I thank both UP-FRONT for allowing me to undertake this Interview with Juice=Juice, in celebration of their first world tour. This is an incredible milestone for the group, one that has been met with a great response from fans all over the world.
I also want to thank Selective Hearing for allowing me to head the interview via e-mail, and ask the members questions regarding the tour, themselves, their performance and also their music. I also thank them for allowing me to cross-post the interview to my very own blog.
You can find the original post here on Selective Hearing.
Juice=Juice Interview - September 10th, 2017
Interview: Kelly-Mae Matt
Interview: Kelly-Mae Matt
Juice=Juice are a 7-member girl group formed in 2013. They were the first of the new units formed from members of the Hello! Pro Kenshuusei. Their first live appearance was at the Hello! Project Haru no Dai Kansyasai Hinamatsuri Festival in March of 2013. Since that time they have made their major label debut, released 12 physical singles, 1 digital single and 1 full-length album.
They also started performing overseas making their first appearances in Taiwan and Hong Kong in October of 2015. Their second overseas appearance was at @JAMxTALE in Hong Kong in February of 2017. Their third overseas performances consist of a tour titled “Juice=Juice Love Around Tour 2017” which will take them to the USA, the UK, France, Germany, Mexico, Thailand and Malaysia.
Selective Hearing had the opportunity to talk with Juice=Juice at the start of their world tour to discuss their expectations for the tour, the changing dynamics of their group and their feelings on their music and performances.
Congratulations on your first world tour! How does everyone feel about singing to so many fans around the world?
YUKA: This is a rare experience as a Japanese idol to do a world tour. I feel overwhelmed, but I will try my best so that all the overseas fans love us.
KARIN: I am really looking forward to it. We have a different language, but I can show our passion through our music. I’d like to show my 100% and communicate with you guys in each language.
TOMOKO: It is because of all your support from overseas that we can do this world tour now. We are very happy and appreciative, and I will make this tour very special for you and show off our live performance skills.
SAYUKI: I never thought that people from overseas would know about us. I saw everybody’s comments from the blogs, so I’d like to show our appreciation this time.
AKARI: I feel very happy. We see many fans from overseas in Japan, and I look forward to seeing them in each county.
RURU: This is my first time going overseas, and the first time doing a World Tour. I am very excited. I will try my best!!
NANAMI: I am very happy. This is a rare chance to do a live performance overseas. I will try my best to deliver my best performance to everybody.
Which country are you most excited to visit on your tour?
YUKA: We will go to many different countries this time. I will find something new in each country.
KARIN: Every country has different things to do and I cannot tell which country is the most exciting.
UK - I love UK Rock. I look forward to hearing real UK Rock.
France - I’d like to say Ca va?
Mexico - I’d like to go over to our senpai.
Germany - I’d like to try German Bread. I heard it is so yummy.
Malaysia - I’d like to feel their hot passion.
SAYUKI: We have done live performances in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Thailand. I felt the difference in culture, and I could eat the local food everywhere we went for the first time. I am looking forward to seeing more countries and their cultures.
TOMOKO: I am really looking forward to every place we can go. I know I can feel excited about every country. Also, I’d like to talk about the good things about Japan as well.
AKARI: I am excited for every country.
RURU: Europe. I imagine that European countries are very cool. It looks like the kind of world that I can watch on TV. I am not sure this is actually real…
NANAMI: I look forward to trying the food in each country. Also, I am interested in the various fashions as well. Id like to learn about it from each country.
What is your favourite English and / or foreign word or phrase?
YUKA: “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
KARIN: “The Show Must Go On.” I always think of this phrase before I go on stage.
TOMOKO: “Thank you!!” I think this phrase can be used everywhere in the world. Also, I like to give my appreciation to people. That’s why I like this phrase.
SAYUKI: “Thank You!”
AKARI: “Go for it.”
RURU: “Never Give Up!”
NANAMI: “HELLO!” JUICE=JUICE is one of Hello! Project’s idol groups, and I think that everybody saying HELLO can make people happy everywhere.
Which songs are you looking forward to performing on your world tour? I know the fans are excited to hear Fiesta! Fiesta! live for the first time!
YUKA: “Fiesta! Fiesta!” This is the song we released after we became 7 members. I am looking forward to singing this song.
KARIN: The songs that we sang with 5 members, which will now be performed with 7 members. I am looking forward to this challenge.
TOMOKO: “Fiesta! Fiesta!” This is the latest song from Juice=Juice, also this is the first one after two new members joined us. I’d like to say, “We are 7 members now”. The song itself is very cool as well.
SAYUKI: “WONDERFUL WORLD (English Version)” We re-recorded the English version for our world tour. I am not sure whether we did good job (lol).
AKARI: I look forward to singing in a different language.
RURU: “Fiesta! Fiesta!” is the song that has Latin rhythms. I know that everybody can become excited by it, so I am looking forward to singing this song overseas.
NANAMI: “Fiesta! Fiesta!” is a Latin flavor song. We can show you the traditional Japanese flavor of songs, as well. I’d like to show everyone different songs with different feelings.
As this is your first world tour, for both the older and new members, what type of image do you want to show your International fans? Is it different to the image you had before as a 5-member group?
YUKA: Whether we are made up of 5 or 7 members doesn’t matter. We all love to do Live Shows. We’d like to transfer our feelings to all the fans.
KARIN: I’d like to keep the image of our songs. But we would also like you to see the power we have with the strength of 7. Even though we speak a different language, we can still party together.
TOMOKO: I used to like the 5-member Juice=Juice, but now I have discovered that I love the 7-member Juice=Juice more. I hope that everybody thinks our 7-member group is better, too.
