#billboard japan

SCANDAL; 10th Year Anniversary BEST ALBUM,『SCANDAL』Interview with Billboard Japan

「The 10th Year Anniversary That Was Reached By Their Own Strength」- Each member speaks about their recommended tune~ a plan is in midst!?

－－SCANDAL, in the way you are, have released your 10th year anniversary BEST ALBUM『SCANDAL』. It’s a piece of work that is as voted by fans, but when you all looked at the results, what sort of impression or thoughts did you hold?

HARUNA: It was as we thought (laughs).

MAMI: We were like,「Yeah right?!」Since we’ve gone the whole way putting our lives at the center of our activities, it was obvious when songs that are popular at lives ranked well. We were purely just happy at that.

TOMOMI: As they were practically all songs that are popular at our lives, we kept performing them. For the ones we did live arrangements for, we still perform them at lives today. So when we heard the original audio for the first time in a long while this round, we were like,「The intro used this bar?」or「Eh, it was such a song?」 It felt a little bit weird (laughs).

－－I’ll bet that each of the songs were well thought out, but one by one, can each of you tell us which is your personal, most favourite song?

MAMI:「Departure」. I wrote the lyrics and composed it, but as we went about on our year 2015 world tour, it was then I got to know that this song is actually super popular among the overseas fans. The content about the song revolved around Japan’s 4 seasons, and depicted the change in people’s hearts and their environments as these 4 seasons shifted, alongside the use of a Japanese-style melody. For that, the overseas crowd felt it was「extremely catchy」.

RINA: Because they could feel it illustrated Japan, it was fun.

MAMI: I think, we probably don’t feel something like this regularly. But everyone researched on all the words in this song and its situational elements, and got to understand the lyrics by actually looking at the sceneries. The intro used an orgel, and the moment the sound came out, the audience went, ‘Woah!’…I was like,「Is it this popular?」, but was really happy about it. Not only is it a song that brought me confidence as a songwriter, but to create a song in Japan and to bring it overseas…it got me thinking exactly how important this job was.

－－How about TOMOMI?

TOMOMI: The one that I had the most thought about is「SCANDAL BABY」. It was the song that was voted in first place, but it wasn’t a single; instead, a number from our 1st album as the 1st song. So in order to know this song, you’ll have to have bought our 1st album, or have come to our lives. Still, it came in first. That led me to think about how it’s proof of SCANDAL placing lives at the heart of our activities. Previously in the past, we’ll make songs about what we mean then superficially, but we’ve gone past that now. In any case, the scenery that we’ve seen on stage is amazing. We can make sing-alongs happen, and if SCANDAL was a country, this would be our national anthem. It’s really a song that was raised by the audience, and they made it No.1 and a special song…in such a sense, it’s the song that has the most thought of all placed in it.

－－What about RINA?

RINA: It’s an album song called「Bitter Chocolate」, and since we were able to let many people hear it before, I’m extremely happy that it was selected this time around. All of us have ever lived under the same roof before, and we shared our time together there. When we then go on tours and the 4 of us stay in hotels, it’s like we’re always returning home and the 4 of us are living together. During one time, I sat in my room and tried making the melody on keyboard, thinking,「This somehow seems possible!」Since at the time, the lyrics were made with TOMOMI at the center of it, I brought the demo to TOMOMI’s room to have her listen to it, and asked,「Won’t you try coming up with the lyrics?」It was a song that was completed with both our styles of creation. Since that way of creating had been fun, we still make songs today in the different lyric-writing and mmusic composition pattern. I can still remember the joy of being able to ride upon lyrics that I didn’t imagine would be. Right after that time, all of us lived alone, but when I return to the house that I live in by myself and am trying to put together a demo, I think of how we spoke till late that night…and I’ll remember that as I listen to this song.

－－How about HARUNA?

