I N T E R V I E W W I T H M I Y A V I
Original source HOUYHNHNM
Big thanks & credits for JP/ENG translation to @linhambabey / Janjan
How to get a sense of balance between the normal and the abnormal days
ーMIYAVI, what kind of clothes do you like？
MIYAVI: I like clothes that have a sense of function. I’ve worn a lot of clothes but I am definitely always pulled toward clothes that have a balance between the design and the functionality. Not something that just looks cool or something that just feels comfortable but something that puts both of those elements together.
I’m
the same with my music. It needs to sound good but it also needs to have
a good message. It’s great to have one or the other but making something
catchy with a tough message is something challenging. It is because of
that challenge that I want to make that music that way. That’s why I also
like fashion that has that sense of balance to it.
ーI see。
MIYAVI： Also, because of my work as
both a musician and actor, I am able to see the power that clothes themselves
can have. When it comes to performing, I am putting on a different
role. Showing up at the actual performance place wearing the clothes of
that character enhances my immersion in the experience. I am able to take
in the power that the stylist and designer want to infuse to the moment.
The
power that clothes hold is different from person to person and piece of
clothing to piece of clothing so we must hold that as important. Even
with the Dsquared clothes I am styled in today, I had to change the way I
looked at myself with my internal camera between the first and second outfits.
ーTalking of the Dsquared brand, what impression do you have of them？
MIYAVI：Luxury but medium. That is to say the brand has a normal feeling to
it. There is certainly a power in being a glamorous, high brand but
sometimes that gets tiresome. Dsquared is art of a quality that it can be
worn on the runway, of course, but it is also perfectly suited to being every
day casual wear, I think. Comfortable for the normal days and the days
that only border on normal, I could be comfortable to hop on a plane in this or
go around on tour and shine on stage.
ーThe line you are wearing right now is from the 2023 Spring Summer pre-collection with the theme of “LA”. Miyavi, you used to live in LA.
MIYAVI：It’s a very free plays. Openminded, I should say. Not just with
the fashion but also environmental issues. There are a good meaning
people with protection plans over there and many cultures advancing. You
strongly can feel that entertainment is the meaning for existence there.
By the way, why is the theme for this collection “LA”?
ーTwo of the designers were in LA for
surfing. They would spend the day surfing and go into town at night to
just draw inspiration. The collection was created to show both sides of
that experience.
MIYAVI：Okay. There certainly is not a lot of distance between the town and nature in LA. You can go from swimming in the ocean to standing on a mountain watching snow fall within the span of 2-3 hours. That is to say, it’s a really dynamic place.
I treasure the beauty of something that was not perfect。
ーThis year is your 20th year performing music. Does it feel like it was long or did it go by
quickly?
MIYAVI：Definitely went by too fast. So many things have happened but I
definitely feel like I still have some ways to go before I’m done.
ーDo you feel like you are reaching a turning
point？
MIYAVI：I do. I think about how to move forward. I’m always thinking
like that. What will I be making use of next year? All of that
comes together and makes up life. In order for me to live my way the want
to freely, there are a lot of people that I affect to whom I am very grateful
and I want to repay them, bit by bit.
ーYou are actively releasing music, touring the
world, acting, as well as being a Goodwill Ambassador with the UNHCR. It
gives the impression that you are constantly in motion. Is that a
conscious design ？
MIYAVI：I wonder….I think it has just become part of who I am, flapping about like
this. But I don’t want to stop.
ーBecause of the pandemic, a lot
of artists had to put things to a stop. What was that like for you？
MIYAVI：It made me stop and actually
think about what it meant to be an entertainer and just how important person to
person communication can be to get a read on a situation. For us artists,
distance is very important. But suddenly there was a reset. It took
even the worlds top stars by surprise, I think, because it also bewildered
me. How can we do this, how can we meet again?
In
this society where things are just getting more and more digital, I really
asked myself how to hold the essence of humanity in a physical sense.
