Below is my translation of an interview with Miku Kobato on *Rolling Stone Japan* vol. 28 on September 25, 2024.
Interviewer: Hiroo Nishizawa
Miku Kobato, the vocalist and frontwoman of Band-Maid who triggered the birth of the band, had the idea of combining maid outfits with a rock band, and the ability to take action to make it a reality.
Band-Maid was born from her energy, but what kind of future did she envision in the beginning?
She frankly talked with us about her current thoughts.
― Kobato-san, in which song on *Epic Narratives* did you challenge yourself most?
Kobato: [*Brightest star*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70uZ87dY2z0), a song with my lead vocals, was the song I took on the most challenges with, po.
I think it’s packed with a lot of challenges to me such as the guitar, the lyrics, and the way of singing, po.
― Which part was challenging, specifically?
Kobato: Kanami told me she would make people take it as a Kobato song for the guitar as well as for the vocals.
She said “Kobato, you’re going to play this guitar solo” ever since she gave me a demo, po.
In the solo, I play a one-note phrase, which I don’t usually do, and harmonize with Kanami.
There’s not just the usual way of singing I’ve done as Band-Maid’s Miku Kobato, either.
For instance, I sing with a little brighter voice in some moments while I change the nuance by [rolling my R’s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70uZ87dY2z0&t=119) in other moments, and I [sing like talking](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70uZ87dY2z0&t=36) in some part.
I was conscious of changing my expressions in the song when I recorded it, po.
I hadn’t sung in the style that changes each and every detail like that as Band-Maid’s Miku Kobato, so it was really challenging, po.
― Which song do you personally feel attached to most?
Kobato: It’s [*Memorable*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQX8BTTsHHU), po.
It’s a song Kanami wrote when we went to the US for overseas shows for the first time in a long time, after the COVID pandemic ended.
I wanted to include the feelings we had on the US tour, and the happiness and gratitude we felt to see our masters and princesses again after a long time, in the lyrics, po.
I wrote the lyrics with some English words we said during MC segments back then, so when I listen to the song, it brings back memories of each and every serving there.
Also, we played it on the 10th Anniversary Tour, so I feel attached to it in that sense too, po.
The music video has scenes where I, Kobato, walk alone in the American wilderness, and it was a rare occasion to be shot alone, so the song is full of memories as a new page to proceed in our 10th anniversary year, po.
― When [I interviewed you before](https://ototoy.jp/feature/20160518), you said you didn’t put much of your own feelings into your lyrics, so in that sense you have changed.
Kobato: I’ve changed quite a lot in that part, po.
Before, it was a little embarrasing to include my own feelings in lyrics, but I gradually started doing it.
Like *Memorable*, I’ve been writing more about how I feel, just little by little, po.
― What song was a turning point for you in Band-Maid’s activities?
Kobato: It’s another song with my lead vocals, [*Sayonakidori*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mVaehjAo2k) (2021), po.
I, Kobato, started the guitar only after starting Band-Maid, so I had a strong feeling that I had to catch up my bandmates.
*Sayonakidori* is such a difficult song that it allowed me to grow a lot like in rhythm and in guitar techniques, po.
As for singing, when I listened to the first demo, I tried to sing it myself once and told Kanami I might be barely able to sing that high, then she was like “Let’s go with it!”
She said she wanted me to sing it even if it’s hard, with my natural voice and [a pain showing on my face](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRjMDD2TETA&t=233), not to get away from it with falsetto.
The song made me think I had to work harder or rather grow a lot to sing it, po.
It’s still a very important song to me, po.
― Kobato-san, what does Band-Maid mean to you?
Kobato: I’d say it’s my whole current life.
My bandmates are my family, and I can’t imagine my life without Band-Maid at all.
I think it’s part of my life, it’s my own self, and it’s a really important existence to me, po.
If it weren’t for Band-Maid, my life would have been totally different and I wouldn’t have been active over the world.
I think it has expanded my creativity, po.
Its existence has expanded my mind, po.
― Without your idea to combine a rock band with maids, it wouldn’t have all started.
Kobato: Honestly, I didn’t think so deeply about it when I came up with the combination (laughs).
I didn’t create it with a long activity in the future in mind, and that has come true really thanks to my bandmates, our staff, and people around us, so I feel very grateful and blessed for my connections with people, po.
― Please tell us what challenges you would like to take on in the future.
Kobato: I’d like to continue with these same members forever.
I believe it’s almost a miracle that we’ve been able to continue for 11 years, and I hope we will continue for many years to come, po.
In our early days, our goal of “world domination” was a dream beyond dreams, but now that we’ve been regularly touring overseas, I feel like we are getting closer to the goal, po.
I hope we’ll tour overseas more and let people hear the Band-Maid music and spread it even more, po.
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#mikukobato #miku #bandmaid
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