HARUNA:「Awanai Tsumori no, Genki Dene」. This was released right after our first one-man live at the Osaka-jo Hall, which has always been our dream venue. Not only is it a song that signified a new start, but it also holds lyrics that can only be written at our generation then. It contained a lot of our feelings at the time, and is purely a love song, but as it was sung from a more adult-like point of view, it was the song that got me feeling for the first time,「I want to continue singing forever from now on」. It is a song that gave me the confidenec to (continue) sing such songs.

－－Again, this album contains the new songs,「FREEDOM FIGHTERS」and「HELLO」. Can you tell us what sort of thought or imagination brought about these songs?

RINA: Firstly,「HELLO」was a song that had its demo done about a year ago. Since the release period would be Winter, it was recorded with the idea of wanting others to listen to it as a Winter love song. We thought of presenting it as a royal road pop song, so not only were the lyrics straightforward, but since it also has the story element in its content, it was written in a manner that was meant to be easy to reach out to all kinds of people. We only played it once during Christmas, but I was happy that we’re finally able to release it. And then, for「FREEDOM FIGHTERS」, since we were going to go on our 47-prefecture tour, we thought about「wanting to create a killer tune that’ll look great when shot live」. We imagined and made the melody with that in mind, but we wanted to write lyrics that anyone could understand with the theme, 'Freedom’. Despite clearing that, it took quite some time (to create it). So, it was a song that was really painful to produce, but we do think we're「glad to have held on」. With this song in the best album, it was like,「We completed the 10th year anniversary using our own strength」. It’s a song that we think,「We’ve given it our all」.

－－Once more, you all feel you’re starting again from here on?

RINA: That’s right. Rather than say we’re finally going towards a new stage, we feel as though our hearts are rest once again.

－－What sort of future is SCANDAL aiming towards from here on out?

HARUNA: We’re soon starting our 47-prefecture tour, but I think we hope to stay as band that will always place importance on our lives after all. We’ve come this far by making one-man lives the central of the activities, but we really do want to involve more, and all kinds of people in our lives. Since we’ve moved along, opening our own paths till now, we also hope to play alongside all kinds of people and absorb even more things in future.

MAMI: When the 47-prefecture tour ends, the Summer fes season will also have passed eh. Since we’ll got all kinds of stuff planned, it’ll be great if people would like to「do something together」, with us. As so, please look forward to it!

RINA: Until now, we haven’t got to do a two-man with TRICERATOPS or Kishidan or The Cro-magnons.

－－Those are 3 amazing bands eh (laughs).

RINA: All 3 groups are huge seniors of ours, and we’ve received a lot of stimulation from them. That’s why, even more so, we’ll like to do a two-man and put our confidence into it. Even if we get hurt once in a while, it’s also necessary, since we can get more heated up from that. We want to do more gradually.

Original article by Billboard Japan HERE, translation by fyscandalband. Another huge part of this Billboard interview is translated HERE. Support SCANDAL in the best way by buying their best album HEREnow.

SCANDAL; 10th Year Anniversary BEST ALBUM,『SCANDAL』Interview with Billboard Japan

「That Is Why SCANDAL Continued On For 10 Years」- All 4 of them speak about each member’s charm

－－For yourselves, what sort of band do you feel SCANDAL is?

RINA (Dr, vo): We’ve never heard of this question before. It’s a first.

All: (Laughs)

RINA: We’re happy! For myself, we’ve been a very proper and upright band from the start. It was how I felt a band should be, and that’s how I made it work, but we’ve created our music using all kinds of methods, and did lives in all kinds of styles. That’s why, in the beginning, in order to be easily understood, we donned on uniforms as our costumes, and went on about our activities. I really think we’re a band that has shown all sides of ourselves, and within that, we’ve always been upright and done it from our core. From doing that, I guess we’re a band that saw an increase in the things that we’re able to understand. We went about our music with feelings of wanting to always challenge ourselves.

HARUNA (Vo, g): I think these 10 years have been extremely tough. We had such a special way of beginning, by forming the band from within a dance school and going on a world tour during our indies period etc., but doing lives have always been at the center of our activities since right off the bat. Without getting caught up in the phrase,「We’re girls」, I think these 10 years have been about continuous challenges. You can say we’re a band that’s really got the nerve, and are extremely tough.

