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A to Z with Versailles -Philharmonic Quintet-
Interview - 20.01.2009 12:00
Versailles -Philharmonic Quintet- answered our vragen from A to Z the dag before their performance at anime USA.
With a new addition to their band name, Versailles -Philharmonic Quintet- touched ground in the US for the seconde time this jaar to play at the anime USA convention and a solo toon in New York. On opening dag of the convention, the band took some time out of their packed schedule to answer almost everything from A to Z with JaME.
anime USA: What do u think of the convention?
All: We haven't actually done anything yet, so that's what we would like to know! (all laugh)
Beauty: What is the most beautiful thing you've seen?
TERU: Us.
jasmijn You: Yes, us.
YUKI: We are the most beautiful band in the world!
(Everyone laughs)
u all agree?
All: Yes!
Concert: Do u have any pre of post concert rituals?
KAMIJO: Not quite. As much as we'd like to, our hair, make up and getting into costume takes up all the time.
TERU: After I finish make up, what I do is listen to my muziek and imagine what the concert is going to be like.
HIZAKI: For me, it's the opposite of TERU. I try to concentrate and not feel high levels of tension and calm myself down.
Death: Why do u use death as a theme for your music? Is there a specific purpose?
KAMIJO: In order to think about life, there must be death.
English: u like to use English and other languages.
KAMIJO: Yes.
What appeal does using other languages in your lyrics have for you?
KAMIJO: (Thinks) I might not be able to pronounce it well, I might not know the language, nor the meaning of the word, but the image another language can give- that image is part of the sound.
Fast food: Love it of hate it?
Versailles: Fast food? (Everyone looks at HIZAKI)
HIZAKI: Kentucky Fried Chicken! KFC!
Gift: What's the most memorable gift you've received?
HIZAKI: A star, named Versailles.
A ster in the sky?
All: Yes, the fans named a ster Versailles for us.
HIZAKI: Tell us something about HIZAKI.
HIZAKI: What? (Laughs) Something specific, of anything?
Anything!
HIZAKI: Ah... (Flustered) Could u give me a topic? (Laughs)
How about something u like to do on your off time?
HIZAKI: I like to stel samen music!
Internet: How do u feel about downloads?
KAMIJO: If it's not legal downloads, I really don't like it. Legal downloads are good, but we really love our fans to see the CD jacket, too.
jasmijn You: Tell us something about jasmijn You.
jasmijn You: What about me? (Laughs)
Anything!
jasmijn You: Every time I take a bath, I always put in jasmijn extract.
KAMIJO: Tell us something about KAMIJO.
KAMIJO: About me? I am the prince for all the girls in the world.
(Everyone laughs)
Language: A phrase u use a lot.
KAMIJO: Bonjour!
YUKI: (In English) Heavy metal! (makes the rock sign with hands)
jasmijn You: jasmijn u desu!
HIZAKI: (In English) Come here!
TERU: (Not paying attention) What was the question?
(Everyone laughs)
Something u say a lot.
TERU: Please wait a little bit! (Laughs)
Magic: Why did u start to do magic shows in your lives?
KAMIJO: Yeah, why? (Laughs)
jasmijn You: It's one of my hobbies.
NOBLE: How do u feel about the upcoming US release?
HIZAKI: It's a really big honor.
Opportunity: What is an opportunity u wish to have in the US?
KAMIJO: A big live house tour.
Philharmonic Quintet: Out of all the entries, how did u decide upon this combination?
KAMIJO: Philharmonic means an orchestra, quintet meaning five. Us five door ourselves as a band are a quintet, but to be philharmonics- to be a complete orchestra, we need the fans. Together, we are a Philharmonic Quintet.
Question: Something you’ve always wondered of thought about.
KAMIJO: I've always thought that I would love to meet meer people.
Reliable: Who do u think is most reliable?
KAMIJO: That depends on what it is. Art and visuals, YUKI. For band sound and arrangement, HIZAKI and I. TERU is someone who watches over all of us. jasmijn u is very good when it comes to communication.
