Kagrra - Fool's Mate March 2001

What's the secret of "Hinamatsuri"...?
A March 3rd oneman and new release!
Our uproarious topic is Kagrra, with their unique worldview and strong live performances. The curtain rises on 2001 with a new release and their first oneman on March 3rd at Shibuya ON AIR WEST. And the "Nue" 2nd press with recorded bonus tracks will be released on the same day. Where will they go from here? This is their first interview of the new year.
―What kind of year was 2000?
Isshi: It was a year of leaps and bounds. There were so many things that I don't remember it all, but we played a lot of lives and we were reckless. The most impressive was at our instore events, Nao and Izumi and I toured around the south and understood how different the places were.
Akiya: Last year was the first time we've done so many lives, and I certainly felt that we were looking ahead. There were a lot of difficult things too, but it was a good year. I think we've grown as a band. It was also our first time doing an instore event, Shin and I toured around the cold north and that was deeply memorable.
Izumi: We did various things, but as you can expect we went to different places for lives, and we were able to learn things at each livehouse, and I think overall there were a lot of positive things for us. I don't know whether I've gotten better at drums, but maybe that's a positive too.
Shin: The year went in the blink of an eye. I may have been an idler up until now, but that was the fastest of my life. But when I look back, it was an important year for me.
Nao: There were lives in leaps and bounds, but if I were to speak of the hardest thing for me, it'd be the driving... (wry smile) We went to Kyushu and Shikoku for instore events, and I don't usually drive around much, you know? Then I was saying things like "The Naruto Strait!" with Izumi... it was a good year! (laughs)

―Have you already come up with some ideas for your first live of the new year?
Isshi: I think first of all we'll show some great things.

―I went to your live for the first time a little while ago, and it was interesting for various reasons. (laughs)
Isshi: When people come to a live for the first time, we have to pull them in. (laughs)So, when people are thinking, "What the heck was that?" and they go to sleep with bits and pieces of our songs stuck in their head, they somehow don't know it but they're at the stage where they're thinking about going to see our live again.

―Certainly seeing your live for the first time feels like "Eh? What?"
Isshi: Now we're trying out various genres. That's the case with the music, but the dance and the costumes are original too.

―And it seems you're also releasing a new work on March 3rd, aren't you?
Isshi: I think our previous album "Nue" had a high degree of completion for summarizing us as Kagrra up to that point. Because of that we'll have to go even higher for the next one. And since everyone has written a song for the next one, it brings out our individual colours and everyone arranges them together. I think a new Kagrra will be born.

―How are the new songs?
Isshi: I still haven't listened to all of the completed songs, but we'll be arranging them afterward, and the song that Nao and Izumi made is awesome.
Shin: It has a strong impact. (laughs)

―What kind of song is it?
Izumi: In one comment, it's like "Doraemon" is skipping...
Everyone: (bursts out laughing)
Izumi: Or should I say we did something unexpected and interesting? Because we did the bass line before the drums, it's easier for Nao to talk about the imagery isn't it?
Nao: I made the high point, with that rhythm.
Shin: The high point, even though it's bass! (laughs)
Isshi: But it's not the bass, it's completely how it's played, right?

―The vocal & guitar can move someone to tears. (wry smile)
Izumi: As Nao says, the imagery is "fire".

―What kind of fire? Something like a candle with a pale blue flame...?
Nao: A quick change from a candle to a torch. (laughs) Since we haven't made anything like this until now, I think it'll be something that hasn't existed for Kagrra until now.
Isshi: Or rather, will it be a passionate song? I don't like to shout much, but I was screaming without realizing it. (laughs)

―And the songs by the others?
Isshi: My song is very straight forward. I'm still in the process of refining the song lyrics, but it has a sense of reality and it's likely that anyone will be able to understand the subject. As my first attempt, I wanted to express something more straight forward than I've done up to now.
Shin: We did my song at a live before, it's classified as a ballad. And yet I wasn't thinking that I wanted to make a ballad. But, it was a song that everyone could do when nervous.
Isshi: We still perform it at lives, and I can cry when I really get into the song.

―And your song, Akiya-kun?
Akiya: I haven't let everyone listen to it yet, but since I've been doing new things so far, for my next one I wanted it to be a song where I go back to my starting point. I worked on it while leaving behind the 'Wa' style we've been fixated on so far. I want to express all of the things I listen to, so I'm in the process of putting it all together.
Isshi: Even though I haven't really heard the song my image of it is growing, and I'm working on the lyrics. But what do I do when it's so different? (wry smile)

―This will be a different premise than "Nue" right?
Isshi: I think because it's a gathering of contrary people, we won't do thing we've already done once. So surely it'll feel like something new.

―What is the total image?
Isshi: The title is "Sakura" so the songs match with that kind of image, and I think I'll write the lyrics interwoven with various cherry blossom flowers.

―Well, what are your goals for 2001?
Isshi: 2001 will be filled with our ascent... Since the 5 of us are together now, I think we'll sustain our tension and we'll be able to go places. And our fanclub "Ogre" will launch on March 3rd. I think it'll surely be an interesting thing, so please join for sure. Since we also plan to have a fanclub limited live on May 5th.

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