Interview with Val of DuelJewel

DuelJewel is a band that's still barely known here in Europe. In Japan, it took them several years to stand out but recently they're getting noticed more and are now performing a steady stream of concerts. Their music varies, passing from powerful hard rock to soft ballads, and sometimes even instrumentals or acoustics. Recently, the band participated in the compilation omnibus Decadance 2004 ~SPLEEN & IDEAL~ produced by UNDER CODE.

How would you define DuelJewel?
Val: The concept of DuelJewel as a band is to express human emotions through music.

What memories do you have from the US tour?
Val: We had a chance to experiment with a lot of things that we couldn’t have done in Japan. So it was very nice and we learned a lot.

Are you counting on returning to the USA?
Val: Definitely, yes!

In the USA, DuelJewel did an acoustic concert. Was it the band's first?
Val: No, we’ve already done a few in Japan and America.

What is your best memory with DuelJewel?
Val: There are so many that we can't choose (smiles).

What musicans do DuelJewel's members listen to?
Val: I listen to the Lost Prophets, Hayato listens to Slipknot, Shun listens to Story of the Year, and Yuya, he listens to many bands.

Do you have one or several idols?
Val: My idol is Junji, Hayato really likes Takeshi Kitano, Yuya loves N.E.R.D., Natsuki's a fan of J, and Shun has many idols.

How was DuelJewel formed?
Val: Shun and I were students when we met Junji, thanks to a magazine. Then Yuya, who was friends with Junji since middle school, joined us. Finally, we met Natsuki in a concert hall.

What are your favorite movies?
Val: Uhm... mine is "Laputa Castle in the Sky", Hayato's is "AKIRA", Yuya's is "The Crow", and Natsuki really likes "le Grand Bleu". Shun likes lots of movies.

What do you think about the export of visual kei in the USA and in Europe?
Val: We were surprised to find people who love it! Visual kei is no longer that popular in Japan, so we’re very happy that people from other places appreciate the style.

Speaking of Europe, do you know of our site JMusic Europa? If yes, what do you think of it?
Val: We know about it. It’s very well done. Don't hesitate to promote Japanese music even more!

Have you guys ever played a concert in Europe?
Val: No, we’ve never done that.

Would you like to play in Europe, and more particularly, in France?
Val: Of course! We'd like as many people as possible to listen to Duel Jewel’s music.

Have you ever visited Europe just as tourists? If yes, what did you think?
Val: No, we've never been to Europe.

Have you heard about the different concerts that have been organized in France before, like BLOOD or Kisaki Project?
Val: Yes, we've heard about them.

Do you have a message to pass on to your European and French fans? Have you ever received messages from them?
Val: Yes, we've received messages from foreign fans; they make us very happy and encourage us. Thank you very much for those messages.

To conclude, can you give us your impressions on your last tour in Japan, Reincarnation Flow?
Val: It was a very good tour for us. We think that we’ve matured as a group.

What's visual kei for you?
Val: We think that it’s a way to express our music and our own feelings.

I thank you very much for this interview, Val. JMusic Europa wishes you well in the future.