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aquamarine-v · 15 days ago

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Gekirock キズ (KIZU) Lime interview (Sep 2022)

“After performing in places like Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I realized something—I can’t create world peace. And if that's the case, then what I should sing about as a Japanese rock band given the current state of the world? That was the thought process which led to creation of "Little Girl wa Yandeiru". The gunfire in the neighboring country was the trigger.”

“I just want people to listen. For instance, I deliberately used the phrase "Little Girl" in the title, if I had directly used something like "Little Boy" (the codename for the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima), there’s a possibility people wouldn’t have even given the song a chance.”

Fearless and daring, Kizu is a band to watch closely as they carry the mantle of the next generation in the scene. Amid the pandemic, their YouTube project "Ichigeki," celebrating the band's 4th anniversary, went viral as Lime went head-to-head with a lineup of impressive artists, including Kanmuri Tetsuya from THE Kanmuri, Seiko Oomori, Tatsurou from MUCC, NOBUYA from ROTTENGRAFFTY, and Hazuki from lynch. This summer, their latest single, "Little Girl wa Yandeiru" captured attention for its sensational sound and lyrics. With their first-ever solo concert at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall, titled "Sora no Nai Hito," scheduled for October 9, we turn our focus to the sharp-witted frontman, Lime.

Interviewer: Kizu will soon hold their first solo concert, "Sora no Nai Hito," at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall on October 9. Since this is your first feature in Gekirock, I’d like to talk about the identity of this band. The official press profile describes you as a "visual kei rock band characterized by striking shironuri ('painted in white') makeup and an artistic fashion style." In fact, the photos in this issue show three out of four members are in shironuri, creating a striking visual impact. What led Kizu to adopt such a bold aesthetic?

Lime: When we started the band, we wanted to do things that even we couldn’t imagine ourselves doing—and that's how it turned out. Honestly, when I was thinking about starting a new band, wearing shironuri makeup wasn’t even an option in my mind. But that's why we did it. For people who knew the previous bands that I, or (guitarist) Reiki were in, I think they’d see this Kizu persona as something completely different from back then. But now, this makeup has become the norm for us.

Interviewer: I see. There is a reason why I asked you about the white face before talking about music. In most interviews, photos accompany the article, and based on those, people often imagine what kind of music the band plays—like, “They’re probably metal” or “Within metal, they probably lean towards death metal.” But with Kizu, I feel like it’s hard to imagine what kind of music you create just from the look alone. While people can always search for videos on YouTube, for readers who haven’t heard Kizu’s music yet, could you, Lime, as the band’s main composer, explain the musical foundation and core strengths of Kizu?

Lime: Oh, this is interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever been asked specifically about sound before. I usually get asked about the lyrics or the overall concept, but I don’t think I’ve ever properly talked about what makes "the Kizu sound."

Interviewer: Well, this is the perfect opportunity—please tell us.

Lime: I've played piano for a long time, so my musical foundation is completely classical. For example, in our single "Little Girl wa Yandeiru" that we released in August, every keyboard and string arrangement programmed into the track was transcribed and arranged by me. It’s a part of the process that people don’t really see, but I put a lot of work into it (laughs).

Interviewer: Indeed, the title track of the single "Little Girl is Sick" has a classical element in the intro, but I had no idea you were actually writing out the sheet music yourself.

Lime: Yes, classical music is my foundation, but beyond that, the next biggest influence is Japanese kayōkyoku (traditional Japanese pop). Honestly, I don’t really like Western music. I don't really like metal or fast music either. I love singing melodies, which is why I’m drawn to kayōkyoku. I also love hip-hop. In other words, Kizu is a band that blends everything I personally love. It's really just an honest expression of what I genuinely enjoy.

Interviewer: But actually, when I listen to various Kizu tracks, including the latest coupling track “Hyuga Sumiyoshi,” it feels like your music stretches far beyond the influences you just mentioned. It seems incredibly diverse.

Lime: It probably depends on what I'm into at the time (laughs). I honestly just write songs based on my mood, without overthinking it. I've never thought of myself as a composer. I don't use any equipment to write songs. It’s just me, a laptop, and a pair of earphones. No audio interface, no keyboard, nothing connected.

