Interview with Haruka at AniMesse Berlin

Haruka is a singer-songwriter and guitarist who started playing the guitar at the age of 15, and was able to release two singles on a major label at the age of 19. After a five-year hiatus, Haruka came back with her own indie label, setting out to conquer the world on her own. In June 2016, she embarked on her first journey to Germany, where she met an excited audience at AniMesse Berlin. On the second day of the convention, JaME had the chance to talk with Haruka about her overseas activities, the central message of her songs and the importance of words.

Hello Haruka! Thank you so much for this interview. Since your first interview with JaME was one year ago, can you tell us what happened during this one year?

Haruka: I have been to several new countries. I went to Spain for an expo called ExpoManga and I also went to Indonesia for a show – and that was the best show I've ever had. It was such a blast; the crowd was so crazy! I think, those were the biggest events in the past year.

Right now you are in Germany for the first time. We saw you learnt a bit of German before coming here. Can you tell us something in German?

Haruka: Phrases that I learnt? Except "Deine Kuh ist schön" (You have a beautiful cow)? (everybody laughs)

Yes, please!

Haruka: In Japan, the common German phrases are "Ich liebe dich" (I love you) and some greeting phrases like "Guten Morgen" (good morning), "Guten Tag" (hello/good day), "Guten Abend" (good evening) ... So at least I can introduce myself like "Ich bin Haruka, ich komme aus Japan" (I'm Haruka, I'm from Japan). Yeah, that's it.

That was great, thank you! How else did you prepare for your concert in Berlin, but also for your show in Budapest?

Haruka: I usually practice just by myself. I go to the studio and I record my songs using an audio recorder. After practicing, I check myself on the record. Also, the fun part is making set lists for the shows. I try to create a story, you know. There is a narrative in my set list. Like starting with rock songs, then gradually the tension rises, then the songs get a bit slower and mellower. And then, at the end, it gets really passionate and liberating. So I always try to put a story in the set list; that's how I prepare for the shows.

I see! You also watched some German movies, right?

Haruka: Yes, I did! "Goodbye Lenin" was so good! I really liked it. Though the ending is sad. But my favorite German movie is "Das Leben der Anderen". It's really beautiful. I was so touched; I loved the bookstore ending. That's so impressive!

Thank you so much. We are happy you like German movies!

Haruka: I love them! They are serious and kind of heavy. But in the end, something remains in your heart. Though I'm also interested in comedy movies, I really love the serious ones. Because in the end, you feel something; there is a message. It is not just sad, not just serious, but there is something that just stays in your heart for a long time.

Since 2014, you have played one or two shows overseas per year. Do you want to extend your overseas activities further?

Haruka: (without hesitation) I do! And I'd like to tour Europe and East Asia. Since I went to Indonesia, I became really interested in some Southeast Asia countries like Thailand, Singapore, Laos, Vietnam ... so I'd like to tour some countries there. Also Europe! Actually I'm playing one show next week in Hungary; I think it's a good start.

Your first single Mune ni kibou wo was also the opening theme for the anime series "Blue Dragon". Usually artists release some music before they can contribute a song to an anime. How did you achieve that? Did this experience have any influence on you as an artist?

Haruka: Firstly, I was working under a label called PONY CANYON and they had a connection to the anime scene. The anime creators of "Blue Dragon" really liked my music; they loved my song Mune ni kibou wo. Actually, we had to re-record the song because the arrangement didn't fit the anime, so we actually recreated everything. But that was really nice and a good opportunity. So that's how it came true. Secondly, about how it influenced me ... I would say it did not influence me very much. Because, it's not as if I wrote that song for the anime – I had written it already and they chose it as the opening. So it kind of just fit the anime. Therefore, it did not have a huge influence on me, musically speaking.

What kind of anime do you personally like and why?

Haruka: My favorite anime series are "NANA" and "BECK" (an alternative English title is "BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad"). "BECK" is like the "boy version" of "NANA". I like both, because there are scenes of concerts, and I love their stories as well. It's about music, but also about love and human relationships, so I think it's kind of real. You can really relate to it. That's why these are my favorites.

You released your latest album Anthems in 2014. Are you working on a new album or single right now?