Using
the method of virtual lives, there are certainly lots of benefits there but
there is also a lot that is lost there. In that, I started to treasure
“the beauty of something that is imperfect”
ーWhat is “the beauty of something that is imperfect”？
MIYAVI：Us as human beings are always
called to imperfect things. AI makes things that are perfect. So we
slowly make simple things. We feel the value of the existence of humanity
in these imperfections. That is to say that being imperfect is what gives
us all a reason to exist. That’s what I thought of a lot while doing
virtual lives. For example, if I mess up the lyrics of a song, that will
live in the memories of someone who was watching and that has great value to
them as a person. Such changes in what we value are happening very fast
and I think are, in fact, being accelerated because of covid.
ーDo you think that physical is better than digital？
ーCurrently, you are working as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. That seems
like a job that would influence you to valuing the in person, being able to
physically be there and interact with the people you are helping, is that not
so？
MIYAVI：Of course it is definitely better to hold someone’s hand as they share the enws, it is impossible to do that through the internet. But I don’t know the future. I don’t know if it will or will not change. For example, if things were moved to being online for meetings, information and materials would be shared through the screen immediately, it would certainly shorten how long it would go on. And you can still be doing research constantly, that is extremely efficient. Compared to before covid, I am having more of a give and take with people from overseas.
But for people like refugees who are in the transitional period from having their life in constant danger to not, they are much more worried about how they are going to live in such a cruel world. This limits our ability to understand the reality of their situation. You can’t feel the temperature, tension, and many more important variables without physically visiting a place so we have to visit.
The
things that we as humans place value in, the truly essential ones, will not
change ever but I do think that the superficial ones may start to change more
and more from now on. That’s why I’m sure it’s going to be polarized.
ーHearing you talk about this, I get the feeling you are very good with
change.
MIYAVI：Yes, that’s true.
Instead of having “booksmarts” I value having “streetsmarts” instead. I
think this is something lacking in Japanese education. Whether you can
respond accordingly in whatever situation you find yourself in.
ーJapanese people tend to hold a lot of pride in not changing to the
situation.
MIYAVI：And that in and of itself is
definitely a good thing, I think. But every day the whole world is
changing. This may just sound like a contradiction but within that
ability to not change, one must also be looking for the things that need to
change.
ーAre there unexpected ways in which your work as a musician and your work
with UNHCR overlap？
MIYAVI：There definitely are.
The first time I went to a refugee camp, I’ll be honest and say that I was
scared being in a place so permeated with fear. The camp where children
were living was on the other side of a mountain where a big conflict was
happening. But when I started to play the guitar, I could feel their life
force exploding. “Ah, music can achieve something” is what I felt.
We were able to overcome the language barrier and convey the message of the
music well.
ーIt’s all about how you put together the catchiness and message, like you
mentioned before.
MIYAVI：There certainly are people who
will only listen to a speech. But they might be surprised to hear how
much people get from listening to music. My mission for the refugees in
these camps as a goodwill ambassador is to call out the bright parts, the
strong parts, the parts that make us the same as them as humans, their radiance
and dignity. The issues that refugees face certainly have a heavy and
dark image to them. But they aren’t the only ones who have those.
In every single person who calls themselves human, there are adversities that
we are fighting against in our lives. That is part of why not just music
but films, fashion, culture in general, can do so much.
ーLastly, please tell us some activities you would like to do in the future.
MIYAVI：There is only diligence.
Every single one of us has to keep moving forward on our own path, that’s the
only way. I do a lot between music, acting, and social reform work, I
want to tackle each of these, one by one, and level up all of my efforts.
I am blessed in the fact that I am able to learn, and I think that is a
privilege given to humanity. I want to always keep learning.
The Fender Telecaster guitar that Miyavi uses to achieve his sound has had many customizations added to it and, according to him, “it’s a telecaster but it’s wrong”. Fender themselves have acknowledged his modifications and approved the new model, leading to the Miyavi Telecaster ® coming into use. “the great guitarists of the past have destroyed existing values and created new ones” they said.
Original source HOUYHNHNM
Big thanks & credits for JP/ENG translation to @linhambabey / Janjan
- Photo_Yoshie Tominaga（W）
- Styling_Keisuke Shibahara
- Hair & Make up_Masaki Tanimori
- Text_Yuichiro Tsuji
- Edit_Ryo Muramatsu
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