Interview with HaruNemuri

One of our best-selling records of 2020 is “Lovetheism” by Haru Nemuri, whose music is different from hardcore punk, but her ideas, attitude, and musicality that deviates from modern J-Pop while running parallel to the feminist context of the international scene in Japan somehow resonate with me. I think there is something that resonates with her. This interview came about through a chance encounter.

I myself am only familiar with Haru Nemuri’s career and past works, at least by name, and he is highly regarded overseas, right? I’m not as knowledgeable as some of the other writers, so if you’re a fan and you read this interview, you might think, “Why are you asking me this now? However, I think it would be interesting to do this interview as someone who is not a fan at all and has not been following the past works, so I hope I can make this interview different from the previous ones.

Haru Nemuri: Thank you for this opportunity! I look forward to working with you.

When I first listened to “Lovetheism”, it was different from what I had imagined. When I listened to the previous album, “Haru to Shura,” I thought it was more Japanese and more in the style of a rock band.
I was wondering what the difference is. I think the rhythm and beat has changed overwhelmingly from the previous album, are you aware of that?

Haru Nemuri: I think it was probably because I started to experience and understand what kind of beat I wanted to dance to and what kind of groove I felt comfortable with while performing live. I used to write songs on my computer, but I found myself playing MIDI keys and creating rhythms with my body. Also, as I’ve grown up, I’ve lost some of the wavering in my own ego, or perhaps I’ve become less afraid of transformation. I think this is proportional to the fact that I’ve become more confident in my core. I think it’s also connected to the fact that I’m looking for more weight and strength in beats and rhythms.

I heard that your North American tour scheduled for 2020 was cancelled, but you haven’t performed in Europe or the U.S. since this album “Lovetheism”, right? The difference in the beat of this album will make it sound different from the “Haru to Shura” period, and the way it will be received in live performances will also change.
Also, I think your fan base has changed since “Haru to Shura” was well-received by the media and scenes outside of Japan.

Haru Nemuri: We haven’t performed in Europe or the US since “Lovetheism”, so I’m really looking forward to it!
I’m not sure if I can say it’s an influence on my songwriting, but having fans and friends outside of Japan has made me more aware of what’s going on in the world. On the contrary, what I’m conscious of is that I don’t want to sound too trendy.

Some of the customers said that the previous album was more rock, and I thought, “Well, that’s true,” but on the contrary, “Lovetheism” deviates from the J-Pop values in that the beats and sound have been renewed as mentioned above, and I felt that this album is more in-depth.
Do you intend to “deviate” from your own style when you create your works?

Haru Nemuri: I think about whether or not “easy to groove to/easy to listen to” and “edgy/kitschy” live together in a beautiful form and balance, both on a song-by-song basis and on an album-by-album basis, and the latter element may lead to something “deviant. Also, when I try to make something that is completely J-Pop, I tend to think that it’s “not a song that has ever existed before = not worth making”, so I tend to add elements that are somewhat unpleasant or uncomfortable. I also have a strong desire to keep the context of the essence of the ideas and music that have influenced me, and to stay with the new music that is necessary for today.

Do you really think the world needs “new music that’s necessary for our time”?

Haru Nemuri: I think that for a society to mature, ideas need to be updated more and more, and I think the same is true for music.

Does punk music have anything to do with your own musical roots?

Haru Nemuri: When I started listening to music in detail, I was first attracted to alternative rock, post-hardcore, and art punk, and then I started listening to hardcore and punk as well. I like the Clash as a punk band.

I was surprised by the crash. Please tell me why too!

Haru Nemuri: I don’t think anti-power, anti-establishment, and anti-majority is punk, I think being kind to the oppressed and the oppressors is punk (although it often ends up being anti-establishment, anti-power, and anti-majority), and I feel that Clash is that kind of music.

Another thing that caught my attention compared to the previous album was the “DIY” feel. From the impression of the sound, I’m guessing that you arranged the music yourself. The harmonies in “Lovetheism” have a lot of elements that I haven’t heard in your previous works. There’s also a sense that it doesn’t sound like anyone else’s, which made me wonder where your influences came from.
Do you have any systematic experience in composing or arranging music?

Haru Nemuri: In both the last album and this one, I did all the composing myself, with or without an arranger depending on the song, but in addition to the vocal lines, the main riffs, beats, and chorus work are often present in the demos, so I guess you could say I’m committed to the arrangement as well.

I think I’m probably a very picky person when it comes to harmony. Since I don’t play the guitar, I make the demos in a strummed state, and when I ask the arranger or guitarist to play during the arrangement, there are sometimes chords that thay can’t play on the guitar. In such cases, I ask them to record each note separately.

I have never been taught how to compose or arrange music, but I took an elective class in my third year of high school, which was a basic music class for kids preparing for music school. I also played in a cover band (I played the synthesizer), and I used to play around with reproducing other people’s songs on DTM, which I think helped train me in composition and arrangement.

I felt that you didn’t put much emphasis on rapping-like rhymes. Also, regarding poetry reading, how did you come into contact with this genre and why did you decide to learn it as your signature?

Haru Nemuri: I like Sōtaisei Riron, and that’s how I got to Fukashigi-Wonderboy. I think it’s more important for me to have a beautiful Japanese rhythm than rhyme.

I’m really embarrassed to say that the reason I decided to do it myself was because I’m not very good at taking notes, and I thought I could do it by talking! So I thought, “Maybe I can do it by talking!

