from the previous page
BiSH's new single
WACK announced their own magazine
GG WACK posted a fan translation of "Wanna Dance"
BiSH's new single
BiSH's new single「UP to ME」out in September 21
WACK announced their own magazine
WACK announced their own magazine "Gekkan WACK" or "Monthly WACK"
月刊 WACK 公式サイト｜BiSH はじめメンバー総出演！ 初のオフィシャルマガジン
BiSH、ExWHYZ、GANG PARADE、BiS、豆柴の大群、ASP、都内某所、KiSS KiSS所属の全メンバーが出演する、WACK初のオフィシャルマガジン「月刊WACK」（光文社刊）の公式サイトです。定期購読者だけが見られるメンバーのファッション、グラビア、バラエティ企画を毎月お届けします！mwack.kokode-digital.jp
Watanabe is going to be the editor in chief and the members of the groups are going to act as writers, the magazine is going to be publish under Kobunsha
they are going to run multiple series featuring the members of WACK talking about their lives outside the group, their hobbies, etc plus a column were fans can share their problems with the members and get advice
the first 6 issues of the magazine are going to feature a different member of BiSH in the cover, they also are going to include plastic models of the members created by Sushio (character designer at TRIGGER, responsible for KILL LA KILL among other series)
they are going to release two sets of models, the first set seems to be based on "Promise the star"
another of the features is an original manga by Tetsuji Kanie, is going to be based on a mix of real life events and fiction, the story is going to be set in one of WACK's audition camps
Tetsuji Kanie
Looking for information on Tetsuji Kanie? On MyAnimeList you can learn more about their role in the anime and manga industry.myanimelist.net
they plan to launch a monthly essay serialization, via an online vote they are holding a contest among different members of WACK to pick the winner of the spot, these are the members that submitted an essay
Dockson (GANG PARADE)
Mikina (ExWHYZ)
TOGGY (BiS)
KAEDE (MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN)
Mog Ryan (ASP)
WONKER (ASP)
unfortunately the magazine is only going to be released in physical format, the content of the magazine is going to be keep a secret until release and subscriptions are only available in either 6 or 12 months plans
here a place holder of how is going to look
something funny is that Kobunsha also publishes the magazine "bis" which is unrelated to the group BiS
Bis (magazine) - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
GG WACK posted a fan translation of "Wanna Dance"
GG Wack posted a translated lyric video of "Wanna dance"
(thumbnail is broken but the video works)
Wanna Dance
Lyrics: Shinichi Osawa + ExWHYZ Composition: Shinichi Osawa Translation: Korosarenai Karli English Closing my eyes, I try to make sure of my surroundings You, over there, I wonder if you found out …ggwack.wordpress.com
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WACK announced their own magazine "Gekkan WACK" or "Monthly WACK"
月刊 WACK 公式サイト｜BiSH はじめメンバー総出演！ 初のオフィシャルマガジン
BiSH、ExWHYZ、GANG PARADE、BiS、豆柴の大群、ASP、都内某所、KiSS KiSS所属の全メンバーが出演する、WACK初のオフィシャルマガジン「月刊WACK」（光文社刊）の公式サイトです。定期購読者だけが見られるメンバーのファッション、グラビア、バラエティ企画を毎月お届けします！
Watanabe is going to be the editor in chief and the members of the groups are going to act as writers, the magazine is going to be publish under Kobunsha
they are going to run multiple series featuring the members of WACK talking about their lives outside the group, their hobbies, etc plus a column were fans can share their problems with the members and get advice
the first 6 issues of the magazine are going to feature a different member of BiSH in the cover, they also are going to include plastic models of the members created by Sushio (character designer at TRIGGER, responsible for KILL LA KILL among other series)
they are going to release two sets of models, the first set seems to be based on "Promise the star"
another of the features is an original manga by Tetsuji Kanie, is going to be based on a mix of real life events and fiction, the story is going to be set in one of WACK's audition camps
Tetsuji Kanie
Looking for information on Tetsuji Kanie? On MyAnimeList you can learn more about their role in the anime and manga industry.
they plan to launch a monthly essay serialization, via an online vote they are holding a contest among different members of WACK to pick the winner of the spot, these are the members that submitted an essay
Dockson (GANG PARADE)
Mikina (ExWHYZ)
TOGGY (BiS)
KAEDE (MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN)
Mog Ryan (ASP)
WONKER (ASP)
unfortunately the magazine is only going to be released in physical format, the content of the magazine is going to be keep a secret until release and subscriptions are only available in either 6 or 12 months plans
here a place holder of how is going to look
something funny is that Kobunsha also publishes the magazine "bis" which is unrelated to the group BiS
Bis (magazine) - Wikipedia
Not sure if it was mention but, which date will it be first released?
It's also pretty interesting to see WACK creating more branch to themselves.
i can't find a release date but reservations are going to be open until November 11
"完全受注生産で最大11/11（金）まで予約受付中。詳細は公式サイトをチェック!
Reservations are being accepted up to 11/11 (Friday) with a limited quantity and complete build-to-order production. Check the official website for details!"
i'm not sure about payment methods
my only complaint is that i kinda wish they had started these projects before
lately it feels like Watanabe is on a rush to make big changes within WACK before year's end, makes sense since BiSH are going to disband in 2023 although that still isn't an excuse for starting this late, according to the BiSH members Watanabe told them they were going to disband back in 2019 and it was only because of the pandemic that we got a few more years with them
but better late than never, also lately Watanabe / WACK has been liking or even retweeting translations of news, hopefully next year they start giving more support to intl fans
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speaking of WACK side projects, their mobile game "WACK ROCKiN' PARTY" was cancelled
the game was pretty deep in development so who knows why
sucks i was looking forward to it
worth mention that this was the first app WACK ever created, i think they probably should have started with a smaller project, a full game with hours of footage, customization for 40+ members and hundreds of songs was probably too much for their first project
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as part of "Even without BiSH, this is WACK" they are releasing a series of interviews with Watanabe and the members of WACK
they are going to release more with the other groups
for once Watanabe actually acknowledged the existence of BiS2, kinda relevant since we just got this
for now this is the closest thing we are getting to a reunion
yesterday was HO6LA's disbanding, the leader of the group was Pan Luna Leafy who was a member of BiS2 and then CARRY LOOSE, after CL disbanded she left WACK and along Rinahamu (ex BiS1 member) launched the group HO6LA
not only that but it also was Muropanako's birthday so it ended being a good occasion for most of the ex BiS2 members to get together
this version of BiS not only disbanded 3 years ago but also was together for only a year and yet they are still really close fiends, that's cool
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i haven't been paying much attention to WAgg so i don't know if there was an announcement but lately i read many rumors of people saying they aren't going to be around next year
(tweet unrelated)
i wouldn't be surprised since it's clear they don't have plans for them, the members probably would be better somewhere else
the game was pretty deep in development so who knows why
sucks i was looking forward to it
worth mention that this was the first app WACK ever created, i think they probably should have started with a smaller project, a full game with hours of footage, customization for 40+ members and hundreds of songs was probably too much for their first project
-
as part of "Even without BiSH, this is WACK" they are releasing a series of interviews with Watanabe and the members of WACK
they are going to release more with the other groups
for once Watanabe actually acknowledged the existence of BiS2, kinda relevant since we just got this
for now this is the closest thing we are getting to a reunion
yesterday was HO6LA's disbanding, the leader of the group was Pan Luna Leafy who was a member of BiS2 and then CARRY LOOSE, after CL disbanded she left WACK and along Rinahamu (ex BiS1 member) launched the group HO6LA
not only that but it also was Muropanako's birthday so it ended being a good occasion for most of the ex BiS2 members to get together
this version of BiS not only disbanded 3 years ago but also was together for only a year and yet they are still really close fiends, that's cool
