don’t know what it is, but they keep on pursuing it…
Sakuragawa: What does Yukina-san mean when she says “bloom wildly towards the pinnacle”? Ah, but isn’t that line from something that Aiba Aina said? It’s an expression that was born from one of her ad-libs during a recording session.
Kudou: Right, it’s not Yukina’s line. It’s Aiba Aina’s. Maybe it’s more interesting if we don’t know what the pinnacle is.
Sakuragawa: Wow! I’m sure what you just said will be the headline for this feature. 9 points!
Vier.
The latest equipment that has evolved alongside their music and skills
“At Shinagawa Stellar Ball (November 2018), I played The Soul’s Refrain2 with an M-II that had passive pickups. Then at Ryogoku Sumo Hall (December 2018), I played all the songs with passive ones. I do really like the EMGs that it originally had, but the moment I first played it after switching to passives, I thought “wow, this sound is more fitting for a guitar”. When I’m standing on stage, I can’t tell how the sound changes for the listeners, but what I heard through my ear monitors was very nice. I’d be happy if that could get through to everyone at the venue.” (Kudou)
ESP M-II ROSELIA SAYO
The M-II with passive pickups (top photo) was unveiled for the first time at the concert Vier held at Shinagawa Stellar Ball last November. The basic specifications – the basswood back and flame maple top body, hard maple neck, ebony fretboard, and see-through purple finish – all stick with those used in her main unit (bottom photo).
PICKUPS
In contrast to the main unit, which is equipped with EMGs, the new M-II uses two passive pickups: Seymour Duncan’s “Sentient” (front) and “Nazgûl” (rear).
CONTROL
While the main unit had a single-volume design (the tone knob being a dummy), this model has 1 volume and 1 tone knob with a coil tap function, further expanding the range of sound that can be produced.
…
“In order to match my form, I did things like lower the height of the toms, increase the number of cymbals… and so on. It’s changed bit by bit every time we have a new performance. It’s really happened little by little, but now that I have more room to focus on the tone, I’ve been able to select the cymbals I use. I’ve also set up two crash cymbals to my right to decrease the limitations on my movements and make my motions more flashy. But my playing form is the thing that’s changed the most. I’ve always been focused on stabilizing my center of gravity by using my core strength, but I really feel like I’ve gotten the hang of it recently.” (Sakuragawa)
dw COLLECTOR’S MAPLE DRUM SET
Sakuragawa uses a dw Collector’s Series maple drum set. It’s a double bass set featuring toms (12″x9″ & 13″x10″), a floor tom (16″x14″), and two bass drums (22″x16″). The snare is a 14″x5″ model from the same series, and the kick pedals are two DW9000s made by the same company.
PAiSTE CYMBALS & LERNI H-145-AU
The cymbals are all produced by PAiSTE. The lineup, from left to right: crash 16″, hi-hat (both top and bottom) 14″, crash 17″, splash 10″, crash 18″, ride 20″, crash 16″, and China 18″. The sticks are LERNI signature H145-AUs.
Fünf.
Interview with Aiba Aina [Vocals]
Aiba is the last one to appear in this long interview corner. Beyond just being a voice actress, she also energetically works as a stage girl. She has taken the things she’s learned from that and applied them to her vocal style. In some ways, one could say she’s the one who sees Roselia from the most holistic perspective. What destination for the band has Aiba has set her sights on?
———How did you spend the New Year this year?
Aiba: In 2018, I did a play, then a concert, then another play after that… that was how it went, so I tried to stay focused on whatever was right in front of me. In contrast to that, I had a lot of time off around the start of the new year. I even went home to see my family because of that break time. Speaking of which, I received some fresh reactions from people I hadn’t seen in a while. One of my relatives has a 5-year-old kid who sings Roselia’s songs at karaoke. One of my uncles had absolutely no idea whose song it was. When I said “actually, I’ve been doing this for work”, he was surprised and said “so this is what you’ve been up to in Tokyo” (*laughs*). I also got to see how some of my friends at home reacted to it. I’ve always felt this sense that there are people nearby who are keeping an eye on Roselia, but I felt a newfound sense of responsibility when I saw how people close to me were amazed and excited by us. It makes me think “I want to exceed their expectations”. Over the holiday, I was really thinking about how I could do that. What can I do as part of Roselia, what can I do as Aiba Aina to make that happen? I got to think about that thoroughly in the beginning of January because I had the time to.