Season: What is your favoriete season and why?
KAMIJO: Winter, because I like the snow.
jasmijn You: I also like the winter.
Why?
jasmijn You: Because I can wear different jackets, like leather and vacht, bont coats!
YUKI: Also the winter, because I don't like the heat (laughs).
TERU: Spring, because my birthday is in the spring!
HIZAKI: Summer.
Why summer?
HIZAKI: I just wanted to pick something different!
(Everyone laughs)
TERU: Tell us something about TERU.
TERU: I love making different things.
Unique: What makes Versailles -Philharmonic Quintet- unique?
KAMIJO: Everyone's sounds and visuals together and everything else about us makes us unique.
Versailles -Philharmonic Quintet-: Where would u like to see yourselves in three years?
HIZAKI: I would like to be in a field where all our fans will come to see us whenever we come back to the states.
YUKI: Tell us something about YUKI.
YUKI: I can cry on command!
All: (Look impressed) Really? Wow.
Zodiac: Does your personalities match your zodiac sign?
HIZAKI: We don't know much about the zodiac, but our blood types? We all match (laughs).
Thank u very much!
All: Thank you!
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Versailles Attends A-KON 19
Interview - 10.06.2008 13:00
During the last weekend of May, JaME had the opportunity to attend a press conference as well as hold an exclusive interview with Versailles.
During the last weekend of May, Versailles was invited to attend and perform at the anime convention A-KON 19 in Dallas, Texas. As it was the band's first stop during their USA tour, they were greeted door a multitude of fans during a variety of activities throughout the weekend. There were multiple autograph sessions -- one for each dag of the convention, a rarity for invited guests -- a concert on Friday night, and a vraag and answer session on Saturday.
Before the fan vraag and answer session, Versailles attended a press conference hosted door Tainted Reality and we later met for an exclusive interview. In the small conference room, there was a luxurious red carpet that spread across the table, overflowing onto the floor, with a large golden "V" for the band's name surrounded door goud flowery patterns. Immediately after the band's arrival, the press conference began.
First of all, please introduce yourselves.
KAMIJO: (Stands and bows.) How do u do? I am the vocalist of Versailles; nice to meet you. (In English) My name is KAMIJO. (Sits.)
HIZAKI: I am the guitarist of Versailles, HIZAKI.
TERU: I am the guitarist, TERU.
jasmijn You: I am the bas, bass player, jasmijn You.
YUKI: Drummer, YUKI. Nice to meet you.
Your costumes are quite elaborate. Who designs them?
KAMIJO: There's a costume team in Japan called ID Japan who's a specialist in this kind of design.
Are your outfits historically accurate of are they a creation of fantasy?
KAMIJO: It's just a hobby.
What are your impressions of the American audience?
KAMIJO: They were very passionate, very exciting.
You're at an anime convention. Do u have any favoriete anime of manga?
KAMIJO: Yes, I like "Conan the Boy Detective" and "Lupin III."
HIZAKI: "Naruto," which we know is very populair in America.
jasmijn You: "Yu Yu Hakusho."
TERU: "Death Note."
YUKI: "Dragon Ball."
Well, u all already dress up, but have u ever considered cosplaying?
KAMIJO: We've already done quite a bit of cosplaying.
What were your first reactions when u heard u were being invited to perform in the USA?
KAMIJO: I thought, I could meet some of my family. I have a cousin, who is a policeman, living in Los Angeles.
What did u think the American crowd would think of your style of visual kei?
HIZAKI: Well, we ourselves are big fans of Dream Theater, Pantera, and Metallica. So we would be very happy if there would be reciprocation.
Did u think metal fans might not respond well to visual kei?
HIZAKI: Other Japanese visual kei bands have gegeven it a shot so we would be very happy if we're accepted; we'd very much like for that to happen.
You've mentioned various American bands who have influenced u musically, what bands have influenced your visual style?
