i found an interview with yomi in another forum.
sorry if it has already been posted.
enjoy! n.n
The Visual world is mostly "ranked in character." When it comes to Yomi, he is the only one being able to establish a style. Right now there's a conflict in his heart between a shy person and being a show-off. What is Yomi's aim of an image to the ideal vocalist?
When it comes to Nightmare's Yomi yourself, are there parts of your character you use in different aspects?
No, I don't feel it changes. The typical visual kei band is not really used to compare to Nightmare, I think. The basis is to have a good part. That's why I don't think there's a variation within myself.
I see. Then the foundation of you wanting to be visual kei is unique to Yomi's character in your way to keep searching. When was Yomi's chance in thinking "I want to sing"?
When I heard X(JAPAN) in my room, I thought "They're cool" and felt "I want to sing." That was when the band started.
When you sing, did you regard yourself as "This is me!" did that moment of your true feelings come to you?
I was around 17 during the time I wanted to do a copy band. I knew there were copy bands of X and LUNA SEA around my hometown, but I felt I wanted to do it also.
What was the dream you felt you wanted to do in the future at that time?
Major debut?! Fuhahaha (laughs). At that time, there was a guy who had a conversation with me, saying "Let's go major."
What about Yomi's recent vocals?
For the time being, I absolutely don't want to be conspicuous (laughs). That's why I haven't thought about my vocals.
In regards of Yomi being shy, you're full of shyness, aren't you? But what is being a show-off as a personal trait?
So you know of the contradiction then. But Hitsugi is also the same (laughs). It's embarrassing to have this as a personal trait, but I wonder which one it would be (laughs). This is kind of like the time of a school arts fair in elementary/primary school, isn't it? I want to be the only leading part (laughs). That was how I felt back then.
But during the time you became the band's vocalist, doesn't the feeling of embarrassment come up also?
There really wasn't any. Everyone practices when the announcement of a live is done, right? I think this kind of process is there for us to practice and to change in order for us to do the live.
During the time you were doing your copy band up until your major debut everyone was talking about, what were your feelings on making a living with music as your future?
I thought about that when I first arrived here (in Tokyo). Because being in a band is fun, so to sing (in a band) is fun and that's it. That's how I felt.
That was what made it fun, wasn't it?
Everyone joined together in that feeling of having fun, didn't they? Perhaps if the band (didn't exist), I would have sang in regard to holding an interest in it anyway.
Regardless if you sang, everyone else would probably have made a band.
Well, I still feel that way now.
When your group of friends gathered one by one and wanted to make a band, that was fun.
Yes, yes. That's the most fun. There aren't too many live houses in the countryside of my hometown. That's why when we wanted to do lives, we'd have to go searching for places that had PA equipments and the tickets were made in a stationery store as a favor. When we all gathered, we'd say "What should we do?" and the time we talked about this was the most fun. (smile)
Ahhー. Preparations made during the school festival has roused each one of you (laughs). How has Nightmare changed after you all came to Tokyo?
No, we haven't changed. Fuhaha. The first half of this big portion seems fun. This is how Nightmare make and get experience. Because of that I got a part I ended up loving. Until then, I would have to see which one of these things would be it: "I love singing" or "I love the band." At the moment, I would say I love singing because of how I felt.
Regarding your signing, what was the turning point where you came to love your part?
It would definitely be when I understood how to create the good quality and the feeling of singing. Back then, all the songs we did were completely shouting and I wanted to see the feeling behind that, but I couldn't really understand singing in that sense. When our CD came to shape in Tokyo, we felt our sound source at that time had a proper melody, but we needed something to increase that source and that was nearby. We would feel "That's a good song."
Yomi recently wrote lyrics for Nightmare, right?
Yes, I did. Ruka and I were wondering which one of us would write it.
Does the band start out by writing lyrics?
We wrote original songs during the time we were still a copy band. I also had the feeling of making original songs like X and LUNA SEA and wanted to see if we could do it. That's why when it comes to lyrics, you can write anything as long as your ideals are solely near it, you can make it and see. I want to see mine (laughs).
So what kind of lyrics are there now?
A lot of visual kei lyrics back then were really dark. We would have to use the dictionary to look up these words and this is how they become part of our lyrics as we write them.
That's probably how it first takes shape (laughs).
Yes. For me, it will take any shape. I was on an all boys' baseball team when I was a child. At first I wanted to buy a glove and a bat before actually playing properly (laughs). That's why with Nightmare, the sound source we try to create during a live is something we hear first and for the time being, we'll ride on those words with that kind of a feeling (laughs). My aim right now is to communicate those words since visual kei came from a dark atmosphere.
Right now, your top priority is to master the "shape" of visual kei.
Yes, yes (laughs).
Right now, Nightmare has Ruka, then Sakito and Hitsugi writing the lyrics from the start. How is this from the standpoint as the vocalist?
On the contrary, it's easy for other people to write this kind of stuff! When I write songs, I feel the way in writing a song and there's also a way in singing it. Of course, when I write my own feelings into the lyrics, the song will always reflect that. That's fine but why must I look at myself on the inside and that's how you get stuck in it. (bitter smile). [Seems like someone's afraid of self-analyzation.]