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i haven't been paying much attention to WAgg so i don't know if there was an announcement but lately i read many rumors of people saying they aren't going to be around next year
(tweet unrelated)
i wouldn't be surprised since it's clear they don't have plans for them, the members probably would be better somewhere else
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Mikina's TikTok account now has more followers than the one from ExWHYZ
i'm not surprised since not only Mikina post updates daily but her content is the type of stuff you imagine would do well in TikTok
they are in a studio with instruments
i don't know if they are recording something or if this is related to ExWHYZ's light music club
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this applies not only to BiSH but all groups
WACK is going to stop refunding tickets for their concerts, the reason is that a group of fans were abusing the system, the way it used to work was that if for any reason you were unable to attend a show you could send an application for a refund which would be pay a few days later
well some people were requesting refunds but since they still had the tickets at hand they would go to the concert anyways, basically they were scamming WACK for free tickets
sucks for the honest fans but according to the statement this has been happening a lot lately so i think WACK are right this time
BiSH's are going to perform at the VMAJ
i'm not surprised since not only Mikina post updates daily but her content is the type of stuff you imagine would do well in TikTok
they are in a studio with instruments
i don't know if they are recording something or if this is related to ExWHYZ's light music club
-
this applies not only to BiSH but all groups
WACK is going to stop refunding tickets for their concerts, the reason is that a group of fans were abusing the system, the way it used to work was that if for any reason you were unable to attend a show you could send an application for a refund which would be pay a few days later
well some people were requesting refunds but since they still had the tickets at hand they would go to the concert anyways, basically they were scamming WACK for free tickets
sucks for the honest fans but according to the statement this has been happening a lot lately so i think WACK are right this time
BiSH's are going to perform at the VMAJ
Mikina posted a "before and after", she tagged the tweet as "improvement" although honestly i don't think she looked bad before, in the first pictures she seems to be in middle school or something like that
in any case the original tweet is from a while ago but she retweeted it due to this, she searched for ExWHYZ and got mad because she is the only member with a bad picture in her Google profile
i Googled ExWHYZ and i got a different picture
GANG PARADE's "priority" was prereleased digitally
the B-side song is "Melt" Ca-non wrote the lyrics, the physical single goes out in November and the MV probably next month
GANG PARADE also unveiled a visual for their tour "EVERYTHING MUST GO TOUR" + new merch
even in daylight the uniforms still look cool
the B-side song is "Melt" Ca-non wrote the lyrics, the physical single goes out in November and the MV probably next month
GANG PARADE also unveiled a visual for their tour "EVERYTHING MUST GO TOUR" + new merch
even in daylight the uniforms still look cool
ExWHYZ's inverview for "Even without BiSH, this is WACK"
ExWHYZ unveiled the cover art for "xYZ"
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Visual for BiSH's "And yet BiSH moved."
it was today, they posted an after movie
also it seems that "Tiary TV" doesn't exist anymore, some of the earliest BiSH and EMPiRE's interviews were done by them
there are still some bits posted in fan channels
i know i have a backup of EMPiRE's visits but i forgot to do one for BiSH
MAMESHiBA were going to perform during the day 3 of INAZUMA FES but there is a typhoon approaching Japan so most live shows are getting canceled (at least the outdoor ones)
they posted a compilation of live performances, this was supposed to be the set they were going to play
ExWHYZ unveiled the cover art for "xYZ"
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Visual for BiSH's "And yet BiSH moved."
it was today, they posted an after movie
also it seems that "Tiary TV" doesn't exist anymore, some of the earliest BiSH and EMPiRE's interviews were done by them
there are still some bits posted in fan channels
i know i have a backup of EMPiRE's visits but i forgot to do one for BiSH
MAMESHiBA were going to perform during the day 3 of INAZUMA FES but there is a typhoon approaching Japan so most live shows are getting canceled (at least the outdoor ones)
they posted a compilation of live performances, this was supposed to be the set they were going to play
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Rez
HallyubooGonna be another straight banger
↑
the MV version is out already
today they released the dance version
the MV version is out already
today they released the dance version
BiSH / UP to ME [DANCE ViDEO]
ASP's "Hyper Cracker"
first week sales: 19,591 copies
second week sales: 6,577 copies
total sales so far: 26,168 copies
BiS "Hey boy hey girl"
first week sales: 12,524 copies
second week sales: 6,048 copies
third week sales: 4,041
fourth week sales: unknown
fifth week sales: unknown
sixth week sales: 2,440 copies
seventh week sales: 1,969 copies
eighth week sales: 3,091 copies
ninth week sales: 2,573 copies
total sales so far: 32,686+ copies
btw i have no idea which sales week is this one, the 9 there just means the weeks it has ranked within the chart
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ExWHYZ debut album was picked as one of the recommended releases of October by TOWER RECORDS
first week sales: 19,591 copies
second week sales: 6,577 copies
total sales so far: 26,168 copies
BiS "Hey boy hey girl"
first week sales: 12,524 copies
second week sales: 6,048 copies
third week sales: 4,041
fourth week sales: unknown
fifth week sales: unknown
sixth week sales: 2,440 copies
seventh week sales: 1,969 copies
eighth week sales: 3,091 copies
ninth week sales: 2,573 copies
total sales so far: 32,686+ copies
btw i have no idea which sales week is this one, the 9 there just means the weeks it has ranked within the chart
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ExWHYZ debut album was picked as one of the recommended releases of October by TOWER RECORDS
ASP / I wanna live [ACOUSTiC SAD ORCHESTRA TOUR FiNAL - 一触即発 - CRiTiCAL SiTUATiONS] at 日比谷野外音楽堂
Rez
HallyubooMomo showing off her outfits
SPY (the winners of WACK SELECT 7) and Yuki Kashiwagi got together again
dunno what they are recording, i checked the Yuki Kashiwagi and WACK accounts but there is no mention of it, if i have to guess is probably for a TV show or something like that
seems that iNNOCENT ASS (or at least Yu-ki) were there too
dunno what they are recording, i checked the Yuki Kashiwagi and WACK accounts but there is no mention of it, if i have to guess is probably for a TV show or something like that
seems that iNNOCENT ASS (or at least Yu-ki) were there too
GANG PARADE and StoryWriter started a new series of personal interviews with the members of GP, they are being done by Yodai Tsujiyama who is the group's manager
the first one is with Yamamachi Miki
they also are being publish in the StoryWriter site so it's worth checking both
storywriter.tokyo
some bits
the first one is with Yamamachi Miki
they also are being publish in the StoryWriter site so it's worth checking both
ãGANG PARADE çæéä¸é£è¼ Vol.1ãã¤ãããããç·¨ã1人ãããã¯èªåã®ãã¨ãå¿è¦ã¨ãã¦ããã人ããããã ããã£ã¦ä¼ãããã
ãã¿ããªã®éã³å ´ããã³ã³ã»ããã«æ´»åããWACKæå±ã®13人çµã¢ã¤ãã«ã»ã°ã«ã¼ãGANG PARADEï¼ä»¥ä¸ã…
storywriter.tokyo
some bits
- Lately she decided to take on a more mature style, part of the motivation was the sudden influx of young members joining GANG PARADE
- Talked about her love for Disney (one third of the interview is about it) explained that the lyrics of "Tewonobasu" were inspired by them
- Talked about her love for Manga, she mentions "Zatch Bell!" as one of her favorites
- Also read "Captain Tsubasa" and tried reading "Dragon Ball" but dropped the later while Goku was still a child
- She likes the works of "KyoAni" (Kyoto Animation) she also really likes the Anime adaptations of "BLEACH", "BLACK CAT" and "Ueki no Housoku"
- Loves RPG games, her favorites are the "Tales Of" series, also "Kingdom Hearts"
- Lately she hasn't have the time to play games or watch Anime, she did play the latest "Tales Of" game but most of her free time goes to Disney
- Talked about singing, WACK and a little on herself
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EMPiRE's radio show "FREE ALL EMPiRE" ended in June of this year
well today it was announced that ExWHYZ are starting a new radio show "FREE ALL ExWHYZ"
just like the group they simply changed "EMPiRE" to "ExWHYZ"
starts next month
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ochocho?
