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An interview with RAISE A SUILEN's Raychell, Natsume and Tsumugi Risa — As BanDori has reached 10 years, they wish to go to even higher stages [2025/06/20]

RAISE A SUILEN's 13th single, "HOWLING AMBITION" , was released on June 11th. And then, on June 14th, they have held a solo concert at Ariake Arena named "REBEL SOUNDWAVE"

They will have another performance for two days, November 15th and 16th, as well as a joint performance with Togenashi Togeari called "RAISE MY CATHARSIS". In the midst of BanDori's 10th anniversary, RAISE A SUILEN's activities speed up!

We have interviewed Raychell (LAYER/Ba.& Vo.), Natsume (MASKING/Dr.) and Tsumugi Risa (CHU²/DJ) to talk about their Asia Tour in 2024, their Zepp Tour, their newest single, "HOWLING AMBITION", where they stand in BanDori and what they think about their junior bands. (Editors note: this interview was held in late May)

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About BanDori reaching 10 years: "I can't help but be thankful for all the bands" (Raychell)

— In 2024, RAISE A SUILEN (RAS) released their 2nd Album "SAVAGE" in June, had a new Asia Tour in March, a 2 day performance at Tokyo Garden Theater for their solo show "ESSENTIALS" and a Zepp Tour from December until January of this year, making for quite energetic activities. In particular, the shows in Taipei and Shanghai for the Asia Tour make the lyrics from R・I・O・T, "Our sound will take over the world", and Domination to world, "We'll swallow the world whole", come true.

Raychell: That's right. The Asia Tour was a huge plus for us, being the first time the BanDori Project ever did something like that. Our debut already carried the words "Our sound will take over the world", so, being able to do this was a huge step for us. Our overseas BanG Dreamers have a very different passion from our Japanese fans…They would sing every song fully which gave a sense of unity that was different from Japan. I'm really happy that we could have our show in June at Tokyo Garden Theater after having that experience in Taipei and Shanghai.

Natsume: We really want to go overseas more often!

Raychell: Yes! We started in July of 2018 but there was the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020… Those years were frustrating but now, I feel like we can finally take over the world.

Natsume: We could feel the energy of this audience who waited so long for that! They waited for that moment so they wanted to have the most fun ever.. There were also a lot of people in cosplay which was different from how our Japanese audience usually enjoys these concerts! It's pretty interesting. To be honest, I was a little anxious when I found out we'd be performing overseas… I wondered how people would react to us or how many people would even go at all. But, I know that there's always people waiting. I always see people online saying things like "Please come to Indonesia!" or "Come to Brazil, we're waiting for you!" so it seems that we have people waiting for us in places that we haven't gone to yet.

Tsumugi: Overseas, the audience doesn't know if we'll ever come back again which makes them very intense. They don't want to have any regrets so they're very direct and say things like "I love you!!”. I could really feel their soul. We could perform in Japan at Tokyo Garden Theater and Zepp Tour, and in different countries as well and we received so much love. It was a year of happiness where we realized just how nice this world is.

— Regarding song popularity, do you think there's a difference between the Japanese and the overseas audience?

Raychell: Our more staple songs like "R・I・O・T", "UNSTOPPABLE" and "EXPOSE 'Burn Out!!!'" have existed since the beginning, so there's videos of them on YouTube that have gathered a lot of attention. Also, recently, we've been adding a part in the song where everyone can dance together and I'm sure that anyone can dance and cheer even if it's their first time seeing us in person. Because of that, I think people can enjoy these songs even with a language barrier, and that's a very nice thing.

Natsume: The "R・I・O・T" chanting was incredible, wasn't it? Everyone was able to sing the Japanese lyrics perfectly and I even thought to myself "Are we in Japan right now?". I was really happy!

— This could only happen because the BanDori project has managed to maintain its popularity for all these years, right? The project has reached 10 years now, so I'd like to ask, what are your feelings regarding this major turning point?

Tsumugi: At this point, I really think the project could reach 10 years because it has a lot of different and charming materials. Even now, there's new anime being made, new real life bands being created, and that's all thanks to the fans that have given us consistent support. It's a very blessed thing. Starting with PoPiPa-san, I think the project will be here for many years to come, and I want to cherish it even more!

