Interview with GaGaalinG at Anime Expo

Having only been around for a few years, GaGaalinG has already made a strong impression. Their latest album, ROYAL STRANGER, was successfully released in multiple countries throughout Europe this past June. Not ready to stop there, GaGaalinG sat down with JaME to tell us all about their "Gothic loud rock."


Thank you for this interview. For our readers who are unfamiliar with GaGaalinG, please introduce yourselves.

MYM: I'm GaGaalinG's vocalist, MYM!
MOTO: Guitarist, MOTO!
JUN: Bassist, JUN!
Cherry: Drums, Cherry!

MYM, you were here last year at Anime Expo. Have the rest of you been to the USA before?

GaGaalinG: Yes, we've all been to America before, but separately.

Since we're at an anime convention, do you watch anime at all?

GaGaalinG: Yes! (all laugh)

Which ones?

JUN: "Dragon Ball!"
MYM: Ah, "Dragon Ball!"
Jun: I see "Naruto" is really big over here. There was a band covering "Naruto," and I was the chief of recording, so I got interested in it.
MOTO: (Whispers) I might be an otaku so;;;
(Everyone laughs)
MOTO: I watch too many to say all the titles (laughs), but I really like "Gundam."
MYM: "Dragon Ball," but I also like "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind," a Studio Ghibli film.

What kind of impression did your performance last night at Battle of the Bands leave on you?

MYM: It was very fun for me (laughs).
MOTO: Yeah, we all had so much fun! (laughs) It was really enjoyable.

Did you have any expectations before the show?

MYM: Musically, this is our first time here together, as four people, in America, so before I came, I wasn't sure how the fans would respond or how many people would know us. In the end, after everything happened, it became a reality that we performed. I'm really satisfied with how the concert went.

The outfits you wear are made by h.NAOTO. How did this collaboration come about?

MYM: I started out as a model and had a lot of interest in fashion. My favorite brand is h.NAOTO and, through some event, I ended up as a model for them. From there, we started to wear h.NAOTO as a band.

Are there any other designers you might like to work with in the future?

GaGaalinG: (in unison) Ahh... (thinks)
MYM: Right now, there are so many designers. To use any of them would be an honor for us!
MOTO: In Harajuku, there are a lot of up-and-coming young designers. Even with them, it would be great to one day collaborate.

For designing your costumes, what kind of input do you have in creating them?

Cherry: For our own distinct image for our costumes, we speak to h.NAOTO and discuss what we would like. For me, my image is a pirate because I wanted a bandanna. (Stands up and turns around to display long, full jacket) h.NAOTO took three coats for this and made it into one.

GaGaalinG's music can be described as heavy gothic pop-rock. Being classified as such, what kind of concept does GaGaalinG have?

MYM: Gothic loud rock!
MOTO: The meaning of Gothic loud rock is that Gothic is a combination of fashion and music for the fans, and loud can also mean not just volume loud, but for MYM, she writes her lyrics without covering any hurt or pain she feels. It's very straight-forward, so in that way, it's loud.

Is there any message, in general, that you're trying to convey with your music?

MOTO: The main thing is that we want to play rock and get everyone into rock. We want to be able to get the messages from MYM's lyrics across. Right now, everything's in Japanese but in the European release, there's translated lyrics, so I hope people can read them and can understand them, because that's where the power lies.

Composing songs is a difficult process. Is there a set process to how you create your songs?

MYM: The music is always written first and then I write the lyrics for each song.
MOTO: Of course, she also has a pre-music sketch of what she wants in the song, so we make our music based on her ideas. Then, after the music is done, she writes the lyrics.

Last month, your ROYAL STRANGER CD was released in numerous countries in Europe. What are you hoping to achieve with this release?

JUN: It will be a chance for more people to be able to listen to GaGaalinG's music and hopefully, in the future, maybe we'll get the chance to release it in America too.
MYM: That would be nice...

Your CD art has a vivid, dramatic appearance. How do you decide what kind of style you want the CD jacket to have?