"FREE ALL EMPiRE" final episode aired today, all members guested
some fan managed to record most of it
they also retweeted this picture of the first episode back in early 2018
that one was barely less than one month after they released "Akarui Mirai", MAHO and MiKiNA weren't part of the group yet and YUKA and YUiNA were still around
well today it was announced that ExWHYZ are starting a new radio show "FREE ALL ExWHYZ"
starts next month
-
ochocho?
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today is Atsuko's birthday!
according to the wiki Atsuko turns 32, i don't know how accurate is that
wackidol.fandom.com
Aina doing an unboxing of『AiNA THE END"帰巣本能"』
another interview for「Even without BiSH, this is WACK」this time BiS
according to the wiki Atsuko turns 32, i don't know how accurate is that
Hashiyasume Atsuko
Hashiyasume Atsuko (ハシヤスメ・アツコ), formerly known as Kuramoto Aoi (倉本あおい), is a Japanese idol and actress. She is a member of the WACK group, BiSH, joining in 2015, alongside Lingling. She is also a member of the shuffle group, SPY. Prior to her involvement with WACK, she was part of the chika idol...
wackidol.fandom.com
Aina doing an unboxing of『AiNA THE END"帰巣本能"』
another interview for「Even without BiSH, this is WACK」this time BiS
more info on WACK's magazine "Gekkan WACK", i'm not sure when is going be launched but since they just dumped a bunch of info probably soon
they posted more drafts of their upcoming manga
(Atsuko's is going to be unveiled next so that's why there aren't images of her manga design or her plastic model)
the designs for Chittii, Mokoko and Lingling are pretty good, the ones for Aina and Ayuni's aren't bad but i don't feel they capture their features well
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they unveiled more plastic models that are going to be included with the first 6 issues of the magazine, they were created by KILL LA KILL's character designer Sushio
in the essay contest Mikina's submission is winning although Dockson and Wonker's are just a few votes behind, the result is going to be announced in some weeks
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some of the things that people with subscriptions can expect
1) people are going to receive "WACK medals", these can be use to access bonus content or as vote tokens in future contests
2) people with subscriptions are going to be able to buy digital content like covers of songs, videos, photoshoots they also open the possibility of potentially releasing NFTs in the future...
3) an invitation to participate in a "slack" community dedicated to WACK
4) receive gifts every now and then
5) by collecting 12 photos included in each issue of the magazine they can later be combined to create a special group photo of all the members
they also announced two special plans, one for 77,777 yen and a "dream plan" for 300,000 yen, the later is limited to 20 people, the special thing about it is that you are going to be able to ask the magazine for an special feature of your choosing *obviously with some limits, so maybe asking for an interview with your favorite member, etc stuff like that
they posted more drafts of their upcoming manga
(Atsuko's is going to be unveiled next so that's why there aren't images of her manga design or her plastic model)
the designs for Chittii, Mokoko and Lingling are pretty good, the ones for Aina and Ayuni's aren't bad but i don't feel they capture their features well
-
they unveiled more plastic models that are going to be included with the first 6 issues of the magazine, they were created by KILL LA KILL's character designer Sushio
in the essay contest Mikina's submission is winning although Dockson and Wonker's are just a few votes behind, the result is going to be announced in some weeks
-
some of the things that people with subscriptions can expect
1) people are going to receive "WACK medals", these can be use to access bonus content or as vote tokens in future contests
2) people with subscriptions are going to be able to buy digital content like covers of songs, videos, photoshoots they also open the possibility of potentially releasing NFTs in the future...
3) an invitation to participate in a "slack" community dedicated to WACK
4) receive gifts every now and then
5) by collecting 12 photos included in each issue of the magazine they can later be combined to create a special group photo of all the members
they also announced two special plans, one for 77,777 yen and a "dream plan" for 300,000 yen, the later is limited to 20 people, the special thing about it is that you are going to be able to ask the magazine for an special feature of your choosing *obviously with some limits, so maybe asking for an interview with your favorite member, etc stuff like that
GANG PARADE and StoryWriter started a new series of personal interviews with the members of GP, the first interview was done by Yodai Tsujiyama who is the group's manager and the first member to be interviewed was Yamamachi Miki, the later is now in charge of doing the interview with the next member and most likely the next member is going to interview the following one
interview #2 is with Yumeno Yua
they also are being publish on the StoryWriter site
storywriter.tokyo
some bits
"Happy Lucky Kirakira Lucky" is this song by POP (GANG PARADE's predecessor group)
interview #2 is with Yumeno Yua
they also are being publish on the StoryWriter site
ãGANG PARADE çæéä¸é£è¼ Vol.2ãã¦ã¡ãã¦ã¢ç·¨ãèªåãæã£ã¦ããããæ¯ãã¦ãããã®ã¯é³æ¥½ã ã£ãã
ãã¿ããªã®éã³å ´ããã³ã³ã»ããã«æ´»åããWACKæå±ã®13人çµã¢ã¤ãã«ã»ã°ã«ã¼ãGANG PARADEï¼ä»¥ä¸ã…
storywriter.tokyo
some bits
- Due to multiple members of GP having short hair she decided to let her hair growth, she noticed her personality changing with her hairstyle, when is short she feels more like a tomboy but now that is longer she feels more feminine
- The reason why she dressed like this (pictures below) was because of the photoshoot, usually she likes casual styles better and also commented how in the past she used to liked pastel or bright colors for her clothes but these days only wears black
- She is always checking new Manga, Anime and music releases, she used to like hard rock and melocore but her tastes have changed, now listens to either new releases or what's on music charts and the reason why she feels the need to listen to what is popular right now is due to having her own radio show "TRill MUsic" which she doesn't want to get left behind
- She has discovered lots of new artists lately but still hasn't found many new bands, part of her music roots were inspired by bands, while in high school it was thanks to the radio show "SCHOOL OF LOCK" that she got to discover many new bands, she says that she is a little jealous of the WACK groups that get to appear there because it looks really fun (MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN have a radio show there)
- She is subscribed to "Weekly Shonen Jump" and "Weekly Shonen Magazine", according to her Manga and Anime are one of the most wonderful things about Japanese culture
- She mentions "Haikyu!" as one of her favorites because she feels touched by seeing the characters devote themselves to their dreams, also "Demon Slayer" and "My Hero Academia" and says that "Me & Roboco" is very popular among the GP members
- Among all the songs she has written the first was "Happy Lucky Kirakira Lucky", that along "ALONE" and "GROOVE" are songs that represent her not as an idol but as "Yumeno Yua"
- When she was young she didn't have much money so she couldn't afford to attend concerts but she could always listen to the radio, music helped her when she was struggling and now when working on music she thinks that it would be nice if her songs could also help others
- Finally she mentions that since you never forget the music that influenced you that she would be happy if people too were to feel like that about GANG PARADE's music
"Happy Lucky Kirakira Lucky" is this song by POP (GANG PARADE's predecessor group)
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BiSH's were featured in a interview with Billboard! while they have appeared multiple times in the Japan version this is the first time that they are featured in the international version
www.billboard.com
On Christmas Eve 2021, during their first performance at Kōhaku Uta Gassen, BiSH suddenly announced that it would be disbanding. They also made several promises to their fans, one of which is “Sayonara Saraba,” a single that marks their eighth release in a busy release schedule for the band over the last 12 months.
