[Interview en français en première page]
Annin Showchestra is a Japanese instrumental band composed of six members: KiRiKo, ARISA, Yuuka, REO, Yu-yan and Risa.
KiRiKo is playing erhu, a Chinese traditional instrument. ARISA is playing cello and is currently living in Paris. She also graduated from the Tokyo University of Arts. Yuuka plays contrabass. REO only joined the band recently and is playing piano. Yu-yan handles percussion. Finally, Risa is playing accordion.
The six young women are taking you on an unknown journey with their Chinese Lolita outfits and style reminiscent of the Victorian era.
During their stay at Japan Expo, the girls were able to tell to us more about the beginnings of the band and their style so particular that makes them unique. To satisfy your curiosity, discover the questions below!
Hello!
Thank you for this interview. Could you present yourselves?
Risa: My name is Risa, I am playing accordion.
Reo: I play piano, I am Reo.
Yu-yan: My name is Yu-yan, I take care of percussion.
KiRiKo: I am KiRiKo, I am playing Erhu, a Chinese violin.
ARISA: My name is ARISA. I am playing cello.
Yuuka: My name is Yuuka and I am playing contrabass.
You all play different instruments, how did you met and form Annin Showchestra?
KiRiKo: I have searched for our members by using Internet most of the time. I really like young girls with a kawaii style, but also girls who are strong and passionate about their instruments. The band was formed this way to become what it is today.
You’ve got a unique style because you’re not singing. Why did you choose to be an instrumental band and to have no singer?
KiRiKo: Indeed, our songs are mainly instrumental tracks, but we still sing sometimes. We choose to work like this because it’s the Erhu which is playing the role of the voice thanks to its particular sound. Because of this, it is not necessary for us to sing.
You also stand out thanks to your visual style. Can we say that your outfits are part of your concept?
KiRiKo: Our concept is a mix between Chinese inspirations for music (instruments and voice) and the Lolita look that we like a lot. That is why clothes have an important part and are complementary with music.
What do you want to share wit your music?
KiRiKo: As I said before, the fact that we don’t sing, or only sometimes, is not important. With our music and our instruments, we try to reach people who are listenning to our music and coming to our shows. We want our public to be happy when listenning to the melody created by our instruments.
It warms our hearts when we see happy faces after a show, and that is the thing we appreciate the most I think. Sometimes, people are telling us that our music is taking them in another world.
You’ve been selected for the Tremplins of J-Music, are you happy to share your unique music with the huge audience of Japan Expo?
KiRiKo: We were really happy. It was so amazing when we learned we would be going to japan Expo this year here in France!
ARISA: From the moment we learned we were flying to France, it was the first time we were going abroad, the band kind of changed. Our ties have tightened. So, we trained a lot to deliver a performance worthy of this invitation.
Do you have a message for your French audience?
KiRiKo: We are so happy to be here. Whether it was when we learned that we were selected, or when we knew we were going to go on stage, or even for exchanges with fans, it’s wonderful. We hope that fans will continue to be joyful too.
We were also surprised by some fans because they were waiting for us out of the dressing room to meet us. They showed us a lot of affection, it was amazing.
Today we will do better than yesterday, and in the future we will do even better than today.
For all this we would like to express our sincere thanks. In Japanese we say “kansha” which expresses a sincere and deep feeling. Thank you!
You can follow them on:
Official website: www.annin-showchestra.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Annin-Showchestra
Twitter: www.twitter.com/an_shoke
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annin_showchestra/
Thanks: Annin Showchetra and their management for their time and kindness, Japan Expo for this organization.
