Interview with Buono!

The idol trio Buono! from Hello!Project, played their first French concert at la Machine du Moulin Rouge in Paris on February 12th. JaME sat down with the girls before their show to talk about the origins of the group, their new release, the trip to France and more.


Thank you for providing us the opportunity to interview you. To start off, could you please introduce yourselves to our readers who might not know you yet?

Momoko: I am the leader, Tsugunaga Momoko.
Miyabi: I am the sub-leader, Natsuyaki Miyabi.
Airi: I am Airi Suzuki, the guardian of health of the group.
Momoko: The name of the group Buono! comes from Italian and means “tasty”.

How was Buono! formed?

Miyabi: The group was born from the collaboration with the anime "Shugo Chara", in which we sang in the credits.

Did you know each other beforehand and then decide to form this unit, or did your label suggest this composition?

Momoko: We knew each other before through our respective groups. Although the group was formed for the anime, we got along really well and had fun like crazy, so we are still continuing, even though Buono! has nothing to do with the anime anymore.

As you said the group was formed for the anime Shugo Chara, have you had time to watch the series?

Miyabi: Of course! I love the character Amu-chan. I’d love to cosplay her and wear her uniform one day.

Your new single Hatsukoi Cider/DEEP MIND just came out. Could you tell us a bit about it?

Airi: The first track, as the name suggests, is like soda. It’s a very fresh piece, very poppy and bubbly.
Miyabi: As for DEEP MIND, the second A-track…it took a while since we haven’t done rock-ish pieces, in comparison to our previous singles, which were rather soft or even sour.

How does the recording process of your singles or albums work?

Miyabi: We record separately, then listen to the parts we sang to see how each one of us interpreted the piece.
Momoko: I’m always really hungry by the end of the recording!

Do you come up with your choreography yourself? How do you work on it?

Momoko: We have coaches who give us choreographies for each song, but we are free to change them. However, for Hatsukoi Cider we created the whole choreography by ourselves.

Do you have intensive training?

Momoko: We practice singing even in our sleep. (laughs)

One of the unique aspects of Buono! is that you are accompanied in the concerts by another group, Dolce!. How is that going?

Airi: Dolce! bring their touch of rock to Buono! at the concerts.
Momoko: And sometimes when we have a little bit of time, they teach us how to play instruments.

Since you have your activities with your respective groups, Berryz Koubou and °C-ute , do the three of you have time to meet up?

Miyabi: Indeed, our schedule is pretty busy, but since it’s only the three of us, when we see each other we become the members of Buono!.

Your videos are being shown on the French TV channel Nolife and have always been getting very good positions on J-Top (a program about Japanese music on the French TV network). Are you aware that thanks to Buono! many people have been able to discover idols and Hello!Project?

Momoko: As long as they understand that Momochi is the cutest of them… (laughs).
Miyabi: We are extremely happy to know this!
Airi: This gives us more desire to outdo ourselves, and we hope that everyone will come to see us in Japan.

This is the first time that you’re performing in France. How do you feel?

Miyabi: We cannot wait! We are really curious to see how the people are going to react, compared to the Japanese audience. Yesterday, during the autograph session, we saw that there were quite a few girls. This makes us very happy!

Let’s talk a bit about your visit in France, have you had time to see Paris? In the second anniversary of the show, Ami Ami Idol, Momoko said that she wanted to visit the Arc de Triomphe, did you do that?

(laughs)
Buono!: Yes, all three of us! The Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower…
Momoko: And the Mona Lisa!

France is also a country of gastronomy. Which dishes would you like to taste? And which ones have you already tried?

Airi: Croissants! “They’re good (in French!).”
Momoko: I ate six croissants this morning for my breakfast.
Miyabi and Airi: We were exhausted after three already….
Momoko: And I intend on bringing a hundred to Japan as presents!

Do you have a message for our readers?

Miyabi: Go, Leader!
Momoko: We are very happy to have come to France to have a concert and we are looking forward to coming back. We are waiting for all of you in Japan to look at us on stage. And instead of eating three croissants for breakfast, eat just one. This will allow you to save up to come and see us! (laughs)


JaME would like to thank Buono! and their management for this interview.