OUTBURN #110 FULL INTERVIEW WITH MIKU KOBATO AND SAIKI BY SAMMIE STAR
In the landscape of predominately women bands, the portrayal and perception of female musicians have evolved significantly over the years. However, there are still instances where certain stereotypes persist, causing talented female artists to be overshadowed by their physical appearance. Often, the focus on a woman’s attractiveness or charm can detract from her musical abilities and contributions. This phenomenon highlights a cultural tendency to prioritize physical attributes over artistic talent, leading to a narrow understanding of what it means to be a successful female musicians in the industry. As a result, some incredibly gifted women continue to struggle for recognition, as they are often reduced to mere visuals rather than celebrated for their creativity and skill.
However, despite the fight for this recognition, many women’s rock bands have risen above such adversity; one of those bands is BAND-MAID. A multi-genre metal band that takes pride in playing their own instruments and writing their own songs; The facts are clear: these women can compete with the best in the genre. Since their fruition in 2013, the fully built act never guessed that their passion for music, nor their brilliant instrumental and vocal talents would blow up the world over the past 11 years. A band that has put out an album on almost an annual basis, not even the pandemic stopped this international tour-de-force from conquering the globe. Astonishingly, despite the internal and physical struggles, however fast the turnout for each release has been, BAND-MAID has always shown great strides in improvement with each release. Putting out more material than most bands that have longer career strides, one would think that this creative onslaught would slow down their progress at some point. However, Band-Maid is proving with their new release, Epic Narratives, that their plans for musical domination have only just begun.
“Well, of course, ever since we started the band, we wanted to conquer the world, po,” guitarist/singer Miku Kobato replies. “World domination was our goal. However, we didn’t think that we could tour this much, and get this much of a response from the fans, nor get this many interviews, po.” she smiles. “Thank you for mentioning we are also better versions of ourselves, po.” she continues. “I really appreciate you saying that. Every time we release an album, we have been able to do a live show, po. Whenever we do a live show, we say hey, maybe we should try this kind of music or that kind of music, po. Every time we go on stage, that is how we feel, and that is how we challenge ourselves, we never put a limit on ourselves, and we continue to grow, po.”
“3 1/2 years it took to make this album…,” pauses the vocalist Saiki. “To be honest those were really hard times because there were times that you couldn’t perform live. That time was called COVID. We have always thought music was freedom. Rock ’n’ Roll was freedom. But that was taken away from us due to COVID back in 2020. It was so frustrating and weighed heavy on our hearts. But I said, ’You know what, the world is waiting.’ That made me get my confidence back and the joy of making music. I didn’t want to lose to this backlash. I challenged myself by changing the way I sing. So, here I am now, there is where I am now.”
Despite the challenges posed by COVID, BAND-MAID demonstrated to their thousands of fans the importance of perseverance and the need to share countless stories through music. In a world filled with sickness, death, and uncertainty, people needed music to help them cope—not only for themselves but also to offer hope to others. This experience could not break their spirit or deter them from creating new work.
In many ways, Epic Narratives represents more than just a new album; it signifies a pivotal chapter in the growth of a band that has defied the odds. From a mere idea years ago, BAND-MAID has transformed into something extraordinary, crafting a record that transcends genres. Epic Narratives serves as a love letter to many musical styles and the stories that resonate throughout the album.
“The title Epic Narratives means it’s a grand story we are trying to portray po,” Kobato replies. “Last year was our 10th Anniversary Tour, and Saiki came up with the idea of building a tower. We are building a city around that tower, po. We are still storytellers, making and building this city, not just with us, but with our princesses and our masters. We want to start a new chapter with this album, that is the story behind this album, po.”
Saiki continues, “Lead guitarist Kanami writes the songs for the band. Especially for this album, Kanami was very focused on releasing her emotions on this album for these songs. That is the biggest difference between this album and the last album. Seeing her heighten herself, really stimulated me. I wanted to write more lyrics. I saw Kanami having so much fun writing the lyrics and performing on stage, and that is why I wanted to enjoy myself writing the lyrics. I also wanted to prove to myself and for the band that we were not doing anything wrong. We are so on top of it, and we are so proud of what we are doing. That is what I wanted to express through my lyrics.”
“Songs like Forbidden tale,” she continues, “ I always wanted Kanami to write a song where there are so many different elements to it, and finally she wrote a song like that for us. This song asks you, ’What is life? What does it mean to live?’ Now, Kanami went through something in her life. Shall we say, this was a turning point in her life? That is why the song turned out to be this way. Life is full of surprises. Twists and turns. This song talks about that.”
