The day after a well-received second live gig in London, the funk artist met with us over a coffee to discuss his music and how he feels about the capital.
Firstly, congratulations on your performance last night, everyone enjoyed it very much.
Suga Shikao: Thank you.
You played at the O2 Academy Islington last night. How did it compare to your last London concert?
Suga Shikao: The size of the audience was double that of last year, so it was twice as enjoyable! Also, some of the people who came to the live last year were there this time and it was really nice to see them again.
This is your second trip to London to perform. What have you enjoyed?
Suga Shikao: I felt there was a language barrier the last time I came to London. This time, I introduced some readers (LED displays with translations of the lyrics) on either side of the stage to give the English audience a better idea of what my songs are about. There seemed to be a better response than last time because of this and I really liked it.
You also spoke a lot more English during the MC sections this time round — was this difficult? Did you enjoy this?
Suga Shikao: One of the crew members is from England, so I asked him what sorts of things I should talk about. He suggested asking the audience "how are you feeling," and he asked me what I'd like to say. I said maybe "good evening"...? (laughs)
The last time you were in London, you visited a school, which was quite an unusual thing to do. What made you decide to do this? Would you do it again?
Suga Shikao: That particular school was using my songs as teaching material in Japanese class, so I went there as a surprise visit for them. I didn't have time to do anything like that this time round. The students there are under 18 so can't come to the live performances; I would have wanted to perform especially for them if I'd had a chance.
You haven’t really played in many other countries outside of Japan. Why have you chosen specifically to play in the UK?
Suga Shikao: I had the impression that the UK is quite accepting of different cultures and musical styles, so thought it would be a good place to start. Back in 2005, I stayed in London for a month and made friends with some native musicians, and after talking and interacting with them I began to think that maybe my music could be accepted here.
Would you like to play in any other countries? Which ones?
Suga Shikao: You might know that my songs have been used in a lot of Japanese anime, so I'm thinking of places that have embraced anime like England, France, Portugal, Spain, and some South American countries like Chile, Brazil and Argentina. They've already accepted the Japanese culture, so I think my music would be appreciated in those places and I may like to go there in future.
Your music has been used quite a lot in anime and film in recent years as you've just mentioned, such as "Honey and Clover," "XxxHolic" and "Death Note," and it is how a lot of your Western fans came to know you. How do you feel these associations have affected people’s views of your music?
Suga Shikao: I usually only write songs to anime I really like. Fans of the anime will hear my songs as part of them, so in a way it's like having a mutual appreciation of them with those watching. I haven't really thought about it to be honest... It's just like sharing feelings about a particular thing I suppose.
Are there any plans for any more at the moment?
Suga Shikao: Yes, if there's a chance to do so there are a few that I'd like to write for.
Your music is heavily funk and disco based. Who are your musical influences?
Suga Shikao:
Prince! I really like
Prince. Others would be 70s era soul, 70s black music. The way I play and arrange the guitar is all heavily influenced by these. As for the post-2000 era, some European club music as well.
How do you think funk music is regarded in Japan?
Suga Shikao: It's not well known. It's only known and liked by a minority of Japanese people I'd say. There are hardly any Japanese musicians playing funk, maybe about two or three groups. The Japanese music scene's much more about rock — rock is probably most popular.
Why do you think that is?
Suga Shikao: Hmm, why...? (long pause, before turning to
Sakura Okada from Office Augusta). Why is that?
Sakura Okada: I think Japanese people aren't ready to dance to the rhythm of funk music. I'm not sure exactly why but they don't dance much.
Suga Shikao: Yeah, the Japanese don't dance!
Sakura Okada: There aren't many people who play funk music in the big J-pop scene like Suga-san. Also it's because rock music is very popular, more so than J-pop.
Suga Shikao: Yeah, it's like that: they don't really dance, and rock music is so popular.
Can you give us an insight into your music writing process? What inspires you, or helps you write?
Suga Shikao: I'm imspired when I meet new people and am affected by them, and that's like the best type of "spice" that helps me write my music.
You’ve been in the music business for 15 years now. What have been the highlights and best memories of your career?
Suga Shikao: (laughs) I would say when I debuted, and after debuting seeing my own newly released CDs in the shops. Also coming to London to play last year was one of the best times.
You’ve collaborated with a few artists over the years, most recently with rapper Mummy-D on your latest album FUNKASTiC
. How did you find this collaboration, since you haven’t featured rap on your songs prior to this?
Suga Shikao: The roots of hip-hop are in funk music so we didn't feel much of a difference from each other artistically, and we got on really well. But hip-hop is totally unpopular in Japan! (laughs)
You’ve been performing in the band fukumimi with other Office Augusta artists for ten years. How does this compare with working solo? Are there ever artistic differences?
Suga Shikao: There aren't any arguments at all, we're all just doing it for fun. We don't have serious discussions about it or anything. There's five guitarists so I feel like I don't need to do anything! It's quite laid back and fun.
You have composed both lyrics and music for other artists. What are the main differences between composing for someone else, and yourself?
Suga Shikao: There isn't that much difference as I write as if I would be performing it myself. The exception is when I write for very young artists, or "idols," if there's a big age gap. Then I try to make it a bit more casual, as if I'm writing a text message on my phone.
You’ve been really busy this year, with releasing FUNKASTiC
and going on tours, playing at festivals and special concerts. Are you going to take some time out to relax? What would you like to do?
Suga Shikao: No... No there're no plans like that. I already started writing some new lyrics last night actually, and my schedule's really tight at the moment so I'm not thinking about time off.
You're really hardworking! What future projects have you got lined up?
Suga Shikao: I'm probably going to go back to Japan and record the new songs that I was just writing last night. For now, more likely singles rather than a new album.
And finally, do you have a message for your fans?
Suga Shikao: I would like to come to London more often, but because of my schedule even if I try hard it will probably only be only once a year. And I'd probably like to polish up my English a bit more for next time! (laughs)
And we'd love to have you back in London anytime! Thank you very much for speaking to us.
Suga Shikao: Thank you.
We would like to thank Suga Shikao, his manager Tetsuya Mitsuoka and Sakura Okada and Atsushi Takemura of Augusta Records for making this interview possible. Thanks are also due to Rino Maeda for translating.
Suga Shikao's music is now available for download on iTunes: iTunes US and iTunes UK.