With songwriting by Taka (ONE OK ROCK) and MEG (MEGMETAL), and lyrics by KENTA (WANIMA), the track is their first to be produced by third parties — an undertaking they say was a major challenge. All six members spoke with us at length about the first summer festival season since their announcement to disband, as well as what they have been doing as a “punk band with no instruments.”
Here we are in the middle of the summer festival season. You recently (*this interview was conducted at the end of August) performed at “Sweet Love Shower” and “Rush Ball,” which I believe was your first time in three years to perform during the chaotic summer festival rush. How did it go?
HASHiYASUME ATSUKO: Last year our show was canceled right before we were supposed to perform, so this year’s summer festival was our first in a while. We were really fired up because it had been so long. It was different from playing indoors: there was that smell of the grass, the feel of the hot air. You could take in the air with eyes, nose, and ears. It felt kind of like things were getting back to normal.
With all of the many “cleaners” (the collective term for BiSH fans) out there now, I imagine that, by comparison, playing festivals back then felt like playing at an away game. Maybe your concerts also won you some new fans. What are your thoughts on the early days of your career?
CENTCHiHiRO CHiTTiii: At first, when we had really just started out, the audience rarely put their hands up for us and often went off to watch other bands. I didn’t know how to get the crowd excited. It was really frustrating. But those experiences spurred us to start talking amongst ourselves about how BiSH could show people what made it unique. Not using instruments means there are certain things we can do. Six girls performing the way we do — that’s our strength as a band and what really makes BiSH different. As we gradually came to see what our strengths are, we thought hard about how to perform live in such a way that people would take us seriously. And I don’t think we would’ve experienced that growth if it hadn’t been for the festivals.
I can understand that.
CHiTTiii: The performances we saw at those festivals and every word we heard were formative for BiSH. And the atmosphere was completely different at every venue. The choreography that AiNA comes up with (for BiSH) often gets people dancing along with us right away. So when non-cleaners see us for the first time, they’ll throw their hands up and dance like they’re having so much fun. Moments like that are so moving — I get choked up. I’m so happy that, even though our disbandment approaches, we’re getting to experience new things.
This was your first summer festival performance since Christmas Eve, 2021, when you announced you were disbanding. Compared to before the announcement, are there any ways in which you have come to see yourself differently, or is there anything you’ve reaffirmed?
CHiTTiii: So many times, we’ll go somewhere or do something for the first time together, and I’ll think, “this could be the last time we do this.” It’s something I think about all the time, not just at summer festivals. There’s just a greater loneliness now.
Thinking back on this year’s summer festivals, were there any performers that shocked or awed you, or that stick in your mind?
AYUNi D: There were several festivals that we couldn’t make it to because some of us weren’t feeling good. For those shows, bands like The Bawdies stood in for us. I also heard from other artists that DJs played BiSH songs at the shows we couldn’t make. Not too long ago, I don’t think people would have put up with a band like BiSH. Other artists would probably have been like, “what the heck is this group of six girls?” But we threw ourselves into the band, and it’s like CHiTTiii said earlier: we have a strength in that we can do things others can’t because we don’t use instruments. We’ve never stopped believing in ourselves, and now other artists have noticed us and begun to accept us a little. I’m so glad we stuck with it. It was worth the faith we have had into it.
MOMOKOGUMiCOMPANY: At the Monster Bash event, we did a performance with Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. Festival regulars like 04 Limited Sazabys, who were there with us at the “Sweet Love Shower” and “Rush Ball” events, became friends with us and cheered us on backstage. I’m really thankful for that. But it made me really sad to think that we wouldn’t see them very much anymore after we disbanded. I hope there’ll be another opportunity for us to all be together again, like the battles of the bands we used to do.
It has been eight months since your announcement at the end of last year. How has this period of time been for BiSH?
LiNGLiNG: For our “COLONiZED TOUR,” our first shows since our announcement, we did things like go to completely new places. There was a powerful feeling that BiSH and cleaners were seeing each other for the first time. Though they didn’t say it, you could absolutely feel how happy they were to have finally met us. It was so fun and it made me so happy to see “cleaners” at our shows — just to be able to see them one more time was great. Every time we were on stage, I thought, “what a happy place I’m in.”
AiNA THE END: With our disbandment on the calendar, it strikes me that there are ways we can pursue things that are different from what we’ve done before. It used to be that whenever I felt even a little under the weather, I might think I needed to hold something back, even though in my heart I wanted to give it my all. But now there’s no holding back, because no matter how crummy I might feel, I remember that this could be the last time I experience this kind of happiness, or the last time our cleaners get to see us. Approaching life in this way personally has also brought about new ways of expressing myself. These last eight months have been a time of many different discoveries.
So even though BiSH’s disbandment is set in stone, you’re tapping into new methods of expression, and making new discoveries. That’s a really optimistic outlook.
AiNA: I suppose it is.
Has there been anything you’ve noticed for the first time, or rediscovered, since the announcement?
CHiTTiii: Well, I don’t know about things I’ve noticed because of the decision to disband, but these eight months have been a time for carrying on the things we’ve accomplished. So many people have supported us over the years, and so many have come to see what we’ve been able to do. Thinking about that makes me even happier than I usually am. [Laughs] Our staff also say they’re sad that they might not see us again after we disband. I’ve been recalling everything that’s happened up to this point and I think about what those people did for us, and how I need to be thankful for it all.
Would you say that people have actually had more opportunities to tell you how they feel about you since you made the announcement?
CHiTTiii: That’s certainly true, but we’ve also realized lots of stuff ourselves. It’s like things we couldn’t see before have come into focus.
But that doesn’t mean necessarily mean you’re going to change how you guys do things, right?
