[Interview] J-Pop World 2009.09.01

J-Pop World 2009.09.01
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"While we were recording last year, we were asked if we wanted to try out for the opening theme for "Bleach." Mami was especially a huge fan of "Bleach," so we immediately started to work on it. There were apparently many other candidate artists, so we felt very honored and happy when our song was chosen." - SCANDAL

When you think of the word "scandal" the first thing that pops into your mind probably isn't an all girl band from Japan, unless you are a huge fan of the anime series "Bleach" that is. Coming from a music industry somewhat notorious for manufacturing groups, our first look at this high school uniform wearing band made us wonder... until we listened to their music.

With full throttle songs like Shojo S, Tokyo and Space Ranger these four musicians from Osaka have managed to create a beautifully sexy moe inducing appearance with all its obvious commercial appeal while keeping their identity as a rock band to be taken seriously. Their first full length album "Best Scandal" will be released in Japan on October 21.

On September 1, 2009 the members of SCANDAL were kind enough to give an interview to Andrew from J-Pop World. All photos courtesy of 2009 EPIC Records Japan Inc.

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Let's start with the news of your upcoming single. Can you give us a peak at the title and what songs will be included?
We will be releasing our new single "Yumemiru Tsubasa" on October 14th. It's been almost a year since our debut, and this song is about our feeling towards our dream. This became a very important song for us. The single also includes "BEAUTeen!!" which was recently released digitally, and also "Day Dream," a cover song of Judy and Mary.

Will any of the music be featured on an anime series or somewhere else?
Not at the moment.

Have you already shot a music video to go with the single? Can you tell us about it?
Yes, we've already shot the video. The shooting started very early in the morning and it was really hot during the day, but it was very fun!

Can fans hope to see SCANDAL's first full length album in the near future?
We're currently working on it. We hope to release it this year.

["Best Scandal" will be released in Japan on 10-21-2009.]

You released your previous single, "Shojo S," back in June. Shojo S really is a great song. Can you tell us more about it?
The "S" stands for "s" as in plural in English. (Shojo means girl: Shojo S = girls.) This song is about the screaming voices of the girls. The composer of this song is Yuichi Tajika.

The video for the song features the four of you performing in the rain, highlighted by a great visual transition to a sunny day. What was it like shooting it?
Shooting in the rain for 3 hours was very tough... But we really like how it came out.

Who is the guy in the video and what exactly is he doing and saying?
He's a famous comedian called Junichi Koumoto (from the duo Jicho Kacho), and he's playing the janitor role, telling us to go home.

Shojo S was of course featured in the anime series "Bleach." Can you tell us the story of how that happened?
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While we were recording last year, we were asked if we wanted to try out for the opening theme for "Bleach." Mami was especially a huge fan of "Bleach," so we immediately started to work on it. There were apparently many other candidate artists, so we felt very honored and happy when our song was chosen.

Btw, do any of you have a favorite anime or manga series?
We all like "Bleach," "One Peace," and "K-On!"

Your website features anime shorts about the group. Can you tell us about doing the voice-overs for them?
Some of those lines are actually ad-libs, and we had lots of fun doing it.

Have you done voice acting for any other anime shows, or have a desire to in the future?
Not yet, but we would be interested in doing it in the future. Especially Mami!

The level of energy in your stage shows is impressive. We have to ask... which one of you can jump the highest with your guitar?
It's not about the competition. It's about what kind of spirit you have, and how cool you can jump!

Good answer! Your song Koi Moyo was featured in the movie "Corazon de Melon." What did you think about making a song for a movie staring Takanori Nishikawa aka TM Revolution?! (Did you get to meet him btw?)
Actually, the song existed before the movie. And yes, we were able to meet Nishikawa-san during the stage greetings. We were all very excited to meet him!

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In March of last year you were part of the "Japan Nite 2008" US Tour. How was it?
It was actually our first time to even go on a tour, so there were many things that we didn't know, but it was such a great experience to perform every day in different cities.

Did you have any major worries or concerns about coming to the US before the tour started?
It was our first time to travel outside of Japan, so we were worried about the different language and the food culture.

What were your lasting memories of the trip?
We didn't think that there would be any audience in the U.S., but we were very happy that many fans gave us a very warm welcome. We feel very thankful.

Any plans on another North American tour?
Not yet, but we are always talking about how we would love to go back. Please invite us!

Let's learn more about the origin of the band. Can you tell us the story of how you all meet and started SCANDAL?
We met at a dance/vocal school in Osaka. The teacher there recommended us to play an instrument, and that's how we got started.

