Cinema Bizarre - Interview in ROCKOON! 05|06/2009
CINEMA BIZARRE
ROCKOON! #05/06 (May/June 2009)
[Translation © eurydike]
With the new single My Obsession Cinema Bizarre turn over a new leaf in the band's history and, at the same time, present a herald of the album toyZ. There is much news concerning the band, that's why we have a few questions for them.
Rockoon: How did you come to the decision to release a ballad as the first single from your upcoming album?
Strify: When it comes to us, expect the unexpected. What speaks against having a ballad as a first single? There's some kind of magic about My Obsession that made it become the first single. It's supposed to announce: We are back and will make you get obsessed!
Shin: I think this is the song that elicits the strongest emotions.
Kiro: We just had a strong feeling telling us to release My Obsession as the first single!
Yu: ...because we're obsessed by My Obsession. (laughs)
And how did My Obsession come into existence? What is the big “obsession”?
Strify: Everybody has a fetish - be it in a sexual way or something else that turns you on. It's a song about being so obsessed by someone that this person becomes a fetish. It's about passion and sex.
Yu: Many aspects of life are being discussed in songs, and with this song we wanted to focus on some - a fetish or an obsession, for example - that constantly occupy your mind. For, basically, everybody has a fetish or is obsessed by something; some more, some less.
And in which studio has this song been recorded?
Strify: In Cologne. The vocals were recorded on the same day the song was written. We kept the lyrics we had on the demo for the album. Magic, that's what they were.
The cover of the new single is great too!
Strify: The person on the cover is obsession personified, hiding its fetish behind the huge sunglasses we're reflected in.
Kiro: We're its biggest fetish, of course. (grins)
Yu: I think, this is our best cover so far. The colours are strong, emphasizing how obsessed this person is with us, something you can also see in its glasses in which you can see us.
How did the shooting of the video clip go?
Strify: Chaotic. Due to the fact that we travelled to the USA spontaneously, we had to abandon our previous concept. We improvised a lot, I stood at Times Square at 3 a.m., singing, without permission to film.
Kiro: It's been very stressful because we had to throw out all our previous plans! It's gonna be a great surprise all the same, I guess, because it's a video different from what you'd normally expect of us!
Yu: Actually, it's been total chaos from the beginning because we had to abandon the previous concept. The result is very good though and I think everybody will like it as much as we do!
And for those who have not seen the clip yet: What's the story?
Yu: We don't wanna give that away yet; watch the clip and let yourself get carried away, that's the best you can do. (grins)
And what's been the biggest obsession for you in your lives so far - if we leave music aside for once...?
Strify: Sex and chocolate.
Shin: The first love of my life.
Kiro: Togetherness.
Yu: Sey, sex, sex... love...
The tour with Lady GaGa lies behind you now. What were the greatest moments for you on this tour?
Strify: Being part of the “Fame Ball” was a great experience. America for the first time, opening act for the first time and our longest tour so far. I was able to enjoy every minute of it. New York City is the place I've always dreamed of.
Shin: The greatest moments for me were the start of the tour and its end. At the beginning, everything was unrealistic, and in the end we couldn't believe that it's over already.
Romeo: The most personal moment of this tour was that I got to see my biological father and one of my little sisters for the first time ever. They live in Canada and we had only had contact via e-mail for a short time before.
Kiro: Generally everything! It's been so much fun even if also quite stressful at times! Lady GaGa is a really amazing artist!
Yu: The greatest moments for me were actually the many small pleasures, being part of it and performing for this audience. But also stuff like a jam session with a friend I had only known from the Internet so far, Vanilla Coke in cans, beautiful big white beaches and the other beautiful things of course. (grins)
And your most beautiful souvenir from the USA is...?
Shin: A Lady GaGa-hair ribbon.
Kiro: A silver jacket from Los Angeles!
Yu: A Final Fantasy-action figure of Cloud!
