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\n\tTwo all-women rock bands hailing from different countries \u2014 Japan\u2019s BAND-MAID<\/a> and Mexico\u2019s The Warning<\/a> \u2014 got together to record a collaborative single called \u201cSHOW THEM,\u201d due Wednesday (Aug. 7). The members of the two groups hit it off after first meeting at a U.S. music festival where both bands performed in 2022.<\/p>\n \n\tIn this rare chat with all the members of both bands \u2014 five from BAND-MAID and the three sisters from The Warning \u2014 in attendance, the women who continue to blast out hard rock for fans around the world spoke about their respect for each other\u2019s music and the process of recording their new single together.<\/p>\n \n\tYour bands first met when you performed at the Aftershock Festival in California in 2022, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tMiku Kobato (Guitar\/Vocals): Yes. We performed on the same day, and the members of The Warning found us and said hi while we were doing an interview there. They said, \u201cLet\u2019s do something together\u201d and we were like, \u201cWe\u2019d love to!\u201d We hit it off and had a great time.<\/p>\n \n\tDaniela Villarreal V\u00e9lez (Guitar\/Vocals\/Piano): I\u2019d wanted to meet BAND-MAID all day that day.<\/p>\n \n\tPaulina Villarreal V\u00e9lez (Drums\/Vocals\/Piano): BAND-MAID are great musicians and I\u2019ve loved them for a long time.<\/p>\n \n\tAKANE (Drums\/Percussion): That makes me so happy!<\/p>\n \n\tKobato: We also became really curious about The Warning after our bands joined the lineup at the Aftershock Festival, po. I thought it was so cool how three sisters are in a band together, po.<\/p>\n \n\tMISA (Bass\/Vocals): There\u2019s a groove that can only come from sisters, isn\u2019t there?<\/p>\n \n\tKANAMI (Guitar\/Vocals): They\u2019re so synchronized, on the same wavelength. It\u2019s something we can\u2019t imitate.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tDaniela: We\u2019re very close and share a sisterly bond.<\/p>\n \n\tPaulina: We try to be aware of clearly separating our time as sisters from our time as band members, so I think there\u2019s a good balance there. But we did just have a fight this morning. [Laughs<\/em>]<\/p>\n \n\tAlejandra Villarreal V\u00e9lez (Bass\/Vocals\/Piano): We often clash when we\u2019re composing. We each come up with a lot of different ideas, so sometimes we get into big arguments. [Laughs<\/em>] But we fundamentally have a good relationship and make up quickly.<\/p>\n \n\tWhat do the members of The Warning find compelling about BAND-MAID?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tDaniela: Japanese rock and the rock you hear in the U.S. and Mexico are the same genre but they sound completely different. That\u2019s the main reason why I was drawn to BAND-MAID\u2019s music. I also like the fact that they put a very high level of technique into their music.<\/p>\n \n\tPaulina: AKANE and I have totally different playing styles, so there were some phrases that were hard for me but I really enjoyed practicing them. BAND-MAID helped us grow and I appreciated that.<\/p>\n \n\tAKANE: Wow\u2026 I want to return those exact same words to you! [Laughs<\/em>]<\/p>\n \n\tAlejandra: MISA also has a different style from mine, and I think her performance is awesome. I find it really amazing how she can combine parts where she plays with a pick and parts where she slaps in a song, and it\u2019s so fascinating. Tell me how you can play like that. [Laughs<\/em>]<\/p>\n \n\tDaniela: And of course, I think SAIKI and Kobato\u2019s voices are really great, too. It must be the difference in language, but Japanese is unique in that the melody changes one letter at a time, and it\u2019s really amazing how they can sing that so well. I got a lot of inspiration from the vocal side as well.<\/p>\n \n\tBy the way, do you know why Kobato ends her sentences with \u201cpo\u201d? <\/strong>[Translator\u2019s note: Kobato has a signature way of speaking in Japanese, ending sentences with \u201cpo,\u201d an onomatopoeia expressing the call of a pigeon. The kanji for Kobato is \u201clittle pigeon.\u201d]<\/p>\n \n\tSAIKI (Lead vocals): Tell them why you say \u201cpo.\u201d Tell them who you really are.<\/p>\n \n\tKobato: I\u2019m Kobato, meaning I have a little bit of pigeon in me, po. That\u2019s why I end sentences with \u201cpo,\u201d which is the sound a pigeon makes, po.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tDaniela: So it\u2019s pigeonese. [Everyone laughs<\/em>] I caught that just now. \u201cNarimashita, po.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tKobato: [Laughs<\/em>] It feels like we\u2019ve become a little closer again, po.<\/p>\n \n\tLet\u2019s talk about your collaborative single, \u201cSHOW THEM.\u201d How did the production process go?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tKobato: KANAMI first came up with the foundation of the song. We started off by having the members of The Warning listen to it.<\/p>\n \n\tKANAMI: We wanted to venture out and make a song that would bring out new aspects of each band for this single, and that\u2019s how \u201cSHOW THEM\u201d came about. Everyone in The Warning made changes to the demo I made. Then we made new suggestions in response to that, and repeated the process over and over again until the song was finished.<\/p>\n \n\tDaniela: When we heard the demo that KANAMI made, we were very surprised because it was completely different from the direction of our usual music. But we soon began to enjoy figuring out how to mix our own colors into it.<\/p>\n \n\tThe lyrics are credited to Miku Kobato and The Warning.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tKobato: Yes, po. Since this was a collaboration between two all-women bands, we first discussed making the song about rising to the top together by depicting a strong female figure who can fight in the world.<\/p>\n \n\tPaulina: While we started off by sharing that lyrical concept, there were times we interpreted things differently because of the cultural differences between our countries. But when we came to Japan and worked on the lyrics together, it felt like we were on the same page. The nuances that Kobato was looking for became clear.<\/p>\n \n\tKobato: By talking face to face, we were able to understand each other down to the smallest details, po.<\/p>\n \n\tDid you record the music together in Japan?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tKANAMI: Yes. But we didn\u2019t have much time, so BAND-MAID recorded beforehand and The Warning recorded later. I basically directed the performances, and the three of them were really great. We were done in no time.<\/p>\n \n\tPaulina: We didn\u2019t actually play until after we arrived in Japan, but did a lot of mental rehearsals on the plane.<\/p>\n \n\tAlejandra: Yeah. We listened to the song over and over.<\/p>\n \n\tAKANE: My passion towards performing has really intensified through our collaboration with The Warning. I feel so pumped now and don\u2019t know how to handle it. [Laughs<\/em>]<\/p>\n \n\tPaulina: It was a great experience for us, too, and gave us tremendous motivation.<\/p>\n \n\tHow did the vocal recording go?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tSAIKI: It was my first time recording with another person, so everything was inspiring. I also discovered a lot of things by singing while listening to someone pronounce English really well up close.<\/p>\n \n\tDaniela: The melody and prosody are different from our usual songs, so everything was a challenge. But it was really fun to try something new!<\/p>\n \n\tSAIKI: The key was really high, too. We both did well!<\/p>\n \n\tKANAMI: I really like vocals that make an effort in a higher key, so I might have given them both a hard time. [Laughs<\/em>] But the result was really satisfying so I\u2019m happy about that.<\/p>\n \n\tYour bands became closer through this collaboration, so it\u2019d be great if you could do something together again.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tKobato: Since The Warning came to Japan this time, we\u2019d love to go to Mexico and do a show together next time, po!<\/p>\n \n\tAlejandra: Maybe next time we can work together on a song that we wrote the base for.<\/p>\n