CHiTTiii: It’s not changing things so much as it is preserving the mindset we’ve cultivated over the years. But it’s like AiNA said: since we don’t know when the last time for anything could come, there’s no time to hold anything back. To make sure we don’t regret anything later, I really think we need to express love, gratitude, all kinds of emotions.
You guys have really made a flurry of releases over the last 12 months. I know that was a promise you made when you announced your disbandment, but what did you think when you first heard about the plan?
AiNA: “Uh oh.”
Because of the production schedule?
AiNA: Yeah. Actually though, our lyrics on GOiNG TO DESTRUCTiON, the album we put out just before that accelerated release schedule, hinted at the end of the band. Our music video for “CAN WE STiLL BE??” also had elements that pointed to our breaking up. We just never said it in so many words. When we started our accelerated schedule, that served as a great opportunity to provide cleaners with music that, through unambiguous and positive language, would allow them to begin to accept our disbandment. The “someday we will meet here again” lyrics on “FiNAL SHiTS” is one example of this. We knew it would be a hectic schedule, but we wanted to pour our hearts into it. Personally, I want to show off some choreography that will showcase the other members’ strong points. But I’m looking at our disbandment with optimism.
“Sayonara Saraba” is your eighth release in 2022. Do you have any particularly memorable songwriting-related anecdotes to share from this year?
MOMOKO: Some songs have a no-nonsense, grown-up feel to them like “FiNAL SHiTS,” while “Tell Me That You Love Me” has some playful energy to it. We’d never been so girly with our music or clothing — everybody was in pink dresses, for example. It was pretty embarrassing. [Laughs]
The choreography is cute, too.
MOMOKO: Yeah. Part of it was maybe just, “let’s go out with a bang,” too. We were a little unsure about the track because even the lyrics were like “here’s a love song!”. But surprisingly, many loved it — nobody said, “this isn’t BiSH.” These last eight months really drew a lot of different things out of us.
What about you, HASHiYASUME?
HASHiYASUME: BiSH has always written its own lyrics, right? For a long time, I’ve wanted to look at everything other members have written and write something myself. And sometimes band members’ lyrics get used in B-sides and things. Every time we come up with something, it’s always very much BiSH. Personally, I think “Tell Me That You Love Me” and “I’m Sorry” are a really new style for us. The lyrics are easy for even children to understand.
It was even broadcast on NHK’s Minna no Uta.
HASHiYASUME: Yeah, it was used on Minna no Uta, and the choreography is simple enough for even children to do. During this accelerated release schedule, I’ve noticed that, even though we’ve been together for seven or eight years, there are a lot of ways that we haven’t expressed ourselves, and a lot of things we haven’t done. There’s a lot that we’ve left undone, you could say. It feels like every day I learn something new.
Through your musicmaking.
HASHiYASUME: That’s right. Because I know that lots of fun things await us in the time we have left. We worked with new producers for “Sayonara Saraba,” so that’s another new thing. We’re just having so much fun every month.
“Sayonara Saraba” represents the first time during this accelerated release schedule that you worked with the new producers, right? People like Kenta Matsukuma and Junnosuke Watanabe, producers that know everyone, have helped with your songs in the past, but “Sayonara Saraba” was produced by Taka from ONE OK ROCK and Kenta from WANIMA. The song strikes me as being really unique, even among the tracks you’ve released this year. What did you first think when you heard that the two would be involved?
CHiTTiii: I guess everyone was equal parts happy and ambivalent.
Why ambivalent?
CHiTTiii: Kenta Matsukuma has been with us for the entire past seven years, and his production has been great support. I think he finds our songs to be cool, and so he thinks BiSH is cool, too. I was shocked when I heard that somebody other than him would be making songs for us. But I imagine that Junnosuke Watanabe thought about a lot of different things with regard to BiSH and realized that, just as ATSUKO (HASHiYASUME) was saying earlier, there were many things we hadn’t tried yet — things we’d left undone. It wasn’t about Taka and KENTA starting to work with us; more important was that we had taken a first step for ourselves by working with someone new. It was like we set out into a new world.
What did you first think of what he came up with?
AYUNi: It was very ONE OK ROCK.
The sound, you mean.
AYUNi: It’s so kickass. And in the demo, Taka and KENTA are doing the vocals. They’re such amazing singers. It was so good that we could have just put it out as it was. That really impressed me, and I actually studied how they sing as part of my preparation for recording our own vocals. It’s such an unforgettable track for me.
The first thing Taka says in the behind-the-scenes documentary is that one shouldn’t worry about singing well but rather just expressing emotion. How much did the vocals end up matching what you wanted to achieve?
AYUNi: Well, Taka and KENTA praised the parts where I thought we sang pretty well. They’re both good at giving compliments. I think every BiSH member has their own characteristics, and Taka would give us technical pointers on the spot, saying “you’ve got a unique way of opening up your throat,” or “you can get this kind of voice by creating resonance in your nose here,” or whatever. He’d point out our unique qualities and tell us how to get more resonance. And so through discussions with him we developed our own vocal sound. I really like how I sing.
Taka praised you, LiNGLiNG, for the parts where you’re shouting, for example. What kind of direction did Taka and KENTA provide?
LiNGLiNG: They’d provide direction and model it with their own singing, which made it really easy to learn. I was absolutely shocked that anyone could have such a great voice! To achieve a good shout, they told me to imagine that my pet dog hadn’t come home for five weeks.
I remember that. They made some interesting comparisons.
LiNGLiNG: They gave me unique advice, and I did my best to follow it.
What did you think of the lyrics? I know this was the first song during your accelerated release schedule to be written by someone who came to know you guys well.
MOMOKO: I felt like he was really there to support us. There wasn’t a sense of just counting down the days to our disbandment — it felt more like regrouping, readjusting, and going in for another attack. The lyrics “I’ll keep running, even if I feel like stopping” really stand out for me, in particular. He did a great job of putting into words the roles we play, the things that hold us back, stuff like that. I never straight up asked KENTA what he was thinking about when he wrote the lyrics, but it’s clear that he wrote with us in mind.
CHiTTiii: I think the lyrics are unique for having been written by a third party who had never really followed BiSH before. I saw them as providing a window onto how others see us. At first, with phrases like “playing a role” and “living a borrowed life,” I didn’t understand what he meant, or I thought that he was making a statement about us. But it occurred to me that, actually, he was saying that we needed to shatter that perception of how people saw us. Emotions have been up and down with our disbandment approaching. Yet more and more people are taking an interest in us, and developing a certain perception of us. Taka and KENTA have been really helping us figure out how to combat that perception, and he’s made us realize that that’s something we have to do. When we’re singing, we feel like we really need to give everything we’ve got to it.
In the recording studio, do you feel like your vocals were able to express what you felt from the lyrics?
CHiTTiii: Yeah. They really encouraged us to put our emotions into it. I personally focused on singing according to the intent of the lyrics. It was difficult, though.
When I listen to Sayonara Saraba, I can really hear everyone’s emotion in it. HASHiYASUME, was there anything about your vocal expression, for example, that you paid particular attention to?
HASHiYASUME: I listened to the track on a bunch of different speakers and earphones, and I thought the sound was wicked. I knew that when we recorded I’d have to sing it really well. I tried several different styles, and although I thought they sounded good, there was always something somehow lacking. I kept having to say “let me do that over” and “can I go a little longer?” I’ve asked to redo something when I wasn’t satisfied before, but this was my first time singing a song that made me feel so fired up and aggressive. The song really inspired me.