Why will the album bear the name toyZ?
Strify: Toys are ambiguous. Childish and innocent on the one hand - however, when adults play, it's all but innocent most of the time and has to do with sex or money. Sometimes you also play with a person. Each one of us has an introverted and an extroverted side that we (both) show on this album.
Kiro: In the beginning, a lot of people thought we're the puppets on the string of the record company and that we wouldn't last long anyway, now we're back and want to show them all! You can call practically everything a toy, a person, an instrument or simply sex, and that's what we will show on our album toyZ in many aspects. Life is a toy story!
Yu: No matter what you do, when you're having fun, you play! That's why, basically, everything can be a toy. Some people are not even aware of how omnipresent toys are and of how much of a child we are even if we're really old. Furthermore, toys accompany us throughout all our lives, even those that we got when we were children. And they have an impact on us, without toys we would be nothing but empty shells!
The album consists of a total 16 songs - a great many! You basically couldn't stop anymore, right...?
Kiro: It just happened, you could really say that we couldn't be stopped... We experimented a lot, too, and there will be something for everybody!
Yu: Actually, we could have put even more songs onto it. At the moment, we're all in an extremely creative phase due to the many new impressions of life we get from touring, from people we meet or simply from our own progress. And no matter what people say, we never lack ideas!
Strify: There were also many songs that didn't make it onto the album.
Shin: We experienced a lot, travelled a lot and developed ourselves further and that's what we want to show you with our many new songs.
What are the two faves on the album of each one of you and what are they about?
Strify: Out Of Love, Hypnotized by Jane and Je ne regrette rien.
Romeo: In Your Cage and Blasphemy are my personal favourites.
In many situations in your life you're trapped in some kind of cage. Be it in a relationship, at work, school, in your circle of friends or in special situations. You follow certain rules and are bound to them to a certain extent. Above all, it reflects the last few months before we decided that I'd become an official member of the band a little. A time during which I abandoned many people in order to free myself from a cage on the one hand, and during which I was trapped in another one I stepped in voluntary on the other hand. But it's wonderful to be free again and enjoy life, I'm blossoming for real now. That's why In Your Cage is my personal favourite. The core sentence of our song Blasphemy is “Love is nature” - you should never let yourself be talked out of your love for something or somebody; what you need most in your live is love. You should always stick to your love.
Shin: I think many songs are great and I haven't committed myself to my faves yet! What songs I prefer to listen to depends on my mood.
Kiro: One of my favourite songs is In Your Cage. I associate a lot with this song because I let myself be suppressed in the past and didn't manage to break free by myself! Now I did it and I'm very proud! Another one of my favourite songs is Je ne regrette rien. This song is about sticking to mistakes you made in the past! You should look ahead and make the best of a situation even if there are a lot of negative aspects to it!
Yu: My current favourites are Dark Star and Hypnotized by Jane. Both these songs just have a great impact on me because of their meaning - and apart from that, they rock most!
What were very special moments and experiences during the recording of the second album?
Strify: The writing of My Obsession was magic. I had the first line in my head and everyone in the room was captivated by it.
Romeo: A very essential moment was the official decision that we would continue walking our path together as a band what makes me really happy. A lot of things and changes in my life were linked to that; it's not always been easy, but together we're just a perfect team.
Kiro: There was great harmony involved! We worked closely with many song writers we had already collaborated with for Final Attraction! They know us quite well what naturally makes the collaboration easier!
Yu: One of the most special moments is when an idea pops up and practically turns into a song by itself.
Why should nobody miss out on toyZ?
Strify: toyZ is playful, and who doesn't like to play? The album consists of glam and glitter with a touch of melancholy and insanity. Just jump onto our rollercoaster.
Shin: toyZ is a fat wall of sound that will play with your feelings.
Yu: Because everybody needs something to play with!
Kiro: toyZ is very ambiguous, there's something for everybody and we're very proud of this album.