Facing Forward Positively, Because Of Love For Fatima

*** translator's notes are beside *** asterisks

Fatima, who performed in [ Beautiful Freaks #10 ] at Ebisu's LIQUIDROOM on March 30th, and who will have their oneman at Shibuya O-East on June 28th, have annouced their disbandment. Their worries slip out in their answers. . . . And in this interview, they reveal their mentality on the disbandment openly. And then, they talk about the message of their last work, "Exit."

SHOXX: First off, . . . I'm not sure how to start this but . . . How about you tell me your thoughts on "Exit."

Kanoma: As for the title, it's possible that everyone already figured we were going to break up. Because before we started recording we had already decided that we were going to break up. I can't recall the exact time that we decided on it, but we all came to an agreement together. Since we had already decided on the breakup, the lyrics have to do with this subject matter. The order in which we created the album is: album title --> the songs we would put on the CD --> the order in which the songs would be --> song lyrics.

SHOXX: The announcement of the breakup was done at Ebisu's LIQUID Room and then you sang "Ajisai," "Sakura Meiro," and "Dorii Maazu," right?

Kanoma: That's right. As for "Ajisai," the day that we came to the conclusion that we were going to disband, I wrote half of it. Just before the recording I hadn't been able to write the rest of it and so we recorded two other songs first. "Ajisai" was the last song that we completed. It's also the last song on the CD.

SHOXX: Not being able to write until the last minute, what were you thinking?

Kanoma: What was I thinking? . . . That I wasn't writing lyrics. I wrote the day before we recorded for the last time. . . . This is the last time I'll be writing lyrics for this band . . . , Previously before this, writing was useless.

SHOXX: What's the reason for the song title "Ajisai"?

Kanoma: Fatima's first live was held on June 19th. Our last live will be held on June 28th. We began and will end in the rainy season. And when thinking about the rainy season I thought 'It seems hydrangea-like. [Ajisai means hydrangea.]' That flower only blooms in that season.

SHOXX: This was 4ge-kun's song, right? Within the CD, this song seems light.

Kanoma: It would be good if it conveyed a positive, facing foward, decision. We wanted everyone to perceive this.

SHOXX: 4ge-kun, what type of feeling did you create?

4ge: Simply put, I wanted to make a bright song. Probably since last September. I'm not really the type to make songs that are influenced by my feelings. But this time I did just that.

SHOXX: Did you think that this was going to become the last song of the album?

4ge: Kind of . . . I made it but I didn't know if it was going to be put last. I just had this vague premonition that it might be.

SHOXX: Since you all already had decided on the disbandment, what was the feeling like when recording?

Towa: For me, it wasn't much . . . It hadn't hit me yet.

Kanoma: Surely the people who were playing instruments had it different. I wrote the lyrics in such a mental state, because I had to sing them in that mental state. . . . It was painful to do it because I was singing with such miserable thoughts.

Towa: In "Ajisai" I also had some amount of control, but the moment I saw the lyrics it was really painful. I did the recording with extraordinary and effective punch.

Kanoma: Hahaha!

Lay: We recorded the drums early, huh?

Towa: I recorded my part without knowing the lyrics. But when seeing the lyrics and seeing it be sung it was like, "Wow, really?" That was the point in recording where I felt the most feeling.

SHOXX: And so you were able to understand the vocalist's feelings.

Towa: We were unusually direct, cooperative together, and extremely compliant. It was like, 'What's going on?'

Lay: Thanks very much for that. (small smile)

Towa: From the time we decided to disband, the past 2~3 days have been the most painful. We had sort of patched up our feelings and then there was the LIQUID room, which took us down to the very bottom again. . . . At that time, "Ajisai" might have sounded a little rough. The intro was definitely very dangerous . . . Everything became pure white and I didn't think I would be able to drum any longer.

SHOXX: But surely the fans were so shaken, they didn't notice anything like that.

Towa: Possibly . . .

Mizuha: . . .

SHOXX: Mizuha-kun, are you okay?

Mizuha: Me? I'm okay. The tension's a little high. But I'm just allergic to all this pollen. (laughs)

Lay: For me, right now is the most painful. While making this album, I was also thinking, "This is the last one, this is the last one." At this recent live we finally told everyone. . . . It wasn't whether we were going to continue or not going to continue. . . Will Fatima cease to exist? For me that was a really huge thing. Fatima will always be inside of me. And in anything that I do, Fatima will always be connected to me.

All: (short period of silence)

SHOXX: . . . So . . . With what mental state did you create "Sakura Meiro", Lay-kun?

Lay: I wrote it in that state of mind. Something like, 'Is Fatima already impossible....?' Inside my twenty-seven year old self, what by all means, do I want to make? 'Is this the last song I will make in Fatima?' Therefore, it's a little dark. (laughs) But in the end it is light. It's not until the very last that it becomes light.

SHOXX: I really like that development, but this is a little . . . It's way too painful.