———Does it feel like the seeds you’ve planted over time are now starting to bear fruit?
Aiba: It does feel that way. It started as something that I didn’t attach as much importance to, something that I saw as just part of a hobby, but…
———Isn’t your hobby horse racing? (*laughs*).
Aiba: Or pro-wrestling (*laughs*). But I was very happy to hear that everyone was interested in the band and that they all enjoyed this thing that I love. Not only that, I’ve always wanted to be a reason for someone to expand their worldview and see the world in a new light.
———This is happening because you’ve been acknowledged and recognized by many people.
Aiba: I’d be very honored if that’s true. Because of Roselia and Minato Yukina (the character Aiba portrays in the franchise), I feel a lot of pressure and responsibility. In a good way! I feel like it’s all helping me grow. I’ve been thinking about Roselia a lot over the last year, including what I’d like it to become in the future. I don’t think I’ve ever thought about something this much in my entire life. I was also able to feel how much I love Roselia and how much I’ve received from the 6 people I’ve met through Roselia. Like what those people have given me and the feelings I have for them. I watched a bunch of old videos on “24-hours of Bandori! TV” when it was broadcast on January 2nd and 3rd, and thought very intently about all this.
———You’ve met all sorts of people and built relationships through work, but are the band members something different from that?
Aiba: To compare it to pro-wrestling (*laughs*)… in wrestling, even if you are affiliated with the same organization, it’s a one-on-one relationship – like a rival or an opponent. But with a band, the sound won’t come together unless all the members are able to join forces. Especially in my case, I thought we’d never be able to sound good if we weren’t close. I felt the same way when I was in a band during high school. It’s something that can only be done if all the members are close to each other and get along. Professional musicians might be able to manage it without that, but we didn’t come from that kind of background. I think mutual trust and good relations are important for us to play. I used to get flustered whenever I’d have trouble with my ear monitor during a show, but even so I kept on singing and Meguchii kept the drums going, and everyone managed to get through it. The show went on. I think it’s because we had a good relationship and were able to trust each other. I think Roselia has a way of creating bonds that can’t be built through ordinary life. I know how much effort and exertion all the other members are putting into it, and we’ve overcome so many different things. We don’t argue, but instead try to have reasonable discussions about our opinions and try to understand each other. We try to consider, “what is this woman’s way of thinking?”. I think we’ve been able to do that successfully because of Roselia. We all want to make Roselia better, which requires us to share our opinions. In order to do that, there absolutely has to be trust between us. Because of all that, the relationships I’ve formed through Roselia all feel special.
———Yukki and Non-chan, who joined as Endou-san and Akesaka-san’s successors, both said they were surprised by how good the relationship is between the band members. What was going on between you guys in 2018, when you experienced the graduation of old members and the joining of new ones?
Aiba: At BanG Dream! 5th ☆ LIVE Day 2: Roselia -Ewigkeit- on May 13th last year, when we did BLACK SHOUT with 6 members, there was naturally a very special feeling. I’d been watching Yurishii and Yukki play from behind in rehearsal and the two of them both looked so reliable. Yurishii was trying to properly hand over the baton to Yukki, and Yukki was trying to receive it and inherit her sense of duty. I could see that attitude from their posture and it touched my heart. It came through in their sound during the actual performance too and the overall groove we formed was amazing. That first and last performance as a six-member group was a truly precious moment, something intense and passionate to help us head towards the future. I’ve always thought “no one minute and one second is the same as any other” and “the same performance can’t be done twice”, but I think the sound we played then is undoubtedly one we’ll never be able to do again. I’m glad we did it that way. When we came up with that idea, it honestly made me so excited. And Yukki said she’d do it and everyone agreed. As a result, I got to see the wonderful sight of Yurishii and Yukki standing together, which is still truly an unforgettable moment.
