she changes like a black labyrinth

R.I.P

Published on January 10, 2013 on Hiro’s old Ameblo page

I never thought that my first blog post of the year would be about K-kun’s passing. It’s extremely lamentable.

When I first heard the news, I was much too shocked to wrap my head around it. Tears wouldn’t come for some reason, and I was filled with emotions that I couldn’t quite comprehend. But at the live on January 3rd, in the MC before Still, I had to tell everyone no matter what how grateful I am to be alive, that we should show our feelings now while we still can, and lastly, that we shouldn’t take anything for granted.

No one knows what the future holds.

That’s why I always say, “Live every moment of your life to the fullest.” Though I’m not just saying this because of what had happened.

How many people have ever said “I understand” or “I’ll try” or “That resonated with me”

and really kept going and made it this far?

It’s okay if they don’t understand! It doesn’t matter if they say “I will” just for appearances’ sake! It’s okay if it doesn’t resonate with them!

Just do it (T/N: express your feelings)!! Seriously.

Humans are stupid creatures who don’t really discern or read into things until something like this actually happens. Once it does happen, it would already be too late.

You’re finally realizing things now, aren’t you?

Don’t ever let those feelings go to waste! Hold on to them (T/N: the people you love) forever!!

I got to honestly convey my thoughts and feelings to K-kun when he went on hiatus. I didn’t get to go into detail and tell him everything, but I was able to express how I truly felt inside. So there’s nothing left to say on that front.

But I was really jealous of him. I really admired him. It really frustrated me.

His talent, his presence, his poetry, his way of life, all of it.

Now it’s even more frustrating. I’ll never be able to cross that bridge anymore. It was my dream to stand on the same stage as K-kun and enjoy drinking his favorite beer with him someday.

The person who inspired me to form MY FIRST STORY. You shouldn’t have died, K-kun...

But of course, I don’t want to end up just wallowing in grief like this! Let the sorrow sink in, come to terms with it, and like I just said, keep moving forward! That’s all we can do for now to pay respect to K-kun!!

You sent me a text saying, “See you next year”. When will your next year come? One day, when I’ve surpassed you, reached even greater heights and have nothing left to do, I’ll come and meet you there. Until then, please continue singing your beautiful poems up there.

I sincerely pray that you rest in peace. MY FIRST STORY Vocal Hiro

This time I was joined by Kid’z, a drummer with flexibility and technical precision.

Considering that he whips up different phrases and puts each one to the test until he’s satisfied with the results, how did this stoicism of his come into play in this album? Please do read on to find out.

- I get the impression that Kid’z is a highly skilled drummer with a wild rock soul. How do you see yourself?

Kid’z: I originally didn’t play the kind of music I play now. I used to do R&B, jazz, bossa nova, Latin, and funk. I’d often go to a session bar and decide on a chord progression on the spot, play any scale I wanted... with solos and all. It was pretty rough at first because I had never dabbled in loud genres like MY FIRST STORY did until then. I also liked (cymbal) swelling back and forth and thought that was all I had to do, so I found it really difficult to hit the notes in time when I was made to do so. Because of this, I practiced to improve my time keeping and it all progressed from there. At one point I tried to see how much I could make the sounds swell, and I surprisingly had no issues playing things the way I liked. While I listen to the members’ opinions, they now let me do whatever I want and make use of the skills I initially had. I get to adopt the same approach to drum fills and ghost notes that I did in the past.

- That’s what makes your style unique. Since you started out playing R&B and funk, where did your rock roots stem from? Kid’z: I love Shane Gaalaas, who used to play the drums for B’z. I’ve always really admired him and tried to imitate what he does. I covered Shane’s songs until I could technically play every single one, and I even own his instructional DVD to boot. I also attended all of his drum seminars and watched his videos on YouTube. I love him so much that I traced back his musical roots as well. From there, I learned about Bonzo (John Bonham / Led Zeppelin) and many other drummers, and came to like listening to old hard rock. I still love Shane to this day and keep in touch with him in private. I have an overwhelming amount of respect for him.

- I can tell (laughs). Now let’s talk about your drum play on “V”. First of all, how did recording go?

Kid’z: We made a wide range of songs this time around and that caused a lot of confusion. It was a sequence of not knowing how far I should take things and wondering whether a song was good enough or not. We all felt the same way, really (laughs). For this reason, I realized that I had to have a strong sense of self for this album. I have a habit of asking others for their input, but I hardly got any clear answers this time so I had to draw the line for myself. That said, I presented the beats I came up with and had sessions with the members to work on the album. Everything went smoothly once we had a flow going, but I was honestly really worried at first.

- The fact that you carried on with no hesitation led to good results. Bearing parts that highlight a sign of the times, I believe the refined flavor and ingenuity that “V” brings to the table can largely be attributed to your drum performance in the album.

Kid’z: Thank you, I’m glad you think so. MY FIRST STORY had never made a cheerful song before in terms of rhythm. I’ve always wanted to try it out as I personally like songs that are upbeat, but I assumed that everyone would just deem the concept unsuitable for the band. For this album though, a lot of the songs are pretty lively... almost all of them, in fact (laughs). I was really happy about that and I had a great time recording. “Sarumane Dropout” in particular has a four-on-the-floor beat that had been virtually unheard of in MY FIRST STORY’s discography until now. I’ve been wanting to play that kind of beat for a while now, but it was completely out of the question given the band’s signature sound. Us doing a full 180 with this album got me like, “Yes!” (laughs)

- The beats you put in are really nice. Most of the songs have elaborate beat patterns. Did you make those patterns in the studio without planning ahead of time?

Kid’z: Yes. Everyone has ideas up their sleeves and is open to discussing them with me, so I wanted to take advantage of that. I’m the type of person who hates being thrown offtrack when I’m in the zone, so there’s a risk of me becoming single-minded if I decide on things beforehand. That’s why I don’t come up with patterns in advance. That way, I can go down many different paths.

- That’s something only those with years of experience and a good set of skills can do. Many drummers seem to change their drum settings to match the music when recording. How about you?

Kid’z: Basically, I use 1 tom and 2 floor toms for recording. The more drums I use, the louder I get, so I try to keep things to a minimum as much as possible. I also lift the cymbals a bit and keep each one spaced apart to avoid microphone spills. I make the throne higher as well. I lower it for live performances because it’s more stable that way, but it’s easier to control the sounds and open and close the hi-hats when the throne is raised. I actually adjust the height during shows depending on the song – for instance, I quickly elevate my throne before playing ballads.

- That’s very flexible of you. Going back to “V”, if you had to name a song that’s particularly memorable in terms of drumming, what would it be?

Kid’z: “Underground”. We’d never had a song with such a slow yet heavy beat before – and a rather groovy one at that. It had just hit me then that I can do this in MY FIRST STORY now. It has elements of the hard rock I used to play back then, but it also has a solid melody to it. It made me really happy to be able to do that kind of music. “moonlight” is memorable as well. For this song, I incorporated some GospelChops-like linear fills. I thought a lot about the phrases, keeping in mind the rhythms, hi-hat techniques, and fills that are popular among musicians my age abroad. Things like, maybe it would sound more modern if I added a kick here. I tend to be a bit old-school when playing, so I tried taking a more modern approach this time. I like the drums in this song, they fit in really nicely.

- The three-dimensional beat pattern in “moonlight” is incredible. Also worth mentioning are the comforting ghost notes in “Aikotoba” and the combination of loops and live drums in “plastic”.

Kid’z: I wanted to make sure that the ghost notes were audible and snappy in “Aikotoba”, so I talked to our engineer and he increased the number of microphones to bring out the sounds more. Doing that was a nice touch as it made the ghost notes much clearer. Ghost notes are often overlooked, but they’re vital to a groove’s composition. A groove can drastically change depending on how the ghost notes are inserted and how audible they are. Also, only the first half of “plastic” is on loop as it switches to live drums midway. I feel like most songs of this genre cut the loop out once the live drums come in, but this song was arranged that way right from the demo stage. I learned a lot about this kind of mix.

- The loop and live drums are perfectly synchronized, and the texture is somewhere between synthesized and raw.

Kid’z: We worked hard on that. I didn’t hit the snare in the usual spot for this song. I wanted to highlight the overtones, so instead of hitting the center of the snare, I hit it very close to the front. It was also the first time I had ever done that, but we decided to go with it upon discussion with our engineer. We didn’t process it afterwards because I wanted the overtones from the raw recording.

- Hmm, interesting... You weren’t like, “Give me a day to practice please”. You really just went for it, didn’t you?

I next spoke with their guitarist Teru.

While playing lead guitar and handling the guitar solos, he also pays close attention to detail in every single phrase. What kind of approach did he take in creating this album?

- Your latest album “V” includes “Akashi”, a song you composed. How did you come up with this track?

Teru: As I started working on the new album, I realized that there weren’t a lot of MY FIRST STORY songs that are upbeat and cheerful, so that was where it all began. When I was composing, I was aiming for something like “Dead!” by My Chemical Romance or a bright but slightly ambient song by twenty one pilots. As for the melody, Hiro told me to change it up quite a bit this time. I thought it would be better not to mix it too much, so I added a temporary melody, passed it on to Hiro, and let it take shape from there.

- It’s a song that gives you a taste of MY FIRST STORY’s new groove. Do you tend to start with the image of a song when making music?

Teru: No, I usually start with the chorus’ chord progression, then I come up with a guitar solo and so on. Sometimes I would start with a solo in mind and then add the corresponding chords, or I would think about the kind of tune or flow that would be good to bring to the table. Come to think of it, that was how I made “Akashi” (laughs). In MY FIRST STORY’s case, the guitar solo is often played over the chord progression of the chorus or intro. I’ve come to find that boring, so I thought it would be interesting to have a completely different chord progression or rhythm for the solo. That kind of structure also furthers the development of the song.

- It’s nice to see your directive as a guitarist in action. To what extent do you refine your demos before letting the members listen to them?

Teru: The rhythm patterns, the bass, the guitar... basically the backing track. I finish up the backing tracks in DAW (T/N: digital audio workstation) and naturally I put in my own melodies sometimes as well, but I don’t ask them to faithfully reproduce the demos I made. Our band begins with almost all of the full chorus demos already completed, and we make modifications as recording progresses. That’s why I would make a solid demo but not obsess over it.

- It’s a good practice to each add your own personal touch to an original piece, all the while respecting the composer’s vision. Next, let’s talk about your guitar performance on “V”. Did you have a set theme as a guitarist for this album?

Teru: When recording, I focus on inserting phrases that go well with the music and elements that add more dimension. “V” mainly consists of songs composed by Nob, taking a direction MY FIRST STORY had never gone on before, so he came up with plenty of guitar phrases for the album as well. I worked on a lot of things I didn’t have prior experience with, and I got to absorb all of that knowledge as I went along. All things considered, I learned so much from making this album.

- Some try to propose a better phrase than the composer’s initial draft, but I would assume that you’re not that type of person.

Teru: Of course there would also be times when I think, “That’s a cool phrase, damn it!” but I have this mentality of soaking it all up when it’s something that I lack and applying what I learned to my next project instead. I’m not the type of guitarist who likes to show off; I find it more important to polish and perfect my music. When it comes to recording, three of us know how to play the guitar – me, Nob, and Sho (G / sound producer) – so we all see it as three heads on one guitar. We’d often play the same riffs and phrases then pick the coolest one out of the three. I don’t really care about who played it or anything like that.

- It’s a great advantage to demonstrate a high level of skill yet be able to maintain a music-oriented stance. Now, which song on “V” left a strong impression on you from a guitar playing standpoint?

Teru: Probably “Daimeiwaku”. It might have to be my favorite because of all its crunchy cut-offs. It was quite a struggle to record though. The cutting phrases were originally from a demo that Nob made so I had a hard time bringing out their nuances. Besides “Daimeiwaku”, there’s a considerable number of cut-offs on the album as well, some of which are in “Starting Over”, “moonlight”, and the monotone one in the first verse of “Underground”. I love cut-offs. I was reminded of how cool and difficult cutting is while recording this album, so I’d like to further improve on my technique.

*T/N: Teru used the Japanese guitar term カッティング (romanized as “cutting”) which unfortunately doesn’t have a direct English equivalent, so I improvised based on context clues and the stuff I read online

- I admire your passion. Like with cut-offs, your role as MY FIRST STORY’s guitarist demands a wide range of playing styles. How’s that like from your perspective?

Teru: It’s really fun. I can clearly see my skill set getting wider and wider. If it were all up to me, I probably wouldn’t have expanded my horizons this far. I draw more and more inspiration from playing the songs that Nob and Sho make throughout the recording process. I’m also very competitive and I hate it when I can’t do certain things. I would think, “Why can’t I do what a normal person like Nob can do?” and I would work hard until I manage to make it happen. I’ve been repeating the same process for a while now, and it’s helped me grow as a guitarist over time. I’m truly grateful to be in an environment where I’m surrounded by many rivals, and I mean that in the most positive sense of the word.

- Being competitive does have its perks. The acoustic guitar is frequently used in your music as well, and the same attention to detail can be heard in the acoustic phrases you play.

Teru: I used to play the ukelele before I started playing the guitar. I briefly switched to the electric guitar after that, but when I joined the music club in high school, I was forced to play the acoustic guitar until the school festival in October was over (laughs). Because of this, I ended up playing the acoustic guitar for six straight months until October came. Even the guys who wanted to play the drums or the bass had to learn it (laughs). And although there was no way I could possibly play that well within a week or so of joining the club, I would still get scolded by my seniors. That was frustrating, but I had also been practicing outside school hours with everyone so that didn’t faze me at all. If anything, I probably prefer the acoustic guitar. It’s an instrument that directly expresses the nuances you play and allows you to put more emotion into the music.

- There is truly “no dead air” with the acoustic guitar. Another thing to consider is the need for variety in guitar tone to accommodate a wide range of styles.

Teru: I was more particular about tone this time than I’ve ever been before. I always connect a bunch of compact effectors to my Diezel and Hughes & Kettner amps when recording. I also use a Line 6 multi-effects pedal with a lot of presets and a boost pedal. When a boost pedal is hooked up, the sound changes even if the knobs are turned down to zero. I use it as a clean boost in the middle of playing cut-offs. I had a ton of fun experimenting and making new discoveries in the process.

- I’m sure your tone quality has evolved even further. You mentioned something about guitar solos at the start of this interview. Would you mind talking more about them?