Kanoma: The lyrics are also difficult. I use the same words in the beginning and in the end, and as the song progresses the whole story comes into view. And the music goes from a dark place to a bright place gradually. It's somewhat sudden. I thought, 'How could these lyrics be so good?' It must be my natural gift again. (laughs)

SHOXX: You guys have really bloomed, huh?

Towa: I've talked to Lay-kun about this, but Kanoma has a unique way of singing.

Kanoma: More than likely, a person who's making music from nothing tangible has an easier chance of sounding unique. But with things like stringed instruments, their sounds aren't so much different. If you were to replace one, the sound really wouldn't change now would it?

Mizuha: What are you talking about? (laughs)

Lay: Hahaha!!!

Towa: That was rude! (laughs)

Kanoma: But then, 4ge's sound is the one that comes from his Zo-3? Is that what you're saying?

4ge: Yes, of course.

Kanoma: Really??

Mizuha: Hey~! I don't hear any sound!

SHOXX: Well, maybe it's because Kanoma is the closest that he hears it.

Kanoma: That's it. It's because you hear more of the entirety, rather than the simple instrument.

SHOXX: "Dorii Maazu" is an amazing song, huh, 4ge-kun? It seems to be Turkish; and Showa-ish.

4ge: I consciously made this a Turkish guitar phrase.

Kanoma: When I recently heard it, I thought about what a great and strange take on a song it was. When we were told about it for the first time, we were impatient to hear it. But it's more Japanese style.

SHOXX: Sort of like the "Chin don ya" after WWII. [traditional Japanese band of sandwich board advertisers]

4ge: That's right. A cheerful feeling. I wanted it to be light in a foolish way. Like laughing lightly.

SHOXX: I laughed.

Towa: I was astonished. There I had caught a glimpse of 4ge-san's arrangement, and his ability is awesome.

Kanoma: But you can't see the melody, can you? The real problem for me that I remember was 'How the hell am I going to sing to this!" (laughs)

4ge: Hahahha!!

Kanoma: But this song's theme was very Fatima-ish I thought. The lyrics as well were very Fatima-ish and this is what we wanted to do. I like to set the song to Fatima rather than just myself, and each member has a part in the song, so I have an image of everyone's voice in my head like, 'Ah yes! This is all the members!" (laughs)

Towa: And then Lay was overtaken by Katsura Bunbuku.

Lay: I thought I could only do that here.

SHOXX: (laughs) Originally, Fatima exceeded visual kei, and this is art. Could this really be the last sound? Right?

Kanoma: The title, the order in which the songs are played and the lyrics are all meant to carry out such.

SHOXX: Well then, I'd like it if you could all tell your thoughts on the disbandment for the readers.

Mizuha: It hasn't really hit me yet. At this recent live when we announced it, sure I recognized it a little bit and there's certainly been various other times but . . . I really don't want to think about it until June 28th.

4ge: Up until now Fatima has just been the usual thing for me, and when it ceases to be here I'm sure I'll be sad. Honestly, I can't feel it yet, but certainly when we're counting down and facing zero, I'll start to feel it. . . . I've done all of this because of Fatima. I honestly don't have much interest in visual kei, but I really liked Fatima and so.

Towa: I'm the last person to have entered Fatima, and I think I've gotten relatively close to the fans. I wanted to do this stuff with everyone, 'I want to become a part of the band!', and I appealed to Kanoma with this feeling as I couldn't really do this with Lay. But I wanted to enter the band. I've really cried over this band. I cried when Kanoma had pneumothorax, I cried happy tears at my birthday live in Nagano on June 1st, and March 30th . . . Certainly during the live if I were to look at the other members, I would cry, so I didn't want to look at them. Especially Mizuha-kun.

Mizuha: fufufufu.

Towa: But there is one scene that I remember seeing. Afterwards, when we were putting up our equipment, in the moniter I saw a person whose posture was slouched and whose head was hung.

Kanoma: Me? (laughs)

Towa: And I already thought this was bad. And meeting with the manager of a certain livehouse . . . It was too much. Right now my feelings are going up and then going down. Until the end I want to smile with everyone.

Lay: I . . .

SHOXX: So really, there's also feelings of anger. (bitter smile)

Lay: What should I say . . . This isn't going well. I really do love Fatima.

Kanoma: I . . . This is regrettable, extremely regrettable. Honestly, I don't really know yet if this is the right choice to make. This will be walking down new roads, and maybe I'll come to understand it. I love Fatima, and truthfully, I still want to continue. But as for me and as for the members, is this disbandment a good direction to go in? There's that kind of feeling too. But thinking on it, this choice probably isn't a mistake and is the right conclusion. Just coming out in this point, it seems that couldn't it only be a good thing? . . . If I don't think that way, I won't be able to do it. . . With the limited amount of time that we have left, the time that I spend with the members will be very special to me. Especially the twenty lives we have left. Because of this, please everyone, if you can do so, come and support us.