MOTO: For the new album, ROYAL STRANGER, the one with the white cover, we got in touch with h.NAOTO, who also used that as an ad. The camera man who shoots h.NAOTO shot the cover for this, so the concept for this was a collaboration with h.NAOTO, followed by a promotional tour.

MYM, being a model and a singer, is it difficult for you to transition between the two?

MYM: Since I started out being a singer about the same time I started modeling, for me there isn't much of a difference. Either way, I'm a person trying to convey something. As a model, I convey fashion and as a singer, I convey music, so I feel that my role is similar.

Have you ever found it difficult being a female vocalist in this type of music genre?

MYM: In the beginning, it was difficult, but now I've come to a point where I accept that, to express your music, it doesn't matter if you're male or female; it doesn't matter how old you are. The only concern is to be able to sing, to be able to perform and to be able to convey our music to as many people as possible, transcending gender, age and race.

Out of all your songs, do you each have a particular favorite?

MOTO: Pierce pierced pleasures. It has a very sentimental value (laughs). I feel a connection with the lyrics and the song.
Cherry: i-SCREAM MACHINE. I like that song a lot because that was the first song that we were really able to come to a point where we could say this is the sound of the four of us. In the beginning, it has that image of evanescence, so we were also aiming for that. In the end, when the song was completed, we achieved that. Also, the song is really fun to play live. The fans get excited whenever we play this song. It really summarizes the band, so that's why I like it.
JUN: Every song that we play kind of evolves as you go because you play it many times and each time it changes a little bit. For me, my favorite is desperate. Each song has its own intensity, but I think this one has the most.
MYM: Everyone else picked good things to say about our songs already (laughs). I'll choose RENDEZVOUS. It's the song we usually start our set with because the song has a really upbeat tempo. When it starts, it goes higher and higher and really pumps up the energy like, "okay, we’re going right now, we're starting the show." That's why I like it, especially when we play it live!

Where do you draw the inspiration for your music from?

MOTO: In general, it would be from everyday life. Also, a lot of inspiration comes from MYM, I think. If you listen to other visual kei bands, you'll see that the lyrics are deep or dark, kind of different, but for GaGaalinG, i's easier to understand. Any human being would be able to connect with it because for us, it's about real life.

This past April, you held your first one-man live. What was the most memorable moment from that show for each of you?

MYM: Hmm... (everyone thinks)
MOTO: The fact that JUN cried onstage!
(Everyone laughs)
JUN: Everybody cried!
(Everyone laughs)
Cherry: Even our producer cried!
(Everyone laughs)
JUN: There were a lot of emotions and memories built up by this show, but what I feel is really memorable is that we were able to play the concert. We never gave up on anything and did everything we could, from the start, to the highest level. It hasn't been all good memories, but it's the combination of everything with a result of being able to play a one-man show.

What are the future plans for GaGaalinG?

MYM: We want to extend our reach all over the world.
MOTO: The first thing we want to do is try to release a CD in America. Hopefully we'll have the chance to come back and meet the fans here again as well as in all the other places we've never been to, like in Europe and other parts of Asia. We also want to try new things, like maybe a collaboration with an anime.

Can we expect a new release from GaGaalinG soon?

MYM: Yes, a new single!

Could you tell us a little bit about it?

MOTO: That's a secret! (laughs) But I can say it will be the best song live!

Lastly, please give a message to your fans.

Cherry: I definitely want to come back and meet everyone again!
JUN: In Japan, when we go back, we can say "tadaima!" which is like "I'm back!" and our fans will reply "okaeri!" which is like "welcome back!" but since this is the first time we've played in the US, there is no "tadaima" or "okaeri" here. I want us to be able to go overseas and get that greeting, so when we come back, I want to be able to say "tadaima."
MOTO: GaGaalinG has an official MySpace, so please go add us!
MYM: Please give GaGaalinG a listen and get to know our music so that when we come back next time, you can come have fun with us at the live!


JaME would like to thank Daiji Hamazaki, Anime Expo and GaGaalinG for making this interview possible, and Nora for translating.