Natsume: That's right. Just a few days ago, PoPiPa-san held their 10th anniversary show. They were the first BanDori band, and I'm sure they had to face a lot of things to carve a path for the other bands, so, this show managed to showcase those 10 years of history. To me, 10 years may be a turning point, but at the same time, it's also a new start. We'll soon become 8 years old too and continuing to follow PoPiPa-san's footsteps, we'll reach 10 years before we even notice. I think that carrying this wish for our future will be a big turning point for us.

Raychell: Because of Aimi-san and Poppin'Party-san who have led us since the start, and then Roselia-san who became the 2nd band, and then us, RAS, who were the 3rd real life band, BanDori can exist today. And of course, Afterglow-san, Pastel*Palettes-san, Hello, Happy World!-san, and then Morfonica-san, MyGO!!!!!-san, Ave Mujica-san and Mugendai Mewtype-san,are all tied together, so I can't help but feel thankful to all the bands, not just PoPiPa-san. Me and Natsume actually watched PoPiPa-san's first performance in Budokan (“BanG Dream! 4th☆LIVE Miracle PARTY 2017!”, 2017/08/21) together and that's where we met Kurachi Reo for the first time, who would become our new band member later on. When I watched the stream of this 10th anniversary show, I was filled with memories from back then, and I felt like I was able to return to my roots. I think 10 years are a big turning point, but it's also a place to restart and work even harder from there on.

From a shocking first meeting, "We've managed to get along very well since then" (Natsume)

— On the other hand, RAS will also enter their 8th year this July. Aside from adding to a long-standing career, how do you think RAS has influenced your lives?

Raychell: I used to be a solo artist before RAS and I managed to perform on the Bushiroad 10th Anniversary Live (2017/04/30). Back then, Natsume was my drummer and Otsuka Sae-chan was my support guitarist and Kidani-san (Bushiroad's President) watched us perform on that day. He was inspired by our performance to make a 3rd real life band and that's what influenced RAS to exist, so, if I hadn't been on that stage that day….

Tsumugi: It's really incredible! I always get goosebumps!

Raychell: I had about 7~8 years as a singer back then but I wasn't very popular, so, I was at a point where I didn't really know what to do. Then, I received an important mission to make a song for a commercial for "Card Fight! Vanguard G" that had Milla Jovovich! And so, "Are you ready to FIGHT" became this cool female rock song.

Natsume: I probably wouldn't have met Raychell if it wasn't for that song… I think that RAS was guided by "Are you ready to FIGHT". When we talk about BanDori, we think of something "sparkly and heart pounding". The general theme is shooting through your dreams and I can say that I've also received a lot of those "sparkly and heart pounding" moments because of the project… I feel like we can give people dreams but I've also had many of my own dreams come true. For example, I had a dream to perform at a huge venue and we managed to perform on Budokan just some months after our activities started! That was really something I never expected. I also love anime and voice acting, so I dreamed of maybe playing for a voice actress one day, but in the end I became one myself! I was able to have many wishes from my heart come true, one by one…. It's really a Cinderella story, isn't it? On a more recent note, I'll be able to share a stage with T.M.Revolution-san, who I've loved since elementary school, for the first time in Taiwan! (ANISAMA WORLD 2025 in TAOYUAN). I'm glad I could have this happen many times, it's a feeling that never fades.

Tsumugi: I've always loved acting so I’ve wanted to work in this field since high school but I wasn't very lucky... But then, I ended up joining RAS just after leaving college and my life changed dramatically. Of course, I gained a lot more opportunities to work in acting, but I was able to learn how much fun music is, which is something I wasn't involved in before at all. So, like the hectic person that I am, I could work in acting and then be in a band for a long time too. I never thought I'd be in a band at first… especially not in a band where everyone was so experienced in music while I was just an amateur, but I guess that's the "Band Dream"! (Laugh). These 7 years have felt like a dream each and every day.

— Raychell-san, you mentioned Morfonica, MyGO!!!!!, Ave Mujica and Mugendai Mewtype before, so I suppose you could say RAS gained a lot of juniors before even realizing it, right?

Raychell: Band-wise, we did debut before Morfonica-san, but we were actually added after them in GaRuPa (BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!) so it's hard to say what our relationship really is. But well, everyone has their own preferences and the project really has all sorts of unique bands. We announced we'd become RAISE A SUILEN, the 3rd real life band, in Akasaka Blitz (“THE THIRD 2nd Live”, 2018/07/17) and that's when Risa joined us. After that, we had the “BanG Dream! 6th☆LIVE” at Ryogoku Kokugikan for 2 days, the first one being us (“BRAVE NEW WORLD”, 2018-12-07) and the next day being PoPiPa-san! We weren't really well known back then so it was pretty difficult to sell tickets while PoPiPa-san's day was sold out right away… So, on that day, we decided "Let's make everyone who didn't know about us go back home knowing what we're all about!". We performed with all our power on that day, desperate to make our name known.