Interviewer: Low investment for high return—that’s pretty incredible. Without relying on tools or instruments, it seems your mind itself is an incredibly high-spec system.

Lime: No, no, I never expected to be praised for making music this way (laughs). I mean, I’ve always hated music that isn’t created with an audience in mind. I have absolutely no interest in music that ends as mere self-indulgence—I believe music doesn’t truly exist unless someone listens to it. That’s why I really hate the time spent making music alone in front of a computer. Who wants to listen to a song that you made while staring at the screen, looking bored?

Interviewer: So, when you’re composing, do you always visualize the ideal scene of performing the song live?

Lime: Yeah, I always picture all of that beforehand. When I decide to write a song, I don't just start off, it's already completely finished in my head. Writing lyrics and music is just about outputting what’s already in my mind. I usually create songs little by little while hanging out with friends, eating, traveling in a tour van, or in the bath. Then, when I sit in front of the computer, I’m just transcribing it all into actual sheet music.

Interviewer: I assume the title track of your latest single, "Little Girl wa Yandeiru" (Little Girl is Sick) was also born from a process like this. The song, both in sound and lyrics, feels like pure, unfiltered force. The music video is just as intense. It’s obvious this song was created with a clear intention. Could you share the background of how this impactful song came to be?

Lime: Kizu previously released a song called “Kuroi Ame” ( 8th single, released in 2019). At the time, I think I was naively wishing for some “vague world peace.” I had this kind of delusion, like, If I sing about this, maybe the world will become a little more peaceful. However, after performing in places like Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I realized something—I can’t create world peace. And if that's the case, then what I should sing about as a Japanese rock band given the current state of the world? That was the thought process which led to Little Girl is Sick. The gunfire in the neighboring country was the trigger.

Interviewer: The ongoing invasion war is something that weighs heavily on many people's minds. At the same time, there are always people who say things like, "Musicians shouldn't talk about politics or war." But I find it deeply inspiring that you had the courage to address this issue head-on.

Lime: I studied abroad when I was in middle school and high school, and even after that, I often went abroad until the pandemic. And while I was abroad, I saw discrimination and bullying against Japanese people because of historical perceptions. Well, it was just normal and everyday.

Interviewer: Specifically, which countries are you referring to?

Lime: Places like the UK, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Since my high school was an international school, I have friends from all over, I traveled to countless places across Europe and Asia. Before the pandemic, I would often go abroad for a month or so and come back.

Interviewer: That mobility and your global network... it's pretty cool.

Lime: No, no, it wasn’t anything cool like that. I didn’t study abroad because I wanted to learn or anything. It was more like... I got into trouble because of the bad influences around me, and I became a bad kid myself. So my parents forced me to go abroad—it was basically exile (laughs).

Interviewer: So you were sent away to reform yourself? (laughs)

Lime: Right. From my perspective, I was sent far away against my will, and then I faced historical discrimination over there. Of course, that made me angry. But at the same time, I realized that the history taught abroad and the history taught in Japan are completely different—they outright contradict each other. That was something I only became aware of because I studied abroad. A lot of Japanese people never realize this. When I think about how many people born in this small island nation never leave it and die believing only what this country teaches them, I find that very scary.

Interviewer: It’s true—Japan’s passport ownership rate is reportedly less than 25%.

Lime: Yeah, it’s way lower than people realize. And within that context, when this whole thing started, Putin made a speech saying, "We have the right to retaliate against Japan." That statement stuck with me.

Interviewer: Ah, the one where he mentioned taking retaliatory measures against Japan and other “unfriendly” nations.

Lime: From his perspective, given his position and his historical understanding, that might make sense. But thinking about how the Japanese people endured so much to finally achieve peace and happiness in this country, and how a neighboring country might try to take that away again—it made me furious. As a Japanese rock band, I felt strongly that this was something we needed to speak out about. That’s what led to this song. That said, I didn’t write it with any particular purpose in mind.

Interviewer: You want to make a statement, but you say there’s no purpose behind it... What do you mean by that?

