KAMIJO 「mademoiselle」interview

KAMIJO will release the new single 「mademoiselle」on September 27th

The single song of the title, which was presented during the one-man live 「Epic Rock Orchestra」 held at Zepp DiverCity Tokyo on July 19th in occasion of his birthday, has an impressive number of chic sounds centered on piano, violin and an arrangement that combines the elements of jazz, rock, and classic music.
The word 「mademoiselle」 which means “miss” in French, brings with it the message of “Infinite possibilities arising from human interactions”. In this interview, he talked about the chamber music live 「Epic Rock Orchestra -Chamber Music Ensemble-」which will take place at Tokyo Kinema Club on October 9th, focusing on the production process of 「mademoiselle」.

Encounters bring with them “infinite possibilities”

──The new single 「mademoiselle」was also shown at the live 「Epic Rock Orchestra」held on the occasion of KAMIJO’s birthday roughly when was production done?
The concept itself was decided at last year’s stage. At the beginning, there were more sounds, but in the end I decided to organize it only with the sound of violin, piano, guitar, bass and drums. It takes quite a long time to reach it.

──What was the single’s concept?
It’s the “infinite possibilities”. The word 「mademoiselle」is used when a man talks to a woman who is still distant. I think that there are “infinite possibilities” at the moment when people meets each other. Even if it’s a relation between a man and a woman or a relations of work. This is also the theme that continues from the previous work 「Castrato」, I wanted to sing about the anxiety and the excitement I feel at the same time when I’m rushing out into the unknown world.

──What was the reason for the theme of “Infinite Possibilities” at this time?
I celebrated the 20th anniversary of my career in 2015. And this year is Versailles’ 10th anniversary. I think I’ve been singing for quite a long time. One reason is that I want to give a shape to a such positive attitude since I constantly kept singing with joy while repeating minor changes within myself. After that I thought that I could expand the range further by confirming my own way of raising the possibility.
The song flew from Japan to Paris for the arrangement

──KAMIJO-san, you that have kept your own aesthetic sense for 20 years, is your motivation for singing changed?
At the beginning when I started playing music, I imagined that I would sing in a very big place, and I felt the infinite possibilities. While continuing activities, there were times when I collided with the wall of reality, but I kept continuing to deliver songs with confidence. If you give up, it’s over. In conclusion, we have no choice but to challenge the things we haven’t done yet in order to get infinite possibilities.
In this way you can get new possibilities.

──In fact, you’re trying something new in the making sound of 「mademoiselle」
That’s right. I think the point of this song is the jazzy chord progression. At the beginning, the musical composition was simpler, but I thought「I want to take advantage of this melody and create a completely different world view」and gather in it the taste of jazz. Furthermore, adding the the violin and the piano I reached the form I was looking for

──Has KAMIJO-san worked on the violin’s arrangement too?
The main phase was made by myself and I left the arrangement of the song to Crusher Kimura-san who has participated in the one-man live of「Epic Rock Orchestra」. Sayama Kota-kun is playing the piano as well as the live members.
I warped a little bit the timbre of the violin. That’s how it became stylish by adding digital processing to the sound of classical instruments, and also the balance with the guitar has become better. SHUSE-san’s bass is excellent too. I thought that his bass would live only because of the low number of sounds, but it did a great performance more than I imagined. At the beginning, the atmosphere sounded like folk or pop music, but the song flew from Japan to Paris for the arrangement.

──“Paris at the time of theFrench Revolution” is an essential element of KAMJO-san’s music.
Yes. This song has a front face and a reverse side. The front face is the story of “infinite possibilities” that I explained earlier, but it has also the “If Story”, the reverse side based on the events of the French Revolution’s period . It’s a story that I continue to draw through my solo activities. There are parts in which I talk about it concretely….For example, in the english lyric part of this song I sing: “Do you want to be the princess who looks up to me?” A man who knows a lot of things is talking to an innocent woman, and there is also a dangerous smell of “jump into a forbidden love affair”. KAMIJO’s music isn’t completed with the refreshing Parisian breeze. Also, the part that says 「That day that only the two of us know of was adorned/decorated in reverse」contains a story connected to 「Da Vinci Code」. Of course, it’s fine to get the song directly, but there are also elements like games that can be read from various angles, so I think it’s fun to explore the song.

──It’s a song that contains various elements. With a few number of sounds, the vocal expression is even more important.
Well, it was considerably hard to reveal the nuances. That is, to sing「I feel that the shadow reflecting on the ice has somewhat laughs」I need a feeling of excitement, which amuses me somehow (Laughs)。

「Shougen」communicates with「Castrato」
──What kind of theme was produced for the 2nd song「Shougen」?
「Shougen」is a song that unlock the secret behind「mademoiselle」. According to the title, we have various testimonies for a certain person, but that person is the Count of Saint-Germain who declared to be alive from over than 4000 years. It was a very interesting person who was active in the France society since the middle of the 18th century and is said to have been in Japan in the 1980s.The previous work 「Castrato」drew the story from the gaze of the Count himself, but 「Shougen」 gives the impression of collecting information of his sighting.