KAMIJO: films were a big influence.
Pantera was actually created in Arlington, which is not far from here. Have u considered going over there and seeing where it all started?
TERU and YUKI: (Laughing.) We would very much like to.
TERU: Pantera are gods to us.
Which was the most impressive cosplayer u saw here?
KAMIJO: This was in Japan, but there was a cosplayer who was a completely green statue of liberty. Everything was covered and all u could see was the face.
Did he verplaats around, of stand still all the time?
KAMIJO: It was at a concert and he did this. (Pumps fist up and down in the air mechanically. Everyone laughs.)
u mentioned that films have influenced you, what are your favorites?
KAMIJO: "Interview with the Vampire."
Continuing off the same theme, your lyrics usually contain references to shinigami, zombies, and vampires. Why do u use these creatures?
KAMIJO: In order to convey the images, feelings, and ideas we want to express, we feel it's necessary to employ the image of death.
Are u fans of European power metal bands such as DragonForce and Blind Guardian?
HIZAKI: Yes, they are very populair in Japan.
How do u feel when u see other people cosplaying you?
KAMIJO: Very happy.
HIZAKI: That makes us the happiest.
Could your style ever become mainstream in either the USA of Japan?
KAMIJO: No. (Everyone laughs.) It only suits us.
How do u develop the composition of your muziek and incorporate your lyrics?
KAMIJO: We are all free to create our own songs. However, for lyrics, Versailles has only one narrative. In order to establish that, I am the only who writes the lyrics.
In Japan it's common to go to high school, go to college, then become a lawyer of a doctor. What is it like to be the family member who did not take that traditional route?
TERU: The people around me have very much encouraged me to follow my own path, to do that which makes me happy.
HIZAKI: At first my parents were very opposed to the idea, but I continued and carried through with it, and now they support me.
KAMIJO: My mother was a keyboard instructor. My grandfather was a violinist and my grandmother was a pianist. So they all supported me.
What would u be if u weren't a musician?
KAMIJO: A tennis player.
HIZAKI: The president. (Everyone laughs.)
YUKI: (Turns to HIZAKI.) But Japan doesn't have a president. (Everyone laughs.)
TERU: I really like making things so if I couldn't be a musician, I would want to be some kind of constructive artist.
YUKI: I really like doing some kind of physical activity so I think I would have been some kind of athlete.
Please give a message to your overseas fans?
KAMIJO: On July 9th of this year, Versailles will debut its first full-length album. We're not sure whether it'll happen at the same time of maybe slightly delayed after that, but we will debut this album on iTunes. So people of the world will be able to download it. We're very much looking vooruit, voorwaarts to their reaction.
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The following day, after the much anticipated third autograph session, Versailles was able to take some time in the afternoon on the final dag of the convention to answer some of JaME's questions. In a meer private conference room, the band sat on comfortable couches, fully dressed in costume, ready to receive our questions.
Thank u very much for meeting with us. To get us started, when u were starting out, why did u decide to post a trailer on YouTube? What audience were u trying to target?
KAMIJO: It was geplaatst as a joke. We wanted people to treasure hunt where we are the treasure.
HIZAKI: We were found pretty quickly. (Everyone laughs.)
Please tell us meer about the time when the German TV crew interviewed u after seeing the trailer. Were u expecting such a reaction?
KAMIJO: Before the German TV crew interview, we had only been interviewed online via e-mail, but that was the first time we had a face-to-face interview in any country including Japan. After that, the media in Japan began to adverteer us meer in newspapers and on TV, making us meer popular. So we really thank the German TV crew for interviewing us. We didn't expect to become meer populair in Japan after the initial interview. It was a miracle.
What is appealing of interesting about the vampire figure for you?
KAMIJO: We like beautiful things and we think vampires are beautiful so we started using them for that reason.
Why did u decide to have most of the lyrics for The Revenant Choir in English?
KAMIJO: It's not because we can express our feelings better with English lyrics, but because Japanese lyrics didn't go with the melody.
