Hi MION it’s great to talk about your work here in Ruta 130. First, please, present yourself for the people here in Spain who never heard about you and what are some key aspects of your music?
-Nice to meet you! My name is MION, I'm a singer songwriter from Japan. Due to my father running a music school, I was exposed to music from an early age. The first instrument I played was drums because of my brothers, and I wrote my first song at the age of 15 and have been involved in music my whole life.
-
If we think in the sound of J-Pop we can talk about good production, beautiful melodies, nice and clean vocals but how do you explain us the sound of MION’s music?
-My music genres are J-pop, Rock and Ballad. When writing songs, I always try to create melodies that can be remembered/sung once heard. As for my singing voice, I am often told that 'pretty'. When I was performing on the streets in Japan, dogs used to stop and listen to me sing.
The guitar plays an important role in your music, since you started really young to play it, what have you learn all those years? Do you compose every song with guitar? Is important to express your feelings with the instrument?
-When I first started writing songs, I used a guitar to compose. However, around the time I released my fourth single, I started to compose using the piano. I feel that when I compose with the guitar, the songs have a guitar-like melody or the guitar stands out. When I compose on piano, I feel I can create a wider range of melodies. When I perform live, I often play the guitar and sing. I feel it is a very important part of my performance and also an emotional expression.
The song “S.O.S –Soul of Steven” is a really good rockin’ song, catchy, your vocal interpretation is exciting. On the other side we have “Dear” which is more pop oriented style. How do you deicide the way a song has? Is just natural? Or do you want to explore more styles in every song?
-Those songs are the opposite of rock and ballads, but both were written from my heart, and S.O.S is a song that is a cry from my heart. Its subtitle is 'Soul of Steven' because that feeling also coincided with a quote by Steve Jobs. Dear is a song I wrote for my best friend's wedding. I get a very warm feeling when I sing this song.
I like to put my feelings into the song, but I also want it to be a song that accompanies the joy, anger and sadness of those who listen to it. I am also in the process of writing an ideal song like a cartoon that is exciting to listen to. I want to write all kinds of songs.
You also have worked in the “anison” genre which “LOVES” your second single, related to famous anime series “Gintama” which is known for using awesome songs composed by famous artists like “Does”. How those songs “Hopeless love” and “trivial love” were composed? You were a Gintama fan?
-Yes, I am a big fan of Gintama! It was the first manga I got into. And of course I love DOES's songs for Gintama. Hopeless love was the first love song I ever wrote. I was in love with the main character of Gintama, and I wrote a song about that feeling.' I fell in love with fantasy. Big unrequited love in this world. You live in two-dimensional, so I can't tell you how I feel. I tried to illustrate me and make you cuddle up to me, but I can't even draw my heart with a pen.' A very sad love song. Lol
Trivial love is a song about various forms of 'love' felt in the real world.
On Youtube we can see your videos for some songs. How important to you is this? We live in a world overexposed with a lot of artists trying to be famous and sometimes I think we forget the most important thing in music is “feeling” the way to get in touch with your audience. Do you think image is as important as music? What do you embody with your music?
-Image is also very important. For example, the music played in a film or drama, or the OP or ED of an anime, is far more sympathetic and moving when heard in conjunction with the visual story than when the song is heard on its own. I think that being able to imagine and know the background of the song makes you feel the song more deeply. Still, the way a song is received is different for each listener, and I think that's wonderful too. I would like to provide more my music together with images if I could.
Talk us about your live performances. Do you started in Japan, how was since you were a teenager when you started in music?
-I think I started performing in front of people when I was about six years old, but it wasn't until I was 15 that I started writing my own songs and performing live. I started to like with singer-songwriter YUI at the time and discovered that she was still in her teens and writing her own songs. After seeing that, I realised that I could write songs by myself. Also when I saw her performing on the street, I started it too.
When you decided move to London? Why? Music industry is so different between Europe and Japan. What do you expect with this project?
-I came to the UK in 2020. Actually, when I was around 15 years old, when I started writing songs, I began to develop an interest in music as well as an interest in other countries. It was the influence of the manga Hetalia and the tennis player Roger Federer (laughs), but when I looked at the world, I realised that there were many cultures, languages, people and wonderful things that I didn't know about and hadn't seen yet, and I was very attracted to them. Of course, music is also very different and interesting in Europe and Japan. But in Japan, British music is often played, so I feel familiar with it. When I first came to the UK, I intended to make and sing Western music, but I realised that it was very difficult for me, as I am not a native speaker. However, I felt that Japanese culture is very much loved in Europe, and I decided to make music as I am. As I perform live in European countries, I would like to seek out and deliver music that will please them.
Pop music is so big that is difficult to explain it, nowadays even more knowing there are so many sub-genres. In your point of view what are the differences between J-Pop and western Pop?
-Depending on the song, I personally felt that Western Pop has the image of the same melody with the same catchy lyrics repeated over and over again, whereas J-pop has a more detailed narrative in the lyrics and different and varied melodic developments within one song. I also feel that Western music has more stylish and comfortable melodies. When I listen J-pop music, I become more emotional because I can understand the lyrics. lol I love both Western and Japanese music.
Currently you are working in live performances across Europe in anime conventions. How are these experiences? Would you like to work also in night clubs or concert halls?
- Yes, I would love to perform in those places if there is the opportunity! In the future I would like to hpld my own concerts in European Music venues as well.
What are your future plans? Would you like to record a full length album?
- I would like to continue performing in Europe, Japan and everywhere in the world. I will also be releasing new music! Yes, I would like to release an album one day.
Finally how was your experience here in Madrid? Did you know Madrid is the city with most concerts in the world? People looked really happy watching you live.
- It was my first time performing in Spain and I had a lot of fun thanks to the audience. I was so happy to feel that so many Spanish people love Japan.
I didn't know that Madrid is the city with the most concerts in the world, but that makes sense. Spanish people love music very much, don't they?
Are you working in new songs? Or do you have more material unreleased?
- Yes! Actually I have a lot of song stock. Most of them are cute pop songs and ballads, but Europeans tell me they like my rock songs, so I also want to make another rock song.
As a musician do you also enjoy anime and manga world? It’s becoming really popular nowadays. Could it be an inspiration for your songs?
- Yes! Anime and manga have a wonderful worldview, so I want to write songs that are exciting and inspiring to listen to too.
This is a bit different from inspiration, but the first love song I ever wrote was about falling in love with a anime character. [Laughs
Ok that’s all, thank you so much for your time, it’s been a pleasure and congrats for your awesome work and wonderful songs. If you want to add something this is the moment
- Thank you very much for interviewing me! I enjoyed it very much. i look forward to performing in Spain again.
Comentarios
Publicar un comentario