SAYUKI: I’d like everybody to think that Juice=Juice has become more powerful.
AKARI: We are more powerful as 7 members. We are trying our best to show everybody this so that you can enjoy our show.
RURU: This is my first time performing overseas. The other JUICE=JUICE Senpai will teach me a lot, and we will deliver the best performance as 7 members.
NANAMI: I loved JUICE=JUICE before. I’d like to keep the same image as before. Also, I can bring more power and freshness to it.
And how has the group dynamic changed since the addition of Danbara and Yanagawa?
YUKA: I think that there is more depth to the sound after these two members joined us.
KARIN: We have so much fun together, more than ever before. We play games together.
SAYUKI: Yes, very much. They are younger, and relax us.
AKARI: When we were a group of 5, everybody was quiet in the morning, because we are still sleepy. Now, after the new members joined us, we laugh all the time, even if we are still sleepy in the mornings.
RURU: Everybody is so sweet, just like older sisters.
NANAMI: I am the new member to JUICE=JUICE. I have very sweet older sisters now. In my own family, I am the oldest. This is a fresh change to me. I’d like to show our power as 7 members.
For the older members, how did you change after the addition?
YUKA: They are so cute, and they relax us every day. We play games in the dressing room all the time.
KARIN: We changed how we dance and perform songs, but how we put our feelings into each song is still the same. Because both Ruru and Nanami are 16 and 15 years old, they feel very fresh.
TOMOKO: They are both very fresh and cute. They give me so much stimulation, and I get pressure from them in a positive way. Everybody is so positive about the change.
SAYUKI: We never changed our relationship between us 5 members, but we have more responsibility, I think.
AKARI: I was the youngest before Nanami and Ruru joined. I don’t have younger a sister in real life, so they are just like my baby sisters now. I try to spoil them.
Is there a particular single or song that you identify with each member?
YUKA: “Girls be Ambitions” is the song that we have never done with 7 members. We will see what happens.
KARIN: “Girls be Ambitious”.
TOMOKO: “IJIWARU SHINAIDE DAKISHIMETEYO.” I just love this song.
AKARI: “Girls be Ambitious.”
RURU: “HAJIMETE WO KEIKEN CHU.” I am learning everything for the first time, just like this song.
NANAMI: “ROMANCE NO TOCHUU.” I sang this song as a first time on stage. This song is the starting point for me as an idol.
What music videos from Juice=Juice are your favourite? Please let the fans know!
YUKA: “JIDANDA DANCE” is one of my favorite music videos. There is a scene just like a Japanese festival, it was so much fun.
KARIN: “JIDANDA DANCE!” We had the chance to collaborate with different visuals for it. We threw around Juice, but Tomoko threw Milk instead. It is so much fun to watch.
TOMOKO: “Feel! Kanjiru yo.” That music video was full of nature. I love it.
SAYUKI: “HAJIMETE WO KEIKEN CHU ” This song is very cute, so it’s not like our regular songs.
AKARI: “ROMANCE NO TOCHUU ”
RURU: “IJIWARU SHINAIDE DAKISHIMETE YO ”
NANAMI: “KAZE NI FUKARETE ” This song has a story that feels like pastel colors and cuteness. I like the song itself, not just the music video.
For Danbara Ruru and Yanagawa Nanami, what would you like to show in your future performances for Juice=Juice’s existing songs? What is something that only the two of you can bring?
RURU: I would like to show everyone my dancing in a beautiful way, and show it to a large-scale audience. Also, I would like to try and sing songs that everybody thinks are great.
NANAMI: I’d like to show off our freshness, just like the meaning of our group name.
Your latest digital song release is "Fiesta! Fiesta!", and fans all over the world love it! What part of this song do you enjoy the most? Is it the image it produces, the choreography, the lyrics or how it sounds?
YUKA: I like the fact that that you can hear seven harmonies. The choreography is very sexy, too.
KARIN: It has Latin rhythms, so it is very passionate, and it is a very sexy song amongst all of the other Juice=Juice songs.
TOMOKO: I love the song itself, and I love dance as well. I want you to watch out for a very feminine move during the chorus.
SAYUKI: We are looking forward to singing this song as 7 members, and to show off all our other songs as a 7-member group to both the overseas fans and at Budokan.
AKARI: This is a song just like a “Fiesta!” (party). The dance is also very sexy and passionate.
RURU: I liked everything about this song from the moment I received it. The choreography is very sexy, especially when it comes to my solo part and the solo dance in the chorus.
NANAMI: “Fiesta! Fiesta!” feels like a song we can all enjoy together with the audience. Please watch out for our dance solo in the chorus, too.
Finally, please let us know how excited you are to meet everyone! Also, do you have any final words you want to say to everyone who will come to watch your live show around the world.
YUKA: We see many overseas fans come to our concerts and events in Japan, so we are very excited to go and see everybody there instead. I’d like to enjoy our time together.
KARIN: It is so much fun being able to spend time with everybody in our live shows, even those we cannot see all the time. We would love to be able to do a world tour again, and I would love everybody to come and see us in Japan as well.
TOMOKO: I am looking forward to seeing you all, and I am very happy to see that we have so many people who support us from overseas. I’d like you to keep supporting us. We will try our best.
SAYUKI: I would love to see everybody, everywhere. Thank you very much for your support. I want many people to know about us.
AKARI: I still cannot believe it, this still doesn’t feel real to me. I love you guys, and I want try and perform everywhere. Please support us.
RURU: I am looking forward to seeing everybody. We will have fun together.
NANAMI: Thank you for all your support. I will try my best so that all of the audience will love us.
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Juice=Juice Official Website
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I would like to thank UP-FRONT PROMOTION and Selective Hearing for this interview opportunity.
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