Very Good Days Interview with SCANDAL [JP]

We are thrilled to be speaking with SCANDAL, the dynamic and electrifying 4 piece all girl rock band hailing from Osaka. This year they are celebrating their 10th anniversary of their debut- and have been extremely prolific over that time, releasing 24 singles, 8 albums, 4 compilations, not to mention books and DVDs and other media. They have been on tour both domestically and internationally almost every year, recently completing a 47 prefecture tour, and are now about to embark on a 6 stop tour across the United States and Mexico titled “Special Thanks”.

First, congratulations on your 12th anniversary of your major label debut! What does 12 years mean to each of you?

When I see “12 years” in writing, it reminds me that it’s really been a long time. But I can actually remember the day we first banded like it happened yesterday, so it feels like it went by really fast. The past 12 years have been very fulfilling, and I hope we can continue this path as long as we can! I’m excited to see what awaits in the future.

Looking back at your career over these 10 years what moments stand out? What was your greatest triumph? What has surprised you the most?

The outdoor concert we held for our band’s 10th anniversary has become a very special memory for us. We got to see a view that we could only see because we’ve continued for so long, and it really touched me.

The most recent triumph was creating our album HONEY; we really focused on creating music that only a girl-band could write. I think it is an answer to how we feel working in the “band” industry, which is still predominantly a male industry.

I think the most surprising thing was when we got to tour in the US when we hadn’t even toured in Japan as an indie band. But I think the experience then really helped us create a style base for our live performances. We hope to continue playing for fans overseas, and not just Japan!

How has your music evolved over time?

I think the biggest change and evolution is that we’ve started to write our own music and lyrics, along with doing the arrangements on our own as well.

I also feel that after starting to write our own songs, we’ve learn to love the songs that were written for us by other composers and lyricists even more.

SCANDAL has always been a fashionable band yet similarly your fashion has also evolved over the years. Now you even have your own fashion label called Feedback! Is designing clothes similar to creating new music together?

I think there are similarities! They both start off with sharing ideas, and making samples or demos from them. But only a few are actually shaped into something we can deliver to you guys, and it really fluctuates depending on the trend or how we feel at the time…it’s an inconsistent process. They’re not entirely the same, but there are definitely similarities.

SCANDAL’s music blends alternative rock and pop and even elements of hip-hop. Which member brings in each element?

We all like different artists, but we all love rock, pop, and hip hop. So we try and incorporate various genres of sound depending on how the band feels at the moment.

Having ventured overseas numerous times are you now used to that experience? What do you look forward to most when performing overseas?

It makes us very happy to see in person how the overseas fans interact with our new songs! The way they vibe with the music, or timings of when they cheer for our popular songs are different from the audience in Japan, which is interesting. Performing overseas sometimes gives us inspirations on what to work on next.

Is there anything in particular that defines a SCANDAL live show?

I think the fact that it’s fun to watch any of the members! We have a very unified band, but we also would like the audience to watch the performances of each individual member.

This tour is in support of your latest album “Honey”. What are you trying to convey through these 10 songs? What are your feelings about performing this new music overseas for the first time

It’s been 12 years since the formation of our band and 10 years since our debut; we’re very happy to have created an album with so much drive at a timing like this. It reminds us of how fun music can be, and has helped us really look at ourselves and have the mindset to keep moving forward, as far as we can. Besides that, we’d also love the audience to hear how much momentum the album has, and not just how feminine the music is, but also the maturity of the lyrics that we were able to write because of our age.

I was really interested in how our fans overseas have been hearing HONEY, and it’s hard for us to tell what songs people like or what songs are going to be exciting for fans unless we’re actually standing on stage overseas. I’m very happy get to tour overseas for this album.

SCANDAL is still going strong and is only getting stronger with each year. What drives you to keep pushing forward, both individually and as a group?

I think the fact that we can perform all over the world. The fact that we can go to different countries, meet new people, eat all types of food, see the world, and experience new things; these all help us feel inspired in shows and songs, which is our strongest motivation and drive.

Can you make any predictions on what we can expect from Scandal in the next 10 years?

We hope to continue playing music with all of us being the best versions of what we can be. We hope you enjoy us as we continue to evolve for the years to come!

Scandal, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us.
Make sure to catch SCANDAL on their upcoming tour!

---

SCANDAL [JP] is:

HARUNA: Vocal & Guitar

MAMI: Guitar & Vocal

TOMOMI: Bass & Vocal

RINA: Drums & Vocal

---

SCANDAL [JP] Summer 2018 North American Tour Dates

• Wednesday, September 5th – New York City, NY at Playstation Theatre
Tickets – www.playstationtheater.com/events/detail/354240

• Friday, September 7th – San Francisco, CA at The Regency Ballroom
Tickets – www.theregencyballroom.com/events/detail/354195

• Sunday, September 9th – Anaheim, CA at House of Blues
Tickets – www.livenation.com/events/829179-sep-9-2018-scandal

• Wednesday, September 12th – Monterrey, Mexico at Escena
Tickets – www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1693856

• Friday, September 14th – Mexico City, Mexico at El Plaza Condesa
Tickets – www.ticketmaster.com.mx/scandal-el-plaza-condesa-mexico-df/venueartist/164618/949557

• Sunday, September 16th – Dallas, TX at The Bomb Factory
Tickets – www.elplaza.mx

Interview by Zachary Kopp, Roderic Suarez, Conrado Richard Pangilinan II, Andy Galan
Tranlation assistance and special thanks to Marine Noguchi