@kodoku @OnlyCalB @potato @Mayah @goyo @bulletproof @Darkyoda47 @Hallybell let's do the interview together '^ ^
Today we are going to interview a fresh, new group called Pink Punch. They released their first album a few months ago and recently announced that they will soon release their first EP called 'Believer'. The five-member group stand out for their strong personality and dark concept. They were also invited to perform in London for April Fool's opening concert as special guests.
Interviewer: First of all, good evening, and welcome. Could you introduce your group to our viewers and introduce yourselves individually?
Yuko: We are Pink Punch, a female rock band formed last year in Coloread. Every member plays an instrument and we write our tracks ourselves. Our leader, Sakino, is the main composer and lyricist but all of us can compose to some extent. I am Yuko Kondo, known on stage as 'Yuuchan'. I am the youngest member and I play the synthesizer. I like writing songs in English and occasionally in French. I like playing sports and I am a good tennis player.
Candice: I am Candice Jones and I am the sub-leader. I play guitar and acoustic guitar. I often write songs for other artists, like April Fool as well.
laugh For overseas promotions, I am actually the leader because I speak a lot of languages. In my spare time, I love watching anime and Kpop performances. My favorite group is Pentagon! *smiles*
Miya: Yo! I am Miya Washieuchi, and my stage name is 'Miyari'. I am the drummer and the visual.
smiles Nana and I were former members of a famous band called Tenpenko. I can speak French, Tagalog, English and Japanese. I love playing video games with Nana.
Nana: Hi! My name is Nana Tomaraka and I am the bassist. I am considered Pink Punch's center and the most joyful member! I have a passion for photography and I love posing for magazines or photobooks.
Sakino : I am Sakino Suzuki. My stage name is Kisami and I am the leader and main singer of our group. I love cooking Japanese and Korean meals for the members.
Candice : We have a sixth member in our group but unfortunately she couldn't come today.
Q : Who do you feel closest to in Pink Punch ?
Nana : I think that it would surely be Miya; we know each other for about a decade now and we became close friends. We were both members of the same group in the past as well. Many people wants us to be a real ship *laugh*
Miya : Nana said exactly what I wanted to answer... I have nothing to add
Yuko : I am friends with everybody! We created the group with Candice and Sakino though. But I might confess that I feel closer to Sakino than the other members *blushes* (She has obviously a crush on Sakino)
Candice: I'm a longtime friend of Yuko and Sakino. We were all members of a group called Girls10 back then but that group didn't receive enough support and we had a lot of internal problems as well. When the group disbanded, I first decided to leave the entertainment industry. However, last year, Sakino talked to me about her project to create her own group. I accepted to join as a member. I have seen Pink Punch as an opportunity to shine and as a kind of revenge towards our previous group's failure.
Q : How do you feel about performing in the UK for the first time?
Candice : It is our first performance in a foreign country, so we are glad to have been invited to the United Kingdom. Yuko and I are really excited to perform here, because we have both British roots from our fathers side. It's somehow like our home country as well. Even though I am excited to perform our songs here, I feel really nervous at the same time ... I am afraid not to be able to deliver the best performance we can do as a group ...
Yuko: As Candice said we are really excited to perform here! We had a break for about five months without performing... I am glad to be able to sing on a stage again! We were stressed but Sakino gave us confidence and she put us at ease. She is really helpful, because she knows how to perform on stage and she usually gives us advices when we need it.
Q : The majority of the members of the group come from various countries. In addition there are members who speak several languages such as German, French, English but also Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesian. Do you think it is possible for the group to expand its popularity abroad?
Yuko : Definitely! I hope that our popularity will grow more and allow us to travel anywhere! Our first album "Glow" received a really good critic among the music industry and it gained a lot of attention worldwide!
Candice : Actually, we really want to perform anywhere in the world... UK is the first foreign country we visit as Pink Punch but it might not be the last one *laugh*. Next year we are probably doing our first world tour. We are planning to perform in about ten countries, such as France, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, UK, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Canada and Indonesia. I think that every country has its own charm and we might try a lot of local foods and snacks as well. All members enjoy eating, especially Sakino and I.
Nana : That's true that we are able to speak a lot of languages. It might be easier to talk with our fans I guess. I can't wait to meet our fans worldwide!
Q : Which songs would you choose as your personal favorite from all April Fool's songs and why ?
Candice : Probably Lonely and Irish Coffee because I prefer their older songs than their newer ones.
Yuko : Hmm... I might say that my favorites are Blue, Green and Gold and Twilight Kiss. My best friend wrote the lyrics to the song so it's kind of moving for me... And the atmosphere of the track is quite mystical and magical.
Sakino : I like the best songs like Unforgotten Love and Watashitachi no Mirai. (she didn't develop her answer because her English skills are weak)
Candice : Unforgotten Love became really popular among young adults recently. It served as a soundtrack for the drama "Mystery of the Blanche Castle", which had a huge success lately. I heard that a second part is already being filmed ...