Tsumugi: You really did say that, Chell-san!

— Thinking about it, your band origins and circumstances are quite special, aren't they?

Natsume: We're very different, both in age and in personalities. We even talked about how we probably wouldn't even be in the same group in school (Laugh).

Tsumugi: Right? (Laugh).

Raychell: The first time all 5 of us met was really intense… I was even like "A-are you sure about these 5…?"

Natsume: It was crazy, wasn't it… (Laugh).

Tsumugi: We are very different people. When we discussed the band's direction, those two (Raychell and Natsume) looked really cool, and then Reo-chan looked like a tiny animal, and then O-Riko (Kohara Riko) used to wear frilly clothes back then… I was like "What even is the direction this band is going to take-!?". I was really anxious… I called my mom on my way home (Laugh).

Raychell, Natsume: (Laugh).

Raychell: It was a very strong first meeting…

Tsumugi: But, I'm really happy that we've been working together all this time!

Natsume: We've managed to get along very well since then.

— It is 7 years that carry a lot of history. And now, you've reached your 13th single…

Raychell: Thinking about when we received "R・I・O・T" makes me really nostalgic now. When we performed at Budokan (“BanG Dream 7th LIVE - Genesis", 2019/02/22), we only had five original songs, "R・I・O・T", "UNSTOPPABLE", "EXPOSE 'Burn out!!!'", "A DECLARATION OF ×××" and "Takin' my Heart". On that day, we had other bands' vocalists as guests so we ended up performing their songs too.

Tsumugi: We did "EXPOSE 'Burn out!!!'" and "A DECLARATION OF ×××" twice, right?

Raychell: We did! Looking back on it, those times gave us a really valuable experience.

Natsume: It would be hard to change that for anything else, right?

"HOWLING AMBITION makes you feel like "Ah, this is really it!"' (Tsumugi)

— In this 13th single, "HOWLING AMBITION", both songs certainly feel "very RAS". The title track, "HOWLING AMBITION" opens with a duel of Raychell-san and Tsumugi-san that is unique to RAS, following a song that feels very classical to the band. What were your first impressions of this song?

Raychell: I thought it sounded really cool, definitely very RAS-like! When we receive new songs, us from the vocal team (Raychell and Tsumugi) usually message each other to discuss it. This time, the first thing I said was "Wow, this song is really RAS!"

Tsumugi: We've been exploring different ways of presenting our songs lately but, when I heard this one, I was like "Ah, this is really it!". It hits the excitement factor right in the middle.

Raychell: It's a really explosive song! Even from the demo, it was already really exciting. I was hyped up.

Natsume: The opening where you sing "Still not enough" is so cool!

Raychell: Ah, I'm glad-!

Tsumugi: I love Chell-san's high tone but I also loved her low tone on this song~.

Natsume: I think the only other time she did something like that was "EXIST", right? The bridge part?

Tsumugi: That's true! Chell-san's low voice is really one of a kind. And together with CHU²'s rap, this felt very us!

Natsume: The rap had the same energy as the "HELL! or HELL?" one, I think.

Raychell: I think a song feels more like us the moment a CHU² part begins.

Tsumugi: Thank you so much! I remember finishing this recording really fast. This song unleashed the RAS energy that's inside of me really easily. I knew exactly how CHU² would rap this time, so I recorded the song like that.

Raychell: This song is actually from a GaRuPa event with LAYER and Masuki (MASKING). In that event, the two of them have a fight but Masuki ends up feeling inferior… Ah, I'll let Masuki herself explain it- (Laugh).

Natsume: Right (Laugh). Masuki has a lot of conflicting feelings regarding herself and LAYER, and then she tries to find a way to break free… That's how this story goes.

Raychell: So, the chorus goes "I'm No.1!!" which carries that feeling of "Look at me! Listen to my sound!". I'd say that LAYER is the "honor student " type, she follows the sheet music exactly, while Masuki is the more "mischievous" type, who plays however she wants. This is something that CHU² wanted from her, too. However, in this story, Masuki gets lost in her thoughts and she ends up feeling helpless. And then, because they've known each other for so long, LAYER and her don't even need to talk, they can understand each other by just playing together. Masuki provokes LAYER with her drums and LAYER fights back… But, Masuki ends up surprised because she never saw LAYER sing like that before. The story was actually recorded before the song this time, so I think that I could understand it better because I had that background, and it made me want to sing in a way that I hadn't done before in RAS.

