Bonjour Suzuki is a singer-songwriter who has sung and produced music for anime, video video games, motion pictures and extra, demonstrating her wide-spread expertise. RinRin Doll is a Japanese lolita style mannequin and YouTuber energetic worldwide. Collectively, they type the unit “Bonjour Suzuki & RinRin Doll.”
On June 30, the duo launched their debut music “Carnival Dolls,” showcasing Bonjour Suzuki’s music manufacturing and RinRin Doll’s lyrics and path, placing the unit into excessive gear. Each have individually loved large reputation inside Japan and abroad in Japanese popular culture, and now they’ve mixed their areas of music and style, opening a brand new door to the world. What message do the 2 should share?
What led to you two deciding to type this unit?
Bonjour Suzuki: After I had carried out at an Angelic Fairly style present (a preferred lolita model), I discovered myself drawn to this cute mannequin with a curious attract. After I obtained a more in-depth look, I spotted that it was RinRin, who fashions for a number of magazines and types, so I used to be too nervous to speak to her. However I had one other likelihood to know her by way of buddies and we grew shut. I had recognized she might dance and carry out, however after I heard her sing, her voice was so cute and so charming, I instantly mentioned, “Hey! Let’s do one thing collectively!” It was solely pure for us to create the unit.
May you speak a bit about your roots and what you do?
Suzuki: I began studying classical piano after I was three. I’ve additionally studied the koto, shamisen, harp, and viola, amongst many devices. My mom had sung jazz, so I grew up listening to soul music, jazz, Bossa Nova, and motown. I even have family in France so I listened to quite a lot of French music as nicely whereas rising up. I ended up finding out French by way of music, motion pictures, and anime, then went overseas to check language and music in southern France. There, I had a vocal trainer who impressed me a lot together with her phrases that I nonetheless, to this present day, mirror on her recommendation. Following that, I began listening to much more songs from Iceland, France, and the like and found new vocal kinds which have now mirrored in my present fashion.
You do the whole lot, proper — not simply the vocals, but additionally writing the lyrics and the music, performing the music, and mixing?
Suzuki: I typically ask different individuals to deal with part of it, however I often do all of it myself. I’m an enormous fan of French artist Emilie Simon, so I wished to do the whole lot myself, too, and I began finding out do it.
RinRin, when did you get into music?
RinRin: Since I used to be a bit child I realized to play the piano and the guzheng (a Chinese language zither). I additionally beloved listening to all types of music and studied music principle in class as nicely.
Did you begin modeling and posting on YouTube after coming to Japan?
RinRin: Sure. I began modeling for a well known lolita style model referred to as “Angelic Fairly” in 2009 for his or her catalogs and style exhibits. I additionally turned a dokusha-model (an influencer for print media) modeling lolita and road style in iconic subculture magazines like KERA and Gothic Lolita Bible, amongst others. Beginning round 2013, the recognition for the fashion grew abroad and I used to be usually invited as a visitor to lolita style occasions and anime conventions all around the globe like The Netherlands, France, Germany, Mexico, Canada, the US, Chile, Korea, China, Australia, and so forth. I observed I usually get requested quite a lot of questions all about Lolita style and wonder, so I began a YouTube channel to reply generally requested questions and submit content material I hope individuals will get pleasure from.
What sort of reactions have you ever two had from abroad audiences?
Suzuki: I sang, composed, organized, and wrote the lyrics to the opening theme for the anime “Yurikuma Arashi” directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara, who’s well-known for creating Sailor Moon R: The Film, and he has numerous followers around the globe who listened to the music. Folks from international locations like Germany, Russia, Spain, China, and Indonesia, even lined the music in their very own languages! I’d been making rap and electro songs with buddies abroad, however after I began working as a soloist, I wished to make songs that fused Japan’s distinctive kawaii tradition with a extra mysterious aesthetic to create a particular really feel. I used to be in search of a feminine artist who I might create this music with, so it was destiny that I met RinRin. I need the 2 of us to make much more songs that might be used to create a cute ambiance for occasions like lolita tea events.