With the track already released, how do you think it’s been received by cleaners, including with respect to your singing?
HASHiYASUME: We played it at RUSH BALL a little while ago, and when I looked at a video of our performance later, I saw people putting their hands up during the chorus. I was kind of moved to see a lot of people doing our dance moves, too, which I guess somewhat owes to our having uploaded a video of our routine on YouTube.
Did you do the choreography after all the recording was done?
AiNA: Yeah, I wanted to do something that was just straight cool, rather than eccentric. BiSH doesn’t really make music that’s popular, that’s easy to get, or that’s cute or cool. It doesn’t fit into genres like that. So for our choreography, I focused on visualizing in dance form things that are close to our everyday lives, the things that come out of the motions that BiSH members go through every day. I threw myself at trying to achieve that. But Taka requested, through Junnosuke, that we make some changes to the moves we came up with.
Oh really?
AiNA: For the music video, our director, Kento Yamada, asked us to do things we’d never really been asked to do before. He’d say, “let’s go with this here,” “I want this person to make this,” or “I want to have a routine made especially for the music video.” Despite a relatively tight schedule, we tried a bunch of things.
Do you not usually get asked to do specific things regarding your choreography?
AiNA: Not usually. In our early days, like when we put out OTNK, Junnosuke would call and say stuff like “you guys think this is good!?” And so we brainstormed together and redid things. But that hasn’t happened for three or four years now.
There must have been something that really inspired him, then.
AiNA: I suppose so. I think it was like Junnosuke summoned the courage to ask another third party to do what he had always had Kenta do. It was a totally new challenge for him. So I think that’s why he became pretty particular about the choreography.
Interesting. How about “A long way to go,” a B-side that Mr. Watanabe helped write the lyrics for? How are you going to present that track to him?
CHiTTiii: We’ll say “this is a sick song.” I really like B-sides, myself. Taka and MEG wrote it, and when I heard it, I thought “it wouldn’t feel weird at all for BiSH to sing this.” Junnosuke wrote the lyrics, and when we decided this month—August—to do a song with Taka and MEG, I read the lyrics thinking that Junnosuke had written them with BiSH in mind. His support helped me a lot. I felt like he was telling me that there were still many things I could do and that he would be there with me. I thought the lyrics were a letter from Junnosuke. I liked the words and thought they would be nice to share with others.
I can see how, for Mr. Watanabe, it would be a challenging thing to use his lyrics or his “letter” as you described it, with music written by somebody other than Mr. Matsukuma. Do you get any inspiration from that approach of his?
CHiTTiii: Well, Junnosuke is a rather candid guy, so I just imagine that’s what he’s thinking. Saying that, I now feel kind of warm inside.
It makes sense that you would describe it as a letter.
CHiTTiii: Honestly, they are lyrics that only someone who has observed BiSH and lived life together with us from the beginning could write. The lyrics for this song and Sayonara Saraba both have its charm.
In that sense, there’s a strong contrast between the two.
CHiTTiii: There is. But they’re both aiming at the same thing.
What are your thoughts, LiNGLiNG?
LiNGLiNG: I think it’s an invigorating, pretty song. AYUNi had memorized the demo perfectly, and her voice in the studio was amazing. It was so spot on that KENTA was going nuts in the recording booth.
Is that right, AYUNi?
AYUNi: Hearing that made my day!
How was the response?
AYUNi: I think the song was in my key, so it felt really good to sing it. The intro also really shines, you know? I’m thrilled that I was able to sing that opening. It felt pretty natural, and I think I was able to sing it with a bit of sparkle.
In closing, is there anything you want cleaners and music listeners to know about upcoming BiSH releases?
CHiTTiii: I learned in August that one shouldn’t make assumptions. BiSH will still be around for a while, and there will be four more releases in this 12-month release schedule. We’re having fun making music, and we might even be able to show people things we haven’t even thought of yet. Whatever we do, we hope people listen to it all and don’t get sick of us.
I’ll be waiting for four more tracks from the new BiSH.
CHiTTiii: We’re going to have fun doing it all together.
BiSH Talk ‘Sayonara Saraba,’ the Song That Marks Their First Step Toward Disbandment in 2023
All six members spoke with Billboard Japan about the first summer festival season since their announcement to disband.
www.billboard.com
On Christmas Eve 2021, during their first performance at Kōhaku Uta Gassen, BiSH suddenly announced that it would be disbanding. They also made several promises to their fans, one of which is “Sayonara Saraba,” a single that marks their eighth release in a busy release schedule for the band over the last 12 months.
With songwriting by Taka (ONE OK ROCK) and MEG (MEGMETAL), and lyrics by KENTA (WANIMA), the track is their first to be produced by third parties — an undertaking they say was a major challenge. All six members spoke with us at length about the first summer festival season since their announcement to disband, as well as what they have been doing as a “punk band with no instruments.”
Here we are in the middle of the summer festival season. You recently (*this interview was conducted at the end of August) performed at “Sweet Love Shower” and “Rush Ball,” which I believe was your first time in three years to perform during the chaotic summer festival rush. How did it go?
HASHiYASUME ATSUKO: Last year our show was canceled right before we were supposed to perform, so this year’s summer festival was our first in a while. We were really fired up because it had been so long. It was different from playing indoors: there was that smell of the grass, the feel of the hot air. You could take in the air with eyes, nose, and ears. It felt kind of like things were getting back to normal.
With all of the many “cleaners” (the collective term for BiSH fans) out there now, I imagine that, by comparison, playing festivals back then felt like playing at an away game. Maybe your concerts also won you some new fans. What are your thoughts on the early days of your career?
CENTCHiHiRO CHiTTiii: At first, when we had really just started out, the audience rarely put their hands up for us and often went off to watch other bands. I didn’t know how to get the crowd excited. It was really frustrating. But those experiences spurred us to start talking amongst ourselves about how BiSH could show people what made it unique. Not using instruments means there are certain things we can do. Six girls performing the way we do — that’s our strength as a band and what really makes BiSH different. As we gradually came to see what our strengths are, we thought hard about how to perform live in such a way that people would take us seriously. And I don’t think we would’ve experienced that growth if it hadn’t been for the festivals.
I can understand that.
CHiTTiii: The performances we saw at those festivals and every word we heard were formative for BiSH. And the atmosphere was completely different at every venue. The choreography that AiNA comes up with (for BiSH) often gets people dancing along with us right away. So when non-cleaners see us for the first time, they’ll throw their hands up and dance like they’re having so much fun. Moments like that are so moving — I get choked up. I’m so happy that, even though our disbandment approaches, we’re getting to experience new things.
This was your first summer festival performance since Christmas Eve, 2021, when you announced you were disbanding. Compared to before the announcement, are there any ways in which you have come to see yourself differently, or is there anything you’ve reaffirmed?
CHiTTiii: So many times, we’ll go somewhere or do something for the first time together, and I’ll think, “this could be the last time we do this.” It’s something I think about all the time, not just at summer festivals. There’s just a greater loneliness now.
Thinking back on this year’s summer festivals, were there any performers that shocked or awed you, or that stick in your mind?