－－At the beginning, there were probably a lot of people who looked over you as everything went accordingly as planned, but from there, you used your own strength and became an authentic band that is recognised around the world. How are each and every member in person? Let’s everyone talk about yourselves one by one.

All: Everyone? (Laughs)

－－Now, let’s begin with MAMI.

MAMI (G, vo): Now, everyone please speak. (laughs)

TOMOMI (B, vo): I think she’s the member that had the most change, over these 10 years worth of activities. In terms of appearance, one day, she suddenly turned blond overnight, and from then on, her energy also seemed to be awakened, and I think she became an enriched person. Although whenever the topic of,「Let’s all the members go for a meal together」pops up, she still won’t go. She’s more of the indoor type, but her chances to meet all kinds of people also increased and she really became a more fulfilled person, and all that is tied to our music activities. Now, MAMI is at the heart of our songmaking, whereas in the past, she wasn’t as assertive as before. In such a sense, I think she is the member that has undergone the most change.

RINA: Also, she has always had her own personality. Be it her fashion or the things that she like…down to the things that she likes to eat! I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but she has her own fixation about everything, so I think she’s a「biased person.」(laughs) But no matter what, she’s a good kind of spice for the band named SCANDAL, and I often think about how she’s the person at the door when it comes to us producing music and how it’s lots of fun to talk to her. She’s an「Interesting person」.

－－Why is it that you didn’t go with the members for meals in the past?

MAMI: I remembered that「We wanted to speak about this particular thing as 4, thus you were invited」, and I should just reciprocate that, but I wasn’t thinking of anything at that time (laughs). It’s completely about the mood.

HARUNA: I don’t think it’s nice to judge other people based on their blood-types…but that’s The・Bloodtype AB. (laughs)

－－I see. But you’ve change, haven’t you?

MAMI: I dyed my hair, and both my appearance and inside has changed…but it’s never quite sunk in. The members and staff around me would say,「You’ve changed since then」, and I’d think,「Ah, that’s possibly true!」That’s why, I’ve taken the simple action of「Wanting to dye my hair. If it’s going to be dyed, it should be blond」, but it’s just that my appearance has became flashier, and it could all just be because I did it on a whim. Since then, I’ve also often been told,「Your playing style has also changed」.

RINA: She took a step forward.

－－Continuing on, TOMOMI.

MAMI: Since I met TOMO, she’s always been a skillful kid. Be it on the bass guitar or privately, she’s able to handle a variety of tasks, so there are many times that I think she is「Amazing!」

RINA: Plus, I think she’s someone that’s firm with her private time. Of course, I do understand TOMO, but amongst all 4 of us, she’s the member that I feel「has parts of her that I don’t understand」. She’s the person that has the biggest side of her that’s unlike a musician. I feel she has a lot of friends, be it musician friends or a variety of friends, and she also hangs out regularly with her hometown friends. I feel she’s a person that meets all kinds of people, and is able to make all kinds of connections.

－－So what is it actually?

TOMOMI: I’ll meet friends from my hometown in Tokyo, and if our work schedule allows it, I’ll often bring them around about once a month. Since they’re from my hometown and we grew up together in the same kind of environment, they make me feel comfortable. As I have fun with my hometown friends and we gather at fun places, we also then make friends with people in those shops (laughs). So I got a lot of friends that were made through eating and drinking. Somehow, I’ve always had connections from outside of our activities as SCANDAL.

HARUNA: She also has the image of someone that’s active on her off-days.

MAMI: She’s enjoying herself in her private time.

RINA: Someone’s whose satisfied with her work and private life!

－－SCANDAL’s No.1 person satisfied with her life (laughs).

MAMI: She usually doesn’t move around as much until her off-days.

RINA: I think it’s something good! She’s also the first among us to buy a car.

MAMI: Since she bought her car, the places that she goes to have widened.

TOMOMI: Ever since I bought a car, I got to know that「The places that are easily accessible via train and the places that are easily accessible via car are completely different」, and my vision has widened. Feels like I just got to know a world that I didn’t know of before.

