Band-Maid Discusses Their First Collaborations With Incubus and The Warning

Band-Maid, known for blending cute maid outfits with hard-hitting rock, celebrated their 10th anniversary in 2023. They embarked on a world tour, performing in four major overseas festivals, including one of the world's largest, Lollapalooza.

The Japanese girl's rock band capped off their anniversary with a successful headline concert at Yokohama Arena. Moving into their 12th year in 2024, Band-Maid is starting a new chapter with the release of their first full album in three and a half years, Epic Narratives, on September 25. The album includes 14 tracks, featuring a song co-written with Mike Einziger of Incubus and a collaboration with the Mexican three-piece girl band The Warning.

Through the interview, the members delve into the themes of this work and their relationships after over a decade of playing together.

The Band-Maid Philosophy and Their Changing Environment

RSJ: Band-Maid has been speaking about "world domination" as a goal since the early days of your career . You mentioned this when we spoke around the time of your major debut in 2016, but how realistic did this goal feel at the time?

KOBATO (Gt, Vo): Back then, we were just starting to go overseas. Now, we’re touring all over the world and performing at many different festivals. Our idea of "world domination" now is completely different from what it was back then. We could not see any reality in the dream at the time of our debut. It was almost like a wish to be reality.

SAIKI (Vo): Back then, we said "world domination" with the hope that saying it would make it a reality. But now, within our 10th year , we’ve been performing in the U.S., a place we’ve never been before. Also, the number of countries we’ve performed in has increased gradually. So "world domination" is now more realistic than before, and now we can confidently say it is a band goal.


In 2023, Band-Maid performed at events such as Lollapalooza Chicago

RSJ: There was a sense from early on that you were getting a lot of attention overseas. Do you feel that the overseas recognition has helped to produce more attention in Japan?

KOBATO : I've heard that some people heard of us from the news of our appearance at international festivals like Lollapalooza Chicago. But I felt like there was no big difference in the process of expanding the band name both in Japan and overseas. We worked really hard on our servings (l ive s hows), and the number of fans has gradually increased on both sides.

KANAMI (Gt): At the beginning, the venues in Mexico were bigger than we did in Japan, so we were really surprised.

SAIKI: The venues were much larger than anything we’d played in Japan at the time. Live shows in Japan were more like doing a gig with bigger musicians at a small venue . So, in that sense, I feel the overseas audience played a big role in expanding our audience.



RSJ: Every time I interview Band-Maid , I’m struck by how good your teamwork is.

SAIKI: Yes, teamwork is definitely one of our strengths (laughs).

KOBATO : I think we’ve been able to tour all around the world because of our good teamwork.

KANAMI: Actually, It’s not only between the band members, but it's also about our supporting staff. We often talk about how lucky we are to have a great team. This team includes our techs, PA, lighting staff, and more staff for sure.



RSJ: Have you had any arguments in the last 10 years together?

KOBATO : I don’t think we’ve had a big argument. We try to talk If there’s something bothering us . We are open to having time to sit and communicate when it's needed.

AKANE (Dr): We speak up early , so problems are solved quickly.

SAIKI: But we don’t talk when someone’s temper is running high. If someone’s angry, we’ll say, "Let’s talk about it later," and then set aside time to address the issue calmly.

KOBATO : I think it’s because we communicate frequently that we’re able to do this.

RSJ: Is Misa's alcohol consumption okay? (laughs) You are known for drinking even on stage, right?

MISA (Ba): I don’t drink as much as I used to (laughs). I’ve grown up.

KANAMI: Hasn’t Band-Maid ’s overall alcohol consumption gone down?

KOBATO : I think we all drink less now.

SAIKI: We also go to bed earlier these days.

KOBATO : We’ve grown over the years.

SAIKI: It’s important to pace ourselves so we can keep going.

MISA: Moderate drinking and good health are key (laughs).

RSJ: One of Band-Maid ’s strengths is the way you all exchange recording files during the production process. Were there any updates to your workflow when creating this album?

AKANE: I started setting up mics on my drum kit to record live pre-production, and I shared those data files with members. I’ve incorporated it into my practice, too. Being able to record and listen to the actual sound I play is helpful in practice.

SAIKI: That was a big change. In the past, Akane created drum fills or solos with programmed sounds on the computer. So the sound turned out different when we started to play the tracks as a band. But that problem is gone now.

AKANE: With programmed drums, it was hard to capture that human, live feel.

KANAMI: I am really thankful to have Akane ’s live audio data instead of programmed drums.

SAIKI: I went on a microphone- buying spree (laughs) and moved into a new place with a soundproof room. Singing was the biggest noise issue. So, I set up a room where I wouldn’t get noise complaints. Now, I can sing anytime and send my vocals whenever it's necessary (laughs).

KANAMI: Having demo vocals available whenever I need them has been a lifesaver! The quality of the production process has definitely improved.


Rolling Stone Japan vol.28 BACK COVER

RSJ: It seems like everyone has become more like an engineer when it comes to the pre-production stage.

KANAMI: Our pre-production process is a little different from other bands. We don’t often get together in a studio to work on songs. Sometimes, I’ll go in with Misa and Akane to watch them track the bass and drums, but most of the pre-production is done through file exchanges on our computers. If we had more time, we would do the pre-production with all of us in one studio.

KOBATO : Band-Maid has always written music while we’re touring , so we do what we can with those constraints.

SAIKI: Our style isn’t really suited to locking everything down in the studio as a group.

KANAMI: But next time, when we’re asked, "Have there been any changes in your production style?" we can say, "Actually…"

KOBATO : "We tried it this time!" (laughs)

SAIKI: I’d love to say, "We finalized this song in the studio!" (laughs)



RSJ: That would definitely change the feel of the songs, wouldn’t it?

SAIKI: Yes! It would make them a lot simpler.

KOBATO : We’d probably strip things down a lot. Please ask us again next time (laughs).

RSJ: Yes, for sure ! (laughs). Your first studio album in three and a half years is finally out in the world.

KANAMI: It really felt like three and a half years.

RSJ: What was the meaning behind the title of this album, Epic Narratives?

SAIKI: These three and a half years felt like a long time for us. Some songs are singles that have already been released . Those singles reflect who we were at each moment in the past, so parts are different from who we are now. Some songs are made before the 10th anniversary, and others are made after the 10th anniversary. Kobato and I talked about wanting to tell the "n arrative" that we created within 12 years throughout the album. We also felt like “n arrative” was the right word to use in the title instead of “story.”

KOBATO : This album is a condensed collection of our history. The word "n arrative" can be seen as having the same meaning as “story” in some sense, but it doesn’t . “Story” is just a story. But ”narrative” ties the storyteller to the story. We see the difference a s meaningful. You could be the storyteller, and we could be the storyteller. The relationship works both ways. When I found the word "n arrative," I told the members about this idea, and they liked it. But they also said we need something more (laughs). We felt something was missing. So, we added "e pic" in front to give it that grand feeling.

SAIKI: We had different opinions on the wording , but we picked “e pic” because we wanted a sense of vastness and freedom. Thankfully, Kobato found the right word. We are declaring our new chapter with this album, so we want to use the word “epic” to show our feeling of just getting started and going to a new future .