Interview with KAMIJO

Almost four months after his massive Sang Project tour culminated in a grand finale at EX THEATER ROPPONGI, KAMIJO delighted fans with a new single titled Eye of Providence on July 24th. The singer gives JaME an insight into the release and his latest domestic tour.

Your live with an orchestra on March 27th was a huge success! What was the most memorable scene in the show? What was the most difficult part of making such a grand show come true?

KAMIJO: The most difficult part was to find the right venue. The band sounds resonate too much in a concert hall, and a live house stage is too small for the show.

Now that you have fulfilled your dream of performing a live with an orchestra, what is your next vision?

KAMIJO: My next goal is to make JAPAN TOUR 19 "PERSONA GRATA" successful. It is because the story progresses in each show, and finally becomes one grand work through the entire tour.

Do you plan to make a movie based on the story of the vampire?

KAMIJO: Of course, I would love to make a movie one day, but, as for now, I enjoy the challenge of making a movie in my own style of live show.

What do the eye, statue of liberty and wings on the cover artwork for your new song Eye of Providence symbolize?

KAMIJO: The eye symbolizes an innocent eye looking at the future. The Statue of Liberty indicates that the stage of the story moves from Japan and France to the United States of America.

What inspired you to write the lyrics for Eye of Providence?

KAMIJO: Human greed and imbecility.

What made you use falsetto extensively in Eye of Providence?

KAMIJO: I was not interested in singing in a normal high-pitched voice. Nevertheless, I knew the song needed to have my high-pitched voice in it. So, I looked for my kind of high-pitched voice and decided to use falsetto.

Your singing voice in Eye of Providence is said to embody a pure eye that believes in the future of the world. Do you personally also hold such a belief? If so, where do you draw such positivity from amid all the tragedies happening in the world today?

KAMIJO: There are people who smile when I sing. That is all.

Ecstasy has been described as a song that will make fans go wild during lives. Please tell us how the song creation process was like for such an engaging song.

KAMIJO: I decided the song title first. Then, I featured a love scene as a metaphor of a special force in action.

Why did you title your upcoming tour “PERSONA GRATA”? What is the story or concept of the tour?

KAMIJO: “PERSONA GRATA” means that a foreign diplomat is acceptable to the country where he/she is assigned to. In the contrary case, a diplomat is identified as “PERSONA NON GRATA”. The theme of the story is that how the world would change if the “Emigre”¹ that resurrects the deceased and uses their blood as new energy source actually existed.

Thank you for your time. To conclude the interview, please leave a message for JaME readers.

KAMIJO: I would not only like to continue with the story, but have a world tour as soon as possible as well. Until then, please enjoy my work through my release and my SNS. Merci! ("merci" means "thank you" in French)

JaME would like to thank KAMIJO and CHATEAU AGENCY CO., Ltd for this interview opportunity.

¹In KAMIJO's narrative, the "Emigre System" is the joint invention of Louis XVII and the alchemist Count Saint-Germain. This system uses the blood of resurrected corpses to produce clean energy resources for future generations. Those who are contracted to the “Emigre System” are allowed to meet their loved ones for a final time before their eternal death.