Interview with NANO at Anime Messe Babelsberg 2023

NANO was one of the musical guests of honor at the German convention Anime Messe Babelsberg 2023. While she unfortunately had to cancel her planned concert on Saturday due to illness, she was fit enough again on Sunday to thrill her fans on the big stage of the Metropolishalle. Shortly before the concert, the singer-songwriter took some time to talk to JaME about her career, the meanings of her songs and her connection with her fans.

Welcome back to Germany, NANO!

NANO: Danke! ("Thanks!", in German)

What is it like to be back here again?

NANO: Oh my gosh, if I told you all of the emotions that I feel about coming back to Germany, it would take me probably a year (laughs). But I will make it short and sweet. Germany was the first country I went to overseas. So it's like a third home to me. I have been dreaming to come back for so long. Ten years ago, I came here for the first time. Now I'm back here and I can do a concert and that's very much like a miracle. So, thank you so much for having me here. The concert is going to be amazing!

In our interview from 2015, you said Germany is a special place for you. What were you especially looking forward to this time?

NANO: I wanted to know what's different, now that I'm back here. I wanted to see: Is it the same or is it different? Also, I just wanted to reunite with the German fans as well. You know, ten years is a long time, so not everybody will know me anymore and there might also be new people. So I really wanted to meet the new people, but at the same time remember the old friends as well. So, I was especially looking forward to this reunion.


This year, you released your two-disc album NOIXE. Can you tell us more about the concept and the songs on this album?

NANO: NOIXE is very much an album that really, really describes who I am. My entire life. The title NOIXE has many meanings, but an important one is that it signifies that life is made up of many, many different noises. Some are good, some are bad. But if all these noises are put together, they make a beautiful music. Without one or the other, you can't have a very exciting life. So I wanted to make an album that has many different types of noises, experiments, good emotions, bad emotions ... everything is beautiful if put together. The concept was sort of saying everything in life has a meaning, every sound in music has a meaning and only together they make up perfectly.

For the song Broken Voices, you collaborated with KIHOW of MYTH & ROID. Please tell us more about this song and this collaboration!

NANO: I met KIHOW overseas for the first time. When I met her, there was something between us. We felt very comfortable. We just clicked, we had a very good chemistry. She is a very deep person as well, her singing and music are very diverse. At the moment I met her, she also knew of me. She liked my music for a very long time. So I thought: "Someday, I would like to collaborate with her and do something with her!" It took many years to happen, but finally with my latest album, I asked her if she could please join me for this song. I wanted to make a song about broken voices. Because I thought – in a good way – that she has a lot of darkness inside her, which is why her music is so beautiful. I felt like, we are not perfect. Nobody's perfect though and we are definitely not perfect as musicians. We are always hungry for more and our voices are still evolving. So we have two imperfect voices singing together to make harmony. That is the concept of the song.

Which of your songs do you especially like to play live? Are your favorites different depending on whether you're having a show in Japan or overseas?

NANO: Yes! Some songs are the same, but some songs are different. I definitely love to sing DREAMCATCHER and of course No pain, No game. But I feel like, some of my songs are more popular overseas compared to Japan. For example Nevereverland, HYSTERIA or some other songs that my overseas fans seem to enjoy. So I always sing these two songs when I go overseas. Also, I love to sing magenta, because it's a very personal song. But this time in Germany, I really, really thought about the set list. I wanted to make a set list, that would make everyone very happy and make them feel satisfied. So hopefully the set list I provide today will be one that everyone is satisfied with.


If you could pick any artist in the world, who would you love to collaborate with for a song or a concert and why?

NANO: There are so many wonderful artists out there, some I haven't even met yet. That's a really tough question, but recently, I had the chance to be at the same event as many amazing artists. When I meet new artists at events, it really introduces me to their live presence and makes me dive into their music more and more deeply, even beyond the CD and beyond digital sounds. Once you meet them and get to know them, they're even more wonderful than just the sound on CD. For example, a very popular band overseas is FLOW. I had the chance to collaborate with them on stage and also at events. But I would absolutely love to do something with them in the future. Recently I also had the chance to meet BURNOUT SYNDROMES, who do songs for "Haikyu!!" They are amazing.

They were also here at Anime Messe Babelsberg already.