Teru: The direction of the guitar solos varies depending on the song. For example, “Underground” is a song with a classic riff, so I decided to give it an old-school solo in the pentatonic scale that I would play with my face (T/N: meant literally, as in to make faces while playing). Then, there’s “Akashi” with a “Guitar solo!” type of feel to it. As I mentioned earlier, I started with its guitar solo and worked my way through from there, so I got to think long and hard about its structure. On the other hand, the ones in “moonlight” and “1,000,000 TIMES” were more of mood setters than guitar solos. We focused on the tune and included sounds and phrases that provide a deeper look into the songs.

- It’s also worth noting that there’s a rockabilly-esque phrase in the middle of “Sarumane Dropout”.

Starting things off is a solo corner where I talk to each of them about their latest album “V”.

First up is Hiro, who has been leading MY FIRST STORY as its obligatory frontman.

Not only does he breathe life into their music with his unique, high-toned voice, but he also writes the lyrics to all of their songs. That being said, how did he go about creating this album?

- Hiro, you’ve been writing the lyrics to all of MY FIRST STORY’s songs. Is that something you decided on yourself, or was it something that just came about naturally?

Hiro: I guess I just kind of went with the flow. I’ve always thought that the lyrics should be written by the vocalist, and that the only things I could do in this band were to think of melodies and write lyrics. Because of this, I felt like I had to do what I could. None of the members wanted to write the lyrics either, so I ended up taking on the job. 

- I think one aspect of it is that the words coming from the singer himself are more easily conveyed. Having said that, what is important to you when writing lyrics?

Hiro: They aren’t exactly like the punchlines used in rap, but I try to include words that would catch the listeners’ attention and get stuck in their heads even if they were just doing a quick listen. To incorporate hooks, so to speak, in key parts of the song. It’s words like those that leave a strong impression.

- I think being catchy comes with leaving a strong impression. The lyrics you write also always match the taste and deepen the worldview of the song.

Hiro: I’ve never written lyrics before everything else. I listen to the track first, then I quickly jot down the image that comes to mind and the words I could possibly use in the song. I’m the type of person who decides on a theme before I start writing, so the lyrics I come up with naturally complement the music. I guess my songwriting process is kind of like writing an essay or a paper. I don’t just write whatever I want to say at the time; rather, I set a theme and work from there.

- Some people have trouble settling on an image and take some time choosing a theme. How about you, where do you stand?

Hiro: I probably fall among the quick decision makers, but that doesn’t mean I don’t reconsider my choices and change the theme during the writing process. I listen to the song, quickly decide on a theme, then immediately start on the lyrics. The thing is, it takes me quite a while to continue writing after that (laughs).

- I see (laughs). So is adding lyrics the last step in the production process?

Hiro: Yes. I only start writing after the backing track is completed and the melody is set. For example, when words come to me while thinking of a melody, I would sometimes include them in the lyrics if I like them enough, but I won’t start writing the whole thing until the melody is finalized.

- More than that, it’s impressive how your lyrics reveal your inner weaknesses, your pain, and your negative side.

Hiro: I don’t really mind showing that side of me; on the contrary, I have nothing else to write about. I’m also not very good at writing the inspirational, “Let’s do our best!” type of songs. Coming up with those kinds of lyrics frustrates me and tests my patience so I find them difficult to write. However, I was thinking of adding some of those lyrics in the album. Teru composed “Akashi”, and since it’s one of the more cheerful songs on the album, I thought it would be best to make its lyrics positive. So, I decided to give it a shot.

- With the line “Moving forward in the right direction will be my testimony”, “Akashi” is a song that gives the listener a push in the back. Another thing is that your lyrics have the perfect balance between English and Japanese.

Hiro: I guess you can say I find it easier to write lyrics in English. With English, I don’t have to worry too much about the appeal of the words, and there aren’t as many expressions to use either. With Japanese, for instance, the word “ai” (love) connotes all sorts of things such as “itoshi” (dear/beloved), “koishii” (missed/longed for), and “mederu” (to cherish/admire). With English, however, there’s only the word “love” (laughs). It’s straightforward on its own, and you can get your message across depending on how it’s translated. That’s why it’s easier for me to write in English.

- It just occurred to me that you seem to have the tendency to perceive words based on their rhythm.

Hiro: Ah, you’re right. That’s true.

- In that case, it must be easier to write in English.

Hiro: Yeah. English makes it easy to attach words to a melody in a way that sounds good. It’s nice to listen to a melody that’s in sync with the lyrics, right? Getting results like that is simple when you use English. I also think there are a lot of people under the impression that English sounds cooler. I want to make everything as catchy as possible though, even when writing in English, so I try not to use difficult words whenever I can.

- That’s part of the charm. Even so, you added more Japanese lyrics to “V”, didn’t you?

Hiro: That’s right, I did. We’re a Japanese band after all, so writing lyrics in Japanese is still the ideal.

- It’s an advantage to be able to use Japanese and English in a similar way. Speaking of which, when did you write the lyrics to the songs on “V”?

Hiro: It varies from song to song. I wrote the lyrics to “Underground” about a year ago when it was composed. The way this song was made was unusual. I started on the lyrics early because the demo was up sooner than expected and I didn’t want to have a hard time later on, but as it turned out, I didn’t make it in time… or something like that (laughs).

- I see (laughs). On that note, more and more artists are writing about their thoughts on the coronavirus pandemic, but there aren’t any songs like that on “V”, are there?

Hiro: There aren’t. Actually, some of the songs on “V” were made after the coronavirus started spreading. “Starting Over” was composed quite a while ago, but the lyrics were written around the time the pandemic broke out. Same goes for “Daimeiwaku”. Nonetheless, I never thought about writing a song on the coronavirus. I feel like the nuance of the lyrics would be a little too strong for the album. We wanted the whole album to be poppy and catchy, so adding a song about corona would only get in the way of that. I experienced and thought about a lot of things over the course of the pandemic just like everybody else, but I still don’t know what the right thing to do is, and I felt like it wasn’t my place to write about it given the current situation. It’s okay to talk about it during live MCs and stuff like that, but I didn’t want to etch it permanently on something as timeless as a song. That being said, I don’t think I’ll be writing about corona anytime soon. Even if I were to sing about it, it would probably be expressed in a very abstract manner.

- I understand. Every artist is entitled to their own opinion on the subject, so I think those who choose to sing about it and those who don’t are both doing the right thing. 

Hiro: I’m in no way trying to invalidate those who sing about corona. As you mentioned, it’s all a matter of perspective. I don’t like singing about topics that directly concern the world… like political discontent. It’s difficult to write about those kinds of themes; I’d rather write lyrics that express my thoughts on a variety of themes and hope that those who are listening can relate them to their own feelings and sentiments at the time.

- There certainly were songs that resonated with me when I listened to them as the pandemic went on, even though they were about something completely unrelated to it. Now that we’ve talked about the lyrics, I’d like to ask you about the songs. How was the recording process for this album?

Hiro: I was away from MY FIRST STORY for a while since quarantine started and I couldn’t hold shows or go to the studio. A long time had passed since I last recorded, so in a good way it felt like I was singing someone else’s songs. That was good for me, because it naturally set forth a new direction and brought out singing techniques in me that I had never used before. Still, I wondered what would happen if I made those kinds of songs with MY FIRST STORY, so I consulted with Nob and our engineer to see how it would turn out. I asked during the recording session, “How would it sound if I sing it like this?” Everyone thought it was unexpected but good when I tried it out, so we just decided to proceed in that direction. It’s this kind of approach that led to more versatile songs this time around. I’d like to believe they fit in with the current era where listeners look for all sorts of things in their music.

- The fact that you were able to present multiple facets in a single package proves that you produced something next-level. “Unexpected but good” is great, because the appeal of a song is more important than the direction it takes.

Hiro: I’m not so sure about that. Most of the songs on “V” were made by Nob, so they were kind of like “Nob’s vision + myself”. It wasn’t all me. I’m glad it all worked out in the end.

- You need a great deal of singing experience to be able to adopt that kind of approach, so I’m sure you sing a lot of different songs on a regular basis. Come to think of it, in the interview with your instrumentalists for the GiGS September 2020 issue, it was mentioned that you sing quite a few songs at karaoke after your live shows.

Hiro: I do (laughs). I find other people’s songs more fresh – or rather, more refreshing. Unlike MY FIRST STORY’s songs, I don’t get the chance to perform them very often so I can sing them pretty casually. I love it. That’s why I sing a ton of artists’ songs when I go to karaoke.

- About singing casually, you’re the type of person who likes to have fun while singing other artists’ songs and doesn’t always stick to his own style, right?

Hiro: Right. To put it another way, there’s a pattern to those who always choose to stick to their own style. I believe that each song has its own merits – ballads, for instance, have a certain charm to them. If you ignore that and sing every single song in the same way, those listening will eventually get bored. Of course, there are advantages to doing that as well, but there’s a part of me that wants to make the most out of things and try different forms of expression in my songs. That’s been in my mind for a while now, and I feel like I was able to expand my range even further with “V”.

- The variety of expressions and range of the songs are wider than ever and they’re really worth listening to.

Hiro: There’s this thing the members often tell me: “Whatever song it may be, it will be MY FIRST STORY as long as Hiro is the one singing”. Teru was the first person to tell me that. He said that around 2 to 3 years ago, and from then on, I stopped being so conscious of my own identity. That was the biggest thing that helped me expand my range.

- Truth be told, the entire album has a touch of Hiro’s personality, all the while showcasing its breadth. Now, if you had to pick a song from “V” that left a strong impression on you, what would it be?

Hiro: There’s really a ton of them this time. It’s like Nob had a theme for each song when we were working on “V”. There were songs that paid homage and some that had a subject matter. I didn’t really pay attention to it, but I was able to see that person’s point of view and the music he’s playing objectively, so I have a strong sense of trust in that. The songs on this album were all new and innovative, so as we got to the later songs, I got a little confused about how to sing them and that made recording pretty difficult. Nob and our engineer pulled it off really well, and I believe we ended up with great results. Among those songs, if I had to choose one that left a particularly strong impression… “Aikotoba” was probably the hardest one to make.

- Bringing something new to the table, “Aikotoba” is a song that has a guitar-rock lyricism to it that’s a bit different from the symphonic ballads you’ve done in the past.

Hiro: That’s true. This song needed to be sung with a nuance that hadn’t been there before. I listened to a lot of music under the so-called guitar-rock genre, and that was the best way for me to get rid of my own tendencies. At any rate, I had to be mindful of singing the song smoothly.

- There are many other notable songs as well. For example, I was strongly drawn to your voice in “moonlight” that seemed to transcend even gender.

Hiro: From the moment I heard the demo for “moonlight”, I knew I wanted to put it in the album. It had a lot in common with “mine” from the “Mukoku” single (2019.8.14) which I thought was a must-have in this album, so I had to make this song just as compelling. I enjoyed recording the song, and I had a great time writing the lyrics as well. I honestly thought that I would struggle with the lyrics, but everything went smoother than I expected, so I have to say that I had the most fun working on “moonlight”.

- We haven’t seen much of it in MY FIRST STORY’s discography so far, but it’s great that you’re able to enjoy songs like this now. 

MY FIRST STORY undergoes a self-transformation to reach further heights ──

Hiro talks about the daring album “V” and the scenery he sees now

This will likely be a big change for the band.

MY FIRST STORY’s 6th album “V”, their first in a year and 10 months, is a daring album that drastically changes the direction of their music, the emotions engraved in their lyrics, Hiro’s own performance, and even the way the band is seen. The album is versatile, yet somehow clear and even cheerful.

It’s as if the creator of this album is enjoying music from the bottom of his heart – a carefree expression on Hiro’s face would even come to mind. This is a very valuable piece of work in which Hiro, who had been crying out in intense loneliness, sheds his hard, layered armor and unleashes his natural talent as a musician.

Hiro, more than any other artist, or dare I say, more than any other “vocalist”, has been dealing with his “reason for doing music” head on. In order to face that “reason”, his music had to be “rock”, he had to be in a “band”, and of course, he had to “sing”. Because of this, his words were always hyper-aware of someone else and his songs were always distinctly frustrated, holding a fragile and dangerous quality to them, as though he was sad about something, or as though he was throwing his misery away. After living through his story like this with no choice but to push forward, he eventually performed at Nippon Budokan, successfully sold out Saitama Super Arena, and reached the heights where he could take aim at the dome he had long declared as the “promised” place.

That is when the major “pop album” “V” was born. 

I was honestly surprised and a lot of question marks ran through my brain, but when Hiro arrived at the interview location, he seemed to have a calm and collected air about him, even radiating some sort of glow that was completely different from his past bitter vibe. I got the impression that Hiro, who was fueled by anger and frustration and whose mind was on the edge, has really become “independent” in the true sense of the word. Hiro would probably snap back at me for sounding like a parent in this, but I was somewhat pleased with the change. I believe it was this change in him as a person that led to the creation of the wonderful pop album “V”, and it seemed like his reason for making music now is really for his own satisfaction. This is where the band MY FIRST STORY finally gets to live out the pure story their name suggests – the story where they fulfill their dreams.

You will probably be surprised when you listen to the album. The answer to that surprise, as well as the sheer confidence in his heart and his brilliant vision for the future, are fully discussed in this interview. Hiro now speaks of himself, not anyone else, and in doing so, he lives each day free from the shackles of the past.

- It’s an excellent album. Well done.

Hiro: Ah, thank you (laughs). I started writing in February or March of this year, though I already started on the lead tracks last year. I had a rough image of what I wanted the album to be like in my head, so I noted stuff down like, “Ah, this melody would go really well with this lyric”, and then I sort of fleshed things out from there.

- What I found amazing was that MFS is a band with a lot of strong points and that you understand the sweet spots in your own songs to a certain extent. All of your previous albums played to your strengths as MFS the loud rock band – that’s one thing. But there’s another that goes, “There’s more to us than just that”.

Hiro: Right.

- Kind of like, let’s look at the playful side of things for once. I feel like it’s that part of you that should be taken into perspective this time.

Hiro: I guess so. Of course we want to show our playfulness too, but well, it was simply a matter of boredom. Our 9th or 10th year is fast approaching, and we had always stayed the same, year after year. I’m not planning on going overseas* with this band, though. More than just deciding to stick to making music in Japan, I do listen to Western music for my own taste, but I don’t bring any of that into the band. I just listen to Western music, period. Of course I listen to Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber as well, but I do so in the same way as everyone else – by simply appreciating good music.