Feeling awkward is embarrassing for you?
Yes, it's embarrassing.
What kind of feeling does it become when thoughts like "What am I saying" enter into you?
Yes, yes! It's just like that (laughs). But when the others do it, they produce it perfectly while I add the emotion into the song. It becomes strange and embarrassing. But for the band in general, the vocalist writes the lyrics probably because I also want to find a method in doing it.
Ah, so you do have that kind of feeling!
It's there! Personally, I don't think there is but for example, in the case of Nightmare as a band, we don't want our near future to disappear right? If that happens, the lyrics everyone wrote and the songs everyone made becomes part of their experience, Nightmare will always take part in music and that's what I want. There are times where a person wants to write is fine, but I don't want them to forcibly do it thinking "I am, I am."
I see. That's very honest (smile). It's the forced feeling of "can do."
I kind of don't want that (big bitter smile). There's no doubt when you want to write, saying "I want to write" is fine. But... for me, Nightmare has that feeling of being "everyone's Nightmare." The members feel that way too (Nightmare being everyone's Nightmare) as well as the fans. That's why, when I think of the band and the lyrics and songs everyone makes takes the form of being the best. My ideal is if everyone makes the songs and lyrics, we will choose which ones to do. Even if it's my own song and I didn't make the lyrics, I think the style will still be in its best form. Surely, if the lyrics I write altogether stand out, how would we make the song to go with the lyrics and how will the people (fans, listeners, etc) feel on the inside. If the contents aren't there, the significance of it standing out won't be there.
I understand. Then, how would the lyrics describe Yomi himself?
At first, if it's the case of the lyrics being about me and society, I think there's a way for the vocalist to come out with a strong desire.
Is there a role of an ideal figure to get near to for a vocalist within the role of society?
About the songs, it seems like we feel Nightmare has finally come out with our own self-confidence as well as with our stage performances.
That's around the time of "anima"?
Yes.
Not only your stage performance, the time you sing and the MC cap has gradually
come out.
For myself, the image of visual kei has gone astray from the remains of that time. I think it's about how you can find a way to stand out. Because of that, I feel this (visual kei) will become the only one in this as well as in appearance. We can see major artists are lumped altogether, but we have yet to become like that.
It's sort of like that in visual kei, in regards of finding a way to show others this is the link in becoming like this.
But that's because other bands are different. If the MCs in between the songs are different, the material in the songs they have are different also as well as the things they make fun of. But this kind of MC is interesting and strange to do and I feel the aura that comes out of the person is absolutely major. That's why this kind of style is good for me.
You have a good amount of confidence in this prized style. In Yomi's situation, do you by some chance feel out of place doing the MC by yourself?
Ah, I understand! That may not be there! A long time ago, when I wanted to do visual kei, I felt "I haven't really decided yet." Fuhahaha.
(Everyone in big agreement). Ah, yes.
For me, I thought people like Toshi (ex-vocalist for X) and Ryuichi (ex-vocalist for LUNA SEA) were really cool people and I wanted to become like them! In reality, I also believe firmly in order to do so, you have to be cool during the MC thinking, "What are you doing?" Here is where you dig into yourself to find that and you just think "This feels good!" (laughs) and then it's just "It seems to differ." That kind of realization happened about 2-3 years ago. After that, we debuted. For a person to really go in this direction, it's really not fitting. (Everyone bursts out in laughter).
[The reason why everyone found that funny is it took Yomi 2-3 years to realize this feeling for himself while they were already major when it's taken other artists a shorter amount of time, probably even from their indies' days. In other words, Yomi is emotionally slow.]
Now, it's said visual kei can stop its change of course, right? But what is your reason for continuing with visual kei?
This is what I think the band really wants to do as a motive because it seems cool right now. As said by Nightmare, I think the role of the band's vocals is to find a way to look cool and I think that's what my sempais were seeing as well. That's why, I'm in a visual kei band and I feel Nightmare's calculated position is bright.
Regarding what was on your mind before, the role of the vocalist is how they position their character right? (laughs)
I want to be the only one in that also (laughs). I don't have the sense of having a bad ranking but this is something that'll gradually release upon me and I feel this is how one's presence is felt, by being the only one. When the songs feel good, the MC is able to dissolve that. That kind of time allows that feeling of importance to sink in. The people who can see can enter into this with absolute ease. That's why, when I sing it feels good, with the exception of giving the best I can give out!
Yet as the same visual kei vocalist, you drive yourself to be stoic in your private life is really something you don't feel a person should show. It's contrastive isn't it?
I'm easy-going. Kyahaha (laughs). Everyone is always doing something, I think. They're not human (laughs). That's why, I'll do what I'm able to do. I've always shown to be a person that's like "Ah, that guy doesn't seem to be too good." That's how I appear to be, but you don't get excited at the sense of closeness? From the simplicity of the MC, I break various things such as the way I'm seen with my response. That's why I'm still who I am.
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that's all for now ^-^!