Interview: Nagasawa Tomonori

Original interview: MusiQ vol.3 (2006.9.1) pp. 23, 33-35.
Translation: Jessica Rains

-On your second album "MYV☆POPS" you've included songs from 5 of your singles (7 songs already decided upon) making it like a 'best' album.

Long ago, it was like this from the start with my previous album "Miyavizm" as well, but I create my work by determining a "theme" or a "concept", "what do you want to get from this album" "what do you want to express", but as for this "MYV☆POPS" it's only an arrangement of single tunes by release order (laugh). It's like putting all the songs that I created, presenting my own attitude towards "popularity", into one album. But, still, while you listen to the complete product, you could feel "POP is awesome!"

-How do you yourself feel about pop music?

For example, "shark fin" "urchin" and "crab" are really famous and are expensive, but other than that you can't really say they're delicious, can you (laugh). Because they're rare, people end up searching for them. On the other hand, onigiri and sandwiches that are sold in convenient stores, they're actually pretty good, but because you can buy them anywhere, there's no scarcity value. I think the value of something is like, something that is established by the balance of supply and demand, you know. So pop music is something that has more supply than demand, and rather than having scarcity value, it's something that has to be reachable for anyone; so from being aware of that, it's true that my view on pop music has changed.

-So how has your view on pop music changed, then?

Of course, whenever you write music you think about the listeners and the fans, but basically up to now the songs I've written, looking at myself, have mostly been based upon "how I want to be", though I hadn't really come to give much thought about those taking it in. In other words, up till now, the style of expression has been masculine.

-Masculine...?!

Yeah. "How do I want to be" "What should I do next?" "I'll do this because I want to be this". Thinking that way and coming to such a landing in one's philosophies, is very masculine, I think. Conversely, feminine is like romance and the way of life, "identifying towards the process of getting there" and "likes to express emotions". From that sort of feminine view point, I've written love songs this time. Even more basically speaking, pop songs themselves, I think, are "about love". The songs I created that I packed with that sense, are what became this "MYV☆POPS".

-Is your personality, masculine like what you just spoke of? Looking at that in a feminine way, is a pretty difficult task isn't it?

Though, I myself certainly have a masculine personality. From creating compassion for others' feelings, talking about love, and pulling those sorts of things out from inside of me, even in that sort of masculinity, can further bring out a depth in myself, I think. When you're living in the field of a major artist, it's meaningless if you can't reach people. I've totally become aware of that. Much more, no matter how great the thing is, no matter how wonderful it is what you're saying, if that doesn't reach anyone there's no point.

-Certainly.

Because of that, a bridge for the listeners is extremely important. Through the feminine work in the process of getting to "MYV☆POPS", I feel that what I learned was very strong.

-What I felt directly when I listened to "MYV☆POPS", was that the album was like "a jukebox called Miyavi". What I mean is that I felt that Miyavi the artist, cleverly expressed a variety of musical genres.

That, actually, while having its good points, also has some bad points to it (laugh). When you're looking at it as a product value, it doesn't really need various elements. In other words, bringing it out like BAM "Miyavi is this", is easy for the people listening. And, much more in my case, and even in "Miyavizm", and even "MYV☆POPS" and my third album "Miyabiuta ~dokusou~" which will be out September 13th, no matter which one you listen to the musical senses are all different. If I was a regular band I'd break up (laugh). But because I'm a solo artist, I can respond right away to my musicality, which is influenced by my own sensitivity antennae. There are those, you could say, who can just portray freely as they see fit, but the attitude of directly seeking the musicality that I want to attain the utmost of, is more important than anything else to me. That's the reason why I am working as a soloist, you see.

-I totally understand, how the flexibility in that footwork, becomes your charm as a soloist.

But from the fans, like the people started to like my songs when they listened to "Miyavizm", I think that they'll listen to "MYV☆POPS" or "Miyabiuta ~dokusou~", and feel bewildered at the musicality that is different from their expectations. It's kind of like in romance, they say "But you said you liked me!!" (laugh). But in my life, because I myself have the faith to say "That's because I'm me", I can portray it as I like, I think.

-Because there will be the option of whether one will continue to live on liking that person, or break off from them, from the question "Do I like these songs of that person?" or "Do I like that person's way of pursuing music in his life?"