*T/N: I assume he was only talking about not wanting to make music overseas

- I see.

Hiro: We thought of taking elements from those who are currently popular in the streaming scene such as YOASOBI, ZUTOMAYO, and Yorushika and putting our own spin on them. We had to consider the times as well. Also, while staying within our capacity, we made this album thinking that going slightly over that capacity would still be okay. 

- I think that’s a very casual stance, and a change as well. What made you take that stance?

Hiro: Of course, there’s the fact that we’ve been doing the same thing for a long time now. I’m always pursuing change, and I wanted to try everything at least once. I really think it’s the next step that will be the most difficult for us. Ever since we started the band, I more or less already knew where I wanted to head towards after Budokan, that being Yokohama Arena and Saitama Super Arena. However, I didn’t have anything planned for after that at all. I had mapped out our journey until that point in time, already having ideas in mind for the kinds of albums I wanted to create, and I was able to make it all happen with everyone’s support. But after Saitama Super Arena, I didn’t even know which way to go. If you try putting yourself in that position, you’d think, “Ah, this is where it gets tough”. It’s like an even harder version of the trip going from Zepp to Budokan. That being said, I didn’t know the right thing to do anymore. When it comes to making music in Japan nowadays, we have to interpret and analyze what the listeners want and what’s currently popular in our own way. From there, we thought we could make something out of what we gathered in the form of the band MY FIRST STORY. Of course, it was a prerequisite that we wanted to change, but I was more interested in trying out different things in order to go further. I don’t specialize in the times though, so I think the things I was obsessed with, the ego and the pride, pretty much disappeared some time ago. In other words, I’ve let go of my obsessions. Since I no longer have the desire to make certain things, I’ve become more flexible and able to do whatever I want. On the other hand, not having anything to convey is a different story. The band has a good balance now, and it’s made things much easier for me. It’s gotten better for the members too, so I guess that’s a good thing. 

- I think it’s great that you’ve let go of your pride. You said something similar in the interview for the last album, too.

Hiro: Yes.

- That album was also very melodious, and it seemed like you were steadily changing your identity as a rock band from there. But it’s even more so this time, isn’t it?

Hiro: That’s right. I think we made a huge change (laughs). Comparing the two, last time I let go of my personal obsessions. This time, it was closer to abandoning our commitments as MFS. It wasn’t so much a problem for me personally, but rather a problem for all the members. We made this album wanting to get rid of our own stereotypes on how we saw the band, so it had nothing to do with the obsessions I let go of last time. We were aiming somewhere else.

- Why did you change that much?

Hiro: How should I put this? I had absolutely no idea which way was the right way to go. It was a good mix of wanting a change and wanting to go even further. It’s not like we made this to downgrade ourselves, it was more so like, “How’s this?” (laughs) We ourselves are worried about how this will be received, but we're also overwhelmingly more confident than we've ever been. Up until now, we had been making dishes we imagined to be like, "I wanted to make this, so I made this”. It was like a Japanese restaurant serving Japanese food. This time, however, it’s like a Japanese restaurant tried making curry, but it wasn’t half bad at all (laughs). I think we were able to do this because we have confidence that we’ve made it this far. I’m genuinely looking forward to seeing everyone’s reactions. Well, I guess my curiosity winning me over was the biggest thing.

- What’s really important to you now is wanting an even bigger success.

Hiro: Yeah.

- I think it's more important to have something that was born purely from within you, rather than something that was created by working backwards from that big success. How do you feel about that?

Hiro: I agree. For the longest time, we had really been working backwards. I’d been saying, “I want to surpass our band’s colors, the things we can do now, and our previous work”. Since we were in a band, we were doing what everyone else thought we should be doing. This time around, it’s more like the feeling we had when we were just starting out. It’s almost as if I only put in the things I liked. It’s like everything had a different color to it. It feels like the band’s early days when we had so much time to make the first album. Back then, you never really knew how far you were going to get. We hadn't released anything yet, and we didn't have anything to work backwards with. I think we had that freedom, so it was a strange feeling for me. It was also an adventure to freely try things out at this point in time. But that doesn't mean I’m not worried about what people would think. When we released our first album, I wondered how people would listen to it, and the same genuine feelings started to emerge within me after all this time. Then again, it was simply a lot of fun (laughs).

- So that’s how it was.

Hiro: Yes. I didn't think about anything while I was working on it. I was just like, “Ah, this is good! I like this!” I did think about how to make it better, but I was only overseeing things in the past. This time, I was much more subjective. I was always trying to just make things better for myself, and all I could do was say, 'Oh, this is nice”. Looking back on it now, I wonder if I had actually intended to make changes (laughs).

- What a great change.

Hiro: I guess (laughs).

- Musically speaking, you’re becoming more mature. Nob made quite a few songs on the album, but as expected, they have that Hiro feel to them. As to what that “feel” is, you naturally have a loud rock soul of course, but perhaps it’s more of a faith in all things melodious that lies at the core of your being. To put it another way, I feel like you rely a lot on old school Japanese pop* influences.

Hiro: Yeah. I'm not the type of person whose genre can be described as totally loud or rock. First and foremost, I was influenced by old school pop* no matter how you look at it (laughs). I mean, my parents do old school pop.

*T/N:  歌謡曲 (Kayoukyoku) is a general term for Japanese pop music that was popular in the Showa era

- Well, true.

Hiro: But after that I went through J-pop and then Western music, so I think Japanese music spans the thickest for me in terms of layers. When I was in middle school or high school, I started acting cool, becoming more conscious of the opposite sex, and when I thought about what I wanted to do, that’s when I suddenly got into Western music. To put it in a bad way, it’s like rock and loud music are just on the surface. I’m not very sure of the members’ roots and beginnings, but I believe I’m the one who holds the deepest connections with modern J-pop and old school pop. This time, I pretty much changed all the melodies. Nob made some of them, and Teru did too, but I was like, “Can I change everything?” They allowed me to do things the way I wanted to. While I thought we had a rather good balance, I feel like we were able to make the melodies stronger, so it’s a quick and easy listen. I think we got to express the lightness that came with “this is what I wanted to do”.

- I see. When the songs suddenly come on, the changes in the parts are amazing. There are hardly any straightforward loud rock numbers, so to speak, are there? I guess you could call them city pop.

Hiro: Hahaha. Yes, yes (laughs).

- But there’s a sense of trust in the base melodies, some sort of trust in old school pop, that’s stronger than ever before.

Hiro: That’s right. The members would tell me, “Everything will be MFS as long as Hiro is the one singing”. From my point of view, however, no matter what kind of J-poppy song, melody, or lyric I make, as long as they have the members’ techniques, the notes they recorded, and the production they put in, our music will never be J-pop. We have trust in each other.

- I see.

Hiro: They think it’s going to be MFS no matter what I do, but from my point of view, no matter how much I try to get them to play J-pop or old school pop, their performances will always be overwhelmingly different. The members do the fine-tuning for me, so with that level of detail, I don’t think I’d be able to just get away with the things I want. That’s why I got to fully depend on the members while creating this album. I thought I’d leave the chord progressions to them, and let Nob and the other members work on the whole thing. On top of that, we made major changes to the overall feel of the songs. Even so, I knew that the “MFS feel” would definitely remain, and I had faith and confidence that it wouldn’t turn out into something lame. It was really easy for me to do, and I personally thought it was great that we gave it a shot.

- It felt good, I’m sure.

Hiro: It did feel good. It doesn’t feel like I did everything myself anymore, and there’s no need to put on airs anymore either. Plain and simple, the burden is gone (laughs). The members are more confident in themselves now since Nob made the album. I think this is the best balance for us.

- The first thing I thought was, “How did you end up there?” If we’re talking about the degree to which you’ve achieved what you wanted to do, this album ranks much higher than your previous works.

Hiro: That’s right. Before, I was like, “Let’s make an album like this, I think this is the best way to do what I currently want to do and to depict myself as I am now”. This time I was able to do things casually and freely, in a good way. That’s why, for me personally, this album is by far my favorite. It was simply fun to sing.

- Maybe that’s why the lyrics are so lovely.

Hiro: Thank you (laughs).

- Your writing is smoother than ever, too. It feels like you’re writing closer to the innermost depths of your heart.

Hiro: That’s true. For the longest time, I thought, “Everything I’ve done so far has led me to this point, so I have to write these lyrics”. Those were Hiro from MY FIRST STORY’s lyrics. It was kind of like Eikichi Yazawa playing Eikichi Yazawa. I used to be rather conscious of the words I could use while writing, to the point where I could enumerate the words I could use, regardless of how many, in the world I was in at the time. This time around, I took all of that away and was able to write music without worrying about anything. Having said that, if you were to ask me if the lyrics I had written in the past weren’t true, that is definitely not the case. Of course I wrote them seriously. Rather than adding an entertainment factor, there was a part of me that thought “this is how I want you to visualize things” when writing. Of course, I’m projecting what’s really inside my head this time too, but other than that, I’m trying to sing cheerful songs with lyrics I hadn’t been able to write before. Our cheerful songs back then were rather distorted instead of direct. They were sort of like a curve ball of hope, but also pretty simple already, done by stripping away a lot of things. I would’ve been impatient and embarrassed about that in the past, but this time I didn’t feel any of that at all. I just felt like I had done it. After writing or singing a song, I would’ve had a weird loop in my head that went, “Is this okay?” (laughs) There was none of that this time. There was a part of me that said, “You’re not as tied down as you think you are,” and another that answered, “Got it,” so I was able to write with a really good balance. I got to enjoy my sensibilities more purely, or rather, more genuinely, than ever before.

- Up until now, as Hiro from MY FIRST STORY, you believed that there were things you needed to say and a fighting stance you needed to take. There was a part of you that said that this was what was expected of you, right?

Hiro: Yes.

- You were able to scrape that off once and for all, huh.

Hiro: I was. If we’re talking about baseball or soccer, I’d say it’s comparable to changing positions. If we’re playing baseball, I was definitely always the pitcher. I was a bit reluctant to become a catcher or an outfielder. It feels like the ball game itself has already changed.

- I see.

Hiro: With this album, it’s kind of like the game has already turned into soccer. It doesn’t really matter to me anymore whether I play center back, forward, or defense. I’ve changed to the point where even playing goalkeeper is fine with me. It’s liberating. That being the case, it wouldn’t be fun to do things the way we always have anymore. Wouldn’t it be weird to have a baseball pitcher on a soccer field? What’s most important to me now is getting used to this new setup.

- This is quite an old topic, but you had made it clear in the past that you wanted to win. You still write those kinds of lyrics now, right?

Hiro: Yes, yes, yes, yes (laughs).

- There was a time in your life when you wanted the world to recognize you, and that feeling was the engine that fueled you, wasn’t it?

Hiro: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

- I don’t think that’s a negative thing at all, I believe that engine is important, too. It’s not that you’ve lost that engine rooted in anger and hatred, but I feel like you’ve just gotten a lot better at dealing with it. What are your thoughts?

Hiro: That’s right. It was around January or February when I started to see the silhouette of everything, around the time the coronavirus was becoming more and more of a concern. I just knew that things wouldn’t go the way I wanted them to (laughs). But I thought, “Well, maybe that’s just how things are supposed to be,” and that there were things I could interpret on my own. It’s like the engine itself has changed within me. There are about 2 or 3 things that remain unsettled, but a big one has more or less been taken out already. In other words, these are things I always want to keep with me, or rather, things I never want to lose. I don’t like the fact that people mellow down with age. That may be a normal part of adulthood, but I would end up thinking, “Hey, you’ve been singing that song for 5 or 10 years, and now you can’t sing it with the same intensity?” This is what comes to mind when I see a lot of people (laughs). For example, “You didn’t get along with them before, right? What made you get along with them now?” It’s because of that hate that this song or this album came about, yet they would say, “No, no, that was just how things were back then”. I seriously hate that weird “let-bygones-be-bygones” kind of attitude.

- Yeah (laughs).

Hiro: The hardest part for me is when, in extreme cases, the bully would meet his victim at a class reunion or something a few years later and tell him, “That’s just how everything used to be back then, let’s forget about the past and get along”. To that, I’d be like, “No, no, you might have already been able to digest things on your own, but my wounds are still very much fresh, you know”. Even if they have the same memories, the receiver’s and the giver’s feelings are completely different. The way their wounds heal are completely different as well. I don’t want to be put in that situation. If the point of becoming an adult is to be able to tell each other, “That happened to us a long time ago,” then I don’t mind not being an adult anymore. Looking back, however, the feeling of wanting to fuck with everyone is already gone. No matter who it is, as long as there’s something in particular that we can settle properly, then that’s totally fine with me. I really don’t like how people can move on over some nonsensical reason like time having passed. That kind of trivial engine? Mine used to be a huge, maybe ginormous, fuck-you-all type of engine. That isn’t the case anymore, as I’ve sort of decluttered my feelings when I compartmentalized them to see where the roots of my hatred lie. Kind of like, “No, this one and this one and this one are important”. There is, however, a bit of a cunning side to me that goes, “That’s not necessary for this album, or for the future for that matter”. That isn’t very catchy, so I thought it might be difficult for most people to accept. I think that has changed quite a bit in the last 2 or 3 years. The way music is expressed and seen, and the way music is perceived.

- That’s true.

Hiro: I think the music industry has considerably changed. I find myself wondering, “Is that really necessary?” I had a different set of friends 2 or 3 years ago, and the environment was different, too. Of course, there’s the fact that I’m not the same age anymore, and everything is always changing. Given that, I can forgive myself for the anger I used to have, can’t I? That’s why I erased those parts of my life. However, I decided to save the ones that I couldn’t afford to lose. Plus, I will use the things I’ve fostered over the last 2 to 3 years as my main engine and the things I’ve brought along with me from the past as my sub-engine. I think that would be the best balance for me moving forward. But it’s not something I’m consciously doing either. It’s all just unfolding on its own. If we’re talking about growing up, then I guess I have grown up. That’s pretty much how I imagine becoming an adult to be like. While holding on to the things that matter to you, you have to change in order to change the scenery visible to you, too. I think I’ll change my main focus each time. It’s just like moving house – there are a few pieces of furniture you’re taking with you to your new home, but there are also things you’re going to buy instead. Kind of like, my old sofa isn’t quite the right size, so I’ll buy a new one. But I think the closest thing to what I’m feeling right now is taking things with me because they’re still usable.

