Interview with Dio in Japan

JaME had the chance to do an interview with the popular band Dio - distraught overlord in Japan. Even though the band members were really busy and tired, they sat down with us for a while to answer some of our questions.


Hello! Last time we spoke with you, you were in France. So why don't we start from there? How was France? Did you enjoy it? And did you have any time for sightseeing?

Erina: It was great! We managed to have one day off, so that day we went around to all the famous places, doing some sightseeing.

How was that? How did it feel go there?

Erina: It felt amazing! We took a lot of pictures. We have only seen these famous spots on television before, so being able to actually see it with our own eyes, it was a weird feeling. We all went 'oh, wow that's so cool!’ (laughs)

Do you have any special memories from your time in France?

Erina: Ivy can answer that question.
Ivy: (laughs) My special memory was the live at Japan Expo. When it comes to sightseeing, well, I just liked the feeling of walking around.

When you did the autograph signing session in France, was it hard to communicate with your fans? Were you able to talk to them?

Erina: Well, when it came to words and stuff, it's really hard to understand. But with gestures we could kind of get the idea of what they wanted to say.

Could any of your fans in France speak Japanese?

Erina: Yes, some of them could speak some Japanese. We were actually surprised!

If you could return to Europe and visit another country besides France, where would you like to go?

Erina: We haven't been to any other countries in Europe besides France. Of course we want to go back there and -
Kei: To Germany! Countries like Germany and Finland have really good metal music and so maybe they would like our music too.

What do you usually do before a live? For example, do you sleep or meditate?

Ivy: We make sure to eat properly and yeah, we...eat. Eat! (laughs)

Which is more fun, to play with other bands or having your own one-man?

Erina: Well, having a one-man is fun because we get the time to do what we want to do. But playing together with other bands is also nice because we can be with our friends. So I guess anything is fine as long as we get to play.

In Japan, when a live is over, some of you come out to talk to your fans. Is that connection important?

Erina: Well, it’s not like we do it every time, and if you go outside it’s often to do something, but of course we don’t ignore our fans. If they come up and talk to us, we stay.
Ivy: Yeah, like thanking them for coming, talking about the live and so on.
Erina: It'd be better with a fan club so we could have different events just to shake hands and sign for the fans.

So if you get really famous and can't come out to speak with your fans, do you think the connection with your fans would change?

Erina: Yeah, that is why we want a fan club so we can keep the contact with our fans somehow!

So if you got your own fan club, what would you like to do?

Erina: That is something that we'd have to think about and look forward to!

Your music videos and many different outfits can get expensive, can't they? As you're still an Indie band, is this a big problem for you?

Erina: (laughs) It’s really hard and we have to be strict! Nobody really has any money, but we try to make the best of the situation! When we do receive money to use for new things we have to be really careful.

If you get the chance to do a coupling tour in Europe with another band from the Indies scene, which band would it be?

Erina: Sorry, we can't say that. It's a secret! (laughs)

About your music videos, will all of your PVs have a story like the previous CDs?

Erina: The current story that we have will end after this CD. We don’t really know if we are going to make a new one yet. That is something we have to think about.

Who came up with the ideas for the PVs?

Erina: We did everything together from the start. Each of the members came with their ideas and we sort of blended it together in the end.

Why did you use a foreign model in your PV "Last Dance"? Why do you think foreign girls are so popular to use in PV shoots as opposed to Asian ones?

Erina: Yeah, why did we? (laughs). Well, it wasn’t really something that we thought a lot about. We recorded ‘Last Dance’ in a castle that looked more European then Japanese, and thanks to that atmosphere we just thought it would look good with a blonde, foreign girl.

Of all the Dio songs, which is your favorite and why?

Erina: I like the second track on the new single best right now. That is my favorite because I feel like I've managed to really do something, that I've created something from myself.
Denka: My favorite song is God forsaken. I think that it’s really powerful and that it really shows its message of strength.
Mikaru: My favorite song is actually one from the new album. I always wanted to make a melody of my own and when I got the chance to do so with this song, I managed to pull something which I really like out of it.
Ivy: The second single fuzai to iu genjitsu e is my favorite song. It’s the only song that starts with the bass and even though it’s pretty violent, I think it’s really catchy, so that’s why I like it.
Kei: I also like fuzai to iu genjitsu e. It’s the type of song that I’ve been wanting to play for a really long time and I like it being heavy.

All of you have been in a band before, right? Did all of you keep memorabilia from your earlier bands, such as flyers, demo-tapes and such? And how does it feel to look at your old things?

Erina: Well, I have a lot of things in my house and sometimes I actually sit down and just listen to some old songs. I always get the feeling of ‘wow, this was long ago’ and I think that I’ve become better in what I do. I make songs for Dio but I’ve also made songs for my other bands, and since then I've grown. Although, the old things do contain good memories.
Kei: When I listen or see stuff from before, I feel like I'm missing something that means a lot to me. Those memories are really close to my heart.
Ivy: I have nothing from before, no CDs or fliers. The music I did back then wasn’t very good. But of course, if I found something that reminded me of that time, it would be a good memory, because I had fun.
Denka: If I look in a magazine or listen to songs, I become all warm inside because those are memories that of the kind of life I've had, so they are dear to me.
Mikaru: Hm... no, I don’t have anything.

Can you tell us a little about the new CD that will be released soon?

Erina: Well, the new CD is going to continue from the last one and everyone who knows the story will understand what really happens. The songs will be a little different from what Dio normally plays. It’s not pop, but some songs might seem so. The atmosphere is not the same but you will still know that it’s music from Dio.

So what are you plans for the future?

Erina: First of all, we are going to release our new single in October. Then we are planning to release a new mini-album in February next year, followed by a tour around Europe.

Before we end this interview, do you have anything to say to the readers and your fans?

Erina: Dio is going on a Europe tour next year, so we want those of you who have heard of us but never seen us to come to our shows! We are going to do our best, so please come to our lives!
Kei: If you have an interest in us and want do see what kind of band we are, please come and check us out for yourself. All in all, we want you to enjoy our lives!
Ivy: We are going to Europe, and we also want people who don't know us so well to come see us. It would be nice if it could be 50/50, and the people who have been waiting to see us could enjoy it as much as those just becoming interested in us. I hope you will enjoy it!
Denka: I hope that many people will come to our lives to see what kind of band we are. Please enjoy them!
Mikaru: Since I really enjoyed Japan Expo, I want to go to other places to perform. And since this is going to be our first tour in Europe, I hope you will all enjoy it.

Thank you so much for this interview!

Dio: Thank you!

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JaME would like to thank Dio and their manager for taking their time to do this interview.