Kobato chimes back in, “Every BAND-MAID album has a song where I am the main singer. With that in mind, Kanami wrote Brightest star, po.” That is why maybe some of the songs are different images from the others, po. Because, Saiki and I are very different, po. It’s catchy and melodic because she had me in mind, po. At the same time it’s very hard and maybe it’s a little cool as well, po” She smiles. “I thought it was very interesting because there are so many rhythm changes. She had this image of making this song very pop. I wanted to write a song very poppy, but at the same time, there is melancholy within the melody. That is why I had to think about that when writing the song.”
Instrumentally, BAND-MAID has consistently challenged themselves, and their album Epic Narratives is no exception. The band has always presented an evolved version of themselves with each release, skillfully blending the best aspects of metal, hard rock, pop-punk, symphonic, disco, and progressive elements to realize their vision in Epic Narratives. This album is enjoyable yet complex, showcasing BAND-MAID’s ability to combine technical precision with a vibrant, relaxed approach.
“This was very interesting, po.” Kobato responds. “Compared to other albums we have been making, this one took the longest to complete, po. 3 1/2 years ago, Unseen Worlds was released, this album was started even back then, po. Because this took a long time, you can hear the band’s growth, po. You can hear the environment it was created, you can hear it was created during the tour, po. That is why you hear the diversity in the music, also the instruments that we use differ from song to song, that is also where a lot of the diversity comes from as well, po.”
BAND-MAID embarked on a distinctive journey with their new album, striving to craft an epic narrative that captures the imagination while preserving a raw and authentic feel in their lyricism. To achieve this intricate blend, the band composed the lyrics only after finalizing the instrumentals for Epic Narratives. In doing so, they seamlessly wove together various short stories, resulting in a rich tapestry of sound that balances harmonious melodies with a bittersweet undercurrent, embodying the essence of their latest release.
“Lyric-wise, BAND-MAID always writes the lyrics at the end, po.” Kobato surmises. “When the instrumental part is complete, we put the lyrics on top, po. But that’s the only similarity to the songs, each song has its own story, po. Some songs were written by myself, some songs were written by Saiki, po. Some songs were written together. Maybe that is why it feels like each song feels like a short story because each song tells a different story, po.”
However, as easy as this appears on the surface for talented artists such as themselves, the pressure is always there to make a record that is a testament to both their abilities as musicians and as storytellers. As the launch date for the highly anticipated BAND-MAID ZEPP TOUR draws near, a wave of mixed emotions and excitement washes over both the band and their devoted fans. The anticipation is palpable, with each passing day heightening a sense of eagerness and enthusiasm. Alongside this excitement, the band is also immersed in the creative process of developing new material, adding another layer of thrill to the upcoming tour. With fresh songs on the horizon, the air is charged with expectations of how these new works will be received by their loyal audience, promising an unforgettable experience filled with energy and passion.
Kobato laughs, “As you know guitarist Kanami writes all the songs, and because she is a hard-working girl, she goes, ’Well, let’s try to make this happen?’ There’s a goal set for us, po. Every time we make a new song, we have to be better at executing that song, so in that sense, there’s a pressure there, po. She continues, “We are also so excited about the upcoming tour because this was originally planned back when COVID happened. So we are thinking, ’Finally a ZEPP tour.’ We are more excited than ever. We are re-touring Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, but before that, we are planning to go to Fukuoka and Hokkaido. Meeting our princesses and our masters, we are hoping to gain energy from them and want to thank them for all their support. We have never really toured to support the new album, so we are excited to tour in support of Epic Narratives. Saiki has decided on a setlist, thinking about all the songs on the album, but we want to perform with our instruments to convey the emotions that Saiki put together and convey that directly to the audience.
Saiki also laughs, “ I just have to agree with you, the pressure is on. Every time we release an album, music is freedom. That is how I feel. However, every time we do release an album there is pressure, and there is this worry… ’Is this going to be accepted?’ In that sense, there is always a pressure to release something new.” She adds, “ We are very excited that the ZEPP tour is finally coming along. This is something we have all looked forward to 3 1/2 years after the last album. There are fans that found out about this band through this album, In many ways, it feels like an introduction. A, ’Nice to meet you.’ When we celebrated our 10th anniversary, we came to find out what we wanted to do, and what we are like. We realized that there is a future for us. There is a long future waiting for us, we want to show that through our tour. However, we do understand that we can’t take anything for granted. We can’t always think that touring is something you can do. You never know what is going to happen next. But we want the fans to know there is a lot of things they can look forward to,” she smiles.
