Prior to his most recent European tour, the versatile entertainer
Satsuki shared some thoughts with us, shedding insight on his connection to Europe, speaking on personal topics, and answering questions about his current projects.
Could you start by introducing yourself for those who don’t know you already?
Satsuki: I’m
Satsuki. I’m a visual kei singer, but I’m also an actor and comedian in Japan.
MOULIN ROUGE
, your first PV collection, was recently released. Why have you chosen this name? What does it mean?
Satsuki: During my European tour last year, I went to Paris. I passed by the Moulin Rouge, and at that moment, imagining the shows there, I said to myself that I would like to release a DVD of music videos. And I as I had seven music videos already, all I had to do was add two to finish the compilation. That’s why I used this name.
With your next European tour in June, this will be the fourth time in less than two years that you will have set foot in France, as a solo artist or in a coupling tour or with Moon Stream. Is there a reason for this frequency? Does France represent something in particular for you?
Satsuki : Quite simply, it’s because I love French food (laughs). No, seriously, I’ve been interested in France and its culture for a long time already. It’s also because I began my visual kei career with
RENTRER EN SOI, my former band, which also has a French name. We showed Japan another culture other than Asian culture, since our styles have been inspired by Europe. We wear coloured contact lenses, dye our hair and wear European-style clothes. It’s because of all these reasons that I come so frequently to Europe and I would even like to live there.
Have you had time to visit Paris? What have you been able to see, or what would you like to see?
Satsuki: I love the city of Nice, in the south of France. The beach was magnificent and the food was really good. I like calm surroundings and the French countryside, like the small town of Etretat (in Seine-Maritime) where we filmed a video for
RENTRER EN SOI. I’d like to go to Normandy because it seems really beautiful and relaxing as well. The last time that I went to Paris, we came to shoot some scenes on the hill Montmartre for the video for
INSIDE. That was also really pretty and very nice.
Your first album, LUMINOUS
, came out at the beginning of the year. Could you explain its concept for us? Is there a message which you wanted to pass on through this work?
Satsuki: The concept of the album is light, like the image in the opening lines of
TWILIGHT: “I'll give you my light to shine over you.” I hope to cleanse the dark side of everyone with my light and my lyrics.
If you could only pick one, which track would you particularly recommend and why?
Satsuki:
MALACHITE. Because it really makes the crowd move!
During your solo career, you have collaborated with many people in a variety of projects. (Tomo Asaha for Moon Stream, Kisaki for Kisaki Project feat. Satsuki). What do you take from each artist? Which other artists would you really like to collaborate with if the opportunity presented itself?
Satsuki: I am really happy to have been able collaborate with so many artists, who have contributed so much to my career. I would also really like to work with and to do, for example, a duet with
Kaya or
Kamijo. The musicians who are accompanying me right now on this tour,
Aki from
Lc5,
SANA, (ex-
MASK) and also
seiya, are all great friends and we consider this a special collaboration for Europe.
Last year, you came to Europe alongside Kaya. Will there be a chance for you to tour together again some day? If you had the opportunity, which other artists would you like to attempt this experience with?
Satsuki: Yes, I’d really like to try this experience again. It would be really interesting to hold a European tour with overseas artists.
During a previous interview with JaME, you told us that you regretted RENTRER EN SOI’s split. Would a revival be possible?
Satsuki: I don’t really know for the moment, but I’d really like to do that one day, yes. But we’ll have to ask
Dynamite Tommy (laughs) (the band’s former producer).
You have shown on many occasions that you like to get close to your fans by holding autograph sessions and meet-and-greet events. Is it important for you to keep this contact? Does the language barrier ever pose a problem?
Satsuki: From now on, I’m teaching myself English to help with that. And also the fans sing my songs perfectly during the concerts and I say to myself that they must also be learning Japanese. So by combining our two levels of English and Japanese, we can easily understand each other. Unless you speak to me in Russian (laughs).
After your European tour, do you have any other projects for 2013?
Satsuki: I’m in the process of recording some new songs.
We can’t help but remark on all of your tattoos, especially those on your arms. What do they represent and what is their meaning?
Satsuki: They represent good and bad. The left arm represents the holy side with the dragon, the phoenix… The right side is the demonic side with the god of death, the raven … it’s like light and darkness. With my album
LUMINOUS, I cleanse dark beings thanks to my light. That might be the first time that I’ve answered on the subject of my tattoos. It’s something that I usually keep secret.
Could you tell us about CHAOS, the little bear who appears regularly on your twitter and on some of your merchandise?
Satsuki: I’ve only got one thing to say on this subject: Don't forget him! (laughs) Besides, I’ve just created a new mascot which I should publish soon. I’m still trying to find a name for him.
Finally, do you have a special message to give to JaME’s readers?
Satsuki: (In English:) Don't forget to follow me on Twitter!!
JaME would like to thank Satsuki and also Renaud Valdenaire for making this interview possible.