How did you find the time to be in a band while still attending high school?
We practiced after school was over. We sometimes even went on a practice camp during vacation since some of us lived far away and it was difficult for all of us to meet up.

Tell us about your first performances at Shibuya Club Asia and its importance to your career.
We were all too nervous, and don't remember anything... But that was a very important show because all the people from the record company and the management were at that show, which eventually led to our debut.

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Btw do you know the members of Oreskaband?
Yes, we're good friends with them. We'd go see their show, and they'd come see ours!

Do you write most of your music and lyrics yourself, or do you use other songwriters?
The music is written by other songwriters, but we all write the lyrics together.

Do you have nicknames for each other? What do you usually call each other?
We would call each other in shortened names. Like we would call Haruna as "Haru" and Tomomi as "Tomo."

Which of you would you say is the most outgoing? The shyest?
We're all shy (smiles).

Outside of music, what do you all like to do for fun?
Food, clothes and watching movies. Talking about comedians is also a common topic for all of us.

Do you have a final message to all your fans?
How are you America!? We will be releasing our new single in October, and we are also currently working on our album too. We'd love to come back to the U.S. again, and we really appreciate all your support!

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credits: Andrew @ J-Pop World
Original

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Kenapa "How are you America?" bukan "Hello World!"
=)

Wuoo~
"Beautifully Sexy Moe" XD *ngelirik nickname si maniak moe*
Oh..
Ternyata temenan sama Oreska-band ya? Pantes di beberapa entri blog mereka ada nama Oreska gt.. Hehe

Heso...!!!

SCANDAL said :
This song is about the screaming voices of the girls. The composer of this song is Yuichi Tajika.

siapa itu yuichi tajika???

Heso...!!!!

haha kok one peace sih...one piece tuh harusnya...
kapan yah mereka bilang "how are you indonesia? We'd love to come to the indonesia"

Koide Namizo wrote:siapa itu yuichi tajika???

"siapa" ?
Penyanyi, Composer ^^ dengan gaya rock ballad (Shoujo S)
Jadi pembuat lagunya Yuichi Tajika, tapi penulis liriknya SCANDAL (Tomo).

田鹿ゆいち

jr. wrote:haha kok one peace sih...one piece tuh harusnya...
kapan yah mereka bilang "how are you indonesia? We'd love to come to the indonesia"

hahaha kedengarannya "wan pi-su" mungkin disangka "One Peace".
"One Piece" maksudnya. : )

wow mayan tuh tajika....
dia orang sony ato gmn? ada campur tangan orang laen nih...

klihatan ny ada beberapa lagu scandal yg di compose ma tajika itu;
klo liat video live nya khn sering di awal2 ada tulisannya;

waaaaw;
SCANDAL juga suka K-ON!!!!
baguz2;

q juga baru ngerti klo di ending nya SHOJO S ntu crita ny mreka di suruh pulang;
tp knapa kq mlh mreka ketawa2 y??

eh tp mkasih bgt udh nge post ni wawancara y;

yah wajar klo mereka suka K-ON...tema nya aja musik...sayang tomomi nya ngga kidal.
di IDWS pernah kok ada translasi dialog si penjaga sama member scandal

Mereka ketawa karena orang itu aneh, tapi si komedian itu malah kegeeran.

jr. wrote:wow mayan tuh tajika....
dia orang sony ato gmn? ada campur tangan orang laen nih...

Kayanya sih emang dikontrak sony ^^

Heso...!!!

wah..ternyata terlihat masih muda orangnya si tajika...kirain saya dah tua...XDDDDDd

tajika ntu khusus bantu SCANDAL doank or artis2 sony lainnya ya???

Heso...!!!

ini translasi nya, thanks buat bro asagi132

Petugas Kebersihan: Hei!
Petugas Kebersihan: Cepet pulang sana...
SCANDAL: (ketawa2)
Petugas Kebersihan: (lha kok ni orang malah cengengesan :onion-56:)
SCANDAL: Dia cengengesan tuh! (sambil ketawa)
Petugas Kebersihan: Yah gw diketawain...
SCANDAL: dia ketawa tuh...
Petugas Kebersihan: Seaneh itukah gw? (lha dia baru nyadar kalo aneh)
SCANDAL: Weleh, tampangnya itu loh gak nahan!
Petugas Kebersihan: He? Tampang gw kah? Kalian ketawa gara2 tampang gw yah...
SCANDAL: (tetep ketawa) itu lucu banget...