- I see. You said you’ve detached yourself from your hatred and anger, but as expected, there are some things you just can’t get rid of no matter how hard you try. But you were able to acknowledge the true meaning behind their existence.

Hiro: Yeah, yeah. To put it simply, no matter how hard I try to shake them off, I get annoyed when I get annoyed because I’m only human (laughs). I’m not trying to be a saint. I don’t want to be so open-minded that I’m capable of forgiving everything. In life, I get pissed off when I get pissed off. I cry when I’m sad, I laugh when I want to laugh. No one gets overly objective about their feelings on a regular basis, right? I think contradictions would just rise from that. We’re not gods or Buddhas, and I don’t think humans are that strong of a species either. So, to put it bluntly, I’m just a bandman. If I wanted to be such a thing or hold such beliefs, I would have been a celebrity or an idol instead. I think it’s the bandmen who have that kind of humanity in them. In other words, bandmen are given the free pass to be human, and to not want to throw certain things away. I think that’s one of my personal strengths.

- Ahh, now I understand.

Hiro: You do? (laughs)

- Yeah. That’s why you had been adding fuel to your engine of anger more and more through the years, because if it wasn’t for that, you wouldn’t have been able to face the world. You were lonely, or rather, you were trying to stay lonely.

Hiro: That’s true. As mentioned earlier, I wanted to be recognized by the world, but I don’t have the same burnt out feeling that I had back then. Now, I just want to keep things pretty simple yet challenging. I think the biggest change for me is that my thoughts have become simpler and purer. Before, I would have been like, “Shit!” but now, all I could think about is, “What should we do now?” So it’s like my enthusiasm has waned, in a good way. But I think that’s why I’m really excited right now – instead of pursuing my current goal, it isn’t the last thing on my bucket list anymore. All I could think about now is, “What would happen if we gave that a try?” That’s our number one goal as a band at the moment. We aren’t thinking about what happens after that. Well, then again, I know that our 10th year will be a milestone in our careers, but there are parts that have to be extended by a year or two because of corona. But I guess that’s the point – the future is so close, so that’s pretty uplifting for me. Like, “Oh, the future isn’t as far away as I thought”. I probably wouldn’t have been as excited about it in the past. I used to be all confident and arrogant, thinking, “I’ve made it this far!” but now there’s nothing stronger than the feeling of simply enjoying music. I think things will considerably change in the next year or two.

- I see. So let me get this straight: based on the way Hiro has been fighting so far, once you’ve played at the dome and the world recognizes you, the band is over. Because that was what the band was for.

Hiro: Yes, yes, yes. That’s right.

- There was a danger to that, huh. I mean, that was your purpose.

Hiro: Well, true. At least, it used to be. There’s still one map left in my mind, but there’s another one beyond that now. That will probably be after our 10th year, but well, I don’t know how many more years I’ll be able to keep this going. I wonder if things will still be fun after 10 years. I’ve sung the second chapter, no, I’m not close to done yet (laughs), but that’s what I’m looking forward to the most. It’s all just a fantasy in my head, really. Even so, I feel like it isn’t just a fantasy or a map I draw in my head anymore. I’m looking forward to making it all a reality as well.

- That’s nice. I want to talk about the songs this time.

Hiro: Sure.

- The song “Underground” is at the top of the tracklist. As expected, I think this song is the centerpiece of the album, and it’s super old school pop, too.

Hiro: It really is super old school pop, isn’t it (laughs). We slowed down the BPM quite a bit. We made it more melodious and easier to listen to. I made a few changes to the vibe of the song as well. As I said before, the lyrics are a mix of what I’ve done so far and what I’m feeling now. I believe this is the best way to show that we want to try new things while still keeping our flair.

- I think these types of songs will really become your signature songs in the future.

Hiro: Ah, is that so? (laughs) Well, I guess this is the first step. It was like our way of saying, “We want to go this way”. Making a sudden, drastic change isn’t exactly a good idea – well, ideally, I’d like to make a drastic change. But at the end of the day, that’s my story to tell, so people might not understand my process. No matter how many times I say it’s the second chapter already, people know about the changes we’ve made from the first chapter, so they’ll need some convincing. Everyone listening to us casually would totally be like, “Eh!?” so I believe it’s really important to make a 1.5 in between 1 and 2. Say I’m at 1.5 now, and the next is going to be 2. It feels like I’m saying, “Well, I’m going left”. The center of gravity is slightly tilted to the left. It would be explained in a way that’s easy to understand, so that everyone would be like, “Ah, he’s probably going left”. But what if my right foot was still at the center? If the next scene suddenly changes and shows that I’m already walking on the left, people would understand, but I feel like they would go, “Huh?” So by inserting something a little in between, it makes things easier to understand. I thought that would be a way to express our intentions.

- That makes sense. It’s a song showing that change, isn’t it? Hiro uses the words “I want to be loved” in the lyrics.

Hiro: Yes.

- If we’re talking about the old Hiro, he couldn’t use the words “I want to be loved” before.

Hiro: Well, I guess so.

- It wouldn’t have been a laughing matter if it was the old Hiro who said “I want to be loved”.

Hiro: Yes, yes (laughs). I guess you could say I’ve become able to say those kinds of things without thinking too much about it. In a good way. If I was conscious of what people thought of me, or as mentioned earlier, if I wrote lyrics thinking I was tied down, I wouldn’t have been able to use such words. But when I thought, “No, no, no, that’s not true,” that’s when I realized that the purest part of making music is the melodic hook. I want to have people thinking, “This hook is more beautiful” or “These lyrics have a lasting impact on me”. Also, the desire to convey my message in a simple manner comes first. That’s probably the most genuine way to make music. It’s really like a high school student making their first song. That’s how I was able to write the lyrics. Plus, the paths I’ve taken and the footprints I’ve left so far have made those words much easier to use. I personally got to write without anything weighing me down. Telling myself “Don’t take this so deeply” helped me in writing as well.

- Ahh, I see.

Hiro: Yes. That’s why I thought I’d make it the lead track. I just casually thought it was catchier. That’s what I had in mind when I was writing this time.

- I see. Of course you can say, “This is what I think”, but you can also say, “This is what everyone is thinking too, right?”

Hiro: Yeah, yeah. It’s really just a part of human nature. Like, I’m a human first, Hiro from MY FIRST STORY second (laughs). Or like, being human comes before being a bandman. I was simply able to write my thoughts without being conscious of myself.

- Well then, how about the line “I’ve given up on risking this life”?

Hiro: This time, it's not so much the meaning of the words as it is their nuance. I don’t think of “this life” in terms of 80 years or my own lifetime, but rather in terms of the present. If I had to say it, “There’s no point in pursuing it in this place” or something like that. There’s no way you can do everything you want to do, or to put it badly, you always have to either compromise or give up. Oddly enough, those who persuade themselves on how to live their lives are the ones who win. If that’s how you feel, then it doesn’t matter what anyone else does. Whatever convinces you wins. So in this case, I meant “Alright, I’m giving up”. But sometimes that’s just a part of you that you’ve been holding onto, like an alter ego. Can you kill it? Even if that side of you is gone, the one who decides on whether that’s okay or not is none other than your present self. That whole “am I willing to give up that part of me” thing is the feeling I was going for in the song.

- So it’s really lighthearted in that sense.

Hiro: Right. Really though, it’s not as heavy as things used to be at all (laughs).

!! Trigger warning: (Unnecessarily) graphic imagery in the next question

- In the past, there was a part of you that was like, “I’ll cut my arm and write the lyrics with my blood”, right?

Hiro: Hahahahaha. If we’re really talking about my life, I’d say it was more like my heart, but the way you described it isn’t how it felt like. It was more like, maybe I could make these emotions more lyrical.

- That's why Hiro's natural skills and sense as a lyricist really come out in this album.

Hiro: Thank you (laughs).

- Up until recently, your lyrics had conveyed, “I am this way because this is how I live my life”. But now, you say, “These are the lyrics I find interesting” or “I think these lyrics are nice”. You give off the vibe of a writer by trade.

Hiro: I suppose so. I’m not a writer, but there are many ways to say “I’m crying” such as “The rain hit my cheeks”. Instead of saying it as it is, I would rather use a good metaphor. All the better if I could add even more power words to that line. How should I explain this, it’s amazing how writers like Haruki Murakami are able to describe silence like, “Complete silence ensued, as if a telephone line had been cut off”. I wanted to incorporate expressions that would make listeners think, “Ahh~, that really hit home”. Rather than presenting myself in a way that’s easy to understand, I wanted to play it cool and adopt a literary style. I thought I’d try to make my words sound more lyrical. It feels like I’ve reached the second phase.

- I agree. After this, I feel like there are more true masterpieces to come. Wasn’t this work a change of pace already?

Hiro: Yeah, yeah. That’s right. I haven’t thought about the next one at all, though (laughs). We’re thinking of making more music in the same way we created this album.

- I think that’d be great.

Hiro: Well, I thought I’d check everyone’s reactions first, but I don’t think we’ll be able to hold a tour anytime soon.

- When you sing these songs live and move on to your next work, I feel like you will bloom once again as a singer.

Hiro: Right. On the contrary though, it’s a bit tough to mix the new album with all the songs we’ve made thus far (laughs). The characters are a little too different. What I want, what I’m trying to convey, and what I’m singing are all drastically different. It’s quite a challenge, if you ask me. I haven't really thought about whether we should make music that would blend them all together as we go along, or whether we should swing one way or the other. Despite that, I actually think it’s fun that the themes are so far apart. I’ve come to enjoy the changes, so in a way, I’m glad we took the plunge.

- I’m sure the next piece will be really exciting.

Hiro: Yeah.

- It truly feels like Hiro has unlocked a place he hasn’t been to before.

Hiro: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- I think it’s great that you’re having fun.

Mini Interaction with Maximum the Hormone

After Hormone’s set, their vocalist Daisuke-han approached the stage platform and joked, “You’d think I’m disinfecting this, right? Since MFS is next, I’ll sprinkle some sweat around here so Hiro would think it stinks,” all the while spraying actual disinfectant onto the platform.

When it was time for MFS’ MC, Hiro complained, “Disgusting, it smells like wet rag in here! There’s always that one band playing before us at a festival that doesn’t have any manners! It stinks, it seriously bothers me (laughs).”

NO MORE??

Hiro: I have a tendency to forget lyrics, so I often ask the audience to sing to me like this (holds up the microphone) whenever I get stuck, but that cheap trick doesn’t seem to work today. I didn’t realize how hard it was to sing the parts I don’t usually sing. I was like, this melody is scary~ (laughs). Everybody just usually shouts out during ALONE, right?

Kid’z: Yeah, even if you don’t tell them to.

Hiro: I didn’t tell them to shout today.

Kid’z: Everything stopped! No shouts!

Hiro: I was thinking about what I should do during “NO MORE!!”

Kid’z: You can just shout “NO MORE!!” yourself, right?

Hiro: I’m not in charge of that part, sorry. I’ve been relying too much on everyone, this feeling of dependency! (laughs) I can’t stay dependent forever.

モノクロエフェクター MC

Hiro: Are you doing alright, everyone? Do you not have a fever? Is your temperature normal?

Crowd: Yes~!

Hiro: "Yes” isn’t the answer I was looking for! Your temperature shouldn’t be normal, Osaka!!! (T/N: He’s implying that everyone should be fired up for the song lol)

With You MC

“What do you think of the world today? How do you find the world today? What do you think of this event?! Think whatever you want of it! 

However, there’s just one thing we mustn’t forget.

To us, music isn’t some nonessential, non-urgent thing! It’s something we definitely need right now!

The world is currently afraid of this invisible coronavirus, but at the same time, I truly believe that we have a strong, invisible bond through music and live shows!

People may think I’m an idiot, but I’m really proud to have met all of you here today. Thank you all for your courage! 

5th Interviewee: Hiro from MY FIRST STORY

- With regard to the coronavirus pandemic, how did you spend your time in quarantine while the country was under a state of emergency? Since you couldn’t meet people in person, what bonds and connections, if any, did you experience with those around you?

Hiro: I was always at home. It wasn’t often that I had so much time in my hands, so I tried all sorts of things. I think taking the time to reflect on myself helped improve a lot of things within me. We were making albums as well, so I’d like to believe I had a productive quarantine. The members and I exchanged a ton of data when we were making the songs, so I feel like we were in closer contact than usual when we couldn’t see each other. Given the current situation, I’m glad we were able to work together as a unit to create the albums.

- You released the two albums “BGM” and “sleeping” during quarantine, right?

Hiro: Up until now, we’ve been presenting every song we put out as “things we want to convey to everyone”, but this time, we made instrumentals without any vocals based on the concept of supporting people’s lives from behind. It’s precisely because of the situation we are in today that we hope the albums could accompany everyone through their daily routines. We used to get together before to discuss and create songs at the same time, but now we can make music remotely by having several patterns made and then choosing among them, thereby making things more efficient. I think we can make use of this work style in the future as well.

- “With corona”, as people would say, the future of music is likely to change. As an artist and music lover, what do you want music to be like from now on?

Hiro: I don’t think music will be gone forever. No matter what happens to the world in the future, music will never disappear from people’s hearts. That’s why I want everyone to continue listening to music as they always have in the past.

- “THE BONDS”, where you’ll be performing, pioneers a new live show format that will connect people to people and people to music in the midst of the coronavirus crisis. Please tell us how you feel about your first live performance in a while.

Hiro: With our own tours and events getting cancelled, of course we have mixed emotions, but we decided to perform at this event to make waves during this era, hoping we could be of help in some way or another. It’s been a while since we’ve performed live, so we’ll do our best!

- Are there any “THE BONDS” performers whom you have interacted with or would like to connect with in the future?

Hiro: If we’re talking about seniors then there’s Maximum the Hormone, but when it comes to connections, surprisingly, only KNOCK OUT MONKEY comes to mind. I listen to Vaundy and reGretGirl on the regular too, so I would love to connect with them from here on out and see them live sometime!

- Rinne, who listens to MY FIRST STORY regularly, passes the baton with the following questions – “Do you get nervous at shows? Please tell me about your fashion sense, or the kind of style that adds to your aura!”

