『ISM』 Official Interview English translation
Original: http://valshe.jp/interview-ism - —Interviewer questions VALSHE’s answers
Interview text under the cut!
– Could you tell us the reason why you titled the 6th mini album 「ISM」?
The title is given with the meaning of “Principle(-ism) / Advocate”. In the past 6-7 years leading up to the best album 「UNIFY -10th Anniversary Best-」 to commemorate the 10th anniversary, I always thought in the direction of “This is what I thought of, but what do you guys think?” when creating new content, with the purpose of directing it towards my fans. In my 11th year, the direction of 「UNIFY -10th Anniversary best-」 which were for those who had supported us so far, has turned back towards us once again, that’s why I decided to name it 「ISM」
– Up till now, you've written your songs for your audience, so did you want to write a song for yourself?
I do. I want to present something that thoroughly explores “What is your current self after 10 years, How have your thoughts changed?”
– When you first started writing music, did you write songs that are directed towards yourself?
When the album 「V.D.」 (Released in 2014) was first produced, it had a self-introduction aspect to those who listened to the CD. I wanted to match “I wanted to deliver songs with this feeling” with its music in the album. Over time, I thought “So, what do I want to advocate for now?” and wanted to dive deeper again.
– Do you have a desire to convey your thoughts through music?
It doesn’t feel accumulated. I thought it would be great to incorporate the changes and growth VALSHE has sent out, including activities, but for this work, I wanted to express VALSHE’s principles. I couldn’t do it for the 2nd-3rd year of my debut, but I thought it was possible now, this is why the concept of 「ISM」 was created.
– Did you give it a title first? Or last?
First.
– I would like to ask about the artwork. The costume is black and gold, and the overall visual is green. Did these visuals exist from the start of the production?
At first, the costume was a bit more formal, as it was based on the Napoleon jacket as the main costume. But after having a meeting with illustrator Hakuseki, I asked her to design something that has a silhouette of a mix between the Napoleon jacket and a blouson, with new elements. As for the combination of black and gold, I sang about my identity back in 「V.D.」 where the main costume has the same colour, so I wanted to present the meaning of 「ISM」 based on the changes and growth of VALSHE since then. Regarding green, it’s linked towards the lead song 「GIFT」, it’s easier to understand why it’s green when you watch the Full MV.
– The music video with VALSHE centered around band members and dancers in a mixed manner feels so powerful.
This is the first time that dancers and band members participated in a live performance in one song together. I wanted to embody what I express in live performances with a music video. The underlying idea is that the music can still be visually expressed no matter if it’s VALSHE with the band in the background, VALSHE dancing and singing with dancers, or VALSHE solo with the microphone. As the highlight of the music video, this is the first time it was taken as a long take. I wanted to show VALSHE with the band, with the dancers, or solo VALSHE in a continuous manner, so I discussed this with the director and staff and we rehearsed many times.
– 「GIFT」 inherits VALSHE’s digital rock style and has a fresh, loud approach. How was this song created?
I had the image of the music video before I wrote the song. After discussing “I have something I want to incorporate with the video, I want to use this type of song for this kind of lyrics,” with the sound producer Shun-san, he made the foundation of the song and added the melody. And since I had decided to make this as the lead song at the start, I presented it with a new feel with a beat feeling, while reflecting the sound firmly as my own.
– The mini-album 「ISM」 contains 9 songs with different genres, such as digital rock, French electro, ballads, anime songs, Celtic music, and metal. Why do all the songs have completely different genres?
The lyrics in each song are full of principles and advocates, but I want the album to be enjoyed as a musical work first and foremost, so I decided to have different genres for all songs to define VALSHE. Those who have watched live performances and listened to albums will be familiar with the adjustment of its swing to some extent, so they won’t be really surprised. But the ones who listen to this work as their first will think “Which is the true VALSHE?”, and I think it can be considered a success, and I’m happy. I don’t think it’s wrong to take any song as VALSHE.
– The first title song 「ISM」 is instrumental, but it’s a number with a lot of oscillations.
Since it’s the first song that pops into your ears, I thought “Is it possible to incorporate the movements of my heart and the changes in my head into one song?” This song was created after I told the staff “If you replace your brain with a song, there will be dissonance” and the theme was “Consonance” and “Dissonance”, an instrumental theme that I live with. It’s a beautiful song that starts with a melody of a piano, and it shifts into a disturbing development. I wanted people to listen to the next song 「GIFT」 with a hyped up feeling.
– I was surprised by the title 「Lingerie」, but its tune, lyrics, and singing style are daring.
Its tune incorporates K-pop elements, the principle of this song is “trust”, it focuses on all singing aspects; direction, arrangement of direction, lyrics, and take, it’s a method that I have never done before. 「GIFT」, 「Sheep Land」 with French electro, and doriko’s ballad for 「cue」, and so on, it associates with many various songs, and I leave them to people that I trust to cook up an image of VALSHE. “Just make it and I’ll be on board!” was the stance we went with. When I was shown the completed lyrics, my first reaction was “Eh!?” (Laughs). It was lyrics that I could never write, and it was good as a result.
– The album is closed with the last song 「INTRODUCTION」, is it because you thought to connect it to the next album, so you had it placed in the end?
The theme of 「INTRODUCTION」 is “present”. I’m writing my own principles and ideas about the present. The 10th anniversary released best album was hit with the covid disaster, and a lot have thought that “You’ve done a lot so far”, but as for my feelings, I look ahead rather than the past, “INTRODUCTION” is not the first but the last.
– Finally, please tell us about what you look forward to for a live performance after a long absence.
At the moment, I’m most looking forward to a solo concert after a long absence. I don’t think the environment will be 100% restored yet, but I yet had the chance to listen to the songs directly with my own thoughts since the 2019 tour, minus the concept live. Nowadays, live performances are coming back, and I think both the performers and audience have accustomed to the new style but still has the feeling of “It wasn’t like this” and “That doesn't feel enough”. So, I want to create a live stage that brings back the vibe from before.
