KAMIJO interview (Rock & Read 045)

 

"In short, Versailles are suspending their operations for the sake of Versailles."

"I love unfinished things, unfinished things. I want Versailles to last forever, so we are putting on hold."

On June 20, Versailles announced that they would suspend their activities following a December 20 concert at NHK Hall. Over the five years of their existence, they have become a group that is popular all over the world, but apparently they decided to put an end to their quest for the "perfect group of roses" ... We questioned KAMIJO, the creator of the group, in detail. In this interview, which will be released on December 19, 2012, the whole truth (TRUTH) about the suspension of Versailles.

- Are you still on tour at the moment? (interview took place mid-November)

Right. The first half ended and we returned to Tokyo.

- How is the tour going?

Fortunately, all is well. All tickets are sold out everywhere, which means the unity of energies and emotions not only of the band members, but also of the fans, which gives us strength.

- This is a tour before the suspension of the band's activities - have there been any changes in your personal mood and feelings?

This time both the title of the album and the title of the tour coincide with the name of the band. That is, we must clearly show what the name of the group Versailles means. During the previous tours, our goal was to showcase the latest works. That is, the latest developments have always been at the forefront. For example, after the release of the Holy Grail album, the tour was called the Holy Grail, and on stage we created a world that embodied the Holy Grail. But this time, having released an album called Versailles, we felt that everyone wanted to know better who Versailles were and tried to bring it to life.

- Was it your idea to call the album and tour the name of the band after the decision to suspend the activity?

Yes. After we made the decision to suspend the activity, we decided on the name.

- And I would like to hear briefly and clearly why such a decision was made.

In a word - Versailles suspend their activities for the sake of Versailles existence. Many people and processes are involved in the activities and existence of the group. The members, managers, employees of the record company are a machine with many cogs and gears, and while we continued our activity, there were constantly some changes in the company, and somehow suddenly a feeling arose that we, as members, exist on our own. The attendants around were constantly changing, which made it difficult for them to get to know the group and provide the necessary support. It was very difficult to continue working in such conditions. Versailles turned five this year, and all the participants would be ready to continue for the next five years, we still have unrealized ideas. And that's great. Only if you bring all these ideas to life, then it will no longer be Versailles. But this does not mean that we want to create a different image and story. Hence the decision to suspend the group's activities was born. If the mechanism does not work, then the activity continues, during which it is impossible to create anything worthwhile, and you continue only to take away from each subsequent work.

- And when did you first have such thoughts?

Specifically, they took shape while working on ROSE, but about a year ago, at the end of the Holy Grail tour, I wrote the Japanese lyrics for Love will be born again. While working on this text, I really felt: "It would be wonderful if this time lasted forever." Then there were no specific thoughts yet, but when I think about it, it seems to me that I would not have written such a text if I did not have any subconscious thoughts and sensations.

- That is, then you felt that there is some hidden meaning in these words, but did not realize it specifically?

Exactly. Initially, Love will be born again existed in English, but after the end of the Japanese and world leg of the tour, before the finals, I decided that the song should be reborn in order to embody the feelings of the fans, and rewrote it in Japanese. It happened completely unconsciously, and this time on the Versailles album there is a similar expression. In the song TRUTH, a clear answer is given, clarifying the raison d'être of Versailles - the pursuit of "eternity." And the point is that no matter what happens, no matter what pain you have to endure, love will always be reborn over and over again. Isn't this the answer to the question - What is Eternity? - and answering in this way, it seemed to me that I would connect this song with last year's Love will be born again.

-When did you have a conversation with the members about the need to suspend the group's activities?

This year in May ... or the end of April. Before we started working on the new album and setting goals for the future.

- Did the other members share your feelings?

Yes. We talked about the future, plans, ideas. But there were no other proposals, everyone agreed on the need to suspend activities.

- Did you have any thoughts to change the general atmosphere, to introduce something new?

There were, of course, that is why it became necessary to suspend activities.

- Were you very worried about making such a decision?

Not. We can say, on the one hand, that I was very worried, on the other - that I did not worry at all. I had the perfect image, but it seemed impossible to bring to life. It seemed impossible to bring it to a conclusion under the existing circumstances ... I saw an image of the possible completion of the story, but in specific conditions its implementation would be meaningless ... It seems to me that the time and conditions for the ending should be very carefully chosen.