Hiro: I don’t really get nervous before a show. I often imagine the venue being packed with people, or conversely, looking empty without an audience, right before a performance or the day before a show. Doing that might help calm your nerves. As for clothes, these days I just go into a clothing store and buy whatever I think is cute on the spot. Aura!? (laughs) You can’t just decide to have an aura. I think artists definitely have an aura about them even if they don’t realize it, so I’m sure Rinne has one too regardless of what he wears. Don’t worry!

- Lastly, a message for the fans coming to “THE BONDS” please!

Hiro: I’m sure there are a lot of worries and doubts at a time like this, but we’re doing the best we can in these trying times. I would love for all of you to see the moment we get back on stage, so let’s have fun together!

I was suffering from tendonitis myself while on tour, so I understand why Hiro didn't tell us about his throat

- This was Kid'z-kun's first tour with MFS, so I would assume that your relationship with the members has changed greatly.

Kid'z: I was with them more than I was with my family. We worked under the same schedule every day, so even if I wanted to be alone, I was with everyone. On that note, even if I wanted to be with someone else today, I'm with them. I feel like I got to see everything, both the good and the bad. To begin with, I'm definitely the farthest away from the members in terms of sense of distance, right? There are a lot of things I don't know about the past, but I'd like to think I've really gotten to know the members well this time around.

- Some time during the tour, Hiro-kun told you, "You're really looking after me, huh".

Kid'z: He did. Because I was really worried about him... Especially since Hiro is the vocalist, you'd think he'd have trouble with his throat and mental health, right? So whenever he seemed just a little down in the dumps, I would ask him, "What's wrong?" Even if he was simply concentrating, I'd still get worried. I'd get antsy if things felt somewhat off. That kind of thing stands out to me (laughs). At this point though, I just let them go about their lives freely.

- Did anything happen this time that helped you grow as a drummer?

Kid'z: I became more conscious about maintaining good health and taking care of my body. But I've been playing the drums for a long time now, so my love for the craft hasn't changed. Actually, I had tendonitis in the middle of the tour and I became unable to hold anything. My drumsticks, a car handle, not even a cup. It even hurt to hold a doorknob. Right before the show at the wing of the stage, I held my drumsticks and wrapped tape around my hands to prevent them from coming off, then I took them out at the end of the last song. I only used a little tape when the members were around.

- Which part of the tour was this?

Kid'z: Yokohama was tough. A sharp pain would shoot through every time I hit the drums, so if I didn't take painkillers I would've been unable to play. I thought to myself, will I end up not being able to tour around all 47 prefectures?

- So that happened, huh. That really caught me off guard just now...

Kid'z: Yep. I didn't tell anyone. I'm completely fine now, though. It got better a few days before Budokan, I think. I was playing without any tape in the end.

- Hiro-kun kept mum about his throat, too.

Kid'z: Ah, I also only learned about that from watching the film. I was like, "Eh!?" I thought he was kidding, but it's true. I knew something wasn't right, but as you would expect, he didn't want to cause any unnecessary worry. It could've possibly triggered all sorts of things to go wrong after all. That's why I only told my manager and no one else that I was in a little bit of pain. But the truth is, it wasn't just a little bit of pain, it was enough to make me break out in a cold sweat (laughs).

- How was your first time playing at Budokan?

Kid'z: I had never really gotten nervous before a show up until then. I was all, "Alright, let's do this!" but when I looked down at my hands, they were seriously trembling. I don't know if I was nervous or just excited, but I felt better once I started playing the first song. The view from the 360° stage was amazing. I would typically throw my used drumsticks to the ground under normal circumstances, but because I could also be seen from behind on that day, I was playing all the while making sure that I didn't make too much of a mess (laughs).

- What is "MY FIRST STORY" to you?

To what fate was he born and chosen to sing?

Thoughts on his family, his upbringing – a 20,000-character tell-all interview

To be honest, I didn’t expect Hiro to tell me this much about his life. By the time he responded to my proposal for a 20,000-character interview, he was already prepared to talk about his thoughts on his family, his upbringing, and what his songs mean to him. Be that as it may, I wasn’t expecting to hear so much about his conflicts with his family, his love towards them that was clearly in a changing phase, and the loneliness and circumstances he suffers from that no one else could ever experience.

Hiro tells us the reason behind this as he explains his relationship with (ROCKIN’ON) JAPAN, but he also details the story of how MY FIRST STORY created the masterpiece “ANTITHESE” and decided to stand on the fated Budokan stage. I believe Hiro’s songs will change immensely from hereon – they will become more impulsive, more passionate, and elicit stronger feelings of great potential. The life he is in, the life he is destined to live, in which singing was a matter of course from the moment he was born. This interview is a complete narrative of the turning point that made a significant change to his story, and the masterpiece of an album that was a turning point in itself. I hope you take the time to read it thoroughly.

- I think Hiro has dealt with loneliness and frustration really well over the years and has had to carry things from his upbringing that others couldn’t even begin to fathom. I feel like the time you’ve spent fighting like that has become the foundation of your form of expression. In that sense, the album “ANTITHESE” shows a lot about your personality, so for you to talk about your life is the same as talking about this album. 

Hiro: Yes, that’s right.

- Hiro wrote most of the songs as far as this album is concerned. Did this result in more Hiro songs?

Hiro: For this album, I thought of doing it all myself. For the longest time, it was always Sho who would make the original demos, add the melodies, change the chords, and subarrange, among other things. This time, I made the foundation for it myself. Rearranging it further was the hardest part, but it was the perfect timing and I knew I had to take charge, so I made up my mind to do so from the start. There was an overwhelming theme to this album and it couldn’t be done without me, so I thought that I should be the one making it. 

- Asking this now may seem out of the blue, but what is this overwhelming theme?

Hiro: My number one goal, or rather, what inspired me the most was definitely Budokan. It wasn’t finalized yet when we first started working on this album, but I felt like I could go to Budokan if we made this album. When I thought about what kind of album I should make for this purpose, I had an album in mind that I wanted to surpass no matter what, and I thought it made sense to go through trial and error to achieve that goal. That’s where the title “ANTITHESE” came from – the main point was to have an antithesis to a thesis. That was the biggest thing for me.

- So there was a clearly defined rival.

Hiro: Yes. It’s an album title that those in the music business, those who know of us, and those who are fans would definitely notice. On top of that, I knew it would without a doubt be the most controversial album of all time. I could’ve ignored that fact for a long while, but I have a tendency to look at things from a bird’s eye view. When the members became 4, when Budokan was decided, and when things started popping out left and right, I knew I shouldn’t run away from it forever. When the date for Budokan was set, I sort of felt like it was fate. I had never had a moment in my life where everything just clicked like this. If everything was connected up to this point and the ties will not be severed from hereon, then maybe I too should try riding the wave of that thread. With that in mind, I created this album.

- I see. The work on this album starts with the single “ALONE”, a song that focuses on “the proof of existence”. It’s very easy to understand that that’s where the story begins, because Hiro writes a lot about himself. I suppose the line “I’ve risked it all, even if it almost tore my lost heart into pieces” in “Nothing In The Story” is what your heart is screaming.

Hiro: That’s right.

- “I’ve risked everything for this,” you say. I’m sure you’ve had some frustration in not being able to express those feelings directly, but I also assume you tried to view things from a different point of view and accept that that’s just the way things are. However, you’d go, “If I do let things stay the way they are, my story will not move on from here.”

Hiro: That’s true. I’m not mature enough to be enlightened on the way things are, and no matter how hard I look at the bigger picture, subjectivity definitely goes in there somewhere. It wasn’t something I could give up so easily.

- You didn’t want to be compared to anyone else, you wanted to be recognized for who you are and move upwards as you are now.

Hiro: That’s what I find most difficult. It would be unbearable if I think about it too much, and I don’t know the right thing to do either. I am who I am now because of everything I’ve been through. If you are currently at a certain point in your life, then to go back to square one would be to deny the person you are today, but it all gets complicated when you’re not content with where you are now. I think this album was about coming to terms with that and deciding what to do from there.

- You’ve written all sorts of songs, but you’re only trying to say one thing. You’re earnestly writing songs that convey, “It’s these things that have made me who I am”.

Hiro: That’s right. The theme was hard.

- “Kimi no Uta”, for instance. It’s all in Japanese.

Hiro: I used more Japanese this time. It was composing the songs that was harder than anything else. The lyrics weren’t easy either, but once I got them right, I went deep into writing them. I’m not the type to compose music logically at all. I’d start with a melody and add backing tracks little by little, but if a good melody doesn’t come up then it doesn’t get my approval. Apart from that, this time I had an overwhelming challenge in mind that I didn’t want to be pulled too far in the direction of, but if I strayed too far away from it, I might not be able to get the message across. It was really, really difficult at the time.

- In any case, you’re calling this album “ANTITHESE”, so it wasn’t about making something friendly and having the world accept it. For Hiro, making “ANTITHESE” wasn’t about creating an album showcasing your skills or technique. It was about putting everything you had on the line.

Hiro: I’ve been trying not to show much of myself for as long as I could remember, but I couldn’t help thinking that this work was non-negotiable. I felt like I was finally going somewhere. It’s really scary, though. In the past, I would’ve had a wider perspective in choosing which songs I liked on the album, what order I should put the songs in, or which songs would be a hit among the rest, but this time I didn’t think about any of that at all. I was completely engrossed in making this album, so much so that it was the first time in a long while that I was able to relax after I finished recording “Home” last and wondered if the album was going to be okay. I had never made an album this controversial before, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how people react to it, having made it on the assumption that it was going to be criticized.

- So you recorded “Home” last.

Hiro: It was the very last song I recorded.

- This is the final number, right? People would think, “Are you really gonna write this much?” You’re literally singing about your family.

Hiro: That’s right. Really though, this song has everything you need for a 20,000-character interview (laughs). As I had come to accept myself recently, I wanted to express something that I had finally been able to digest. Up until now, I’d been depicting it in a very abstract way. I thought I had dipped my toes in the water for some songs, but I had never really submerged myself into it. That was the case for “Itsuwari NEUROSE” – I thought that that would be the be-all and end-all. When I pondered on which part of myself I personally wanted to share, I thought that the circumstances I grew up with and the sensibilities I had at the time were everything. Then I thought to myself, “There’s no other band like this”. I’d been asked what sets us apart from other bands in other interviews, but it isn’t about losing or not losing. I can say with absolute confidence that they couldn’t possibly win. It feels like I’m the main character in a role-playing game. The protagonist never dies, right? They come back to life over and over again until they defeat the last boss, they level up and equip all sorts of weapons. I had a much stronger feeling than certainty that I couldn’t die. That being the case, when I considered what everyone wanted to see, I thought that it would be the moment the hero takes down the villain and the ending. I think that is our story. We’re probably the easiest and hardest band to empathize with, but it was only recently that I realized that we are the ones who could change that. It was only recently that I’d come to deal with that fact. That was around last winter, when we were in the middle of making the album. I feel like I had finally changed my destiny with this album. For this reason, I thought that I wouldn’t be able to beat the almighty devil king or god unless I read the story behind why they appeared in the first place. Then, I linked that to my own life. However, I think that prologue would look completely different from the hero’s point of view and the villain’s point of view. Because of this, I didn’t want to end things with only one side of the story. To put it another way, that (one side) would be the most dominant part of my personality. As I see it, I feel like my past is my everything. However it may have been, I’ve always wanted to relay everything in a song, but I couldn’t, and I didn’t know how. But once we decided to create this album, it all felt like it was going to be fine. Down to the music and the lyrics, we had a specific theme and image for each song, especially for “Home”. I think this song plays the most important role out of all of the songs we’ve made thus far. The very existence of this song will lead to so many things.

- To use your words just now, if you don’t write this song, you wouldn’t be able to show the side of you that makes you who you are and the side of you that you have to look into the most, which will lead to you being judged. 

Hiro: Yes. I think about myself quite often, don’t I? Well… Would it be okay to tell you everything?

- Of course. If you have a lot to say, please go ahead.

Hiro: Alright. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how there’s no other family as ridiculous as ours. No other family has changed the industry like ours has. Both parents sing, and their sons sing as well. Moreover, two of those sons are in a band. I don’t think it’s common for most families to have thoroughbreds succeed thoroughbreds, and you don’t see families where most of the members get to stand on the Budokan stage very often either (laughs). I thought that being able to do that was fate. I was born into such a family, and even though I was the one who decided to go down this path, I feel like even that was predetermined. Just because I started making music doesn’t mean I’ll be able to play at Budokan. I think the odds of that happening are astronomical already. But I’d been fighting against those odds ever since, so if I had already made it this far, then maybe I should ride that fate out and see where it takes me. I wanted to see how things pan out, and that’s what changed within me.

- I see.

Hiro: Our guitarist Sho went on hiatus, Masack left the band and we became 4, we released an album, then decided on Budokan which will be taking place on November 18th. Budokan’s schedule is pretty packed, isn’t it? I don’t think that us being able to hold a show there in November was a coincidence. With all this happening one after the other, I couldn’t make excuses for myself anymore. That being said, what do I do now? When we first started the band, I was thinking of saying it all at Zepp, but when I got to stand there, I thought I wasn’t ready to talk yet. The view from the stage as a performer was closer than I thought it would be when I was still watching as a part of the audience. Because of that fear, I thought it was a bit too early to be talking about Budokan. But when I thought about it clearly, Budokan would be a slightly different case compared to Yokohama Arena or Saitama Super Arena. Budokan and Tokyo Dome were different. Then when I wondered how many years it would take for us to get to Tokyo Dome, I knew everyone wouldn’t want to wait that long. With that in mind, I set my heart on going nowhere but Budokan. The thing is, I couldn’t change the fact that so many artists are able to perform at Budokan. The value of Nippon Budokan wasn’t gonna diminish as I had imagined it to, but that value would inevitably change as more people became able to play on that stage. That being the case, I always said that we should hold a Budokan show that only we can do. When asked what kind of show that would be, I knew it had to be one that would surpass the Budokan show from 6 years ago. I think that that was the only way we could conquer Budokan, and that we were the band that should be doing just that. Over the years, there had been many twists and turns to be able to achieve that goal, such as members going on hiatus, quitting the band, joining the band, and touring around all 47 prefectures, but if it will only take us 5 years to stand on the Budokan stage, then the stakes will all be worth it. To stand in Budokan on November 18th – that in itself means a lot already.

- To sing “Home” at Budokan on November 18th holds a lot of meaning for Hiro, and it would be the first time the band MY FIRST STORY will be playing as the protagonist. Truly, in the essence of Hiro’s being, life, and values, MY FIRST STORY will become a band that can compete with everyone else. 

