Interview with ViViD at Japan Expo

A few hours before their second appearance at Japan Expo 2010 in Paris, France, the five members of ViViD granted JaME an interview. They discussed their single PRECIOUS, their European performance and much more.


Hello! To start off, could each member of the group introduce the person next to you?

Reno: This is Ko-Ki, our drummer, who also works on our costumes and design, from the visual side of the group.
Ko-Ki: Shin is ViViD’s vocalist, so he’s the face of the group and he sings very well. He is the force of the band.
Shin: IV, our bassist, is very laid back in everyday life, but on the stage he is really energetic. He is very impressive!
IV: Ryouga is one of our guitarists. He has a great place, a bit on his own. But on the stage that’s important precisely because he is a guitarist like Reno; it’s a crucial role. Ryouga also plays back-up, and he really supports the band.
Ryouga: Reno is “Mr. Guitar,” a very responsible leader. He's a bit like a big brother to us all, sometimes funny but also serious, and he controls the atmosphere in the group really well.

During our last interview, you said you hoped to see one of your concerts broadcast through streaming to the whole world some day, and that’s happened during this Japan Expo. How does it feel seeing this dream realized?

IV: Actually that hasn’t happened just yet, but if the opportunity arises, that would be great.

Your band has already had a concert for the European audience. What were your impressions? For your next live are you expecting something more from this audience?

Reno: For the first concert I was worried. I didn’t know how the fans would react because we had never played outside Japan. But the French audience actually reacted really well from the start, which was a great surprise. For this live coming up, we will try to have even more fun, to be freer than before and get closer to the fans.

How do you find the European audience compared to the Japanese audience?

Ko-ki: The French fans are more spontaneous. They express their emotions more freely. We are very at ease with this immediate response from the French audience.

The new single will be out in a few days. Can you tell us about it?

Shin: PRECIOUS is set to come out July 7th. I wrote the lyrics myself and Ryouga composed the music. I wanted to thank the fans and dedicate this song to them, because if everyone can’t come to see us in concert they can support us a lot anyway. It’s these people that are precious to us.

The B version of the single comes with a twenty-page booklet. What’s in there exactly?

IV: It’s full of photos, with certain members of the group flying in the air and holding themselves up with one hand… It’s very different, I think with a lot of emotion. There are lots of surprises in these photos.

Is this different compared to what you usually do?

IV: Yes, very different from what we typically do. I’d recommend everyone to buy it to see that.

And why did you decide to do things differently?

IV: It’s a gift for the fans.

The group hasn’t made a “full” album yet. Will that be in your upcoming projects?

Ryouga: We’re not sure if we’ll be able to release one this year but we can hope for that next year, even though we don’t know the details yet, or whether it will include Take-off or not.

What themes do you use in your songs and how do you choose them?

Shin: We draw a lot of inspiration from everyday life and what we’re thinking about, and we try to put that in words and transform it into songs. There’s no fixed theme, and my method for writing varies depending on the piece, naturally.

Can you tell us about your music videos, from the idea to the finished product?

Reno: Usually we finish the song first, and there’s a director who works on the videos. That’s the way we’ve always done it until now. When he has an idea, he talks to us about the details and where we’re shooting, and we confirm, and then finalize the image. But for PRECIOUS, we were the ones with the idea of the clocks, and we proposed it to the director and he agreed to the details we suggested, so this time we participated more.

Would you like to shoot a video in Paris?

ViViD: Why not, that would be great, although we have to be careful about the budget.

Do you have any particular rituals before you go onstage?

Ko-Ki: We get in a circle and encourage each other, saying “Let’s go!”

Did you think visual kei would be so appreciated in Europe?

Shin: Actually it’s a great surprise and we are really happy about this reception.

What distinguishes ViViD from other bands in the genre, musically and visually?

IV: First, Shin’s force as a singer; his talent distinguishes him. And second, ViViD’s own sound, which is very original and you recognize it when you hear it because it’s different.

How do you imagine your career in ten years? What do you hope will happen?

Ryouga: I hope we’ll become known abroad, that we’ll be in the whole world including little towns, and I’d also like to have success in Japan.

Do you have a final message for our readers?

Reno: I’m really touched by the welcome we’ve received from the French fans. I didn’t expect it at all. It’s great and I hope to always have their support.

Ko-ki: I'm so happy to be in France and to be able to receive the support of the French fans. I really like this country and I hope to return soon to meet these fans again. Thank you!

Shin: It’s really a great opportunity to have been able to come to France and have such a great welcome by the fans. Of course I hope to succeed in Japan, but also in France and abroad through ViViD’s music, and keep the warm support of the French audience.

IV: I am so happy to have come here to France, and to have done concerts for the French audience. I really like France and I hope to return soon, and next time do our own solo concert.

Ryouga: I’m so happy to be here and I’d like to come back and give a solo live show next. I hope to communicate with the French fans and receive their messages to encourage me in my music with the band; they’ll give me strength and courage to continue with ViViD.


JaME thanks the band, their management and the interpreter who made this interview with the band possible.