──In contrast to「mademoiselle」, its sound is rather Rock and quite impressive.
「Shougen」doesn’t use stringed instruments or synthesizer, but guitar, bass and drums, with the addition of choruses. Aiming at what is essential in the creation of my own sound, I made it a simple song that could survive in space-time. When I started working on it, I could just use guitar, bass and drums, so I was trying a variety of things. The music helps to better express what I would like to say. I dwelt on the guitar, with the attentive intervention of Meku-kun, I also carefully adjusted the tone etc.. The creation of this sound was necessary for the words “Hito no ai nani ga jittai na no ka (What is the real state of a person’s love?)

「Urei no han aga tsuduru ai」 is a song that contains my principles.
──There will be a self-cover of one of LAREINE songs era, 「Urei No Hana Ga Tsuzuru Ai 」
This song was produced before the major debut of LAREINE, during its Indie period. But when I was able to reproduce it by myself, I said to myself 「this meaning will never change in life」. And since this “meaning” appears again in mademoiselle」, I decided to make a self-cover of 「Urei No Hana Ga Tsuzuru Ai 」.I had a feeling that I wanted to say to myself: 「I’m not changed even now」. In 2015, for the release of 「Royal Blood ～Revival Best～」, this song appeared in the list of songs to reproduce, but I kept it for this better timing.

──What is the meaning of「Urei No Hana Ga Tsuzuru Ai 」?
It’s the creation of sounds and melodies that incorporates seasonal feelings and scene depiction as well. Its effect is still so deep, I feel something universal related to me in this song. This is in any case my base, which I include in my solo project and Versailles.

──This song expresses the principles of expression of KAMIJO, right? Doing the self-cover, did you re-listen to the original song?
No, I didn’t listen to it. I wanted to express the beauty of「Urei No Hana Ga Tsuzuru Ai 」from the depths of my heart and mind. While singing it, during the recording, I said to myself concerning the content of the lyric 「I’m not so weak now」.I sing a scene where I travel, wounded, on a midnight train, and I think that, maybe, I was just hooked to the sadness. That’s why I created the image of a person who says「No matter how much I try to smile, these tears don’t stop falling」.
The secret of 「Heroes」will be revealed during the tour of the next year?

──In addition to the single, there’s the instrumental track「Heroes」.「Heroes -First Layer-」 for the limited edition A, 「Heroes -Second Layer-」for the limited edition B, 「Heroes -Third Layer-」for the regular edition .
I divided「Heroes」 into 3 sound layers each one recorded according to certain specification. You can listenen to them simultaneously. So you can listent to them at the same time, or try to shift a little, so that you will see a different expression, another form. This is a song inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci’s「Mona Lisa」. Actually, the picture of 「Mona Lisa」 has many layers, and there is a true story that another picture is hidden under the visible illustration.「Heroes」is structured like it. And I don’t say what is hidden in it here. The answer is to understand after the KAMIJO’s next year tour.

──There are so many different kinds of gimmicks!
That’a right. I am delighted that each song is appreciated individually, by going deep into the world of my music, it can be enjoyed on various angles. Without forgetting to say that it is related to the solo project in everything, a magnificent story will appears by connecting dots. Actually, I would like you to know this collective feeling of “original work” … Haha (Laughs).
I would like to do a totally orchestral live performance one day.

──The performance 「Epic Rock Orchestra -Chamber Music Ensemble-」, which will be held on October 9th at Tokyo Kinema Club, won’t be led by a band in the daytime, but it will be a chamber music live mainly based on stringed instruments, it will have a classical content more than the one which was held in July’s live where you declared 「I will destroy the barriers between Rock and Classic」 .
Yes. Although there is a strong taste of rock in my usual concerts, but I also like Paul Mauriat and the sound of chamber music. And I intend to rearrange my concerts from now on. I have been communicating with Sayama-kun on this recently, but I’m really looking forward to it.

──Strings suits on KAMIJO-san’s music and songs
Actually I often start composing with stringed instruments. For example Versailles’「MASQUERADE, I started with the cello, it was its base and I created the song on it. So what I played strings during my July live was as if I was breathing my songs for the first time. I would like to do a full orchestral live performance one day. By behaving, singing and seeing the video at the same time, I feel like playing live movie soundtracks.

──Absolutely. The world tour to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Versailles formation, nationwide tours were also scheduled, and KAMIJO-san solo tour will take place next year. Are the two projects moving forward at the same time?
That’s so. While I advance on my compositions for the solo, the preparations for the tour of Versailles are made. Switching modes isn’t so difficult. I am KAMIJO on both, my bases don’t change.

── Don’t you even change your expression?
The nature is different of course. I write the lyrics from a completely different point of view, the arrangements are all equally different. When I work with the band I have to consult the other members: 「What kind of sounds will I have to compose?」 . In the case of solo, I do everyhing by myself following my head, it’s totally different. For example, if I make too much symphonic sound like 「Castrato」with the band, some members will have nothing more on which to work! (Laughts) . As for the serious things, the deadlines are very tight. I’d like to have a year of about 800 days, but I’m working on producing it with a rewarding sense