prettyprettyGANG
The greatest sense of living!
Translation by pretty pretty GANG
Original interview: https://storywriter.tokyo/2018/09/19/0446/
​
[Serialization vol.1] Kamiya Saki volume “It's not just a rebellious spirit, I want to show a GANG PARADE overflowing with confidence”
The 9 members idol group associated in the same office of BiSH, BS and EMPiRE, GANG PARADE. Kamiya Saki who went on a rental trade with BiS returned to the group, the 2 members Tsukino Usagi and Haruna Bad Chiiiin who joined after passing the “WACK Combined Audition 2018” held on 2018/3/12~18, a serialization of the girls active with the largest number so far in the groups history starts.
The worth of celebration 1st volume is with the original member ever since GANG PARADE's predecessor groups Planime and POP, and also a member of old BiS Kamiya Saki. Going on the national one man “REBUILD TOUR” performing in 9 cities since July 1st, how does GANG PARADE's current situation feels approaching the final on 9/20 at ZEPP TOKYO, what does she want to do with the group. We heard from Kamiya Saki who came here after many twists and turns.
Interview: Nishizawa Hiroo
Photos: Sotobayashi Kenta
Genuinely the “I like BiS” feeling was the only thing left
- 2018 was a year to Saki-chan full of changes. You were on a rental trade with BiS until 3/3, on 3/4 there was an end of trade ceremony on Kokugikan one man, you performed “FOUL” as GANG PARADE. How did you faced Kokugikan?
Kamiya Saki (under, Saki): Because I was freed from BiS spell on the previous day at the free live “BiS FREE WiNTERLAND”, it was like I stood there with a light and cheerful feeling, a strange feeling. Because 3.4 was the day Pour Lui was freed from the spell, I also felt that atmosphere and stood on Kokugikan with a bright feeling.
- Honestly, there wasn't the feeling of wanting to stand on Kokugikan as Kamiya Saki from BiS?
Saki: Well, there is enough that I can't even act cool and say “no”. But now I think perhaps it was good to both BiS and GANG PARADE that we stood on Kokugikan with that configuration.
- In the end of trade ceremony, being able to perform one song as GANG PARADE, what was the reason to chose “FOUL”?
Saki: There was the fact “FOUL” was the last single before my trade with BiS, there's also the lyrics “The clock needle that stoped since then”, we chose thinking we could perform with the feeling that it would start moving from now on.
- Before the trade to BiS, you said you would make the best out of this experience to do things you left undone in old BiS, did you do it?
Saki: The influence after old BiS dissolution on 2014 disappeared. Genuinely the “I like BiS” feeling was the only thing left, that was really good. Exactly because I have been dragged by it until then, when the new BiS started I had a bad feeling left like “Why didn't Pour Lui tell me about it?” but, now I genuinely like BiS, I believe it became one of my assets. I think it's something left in proof of the trade period I spent.
- How did you see the GANG PARADE without Kamiya Saki?
Saki: As a member of BiS, it was a rival we had to fight, I definitely saw them aware of that. I also saw them thinking about what could I do once I returned but, since I saw their one man on LIQUIDROOM I thought the 7 members GANG PARADE with Aya was good. I took a step away from the fact it was a group I built, I was able to properly see them as a group. The “everyone's playground” concept everyone was pursuing appeared during the lives, I saw them feeling that was what GANPARE wanted to show.
​
​
Before, in a bad way, I thought I had to do everything by myself
- You didn't have the feeling that GANPARE without Kamiya Saki wasn't GANPARE?
Saki: I think it was better if I had it but, I didn't…… (laughs).
- Was that from the start?
Saki: No, perhaps I thought that before going to the trade. Like there was a willpower since it was the group I made. But after the trade, that disappeared. I think perhaps GANG PARADE is a group every single member performs feeling “GANPARE without me is not GANPARE”. While thinking I also must strongly have this feeling, there's not a weird stubbornness in there.
- Perhaps everyone grew that much during Saki-chan's rental trade period.
Saki: I believe there's also that, still within myself maybe it was a big deal that bad attachment disappeared. For the good or worse the attachment disappeared.
​
- When you sing in BiS and when you sing in GANPARE, is the way of conveying your feelings different?
Saki: It is different. In the end, I sing my feelings that time, wanting to convey my feelings in reality to the audience trough performance doesn't change from BiS to GANPARE but, lately I think GANPARE needs pieces that increase the withdrawing of feelings, that is quite hard. BiS, there's the disposition of accepting painful feelings and such. For example “primal.”, I believe there's the nature of this feeling living in the song but, in GANPARE only that doesn't exist. “GANG 2” is close but, still it's like wanting to move forward, I think there's a lot of this sensitive part musically speaking. That's exactly why if I perform with BiS intuition, the GANPARE that everyone built together might end up going somewhere different. In order that doesn't happen I thought about how I hold my feelings. Before the trade, it feels like I didn't think too deeply about GANPARE songs. I ended up doing the same safe performances, because I realized going to BiS that's not really it, even in GANPARE without loosing that while thinking about GANPARE characteristics, I want to learn properly what feelings I'll convey.
- Being in BiS, you also acquired an objective point of view about yourself.
Saki: That's right. I also got an objective point of view about my performances until now. In the beginning it was painful not conveying my feelings well but, little by little I was able to grasp the sense, now I find enjoyment in it.
- Returning from the trade, was there a change in the relation with members and roles?