— You said that Masuki provokes LAYER… Is that right?

Raychell: Yeah. In fact, originally, the"Blast! Blast! Blast! Give me more!" part before the chorus was going to have the same low tone as the opening but, there was also a more rough take where we ignored the tones and just increased the intensity of the singing itself, and that's the version we ended up using. With that in mind, this song really feels like a fight, where both of them want to be the best. It definitely fits us. So, I would love it if you listened to this song thinking about everything, including the GaRuPa story!

Tsumugi: If you asked me "What kind of band is RAS?", currently, I think this song is the right answer. It carries our image perfectly! I just want to perform it already… I want to hear everyone going "I'm No.1!!!"

— The b-side, "VIVID FIRST TIME" starts with a very intense drum fill- in, making for a striking melody.

Natsume: The 2 bar fill in really is nice, isn't it? (Laugh). This song has about 200 BPM so it's pretty fast but, I also love the feeling of rushing through with energy.

Raychell: Natsume's drumming is always really earnest and it gives us a sense of security. It's something that makes me proud in our band.

— This song's core is not only the drums, but the guitar as well, right?

Raychell: You can say that! This song is from a GaRuPa story focused on MASKING and Riko-chan's character, LOCK, so the song itself features the drums and guitar a lot.

— How was the singing part of this song for you, Raychell-san?

Raychell: At first, I thought "Where am I even going to breathe-?" (Laugh). I always ask if I can use an abdominal breathing style when I'm recording, but Yuki Hidaka-san's (VIVID FIRST TIME's composer) songs are have really difficult breathing points. The first verse has a different rhythm in the first and the second part of the song, so there are a lot of arrangements. The first and the final riff are also slightly different… This song has a lot of tiny details that you have to pay attention to. When I recorded it, I decided that I shouldn't fight against the song and I thought to myself "I'm not even going to ask this time, I'll just use abdominal breathing" (Laugh). The lyrics talk about a GaRuPa story where the characters went on a trip. After joining RAS, the five of them were able to unleash all of the thoughts that they kept hidden inside, always facing each other and gaining new experiences together. So, here, they start to wonder what even is their relationship after all, since just "friends" doesn't feel like enough. And so, they come to the conclusion that maybe they should just call their relationship "RAS"! They can go anywhere with these members, build the best future together and do whatever they want, as much as they want. This song is a little emotional like that. I was very careful to sing with those feelings in mind.

— And then, 3 days after this single is released, you will hold a solo show at Ariake Arena, "REBEL SOUNDWAVE"

Raychell: We want you to listen to the single and then run to the venue~.

Natsume: 3 days should be enough time to prepare (Laugh).

Raychell: And the Blu-ray edition of this single comes with a recording of our Zepp Tour that happened at the end of the year. I think this show is a great example of the energy of our performances if you've never watched us before. Get the CD, of course, but try to get the Blu-ray as well! Then, please come watch us in person!

— What can you tell us about "REBEL SOUNDWAVE" currently?

Raychell: At the time of this interview (late May), we've gotten through most hardships and are rehearsing now. We'll start the dress rehearsal next week…

Natsume: Last year, we had a ranking format so we ended up performing a lot of older songs. It was also 2 days, so I think it only loses to "OVERKILL" (2022/06/19) in terms of energy used…

Raychell: That's probably right… I have a feeling that "REBEL SOUNDWAVE" will become something incredible too.

Tsumugi: The setlist basically doesn't have any songs with a slower BPM, we threw those out the window! I think it'll be pretty nice to rush through all these songs.

Natsume: And also, our producer said there's a secret theme this time! I thought it was really interesting to add something like that. It'll surprise you from the very first song. (Theme: Our music will resonate even in a soundless world)

Raychell: That's right! I love that one~.

Natsume: Me too! It's a song from that time…

Tsumugi: It's a pretty nostalgic one!

Raychell: And there's also new songs on this very intense setlist… I can't say which songs but it'll definitely be an event packed with spirit. We have been showing things that only the current RAS can do, in last year's Asia Tour, the 2 days at Tokyo Garden Theater, Zepp Tour… Please come to see just how much we have evolved!

Photography: はぎひさこ Interview: 西廣智一 Translation: @mightybee113

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