———The next impactful moment was at the concert Vier, at Shinagawa Stellar Ball on November 7th. The show began with Roselia as a four-member group, and then Non-chan made her debut during the encore. I heard from the others that you cried when you first heard Non-chan play piano in rehearsal. Is that so?
Aiba: It is. Taking over a role is tremendous pressure after all. And holding real performances is so crucial for Roselia, so I think Yukki and Non-chan felt a really intense amount of pressure. Non-chan especially. She went to a music college, but she had next to no experience on stage. It was the first time for her to do a lot of things, and so I think playing alone was a lot of pressure. I was extra concerned because I was on a different schedule and couldn’t always rehearse with the others. When I was finally able to meet them at the studio and saw Non-chan’s performance for the first time, her sound and appearance while playing were both fully Shirokane Rinko. And above all else, I could feel her resolution. Her piano skills are strong and that was enough to get a reaction from me… but even now, just recalling that moment makes something come over me. I think that what the fans experienced during the concert is the same as what I felt watching her the first time. As I listened to her play in the studio and thought “Non-chan, thank you so much for joining us”, I suddenly started to cry. And when I wondered if that was how the fans were going to feel, I couldn’t stop crying. I wasn’t able to put it into words, I was just crying. The same can be said for what Yukki did. I think playing on stage with Yurishii wouldn’t have been possible without the same level of resolution and readiness. My feelings haven’t changed. I’m sincerely thankful for Yukki and Non-chan from the bottom of my heart.
They’re peaceful tunes, but I figured it wouldn’t be Roselia if I sang the whole thing that way. When I receive a calm and relaxed song, the thing I need to think about most is my core.
———And then, with the current lineup, you immediately headed off to America to perform in California.
Aiba: Yep. We had decided to go as just the four of us, but then the addition of Non-chan made our sound and spirit become even greater. We went to the U.S. like that and the BanG Dreamers were crazy excited. They even did the call-and-response stuff with us. We weren’t sure how much people would know about us in the U.S., but we were impressed that there were people who knew so much about us. And if there are people looking forward to seeing us, then this feeling of wanting to perform in all sorts of different places has sprouted in me.
———You originally wanted to be a singer, so I imagine you probably had a longing to perform on a global stage. Was there anything in particular that encouraged you as a singer when you saw Roselia’s music receive a warm welcome from the overseas fans?
Aiba: Many of the singers I admire are American. I’ve always been a fan of Michael Jackson, and I also listen to Lady Gaga and Avril Lavigne. So yes, I’ve dreamed of singing in America. The only thing I was worried about was my singing voice. You know, if it might come off as unpleasant to foreigners.
———That good ol’ friend pessimism rears its ugly head (*laughs bitterly*).
Aiba: But I really did think about that (*laughs*). I was worried, “how will people receive my singing voice”, “I wonder if our songs will make an impression on people overseas”. After we did our show, I felt confident that “what I’ve done wasn’t a mistake”. The sight I saw from the stage was really gratifying and I wanted to find more people who could support us like that.
———It looks like 2019 might be the time to make that a reality. Your first release of the year, the single Safe and Sound, is one where you show off that you’re a monster of a singer (*laughs*).
Aiba: Huh, is that so? (*laughs*).
———You sang through a considerable range with just your natural voice.
Aiba: Ahh… that’s true. I was somehow able to manage it (*laughs*). The difficulty level of the songs is getting higher and higher, the challenges we face have been getting tougher, and if you pay attention, you’ll see that an interesting phenomenon has occurred: my vocal range has improved. Whenever I look over a new piece of sheet music, the first thing I check is “where is the highest note this time?” (*laughs*). The staff when I record tell me “if you can’t do it, try using falsetto. Don’t force yourself”. So I go into the recording saying “I’ll try it out once”, but I always end up saying “oh, I did it!”. This time, I go up to a high of E with my natural voice.
