A talk between Jinichiro Iida and Hiroo Nishizawa, who have seen BiSH at its closest. From the eve of the formation to the breakup live

BiSH on the eve of its formation: My first impressions of the members at the audition

-What was your first encounter with BiSH like?

Iida: Going back, it was originally from the timing of the start of BiS. Junnosuke Watanabe (Junnosuke Watanabe) contacted OTOTOY, and a while later Nishizawa-kun joined as well, so me and Nishizawa-kun followed BiS.

After BiS broke up, Mr. Watanabe called me and said, “I’m thinking of doing BiS again. Mr. Watanabe had just become independent, so he asked me to lend him OTOTOY’s office for the audition. That was the beginning. We all got together and selected the members.

-What was your first impression of each member?

Iida: Chichi had the look of a leader from the beginning. I could sense from every word that Mr. Watanabe also wanted to make her the center of the group.

As for Aina, Mr. Watanabe was going to drop her at first. But she sang outstandingly well. I and Mr. Matsukuma said so, and then Mr. Sotty (costume designer Kenta Sotobayashi) said, “She looks good in costumes,” and Mr. Watanabe said, “If everyone says so,” and so on.

Momoko came in with that innocent look and talked in a soft manner, but that somehow made the place more relaxed. When Mr. Watanabe said, “Please lift your bangs,” her cuteness came to the surface. It was as if Mr. Watanabe decided on the spot that she had passed the test.

-What do you think about Linlin and Hashiyasume Atsuko?

Iida: Linlin was similar to the way I feel now. She was cute, but also confident and a little different from the others. I remember that she left a strong impression on everyone. I felt that Hashiyasume had already established herself as a character with glasses. She seemed strong and solid as an individual.

Nishizawa: In a later episode, Junnosuke said, “I passed the test with the feeling of jumping off the clean water stage.

Iida: It is true that when he took the hashiyasume, everyone was like, “Oh! Iida: It is true that when we took Hashiyasume, everyone was like, “Oh!

BiSH Formation – Major Debut (2015-2016)

-Do you have any events or episodes that you think marked a turning point for the group from the time of its formation to its major label debut?

Nishizawa: I think the release of our second album “FAKE METAL JACKET” was the core of the group. Songs from this album, such as “beautifulness,” are now the main focus of our live performances.

It is also refreshing to hear a change from your previous songs, which were a combination of J-pop, J-rock, and melocoa, to a more alternative guitar rock sound. There are songs like “ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE,” which goes from quiet to intense in one fell swoop. I think this is where the musical foundation of BiSH was laid.

Iida: I feel exactly the same way. I think that “Spark” and “Sarabakanana” were the period when Mr. Matsukuma and Mr. Watanabe were really getting into the swing of things. I feel that it was the music that really pulled the group forward.

-The first time I saw BiSH was at Ebisu LIQUIDROOM in 2016 (“Eden of Sorrow Tour Final “IDOL is SHiT”). At first, I had the image of BiS as a group that was going to do radical things again, but I think it was at that time that my image changed to that of a group with cool live performances.

Nishizawa: That’s right. With the completion of “FAKE METAL JACKET,” I felt that our direction was set and our focus narrowed.

The atmosphere of the group changed with the addition of Ayuni D. (2016)

-What was your first impression of AYUNI?

Iida: Nothing but cute, so she said she was looking forward to growing up. I could clearly see that in her. I think the day after the audition, Ms. Watanabe went to Hokkaido (Auni’s parents’ home).

That’s how passionate Mr. Watanabe was, and everyone was sure of it. I remember being shocked at the balance of Aina, Chicci, and Ayuni when the three of them sang together. That was the most impressive thing.

Nishizawa: To be honest, I was scared of the atmosphere of BiSH in the beginning and didn’t want to get close to them. But when Auni joined the group, everyone was at a loss as to what to do with such an innocent girl, and the shape of the group changed a bit.

The group changed a bit from being spiky to feeling a little closer to each other. That is how much the group’s atmosphere changed when Auni joined. She had a different atmosphere from the previous members.

Signs of a breakthrough at Hibiya Noon (2016)

-When did you see the signs of BiSH’s breakthrough?

Nishizawa: For me, it was Hibiya Noon (“BiSH Less than SEX TOUR FINAL ‘Teiseikai'”). Tickets did not sell out until the day of the concert, and eventually sold out just in time. The live performance that day was great, but the live video of the “orchestra” that we released on YouTube afterwards went viral. The excitement was different from what we had seen in the past, and it felt like it was spreading outside.

-I went to Hibiya No Oto as well, and I felt that I could see something like a certainty. I remember directly saying in the backstage greeting after the concert, “We can definitely do it in a bigger and bigger place. But the members responded with something like, “Oh, thank you,” and they didn’t seem to have that much confidence in their ability to make a breakthrough.

But the fact that they came out with an “orchestral” song here suggests that they were planning to make BiSH a more popular group, and the songs that would make that possible came together at just the right time. How do you feel about it? What do you think?