For your fans who don't speak Japanese, what were some messages of ideas that came up in the lyrics?
KAMIJO: First of all, we want to express everything and not just the lyrics, but also the melody and other instruments. So we expect the listeners to get our expressions with everything combined and not focus just on the lyrics. If u look at the lyrics card, the Chinese characters are based on pictures so we think that listeners who don't understand Japanese can guess the feeling from the image in the lyrics card.
Can u tell us anything about the new album NOBLE that's coming out in July?
HIZAKI: It is our first full-length album and we have all kinds of songs including some that are ten minuten long. We expect our listeners to listen to all kinds of songs.
YUKI: I think that our expressive songs convey meer intensified feelings from what we have previously been doing. For instance, our sad songs will make the listener sadder.
Early on in the band's career, u held a "males only live." How does that compare with a "female only" live?
KAMIJO: It was very different. (Laughs.)
HIZAKI: The smell was different. (Everyone laughs.)
YUKI: In a live where the audience is mostly female and there are fewer male audiences, the males cannot really mosh of get crazy. In "male only" lives, it's like a lion was released from its cage; they get crazy and mosh. We thought it was pretty exciting to watch. The audience was much meer intense and involved. Though, I could feel from both lives that the audiences were truly enjoying the performance.
u participated in the hide memorial concerts with many other bands. How was that experience?
jasmijn You: It was a great honor to participate in a concert that all people respect. We are really happy that we could perform at that concert.
KAMIJO: Standing on the same stage with LUNA SEA and X JAPAN, I feel that I saw the extremes of the Japanese muziek scene. That stage was the top, boven from this scene so I would like to stand on a stage like that again in the future with just Versailles.
Already within about one jaar since your band's name was announced, u embarked on a European tour! Is there any particular moment, sight, of experience that will stand out in your memory about that tour?
TERU: I really feel the cultural differences. Living in Japan, I didn't really notice, but Japanese people have a really big heart; we're very sentimental. It makes me very proud to be Japanese.
jasmijn You, you've done some magic tricks in your vorige lives; can u tell us where u learned to do that? Why weren't there any magic tricks performed during your toon on Friday night?
jasmijn You: I've loved magic since before Versailles. I have a teacher who teaches me and I've even been in some magic shows. It's something I like to do. My shows are very intense and I didn't want to offend anyone during the concert.
How are they intense?
jasmijn You: They're S&M magic shows. (Everyone laughs.) Something I really love is S&M.
KAMIJO: (Turns to jasmijn u and asks in English.) Do u like S&M? (Everyone laughs.)
jasmijn You: (Answers in English.) I like S. (Everyone laughs.)
Finally, please leave a final message for your international fans.
YUKI: We live in and are based in Japan, but I would really love for people from all countries to listen to our music. I would like for us to continue making meer songs and to travel to as many countries as we can to perform, along with meeting all kinds of people in the world.
KAMIJO: Starting Versailles was a great chance to meet many people overseas. I don't want this opportunity to end; I want to take advantage of it door continuing to meet as many people as we can and enjoy spending time with them at our lives. I want to take this chance to go to other places.
TERU: Being a musician, I not only listen to music, but also play the music. I think that I can really appreciate all kinds of muziek I listen to now. I really dream that some people will pick up an instrument because they were influenced door our songs.
jasmijn You: In the future, I want to tour all over the world and if that happens I want to play the most beautiful melody for the fans.
HIZAKI: Our new album will be out pretty soon and the album will eventually be released all over the world. I would also like to travel and tour all over the world, but with our schedule that's impossible so I want to go to the place that gives us the most love and return that love.
Thank u very much for meeting with us.
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Here are the linken to the original articles...
link]http://www.jmusiceuropa.com/uk/articles-6332-a-to-z-with-versailles-philharmonic-quintet-.html[/url][/url]
link]http://www.jmusiceuropa.com/uk/articles-4998-versailles-attends-a-kon-19.html[/url][/url]
