INDEX
Giving a chance to grow is vital for the future
-Your thoughts on the Japanese music scene are eye-opening as you’ve seen many countries.
Yuto: I think the fundamental problem is that Japanese people are becoming outdated. It is only natural that if an outdated person creates something, it will sound old-fashioned, isn’t it? A decade ago, people might have thought that Japan was a developed country and Southeast Asia was a developing country, but things are changing at an incredible pace now. Exporting culture is a very sensitive thing, and I think you have to be ahead of the curve in order to inspire people.
Yuto: If a country is not ahead of the curve, artists who are ahead of the curve will not be nurtured, so I wonder what is happening in Japan today. I think it is interesting because there is a different context in terms of music, and what YOASOBI and others are doing, on the contrary, I don’t think Americans can do. In that sense, anime is great, and Japan has always been in the lead, but even that is changing these days. The times are really moving fast, so I never know what will happen …
-Admiration for Japanese culture is undoubtedly a thing, but it may not last forever.
Yuto: I think there are many interesting artists in Japan. Japanese people are very particular and detailed, and they are good at playing instruments. I believe that such soil and temperament exist, and if something is added to it, interesting artists and music will spring up … I think the most important thing is to “give them a chance to grow.”
There are a lot of talented people out there, but those talented people quit halfway through. That is the problem. The reason why I am able to continue is because I have Mr. Yamazaki and others who control my activities, and if I can continue, I can grow and create interesting music. I hope that more people will have that chance.
Yuto:When you think about it, instead of trying to go outside, It might be more interesting to think in a way like “What kind of music does Shibuya have?” People who are doing interesting things in Shibuya can make a living only in Shibuya. If you can make a living by performing at a live house in Shibuya once a week and have people show up, I think the quality of what you produce there will be more export-worthy. Touring around the world is a very difficult task.
-Having people come over is also a way, as well as Japanese people going abroad.
Yuto: Yes, there are so many possibilities, and it is an interesting time, but it is also a time when it is difficult to see. But if you keep looking ahead and do interesting things, you will probably see a bud somewhere.
The fin. has always been like that, like a turtle, continuing to do what I believe in, and spreading little by little to people who found it, and it is still going on today. It takes a lot of luck to have that kind of staying power, and it’s a very difficult thing to do, but I think the only way is to keep on doing it.
