Source: http://j-entonline.com/interviews-and-articles/j-ent-interview-with-stereopony-by-dennis-a-amith/ http://www.nt2099.com/J-ENT/INTERVIEWS/stereopony/stereopony.pdf Stereopony has definitely caught a lot attention world- wide through their debut CD single “Hitohira no Hanabira”. The teenage female rock trio from Okinawa con- sists of Aimi (Lead vocalist and lead guitarist), Nohana (bass) and Shiho (Drums) gained recognition from performing on the Japanese rock radio program “School of Lock!”. Not long after, the group were signed on Sony Music Records Inc. sub-label gr8! Records. The CD single would receive an anime tie-in as the main track “Hitohira no Hanabira” was used as ending theme for the popular anime series “BLEACH”. The band has also had other hit singles such as “Namida no Mukou” (used as the second opening theme for “Mobile Suit Gundam 00”) and “Tsukiakari no Michishirube” (opening theme for the second season of the anime series “Darker than Black”). The band has developed a growing fanbase outside of Japan and the band performed at SXSW in Texas in 2009 and in June 2010, the band performed in New Jersey at AnimeNEXT. After their performance in New Jersey, J!-ENT had the opportunity to interview the band. J!-ENT: Before we get into questions about your music, let’s first learn about the group. How did you guys come up with the name Stereopony? STEREOPONY: It’s a coined word. We wanted to combine the word “Stereo” which for us had a cool/ three-dimensional image, and “Pony” which has a cute image. J!-ENT: How did the three of you meet and go on to create a band? STEREOPONY: There is a music studio in Okinawa where all the music lovers hang out, and Aimi and Nohana met here in the studio. Then Aimi asked Shiho to play the drums where the two were classmates in high school. J!-ENT: When you were younger and still in school, what career did each of you imagine yourself work- ing in? AIMI: I thought I’d be a hairdresser NOHANA: I always wanted to play music. SHIHO: I wanted to be a nursery teacher. J!-ENT: What was the moment in your life where you decided and you knew you would be pursuing music as a career? AIMI: I used to go and see many indie bands when I was in middle school and I started to feel like I wanted to start my own band in high school. Then we started to write our own music and after winning the mu- sic contest in Okinawa, we started to aim for a major debut. I remember talking about our career at our school bench in 2007. J!-ENT: What kind of students were you three in high school. The athlete?The troublemaker?The bookworm? The prankster? Normal student? AIMI: All I remember from high school is about our band. SHIHO: Yes, we were always playing music, so we didn’t have that much time hanging out with friends... We were playing for school festivals and stuff too. J!-ENT: Which artists or bands did you listen to a lot while growing up? And was there any artist that inspired you? AIMI: When I was very little, I re- member listening to Judy and Mary’s “Sobakasu” over and over because it was the theme song for anime series “Rurouni Kenshin”. My parents like Judy and Mary too and they’re still one of my favorite groups. I very much admire Yuki. SHIHO: I grew up listening to classical music and I used to play the piano. I never listened to bands until I was asked to join the band from Aimi in high school. NOHANA: I really like Amuro Namie since I was very little. J!-ENT: Curious...If I was to look into your MP3/CD player right now, which artists or song would you be listening to at this time? NOHANA: Stereopony (laughs). I was also listening to Bob Marley while on the plane. SHIHO: Ayaka Hirahara Chatmonchy performing at the SXSW in Austin, Texas. Photo by Mayumi Nashida. AIMI: AC/DC J!-ENT: You have a strong music following outside of Japan and you have many fans in other countries. What is your reaction when you see people all over the world who love your music? STEREOPONY: It’s unbelievable and we feel very fortunate. As a musician, it’s amazing that there are people that know us even outside of our home country, and to be able to even perform in a different country. J!-ENT: Your first single “Hitohira no Hanabira” was used for “BLEACH” and your second single “Namida no Muko” was used for “Mobile Suit Gundam 00”. That’s a pretty big promotion for a band or artist to have their song on an anime or drama series. How was that experience for you to hear your song in an anime series? And do you watch anime or read manga? AIMI: I really enjoy reading manga, so I was very happy to see our music being featured in such anime series like “Bleach”, “Gundam”and “Darker than Black”. As for my favorite, I like Sailor Moon. SHIHO: Dragon Ball NOHANA: I like everything from Shojo to Shonen manga. J!