Iida: I think so too.

Nishizawa: Orchestra” was initially intended to be a coupling of “DEADMAN”.

Iida: I was thinking that “Orchestra” was going to be a coupling of “DEADMAN” at first: On the other hand, it was the people at avex who said, “This is a great song, so let’s release it as a single. Mr. Watanabe and Mr. Matsukuma, who had been working independently, took their ideas and made them work as something that would sell better. In that sense, I thought the staff at avex was really amazing.

The Makuhari Messe concert where “a punk band without instruments” became clear, and the start of solo activities (2017-2018)

-What about the key events here in 2017-2018, when the group is getting back on track?

Nishizawa: I think our 2nd major album “THE GUERRiLLA BiSH” was a big one. Matsukuma-san found a new axis in the song “My landscape” that used strings and was different from the alternative music that had been released up to that point. Furthermore, at this time, we were able to hold a guerrilla live performance on a boat in Dotonbori, Osaka, and to realize on a large scale the homage to the Sex Pistols that Junnosuke had originally wanted to do. I think the timing of this release has been a major accomplishment of that.

Iida: I would have to say Makuhari Messe (“BRiNG iCiNG SHiT HORSE TOUR FiNAL “THE NUDE”).

-I went to that concert myself, and it was amazing. I will tell you my impression first, but after seeing that show, I finally understood what it means to be a “punk band without instruments”. The audience’s enthusiasm was just like a punk band’s live performance.

More than anything, I understood the meaning of the fact that Aina came up with the choreography and the members danced to it. The members come up with their own choreography and dance to it, just like a band writing and performing their own music. I felt like I finally understood the essence of what kind of group BiSH is.

Iida: At Makuhari Messe, I thought that we might go to Tokyo Dome and become a big star. I felt the same as you, Mr. Shiba, that my concept had changed. I felt that I could do cool things, that I was no longer an idol. The quality of the music was outstandingly different from what it had been up to that point. I still remember the last song “NON TEE-UP”.

-Around this time, solo activities of Aina and Chichi, and individual activities of each member such as Auni’s PEDRO started.

Iida: I feel that Aina’s career blossomed around this time. The same goes for dance. She started to give emotional live performances around this time. They started to improvise and dance, but that is not idol dance. Idols are supposed to dance in a conventional way.

This also helped her to improve her abilities, and her songs began to reach various people and receive praise. At this time, I feel that Aina was leading the team in terms of musicality. With that, Chichi also started a solo career, Ayuni started PEDRO, Momoko wrote a book, and I have the impression that each individual’s personality started to explode.

Nishizawa: I think 2018 is the halfway point between independent and mass. I think it was a time when we were thinking about how to adjust to the situation or what we should do.

The most impactful thing about this period was the release of “NON TEE-UP” without prior notice. At that time, we had released our 4th major single “Life is beautiful / HiDE the BLUE” and both songs had tie-ups. At that time, “NON TEE-UP” didn’t have a tie-up, so we said, “Lick my tits, get your dick wet,” which was a mess.

Iida: I didn’t think “NON TIE-UP” was a good song at first, but at Makuhari Messe, I thought it was a great song. It is a great song. Even those of us who have listened to a certain amount of music were like, “What are you doing? Even those of us who have listened to a certain amount of music were like, “What are you doing?

Nishizawa: Looking back on it now, I think it was a time when the group was getting bigger and bigger, and I felt like I was going through growing pains with my solo work and “non-tie-up” stuff.

Ametalk! Finally Death” (2019), which expanded their range of expression and appearances on

-In 2019, “Ametalk! (TV Asahi), and there is also the impression that the number of fans has increased in a wider field. What kind of impression do you have of BiSH at this time?

Nishizawa: The 3rd album “CARROTS and STiCKS” was an experimental album. It had a bit of noise-like sounds, such as “Death at Last”.

Iida: BiSH is one of those things that you don’t know until you see them live. I wondered who would be featured on this song and how, and Rinrin was right in the middle. I thought, “I see, this is what I wanted to do. I thought it was great that the most inconspicuous girl, Lynn Lynn, suddenly started to have a death voice and changed her mind.

-If I had to choose a song from this period, it would be “Death at Last”. The live performance of the song was also very impressive.

Nishizawa: When I asked the members during a recent interview, many of them said that this work was significant. They said it expanded their range of expression. I also feel that they were in a position to lead the junior members and other groups, rather than BiSH alone.

Iida: During an interview around this time, I said to the members, “You’re selling well,” but everyone’s clothes and belongings were the same as usual. The girls themselves were not aware that they were selling so well. No one was getting carried away, and they seemed to be working desperately.

BiSH in the Corona Disaster, pausing to look for ways to reach fans outside of live performances (2020)

-How did you see BiSH after the Corona disaster, when you couldn’t perform live anymore?

Iida: I think it was another turning point. We couldn’t perform live, and we couldn’t meet the cleaners (BiSH fans). In such a situation, we became emotional and said, “We are going to deliver this song to each and every janitor,” and we did just that.

