Interview with ZZ

The rock/rap band ZZ returned to the Americas in May, to perform at the Californian anime convention Fanime again, and also performed at Anime North in Canada. After the concerts, we talked with vocalist Sotaro to get to know the band a bit better and to ask about their experiences.


First of all, we would like to ask you to introduce yourself for the readers that don't know you yet.

Sotaro: Nice to meet you, we are ZZ! The band consists of five members, which include myself as vocalist, kohsuke (guitar), erichi (keyboards), kyama (bass) and matsuura (drums).

ZZ was formed in 1998; how did all of you meet and why did you decide to start a band together?

Sotaro: We grew up in Shizuoka, where kohsuke and I went to the same kindergarten. We met again in our high school, which was around the time when I decided that I wanted to make music. kohsuke played guitar, and we talked about playing in a band. Finally we started the band in 1998, but it seems a little bit late (laughs).

At first we put flyers in instrument shops to look for members and I was contacted by matsuura. When I met him, he was an interesting guy (laughs) and then we decided that he would join our band as the drummer.
Next I remembered that my high school friend, erichi, could play the piano and since we wanted to play ballads, we used every trick in the book to persuade her to join the band. At last, we didn't have a bassist, so we threatened our high school junior, kyama, to be our member (laughs).

I don't think any of the members had a choice whether or not they wanted to join the band (laughs). It seems like we all were friends, who liked music and could play some instruments, gathered and played together...

Please describe the early period, the early stages of ZZ? While looking back on it now, are there any things you would've done differently?

Sotaro: Our hair styles were weird and our playing was poor (laughs), which hasn’t changed much even now...? That's all. Nothing particular has changed, there aren't any major differences.

What is the reason you picked the name ZZ; what does it mean?

Sotaro: There weren't any special reasons why we chose the name, but for its sound and the feeling that came from our lives. We didn’t want to put any images of our music because of the band's name. Honestly, when we named our band we didn’t know about the band ZZ Top, sorry about that.

How are your songs developed and created? Do you have the general idea in mind already before starting on it, or are you just jamming and just see where it'll take you?

Sotaro: I mostly come up with ideas first. Then we either play together all at once or I work out a lot of the details beforehand. It's not like we make songs as we play a jam session, but we pull together the ideas, which come from our jam sessions.

Your songs are so diverse such as the reggae and easy-listening Aijou compared to the summertime-feeling of Yorokobi no Uta or the harder songs such as Samurai Blue. Where does this diversity come from; do you begin with a basic melody and it evolves naturally or do you think, "we want to write a song with this type of feel"?

Sotaro: I can't give a clear answer, but I can joke that it comes from heaven. Well, we are five members and each has their own character so, naturally, each song also has it's own character.
At the time we did what we wanted to do so we could make various type of songs. In general, we put our hearts into all of our songs, which is important, I think.

Are you influenced by any artists?

Sotaro: I have too many influences and each member has so much different favorite artists. Though, I like U2 and recently I like emo punk.

Your song SAMURAI BLUE has been used as the supporters' song of the soccer World Cup 2006. How did this opportunity come about and how was it for you?

Sotaro: There is a group of supporters for the Japanese representatives of soccer, named the 'ULTRAS'. I keep a good relationship with Asahi Ueda, the president of the group, so we made a song for the World Cup. Of course, we were very happy about that. I felt like my dream came true since I used to play soccer.

For the song Just Only One you collaborated with DJ Kaori. How did you get this opportunity and how was working together?

Sotaro: The staff of our record company introduced us to each other. When we made Just only one, we wanted to use female chorus and scratches and I heard there was a person who could do both (laughs). Of course, she is quite famous and I know her, so we asked her. She's a very cool sister who lifted our spirits.

Would you be interested in collaborating with more artists, (both Japanese and non-Japanese) and if so, with who?

Sotaro: Of course!!! With U2 (laughs).

Several of your songs have been used for different anime shows; were the songs already created beforehand or were you given the opportunity first?

Sotaro: It’s a mix of both. The song A to Z (for 'ONE PIECE') was already made, and I hoped it to be used for 'ONE PIECE' because I liked that anime, and it came true (laughs). I think the staff of our record company worked hard for that (laughs). I want to say, "Thank you very much!" here. Whenever I get a chance, I always read the original!

Your last release was a compilation album. Can we expect a new release with new songs in near future?

Sotaro: Maybe so...

Next to writing songs for ZZ, you've also written songs for other artists, such as AAA. In what way, if at all, is this different from writing songs for ZZ, and what do you enjoy about song writing for other artists most?

Sotaro: Generally speaking, when writing for another artist, the singer isn’t me and is sometimes a female. I imagine the singer’s voice when I write songs for them, but basically my feelings are the same. I find new things because the way to sing and the voices are different from mine. I enjoy it.

You’ve worked together with Chisato of Penicillin as the unit Crack Z. Can you tell us more about this? How did you get the idea to start this project?

Sotaro: Since I keep a good relationship with pro wrestler, Mr. Murakami, he asked me to make a song for when he enters the ring. At first, I put his requests along with my originality into the song, but I felt as if it didn’t match ZZ's sound. Then I remembered I had previously spoken with Chisato to do something together, so we made this together.

erichi often sings back-up vocals. Have you ever considered having her sing lead instead?

Sotaro: She said she would do it if she had the chance! (laughs)

You've performed at the anime conventions Fanime in California, the USA and at Anime North in Toronto, Canada. How did these performances go and what kind of reaction did you get from the audience?

Sotaro: I enjoyed them very much. I felt I could convey what I wanted to say even if the audience might not have understood our language. Their reaction was more enthusiastic than I had expected and I was surprised at first, but I was very happy!

What is your favorite aspect of playing in the US?

Sotaro: I feel I can convey what I sing even though almost all the songs are in Japanese. So I feel there aren’t any boundaries in music. And they make a lot of noise (laughs).

Next to performing in North America, your first performances abroad were in China and South Korea. How was it being at the prime of your career by beginning to receive more acknowledgements to be invited to perform in such locations?

Sotaro: Honestly I was happy and I enjoyed it very much.
I am thankful for us having such opportunities and for the people who listen to our music.

Please give a message for your fans.

Sotaro: I always have to thank you! Please continue to support us.

Thank you for taking time to answer our questions for this interview.


JaME would like to thank ZZ and Avex for this interview.