-ENT: In 2009, your album “A Hydrangea Blooms” was released. And I can tell you that I have lis- tened to this album many times. How was the experience of working on this album? And how long was the process of writing the songs, composing and recording? AIMI: Some of these songs are from before our debut, so it was a long way making this album. Everything was new for us at the time, so the whole recording process took a long time, but we weren’t able to finish the 2nd album if it wasn’t for this 1st album. J!-ENT: In June 2010, your second album “Over the Border” was re- leased. Was there anything differ- ent than you wanted to accomplish compared to the work you did on “A Hydrangea Blooms”? SHIHO: Compared to our first album, I think we were able to express our music even more, as we were more used to the whole recording/ production process this time. J!-ENT: Which song on your album “Over the Border” was most mem- orable for you and why? And what song was the most challenging/difficult to create? AIMI:The memory I have from the 1st album recording was that it was hard work, but we were able to relax and enjoy more on the 2nd album “Over the Border” because of all the experience from the previous album. J!-ENT: When it comes to songwrit- ing and musical arrangement, are you perfectionists when it comes to creating your music or are you pretty quick when it comes to creating music? AIMI: It usually takes a lot of time for me when I feel like ‘I should write’ music. It’s much faster if I get certain inspirations and write. SHIHO: As for the lyrics, I take notes or record on my cell phone whenever I get inspiration. J!-ENT: Let’s talk about your music videos. You have awesome music videos! Curious, for each of you, which music video was your favor- ite to work on and why? AIMI: “Tsukiakari no Michishirube”. We were able to convey our music through this video. We got soaking wet, plus there were grass and sand going into my mouth (laughs), but it made all the effort worthwhile. SHIHO: We had extras for “Smilife” and “Hanbunko” which was very fun during the video shoot. NOHANA: “Overdrive”. We had some scenes where we weren’t play- ing, and that was new for us. J!-ENT: You performed at the SXSW (South by Southwest) mu- sic festival in 2009, how was that experience for you? STEREOPONY: We were very ner- vous as that was our first time per- forming outside of Japan, but it was so much fun! That experience meant so much for Stereopony. J!-ENT: Most recently you performed at AnimeNEXT in New Jersey.What was it like to per- form to an audience, especially at an anime convention? STEREOPONY: We were so excit- ed!! There were much more audience than we were thinking, and it was so much fun! We would really like to play again. J!-ENT: Is there a big difference in performing in front of a Japanese audience versus an American audi- ence and how different are they? STEREOPONY: Yes, very much. AIMI: I wish we could play in America every time! (laughs) SHIHO: American people are very direct, and that makes a positive impact for Stereopony. J!-ENT: Before a performance, do any of you have a special routine or something that you like to do hours before you hit the stage? STEREOPONY: It’s called “Enjin” in Japanese. (Note: When everyone gathers in a circle and puts their hand on top of the other.) J!-ENT: Having performed out- side of Japan, are there any cities or countries that you both have dreamed of performing at and also visiting? AIMI: London SHIHO: There are too many places! NOHANA: Space (laughs) J!-ENT: Outside of music, what other hobbies do you enjoy doing? SHIHO: Yoga NOHANA: Nail art AIMI: I just love eating (smiles) J!-ENT: If we had the chance to hang out with STEREOPONY for a day, which city in Japan and what area would you take us to and why? STEREOPONY: We would take you to our home Okinawa, and hang out just like the locals would do. Going for a drive, aquarium, beach parties, etc. J!-ENT: If there is one word to de- scribe yourself, what word would that be and why? SHIHO: Negative NOHANA: Positive AIMI: Stubborn J!-ENT: For every interview, we have a section called word play which I give you five words and you give me your definition for those words: a. Love AIMI: People NOHANA: Chocolate sundae SHIHO: Music b. Success AIMI: Live Performance NOHANA: Live Performance SHIHO: Live Performance c. PAIN AIMI: I trip over a lot! (laughs) NOHANA: My Teeth! I just got braces. SHIHO: My Lower Back d. A Hydrangea Blooms AIMI: Okinawa NOHANA: The studio in Okinawa SHIHO: Suffer d. Over the Border AIMI: America NOHANA: World SHIHO: Feeling of stepping across the line J!-ENT: What final words do you have for your fans worldwide? STEREOPONY: We’ll be playing worldwide someday! Thank you very much for all your support. For more information on STEREOPONY, please visit: http://www.stereopony.com/