AYUNi D: There were several festivals that we couldn’t make it to because some of us weren’t feeling good. For those shows, bands like The Bawdies stood in for us. I also heard from other artists that DJs played BiSH songs at the shows we couldn’t make. Not too long ago, I don’t think people would have put up with a band like BiSH. Other artists would probably have been like, “what the heck is this group of six girls?” But we threw ourselves into the band, and it’s like CHiTTiii said earlier: we have a strength in that we can do things others can’t because we don’t use instruments. We’ve never stopped believing in ourselves, and now other artists have noticed us and begun to accept us a little. I’m so glad we stuck with it. It was worth the faith we have had into it.
MOMOKOGUMiCOMPANY: At the Monster Bash event, we did a performance with Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. Festival regulars like 04 Limited Sazabys, who were there with us at the “Sweet Love Shower” and “Rush Ball” events, became friends with us and cheered us on backstage. I’m really thankful for that. But it made me really sad to think that we wouldn’t see them very much anymore after we disbanded. I hope there’ll be another opportunity for us to all be together again, like the battles of the bands we used to do.
It has been eight months since your announcement at the end of last year. How has this period of time been for BiSH?
LiNGLiNG: For our “COLONiZED TOUR,” our first shows since our announcement, we did things like go to completely new places. There was a powerful feeling that BiSH and cleaners were seeing each other for the first time. Though they didn’t say it, you could absolutely feel how happy they were to have finally met us. It was so fun and it made me so happy to see “cleaners” at our shows — just to be able to see them one more time was great. Every time we were on stage, I thought, “what a happy place I’m in.”
AiNA THE END: With our disbandment on the calendar, it strikes me that there are ways we can pursue things that are different from what we’ve done before. It used to be that whenever I felt even a little under the weather, I might think I needed to hold something back, even though in my heart I wanted to give it my all. But now there’s no holding back, because no matter how crummy I might feel, I remember that this could be the last time I experience this kind of happiness, or the last time our cleaners get to see us. Approaching life in this way personally has also brought about new ways of expressing myself. These last eight months have been a time of many different discoveries.
So even though BiSH’s disbandment is set in stone, you’re tapping into new methods of expression, and making new discoveries. That’s a really optimistic outlook.
AiNA: I suppose it is.
Has there been anything you’ve noticed for the first time, or rediscovered, since the announcement?
CHiTTiii: Well, I don’t know about things I’ve noticed because of the decision to disband, but these eight months have been a time for carrying on the things we’ve accomplished. So many people have supported us over the years, and so many have come to see what we’ve been able to do. Thinking about that makes me even happier than I usually am. [Laughs] Our staff also say they’re sad that they might not see us again after we disband. I’ve been recalling everything that’s happened up to this point and I think about what those people did for us, and how I need to be thankful for it all.
Would you say that people have actually had more opportunities to tell you how they feel about you since you made the announcement?
CHiTTiii: That’s certainly true, but we’ve also realized lots of stuff ourselves. It’s like things we couldn’t see before have come into focus.
But that doesn’t mean necessarily mean you’re going to change how you guys do things, right?
CHiTTiii: It’s not changing things so much as it is preserving the mindset we’ve cultivated over the years. But it’s like AiNA said: since we don’t know when the last time for anything could come, there’s no time to hold anything back. To make sure we don’t regret anything later, I really think we need to express love, gratitude, all kinds of emotions.
You guys have really made a flurry of releases over the last 12 months. I know that was a promise you made when you announced your disbandment, but what did you think when you first heard about the plan?
AiNA: “Uh oh.”
Because of the production schedule?
AiNA: Yeah. Actually though, our lyrics on GOiNG TO DESTRUCTiON, the album we put out just before that accelerated release schedule, hinted at the end of the band. Our music video for “CAN WE STiLL BE??” also had elements that pointed to our breaking up. We just never said it in so many words. When we started our accelerated schedule, that served as a great opportunity to provide cleaners with music that, through unambiguous and positive language, would allow them to begin to accept our disbandment. The “someday we will meet here again” lyrics on “FiNAL SHiTS” is one example of this. We knew it would be a hectic schedule, but we wanted to pour our hearts into it. Personally, I want to show off some choreography that will showcase the other members’ strong points. But I’m looking at our disbandment with optimism.
“Sayonara Saraba” is your eighth release in 2022. Do you have any particularly memorable songwriting-related anecdotes to share from this year?
MOMOKO: Some songs have a no-nonsense, grown-up feel to them like “FiNAL SHiTS,” while “Tell Me That You Love Me” has some playful energy to it. We’d never been so girly with our music or clothing — everybody was in pink dresses, for example. It was pretty embarrassing. [Laughs]
The choreography is cute, too.
MOMOKO: Yeah. Part of it was maybe just, “let’s go out with a bang,” too. We were a little unsure about the track because even the lyrics were like “here’s a love song!”. But surprisingly, many loved it — nobody said, “this isn’t BiSH.” These last eight months really drew a lot of different things out of us.
What about you, HASHiYASUME?
HASHiYASUME: BiSH has always written its own lyrics, right? For a long time, I’ve wanted to look at everything other members have written and write something myself. And sometimes band members’ lyrics get used in B-sides and things. Every time we come up with something, it’s always very much BiSH. Personally, I think “Tell Me That You Love Me” and “I’m Sorry” are a really new style for us. The lyrics are easy for even children to understand.
It was even broadcast on NHK’s Minna no Uta.
HASHiYASUME: Yeah, it was used on Minna no Uta, and the choreography is simple enough for even children to do. During this accelerated release schedule, I’ve noticed that, even though we’ve been together for seven or eight years, there are a lot of ways that we haven’t expressed ourselves, and a lot of things we haven’t done. There’s a lot that we’ve left undone, you could say. It feels like every day I learn something new.
Through your musicmaking.
HASHiYASUME: That’s right. Because I know that lots of fun things await us in the time we have left. We worked with new producers for “Sayonara Saraba,” so that’s another new thing. We’re just having so much fun every month.
“Sayonara Saraba” represents the first time during this accelerated release schedule that you worked with the new producers, right? People like Kenta Matsukuma and Junnosuke Watanabe, producers that know everyone, have helped with your songs in the past, but “Sayonara Saraba” was produced by Taka from ONE OK ROCK and Kenta from WANIMA. The song strikes me as being really unique, even among the tracks you’ve released this year. What did you first think when you heard that the two would be involved?
CHiTTiii: I guess everyone was equal parts happy and ambivalent.
Why ambivalent?
CHiTTiii: Kenta Matsukuma has been with us for the entire past seven years, and his production has been great support. I think he finds our songs to be cool, and so he thinks BiSH is cool, too. I was shocked when I heard that somebody other than him would be making songs for us. But I imagine that Junnosuke Watanabe thought about a lot of different things with regard to BiSH and realized that, just as ATSUKO (HASHiYASUME) was saying earlier, there were many things we hadn’t tried yet — things we’d left undone. It wasn’t about Taka and KENTA starting to work with us; more important was that we had taken a first step for ourselves by working with someone new. It was like we set out into a new world.
What did you first think of what he came up with?
AYUNi: It was very ONE OK ROCK.
The sound, you mean.
