Zy 43: PS COMPANY Vocalists

Peace & Smile Carnival is an event that will be held in Nippon Budokan on January 3rd. Five artists, miyavi, Kagrra,, Kra, the GazettE and alice nine. (SuG and SCREW will perform as opening acts), who all are PS COMPANY's artists, will perform. As they are such popular artists, the staff is very busy. The all-star event on January 3rd is the memorial event of the 10th anniversary of PS COMPANY. We gathered five vocalists as the representatives of the performing bands and did a combined photo session for the first time. The shoot was filled with the strong aura of each vocalist and was quite powerful; the shoot was definitely something of a rarity.


miyavi
What is THE NEWEST STYLE?

miyavi did his long desired world tour from spring to summer of 2008 and his popularity increased. Of course it was not his goal, but the stimuli received from each country became very much a part of him. So what did he expect from this event? We talked to him about various things, asking for his sharp point of view. He will release a DVD, THIS IZ THE ORIGINAL SAMURAI STYLE -miyabiteki ni juuichi seiki gata sekai kenbun roku + Kabuki danshiteki kindai ukiyo douga shuu-, which covers these past two years, and a remix album, Room No.382, on December 24th. It seems interesting to look back over what he has done up until now, and wonder where he will go from here.


You'll work through the coming New Year. Recently, you go overseas for the end of the year and New Year, right? (laugh)

miyavi: Yes! But this is PS COMPANY's 10th anniversary and I have been working with them since it was in Due'le quartz, so it has been a long time and it's their anniversary. I'm very happy to be able to celebrate the 10th anniversary in such a very good way...BUT...(laugh)

BUT? (laugh)

miyavi: My schedule for the end of the year and New Year was totally messed up by it. (laugh) No, as long as I am back in Japan by the day of the live...

Don't be extravagant. (smile)

miyavi: Well, putting that aside, each of us is working hard in this scene and I’m very honored to be able to go and demonstrate that to others.

As you have been working for a while now, you have more to think about.

miyavi: Yeah! We had to carry the desks into the office when they got them (laugh). There was only female staff and we band members at the time.

About three years ago, there was the PSC Tour making the rounds at Zepp in each location. Do you remember what you felt at that time?

miyavi: When I finished it, I thought it may have been a little too early to do it. This time, and I think that this is for everyone, we had matured so in a way it was good timing, I think. I just finished a world tour. Since I came to Tokyo when I was 17 years old, to perform around the world has been one of my goals. But it's not my final goal, just one of my passages.


Isshi (Kagrra,)
fairytale invasion

Kagrra, opened new ground in the later half of this year, as they did their first European tour in August, and released their new single, Uzu, in September. While they were searching the world with their original "Japanese style" in the music scene, they created excellent songs with catchy melodies and great sound. So what about a Nippon Budokan live? Well, they'll do a club circuit tour, 極～kiwami～, and go to various places in November and December, where we can see their impressive performances. Here we asked Isshi to talk about his prospects up until now and from now on.


First of all, we want to ask you about your first foreign tour in August. How did you feel, honestly?

Isshi: It was simply fun. With the schedule and moving around, I heard from the people around me that it would be very hard, but it was no problem. But it seems there were some members who didn't feel the same way. (laugh)

May I ask you who they were?

Isshi: Well, Nao hates traveling by airplane (laugh) and we traveled mostly by airplane. During the lives, it wasn't the normal him. He was kinda out of control.

You mean he showed a part of himself that he never shows at lives in Japan?

Isshi: Of course. Not only him, but all of us got excited in some way. For example, when we played Kotodama, the audience waved fans. Then I thought our sound was lacking somehow, which was because Akiya and Nao stirred the audience without playing their instruments. (laugh)

Kagrra, has many sounds. Before, Akiya even said something like, "I work desperately hard to play our songs during our lives."

Isshi: It was awesome. Everyone was so aggressive.

The audience's excitement was enormous, right?

Isshi: Yes. In Japan, we understand our language. There is this universal feeling like, "This is the song where we stand still and listen carefully" or "This is the song where we move aggressively," but they moved aggressively to every song overseas. They just moved during every song. And when we played Utakata, they all sang like in a big chorus. I wondered how they learned the song.


Keiyu (Kra)
Keep on waving the flag of Kraizm

Kra increased their range of listeners when they released the cover single Amaoto wa Chopin no shirabe in October. They express various sounds in their music, such as pop or rock, which is their style. How will such an original band perform in Nippon Budokan? Kra will take part in the stylish wave COUNTDOWN'08-'09 live at the end of this year, so they will be busy doing lives from the end of this year to the New Year. We asked Keiyu about his eagerness for these lives.


