[MAGAZINE] Shiroiwa Ruki (JO1) x HYDE - ar (February 2022)

[dreamweavernyx]

I've translated the cross-talk between Ruki and his idol, HYDE! ^^ Ruki is a major HYDE fanboy so it was cute to see him get to talk to his idol here, and they talk about what's important to them as artists.

Brief note: The spread in the magazine consists of a front section where the two of them leave a short message to each other, a cross-talk, and then ends off with a short individual interview for each of them. I've arranged the translated sections in the same order.

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JO1 Meets…: HYDE x Shiroiwa Ruki

Talk Theme: Their Aesthetics

A regular publication where we fulfill the long-held dreams of the 11 members of JO1. In this 3rd edition, we have a dream-like session between Shiroiwa Ruki-san and HYDE-san, who has influenced him greatly and who he has always admired. This will be a close-up on this sparkling pair, with a focus on the mindsets that they deem important, and their thoughts towards their fans!

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Message: Ruki to HYDE

The first time I listened to L’Arc-en-Ciel’s music was in my 2nd year of middle school. I received a shock from how cool the song “LINK”, which was in my friend’s Walkman, was, and so when I got home I immediately searched it up on the Internet, and ended up purchasing a lot of other songs as well! Ever since then, I’ve always looked up to HYDE-san. In my middle school days I listened to nothing but L’Arc’s music, and in my graduation yearbook, under the section for “Person you’d like to become” I wrote that I wanted to become HYDE-san. The reason that I wrote for that was that “He’s perfect in every way” (laughs). I went to a lot of the concerts as well. I even started a band on my own, and began to write my own lyrics and music. To be able to speak with someone who, to me, is the representation of all of my youth, is really like a dream come true… My nervousness and excitement are both at maximum level, and so this morning I couldn’t fall asleep until 4am (laughs).

Message: HYDE to Ruki

I knew of JO1 even before this cross-talk. When I first saw the group name, I remember thinking, “How does one pronounce this? Like ‘joy’?” (laughs). I’ve seen some of the group’s performances, and I thought that their dancing was sexy. I think it’s important that, more than just standing on stage, your movements have a sex appeal to them. Meeting Shiroiwa-kun in person, he’s actually really cute, and to know that young people like him admire us makes me feel like “It was good that I did this [referring to his activities with L’Arc-en-Ciel]”. I also started my foray into music because of my admiration for an artist I liked, and I continued on while carrying my own unique worries. To think that I’m able to resonate with the next generation, it quite simply makes me happy.

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Cross-talk

I’ll “challenge” the stage with the strong feeling that “I’ll go for every member of the audience!”

Shiroiwa (S): I’m so happy to be able to meet with you today!! Ever since my school days I’ve been listening to L’Arc-en-Ciel’s songs and I’ve been greatly influenced by them, so the ‘me’ of today has been shaped by HYDE-san.

HYDE (H): Is that so~ I’ve been active in this industry since you were born, isn’t that right.

S: I was born in 1997, and when I saw your Tokyo Dome concert from that year during my 2nd year of middle school, I thought, “There’s really someone so beautiful who exists in this world…!”, and I was shocked. The first album I purchased was the 20th anniversary release “BUTTERFLY”, and I have countless songs of yours that I love. “snow drop” is one of them for sure, and when I’m driving it’s great to put on “Driver’s High” or “Kaze ni Kienaide”. Also… (he continues on about his memories of these songs)

H: Thank you very much (laughs).

S: I really respect you, and there’s so much that I want to learn from you, that conversely I’m not sure where I should start…

H: You can’t learn that much from me (laughs).

S: No, no! Your absolute aura when you’re on stage… I really admire that.

H: It’s not really something I consciously pay attention to, but it’s like a switch that automatically comes on when I step onto the stage. The reason for that may be that you don’t really want your audience to look down on you, I think (laughs). As an artist, you always want to grasp hold of the venue and create the atmosphere, so while you can laze around in the dressing-room, once you get on stage you’ll think “All right, now I’ll go and take the lead on everything”, and that switch just comes on.