The members were to deliver their simple feelings to the janitors, and the janitors were to deliver their feelings to BiSH, and the album “Letters” presented this structure in an easy-to-understand way. Without this, I think it would not have been possible at the Tokyo Dome. I think we were one of the groups that got Corona on our side the most.

Nishizawa: I think it is time for the members to stop and think. Momoko-san’s second essay (“Kimi ga Yume ni de Dekite yo”) was crowdfunded by our company, and she wanted to communicate with her fans properly, so she said she would like to write an essay every week and send it to the crowdfunding supporters. Momoko wanted to write an essay every week and send it to the supporters of the crowdfunding campaign. Momoko’s opinion started that kind of communication.

Momoko-san read all of the hundreds of replies and comments that were sent to her, and I think it was a time when we thought a lot about how we could convey our feelings in a way other than through live performances. I think it was for their benefit.

-I did an interview with CINRA for “Letters,” and the interview itself was very emotional. They all talked about how they were saved by music.

Most interviews with so-called idol groups are basically about the situation, not about their creation. But for “Letters,” almost all of them wrote the lyrics, so I asked them about the thoughts they put into the songs. I remember it was very emotional ( See: A heart-wrenching letter from BiSH. The blank months we all talked about).

Iida: In the interview when you joined Corona Disaster, only Auni and Aina said that they were glad to be in Corona. Of course it was not good, but they said they would have died if things had continued as they were. We were separated, but both of us said the same thing.

We were so busy that we had lost track of things. Maybe it was good for Aina and Ayuni, who were especially busy, that they were able to sort it all out once and for all. If we had continued as we were, Aina, in particular, might have said, “I can’t do this anymore.

Announcing the breakup of the group at the height of its popularity (2021)

-The breakup announcement was made on December 24, 2021. Internally, the decision had already been made before that, but how did you two see this situation?

Iida: It was decided about two years before that.

Nishizawa: You said it was before Corona.

Iida: I think the members were in a very complicated situation. Some members were relieved to announce the dissolution of the group, while others kept saying that they were against it.

I think what we did after the announcement of the breakup was amazing: releasing 12 months in a row, touring all over Japan, and so on. I think he did a really good job. So I think they did a really good job, and I really appreciate their hard work. Everyone worked very hard.

Nishizawa: I was not surprised at the breakup itself, but I was surprised that they announced it at the peak of their career. Even though I knew it in my head, I felt that if the group had become this big, it would be impossible for them to break up with their aesthetics. I felt that they had done it after all.

Changes in each member over the past eight years. Expectations for the Tokyo Dome Live

-Looking back, how do you feel about the changes and growth of each member?

Iida: They have all become prettier and more able to speak. Like all young people, at first there was nothing to talk about. But now, each member has more than enough to say in an hour. It seems like we all still have things to say to each other.

Especially Rin Rin, Hashiyasume, and Ayuni, from last year to this year, they wanted to talk more. In other words, I think they have formed as human beings. I think they are becoming good adults.

-I think that the encounters with various people were also significant. As for Auni, she met Hisako Tabuchi at PEDRO, and by exposing herself, she became brighter, and I think the 2021 tour (“BiSH’S 5G are MAKiNG LOVE TOUR”) also had an influence. I also feel that I became more involved with bands, especially chichi, and my awareness of the principles and values of band members’ behavior gradually increased.

Nishizawa: Momoko and Rin Rin worked together on the book as my editor, and Momoko spontaneously wrote essays without me having to say anything, and Rin Rin started to show her creativity in the picture book “Shi (Momotaro),” and what I wanted to do and what I wanted to express became clear. I see that kind of change in both of them.

-Aina released her first solo album “THE END” in 2021, and I think her encounter with Seiji Kameda, who produced the album, was also significant. Then there was the unit “A_o” with Masaya Mifune of ROTH BART BARON, who worked on a commercial song for Pocari Sweat, and the creativity expanded outward.

Nishizawa: In that sense, only Mr. Hashiyasume has never changed. That is a good thing, though. You are really consistent.

Iida: The comedy has become more interesting, though.

-Lastly, what would you like to see at the Tokyo Dome concert?　What kind of end do you expect from BiSH?

Iida: I would like it to be a grand finale. What we have done has been unusual, but we have become a group that can move people. I think it would be good to end the show with an emotional ending.

Nishizawa: I’ve never had a bad experience at any of BiSH’s live performances, no matter how big or small. Makuhari Messe was great, but Zepp and smaller live houses are all great. In that sense, I am sure that Tokyo Dome will be a great live show as well. The girls have always performed in their own way, or rather, in their true colors, so I think it would be great if they could perform as they are in a large venue as well. It would be great to see them in that way.

Iida: In that sense, I’m most looking forward to the comedy show. I want to see you make a big slip in front of about 50,000 people. Other than that, I’m fine if they just do their usual stuff. I want them to go all out in the comedy.