First of all, could you look back over your activities after this summer? In August, you did a domestic tour.

Keiyu: However, this time we only did it for short period, so I didn't feel like it was a tour so much. It was like a flash...I felt that it was quite short; we played in just five locations.

I saw the tour final at Akasaka BLITZ on August 29th. You talked a lot during your MC, which is common for Kra. (laugh)

Keiyu: That MC was rather shorter than others on that tour. (laugh) However, I think we were able to do what we wanted to do every time. Recently, I want to lift my goals bit by bit.

So concretely speaking...

Keiyu: With our playing and the way we express ourselves...I'm not talking about personal skills...

You are talking about goals within the band.

Keiyu: Yes. Even if we have skills, it doesn't mean that we are showing them well, I think. I want to aim to do that. Each of our members has their own peculiarities, so it's quite hard to control it.

Do you control it, Keiyu?

Keiyu: I don't control, but I just try to say what I want to say in good timing.

Ah, you seem to say whatever you want to say. (laugh)

Keiyu: Ah ha. I didn't say that though. (smile)


Ruki (the GazettE)
BAD BOYS RISING

the GazettE will release their new single, LEECH, on November 12th. In October, they did their FC limited standing tour and gave energetic performances to their fans. They performed hot lives and must continue toward 2009. And they'll do the Nippon Budokan event on January 3rd. As a band, they already successfully achieved their one-man live twice, but they will have a special tension for the event. We asked Ruki how he feels and about the new song.


First of all, I'll ask you about your eagerness for Peace & Smile Carnival in Nippon Budokan on January 3rd. Sorry for asking you that so directly. (laugh)

Ruki: I wonder what we will do for it... like the set list. It's a rare event, so I'll have to think about it.

For the GazettE, the Budokan seems like your home venue already, right?

Ruki: We have only played there twice. (laugh) We can't say "It's our home" like Yazawa-san (Eikichi Yazawa) does!

Ah, I see. (laugh)

Ruki: Well, various bands will appear, so maybe we can be the explosive one in the event, like a punch line. (laugh)

A punch line? No, don't say that. (laugh) And you can take a look at other bands' performances, too. Ruki, you don't usually go to other bands' lives, right?

Ruki: Ah, I have seen bands from the same company sometimes. I went to an alice nine. live by myself when Tora was suffering from his bad neck. I thought he was okay though. I was very happy because he was very glad to see me.

It's a good story...

Ruki: But I want to see all of the lives this time. If I can, I want to see them from the beginning. (smile)


Shou (alice nine.)
It's SHOW time!

alice nine. kept working, without rest, in 2008, creating music and doing lives. From October, their new song, CROSS GAME was used as the end theme for the anime "Yuugiou 5D's" and their tour DVD, [DISCOTHEQUE play like "A" RAINBOWS-enter&exit- was also released. They'll do their one-man live, -Crossing of Supernova-, at NHK Hall on December 19th, and they have many things to work on these days. How will they do their performance at Nippon Budokan? We asked Shou, as the representative of the band, about his eagerness and about their new single.


How was the shooting with the five vocalists for the cover?

Shou: As it was an assembly of the front men from each band, I thought it was just great. I felt like, "I am standing shoulder to shoulder with alice nine.!" (laugh) Generally, everyone is a rival, but we have a nice connection here being seniors and juniors of the same company, so I'm happy to be able to do this one big event with everyone.

And you'll participate in the Nippon Budokan event on January 3rd.

Shou: I want to enjoy doing a show with our other seniors' bands. I feel that purely because I saw miyavi working so hard for others, instead of for himself, to make the event go well for the first PSC tour.

That was the Zepp tour, right?

Shou: Yes. I saw miyavi move around without thinking about what would be to his benefit or to his loss. So we feel like we want to make the event really successful.

I see. However, you, alice nine., will do a one-man live at NHK Hall before you play at the Budokan. So you will have to concentrate on that first.

Shou: Yes. We haven't made our goal to play in the Budokan yet. (laugh) And that concert is a little different. But we used to always think that we wanted to play there, as soon as we could. However, I think that we are not yet able to imagine just ourselves on the stage of the Budokan. We don't think that there is any point playing in the Budokan if it is not packed with people who love just our music.


For the rest of the interview, please refer to Zy 43.
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