S: Wow, that’s a learning point for me!

H: Of course, there are times when I can make that switch consciously. At overseas concerts there’s a wide variety of people in the audience, so I challenge those stages with the thinking that “I’ll go for all of them!”. Also, Japanese people tend to think it’s a virtue to think of the other person and give in to them, but you’ll never become popular like that. It’ll become like, “Well, 2nd place is also okay, then”, and then you can’t win. It’s important to have the feeling that “I should be on the top!”.

S: We also want to have activities overseas, so I’ll first make sure that my feelings don’t lose to anyone.

It’s alright to be mischievous; because you’re young, that unpolished feel is part of your charm too

S: HYDE-san, you’re also good at drawing, aren’t you. The appearance of your MVs and concerts is amazing, but how did you cultivate your sense of aesthetics?

H: My youth was in the 80s, so I was heavily influenced by the heavy metal and British music of the time, you know. At the time, the goth vibe was in, and there were many artists who wore makeup. I liked that kind of European mood, so that’s where my roots came from, I think.

S: I see. If there’s any works that I should look into in order to further polish myself as an artist, I’d love to hear about them!

H: Eh~ what would those be. My generation was different, so I think it’s fine to pick according to the tastes of the present era. But I feel that recently there aren’t enough mischievous characters around. Everyone has a clean, good-kid image, don’t they? A slightly more edgy feel might be more fresh these days. Something unprecedented like Harley Quinn from “Suicide Squad”, I like that too.

S: I want to focus on things like the rough feel that you can exude because of your youth, or a momentum that I can only gain in this time. And if I was a member of the audience, I don’t think I’d want to support someone without self-confidence. So precisely because I’m standing on the stage, I want to be someone who’s thought of as shining brighter than anyone else.

H: That’s a very good way of thinking. That, and I think vocal ability is also important. I’ve done band battles with American bands on their home soil before, and they’re all incredibly good at singing. You really have to properly challenge each and every song through the vocals. I tended to think that it was fine as long as I put up a good show, but I realised anew that that’s not the correct way to go about it. Recently, I’ve been making it a point to make sure I sing during my live performances just as I would when recording.

It’s alright if there are parts of you that don’t align!  A comfortable amount of distance between you that makes you think “this is just right” is the key to longevity

H: JO1’s dancing is very cool. Do you have choreographers?

S: Yes. Choreographers from South Korea help us to create the choreography, and then we watch those videos and put the dance together. In the future we’d be able to learn from them directly, but right now we’re focused on doing it remotely, and we practice 8 hours a day.

H: 8 hours… you practice every day?!

S: Pretty much every day.

H: That’s amazing, if it were me it would definitely be impossible! (laughs)

S: Just recently, we had our first audience live in our 2nd year since debut, and we had to do roughly 20 songs per show, so when we were rehearsing for that we were continuously dancing from the morning to 3am.

H: Won’t your effectiveness decrease if you practice for too long?

S: For us, we’re aiming for a synchronised dance where all 11 members’ movements are in sync, so we need to work on that level of precision, and there are also members who itch to practice more… (laughs).

H: Ah~~ (impressed), they’re full of energy!

S: We’re energetic! (huge smile) In a previous interview of yours that I watched, I recall very strongly that you said “The key to a group’s longevity is not to have too much interference”. I’ve been using that as a guide, and making sure I keep a comfortable distance with the other members.

H: It’s good if you are close, but it’s natural to have parts that don’t click with the rest, and if you force yourselves to match you’ll just get tired. So you should earnestly make compromises only for the most important aspects. I think that’s more than sufficient. For me, up till now I don’t even have the LINE contact details of the other L’Arc members (laughs).