I felt like I could see a little bit of the core of the story. I think that speaking is a unique instrument that reflects a person’s culture, and although “Lovetheism” was ranked as one of the best articles of 2020 by media outside of Japan, it seems that the rhythm and sound of the Japanese language is accepted as something unique. I think that “not very good at taking notes” is a disadvantage or even a fatal flaw for an artist when it comes to singing.
However, I think it may have been a shortcut to establishing a signature that is now appreciated even outside of Japan. I think it’s also a punk way of thinking to turn a negative element into a positive one. How about this interpretation…?

Haru Nemuri: I understand very well that speech is an instrument that is shaped by a person’s unique culture! For me, I’ve really been searching for what I can do, so it’s not like I’ve been aiming for the current musical style and fan base! It’s not like I was aiming for the current musical style or fan base, but I think it’s a good thing because I find it interesting to be unpredictable. Also, I used to have a complex about my voice and my way of speaking, but it turned out to be a characteristic! I think it was a good thing for me as a musician and as an individual. I’m genuinely happy that people say it’s punk-like.

You have released LPs on Specific Recordings in France, what was your motivation for releasing them on analog? Also, did you know that this label is a label that releases art rock, black metal, hardcore, and some Japanese female artists, and also follows feminist contexts?
I also saw that you put “RIOT GRRRL” on your twitter profile, and I wanted to ask you a question.

Haru Nemuri: I didn’t know about it until I got the call to release it.
For me, the ideology of punk is about love, anger, and even kindness itself, and living in this world and society, I personally feel that it is inevitable or very natural to be associated with feminism.
I’m the kind of person who doesn’t like to introduce myself with anything other than “I’m Haru Nemuri,” because giving a name as a symbol tends to be directly linked to giving value, but I think RIOT GRRRL is a movement based on creativity. and I think it is one of the few “names” that I feel I can use my energy to live with or fight against the inconveniences and biases that come from advocating it.

Does that mean that there are problems in this world and society that make you feel that way, and that these problems are directly related to how you live and your rights as a woman?

Haru Nemuri: First of all, I think it’s a difficult world for people who don’t have power to live in, and I think discrimination against the female gender by the social structure is one of those things. In the same way that I would like to see the stereotype of the male gender disappear, and I would like to see a society in which the understanding of the LGBTQ gender can be properly deepened, I think that feminism is an ideology that is necessary in the modern age if we want to see an end to discrimination based on the female gender. I think that society will always contain problems because it is created by human beings, but I feel that we need to face them one by one.

Regarding “RIOT GRRRL,” do you find that the same energy, texture, and message resonate in someone else’s work that you do in your own releases? I don’t know if it’s limited to music. If you don’t mind, I’d like to know which artists resonate with you.

Haru Nemuri: I am often encouraged by a kind of “isolation” that is different from my own. I really like Omori Seiko, and I like her stance that it is possible to live with other people even if one’s own world is not sympathetic to others, and I think it is common in life for people to pretend that their hurts and pains are not there, but I really like her refusal to let that happen. I think that Omori Seiko herself is the type of person who doesn’t find much meaning in committing to social movements and the like (judging from interviews and such), but as a result, her music is one of the elements that make her who she is today. I think that “solidarity as a result” can occur in any situation…. I think that solidarity is inevitably necessary when society changes, but I have a physiological aversion to things moving on the premise of solidarity, so I think that I can only interact with people if they exist as pure individuals. I think that I can only interact with people if they exist as pure individuals, not through actual exchange.

It’s a little vague, but do you have a desire to have your music reach an unspecified number of listeners?

Haru Nemuri: Of course, I’m not the type of person who is liked by everyone, both humanly and musically…
When I want to meet the people I need to reach and the people I need to meet, I think I need to be known, but I have never wanted to be known by a large number of people for any other reason than that. If I had to prioritize desires, I don’t think they would rank very high. Also, I think that the extreme limit of populism and capitalistic values is a society where people are outnumbered, and I feel that modern society is becoming like that, and I would like to fight against it by creating things with care.

The person asking the questions in this interview is Akihito Mizutani.
I run 3LA -LonglegsLonArms Records- in Japan.
3LA: https://longlegslongarms.bandcamp.com/music

【BIOGRAPHY】
Haru Nemuri is a Japanese singer-songwriter and poetry rapper.
She suddenly began to perform as a poetry rapper at the age of 21. Since then, she has been Haru Nemuri and called herself as the “singing ultimate weapon”.
In April of 2018, she released the long-awaited first full album “Haru to Shura”. “Haru to Shura” has been featured in many countries overseas, including American famous music Vlogger “Anthony Fantano”.
In 2019, she performed in some huge music festivals in Malaysia and Taiwan, and on March she started an Asian tour including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Taiwan and Japan. From May to June, she performed in “Primavera Sound 2019” which was one of the huge music festivals in Europe, and she also did 15 shows in 6 countries as her first European tour. The shows on this tour were sold out and her tour was finished with great success. Currently, her debut album “Haru to Shura” was selected as “College Music Network! Here are Some of our Favorite Records of 2018″. Further on ranked 30th in the album work in 2018 on “RATE YOUR MUSIC”, which is the largest music evaluation site in America.

In January of 2020, Haru had released a new single called “Fanfare”, where the music video she shot at 30 degrees of frost in Russia had gotten picked up from various media outlets over the globe. In March, she was set to go on her first North American tour starting from her show at “SXSW (South by Southwest)” along with live shows in six states in the North America, including Dallas(TX), Brooklyn(NY), Chicago(IL), Los Angeles(CA), and San Francisco(CA) until the pandemic had hit the world.
HARU NEMURI had released her critically acclaimed new album called “LOVETHEISM” including the single “RIOT” on March 20th 2020.

In January of 2021, she has shared a new song called ‘Bang’.

This is the Japanese pop music of new generation, and her spirit is “Rock and Roll.