Lime: I put what I wanted to say into the song, but I don’t have any expectations about what happens beyond that. If someone listens to it and thinks, “I support war!”—well, that’s their opinion. If someone thinks, “I’m against war!” that’s also up to them. For me, I simply want people to pay attention. Beyond that, I don’t think it’s my place to get involved.

Interviewer: You are a deeply thoughtful person, Lime.

Lime: I just want people to listen. For instance, I deliberately used the phrase “Little Girl” in the title, if I had directly used something like “Little Boy” (the codename for the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima), there’s a possibility people wouldn’t have even given the song a chance. They might have shut it out entirely.

Interviewer: There would have been people who immediately rejected it on instinct.

Lime: Exactly. In many ways, “Little Girl wa Yandeiru” is a song that prioritizes getting people's attention. The title itself is something that, under normal circumstances, Kizu wouldn’t go for. I knew from the start that a lot of our fans might dislike it, but I chose it anyway. Even the album jacket—I specifically asked the designer to make it so lame that it would disappoint everyone (laughs).

Interviewer: It's brave of you to go to such lengths to get people's attention.

Lime: I wanted people to see the title, see the jacket, and then, when they finally listened to the song, experience that contrast—like, “Wait, this is actually amazing.” That was really important to me. Of course, it brought pressure too. If the music itself turned out to be lame, it would’ve been over (laughs).

Interviewer: The sheer impact of this song is immense. When you listen to it for the first time, without reading the lyrics, you’re hit by the sharpness and energy of the sound. At the same time, the melody is incredibly catchy, and once you take a closer look at the lyrics, they’re packed with striking phrases. The sheer amount of information and its density are overwhelming. Trying to categorize this song by genre—whether metal or EDM—feels impossible. If I had to describe it in one phrase, it would be, “an overwhelming force.”

Lime: I think the density comes from me cramming in all the things I’ve encountered and loved over the years. Even the rap section has a mix of melody, so it ends up feeling like trap in some ways. When the song was finished, even I thought, “What genre is this supposed to be?” Is this even visual kei anymore?

Interviewer: With Kizu’s music, you don’t necessarily need to label it as visual kei—it transcends that in many ways.

Lime: You said it! I'm glad to hear that. Honestly, I feel the same (laughs). But at the same time, visual kei is a culture born and developed in Japan, and out of all the genres, I genuinely love it the most. For me to make this statement now with “Little Girl wa Yandeiru” is something that undeniably carries meaning. I feel like my place is here until I die.

Interviewer: Kizu’s fearless approach, breaking taboos, feels like the epitome of rock spirit and has a certain addictive quality.

Lime: We're a band of idiots, myself included (laughs). So we don’t really get scared of anything, no matter what.

Interviewer: Your boldness is especially evident in Kizu's official YouTube series "Ichigeki". Seeing you go head-to-head with such notable figures as Kanmuri Tetsuya from THE Kanmuri, Seiko Oomori, Tatsuro (vocalist of MUCC), NOBUYA (vocalist of ROTTENGRAFFTY), and Hazuki (vocalist of lynch.)—you always hold your own with remarkable confidence.

Lime: Really? Ichigeki just had its third season finale recently, but looking back, I think I was nervous during the early days. It’s been a year and a half since we started, and honestly, I was just a kid back then (laughs).

Interviewer: Ichigeki was born in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, right?

Lime: At that time, other artists were finding ways to adapt, like doing livestreams without audiences. But for those two years, we didn’t do anything as Kizu. To be honest, when I saw those no-audience performances, my reaction was, “There’s no way someone would see this and think, ‘Wow, I wanna start a band!’”

Interviewer: You’re really blunt about it (laughs).

Lime: Yeah, I am (laughs). I just felt that kind of performance would be disrespectful to the people who had paid money to see us live in the past. But at the same time, I wanted to find a way to entertain our fans and also have fun myself. That’s how Ichigeki was born.

Back then, we couldn’t do anything as a band. We were even at the point of discussing whether we should just disband Kizu temporarily. We thought, “Once COVID is over, if the four of us can come back together with a new name, that would be fine too, right?” So, Ichigeki came from a place where we were really at the edge. When I first called Tatsuro-san and said, “Would you sing with me?” I didn’t think he’d say yes, but he did. That’s how it all started. And honestly, having artists I admire singing the songs I love with me in real time—there’s nothing better than that.