Hiro: I guess so. I don’t want to lose, of course, but we’re not trying to match anyone either. Rather, it all starts from here, from the moment I made up my mind to stand on the starting line, or the moment I finished warming up and got myself in a ready position. I feel like this is where the competition to see who can do the fastest time begins.

- Hiro is the only person in the world who has the right to stand on the starting line, huh.

Hiro: That’s right.

- I would assume you also thought about just running on a different lane.

Hiro: That’s true. There was a part of me that was already happy with doing just that. It was definitely my weak side. But if fate was going to lead us to where we are now, then there was no point in running away anymore. I think it’s more like me to face things head on. I think I would have never seen the real me had I not decided to confront my fears. This time, our moment had finally come, so I’d be happy if everyone understood that.

- I’m not on the level of understanding just yet (laughs). This song is amazing. “Now I want to go beyond, now I want to go beyond”. And the lyrics after that, “Sometimes I watch the TV and hear family’s voice”.

Hiro: I think I’m the only one who can write these lyrics. I actually came up with these lyrics around the time we made “Second Limit”. It’s an homage to the lyrics of Avril Lavigne that went something like, “I was listening to the radio and Radiohead was playing” (T/N: I assume he was referring to Avril Lavigne’s song “Here’s To Never Growing Up”). I don’t think there are a lot of people who are in a position to embody such a line to this extent, and to express it in terms of “him” or “her” instead of proper nouns. I’d been thinking about that since I wrote “Second Limit”, but no matter how I looked at it, it wasn’t the right time to put it out just yet. It was refreshing to finally be able to write it out. I tend to get easily distracted, and even if I find something cool, it’s unlikely that it stays that way for long. This was the only feeling I had that never changed or once wavered. Since I’m still feeling the same way 5 years later, I thought it would be a good idea to finally write it down. In a way, I think it had held a bit of my rebelliousness from back in the day. I also used to care too much about what other people thought of me. It felt like I was weirdly acting like a grown up, even if I was still far from being one. It felt like I was being strangled more and more. I was concerned about what people would think if I said such a thing, but if they still had something to say despite me not saying anything, then I might as well lay it all out then be told off afterwards instead (laughs). If I were told off after I’d said my piece, it would be a good rallying point and it would be possible to reach a compromise.

- It’s like you’ve climbed up all this way just to sing this song. “Even if I can’t go back to those memories, I will not run away from you” – does this part bear meaning to you personally as well?

Hiro: This one, no. Only the beginning.

- So it was just written for writing’s sake.

Hiro: Yeah. But I wrote that line with the hope of the song in mind. It wasn’t 100% me, it was more of Hiro from MY FIRST STORY. Of course Hiro from MFS would appear in this song. So I had them both mixed up here in these two lines.

- Now, let me ask you something else. First and foremost, when is your birthday?

Hiro: January 25, 1994.

- What’s your earliest memory?

Hiro: Maybe when our house was built. The house was built around the same time I was born. I don’t think I was old enough to understand anything at all, but I remember looking at it from the outside while my father was carrying me. I was like, “Wow~ Amazing~”. I guess that was my first ever memory.

- How would you describe the shade of that memory?

Hiro: ...If I had to choose, it would probably be a warm memory. It might not go all the way up the scale, but it’s a memory with a temperature, if anything. 

- You were around a year old?

Hiro: Yeah, more or less.

- But you remember that scene happening.

Hiro: I remember it vividly. I don’t know, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t mean it in a bad way, but for better or for worse, I don’t have any memories of spending time with my family. Moreover, it feels strange to have the world know about my family. We had such a special relationship that it was almost as if my grade school classmates knew my mother and father better than I did. It’s like, “That guy on TV is my father” – that’s about as uncomfortable as it’s gonna get. Everyone would tell me, “That’s your dad”, and I’d be thinking, “Is that so?” I had never simply played catch with him, never gone anywhere for the end of the year, and I had never even had a home-cooked meal before, so I had really weird feelings towards my family. I know they’re important, but I think they’re less important to me than most people are. If the average person weighs 100 percent to me, it would only be about 70 or 60 percent for my family – they lack the remaining 30 or 40 percent. It’s not that I don’t like them or am bitter towards them, it’s kind of like, even I don’t understand why. I’ve always felt strangely towards my family, so I think that’s why I was able to write this song. I guess it’s because I was born last, so my memories of family were a lot shorter compared to those of my brothers. I never felt bad about that though, and I’m able to do all of this now because of that. If things had gone well, I’m sure I would have been one hell of a little shit (laughs). I can affirm that, but it’s kind of hard to understand so I can’t really explain it.

- What kind of kid were you?

Hiro: I don’t think I’ve changed much. I was pretty stubborn, and I wouldn’t yield even if I said something wrong. I used to lie a lot, too. We weren’t allowed to have cup ramen at home, but I would hide and buy some from the convenience store. If I got found out, I would say I didn’t know anything (laughs). Even if it was in my room, I would say, “It wasn’t me, didn’t mom put that there?” then run away.

- When did you first become aware of music?

Hiro: Hmm, when I was in my second year in high school. Until then, music was just always in the air. Music would naturally be playing at home, and I would listen to music when I’m out of the house as well. My parents would sing songs and stuff. It was always just there. That was how it had always been, so I didn’t pay attention to it for a long time. But when I was in my second year in high school, everyone started deciding what to do in the future, and my friends said they were going to university. 3 years in middle school and 3 years in high school were enough to make me sick of being a student, so I didn’t wanna go there. Thing is, there wasn’t anything I wanted to do either. When I was thinking about what I should do, I don’t know when it happened, but there was a moment when I realized that music was something I could make a career out of. Up until then, there were barely any hurdles for me to make music my profession. When the idea popped up in my head, I made up my mind immediately with no hesitation. I hadn’t been able to take part in any of the club activities until then, but since music was what I had always been doing at the time, I knew this was the only thing I could do. I just didn’t see the point in not pursuing music when I was allowed to do so anyway. I thought that life wouldn’t be as fun anywhere else. It was the first time I became aware of something I had always taken for granted.

- Have you been singing since you were a kid?

Hiro: Mostly just humming. I would look at the lyrics and sing along as I listened to minidiscs and stuff like that. If my dad happened to come home while I was singing in the living room, I would turn off the music right away. He would point out that my pitch was off and in my head I’d be like, “Shut up”. That’s why I didn’t really sing in front of my parents. I guess I would have been able to sing if both my brothers were with me, but all I could think of at the time was that they were all so annoying. 

- You still didn’t have feelings of liking singing at the time, huh.

Hiro: I didn’t. It’s a part of the necessities of life that I can’t live without – it’s only natural to have music. In other words, I don’t really understand the power that music brings. Sometimes I would think that music could change people or that music could change the world, and I say so in my MCs too, but I rarely think about it. I can’t say that music could change the world or that music could change people, because music is a natural part of life. I would think, “I don’t mean this in a bad way at all, but how can music save someone?”

- So you’re not overly attached to music, huh.

Hiro: Right. It’s my destiny already after all. I don’t have any emotional attachment to my own life either, because it’s like, “I’m alive right now (and that’s all that matters)”. But whenever I get asked what life means to me, I’m really not exaggerating when I say that I would plainly answer “music”. I don’t feel emotionally attached to it, but if it’s not there then I would die. Because it’s who I am.

- Everyone tries to attach emotions to their personal experiences. Some people have stories like, “When I heard that riff by Nirvana in my second year in middle school, I knew I wanted to be a musician, so with that one riff, everything changed”. On the other hand, in Hiro’s case, your life was set up right from the start.

Hiro: Yep. From the very day I was born.

- Did you ever try to pursue anything else apart from music?

Hiro: I wanted to try a lot of things. Music wasn’t even on the list until my second year in high school, so I thought about doing all sorts of jobs like being a comedian or a baseball player. But I started to think that I wasn’t going to be a kid forever, so I decided against it. I found myself face to face with reality. 

- We all once wrote our dreams for the future in our grade school yearbooks, right? What did you write in yours?

Hiro: I don’t remember. I wasn’t the type of kid who took those things seriously, and I didn’t have to think about it from the third grade up to my third year in middle school. I thought I could get away with it, I guess. But when that time of my life ended, I thought to myself, “Well, what am I going to do?” That was what the second son (T/N: Tomohiro Moriuchi) was particularly agitated about. Every time I saw him, he would ask me, “What are you going to do in the future?” Music didn’t come up whenever my family asked me what my dream was, so it seriously wasn’t an option. I wasn’t mature enough to really think about it that much, and when I was in middle school and high school, I was happy as long as I had fun every day. I thought my life would be over after high school. I didn’t think it would last beyond that. That was when I met our producer. The first thing he said to me was, “You look like a good singer. Are you in a band?” At the time, it had been around 2 days since the band I had with our guitarist Teru disbanded. I answered, “I’m not. Our band just broke up the other day actually,” and he replied, “I see. Let’s start a band.” I thought that was really sloppy of him (laughs), but my band had just broken up, so I said, “Sure.” Then he asked me to come to the studio a week later. I sang at the studio, but the recording we had was pretty intense. I thought I wasn’t cut out for it, but they said my voice was cool and that we should start a new band. Nob and Masack were on the bass and drums back then, so I started a band with those 3. After that, we decided to bring in another guitarist, and just my luck, Teru said he wanted to play with me again. I was in a huge hurry at the time. Everyone around me was in high school, and we kept getting booked by livehouses, playing shows, and paying extra because we didn’t reach our quota. It had me wondering until when this was going to last. I was graduating soon, and my friends in high school along with their other friends were my entire community, so I knew it would be a disaster if all of that disappeared. I was living in a very small world, but everything changed when I met our producer. The possibilities, the range and depth of options, all unlike anything I had ever seen before. I was overwhelmed by the speed at which things were happening, but I was also relieved.

- I see.

Hiro: The first 2 years was all about the simple joys of being in a band. When we went on our first tour or show, everyone came and paid for their own tickets, and I was genuinely glad to be standing there as a professional. The members were all serious about what they were doing too, so that made me really happy as well. Up until then, it was normal for me to hear, “Sorry, I have to go to cram school”, “I have to study”, I have a part-time job”, so getting rid of that alone made me so happy I could die. As I released more and more of my music, my own emotions started to grow, and things gradually changed from then on. I think it was around the time we made “Saishuukai STORY” when MY FIRST STORY became a part of me. All this time, I was screaming and just going with the flow, but then all of a sudden, I became an adult. 

- It’s ironic, isn’t it? In your case, music was always by your side, yet the realization that being in a band was fun came later than most people.

Hiro: That’s true. I’ve been asked what the first ever CD I bought was in so many interviews, but that question is incredibly hard for me to answer (laughs). I seriously don’t remember it at all. All this time, I had only been giving half-assed answers because it’s not something people would understand unless they’ve heard my story, but I’d never been able to share my story up until now. When I was in middle school or high school, I felt like ROCKIN’ON JAPAN was the number one magazine out there. I thought it was the king of music magazines, and I was deeply attached to it. Then, when we started the band, I was thinking of speaking up for the first time at Zepp or Budokan, but I’d decided that this (magazine) would be the first place I talk about my life.

- Is that so?

Hiro: Then, since the timing was perfect with this 20,000-character interview, and since Koyanagi-san will be the one interviewing me, I thought that today was the day I should finally speak up. I’d never spoken about it before, I didn’t have the guts to, and I had quite a few things left unsettled up until now. It feels great to finally be able to talk about it now for the first time. 

- You deal with music in a very unique way, huh. To illustrate, it’s like water and air to you. “The air saves me every day!” Don’t you agree? (laughs)

Hiro: I do! I don’t think anyone appreciates being able to breathe air every day. Everybody just lives off of that life force, so I couldn’t help thinking deeply about it. 

- When did music become a form of expression for you?

Hiro: Expression… I don’t know if I’ve ever thought of it that way. I sing about proving my existence in “ALONE”, but in my mind, it’s not as strong a proof of existence as everyone imagines it to be. I’m really just doing it because I love it. I simply want to hear new songs in my own voice. I’ve always done it as an extension of my hobby, so I don’t really understand the fact that I’m getting paid to do this. I’m like, what’s this compensation reward for? I don’t think I’ll ever leave music behind no matter how much it changes, so I don’t really feel like I’m doing it for self-expression. 

- I see. I want to ask you a few more questions about your past. What kind of student life did you have when you were in grade school and middle school?

Hiro: I was just having fun. Well, I was a bit of a naughty kid from around my second year in middle school (laughs). I didn’t go to school much. I didn’t have a lot of friends in middle school. I was rather popular until around my first year so I was just going with the flow, but just like how a nail that sticks out gets hammered down, I was pushed to the side hard (T/N: ignored) in my second year or so. I couldn’t make any friends and I was always lonely. Even in my third year in middle school, I would play outside instead of going to school. Then, I joined the music club in my third year in high school. I heard that students weren’t allowed to join clubs in their senior year because they would be sure to participate in the school festival. They’d have club homeroom every Wednesday, so that was when I asked them, “Please let me join the club.” I didn’t feel like I would lose to any of the guys in that room, so I said, “Please let me participate in the school festival,” and with that they told me, “Fine, if you insist”. At the time, the best performers out of everyone in the club gathered together and did covers and original songs. I was already with MFS back then, so we were touring around non-stop. That being said, we decided to hold a performance that would overwhelmingly crush the top band at the school festival, and we went home with a bang. When I got to my senior year, I thought, “Yikes, I’ve only got 1 year left to be a student”, so I decided to do a ton of things that I could only do then. I became a member of the executive committee for events and was involved in organizing the athletic and cultural festivals. That’s why my senior year in high school was pretty free and fun. All things considered, I think both my middle school and high school days paved the way to where I am today. I was living in a society where that community was everything, so I couldn’t help feeling a sense of loneliness when I was withdrawn from it, but I was able to meet so many people and realize that I was struggling in such a small world. 

- Hiro’s way of life is pretty flexible in a way, huh? You’re willing to accept things because that’s just how they were meant to be. It’s a special ability you were able to learn, isn’t it?

Hiro: The past isn’t going to change, but I don’t want to say these kinds of things in my songs. You don’t know what kind of person is going to be listening, and a song is only 3 minutes long. There’s only so much text you can squeeze in. For example, you can’t expect some random person passing by to suddenly give you good advice. And even if what they said was right, you don’t even know them. There are people who don’t share the same pain, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to put the band on the line and dedicate everything to a single group of people. That’s why I write songs about my story. 

