HANABIE. Replicate on How Lollapalooza Resulted in ‘Bucchigiri Tokyo’ EP

HANABIE. is an all-woman nu-metal band made up of vocalist Yukina, guitarist and vocalist Matsuri, bassist and backup vocalist Hettsu, and drummer Chika. Even though it’s been lower than a 12 months and a part since their debut, they had been functioning at in a foreign country metallic gala’s even earlier than they debuted, and in 2024 they performed at the major degree at Lollapalooza, one among The usa’s “large 3” outside gala’s. Their momentum, particularly in a foreign country, is aware of no bounds. They spoke with Billboard Japan about their studies around the globe and about the way it grew to become their consideration to their homeland of Tokyo, the theme in their new EP, Bucchigiri Tokyo.

First off, may just you communicate to us about Lollapalooza 2024, the place you performed in August?

Matsuri: Lollapalooza is a super-famous pageant, so in the beginning we concept there used to be no approach we’d if truth be told have the ability to play there (laughs). We had been jittery and stressed the entire approach up till the true day of the display.

Yukina: We’ve been very lucky to be invited to play at metallic gala’s in quite a lot of other international locations, however Lollapalooza isn’t a metallic pageant, so we concept so much about what to mention and what to put on right through the display. Hettsu stayed up past due adorning the 4 platforms we stood on.

Hettsu: I went purchasing for cloth with Chika. To not sing my very own praises an excessive amount of, however I feel the platforms grew to become out smartly, they usually had been a super fit for the Lollapalooza degree (laughs). Additionally, for the primary time at a HANABIE. display, we had a VJ, and for one of the songs we had been projected up onto an enormous display.

Yukina: We additionally tossed some seaside balls into the group and did every other issues only for the display.

How did the luck of the display impact the band?

Matsuri: It gave us numerous self belief. Pulling off a large display like that used to be a super revel in for the band. Additionally, we performed right through the daylight, so it sparked an ambition in us to make it even larger and to at some point carry out in a later spot at the timetable. We additionally sought after to paintings even tougher on our in a foreign country displays.

Have you ever all the time been bold?

Matsuri: I don’t in reality suppose so.

Yukina: The extra we play in several international locations and in gala’s in Japan, the extra issues we need to reach.

Matsuri: We didn’t be expecting our song to connect to in a foreign country audiences. Studying that it connects gave us numerous self belief. It made us need “extra! extra!”

You performed at a couple of different in a foreign country gala’s after Lollapalooza. Have you ever gotten used to these forms of displays?

Matsuri: Sure, we’re lovely used to them now. We’re regularly beginning to get an image of the other atmospheres at particular person gala’s in particular person international locations. Remaining 12 months, each day used to be identical to “This pageant is astounding!”

Out of doors of gala’s, you additionally did a kind of one-month-long excursion of the U.S. along with Ukrainian metallic band Jinjer and American deathcore band Born of Osiris.

Yukina: We performed 19 displays in a single month. It used to be like 4 days in a row, then a break day, after which repeat once more, over the entire process the excursion. Jinjer’s performances had numerous leisure worth. They had been like observing a display. That influenced us, too, so we attempted to be extra expressive and to create an environment for each and every tune via our expressions, actions, and gestures.

Chika: Additionally, our particular person performances got here in combination and gelled.

Hettsu: Jinjer and Born of Osiris are each very technical bands, they usually’re very locked in, so we centered extra on getting ourselves locked in. That’s in a different way by which it used to be a in reality superb excursion.

Matsuri: We’ve were given the similar sense of groove now, we push or pull the rhythm in combination. That used to be all the time a subject matter for us, however now we’re all beginning to sync up, so I will in reality really feel how we’ve grown.

After the excursion with Jinjer, you probably did a excursion in Australia, and now, having travelled the sector, you’ve launched a brand new album, Bucchigiri Tokyo. If it hadn’t been in your in a foreign country studies, you wouldn’t have selected that title, would you?

Yukina: Proper. Now not simply the identify, however I don’t suppose we’d have long gone in the similar route with the songs, both.

Touring to some of these other puts and assembly new other folks, you stay listening to “Japan’s nice. Tokyo’s nice.” So that you rediscovered your delight and affection for the place you’re from, proper?

Yukina: Proper. In part as a result of anime has the sort of large presence that you’re taking it as a right, I’d by no means in reality concept that deeply about Eastern tradition, however via our global excursion I came upon how a lot other folks love Eastern tradition. That spread out strains of conversation, and I’ve come to really feel in reality happy with our tradition.

Numerous the songs at the new EP cross lovely onerous. “Bucchigiri Tokyo” is a shockingly easy tune.

Matsuri: So, about that tune…I noticed Inexperienced Day carry out reside for the primary time at a pageant in Europe. I’m an enormous Inexperienced Day fan, so it used to be like a dream, with the ability to pay attention songs I’ve liked since I used to be little, all being carried out reside. That feeling stayed with us after the excursion ended and we got here again to Japan. We wrote “Bucchigiri Tokyo” about two days when we were given again, nonetheless feeling that very same spirit. I feel that’s why that simple feeling comes via within the refrain riffs.

So the punk really feel of the tune comes from Inexperienced Day?

Matsuri: Proper. In fact, it additionally has numerous HANABIE. in it, however the mindset beneath comes from Inexperienced Day.

After which there’s “Ito Okashi My Sort.”

Yukina: From that noted persona check…(laughs). It’s lovely fashionable now. Or, moderately, it’s one thing that everyone’s desirous about in this day and age, so we determined to make use of it in a tune. It’s well known everywhere in the global, no longer simply Japan, so I feel the tune’s theme will resonate with other folks in any nation. The tune additionally has a type of Heian generation really feel. A classical Eastern really feel.

Matsuri: There are facets of our fashionable age that percentage one thing in commonplace with the Heian generation, so we put them into our tune, the usage of a type of pop manner.

There are artists who keep away from referencing fashionable fads of their lyrics. You, however, actively check out to do this, proper? Don’t you concern about what’s going to occur after the ones fads have handed?

Yukina: I don’t concern about it. It’s just like the songs will age with us. We’re seeking to create inventive output that’s super-fresh, in the way in which that simplest we will be able to.

Matsuri: Once we grow older, there’s no approach we’ll have the ability to do what we’re doing now, so we’ve were given to do it whilst we will be able to.

What sort of 12 months do you suppose subsequent 12 months might be?

Yukina: It’s been nearly a decade since our band shaped. The only decade anniversary is a big milestone, so I need us to provide ourselves a pat at the again after which be like, “Okay, now let’s give it our all once more!” We’ve already been introduced as taking part in on the German FWacken Open Air 2025 pageant and a few different gala’s, so we need to in reality pump up the power ranges, each right here in Japan and in a foreign country!

—This interview by way of Daishi “DA” Ato first seemed on Billboard Japan