Interview with Maison book girl

After bringing their stylish look and unique brand of music to the UK, alternative idol group Maison book girl speaks to JaME about their tour experience and latest releases.

How was your UK tour? Was there any particular aspect of your UK fans or performance venues that made an impression on you?

Megumi Koshouji: During our performance at The Great Escape, a lot of theatrical smoke was sprayed at the venue, so much so that the audience couldn’t even see their feet through the smoke! That experience left a deep impression on me.

Rin Wada: There were fans who bought and wore our goods that are being sold in Japan and have been waiting for us to come to the UK, and this made me really happy.

Aoi Yagawa: I became really happy when I realized that there were people from overseas who knew us, such as those who memorized and clapped to the beats of our songs, and fans who wore our T-shirts.

Yui Inoue: Until the start of the tour, I was unsure if we'd be well-received by the UK audience, but as soon as our live show started, the fans livened it up and seemed to be enjoying themselves, which in turn made me glad.

Which is your favourite song to perform live? Why that song?

Aoi Yagawa: It’s Karma. It really hypes up the audience in both Japan and overseas, therefore it’s a song that makes me happy too!

How do you feel, knowing that there are fans of your music halfway across the world?

Yui Inoue: It’s unimaginable how people from places that we don’t know about know who we are, and at the same time, how what we’ve done in Japan has reached the UK, which makes me really happy. We were able to see our fans in the UK firsthand, and I think that we will be able to experience more of the world and perform abroad, moving forward.

When more and more people are getting their music through digital download or streaming, how do you feel about Karma/Bathroom being released on old school vinyl?

Megumi Koshouji: Digital downloads make it easier to spread and listen to music across multiple platforms. While this is an attractive feature, the vinyl record retains its physical form, which is uniquely iconic and unlike the CDs even. Thus, I'd feel happy if you're able to enjoy this record for a long time.



The lyrics of your last single Coterie were written by artificial intelligence and the computer produced quite unusual lyrics as a result. What did you think of them when you were first recording the song?

Rin Wada: We did the recording before we were informed that an artificial intelligence had written the lyrics, thus it was difficult to understand them at the start. After hearing that and looking at the words again, I felt that its use of expressions that humans don’t think of is fresh and interesting.



Your records usually have a poetry reading at the end. What’s the idea behind that and where does the inspiration for the poems come from?

Megumi Koshouji: The stories that can be deciphered from listening to the album’s songs depict the scenes of ordinary life, past incidents, emotions, wishes. The poems deconstruct all of them bit by bit and connect them all together.

Could you tell us a little about your new single Elude?

Rin Wada: The first song in Elude is Raincoat to Kubi no Nai Tori, which uses Maison book girl’s distinctively irregular meter. The second song is Okaeri Sayonara, in which the differences in the voices of all four members can be clearly perceived. The third song, Classroom, is a poetry reading written by Koshouji. Whichever the song, I feel that they all develop and expand our band’s strong points.



Your music has a very European sound, which seems ideal for the international market. Would you like to explore opportunities overseas more? Where would you like to go next?

Aoi Yagawa: If we receive an invitation, regardless of the location, I'd want to try and go there, and I want to go to England again. Of the places that I haven’t been to before, I'd like to go to France next!

Thank you for your time! Please leave a message for JaME readers.

Megumi Koshouji: Maison book girl wants to become a group that regularly performs live overseas! We’ll continue to work hard, and we are grateful to you for your constant support.

Rin Wada: We usually perform only within Japan, but it'd be awesome if we could perform in more countries across the world, just like in England this time around.

Aoi Yagawa: Hi everyone, we’re Maison book girl. If you’re reading this, please give us a shot and listen to our songs. Also, please come and watch our live performances in Japan at least once!

Yui Inoue: We’ll try our best to showcase our music to more and more countries, so please give our music a listen!

JaME would like to thank Read The Air Records and Maison book girl for this interview opportunity.

Read our live report on Maison book girl's show at London's Boston Music Room: http://www.jame-world.com/us/articles-130330-maison-book-girl-at-boston-music-room-london.html