Press Conference with SCANDAL in Mexico

A few days before their first show in Mexico City, part of SCANDAL WORLD TOUR 2015 "HELLO WORLD", rock band SCANDAL held a press conference to talk about their plans, tastes and experiences so far. The conference began with each member introducing herself, to everyone’s surprise, in Spanish:

HARUNA: My name is HARUNA.

MAMI: My name is MAMI.

RINA: My name is RINA.

TOMOMI: My name is TOMOMI.

All: Nice to meet you!

Nice to meet you! Welcome to Mexico.

Why did you choose to come to this country?

RINA: We do a world tour from time to time and we usually visit the United States, Asia and some parts of Europe. This time we received an invitation to come to Mexico and we decided that it was a great opportunity.

When did you realize you have so many fans in Mexico? What was your reaction?

HARUNA: I always receive messages from fans on social networks. Also today when we arrived, there were a lot of fans waiting for us at the airport.

The European leg of your world tour has ended already; how do you feel the tour's gone so far?

MAMI: We are very happy because we've previously had the opportunity to visit France and perform at Japan Expo, but we hadn’t had the opportunity to go to countries like Germany and England, which we really wanted to visit. So we're feeling very grateful for that.

SCANDAL are considered to be pioneers in female rock. There aren’t many female rock bands in Japan nor anywhere. How do you feel about it? Do you feel good to be representing female rock?

HARUNA: We've been asked in several countries about the fact that there aren’t many female bands, but personally, I think that in Japan, there's a strong tradition of female bands, and we're pleased to represent it to the outside world.

What's the main inspiration behind the music that you create?

TOMOMI: We have many sources of inspiration, from books we read, to movies we watch, even conversations between us. In the end, it’s our daily life that inspires us.

With which band or singer would you like to work with one day?

RINA: This question is very difficult and I think we have been asked about this in the past. Mostly, it would be with the artist that have influenced us when making music, like Green Day, Foo Fighters, and lately Taylor Swift. It would be great to meet them.

Do you know any Mexican band?

RINA: I don’t know any. (laughs)

HARUNA: We would like it if you could show us some. Does Mexico have bands of women and men who are very famous?

Yes, we have them.

HARUNA: What are their names?

Maná, Café Tacvba, Panda, Ha-Ash…

HARUNA: When we finish this conference, we will listen to them.

Speaking of whom, Café Tacvba went to Japan.

All: Amazing!

Have you already had the opportunity to taste Mexican food?

HARUNA: Actually we just arrived recently, but just before the conference we ate tacos.

MAMI: Tonight we’re going to eat tacos too.

All: (laughs) They are very delicious.

What was your first impression of Mexico?

TOMOMI: From the plane, as we arrived, we saw many pink-colored cars.* I was very surprised because they’re rare in Japan.

*^{In Mexico, taxis are pink and white.}

RINA: It’s very colorful in general. I heard that the city allows artists to draw on certain walls. I thought it was really good. Another one of my impressions was that the roofs were very colorful. And I was very surprised when I saw a lot of houses at the airport, because the airports are usually far from the city and this one is within the city. It’s a very pretty image.

What's the greatest achievement of your career so far?

RINA: At the beginning, when we started this band, it was playing in a place called Osaka-jō Hall. We had the opportunity to play a concert there and that was the best for us. But thinking about it now, what makes us feel happy and proud the most now is this world tour.

Are you planning to record another anime theme?

RINA: We haven’t had any offers or proposals for any anime lately. We are open to it, but for now, we don’t have any such plans.

What do you know about Mexico?

RINA: The pyramids.

HARUNA: We’ve heard about them and we are looking forward to visiting them.

Of all of your releases, what is the one you liked the most and what has been the hardest one to do?

TOMOMI: For me it would probably be Image. And the second one, Your song. We wrote it through an NHK programme. We received support and messages from fans, and because of that, the way of writing that song was different; it was something in which we had to put a lot of effort.

Your music is well-known in Latin America. How does it feel to know that you have many fans outside Japan?

RINA: It’s a strange feeling knowing that we have fans so far away. We’re a band who always wants to go everywhere to meet the fans. We are very happy to know that there are fans in Latin America.

What do you like to do in your spare time when you’re not playing or practicing?

HARUNA: Lately for me it has been stretching, things to relax and to keep my body well.

MAMI: For me it has been making coffee. From grinding coffee beans to drinking it. (laughs)

RINA: Personally I’m really into movies, so I always try to watch a movie.

TOMOMI: I really like interior design and riding bikes, so I often ride my bike to go browse in stores.

How do you think the group has matured musically throughout your career?

RINA: At the beginning we were in school and we liked to wear our uniforms to play. As we grew, we were also gaining more experience from reality, and we try to add it to a more adult and mature way of thinking and creating.

Is it possible that you make a song with the experiences that you have had abroad someday?

RINA: Yes, right now. On the plane ride from Chicago to Mexico, which was about 4 hours long, we were writing a song.

HARUNA: Also, at the end of this tour, we want to create something with all the emotions and experiences that we have had.

What inspires your look?

HARUNA: Instagram. Especially looking at things and noticing what is happening on this social network. That has been my main inspiration.

MAMI: For me more than inspiration, my interests have changed. Lately I’m interested in long, simple dresses. Of course, I also change my hair. It was orange before, and now is green, and I’m going to keep changing it.

RINA: As I already said, I love movies, and lately I’ve been watching European movies from the 60s and 70s, and that have been inspiring me. Currently, in Japan, there are many vintage shops, so I have the opportunity to choose that kind of clothing.

TOMOMI: I usually go directly to the shops and buy what I like, but lately I have been interested in London brands.

Do you watch anime regularly? What was the last series that you liked?

MAMI: The lastest were “Shingeki no kyojin” and “Terra Formars”. I really like them. And also some related films.

RINA: Since I was a child I have liked Ghibli and Disney, and as I have grown, both have been by my side.

A few minutes ago you talked about playing at Osaka-jō Hall, but what is your best memory as a band until now?

RINA: When we formed the band, we practiced while we were staying together at the same place in Osaka because we were still at school. For example, we lived together for a month during summer vacation. We used our vacations to practice and we played on the streets. Those are our most precious memories from youth.

What is the most significant song for the band?

HARUNA: In this album is Departure. This song was written by MAMI and we released it first as a single. I'm very happy that it was on the album too.

How did you discover that music was your way and not other profession?

HARUNA: For RINA and for me, it was from a very early age.

MAMI: We met at a singing and dancing school, and that was when we decided it was a good idea to make a band, so we started working together.

Do any other arts influence your music?

TOMOMI: Personally I really like a Japanese illustrator that mainly creates women illustrations. Looking at her work inspires me, her name is Tomoko Oshima.

What are your plans for the near future?

HARUNA: When we return to Japan, we want to do a bigger tour.

You’re already famous. How do you feel within the industry? Do you feel more like idols or more like artists?

TOMOMI: For us more than choosing “I want to be an idol” or “I want to be an artist”, we simply choose what we want. From there, it's more a matter of choice from the people around or outside us to tell what is what.

Thank you!

JaME would like to thank to SCANDAL, LoveJapan Entertainment and its interpreters for making this press conference possible.