JAPANESEFEMALEROCK

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 th...

Below is my translation of an interview with Saiki on *Rolling Stone Japan* vol. 28 on September 25, 2024. **Saiki: Her indomitable spirit** Interviewer: Hiroo Nishizawa Saiki, the lead vocalist of Band-Maid, captivates their masters and princesses at servings with her diverse expressiveness. Having written lyrics as well as Kobato, she feels more strongly attached to their latest album *Epic Narratives* than ever before. We talked with her about the artwork where she expressed that, her change of mind after the COVID pandemic, and her vocals. ― Saiki-san, in which song on *Epic Narratives* did you challenge yourself most? Saiki: It’s *Shambles*. At the recording, I adopted a way of singing I hadn’t done before. That’s edge voice, which I used a lot in [the down section]( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf0mQOiu8J8&t=150 ). — What kind of singing is edge voice? Saiki: You close your throat and [get your voice edgy]( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrCZlAoPqrw ). There’s...

Below is my translation of an interview with Kanami on *Rolling Stone Japan* vol. 28 on September 25, 2024. **Kanami: Spinning her life with the guitar** Interviewer: Hiroo Nishizawa Kanami, the guitarist, plays the lead role in Band-Maid’s songwriting. Songs she writes by imagining the band playing them at servings are the one and only sound of technical hard rock with melodious approachability. She talked with us straightforwardly about her challenges in their latest album and her passion for Band-Maid. ― I’ve heard you thought about [what life is and what living is](/r/BandMaid/comments/1g5q8z8/translation_saiki_and_kanami_on_kansai_tv/) when you were writing [*Forbidden tale*]( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiknA3mWivA ), which is included in this album. Kanami: At that time, I lost [a close relative of mine](/r/BandMaid/comments/1bsu2rs/comment/kxpddlj/) and I was feeling depressed. I wondered what heaven was like, wondered about her life, which was much longer than ...