Part 2 of an Interview with KAMIJO from URE PIA Souken

Hey gang!

Well...we got part 2 of the interview for you as translated by Arianne and I hope that you all will enjoy this part as this one actually isn't as long as the last...its actually quite short in comparison!Q

Enjoy!

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Part 2

- Do you plan releasing the full album and LIVE performances after single will be released?

KAMIJO: I think that album will come out. I’m working at a rate of one single, so I can pour feelings into each song.  I’d like to release (album) as fast as it’s possible, but working according to the principle that I finish songs one after the other.  As for concerts, Versailles’ LIVEs were played fast and based on the two-bass (rhythm), so I think that they were attractive.  That is why I want my solo LIVEs to be more interesting, so I guess I’d like to create a performance that will be different in terms of visuals from Versailles’ ones.

- Some time ago you said about 『Louis ～Enketsu no La vie en Rose～』 , that 「It's a song written with feelings towards the Visual Kei」, but it seems that you, KAMIJO-san, have your own, different approach to the 「Visual Kei」 scene.

KAMIJO: As for me, firstly 「Visual Kei」 is not a genre. I think that these are different titles, which help the musician - having ideas for a variety of other methods – to express him not only through the music.

My first band LAREINE major debuted in year 1999.  At that time, during the Visual Kei boom, there were a lot of great bands with so-called 「The big four of Visual Kei」 at the forefront. In such circumstances our LAREINE had a very low position (underground), because we debuted at the end of that boom.  Then came the times in which the scene has become not really impressive and I felt responsible to set an example for my younger colleagues. And it became my propulsion, my power.

The values and feelings, which we took over, which we created, reached not only the audience but I think that also our younger colleagues, who took it over and it became a power that made them start activities on their own.

Of course, I still haven’t changed my style, what are largely thanks to support of my fans.

- 「Visual Kei」 gives many possibilities. One of the reasons for which on Visual Kei scene appear new bands is the ease of gaining fans, but there are also cases where active band leaves the stage.

KAMIJO: Visual Kei is inherent to 「poison」.  From the beginning there were many people, who like to stylize for Visual Kei, but doesn’t, for example, metal bands enter the Visual Kei realms when they wear make-up? I have a feeling that lately people think that 「I will probably become popular (when I’ll put on make-up) ？」.  Now there are more and more good-looking bands. But they can’t escape it. I think that this is good in Visual Kei. Because it has good-looking musicians (laughs).  If you once put on a mask, you won’t be able to take it off (laughs).

But it happens not only to musicians, because Visual Kei has an effect on fans and listeners, who also can’t escape it.

Moments, when you more often think "it's beautiful, it's good-looking" when watching pictures, than when listening to the music, I call 「Awakening」.

I think that there is no other scene so full of toxin.  Neither the metal scene, or punk, or any other drowns so deep in toxin…. That’s why I love it so much.

Of course I want to offer you, who listen to the music, songs, which are not only poisonous, but they also give a life in color of roses. I want roses to fill lives of people, who will listen to the climax of my first solo single’s 『Louis〜』 lyrics, which says 「La vie en Rose, I want to color you with bewitching colors」.

Moreover, in MV to this song appears Mana-san (MALICE MIZER・Moi dix Mois). Mana-san told me the story about world full of roses and he is the one, who introduced this world to me.  And Mana-san being such a teacher appears in my MV, in which I showed the moment of my awakening in Visual Kei, so I think I’d like people watching this MV to keep this in mind and also awake.

For me, meticulously following the example of Visual Kei ends on 「School of Aesthetics」. People, who follow Visual Kei, first of all want to be handsome, beautiful and more impressive than anyone else – such feelings are born in them – and I think that this is exactly the soul of Visual Kei.  Mana-san, being my teacher, told me 「Why there must be so few bands to which fit roses? 」.  Thinking of making the revolution together I invited him, and this time we will perform together.