- I strongly feel you on that. When it comes to your manner of songwriting, you don’t say, “This is how it should be”. You’d answer your own questions, and if someone else sympathizes with you in doing so, then great.

Hiro: Yeah, exactly. It’s easy to put up a façade, but I believe people can grow by showing their weaknesses and making other people think. It’s no good to just show the answer to a problem; the most important part of the process is to think about why you got the answer you got. I think life is a repetition of these things. I don’t want to tell people they can change. I don’t really like being pushy.

- Hiro doesn’t say, “This is black” in his songs. You endlessly ask yourself, “Is it white? Is it black?” That’s what everyone says – “It’s different for each person”. But I think Hiro truly understands that each person is different. I believe that’s how you’ve been living your life. Perhaps that’s the reason your self-questioning lyrics are so compelling. In this album, Hiro writes, “This is what the shape of my heart is like now”. This piece was the first time you tried to frame your own mind.

Hiro: I think I’m a really, really twisted person. If I’m moved by something I see, I think people who could see things from a normal perspective would be even more moved by it. I’m pretty confident about that. So whenever I find something cool, I’d say, “It’s cool, isn’t it?” I’m not trying to impose. The fact that I was able to think a certain way and keep going with that in mind is the reason I’m here today, I believe. That’s what it all comes down to. I think this is the most direct I’ve ever been able to express myself, not in an abstract way. 

- You were able to write in specifics without escaping to the abstract. It’s truly an incredible album.

Hiro: Thank you.

- You mentioned at the beginning of this interview that there was something stronger than certainty already in place. What would that be?

Hiro: To release our 4th album, at the age of 22, as 4 members, playing Budokan in November after having been together for 5 years… It’s scary, isn’t it? How things led up to this point. With everything turning out that way, I knew I wanted to exceed the album from that time at all costs. I thought that doing so would be the best way to prove my existence. I’m absolutely sure that there was something stronger than certainty about that.

- Something along the lines of, “I will face my destiny”, or “I will live my destiny”?

Hiro: Yeah. I guess it’s somewhere in between facing my destiny and living my destiny. I do think it’s more important to face it though, and I feel like Budokan is the perfect stage for that. But as you would expect, I definitely don’t want to lose. This is the first time I’m talking about this, but our motive for starting the band, or our biggest ambition if you will is, as mentioned earlier, the fact that there is no other family like mine. There’s the father and the mother whose sons were rascals, but one’s in a successful band that’s doing well overseas, too. “Their son is just as amazing”, “What a great family” – this is our current image to the public. The story I want to tell, however, is that there’s also a younger brother in the picture who’s even better. That’s the ideal story we wanted to create. We’ll go into battle as the select few in order to make this a reality, so we have no desire whatsoever to join a major label like they did. How can we go above and beyond? That’s my biggest dream, so I’m running forward to achieve just that. But like I said before, it feels like I’m trying to view the public’s image of my family objectively. I’m not in that circle. As I say in “Home”, I don’t belong in that circle; I’m connected to it, but I’m somehow outside of it and am trying to break it with no hesitation. It’s a strange feeling, but I strongly stand by it. If you take this into consideration when listening to this song, you’ll see it in a completely different light. It’s not just a simple desire to not lose – it’s a more complex emotion with a different direction.

- You’re not just saying it’s a rivalry. It’s not about who should win, it’s about the situation you were given.

Hiro: I want to seize my destiny. With such strong blood, strong DNA, and a strong destiny, I truly don’t feel like I will lose to anyone. It’s like, “Sorry, but you’re definitely not gonna win. Because there’s no other family like mine.” I don’t have an emotional attachment to the idea of family like everybody else does, and I don’t really understand what it’s all about, so I’d discuss it with my friends when we go out for drinks. I had kept it to myself all this time and never told anyone about it, but I started to loosen up and was able to talk about it. I don’t know if people would understand my situation, and they probably won’t, which made me think that I was the only one suffering from this. Then I thought it might be a good idea to turn this into a song.

- 22 years old, 4 members, November, Budokan. The whole journey was written in this song, wasn’t it? I think this interview was very meaningful because of this album and song, and that everyone’s emotions are headed in the right direction towards Budokan.

The band has overcome its limits, and has given life to the masterpiece “S･S･S”

A solo interview with Hiro, where he shares his thoughts on finally getting to where he is now!

The rock band MY FIRST STORY has finally reached its full potential and came out with a simply amazing album.

Hiro has been making declarations for quite some time now – his thoughts towards his family, the meaning of his life, and the meaning behind his songs. At times they’ve been fired as a clear declaration of war and at other times as words of encouragement, but the truth is, until their last album “ANTITHESE”, those declarations naturally became a melody, a lyric, a song, against which MFS has always struggled alone. 

However, this album is different. This album is solely dedicated to music. It’s just rock. It’s purely loud and piercingly melodious. 

High quality, open, and very poppy music is being sought after. This is, so to speak, practically the first album they’ve made in which Hiro’s talent as a musician bloomed upward beautifully. It’s been 7 years since their debut, and it’s incredible how they were able to make it this far to get a chance at performing for 2 days at Yokohama Arena. 

MFS and Hiro’s journey is finally approaching its quintessence from hereon. I talked at length with Hiro, who had made a breakthrough.

- How’s the band doing?

Hiro: It’s been pretty good. For better or for worse, we haven’t been aggressive since Budokan. I think we’ve been able to maintain our pace without spiralling out of control. 

- Would it be safe to assume that that vibe was reflected in this album?

Hiro: Actually, I think this is the album that came out the best. On the flipside, it felt like everyone was just completely following my lead for our last album “ANTITHESE” (laughs). While continuing the course of the previous album, it was through our egos then and our desire to “take it easy”, “ do things freely”, and “try out all sorts of things” that this album came about.

- “ANTITHESE” was made in such a way that it just drilled you down, drove you into a corner, and squeezed you dry. Was the process completely different this time?

Hiro: About 3 or 4 songs on this album have been around since we made “ANTITHESE”. The songs “M.A.D” and “REMEMBER” are two of those, and more came about when I discussed how I wanted to make more songs like them with the members. “ANTITHESE” came together nicely, and I thought it would be nice if we could develop it further with these two songs.

- So there was no talk of putting those two songs on “ANTITHESE”, huh.

Hiro: In my mind, those 14 songs are the full maximum, no more or less than that. I didn’t want to put anything extra. But I thought, “The songs are cool, I wanna release them. Maybe in the next album.”

- I see. Did you already have some sort of vision as to what you wanted the album to be like from that stage?

Hiro: I did. “ANTITHESE” is like a boy while this one’s like a young man, as if it got a bit more mature. There are a lot of minor details that went into it like chord progressions, riffs, melodies, and rhythms, but we made it wanting to convey a sense of indirectness or something like, “Ah, this is pretty cool” when listened to.

- That sounds great. It’s like an upgraded version of the band, like “MY FIRST STORY 2.0”.

Hiro: That’s right (laughs).

- I suppose you could make another album like “ANTITHESE”, but to return to that point in your life...?

Hiro: That’s pretty tough (laughs). Once you’ve spit it all out once, the things you want to say the second time around will definitely be different. I can’t make another album like that.

- I believe you struggled in order to put out the album “ANTITHESE”, but after doing so, did you feel something like, “I’ve wrung out everything I wanted to say, what do I do now?”

Hiro: I did, I did. Personality-wise, I can’t keep writing lyrics that only convey “hope”. There are a lot of other artists who can do just that and make it resonate with everyone, so when we realized that that wasn’t what we should be doing, we thought we had to write ourselves realistically the way we are now. It’s easier to get a bird’s eye view of the song’s world rather than the lyrics’, so I would say, “We made a song like this last time, let’s try to make it more stylish by adding a tension chord,” or have an idea in my head like, “We did this last time, maybe we should do this next time”. I honestly thought it’d be boring if we only put out songs like “ALONE” or “Fukagyaku”, and the songs themselves aren’t gonna die out anyway, so “ACCIDENT” was born. Sometimes it’s harder to figure out how to flesh things out from there (laughs). 

- In terms of lyrics, what kind of changes have taken place since the end of “ANTITHESE” up to this point in time?

Hiro: Probably up until around “ALONE” and “ANTITHESE”, the lyrics had only been about me. But as you would expect, there isn’t much more to say (laughs). I’m not all hate. The lyrics I envision or write are of my ideal person. So it doesn’t mean that I live my life that way every day – of course I’ve betrayed myself countless times, and I’ve lied to myself as well, but you can’t see that part of me from the outside. Those who receive it as a song lyric always think that that’s all there is to it. Humans aren’t that strong – there are days when your mind is on the edge, and there are days when you feel like you’re not your usual self. Rather, I think it’s during times like that when people can relate to the lyrics. When I started writing with that in mind, I was surprised at how much I could write. I was so adamant about needing to write in that tone of voice, but I was able to remove that part of me after doing Budokan which made things a lot easier.

- The more you listen to it, the more you realize that the lyrics are very personal. You also feel a sense of living that you’ve never felt before.

Hiro: Yes. It’s important to show different sides of myself, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to write more in the future. I also look forward to what kinds of reactions I’ll get when I put out such things. It’s like, I didn’t cook anything super elaborate, I just tried making something out of what I had in the fridge. But I’ve been doing this for 7 years now, so I think I can make a pretty decent meal with what’s stocked in the refrigerator (laughs). You can do a lot of things with the nuance “as long as the dish is good”. I think that’s how the album came to be, in a good way.

- I think that’s a great change. For the longest time you’ve been setting up some sort of hurdle that goes, “How many people truly understand what I’m feeling here?” but that was taken away and now it’s just like, “If you like music, give it a listen”.

Hiro: That’s true. In a sense, I’ve finished what I wanted to do, so I thought I’d take a more casual approach to MY FIRST STORY. I’m now able to challenge all sorts of things I wasn’t able to do in the past. Conversely, I think the 5 years after Budokan will be even more difficult.

- In the days leading up to Budokan, MFS as well as Hiro were looking for a way to end things, or even a way of life in which things would personally end in the most beautiful way possible.

Hiro: Right. It’s still the same now, it’s never ending, but I definitely don’t want to continue doing this on an emotional level. So far, we’ve made it clear that we’re aiming for Tokyo Dome. I think it’d be tough for the people watching over us to support us if they didn’t know what we want to do, what we’re trying to achieve or what our goal is. We can’t keep running in the dark with no goal in sight, but we have to keep running regardless. By putting what lies ahead of me into words, I feel like it solidifies the path I should be taking. When we started the band, our goal was Budokan, but after finishing that, it became Tokyo Dome. This time, I wonder what will happen next after Tokyo Dome is over. Only then will we know what the future holds, but right now, I think Tokyo Dome will be the end of the road for MFS 2.0.

- Then after that, you might find something new again, or you might think, “It’s over”. You never really know, huh.

Hiro: Yeah. It’s like a plot with a clear introduction, development, twist, and conclusion. We’re called MY FIRST STORY after all, so if we don’t convince ourselves that we’re in a story with a beginning and end, we won’t be able to continue running ahead. I’m the type of person who can’t pull through unless I set a goal to run for 1 hour or 10 km. Because we decide on a location to aim towards, in a sense, we become able to keep moving forward. 

- I see. That’s a good mode to be in.

Hiro: That’s right. It would be tough if I kept the same pace as I did moving towards Budokan (laughs). And even if I did go at the same pace, I don’t know if I’d be able to make it. If I thought about it all the way through until we got there, everyone else would be thinking about it too, so I thought it’d be better to stop fussing over it for a while. I’ve thought about it enough. So for now, at our own pace, we’re focusing on working with what we can sensibly come up with, what would be good for us to do, and what we’re capable of doing now. I believe it’s for the best.

- I really admire how Hiro, who was searching for his final destination, is now singing about wanting to continue on with MY FIRST STORY.

Hiro: Yeah. I as well as the members are excited for what lies ahead, not having to be bound to a certain rock band image or genre. Of course, the members and I definitely have our pride and things we want to maintain, but none of us have a “must do this” mentality. Because of this, I think there’ll be more opportunities to try things out in the future. With the addition of Kid’z, we’ve moved past Budokan, and I’m sure there’ll be even more in store from now on. The members have been getting along really well lately. We’ve been hanging out a lot, and when I taught them how to play poker, they all got hooked and played together until morning (laughs). 

- For real? (laughs)

Hiro: When you spend time together outside band activities, your perceived values become the same, and the things that come out of that will be more different than how they’ve always been in the past. I think the ideas we’ve been putting out and reconciling with each other up to now are becoming more and more whole. If you don’t experience or feel the same things on a regular basis, you won’t be able to create much. I think we blend together really well right now, so I’m looking forward to the future.

- The first thing I noticed this time was your voice. The way you sang and the variations in your singing voice were really well done. It’s like, “There’s this drawer, and this drawer, and if you’d like, there’s this ceiling”. It kind of felt like that way of singing was finally unleashed.

Hiro: Really? Thank you. For me, it didn’t feel that way this time at all, I felt it more so when I made “ANTITHESE”. But just like the “even if you overthink things, there’s nothing much you can do” thing I mentioned earlier, if you think too much about it and then try to sing, that’s when you surprisingly become unable to sing. So now, instead of trying to sing without letting the pressure get to my head, I focus more on casually internalizing what I would think if I were the listener. Mainly thinking, “If I add a little touch here, would it sound weird,” or “I wonder if it isn’t bad”, I would’ve sung it rather quickly so I wouldn’t think too much about it.

- So it would be like you were just singing along to the music?

Hiro: Yeah. As if that’s just the way I wanted it to be.

- I’m sure there were a lot of variations in terms of music, so inevitably I’d assume there were variations in the songs as well.

Hiro: Ahh, I really wanted to make an album that wasn’t straightforward. Of course there are straightforward songs as well, but I wanted to throw in a few curve balls there too. Curves, sliders, forks, knuckles, all sorts of things were thrown together to make it work, and specifically having that in mind made things easy to understand when we were putting the songs in. It’s like, “No matter how you look at it, it’s this kind of song. Well then, let’s sing it that way”. It was easy to grasp for me as a listener and as a singer.

- If you listen to this album objectively, what do you think about your vocals?