NANO: Ah, yes! And speaking about bands here, also – of course – MYTH & ROID. I would love to do more with them. As for people I have not met yet, for example, I really look up to MIYAVI, you know, the guitarist. He has an amazing stage presence, very “kakkoii” (Japanese for “cool”). So yeah, musicians like him. People who are kind of “worldwide”, who are not only focused on Japan but who want to spread their love and music to the world. I look up to people like that.

As for anime, if you could pick any series or movie, which one would you love to contribute songs to?

NANO: I still have not had the chance to do many songs for shounen anime, like series from Jump ("Shuukan Shounen Jump" AKA "WEEKLY JUMP" is a monthly manga magazine focusing mainly on shounen series). Oh my goodness, I would love to do a Jump series! It's very difficult to get tie-ups, but if I have the chance – someday, hopefully – I want to a song for a Jump series. My favorite series from the past are "Fullmetal Alchemist" and also "Detective Conan". Even though "Fullmetal Alchemist" is over already, "Detective Conan" is still going on – so maybe there's a chance! (laughs) But generally speaking, yeah, some of these kind of energetic series would be cool.


So looking back on the beginning of your career, you hid your identity at first. What were the advantages and disadvantages of this? And why did you decide to reveal your face later on?

NANO: When I first started doing music, I was not a confident person. I needed to just focus on my music. Growing up as a child, I had many identities, I was lost. I didn't know who I was. Music really helped me to find my place in the world. But when I was beginning, everything was so new to me. And also, the world is such a scary place, especially in the professional world. I felt like it was better for me to just focus on my sound. But then I realized that the world is such a beautiful place, once I started. I also wanted to meet more people and I knew that I could not stay afraid forever. I needed to go out, I needed to reveal myself in order for people to really connect with my music. So I decided that it was a good timing after my fifth anniversary to throw away my insecurities, throw away my fear and say hello to the world. And I'm very happy that I made that choice.

And this year already marks your 10th anniversary, congratulations!

NANO: Oh yeah, thank you!

When thinking about your future, is there anything you want to achieve or try, no matter what?

NANO: I don't know for how long I can professionally sing, but my dream is to do it for as long as possible and go to as many countries as possible. Even though this is a very new generation where everything is digital, you can stream everything, it's easy to access music nowadays. But there is still the beauty of actually going to a country and singing on a stage, even if you can watch streaming lives now. It's not the same. Of course, there are people who cannot go to a live concert, so it's good to do both streaming and live concerts. But on stage, the power you can see from the fans directly is something different. You cannot explain that. So, that's another dream, to go to as many countries as possible. Also, well, it's a long story. But I get many messages from my fans saying my music has helped them to overcome many things. So as long as someone is out there needing my music to help them in life, I want to continue doing what I do. So the journey is never ending (chuckles).

Is there a certain venue you would like to perform in, or a certain stage?

NANO: I don't know. I think, it's not about the venue or stage, it's just about who I sing for. So as long as there is a place where I can sing, it's good and I'm going to sing.

Do you plan to have more shows at conventions overseas? Or would even you like to do a full overseas tour?

NANO: At the moment, I'm doing mainly conventions, but my goal is being able to do solo concerts and maybe tours and also maybe collaboration concerts with fellow musicians. But conventions are very wonderful, because they connect me with people who may be new to my music and people who are very, very passionate about anime and Japan. So, you know, it's always nice going to conventions, I love doing that.

Thank you so much for this interview! Please leave a message for your German and international fans.

NANO: Wow. I'm just so grateful that I could come back again. You know, ten years is a very, very long time and to still be able to have people around know who I am after ten years, it's amazing! So, thank you first and foremost to the people who still support me and listen to my music. And secondly, hello to the people who just discovered this time at Anime Messe Babelsberg. So hopefully this concert today will leave something in them that makes them think "I would like to listen to or see NANO again". And maybe tomorrow my music will be able to help them overcome something or make them smile, give them power, anything. My music is very, very energetic, because I want to give power to people. So keep rocking on! I cannot wait to come back to Germany and go to other countries as well. So, until next time: ROCK ON!

JaME would like to thank NANO, Kanzen Music, Anime Messe Babelsberg (especially main organizer Michael Klement) and Caro Lorenz for making this interview possible.

Fans in Germany will have another opportunity to see NANO very soon, as she will be appearing as a guest at Anime Festival Kassel 2023, which will be held in Kassel from October 27th to 29th. More details on the event are available here.

Watch the official lyric video for FIGHT SONG, a track from NANO's album NOIXE, below.