Tokyo’s Yubiningyou unveil Himitsu, exploring living dolls, hidden emotion, and Modern Japanese Chanson-Rock—where gothic beauty, restraint, and silence collide, dissolving ego into timeless, unsettling theatrical expression through music, visuals, performance.
1.
“Himitsu” revolves around the idea of hidden emotions beneath a doll-like
exterior. How does this concept reflect your personal artistic identities as
performers?
We believe that a human being performing on stage is someone who lets go of
their ego and devotes both body and soul to the existence known as
"Beauty."
While we appear as dolls, we are certainly alive on the inside. Being an
existence that embraces this contradiction is the very essence of our artistic
identity.
2. Your project is deeply rooted in the idea of “living dolls.” How did this
concept first emerge, and how has it evolved since Yubiningyou’s formation in
Tokyo?
The concept of Yubiningyou was born from the bookshelf in our music producer's
room.
Our General Producer looked at the books lined up there and envisioned creating
a group with that specific worldview.
We do not view ourselves as "evolving." We recognize everything
simply as "change."
This is because being immature (or incomplete) is also one of Yubiningyou's
charms.
If we were to speak of evolution in that context, it has been brought about by
our encounters with the excellent creators and staff who support us.
3. The influence of producer Hideo Shimamura and his connection to French
Chanson is central to this release. How did that heritage shape the emotional
narrative of Himitsu?
Our music producer, Hideo Shimamura, sings himself, and the background of his
expression lies in the culture of Chanson, which was close to him from a young
age. Since he had a relative who was a Chanson singer, it wasn't
"special" music to him, but something he touched naturally.
What was inherited from Chanson is the method of not speaking of emotions
directly, but rather evoking the presence of a story within the listener.
The emotional narrative of "Himitsu" is also shaped by the influence
of such quiet storytelling.
4. You describe your genre as “Modern Japanese Chanson-Rock.” What
challenges did you face when blending classic Chanson storytelling with heavy
symphonic and gothic rock elements?
We struggled to fuse the innocent singing of young girls with the conflicting
elements of classic Chanson and the further conflicting elements of heavy rock.
However, fusing them together was a highly exciting process.
5. Visually, Yubiningyou draws heavily from Tanbi aesthetics and Gothic
Lolita fashion. How do visuals and costumes influence the way you perform and
interpret your music?
We consider costumes and visuals to be devices for conveying the story. Instead
of explaining with words, we outline emotions through atmosphere and texture.
The elements of aestheticism (Tanbi) and gothic style are like a necessary
language to establish the existence of these silent dolls.
6. Acts like Evanescence and BABYMETAL are cited as inspirations. What
specific elements from these artists resonate most strongly with your own
creative vision?
We feel we resonate with their attitude toward art.
We are attracted to the point that they make delicacy and intensity, as well as
beauty and strangeness, coexist simultaneously.
7. Unlike traditional J-Pop, Himitsu embraces darkness, restraint, and
silence. Why was it important for you to move away from “kawaii” conventions
and explore more mature emotional themes?
"Kawaii" changes with the times and is eventually consumed, but the
"Beauty" we envision is universal.
It is extremely important to eliminate the sense of a specific era. For
example, smartphones will absolutely never appear in our lyrics in the future.
Furthermore, darkness, restraint, and silence are universal concepts, and they
are also the themes of Yubiningyou.
8. The recording took place in a cold, minimalist high-rise studio
overlooking Tokyo. How did that environment affect your vocal performances and
emotional delivery?
Yubiningyou's vocal recordings are always conducted in this place.
In a minimal, private studio that the members are accustomed to visiting, we
can stack up recordings until the best take is born, all while drifting back
and forth between human and doll.
9. You’ve mentioned the “Doll’s Awakening” vocal method—moving from
mechanical restraint to emotional release. How demanding was this approach,
both technically and emotionally?
To release emotions, one first needs thorough mental restraint.
On the other hand, to keep restraining emotions, the mind must be liberated. In
other words, it means being meditative.
Maintaining this contradictory state is indeed a very high demand, but it is
the core.
10. Your live performances range from intimate theatrical spaces to modern
industrial venues. How do you adapt the “living doll” concept across such
different stages?
Even if the venue changes, our fundamental stance does not change.
By cherishing the sensation that "a doll remains a doll wherever it is
placed," we adapt to various spaces.
11. Yubiningyou feels as much like an art project as a band. How do you
balance music, performance art, fashion, and visual storytelling without one
overshadowing the others?
Our ideal is for all elements to exist with as much equal weight as possible,
in a relationship where they support one another.
We believe that by not letting any single element stand out too much, the
presence of the whole rises up as a complete worldview.
12. Looking ahead, how do you see Yubiningyou’s role in introducing Japanese
Gothic and Tanbi culture to international audiences—and what secrets are you
ready to reveal next?
We do not want to be entities that "explain" Japanese Gothic or Tanbi
culture, but rather entities that offer them as an "experience."
And sometimes, it is important to destroy them.
The next secret we reveal will likely appear, once again, as darkness,
restraint, and silence.
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