Hiro: I’d tell myself, “You had a lot in mind when you were recording, huh.” However, I can definitely sing without an issue this time around, so I feel totally fine listening to myself now. I’m really jealous of people who can shake it off and say, “This is who I am”, because I can’t. But I was thinking, if I could push myself hard enough to be able to sing like that one day, I’d feel much better, or perhaps something new will be born within me from there. This album allowed me to experience that. Rather than having me in the song, it’s something I created, something I can present as a part of myself. This album shows the breadth of my own evolution and what lies ahead. It goes the same way for MFS as a whole, too. That’s why I’m really glad we tried making an album like this.

- You’d want to say, “It’s a masterpiece!” but I feel like it’s more so “There’s gonna be more masterpieces from now on”.

Hiro: That’s right. It’s like the meat in a course meal. And then it’s gonna be like, “We’re serving pasta after this,” “Eh, seriously!?” (laughs)

- Even the band members are playing very freely, huh.

Hiro: Yes. This time, I wasn’t present for the members’ recording sessions at all. They’d call me and ask, “What do we do here?” and I’d answer, “Eh? Anything goes” (laughs). Of course I knew the dates, but I wouldn’t go even if I was free (laughs). There’s nothing for me to do there even if I went, and we all have our own things we want to pursue and things we want to do with the songs. I didn’t think it was right for me to say how things should be done. Even my parts aren’t perfect, and I wouldn’t know what to say to the member in question if I wasn’t sure whether the part they worked on was done correctly or not, and I feel like telling them what to do would take out all the fun. Realizing that it’s better for me to listen objectively to a piece of work created through everyone’s efforts was a huge help. On top of that, I’m able to do the things I want to do – it’s already an ideal situation (laughs). I don’t care what they do, as long as they don’t commit a crime (laughs).

- Amazing. I never thought the day would come that I’d hear those words from you (laughs).

Hiro: Hahahaha, it’s true. We didn’t start out as friends. We just considered each other as fellow members when we started the band, always keeping one another in check with a great deal of care and a little bit of stress. However, even if Budokan was for me and for everyone listening, it was the members who understood me the best. From that point on, we didn’t really mind each other’s businesses anymore, and it became like, “Why don’t we just say what we want to say to each other, we’ve come this far after all?” They know their parts, and they know themselves better than anyone else, so there isn’t a whole lot to complain about anymore. Even if one of us would make a mistake at a show, we wouldn’t say, “Play it right” or anything like that anymore. They know what they’re doing, and they know that there’s nothing else to respond to such a comment other than “I’m sorry”. If doing so would immediately change things then go for it, but if they continue on without changing then just tell them off. They’re not the kind of dudes who don’t do anything, and on the contrary, it is me who gets his ass kicked more often than not, so I don’t really have anything to say to that. That’s about as good as it’s gonna get.

- That’s great. You’ve finally come this far, huh.

Hiro: Yeah. I’ve been feeling like I’ve gone rather far lately (laughs).

- Is it because you made this album?

Hiro: I think it’s more because we were able to appreciate each other more, or realize, “It’s okay to do this now”. As for the album, it was a piece of work that made me feel like I could see the future in more ways than one.

- Up until now, the band’s primary identity had been what Hiro squeezes out and screams about. In that case, it’s not so much about how you want people to hear you play, but more so about how you can bring your cries and messages forward. 

Hiro: That’s a pretty hard task for the other members to do. But all of that is over. If that had been the case until now, I would have never said, “The members can do whatever they want” and this album would have never been released. Back then, I’d go, “Let’s do it like this here,” “The last chorus definitely goes after the bridge,” but it hasn’t been like that these days. Now we’d go ahead and say, “This is good,” “Interesting, interesting”. It’s like the kids who always had to ask permission from their mom have disappeared. 

- “Young man” is a great metaphor in that sense as well (laughs).

Hiro: Mhm. It’s just like disciplining a child – just because you did it before doesn’t mean you’ll grow up that way, and saying too much isn’t a good thing either. We are all different people after all, and whether we’re lovers or family, we can’t understand each other 100% of the time, so we have to accept and trust each other more. I don’t really like it when people grow apart because of work. I want to make a team like the one in “Wild Speed”. We all get along really well, getting together in a garden to have a barbecue and stuff like that. It’s partly because we have such a good sense of team spirit that we’re able to do things indie. I wouldn’t be able to continue on unless I had a team with the same ambitions and the same passion to move forward. Seeing a lot of adults being considerate of me makes me feel better about myself (laughs). The members are the ones who understand “Let’s take it easy” the most. This may seem natural, but it’s super hard to do. And now that I’m able to do so, it feels great.

- You’ve truly made an incredible rock album. And it’s good that your methods can effectively be used to make more in the future.

Hiro: In fact, it’s been going so smoothly that it has become the focal point of our work process, so I don’t think it was difficult for anyone. Scheduling was pretty tough though. In August, I was singing at shows and recordings for 15 days in a row or something like that. Some of the songs didn’t have melodies or lyrics yet, and I was thinking, “Seriously, what are we gonna do!” but we had the same situation when we were making “ANTITHESE”, so I was like, “If you have the time to say ‘Oh no’ or ‘We’ll never finish’, then use that time to continue working instead” (laughs). Because of this, I’ve learned to believe in myself. The members were on a super tight schedule as well, but they would respond to requests from me like, “I want to change the first verse” or “Sorry, take it down a half-step”, so I was confident that everything was going to be okay. We may be in a hurry, but I no longer get worried or anxious.

- There were a lot of songs that used the words “white” and “black” this time. However, rather than black and white symbolizing “win or lose”, it was more of “There’s a part of me that’s pure white, and a part of me that’s pitch black”, providing a perspective that allows us to see both sides of you in the same light.

Hiro: That’s true. “ANTITHESE” was always about me, but that was completely overturned this time, now having different main characters for each song. Then, I wrote the lyrics, sang the songs, so there are many different stories of me in this album. Sometimes they’re of a similar hue, but still slightly different in shade. Of course, I didn’t write about colors that I didn’t have at all, so I was able to recreate the colors in my mind, or rather, sublimate them in the form of music. 

- It’s like, “Sometimes it’s white, sometimes it’s black. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. But that’s just the way things are, right?”

Hiro: Yep. With this one album, we’re no longer limited to, “This is what I say in this song, so I have to keep saying this”. It’s like, “That isn’t always the case, you know. I’m only human” (laughs). Like, “Sometimes I feel that way, sometimes I don’t”. It doesn’t matter if they’re on the same album. I was able to reach that point in my life, so now I have a wide range to work with.

- That’s why Hiro’s melody-making skills are being opened up to the fullest.

Hiro: This time, I mostly worked upwards from the chorus. After breaking apart the original chorus, I’d go, “This one’s catchier”. I didn’t even stick to the general concept of the melody – I’d try to make one, but if I wasn’t 100% sold on it, I’d try to make 10 more, and then I’d go with what everyone said was good. The premise behind a melody is that it’s something you can hum along to when you suddenly hear it, so I didn’t want to change my approach of starting songs from there. Nowadays, people don’t say, “This song is good”. They say, “These lyrics are good”. Because of this, I want to create a catchy melody that’s easy to remember, one with a rebellious spirit, and at the moment, I think it’d be good if it were in Japanese. That being said, I want everyone to be able to say, “This melody is good”. 

- I think it’s a really well-made album. I thought that the Hiro who’s been shouting out what’s inside his heart has made it this far (laughs).

Takahiro: Even though we live in the same house, we haven't been able to hang out at all lately.

Hiroki: But we went to Hakone together during Golden Week. You and I, with my friends...

Takahiro: That's true. Did you enjoy?

Hiroki: Yeah! We did fireworks and stuff, it was super fun.

Takahiro: But come to think of it, we didn't talk much in Hakone either (laughs). I was just relaxing in my room the whole time, while Hiroki and the others were outside and seemingly having fun... What were you guys doing?

Hiroki: We were playing games and going to the conbini to buy snacks.

Takahiro: So that's what you were doing! Hiroki, you buy way too many useless things! (laughs) You love candies with freebies and stuff like that.

Hiroki: Yup. I have a bunch of them in my room too.

Takahiro: Is there a particular kind you collect?

Hiroki: .........

Takahiro: Nothing in particular, huh (laughs). You're like that on the show "Ya-Ya-yah", but you're the same at home too. Even when mom says "Food is ready~" you're still all "..." (laughs) I've been busy with school and stuff, so I was just bumming around in Hakone. Guess I'm turning into an old man (laughs).

Hiroki: No you're not, you're not getting old at all!

Takahiro: You're praising me~

Hiroki: But whenever I'm at home watching TV and onii-chan enters the room, you always look tired and it worries me a little.

Takahiro: It's a lot harder when you're in middle school (laughs). You'll understand when you get to middle school too.

Hiroki: What's middle school like?

Takahiro: Unlike in elementary school, studying becomes more difficult. Hiroki should work hard as well!

Hiroki: Studying's hard? What's the hardest part for you?

Takahiro: Probably math. When arithmetic (T/N: elementary math) reaches middle school, its name gets changed to mathematics (T/N: higher math). It's hard, you know. How about you, what are you currently good at in school?

Hiroki: Science! (T/N: natural science) At the moment, we're observing sponge gourds and bottle gourds. It's fun!

Takahiro: We did something like that during my time too (laughs). But I've been bad at science since I was in elementary.

Hiroki: What's your favorite subject?

Takahiro: Japanese and... And art!

Hiroki: Ah, onii-chan is good at drawing too.

Takahiro: Really? Thanks.

Hiro: You draw from time to time at home too. A picture of a car or a bug. I was surprised at how well you drew that beetle!

Takahiro: Tell me more, tell me more~ (laughs)

Hiroki: You're really good. One day, I want to go to the same middle school as you.

Takahiro: Is that so~ Well then, do your best and study hard!

Hiroki: But whenever I look at you, you seem like you have it tough, so I'd rather stay a grade schooler.

Takahiro: I can't let you see me too tired (laughs). Oh, is there anything you want to tell me? This is a rare opportunity, so I'll do whatever you want... Ah, but I'm a bit nervous (laughs).

Hiroki: Uhm, I want to play soccer with you! And draw pictures again with you!

Takahiro: Good, if that's all you want then I can manage (laughs). Got it! Well then, let's play soccer and draw together next time.

Hiroki: Okay! A drawing of a car would be nice.

Takahiro: Alright, a drawing of a car it is. Now I'm gonna ask you to do me a favor.

Hiro: Sure, what is it?

Takahiro: Read the room a little more (laughs). Do you understand what I mean?

Hiroki: ...Yeah, sort of.

Takahiro: You can do whatever you want at home. But when you're on a show or when visitors come to our house, you should pull yourself together a little more. Oh look, your onii-chan said something good just now (laughs).

Hiroki: Okay, I will!

Takahiro: I get to watch "Ya-Ya-yah" once in a while, and I think you're doing great for your first time. But stop saying "ふつう" (laughs). (T/N: It's Hiro's tagline in the show which means normal, plain or ordinary, and also roughly translates to "meh") Do you still get nervous?

Hiroki: I don't get nervous anymore. But I'm glad to have you with me on the show like today.

Boku wa Genki (I Feel Great)

Imagine people cheerfully riding their bicycles by the ocean with the sunset in the background.

※ Do not listen to music with your earphones or headphones on while riding a bike. (Teru)

Ren-ai Chuudoku (Love Addiction)

"A love that won't go away", or in other words, my romance. BGM with a theme based on my own experience. (Sho)

Thinking Time

The image of studying, taking a test or thinking.

I hated studying, but now I want to study properly again. (Teru)

Ecchi na Kimochi (Feeling Naughty)

The BGM that plays in your mind when a man at the height of puberty finds a beautiful woman.

Ladies, please forgive them if you feel their eyes on you... (Kid'z)

Bath Time

The image of half-body bathing which is essential for beauty, taking a bath to get rid of fatigue, and quick baths for those who don't have the time.

By the way, I've been half-body bathing for two hours. I'm a girl. (Nob)

Sleeping twice

Imagine dozing off and falling asleep when you have to get up, or getting distracted by other things when you have to leave the house. My theme song. (Teru)

Sanpo-chuu~Gerira Gouu~ (Taking a Walk~Sudden Rain~)

As you absent-mindedly walk along a long straight path, the fair weather suddenly turns into a downpour.

But the heavy rain stops in an instant, and you continue down the path all soaking wet. That sort of image. (Teru)

RAMEN

Think of ramen. Please try listening to it while preparing a 3-minute cup of noodles. (Teru)

Workout with 80s

A song that has an 80's gym feel to it.

Was wishing they'd play this on "**ck to the *uture"... (Sho)

Ai no Mama ni Wagamama ni Boku wa Kimi Dake wo Kodokitai. (Selfishly In Love, I Wanna Seduce Only You.)

(T/N: It's a play on the title of the B'z song "Ai no Mama ni Wagamama ni Boku wa Kimi Dake wo Kizutsukenai")

Gentlemen!!

When hitting on a girl thinking, "I'm definitely making a pass on her with my elbow on the bar counter", please listen to this. (Kid'z)

Ano Hi, Ano Toki, Ano Fuan. (That Day, That Time, That Anxiety.)

When you're walking or taking a run, and then a sudden worry comes to mind, have some more anxiety. (Sho)

Hand Soap

The image of washing your hands and gargling. Please wash off any remaining handsoap on your hands by the end of the song. (Teru)

Shindokunaru Hodo 2020 (A Troublesome Unrequited Love 2020)

This is when you're huddled under the covers and think, "Ah, I think I like that person after all." (Sho)

Naguritakunaru Toki (When You Feel Like Punching Someone)

We've all been in this situation before, haven't we? When they pranked me in Nobrose, I was thinking of knocking out all of the members.

But when that happens, please calm down, listen to this song and let's do shadowboxing. So will I.

Let's all shout around. (Nob)

Sayonara ByeBye~Nidoto Aenai Kimi e~ (Farewell ByeBye~To You Who I'll Never See Again~)

We all go through breakups. This is a 32-second "Goodbye"!! (Sho)

DASH!!

The image of running around.

You have to run around at any time, place or situation when this song is played. Just kidding. (Teru)

Ittekimasu~ (I'm off~)

The image of leaving home on a crisp morning.

I know there will be days when you don't want to leave for work, school or in the morning, but let's use this song as a start to the day and move forward.

I made this song based on my memories of high school and thought it would be nice to have a song like this. (Teru)

~SHINING SUNDAY~

Field trips, on-the-job training, camping.