Interview with Acid Black Cherry

Janne Da Arc, a succesful rock band, announced earlier this year that they would be taking a break in order for the members to focus on their solo projects. Acid Black Cherry is vocalist Yasu's solo-project, in which he collaborates with various well-known musicians.

In between recordings, performances and TV appearances, Yasu found a little time to have an interview with JaME.


First of all we would like to ask you, why the name Acid Black Cherry?

Yasu: In Japan, the term 'ABC' means something dirty - A for kissing, B for petting and C for sex - so I chose the name using 'ABC' as the initial letters. 'Black Cherry' is my erogenous zone, so I chose the name 'Black Cherry'.

With Acid Black Cherry, you're moving in a different direction musically than in your work with Janne Da Arc. What are the differences for you between these two bands?

Yasu: The way of composing songs is the same. I would say that the difference is that for Acid Black Cherry I chose the musicians while thinking about the completed song, so the final sound would be different from Janne Da Arc's.

Can you tell us if the material you are working on now with Acid Black Cherry is all brand new material, or if it's some songs you've been compiling for a while but just didn't fit with Janne Da Arc?

Yasu: I composed all new songs for Acid Black Cherry.

Who are your biggest musical influences?

Yasu: My biggest musical influence is DEAD END, a Japanese hard rock band.

Could you tell us something about the song SPELL MAGIC?

Yasu: Unlike usual singles, it has a hard, heavy sound.

The second track of the SPELL MAGIC single is a cover of a song by the boy band LOOK; why did you decide to cover this song?

Yasu: I chose this particular song because I liked this song very much when I was an elementary school student.

The music video for SPELL MAGIC is very amusing, how did you come up with the idea?

Yasu: When I debuted as a solo artist, I wanted to make a music video that matched a newcomer. Then I had the idea of an unfashionable band having an audition and then overwhelming the judges with an unexpectedly cool performance, thus making their debut on AVEX. In the music video I'm dressed like an otaku, and that means that you shouldn't judge music by appearances. We, as musicians, are a kind of otaku people and that's why we can be musicians, I think.

What can we expect from your new single Black Cherry, to be released on September 26th?

Yasu: I don't know much about jazz, but I put as many jazz elements into the song as I could. I used a brass section and gave it a BIG BAND feel as well.

Similar to your first single, BLACK CHERRY also includes a cover song as the B-side; why do you choose to include a cover song on your singles?

Yasu: At first we didn't plan to put a B side on the single, but our staff proposed that as it is my solo project, it would be better to release it in a way which I could only do as a solo artist. So, I decided to put a cover song on it.

For the recording of SPELL MAGIC and also for your lives, you are working together with a number of impressive musicians such as SHUSE (ex. La Cryma Christi), YUKI (Dustar-3, ex. Λucifer), Chisato (PENICILLIN), SUGIZO (S.K.I.N., Luna Sea) and more. What was it like to work with them and how were these connections made?

Yasu: Not all of them, but many of them are my old acquaintances. Most of them are my seniors, so I thought at first that I would be nervous to work with them, but they really enjoy what I do so I'm very happy and I learn a lot from them.

Why did you choose to do all those secret lives instead of normal concerts?

Yasu: When my solo debut was determined, I wanted to be treated as a newcomer. I am grateful to the many fans that support Janne Da Arc and come to our lives. I was in a good environment, so I depended on it. When I started my solo career, I didn't want to forget the vitality I had in my indies period and I thought about my own abilities as an artist. How many people could I attract in a brand-new environment, when nobody knows Acid Black Cherry, no one has listened to or seen us before? So to remember my original intentions, I dared to do a secret tour.

After the release of BLACK CHERRY, do you have plans for more releases, such as a full album?

Yasu: I'm planning to release an album after I release several more singles.

What plans do you have for the future of Acid Black Cherry?

Yasu: After the release of an album, I would like to do a tour through the whole country.

Please give a message for your overseas fans.

Yasu: I'm very happy that you listen to our music despite the culture barrier. I want to do tours overseas! You guys who read this, will you come to see our lives if we would do that??

Thank you very much for the interview!



JaME would like to thank Acid Black Cherry and Avex Entertainment Inc. for this interview.