———Could it be that you’re constantly pressuring the composition team by saying “don’t mess with me!” in a tone of voice that reminds them of your wrestling days, and that’s why they keep making songs that require a wider range?
Aiba: Nope, I didn’t do anything like that (*laughs*). When I got the song and tried singing it, I thought “oh wow, ain’t this high?”. When they asked me “is this the highest note you’ve had to sing so far?”, I rose to the challenge and said “yeah, but I think I can pull it off”. So it feels more like “I’ll accept your challenge” (*laughs*). It’s a matter of winning or losing, but I’m on a win streak right now. I’m afraid that someday I’ll reach my limits and lose that battle, but I’m actually looking forward to receiving a challenge like that. They make the songs the way they do because they believe that I can reach that high of a range. I appreciate that. I consider my voice my weapon, and I’m working to sharpen it.
———Safe and Sound is a different type of number than we’ve heard from you thus far, and the other song PASSIONATE ANTHEM is a track bursting with a sense of speed. What were your first impressions when you heard the song?
Aiba: Safe and Sound opens with a harmony in the intro and I thought it was a very beautiful song. I wondered if it would have a crazy or intense development partway through, but it remained calm all the way to the end. That felt novel for us. And then PASSIONATE ANTHEM… it arrived (*laughs*). It does have a sense of speed, but in a different way compared to something like LOUDER. I was impressed that another new one had already come.
———I heard that you proposed a new idea when you were recording the vocal track, and then that new approach caused the song to be reborn?
Aiba: You’re talking about the second verse, right after the chorus? When I was talking to the staff, I said something like “wouldn’t it be interesting if I rapped?”.
———No, I don’t think you said it in such standard language (*laughs*).
Aiba: Ah, did Kudoharu do an impression of my accent again? (*laughs*). Hmm, okay… when I was talking to the staff, I said something like “I wanna do somethin’ with a rap vibe~” (*laughs*). Then the staff said “please play around with that idea for a while”. And I said “If you say so, I’ll give it a shot” (*laughs*). Then the staff who were listening from outside the recording booth said “that was good, please try doing it a couple different ways”. I enjoy rap music and like to listen to it, and sing it a lot at karaoke. When I did it, it was with that sense of just playing around. When I heard the final version of the song, I was shocked that it was adopted as much as it was (*laughs*). Even beyond the rap part, PASSIONATE ANTHEM has a different composition than normal, and the vocal arrangement also incorporates some new elements. I enjoyed singing it while imagining “how would Minato Yukina handle this?”.
———Was the recording fun then?
Aiba: It was an absolute blast. It’s just like the challenges that we talked about earlier. I’ve been enjoying the whole process, even when they request “can you sing a little more like this?”. I sing with all my might and then I go home afterwards feeling like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders (*laughs*).
At concerts, I always ask everyone “are you prepared to bet everything on Roselia?”. Just like that, we’re prepared to get through this Budokan concert even if it kills us.
———It seems like before you had been asked to sing passionately, but it feels like there’s been more to your vocals recently than just that.
Aiba: I agree. Sanctuary – which was the coupling song from our last single BRAVE JEWEL – and Safe and Sound are both peaceful tunes. But I figured it wouldn’t be Roselia if I sang the whole thing that way. When I receive a calm and relaxed song, the thing I need to think about most is my core. One of the challenges I’ve had to face is how to reserve that core strength.
———What do you mean when you say you need to think about your core?
Aiba: Roselia’s songs have strong messages. Every song contains a resolute message that we want to convey to others. For example, Sanctuary contains Yukina’s desire not to lose her beloved Roselia. Safe and Sound contains her thoughts about all her band members in addition to those about other people she has encountered, like Poppin’Party. PASSIONATE ANTHEM stems from their story with Afterglow. You can feel Roselia’s intentions in these three songs particularly strongly. When I considered Yukina’s feelings before, I thought “because I’m Yukina, I definitely need to have a strong core”. Safe and Sound is a beautiful song with beautiful parts, but also has parts that carry her strong feelings and intentions. I emphasize my core during those parts. When I think about it, there might not be as many passionate songs that I belt out the whole time as there used to be.
