Q1. Thank you so much for your work today! To start things off, give us your impressions after the recording.
This story was about deepening the members’ relationships. Rubileo is such a powerful band, but until then their relations were strictly for business… They didn't have a very solid bond uniting them; except for Kurono-kun, he’s a whole different story. (laugh)
In the midst of all this, Akane-kun, backbone of his group, was surprisingly busy behind the scenes which is something we haven’t seen in the bands yet.
We saw Akane-kun’s love for his members, and there were many scenes that I personally found exciting!
Q2. This is your second drama CD volume as part of Rubileo. Have your impressions of your own character or the band members changed since last time? Were there any points that you were especially conscious of when acting?
It didn’t particularly change compared to the first volume. It dug deeper into each of the members’ stories, especially Mashiro who was the middleman of it all. I even thought out loud: “So that's the kind of thing he has going on…!” (laugh)
I feel like Kurono-kun took a turn in his music career, and Haiji-kun is just a really nice kid.
Akane-kun is the type of person who works hard behind the scenes, but never entitles himself of it. I think it's cool that he's not so much of a show-off: it's something I think I can relate to when I play him.
Throughout the drama tracks, you’ll see that not only Akane-kun, but all the members of Rubileo are good people!
Q3. In this volume, Rubileo shot their CD jacket. Do you have any personal memorable moments from magazine shoots that you'd like to share?
It was pouring outside as we went to the shooting location...! And as you would expect, it was still raining when we got there, so we waited for a good twenty minutes to see if it cleared up and what we would do if we had to cancel the shoot… But it did clear up rather quickly!
As we wrapped up the last shots, we didn’t even get to celebrate that it started pouring all over again. Clothes and bags soaked, I felt like the gods were waiting for us to finish our business! I’m glad we got to wrap up that photoshoot though. (laugh)
Q4. In the image of Rubileo going to a sushi-go-round, what is the first thing you would order at a sushi bar?
I can’t think of anything at the top of my head, though I used to get a lot of salmon back in the days. Sushi rolls are also really good. Oh, shellfish are trendy these days too! There’s a sushi restaurant near the studio, and the abalone there was delicious…! Just eating it was a luxurious experience. (laugh)
Q5. Finally, do you have any comments for your fans who are looking forward to the release of the CD?
The story is packed with each member’s appeals. If you listen to the new song, which is also a love song from the drama tracks, I think the story will strike you in a whole different way.
We hope that you will enjoy the rest of the story along with Vol.1. Currently, Vol.3 has yet to be released, but with your support, there’s always room for more!
We hope that you will keep on listening to our songs, so please continue to follow DIG-ROCK and Rubileo!
♪ When recording for「Chained to You」
Q1. What were your first impressions when you heard the song and read the lyrics?
The song was very technical, so I had the impression that it was written by a senior band with a lot of experience. That's why I thought it would be a good song for our second album as Rubileo.
Compared to "Answer," the lyrics step more into one’s boundaries and expressed a very “adult-like” intimacy, which is something I think only Rubileo can do.
Again, I hope you will read the lyrics while listening along to the drama tracks.
Q2. What was it like to actually sing it? Tell us what you were most conscious about and what we should look forward to.
It was super hard! I must confess, I sang without paying attention to the pitch in some parts as a result. (laugh)
I often got struck: “I have to go lower here!? Ah, I have the rise up now!” and I even ended up singing with a half-tempo delay... It’s probably one of the most technically difficult songs that I have ever performed, rhythm-wise.
However, I couldn’t afford to lose the momentum "Answer" had left: my goal was to show that RUBIA Leopard is unbeatable technically-wise, and also encourage the audience to come to their concerts. That being said, I was more conscious of the emotions at stake than last time.