Dir en grey - Toshiya (Paris)

Dir en grey - Toshiya

Hi everyone!

How are you?

Today I would like to share with you the interview I made with Toshiya from Dir en grey Official befor the live show in Paris last February!

It's in French, but here is the translation i do:

Nana (N-Gamz): A few days ago the band celebrated its 23 years! Congratulations! You spend most of your time all five together, which can be complicated. And yet, on stage and in your music, your unit is beyond doubt ! What is your secret ?

Toshiya: You know, 23 years is really long, for me it almost looks like a miracle! To tell you the truth, I don’t really think about it, I don’t wonder how it is possible or if there is a secret. It’s just something really amazing about what we’re going through, even if it’s probably a miracle that we’re still all together! (to laugh)

Nana: Your latest single, The World of Mercy, was released last September. I really loved the acoustic version of Dozing Green, I didn’t expect that ! And what about The World of Mercy ! This title took me away ! How did you work on it ? Did it come from a melody or from lyrics ? Or was the song created as a whole, step by step ?

Toshiya: Basically it was two separate songs and we couldn't decide which one we should produce on, so we said to ourselves: why not make it a single song by combining them? And that's how we created The World of Mercy!

Nana: This is the reason why the final song lasts about ten minutes ?

Toshiya: We didn’t necessarily inted to create a long piece, it was done like that, we stopped it when we found it finished

Nana: What did you try to express with this song ?

Toshiya: You know, we try to always keep the same guideline in what we want to express in our songs, the pain and the suffering. So that's what we did with this song. So there is no specific message in this song, however, for me it is a combination of a kind of silence and aggression at the same time, that’s what it means to me.

Nana: You have just finished a tour in the USA, you are finishing your EU tour this evening and you are following up on a tour in Japan. What is your feeling midway through this great series of concerts?

Toshiya: Of course it is a very long journey and very long trips for us it is quite tiring but we put all our energy in the tours!

Nana: Kaoru revealed during an interview, that after your big show in Yokohama this summer, there would be a new album ! Is it already ready or are you still working on it ? Can you tell me something about it ? Does it have a particular theme or atmosphere perhaps ?

Toshiya: The new album is in progress!

Nana: In 23 years of existence, you have lived and accomplished many things, you have evolved and grown, as people and musically and you undoubtedly have a lot of memories linked to your career. But did an event, a period, a memory or anything else mark you more than other in your career ?

Toshiya: You know, thanks to the group, I was able to visit wonderful places, meet new people! And for example the simple fact of coming here to Paris is something that would probably never have happened if I had not been part of the group!

So being able to live a life that I could never have imagined is the most thing ... It is not an accomplishment but you know, it is a really great thing and for which I am very grateful.

Nana: And if you could say something to little Toshiya, the one who has not yet experienced all these wonderful things, what would you tell him?

Toshiya: I would tell him that his life is going to be explosive! (laugh)

Nana: Do you remember how you felt the first time you went on stage with Dir en grey?

Toshiya: It was something very powerful, which I could never forget.

Nana: In all Dir en grey’s songs, which one is your favorite ? Why ?

Toshiya: I love each of our songs and albums, I can't just choose one!

Nana: And finally, it's not really a question, but is there something you would like to tell us, about yourself, about the group, about the concerts, a particular message that you would like to pass on ?

Toshiya: As you know we are working on new music and we hope to come back to France with this new album. But for the moment we are tonight and tonight we will give our best for the concert!

Nana: Thank you very much !

Toshiya: Thanks to you !