———After poring over the lyrics, do you stand in front of the microphone while embracing that kind of emotion?
Aiba: That’s right. I don’t know how much of it is preparation, but I’m thinking things like “what is this song about?” or “who are these lyrics referencing?”. I think about it like I’m doing a live performance, and since everything is based on the lyrics, I make sure to read them over and over again before recording. Regardless of how much you can express through your singing ability, just one feeling can completely change how your voice sounds. Some lyrics are only about Roselia and others are also about Poppin’Party. The way something is sung can also expand on that worldview. Because of that, I tried to consider the narrative when I sang Safe and Sound.
———I think you’re right. It’s only by expressing the story and the thoughts behind the words that the lyrics will shine as an emotional song.
Aiba: Yeah. I try to cherish those thoughts as much as I can.
———Beyond the wide singing range that we discussed earlier, did you get a sense of the difficulty of these two songs?
Aiba: PASSIONATE ANTHEM is a song with a sense of speed. It’s an intense song like LOUDER, and feels super fast all the way through. The relationship between Roselia and Afterglow is the key to understanding the story in the lyrics. That’s why I sang it with a strong sense of composure. Some of the lines match Yukina’s self-assured side, like “I’ll smile no matter what stage I’m on”. I mean, “if you think you can win, then bring it on”… aren’t those the words of someone in a completely superior position? So I thought about Roselia’s relationship with Afterglow and sang it with Yukina’s confident appearance in mind. LOUDER is also a passionate song. In the story, it was originally written by Yukina’s father. After he gave up on his dream of being a musician, Yukina inherited that dream in his place. Based on that, I think that song is about her desperately trying to send a message to her dad. On the other hand, PASSIONATE ANTHEM has a sense of composure despite being passionate… that’s why I sang it with an attitude of “bring it on”. I did have a hard time because the melody line is tricky (*laughs*). Doing it live… yeah, it will be a really tough song to sing live (*laughs bitterly*).
———And there’s also the performance side of things.
Aiba: Ahh~ that’s true (*laughs*). For Safe and Sound, the issue is figuring out how to convey the right mood, not so much the technical difficulty. It’s a soft song overall, but I added some variation between the different parts so it wouldn’t come off as samey. In the first verse, I express a little anguish in the softness. But later in the song, I sing it with a bit of a smile on my face. I was careful to consider those parts and the story. It’s not just about Roselia; I think it’s also about being helped by Poppin’Party, so I put that into the song. I thought it was about everyone in Poppin’Party, because of the line “the days are packed full of colors and shapes that we lack”. I thought the relationship between us and our fans was similar, so I sang with gratitude in my voice. It’s been about two and a half years since Roselia formed and we’ve experienced so many things. I still feel the influence of Yurishii and Akeshan (Akesaka), and the things they taught me and everything they said to me are also really valuable. And I’ve also been supported by what Kudoharu and Meguchii have said. I feel the weight of their words again and again. A song is a series of words, and I think we need to cherish each and every word we sing.
———Two months from now, you’ll be onstage at the Nippon Budokan. What kind of enthusiasm are you feeling now?
Aiba: The Nippon Budokan is a stage I’ve longed to be on. It’s a venue that’s very easy to see from the audience seats, so it’s one of my favorite places. When I was a student who wanted to be a singer, that venue felt like something I’d never reach in my wildest dreams. I never thought I’d be able to perform there. I think I have to approach it carefully as the vocalist of Roselia. If we’re going to make it a success, then we have to be prepared without a doubt. It’s our first time to do a full show with Yukki and Non-chan, so we want to show off Roselia’s evolution. At concerts, I always ask everyone “are you prepared to bet everything on Roselia?”. Just like that, we’re prepared to get through this Budokan concert even if it kills us.
Notes:
1. Official translated title. The original name is Kiseki (軌跡).
2. Official translated title. The original name is Tamashii no Refrain (魂のルフラン).
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