Saki: Before, in a bad way I did things thinking I had to do everything by myself. This feeling disappeared. To an extent regarding the choreography, I make it while discussing with Maika and talking about what is best, when we all talk together Yamamachi says things firmly, Yua puts everything in order, Coco and Dockson make the ambient cheerful. Yuyu occasionally says a lot of things smoothly. 2 new members joined, each one's field of expertise is coming forward more than before, I too let myself be spoiled a little.
- Members themselves became stronger.
Saki: Because there are members thinking about and getting closer, the fact I was supported was a big deal. That's what I felt changed the most.
The feeling of what we built in this tour we'll all renew it started to burn
- Until the debut live of the 9 members formation on Zepp DiverCity, there wasn't any time.
Saki: We were desperate. It was the first time I thought there wasn't enough time. Because we had just became a 9 members GANPARE, the physical disadvantage and from the feelings perspective, there was a struggle over how do we build a 9 members GANPARE. Until then, I built a 6 members formation in BiS in a short period of time but, gradually my brain started to dry (laughs). There was a moment I felt “I might be fighting alone” but, since I learned everyone was also worried, even with many differences the feeling was the same, it became easier, I thought everyone was fighting together.
​
- Since then you've been 4 month active as 9 members GANPARE, did you started to see the group's form?
Saki: That's so. “REBUILD TOUR” was really big, between talking after every live about reflections and what we should do next, I believe little by little we could make something the 9 of us build. Because there's a large number of people it's hard to order everything down to one thing but, because of that I believe we are strong solidifying as one during lives.
- During the tour, was there a live you thought “we became one”?
Saki: Not counting the Okinawa appendix live the Nagoya one was the last before the final but, it was like the feeling of what we built in this tour we'll all renew it started to burn. By feeling that we performed a better live, there were a lot of times during the tour I felt that.
- Pour Lui started as a YouTuber, the times members of old BiS got together increased, Saki-chan also appears in the videos. This movement, I believe it perhaps has some influence on Saki-chan.
Saki: I quit it.
- Eh. BYS?
Saki: Yes. I believe I'm someone that doesn't have anything between 0 and 100. Pour Lui said “It's ok to come with a playful sense” but, my personality, even thinking “going with a playful mind” when I actually go it turns into the feeling “I must do it!”, then the enjoyment will fade away. Weirdly my 100 or 0 self came forward. Also, because GANPARE activities became more occupied, if I don't focus on one then both will be no good, so I decided that.
​
After the tour I started to grasp the meaning of doing it as 9 of us
- Lately, WAgg started to move, the number of new girls joining wack increased. How does Saki-chan feel about that.
Saki: As WACK the number of juniors increased. Since this year's audition, there were a lot of time I realized WACK is becoming bigger. Pour Lui leaving, the meaning of myself being an original member of WACK as well, more than myself being part of one group perhaps I'm turning into myself with an appropriate career, how I think, what move should I make, I'm now thinking about those a lot, I think I'm fit of wondering.
- Surpassing the group, it increased the times you think about Kamiya Saki's way.
Saki: I really hate when I feel myself not catching up to that, if I don't grow as a person no one will think they want to follow me, I think I'll also look bad. Last year during the trade, it was like how much can I do as Kamiya Saki, if I had to say wether it was red or blue it was a red energy but, this year it's a blue energy.
- During “TIF”, you performed covers of fellow WACK groups. GANPARE performed a cover of “BiSBiS” but, with what feelings did you sing it?
Saki: Honestly it was fun. GANPARE and BiS have an inseparable relation. There are the 3 former SiS, even if the group is different there're a lot of peers on GANG PARADE and BiS. That's why I think it was inevitable that GANPARE and BiS covered each other's songs. To me BiS is a big existence and I'm emotionally involved strongly. Because there were things I suffered in the BiS inside myself, to be able to perform “BiSBiS” with GANPARE members, perhaps now more than before I properly sang BiS. After the live ended, I told members “It was good I could sing “BiSBiS” as GANPARE”. When I heard about it, I thought I would end up singing “BiSBiS” being dragged by BiS Kamiya Saki but, it was not like that. Properly as GANG PARADE, I think it was good we sang that song as 9.
- Did you also added original choreography as GANPARE?
Saki: We doubted about what configuration we should go with but, just like Coco and Dockson and Yuyu, I'm a member who hold a meaning to dancing “BiSBiS” original choreography so, without destroying it weirdly, leaving the good choreography BiS has, we thought dancing it bigger or in a more GANPARE way. Even without doing anything GANPARE gets in synchrony (laughs). So just with that I thought it would become GANPARE's “BiSBiS”. Also in the last part “let's recover it”, in BiS everyone goes to the front and sings but, we discussed that gathering and ending it would be much more like GANPARE. In the last part us 9 gather tightly in the center, we stretch our hands towards the center, in a good way we left BiS, but also adding GANPARE to it.
- After this tour, a one man in Zepp Tokyo will be held. How are you thinking of making this live?
Saki: Because after the tour I started to grasp the meaning of doing it as 9 of us, including myself each and every one had a precise feeling of “We're still going up more and more”, I think it's important to think more about what's after Zepp. Until then we were too focused on sold out, I believe we didn't think what view we wanted to show the audience. Because there's definitely people who can't come to Zepp, people who haven't seen GANPARE yet, it's important to value things in front of us but, each one thinking about “What to we want us to become”, I think it would be lovely if we became a strong group gathering 9 purposes.
- What kind of group do you want to make GANPARE from now on?
Saki: Among the history so far, I think GANPARE is a group that rise up with something like a rebellious spirit due to inferiority complex. I think we are here now because of that but, from now on, recognizing our own good aspects, perhaps the audience will also say that's good. From now on not only a rebellious spirit, I want to show a GANG PARADE overflowing with confidence.