Kamijo for Natalie

KAMIJO – roses, the history of France, Paul Mauriat…

Identity, which is revealed to us in his first solo work

Interview: Takechi Naoko for Natalie
Translation: Ariane de Bourberon

(Please notice, that these are only fragments of the Interview – in my opinion the most important and most interesting – but it is already a large part of it)

♦ Roses always are his leitmotif ♦

- Since January of this year KAMIJO-san starts solo debut releasing his first solo work titled  「Louis~Enketsu no La vie en Rose~」, but please, first tell us something about the hiatus of Versailles, which began in December last year.

KAMIJO: Versailles has always worked with the motif of a rose and in June last year we celebrated the 5^th anniversary, for which commemoration we’ve released a single entitled 「ROSE」. The possibility of releasing a work called like our leitmotif has become a place of downtime and using the fifth anniversary as an opportunity to look at Versailles from the distance, thinking where we would like to see Versailles, made us make a choice and decide about taking a break.

- 「Louis~Enketsu no La vie en Rose~」, which will be your first debut solo work has the same theme as Versailles, right?

KAMIJO: Right. I was creating the world filled with roses motif even before Versailles. The truth is that even before Versailles was formed, once I had the pleasure to inform about my solo activity. But in a strange twist of fate, I met HIZAKI and impulsively we’ve decided to create by all means a “rose” themed band together. That’s when I decided to create a band with HIZAKI and this is how Versailles was born.  And now, it’s 6 years later. And I have a feeling that once again I returned on my own tracks. So that’s how roses will forever be my leitmotif.

♦ I want to show my awakening in the presence of Mana-sama ♦

- In music video to  「Louis~Enketsu no La vie en Rose~」 appears Mana-sama from MALICE MIZER, but apparently KAMIJO-san knows MALICE MIZER for a long time. The theme of Mana-sama is a blue rose, what gives the impression of a strong color connection between it and world created by KAMIJO-san. Would you mind, if I ask about the roots of KAMIJO-san? About everything before your current view of the world has been created?

KAMIJO: Paul Mauriat is my roots. I loved Paul Mauriat since I was a kid. I think that everyone knows  「El Bimbo」, but for example 「La Reine de Saba」 sung by Fuse Akira-san went through a couple of covers, because it was showing the world easy to listen. It’s an European melancholy flowing with the lyrics, what made this song really beautiful. In places that soothe the mind, cafes, they were playing music easy to listen and when I heard it I excitedly realized that these songs are incredibly beautiful! My mother was an electon (electric piano/organ)  teacher and I think that it also had a big impact on me, because as a child I was in the vicinity of this kind of music. I listened a lot also to Richard Clayderman, in addition to Paul Mauriat.

- I understand, that it’s all thanks to the music easy to listen?

KAMIJO: Exactly. The music of MALICE MIZER has a lot to do with it. There was a time when I was really into MALICE MIZER, and I even had possibility to study next to them, I wanted to try it myself. MALICE MIZER are my senpais, but I didn’t want to be seen as someone, who became famous because of the name of his senpai, that’s why I avoided tasting it by myself. Is that called respect?

♦ Because I want to create my own “if STORY” ♦

- “Atelier Temple” contributed to the creation of your work, what is it exactly?

KAMIJO: Atelier Temple is a name of the project, collaboration in the group from Versailles’ times, this time my manipulator friend Ikeda-kun also helped me. Is it so, that I could feel how I track my own songs when they are created. Because with the word “Louis” I had a clear outline of the world and sound in my head, so in order to revive them in reality I had to write lyrics and melody. It’s because “Louis” was the name that I always wanted to use.

♦ “The song from musical” and “the passing of a man, who found himself in the center of the Revolution” ♦

- 「Grazioso」 is a powerful piece with musical’s elements, right? Its lyrics is also very poetic.

KAMIJO: It’s because I wanted to create a song like taken from musical. La vie en Rose in French means “life in the color of roses”, but I think that everyone feels hard, I mean, I think everyone is walking among the thorny path. But I think that no one is giving up and everyone does their best to live.  Because the time will come, when those thorns will bloom beautifully, and this is exactly about what am I singing in 「Louis~Enketsu no La vie en Rose~」 , and more specifically it has been shown in musical-like  「Grazioso」.  I wanted  「Grazioso」 to be a track full of elegance, and with such feelings I stubbornly keep following my path. I sing thinking like that.  In this song I sing in Italian for the first time. Speaking of musicals I think of Italy, so I wanted to sing in their native language.

- The third track after 「Grazioso」 is also opera track, which gives the impression of an elegant song. What is the story of the third track, 「Gensou Trianon」?

KAMIJO: 「Gensou Trianon」is, strictly speaking, the image of French Revolution.

- That’s terrifying.

KAMIJO: Indeed. This song shows the fragility of human being during the French Revolution, fragility of man, who sees the image of his beloved digested by fire. Marie Antoinette with her children stayed in one of the palaces of Versailles, Trianon, during the Revolution, but I imagine warriors fighting in this war, guided by hearts.

- After these speculation of KAMIJO-san, I feel like if I was watching the history.

KAMIJO: I’m glad that you think like that.

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