- That is, the love of fans should flourish in special conditions?

Exactly. For example, the moment of kissing should not take place against the background of a landfill, but in some incredibly beautiful place. It's the same here. Versailles is a truly extraordinarily beautiful band. All its members love beauty, and the group itself embodies all that is beautiful. This is truly all-round beauty. And she is able to achieve her ideal embodiment. This is the main goal of Versailles, and less cannot be the raison d'être of this group.

- And after making this decision, you decided to fill the last year with events?

Yes. We wanted to do a lot of work on the album, meet all the fans. Each of us individually and the group as a whole has many feelings and emotions that we wanted to share, convey them. After the decision was made to suspend the activity, and we began to write music for the new album, each of the participants put all their feelings into these compositions. This is felt both in the music and in the lyrics. I tried to express the strength and emotions put by everyone in the creation of music in words.

- Was the recording different from the previous ones this time?

In general, no. Everything was as usual. The atmosphere in the group has not changed due to the decision to suspend either. Only the circumstances have changed.

- Due to the fact that this is the last recording, you had to put all your efforts into the work, into the performance(smile).

Everything was as usual. (smile) This album is special because it bears the name of the band Versailles and has a special power, but we gave it 100% as always.

- And you are in your performance?

Yes. This time, due to the abundance of emotions, many recordings were finished the first time. It was not a concept album, I just managed to sincerely express everything that I wanted to express in my lyrics. And during the recording, I imagined the hall and the stage around me.

- Until now, all your works have been conceptual or there was some kind of history in them, this time there was nothing like this - is there a reason?

We just wanted to express our thoughts and emotions directly on this album. Perhaps it was some kind of concept.

-Before Versailles, and in this group, you only had to work with concepts or stories. What was it like working on this album with a simple and straightforward idea?

During the creation of that album, I had to deviate from the usual paths. And although in the end it essentially became conceptual, to tell the truth, I did not want to be bound by any framework. In terms of music, there were no special changes, for the most part they touched upon the lyrics. And in the course of work, almost everything remained the same.

- This question has been asked more than once, but still - Discrepancies of the participants in professional terms - were there any problems with that?

We initially have very different musical and professional preferences, so that's not the point at all. The most important reason is the great frustration and frustration caused by the inability to meet the existing circumstances, despite all the capabilities of the group. If it was only about the music, then there would be no problem. But we are a visual kei group and we also want to constantly create beautiful images. If it is impossible to support activities and images with music alone, it will lose all its charm and become consumer goods.

- Before the suspension of activity, do you have a feeling that something is left unfinished or some kind of heaviness on your soul?

There is no severity. But in our view, the decision to suspend activities is due to the fact that Versailles as they are now are going to their end, and a stop is simply necessary.

- During the discussions at the very beginning with Hizaki, you were going to create "the most perfect group of roses", did you manage to achieve this goal?

This result has not been achieved. It certainly enters our field of vision, but we understand that now, in the given circumstances, bringing everything to completion would be the easiest and most selfish way out. Of course, this group was born with the goal of realizing our own desires and interests, but the feeling of happiness soon exceeded our own selfish aspirations, and we began to develop the group's activities in various directions. But if now we just began to wait for the end of her activities, then nothing would be preserved for history. To put it simply, Versailles can cease its activities only on a more solid foundation and opening up to this most vividly.

- In a word, does your main idea and aspiration come down to "to be continued"?

I love unfinished things, unfinished things. I want Versailles to exist forever, so we are suspending our activities, because it’s wonderful if there is such a group.

- After the announcement of the decision to suspend the group's activities, you probably received a lot of messages from fans around the world?

Yes. And we recorded the last album with the fans in mind first. We wanted to invest in him our gratitude over the years, the courage that gives everyone the strength to move on and many other feelings. Now, during the tour, we are surrounded by a lot of wonderful people, which is very cool. And despite the decision to suspend activities, this creates a wonderful atmosphere around. Or maybe this is the reason. They didn't just protect Versailles, they helped us improve. I think those who come to the concerts of this tour can fully experience this. This is TRUTH.

Zdroj:https://www.facebook.com/notes/vive-le-roi-kamijo-fanclub-by-fans/kamijo-interview-rock-read-045/428740088085526/