RinRin: I get quite a lot of feedback on-line asking about get into lolita style, what it’s prefer to work in Japan, what’s the present developments in magnificence and style in Harajuku. I discover lots of people are focused on Japanese style and tradition, solely not figuring out get nearer to it and take part. I hope I can encourage extra individuals who need to strive kawaii subculture style to have the ability to be comfy in expressing themselves. After I do lolita style tea events (the place everybody wears lolita style and has tea) abroad in individual, I’ve an opportunity to speak to everybody straight and be taught that often everybody has an open and optimistic response. I additionally all the time request to play Bon-chan’s music at these tea events. It actually suits the vibe and everybody falls in love with it.
What’s the environment like in these tea events?
RinRin: Relying on the occasion, it may be something like doing a style present or speak present, however I additionally request to go from desk to desk to speak straight with individuals about themselves and lolita style. It doesn’t matter what nation, the individuals who come to the tea events see lolita style as a approach of expressing themselves. They are saying that it doesn’t matter what sort of difficulties they may discover themselves up in opposition to, once they placed on Lolita clothes, it makes them really feel robust. Everybody’s glad to have this chance to put on cute garments in an accepting area at lolita style tea events, and there’s a tight-knit group each place I’m going. It makes me need to create much more alternatives and secure areas like this and help individuals who get pleasure from cute kinds. By means of our unit, I’d like to attach Japan and the remainder of the world and present everybody how a lot confidence Lolita style gives.
What was the thought behind your debut music, “Carnival Dolls?”
RinRin: After I first heard a part of the observe that Bon-chan had give you, it instantly jogged my memory of faerie rings of European folklore. The story goes that if a human sees a hoop of fairies dancing they’d get enticed into the ring to bounce with the faeries and earlier than they understand it, 20 years would go by. I really feel like there’s a connection between this story and present social media, the place everybody appears to be like like they’re having enjoyable so the viewer could be drawn into it and lose observe of time. Nonetheless, I additionally felt there’s an ephemeral high quality of staying within the second and feeling like “whereas we’re all collectively, let’s simply have enjoyable and dance!”
For the music video, we knew precisely who we would have liked to deliver on to provide the music video. Our good friend, SAKUnoTORIDORI, who’s an artwork director, set producer, photographer, and model creator, is ideal for the picture we have been going for. She has a fairy-tale-like imaginative and prescient with all her works and we have been so glad to come back collectively as a trio to deliver this imaginative and prescient to gentle.
Suzuki: In writing the music, I used to be impressed by RinRin’s faerie-like, intriguing aura. When she instructed me in regards to the faerie rings, I reworked the observe to incorporate that faerie ring picture. The music begins with the opening of J.S. Bach’s Fugue in G minor, layering baroque classical devices. I introduced my harp to the studio to play on the observe, and violinist Asuka Mochizuki performed violin and viola, which we layered on prime of the programmed tracks. We used our devices to depict this picture of RinRin dancing, faerie-like, within the forest, and organized the music like a sonic illustration of the faerie ring feeling that the music had given her.
The lyrics are in a number of completely different languages, proper?
RinRin: Sure, since we wrote the lyrics collectively, we used our experiences and languages we all know. We hope individuals in elements of the world have that “Oh hey!” second when phrases they perceive immediately come out.
Suzuki: French has a mysterious sound to it that creates an exquisite environment, so we sprinkled it all through. Even a single phrase is sufficient to create a vivid picture. Similar to how I realized French from listening to songs, I regarded up phrases from RinRin’s English lyrics to make use of in my very own each day life, and I feel it will be fantastic if individuals in English-speaking international locations have been in a position to be taught some new Japanese phrases from the music.
What sort of actions are you planning for the unit?
RinRin: I plan to proceed doing lolita style tea events, style exhibits, live shows, and different occasions inside Japan and abroad, with the hope that our music can create secure areas the place we will get pleasure from group collectively. I additionally hope to work laborious to function a bridge between Japan and abroad; and that extra individuals can come to find out about lolita style and kawaii tradition.
Suzuki: I need to go along with RinRin and carry out exhibits at abroad occasions. I’m additionally going to do my finest in order that in the future our music can be utilized in anime or video games.
—This interview by Takayuki Okamoto firs appeared on Billboard Japan
