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[TRANSCRIPT] Kyouka Jirou on music, the BBMAs, and love
by Yuga Aoyama
Yuga: First of all, congratulations on winning an award at the BBMAs! How did you feel about receiving your awards, besting many new emerging artists from all over the globe?
Kyouka: Oh, thank you! Honestly, I went to the awards show expecting to come out empty-handed; I just wanted to put on a good performance. And then I came back to Japan with two awards! It was an exhilarating experience, the whole thing. When they announced the nominations, I believe I was on my Japan tour? I was in the room with my manager and she just showed me the list of nominations and I was like ‘Eh? This has to be photoshopped’ And then it turned out to be 100% real.
Everyone who was nominated alongside me for ‘Top New Artist’ all came over to my table after I came down from the stage to congratulate me. Everyone was really sweet! Ah, actually, one of my highschool friends were one of the nominees as well! It was nice to see him again.
Y: So it is true that you and Deku went to the same school!
K: Same homeroom and everything! We weren’t really close but we talked a few times. In our first year, our class participated in this battle of the bands thing they had for the first years, and Deku was so adamant on contributing even though he had just broken his leg. He was always very ambitious and hardworking.
Y: Now, you must tell us, where do you see your career going after this? Any goals for the future?
K: I’m a person that just can’t do anything if I don’t have any specific goals, so I do have quite a few. I’m not supposed to say anything, but new music is definitely in the works! Other than that, I just want to continue spreading my message around the world and help people with my music. Oh, but I definitely want to work with more artists on collaboration tracks. One of the stages I did for another American awards show was a collab stage, and the process of it all was just so fun yet challenging. I’d love to create a whole song as a result of that collaborative process. And as a general goal … definitely to get out more!
Y: You’re known to be a very private person when it comes to your personal life, but fans have pointed out that your lyrics seem to reflect your past experiences. Is there a reason you only share your life through lyrics?
K: Personally, I find it hard to just talk about my life. I’m afraid that people might just find it boring and mundane, because honestly, my life outside of music is pretty normal. But when I talk about these anecdotes in the form of songs, I can at least make them a form of art. With lyrics, fans can still get to know me so I’m not this weird stranger on the Internet, but to the extent that they still don’t know the intricacies of my private life.
Y: Well, your fans seem to love anything that you do! ‘HER CATS’ started trending on Twitter immediately after you posted a video of your cats.
K: Oh my god, I remember that. Ah, funny story, those aren’t actually my cats! I live in the same apartment complex as my best friend, and I basically live in her suite now. I always show up to her house in the middle of the night when I get back from tours or concerts to raid her kitchen; she always has the best food. The two cats in the video are actually hers! She named them Earl and Grey.
Y: Speaking of friends and relationships, a lot of your recent songs seem to be softer, and a little more romantic. Is there anything, or someone, who has inspired this new era of music for you!
K: To be honest, I think age was a big factor in the vibe of my newer songs. When I first started releasing music I was still in that teenage angst phase where I wanted to only sing about heartbreak and all the evils of society. But now that I’m older, I’m more keen on softer feelings such as love and belonging. There’s just something about singing about love; it feels like I’m truly living in a world where I feel so much love.
And I guess you could say that there is someone. You could say that. It’s really not a secret, though, I think. If you just look a little closer at the lyrics of my songs … There is obviously someone. My manager is nodding at me, so I guess I can talk about this. We’re not really hiding per se, we’re just there in the background. Just like how my love is the basis of most of my newer songs, my relationship is not something that I need to bring to the surface.
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