Right. Therefore, you could say, the core part inside me. I think in regards to the manner in which I express myself, I always want to be earnest, and I want to be straightforward. And well, in regards to any kind of music, my position is a positive one. It's not going to help if you're looking down, so I will always continue to express as a vector towards the raw. So I'll probably be continuing to sing a consistent message, because I will have the courage to do so many times.

-In that you don't have to shake those roots, portraying danceable rock, or going for shouting with a single acoustic guitar.

So that I can be myself… "So that I can be my unchanging self, (the surface) changes". Like, because the "So I can be unchanging, I have to change" fact is important, I don't want to be satisfied yet, and I'm not thinking of continuing the status quo either. More than that, "What is important for myself now?" and "Now, what must I do?" are what's important. The integration of the answers that continued to come out when I pursued those questions is "MYV☆POPS", and will also become the soloist acoustic style "Miyabiuta ~dokusou~", you see.

-As you said earlier, the vectors of expression from one album to the next will probably change drastically. That will be "A Miyavi-ism which pierces the style you like", right?

Yeah. Putting aside whether it'll be good or bad, me portraying what I wanted to portray myself is the most important. Much more, because I'm human, it is only common sense that I'll have contradictions. Food is like that you know. You go "I'm starved" and go to a restaurant and eat, but when you leave the shop now you're full and you don't want to eat. Isn't it common sense that human beings live with such contradictions or paradoxes? If so, the parts that aren't important to persistently portray "this", or, I think, truthfully expressing your emotions of that time in that point in time, is the most honest way of living.

-Because then it's just whether the listeners can feel compassion for that mannerism, or whether they'll break it off. That is the same as romance, because you like it once, you grasp taking it as liking all the various sides of that person and go with it. I think that that sort of thing is, again, the relationship that both musician and fan progress towards together...

People really live their own ways of living, and have their own backbones. When their favorite foods are different, the types they like are also different, and their lifestyles are different. Within that, I think that those who really do have the same values are few. Though they are not a little. So a relationship in which they can nestle together on the basis of the same consciousness, and live together while sharing common feelings, is amazing, I think. Really. Just as well, progressing along together with my fans is because other than our relationship through music, we're also connected with each other at a much deeper level, I think.

-Is that also including the reason why you, sometimes, respond to the feeling the fans are seeking?

I think that responding to the feeling the fans are seeking, and finding for my self...... finding where that borderline lies is very important. If you look at this "MYV☆POPS", that is "Are you ready to ROCK? –Rhythm Battle MIX-", that was recorded in the first track, and the ending is topped off with "oretachi dake no fighting song (tsuushou: never give up)". Since it's also including the image (that the fans can feel) "Oh, Miyavi was this," as revealed in these two songs, it forms myself as a product as it forms as a work of art.

-Yourself.... as a product?

In that the idea of tossing out Miyavi the single brand-image, is also the idea of throwing out my old self. But the way I'm performing now, is adding a new essence to the whole base of what I've performed in the past. I'm running through both evolution and accumulation at the same time.

-In a new way of expression, it sounds like that's describing the attitude towards the third album "Miyabiuta ~dokusou~".

"Miyabiuta ~dokusou~" is just the sound of solo acoustic guitar. Though, it's not a kind album; I think it'll be a pretty egoistic and sadistic album.

-That is, it looks like it'll become an album in which we can see your bare feelings?

As an artist, it's pretty bare… with a beating guitar, it's becoming a fairly truthfully made album.

-"MYV☆POPS" and "Miyabiuta ~dokusou~", it seems like they'll become rather opposite albums.

"MYV☆POPS" is the one where I've explored what I take as popularity and love song, and "Miyabiuta ~dokusou~" is the one where I explored the style I formed in the sound as a solo artist, with a single guitar in hand. Together they have the same roots, but the vectors of how they sought it out became polar opposites.

-In the first limited press edition of "MYV☆POPS", there is also a video documentary of the days of this whole year.

Lately, I'm showing myself playing the guitar. Because it looks like I don't have the image of playing guitar (laugh). If I show them this, I figured they'd see that I play guitar.

-And on Sept. 14th~18th, your 5 DAYS at Tokyo Geijutsu Gekijou will be beginning.

As "dokusou" (*meaning: "solo") is in the title [of the performance], I'll be concentrating on my third album "Miyabiuta ~dokusou~", and also on improvisation, so I think it'll be a very experimental live as a soloist. And I also want to present the development of that, on that stage. First, I want to convey a work-of-art of a live, that'll show the "image through the main root of the core".