Haruka: I am working on my next album. I think my sound is pretty consistent – I mean, it's been pop-rock all the way. Now I have some piano ballads as well as some guitar ballads, so I'm mixing different styles. I hope I can release it as soon as possible.

What is the central message of your songs and why do you think it's so important to express this?

Haruka: The core message of my songs is to be yourself and to keep following your dreams, even if you get criticized. Because in this era it's really easy to lose your faith and your dreams as you are influenced by a lot of information, especially on the internet. People say random things about you. But I really do think it's important to be consistent about everything. About your life, about your beliefs and about your dreams. So I'd like to convey the message of not giving up on what you like to do and to be yourself, no matter what.

A very strong and positive message. Are there any artists you look up to yourself or respect a lot?

Haruka: I love the band SIAM SHADE. They are the reason why I started singing and playing the guitar. I like the guitarist Daita. He is very handsome and he is an awesome guitarist, so I look up to him a lot and his style influenced me very much. He is now a solo guitarist. Right now, I am more of a singer than a guitarist, so I'd like to put more guitar experiments into pop-rock songs with vocals. That's my style, that's where I came from. Also, SIAM SHADE's songs are actually pop, but they have a strong guitar sound, almost like a hard rock element. I like that.

Besides the artists you look up to, is there any artist you want to collaborate with for a song or a concert?

Haruka: Not specifically. I'd like to collaborate with a male vocalist with a strong voice. That has been my dream.

To add a new element to your songs?

Haruka: Yes, I think so! Maybe a duet. And I'd like to do an international collaboration too. So the artist does not necessarily need to be a Japanese artist – he could also be German or Chinese or anything. That would be interesting.

If you could go any place right now, either for holidays or for a live, where would you go?

Haruka: Wow! I'd like to go to Finland! I've never been to North Europe, like Denmark, Sweden, Norway ... and I have always been interested in Finland, because I love "The Moomins". Are they popular in Europe too?

Yes, I remember the anime series has been on German TV in the 1990's. Finland is beautiful, but it is very cold in winter, right?

Haruka: Yes, it must be freezing. So maybe I will go there around May or June.

Yesterday at the concert, you did many MCs, introducing yourself and your songs to the audience. It is rather unusual for Japanese artists to explain about themselves and their works so much, even in the English language. Do you think it's important to introduce yourself properly and talk to the audience very much?

Haruka: Yes! I'm generally a talkative person. I love to talk, whether it is at my shows or during normal conversations. For me, it is really important to introduce myself in a proper way, especially at conventions because people get to know me for the first time. If they know what kind of person I am, they can relate to my songs better. So if they don't know my personality, they probably can't relate to my songs so well as my lyrics are mostly in Japanese. So I think thanks to the MCs it would be easier for them to understand my lyrics as well, and connect to my songs.

Also yesterday, during some songs, you had your PVs with your lyrics in Japanese and English projected on a screen behind you. This was surely of great help too.

Haruka: Yes, I liked that! It was actually the idea of Kanzen Music and it was my first time doing it like this. But I really liked the result.

It's like you can sing along, if you can read some kanji and kana, but you can also understand what the lyrics are about.

Haruka: Exactly!

For most Japanese artists and their fans it's hard to overcome the language barrier though.

Haruka: Yes, it's very hard. I know it's not a huge barrier when people get together for music. But it's better when you speak more, right? (laughs)

So at the end, please complete these sentences. In your opinion, music is ...

Haruka: ... something that connects us.

Freedom is ...

Haruka: ... to have choices.

Faith is ...

Haruka: ... to fully trust in God. Maybe? (laughs) Because I'm a Christian.

Thank you so much for the interview. Could you give a short message to our readers?

Haruka: Thank you so much, too! Thank you very much for reading this interview. I am so happy to be in Germany for the first time; I am really enjoying my stay here. For example, I visited Brandenburger Tor today and I enjoyed Currywurst, so I am doing various things in Germany. And I try to learn as much as possible about Germany, so please stay in touch with me via my social media channels or any other way online!

JaME would like to thank Haruka, Kanzen Music and the team of AniMesse Berlin for making this interview possible.