S: I get that! I think it’s more charming when there’s an enigmatic side to you, so I make sure to keep in mind not to push too much with the other members, or to stay too distant. So I always calmly look over the group as a whole, and build up good relationships. It’s all thanks to HYDE-san’s teachings!

H: When I think that there are people who are influenced by me like that, I really can’t say imprudent things (laughs). I also say some pretty unreliable things, you know?

S: I also love that about you! It’s like, “Is he serious? Is he joking? Which is it?”. In the end, it’s mysterious and wonderful that only you yourself know the true answer to that. I’ve also learned from that.

H: Hahaha (shy laughter), thank you.

If you want to shine brighter than anyone else, you must work harder than everyone else

S: We’re in our 2nd year since debut, so is there anything we should keep in mind?

H: I was thinking of saying “You should work hard in your 20s”, but since you’re already dancing for 8 hours a day that’s enough, isn’t it (laughs). For me, I think young artists are similar to athletes, you know. A top athlete like Ichiro-san* became like that because he worked really hard. So if you think that you want to shine brighter than anyone else, you must work harder than everyone else.

[T/N: A famous Japanese baseball player.]

S: We work without any days off! (grins) But right now, it’s fun to work like that.

H: Amazing! Recently I’ll work up till dinner time, and I’ll go into my off-mode after I drink some alcohol. Although I do still work on creative matters. I’ve become able to switch between my on and off-mode when I’m drinking relaxedly, I think.

S: For me, I can relax when I drink cola. I usually have cola as a treat for after I’ve worked hard. I’ll definitely drink it today as well!

H: Wonderful. You’ll get a commercial offer coming your way (laughs).

S: That would be the best! Also, please let me tell you a secret dream of mine! I think previously, you appeared on a streaming show called “Sashimeshi” where two people will go out and eat together… it’s a little presumptuous of me, but I’d love to appear on that with you someday.

H: I’m happy to hear that. Streaming’s good, isn’t it. (In response to a question from the editors’ team about “How about the possibility of a collaboration for the Halloween party that you host?”:) If you can dress up as a woman, then certainly (laughs).

S: I’d like to try that! (immediate answer)

H: You’ll definitely be cute. Your skin is really clear, too.

S: (hastily) Really!? The name was mentioned before, but HYDE-san, I saw that you had previously dressed up as Harley Quinn*; I thought that that was really beautiful, and I was moved.

[T/N: HYDE dressed up as Harley Quinn for the 2016 Halloween party that he hosted.]

H: Oh, thank you.

S: Ah, I’m really so happy, that I don’t want this to end… HYDE-san, I’m really so honoured, thank you so much for this happy time!

H: Same here. Ah, but after speaking to you, I was surprised by how much of a fan you are. Shiroiwa-kun, please become one of my close friends (laughs).

S: Wah, yay!! (teary-eyed) My parents are also big fans, so when they read this cross-talk I’m sure they’ll cry a lot.

H: I’ll also study JO1 (laughs).

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Individual talk

What is your “core” as an artist?

HYDE

In our line of work, without those who listen to our music we wouldn’t be anywhere. So I take care to build a good relationship with my fans. Although I think it is cool for an artist to keep up and change with the times, there are many fans who feel relieved by the parts of you that don’t change. In order to remain active for a long time, it’s important to find that balance. For example, for this song I’ll try something new, but for the next one I’ll properly return to my roots, something like that. You can’t answer everyone’s wishes, but there’s many ways to go about it, so I keep in mind as I work to make sure both the new fans who have just come to know me, and those who have liked me for a long time, are able to enjoy my work.

Shiroiwa Ruki

Just like HYDE-san said, without our fans we won’t be able to stand on a stage. So on top of our regular activities, I’ve always taken care to “think from the fans’ perspective” ever since our debut. Not just about whether this is something we want to do, but whether this will make them happy. When I consciously think about how to make our performances cool, I naturally begin to see what we should choose, and what we should do. I keep in mind to always work to think of what those who support us would want, and how to provide the best answer to those wishes within the limits of my ability.