Interviewer: It’s also great to see how much positive feedback Ichigeki has been getting from people outside of Kizu’s fanbase.

Lime: The response has been overwhelming. For example, when we announced Hazuki-san as the guest for the Season 3 finale, the comment section blew up. Seeing how excited everyone was really made me happy. A lot of people discovered me or Kizu through Ichigeki, and I think the title was spot-on. I'm glad we chose it.

Interviewer: Can we expect a fourth season of Ichigeki?

Lime: At this point, I can’t really say, “No, we’re not doing it.” (laughs) It started as my own project, but now it’s grown beyond just me. If I said, “No season four,” I know people would be all over me with complaints (laughs). Plus, what started as me timidly asking my seniors to participate has now turned into something where people are saying, “I want to be part of this.” So, yeah, I think a fourth season is a given.

Interviewer: As for upcoming events, as mentioned earlier, Kizu is set to perform their first solo show at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall on October 9th, titled “Sora no Nai Hito”. From your perspective, what do you think is Kizu’s greatest strength as a live band?

Lime: Hmm... maybe it’s the fact that we always seem like we’re on the verge of death? (laughs) During our shows, I feel like we’re constantly facing something, battling something—but I don’t know what that something is. It’s not ourselves, and it’s not the audience either. I still don’t fully understand it. All I know is that we’re always giving everything we’ve got (laughs).

Also, this might come through in our photos, but Kizu isn’t the kind of band where all four members unite as one cohesive unit on stage. Each of us puts on our own individual performance, like four solo shows happening at once. Even our stage outfits are completely different from each other—that kind of lack of cohesion is part of what defines us. Kizu is a band where every member considers themselves the frontman.

Interviewer: We’re looking forward to seeing that individuality shine at Hibiya!

Lime: In the past, people used to tell us all the time, “You guys lack cohesion.” But we’ve taken that and perfected it. In that sense, I think it might be our greatest strength as a live band.

Interviewer: By the way, could you explain the meaning behind the title of the show, “Sora no Nai Hito” ("A Person Without a Sky.")?

Lime: It ties into “Little Girl wa Yandeiru”. What I’ll be communicating to everyone at that show is something I want them to come and feel for themselves in the moment. More than anything, I just want everyone to enjoy themselves. There’s no need to overanalyze the lyrics. As a song, Little Girl wa Yandeiru is about chasing dreams in a positive way. It’s not an anti-war song to me. In fact, it’s a song dedicated to my beloved hide-san.

Interviewer: So that line—"Sorosoro boku mo irete kure, uchuu no himajin ni" (It’s about time you let me join, you idlers of the universe)...

Lime: That’s a reference to hide-san’s “Rocket Dive”, where he sings, “We’re idlers of the universe, aren’t we?” It’s my way of expressing how I feel now. That's what I want to say most—The rockets hide-san sang about carried dreams, but the rockets flying through our skies today are far removed from that kind of hope. I wonder if we started making music to sing about things like this?

I wanted to send that struggle, that dream of mine, as a message to hide-san. That’s why I couldn’t afford to make this song anything less than perfect.

At Hibiya, I hope everyone goes wild and has an amazing time with this track. And if, on top of that, our music can become something important to someone, or spark a moment of reflection, that would mean everything to me. Even if it's not right now, but in the future.

Interviewer: We’re excited for Hibiya, and also for what the future holds for Kizu.

Lime: Right? I don’t know what kind of song I’ll write next. And that’s exciting (laughs). I’m confident I can surprise everyone with music that even I can’t predict. So for now, I just hope more people take an interest in Kizu!

#kizu #I 1st read this when i barely knew anything about them. so it was gekirock budokan live report -> oni -> this interview #and my god did it get me hooked #and the music was incredibly easy to get into too #but the interviews THE INTERVIEWS. my god.#I ll try posting everything in order I read myself but also in a way that makes the most sense #btw this interviewer is the same person who wrote the budokan live report.#visual kei #kizu translations #interviews #jrock #vkei

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