－－Next up, RINA.

HARUNA: She’s very stoic. She’s been like this since the past, and she has also always done sports ever since before SCANDAL was grouped together. No matter what it is, she’ll passionately give it her best. I feel that part of her is really amazing.

MAMI: Since starting out SCANDAL and becoming adults, she has properly found “the things she likes”, and has been able to say with pride that she “likes” them, in turn opening the door to all kinds of things. Since she’s a really curious person, when it comes down to it, she’s able talk about it no matter how long it takes, and be able to focus lots of passion onto each and every component, just so at the end of the day, she’s able to say properly that「I got it」. I really respect that.

－－How did you turn out to be such a stoic and hugely curious person?

RINA: Hmm…since we started the band, I consciously thought about「Wanting to increase the number of things that I like」. I’m really not perfect at all, so I end up being this huge perfectionist. I always think,「This is not enough」, and I want to know, see and hear many and all kinds of things. I think like this often. Somehow, I always have feelings of「Wanting to change!」within me.

－－After going through all that, ultimately, what sort of person do you imagine you’d like to become?

RINA: Ah, no~, I’ve always felt like this all along. It’s like I can’t be satisfied (laughs). I love SCANDAL after all! And so, my train of thought revolves around,「In order to make this band better, I want to be a better vresion of myself.」

TOMOMI: That part of her hasn’t changed since we met. It’s like she’s always searching for something. Since RINA is somebody who has always wanted to have a job that appears publicly, ever since she was 3 years old, she does have that amazing passion. That’s why, if RINA doesn’t exist in SCANDAL when it was formed, her interests might be very different.

－－In that case, that makes her a key person.

RINA: (Laughs embarassingly)

－－Moving on, HARUNA.

TOMOMI: HARUNA is really awkward, isn’t she? But her awkwardness has got immense charm to it. Honestly, she hits walls often, and often works desperately to overcome them. She probably had it the hardest among the members in these 10 years, and it was probably difficult and troubling. However, if HARUNA was a person that’s able to get past these walls skillfully, SCANDAL might not have been able to create such music continuously for 10 years either. Since HARUNA is awkward, the thought of「Wanting to surpass her current state!」and wanting to knock down (those walls) will always surface, and she’s able to sing about them. I think that’s what helped SCANDAL continue on for 10 years. That’s why, she’s the person that has to stand in the middle and who has to be our vocalist, after all.

－－How does it feel, after hearing what you just did?

HARUNA: To go through troubles the way one should, I thought that was how it should be. In the beginning, when the band was grouped together, the way I imagined my life to be changed. Since that point, I thought,「Well then, how should I live my life from now on?」, and that continued till 10 years have passed. But I have parts of myself that changed after having met the members, and it was because I chose the band at that time, have I made it this far.

－－By the way, out of all the hurdles you’ve gone past up till now, what was the toughest one of all?

HARUNA: It was the hardest when I had a period of time where I couldn’t sing the way I wanted to. Up till that time, I never had troubles like that…but since we pride ourselves on our lives earnestly, I thought,「In what way should I go about this?」and troubled over it…it took me quite some time before I managed to get past that. But I was able to get past it because I continued to sing, so I think,「I’m glad to have never given up」.

－－A band that’s strong with 4 people’s individual personalities. What do you suppose it is that you emphasised on, to a point where you’re now able to even release a 10th year anniversary best album?

RINA: Our personalities…and how we’re all compatible! I think that is what’s basic.

MAMI: It’s mostly the fact that,「It’s the 4 of us」. We respect and understand each other, and that’s how we’re able to speak about the members among everyone today, like,「This girl is like this because of that」. If that isn’t love or dependability, you won’t be able to think so deeply about a person like that.

Original article from Billboard Japan HERE, translation by fyscandalband. I really liked this part of the interview where they talked about one another like this~ I intend to translate another part of the this interview where they reveal their favourite songs on the BEST ALBUM and why, so please stay tuned!

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