On July 15, SCANDAL made the fourth stop on their North America WORLD TOUR 2022 “MIRROR” in Atlanta, Georgia. JROCK NEWS was in the crowd.

This tour, previously planned for 2020 but delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, would likewise be cut short by the virus.

While they put on an energetic and soulful performance before a crowded house at The Masquerade venue, afterward we learned each member experienced symptoms related to the illness. Unfortunately, they had to end the tour early and return to their home in Japan.

Yet, those who saw them in Toronto, New York, Boston, and Atlanta were treated to enthusiastic performances of new songs from the MIRROR album as well as fan favorites like SHUNKAN SENTIMENTAL (瞬間センチメンタル) and SCANDAL BABY.

At the end of the show we were left with lead singer Haruna’s message, “Even though Japan is far away, we feel close to you, the fans, in our hearts.”

Now recovered and healthy, SCANDAL prepares to tour Europe starting September 22. While recovering, they made time to give us this exclusive interview!

Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Sorry to hear about the North America tour cancellation. Do you have anything you’d like to say about that?

HARUNA: We are very sorry about it too. We are sorry to everyone who was planning to come and see us. However, the four shows we were able to do were truly a happy time for us. It was a great feeling to see people who love our music after such a long time!

SCANDAL literally lean on each other at The Masquerade in Atlanta, GA, USA.Takeshi Yao

Congratulations on reaching your 15-year anniversary. What have you learned about each other since you started that still surprises you today?

TOMOMI: I learned that MAMI will be constantly checking our flight’s location throughout the journey when we fly.

With the shows you did play, did people in North America respond differently to certain songs compared to your audience in Japan? What was your favorite song to play on this tour?

MAMI: I felt so happy when we played the song eternal during the North American tour. I could see the audience was freely enjoying the music and opening up their hearts to it, it really moved me.

Can you tell us some thoughts behind putting together the set list for your international audience?

RINA: We want to represent what SCANDAL is right now, so we put together a set list that includes mainly our new material, sprinkled with popular songs that our fans have enjoyed for many years.

What is the one item (besides your smartphone) that you absolutely have to have when traveling abroad?

RINA: Instant miso soup!

Congratulations on your new signature instruments from Fender. We noticed they got a lot of air time on this tour! How have they shaped your live sound?

HARUNA: The new model is powerful, making it great for live performances. It suits songs from early in our career compared to recent songs, so I use it differently depending on the setlist.

TOMOMI: The stacked knob makes it very easy to adjust the sound to match the venue’s acoustics.

MAMI: I’ve played a variety of genres of music over the past 16 years, so I wanted to create a signature model that could handle powerful yet delicate sounds and be able to handle the songs of SCANDAL’s past too. Since the setlist for this tour included such tracks, I was able to reproduce a variety of sounds with one instrument, so I feel that once again the ideal instrument has been made.

Guitarist MAMITakeshi Yao

MAMI, is there a special place that you’ve been wanting to visit on your day off? We recall that you got your wish granted at Six Flags during the 2018 tour.

MAMI: This time I went to the interactive theatre production of Sleep No More in New York. It was a lot of fun! There were lots of interesting points about it that you wouldn’t understand unless you went to the show several times. Afterward, the rest of the band and I spoke about it endlessly [laughs]! I would like to see it again next time we’re in New York!

TOMOMI, did you bring just a volume pedal and tuner as your only effects pedals (as seen on Instagram stories)? Why do use this gear for performances?

TOMOMI: Actually, I was connected to the roadie’s board behind me and did some distortion from there, but I took on the challenge with a simpler lineup than usual. On a long tour, the less stuff you carry, the better!

RINA, can you tell us more about your MAKE A WISH DAISY project?

RINA: This is a support project that I launched with the desire to provide assistance to families and women in need of support, based on my own experience of growing up in a single-mother household with five siblings.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, victims of domestic violence are being forced into more difficult environments, the difficulty for women to work alone and earn a living is accelerating, and countless other problems are overflowing. I hope to use my experience of living creatively through my music career to create wonderful items and create a system to donate the sales of the items to charity.

I hope to create an opportunity for each of the people who follow me to think about their own ideas and social issues while communicating them along with the items. With these thoughts in mind, I am working with great care.

Drummer RINATakeshi Yao

HARUNA you mentioned in a “making of” video for eternal that you have performed newer songs with a different voice. How has that process worked for you to find a new voice that reflects your artistry?

HARUNA: When recording this song, I was particularly careful to sing it as if I were speaking. I wanted the audience to feel that we were more in tune with our current age, so I sang with a relaxed style without putting too much force into it, but without forgetting to be emotional.

What, to you, is the future of SCANDAL?

HARUNA: We’re all in our 30s, it’s been so much fun growing older with SCANDAL. I hope we can continue being cool and have good taste.

TOMOMI: I don’t know, but I do know that I want to perform live and meet as many people as possible.

MAMI: To be honest, I have no idea. But all four of us share the same will to keep going for as long as we can, so I hope we can continue that and entertain our fans in various ways.

RINA: I started this band when I was 15 years old and have been able to fulfill many dreams with it. From now on, I would like to spend my time with music and output that reflect what I feel, while also fulfilling my private life.

Please leave a message for our readers!

HARUNA: Thank you very much for your support. As I felt in a concert the other day, even though Japan and overseas can be quite far apart, the distance between us and our fans is very close. I think we are a really happy band because we receive so much love. Thank you all so much, please keep the close connection going! See you next time!!

TOMOMI: Stay healthy!

MAMI: Thank you for always supporting us from afar. We appreciate it so much. This time the tour was canceled part way through, and we couldn’t see the people who were looking forward to the shows… So I hope to see you again someday, and when it happens I will be sure I’m healthy and with a huge smile plastered across my face. Music transcends borders and connects us all! I hope you all take care of yourselves and stay healthy too!

RINA: Thank you for reading this interview! If you’re interested in our music, check us out! I hope many of you get to know and enjoy girl bands, it’s a part of Japanese culture!

SCANDAL WORLD TOUR 2022 “MIRROR” Europe