INTERVIEW: heidi. at PMX 2014

In November of 2014, heidi. appeared as musical guest at Pacific Media Expo in Los Angeles, California. Despite their busy schedule for the day, VKH got the chance to briefly talk to the band in the afternoon, on the day after the live. Although it wasn’t their first time in the States, each member was equally happy to be back, and created a pleasant, laid back atmosphere during our conversation. Read on to see their thoughts on the event, the Visual Kei scene and more!

VKH: Hello! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with VKH today. Can we start out with an introduction, and one favorite memory you have of PMX so far?

Yoshihiko: I'm Yoshihiko, vocalist. The biggest thing for me at PMX this time would of course have to be the live. I can still remember the atmosphere, like, how fired up the audience was.

Nao: I'm Nao, on guitar. Same for me, it'd have to be the live. This is the third time I've been to the U.S. too and every time we come, the U.S. is a country where the audience is just really pumped, and so I'm always happy to come back. This time with PMX was fun, too. It was a really wonderful event and so, if the opportunity comes up I hope you'll ask us to come play again.

Kiri: Yeah, I'm Kiri, the drummer. I’ve also gotta say that the biggest thing for me would obviously have to be the live. It was a lot of fun and I'll be taking that back home with me. Also, our staff at the event, and all the fans as well; they were really nice and friendly and this is a great event.

Kohsuke: I'm on bass, Kohsuke. The live we did this time, the guy fans were really into it and of course being a guy myself, it got me excited too. Of course, the girls were also really energetic too, and it was nice seeing everyone getting into it. It was really a lot of fun. And of course the staff, like Kiri said. The staff were just so nice to us and I think that if we got asked to come back I definitely would want to do this again.

VKH: It’s so nice to hear that everyone has the same feelings about the concert. But heidi. has been to the U.S. before, so how was the live at PMX different from the ones you have performed here previously?

Nao: Well, I mean this event was related to Japan too so in that sense it wasn't that different from the other events we’ve been to. But even so, we come here once a year, and so because of that we're able to do this with this "fresh" feeling each time. So it's like, yeah it's not our first time doing it but it always feels like it's our first time, and being able to feel that same level of excitement each time is just amazing for us.

Kiri: Yeah, and also, this is our third time in the U.S. so we’ve noticed that there are some of the same faces. The fans that came to see us the first time also came to see us play the second time and then the third time. We were really happy to see that!

VKH: There were also some Japanese fans at the live, too! Were you surprised to see fans from back home travel to see you play overseas, or is this actually a common occurrence?

Kiri: Of course! we were really surprised because for them to come all this way probably cost them a lot of money, and it's not like it's that easy to do. We were really happy that they came to see us, too.

VKH: How do you think heidi. has grown as a band since coming to America for the first time?

Kohsuke: We really do feel like we have grown a lot. It’s not just with the U.S., but each time we are overseas, we feel that we gain an experience that couldn’t have been possible in Japan. We really appreciate these new opportunities that allow us to grow with them each time. And so, I think we want to take it one step at a time and just cherish every step along the way.

VKH: heidi. is known for some darker sounds and images in the Visual Kei fanbase. What are some of the inspirations behind that?

Nao: We don't really know about how people see us, but I guess I would say we are quite dark, maybe. But while we do have that aspect to us, at the same time, we also put many positive ideas and messages in our songs. Things like, you gotta keep moving forward and looking ahead. Of course since it's in Japanese, the lyrics might be tough to get across to fans overseas. But still, I think we all want our fans to try and understand the lyrics, too. I think there are translations around, and it's awesome that people are willing to translate them for us. Then, being able to listen to our songs again with that and understanding more of the lyrics and message is great!

VKH: heidi. has been in the Visual Kei scene since 2006. What are your opinions on the development of the Visual Kei music scene?

Yoshihiko: With Visual Kei, whatever's in tends to change really fast. For example, if dark style is in for a while, before you know it, by the next year it might be some of the more glittery, sparkly type bands and then sometimes it's the idol-like bands too. So it just keeps changing at this hectic pace and it feels like it changes every year.

Kohsuke: There’s so many changes, so it’s hard to say, you know? We aren’t really sure about it ourselves (everyone laughs)

Kiri: When we meet other bands too, there are times when it can be hard to sort of… understand where the other band is coming from. But, it shows that there are a lot of different and creative styles in Visual Kei, which is great.

Nao: We are the still same though. So until now we haven't really encountered another band who we felt was like us.

VKH: Are there any fashion trends that you are into lately, or ones that are popular among the Visual Kei industry?

Kiri: I think with Heidi. our fashion trends haven't really….

Yoshihiko: Eh, there’s no change, really (laughs). It's just been black and white.

Kiri: Yeah, just black and white, then white and black... it’s kind of like our main thing, I guess. Rather than trying to work big fashion trends into what we do, we pretty much just go with whatever we like, regardless.

VKH: This is the last question before we go. Are there any places in the U.S. that you would like to visit next time?

Kohsuke: Well, we've only been to the U.S. three times and...

Nao: -- It's big! (everyone laughs)

Kohsuke: Yeah, America is really big, you know? So I think that probably different places will have a completely different audience, too. So I would like to go to different states in the U.S. and go to all kinds of places.


A huge thank you to heidi.'s management, staff and PMX for making this interview possible!

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