AYUNi: It’s so kickass. And in the demo, Taka and KENTA are doing the vocals. They’re such amazing singers. It was so good that we could have just put it out as it was. That really impressed me, and I actually studied how they sing as part of my preparation for recording our own vocals. It’s such an unforgettable track for me.
The first thing Taka says in the behind-the-scenes documentary is that one shouldn’t worry about singing well but rather just expressing emotion. How much did the vocals end up matching what you wanted to achieve?
AYUNi: Well, Taka and KENTA praised the parts where I thought we sang pretty well. They’re both good at giving compliments. I think every BiSH member has their own characteristics, and Taka would give us technical pointers on the spot, saying “you’ve got a unique way of opening up your throat,” or “you can get this kind of voice by creating resonance in your nose here,” or whatever. He’d point out our unique qualities and tell us how to get more resonance. And so through discussions with him we developed our own vocal sound. I really like how I sing.
Taka praised you, LiNGLiNG, for the parts where you’re shouting, for example. What kind of direction did Taka and KENTA provide?
LiNGLiNG: They’d provide direction and model it with their own singing, which made it really easy to learn. I was absolutely shocked that anyone could have such a great voice! To achieve a good shout, they told me to imagine that my pet dog hadn’t come home for five weeks.
I remember that. They made some interesting comparisons.
LiNGLiNG: They gave me unique advice, and I did my best to follow it.
What did you think of the lyrics? I know this was the first song during your accelerated release schedule to be written by someone who came to know you guys well.
MOMOKO: I felt like he was really there to support us. There wasn’t a sense of just counting down the days to our disbandment — it felt more like regrouping, readjusting, and going in for another attack. The lyrics “I’ll keep running, even if I feel like stopping” really stand out for me, in particular. He did a great job of putting into words the roles we play, the things that hold us back, stuff like that. I never straight up asked KENTA what he was thinking about when he wrote the lyrics, but it’s clear that he wrote with us in mind.
CHiTTiii: I think the lyrics are unique for having been written by a third party who had never really followed BiSH before. I saw them as providing a window onto how others see us. At first, with phrases like “playing a role” and “living a borrowed life,” I didn’t understand what he meant, or I thought that he was making a statement about us. But it occurred to me that, actually, he was saying that we needed to shatter that perception of how people saw us. Emotions have been up and down with our disbandment approaching. Yet more and more people are taking an interest in us, and developing a certain perception of us. Taka and KENTA have been really helping us figure out how to combat that perception, and he’s made us realize that that’s something we have to do. When we’re singing, we feel like we really need to give everything we’ve got to it.
In the recording studio, do you feel like your vocals were able to express what you felt from the lyrics?
CHiTTiii: Yeah. They really encouraged us to put our emotions into it. I personally focused on singing according to the intent of the lyrics. It was difficult, though.
When I listen to Sayonara Saraba, I can really hear everyone’s emotion in it. HASHiYASUME, was there anything about your vocal expression, for example, that you paid particular attention to?
HASHiYASUME: I listened to the track on a bunch of different speakers and earphones, and I thought the sound was wicked. I knew that when we recorded I’d have to sing it really well. I tried several different styles, and although I thought they sounded good, there was always something somehow lacking. I kept having to say “let me do that over” and “can I go a little longer?” I’ve asked to redo something when I wasn’t satisfied before, but this was my first time singing a song that made me feel so fired up and aggressive. The song really inspired me.
With the track already released, how do you think it’s been received by cleaners, including with respect to your singing?
HASHiYASUME: We played it at RUSH BALL a little while ago, and when I looked at a video of our performance later, I saw people putting their hands up during the chorus. I was kind of moved to see a lot of people doing our dance moves, too, which I guess somewhat owes to our having uploaded a video of our routine on YouTube.
Did you do the choreography after all the recording was done?
AiNA: Yeah, I wanted to do something that was just straight cool, rather than eccentric. BiSH doesn’t really make music that’s popular, that’s easy to get, or that’s cute or cool. It doesn’t fit into genres like that. So for our choreography, I focused on visualizing in dance form things that are close to our everyday lives, the things that come out of the motions that BiSH members go through every day. I threw myself at trying to achieve that. But Taka requested, through Junnosuke, that we make some changes to the moves we came up with.
Oh really?
AiNA: For the music video, our director, Kento Yamada, asked us to do things we’d never really been asked to do before. He’d say, “let’s go with this here,” “I want this person to make this,” or “I want to have a routine made especially for the music video.” Despite a relatively tight schedule, we tried a bunch of things.
Do you not usually get asked to do specific things regarding your choreography?
AiNA: Not usually. In our early days, like when we put out OTNK, Junnosuke would call and say stuff like “you guys think this is good!?” And so we brainstormed together and redid things. But that hasn’t happened for three or four years now.
There must have been something that really inspired him, then.
AiNA: I suppose so. I think it was like Junnosuke summoned the courage to ask another third party to do what he had always had Kenta do. It was a totally new challenge for him. So I think that’s why he became pretty particular about the choreography.
Interesting. How about “A long way to go,” a B-side that Mr. Watanabe helped write the lyrics for? How are you going to present that track to him?
CHiTTiii: We’ll say “this is a sick song.” I really like B-sides, myself. Taka and MEG wrote it, and when I heard it, I thought “it wouldn’t feel weird at all for BiSH to sing this.” Junnosuke wrote the lyrics, and when we decided this month—August—to do a song with Taka and MEG, I read the lyrics thinking that Junnosuke had written them with BiSH in mind. His support helped me a lot. I felt like he was telling me that there were still many things I could do and that he would be there with me. I thought the lyrics were a letter from Junnosuke. I liked the words and thought they would be nice to share with others.
I can see how, for Mr. Watanabe, it would be a challenging thing to use his lyrics or his “letter” as you described it, with music written by somebody other than Mr. Matsukuma. Do you get any inspiration from that approach of his?
CHiTTiii: Well, Junnosuke is a rather candid guy, so I just imagine that’s what he’s thinking. Saying that, I now feel kind of warm inside.
It makes sense that you would describe it as a letter.
CHiTTiii: Honestly, they are lyrics that only someone who has observed BiSH and lived life together with us from the beginning could write. The lyrics for this song and Sayonara Saraba both have its charm.
In that sense, there’s a strong contrast between the two.
CHiTTiii: There is. But they’re both aiming at the same thing.
What are your thoughts, LiNGLiNG?
LiNGLiNG: I think it’s an invigorating, pretty song. AYUNi had memorized the demo perfectly, and her voice in the studio was amazing. It was so spot on that KENTA was going nuts in the recording booth.
Is that right, AYUNi?
AYUNi: Hearing that made my day!
How was the response?
AYUNi: I think the song was in my key, so it felt really good to sing it. The intro also really shines, you know? I’m thrilled that I was able to sing that opening. It felt pretty natural, and I think I was able to sing it with a bit of sparkle.
In closing, is there anything you want cleaners and music listeners to know about upcoming BiSH releases?
CHiTTiii: I learned in August that one shouldn’t make assumptions. BiSH will still be around for a while, and there will be four more releases in this 12-month release schedule. We’re having fun making music, and we might even be able to show people things we haven’t even thought of yet. Whatever we do, we hope people listen to it all and don’t get sick of us.
I’ll be waiting for four more tracks from the new BiSH.
CHiTTiii: We’re going to have fun doing it all together.