Miya : I like their latest releases better because I feel more familiar with the style of songs. But anyway all their songs are great *laugh*. If I have to choose two favorites, I might answer: Me and You and Butterfly Effect.
Nana : Silent Voice, Endless Night, Our Galaxy and Moon River.
Candice : Moon River hasn't been released yet, right ? *laugh*
Nana : ah ah ah. Yes, you're right! I like the fact that we can write the songs for them. It allows us to be imaginative and creative. I am always proud when they use any of my compositions *smiles*
Q : I've heard that some of you have participated in writing April Fool's lyrics. What do you think about collaborating with them and who would you like to collaborate with?
Candice : I am really close to the members, especially to Leah. Even if they are able to compose themselves without any help, they often ask us or any of the other lyricists write for them. It’s all positive for them, because it allows them to diversify their own musical universe. Then, they can because of that expand their fan base. I would like to collaborate more with our local bands, like MaRiMi and I⭐STAR.
Yuko : I wrote mainly for them English lyrics. I see that as an opportunity to improve my composition skills as well. I would like that our group participates for a drama soundtrack, it would help us to become more famous.
Nana : As I am an acoustic guitarist, I mainly arrange their songs' acoustic versions. But recently I have written some songs for April Fool too. I'd like to sing an anime theme, no matter if it is going to be the opening or the ending theme.
Q : Pink Punch is still a young group, you have only a few songs. Which songs would you recommend to people who want to try out your music ?
Candice : It depends on what kind of songs you prefer in general, but I would recommend Baby, don't cry and Kurayami. Both songs talk about topics that are personally relevant to the members. If you like quieter songs or ballads, I would recommend you Don't Lie and Glow. April Fool covered Glow in English recently, by the way, that version is excellent. We should cover that version as well in the near future *smiles*
Yuko : My own solo song Dilemma (English ver.) of course and Sakino's solo Sawachi no Kawa. Sakino’s low voice goes well with this type of melody that is more melancholic. Our band version of Dilemma and of Himitsu (Secret) are really good too, even if it is not the same type of songs as those I've just recommanded before.
Miya : Honestly I can't choose even one song among ours, I love them all ! *laugh*
Nana : A better question would have been : What songs do you not recommend to people who wants to try your music. It might have been an easier question. The song that I like the least is Candice's solo song Himitsu, I think her voice sounds better when we all sing together than a solo song. It is way too high-pitched sometimes. Perhaps you’re having trouble believing me when listening to her voice during the interview. However the voice with which she sings differs enormously from the one with which she speaks.
Q : What can you tell us about your upcoming release?
Candice : With our new release we want to show you more of what we can do as a whole group. All the members participated in the composition and in the lyrics. As we have all a different way to write and our own style, the listeners will be able to see lots of variety in our new EP. We also helped each other with aspects we are less familiar with. The main composer and lyricist is Sakino as she is the most confident about that part of our work. We often ask her tips and questions if we are stuck in anything about the composition process.
Yuko : Our first album was composed mostly of cover songs; we couldn't spend as much time as we wanted to when we were working on it. The hardest part was creating the concept and promoting ourselves back then. This time we worked hard to make the best EP we could so I hope that the listeners will enjoy it as much as we did when we were doing it. I am used to writing English songs for April Fool now, but making songs for my own group is something really different...
Nana : I wrote two songs for our first mini-album, 'Twilight Heaven' and 'Not my Lover'. Both songs are meaningful to me and I put a lot of myself into the compositions. However, I didn't work alone on these songs *laugh* Miya helped me a lot as well - mostly for the recording process. Actually, I'm not quite used to writing my own songs. Normally I only write the lyrics part or the composition part (the arrangements for the acoustic guitar).
Miya : We are incredibly lucky that our helpful leader always supports us. I've become a lot more confident now because of her *blushes* She has allowed us to write anything we want and tells us that 'our creativity has no limit'. I really appreciate that! In our previous group (Tenpenko) I haven't felt as free as I am now with Pink Punch. We grew up a lot in one year and a half which I find incredible!
Candice : You might be able to have a signed version of our first EP at the end of the concert. It is a limited edition though, the official version will be available in about a month I guess, we don't know the exact releasing date yet *laugh nervously*
Q : What does the song writing process look like and how are your songs created?
Candice : We are usually inspired from events that have affected us personally or surprised us. We all have our own notebook where we write key words or short sentences that could help us compose.
Yuko : Sometimes, our inspiration comes from nowhere. And we might actually be humming some notes to one of our future songs. When that happens, I can't stop myself from writing down my thoughts straight away and composing as soon as I can.
Q : Who do you consider as your role model as a female rock band ?
Candice : I admire some recent British bands like Yonaka, Anteros (who sadly disbanded), Arctic Lake and London Grammar. (obviously less recent)
Nana : I might say SCANDAL, Stereopony, Silent Siren, BAND-MAID and Hello Sleepwalkers.
Yuko : Surely groups like Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, coldrain and Mary's Blood.
Miya : Tenpenko (it was her previous band), April Fool, New+Mode and MaRiMi.
Sakino :
Wagakki band and
DAY6!