Revealing Jekyll to the world

HYDE awaits JROCK NEWS in a private conference room near The Novo club in downtown Los Angeles. It’s the evening before his HYDE [INSIDE] WORLD TOUR finale, yet the legendary vocalist has graciously set aside time to speak with media outlets, eager to pry open his brain wide open.

As our time is called, the double doors swing open. HYDE awaits in the far back arm chair. He’s draped in an all-back gown and a matching tattered sun hat that rests atop shaggy bleached locks, as if a monk, trained in the art of rocking out and melting faces. Despite surrounding himself with an entourage of producers, managers, event coordinators, and make-up artists, HYDE welcomes his guests with a down-to-earth bow.

“Sure.” His staff gestures as we set our camera on the tripod and begin rolling. “Go on, you can ask him pretty much anything.”

At times pensive and deeply introspective, HYDE answers each of our questions with candor and much deliberation. Yet, between his soft-spoken answers, he is quick to throw out a smile, a nod, and even giggles every now and then. HYDE has a way of making us feel equally at home and starstruck. It’s kind of hard to believe that this is the same guy who “shouted at the devil”, who “from the shadows learned to survive”, and who lived a “sex, blood, rock n’ roll” life.

Congratulations on releasing your new album HYDE [INSIDE]! Please explain to the audience the concept behind your new work. How did you decide on the name for the album HYDE [INSIDE]?

I’ve had many opportunities to record music here in the States, but with COVID, this album ended up being made entirely in Japan. Typically, we’d collaborate with our partners in America, but since all the production would take place domestically, I crammed the album with all the things that I personally liked. That’s it. And that the songs would excite the crowd when played live.

With title, it’s called HYDE [INSIDE], because I’ve had plans to make one album that’s intense and another that’s more mellow. As you know, my name is HYDE, which is in contrast with the alternate persona Dr. Jekyll [from the literary classic]. I wanted to make a “HYDE” album and a “JEKYLL” album.

We’ve got HYDE this time, but I’d like to release JEKYLL next!

Did any specific experiences or emotions serve as inspiration for HYDE [INSIDE]? Have recent social issues or the political climate influenced this album?

Well, when I read through my lyrics again, I get the impression that my emotions definitely alluded to COVID. Some material that I wrote before the pandemic was in anticipation of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Those lyrics carried hope that the summer games would pivot the country toward a brighter future. Unfortunately, we didn’t see that actually happen. That’s probably the bulk of what inspired me.

Each of your albums seems grouped in themes. In Roentgen we felt “serenity”. 666 brought things into “movement”. Faith expressed “spirituality”. Is there a thematic element or keyword that you wanted HYDE [INSIDE] to represent?

No keyword this time. Really, it’s just stuff that gets people amped up at my shows.

Like your previous album ANTI, each song on HYDE [INSIDE] has a related music video, lyric video, or animation. Why is it so important to give your artistry a visual aspect?

Ah, shooting videos is part of the workflow for promoting the new songs. For the music industry as it stands today, soundscapes alone might not be enough to convey our message to the listeners. Moving forward, we might as well acknowledge that there’s always a need a visual stimulus.

Thankfully, I love performing for an audience, so we’re in no shortage of ideas. There are some music videos that are easy to film and others where I pore over the production.

Speaking of performances, the HYDE [INSIDE] WORLD TOUR took you to Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai, Chengdu, Beijing, Seoul, and finally to New York and LA. If you could extend the tour, where else would you like to visit?

Truth be told, there are several other places that I’d like to take this album, since it’s my first in five years. Europe, South America, Central America… I’d love to visit them all. Waiting for those invites to come [smiles]!

About Europe… The music video for LAST SONG was filmed in Austria. What stood out about the country while you were there?

Yes, I’m currently a tourism ambassador for Austria. And it was important to me to actually go there and get several shots of the scenery to weave into a music video.

We did draft a storyboard for LAST SONG, but we weren’t sure if we’d be able to pull everything off upon landing in Austria. But in the end, the staff went all in and put together a music video that far exceeded my expectations.

As a tourism ambassador, I could enter and film inside manors that aren’t normally open to the public. I think we managed to capture so much beautiful footage.

As mentioned earlier, COVID has significantly reshaped the world. Here in America, everyone is feeling the pressures of rising costs. As a Japanese artist who wants to keep touring and reaching out to your overseas fans through music, how do you keep yourself going?

Seriously. The weakening yen is a huge worry [laughs]! It’s expensive to fly to America and to do simple things like go out to eat.

For those of us who live off music, it comes from our love for the craft. I guess anyone can write some songs. But to deliver them to an audience in Japan as well as the rest of the world is something else. There’s no task more important to me, and that goes for all our staff as well. It’s my life’s mission.

You’re featured in several major playlists on Spotify, like Tokyo Super Hits and Big in Japan. Does the current era of music streaming and social media make things easier to connect with international audiences?

Now that you mention it, they can help open more doors for sure. But if you don’t have a quirk that can hook people, you’re fighting for attention with so many others in the space.

Personally, I see them as convenient tools. But just because I use them, it doesn’t mean I’ll capture all the listeners who are out there. There’s too much competition! It’s tough!

I guess social media can be helpful for bringing you closer to more fans…

Just like how we’d correspond through fan mail back in the day, we should all be careful about what we say [smiles]. It used to be pretty unheard of to write to folks you like with any sort of negativity. But these days, the internet is quick to post whatever inner voice that boils over. We live in crazy times [laughs]!

Well, you have a way of bridging fans as well as artists together in the Jrock scene. How do you approach collaborations with other artists, especially those from a different generation? What qualities do you look for in a collaborator?

Ultimately, I’m drawn to types of people who are charismatic and different from me. It’s even better if their vocal timbre is different too.

MUGEN, the latest theme song for the anime Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- was a duet with the rock band MY FIRST STORY. Was it this vocal contrast with singer Hiro that led to this collaboration?

For a male singer, he sings at a very high pitch. Categorically, it’s different from my style. It just made sense. It felt fresh.

At my shows, I’ve been singing both parts by myself. It’s been kind of lonely without him [laughs].

That makes sense, it was meant to be a duet! What about the manga? Have you read it to the end

Yes, I read the manga, but not to the end yet.

Do you have a favorite character or Hashira?

My favorite character is Nezuko [smiles]. My favorite Hashira… would be the flame guy.

Rengoku!

He puts all his heart into it. He’s fiery. He’s full of passion!

If you could tag team with any artist, living or not, for your next collaboration, who would you choose?

Billie Eilish. I’d love to sing with her in that whispery tone.

Have you spoken with her at all?

I haven’t. But I did appear in a television program with her in Japan. We were able to get a photo together [laughs].

We’d love to see it happen one day! Of all the songs you’ve ever written, what’s your all time favorite? It can be from your solo career, L’Arc~en~Ciel, VAMPS, or anything else.

Wow. I can’t even remember everything I’ve written. What would it be? Hmm… It’s hard to say. HONEY? The tune with L’Arc~en~Ciel.

Personally, I love Anemone. Also others, like In the Air…

Oh, amazing! Thank you. I really like that one too [smiles].

Over the years, what have been the most defining moments of your musical journey?

For my proudest moment, the time L’Arc~en~Ciel got to play Madison Square Garden. It was a huge milestone for myself and for Japanese artists, I think. X JAPAN later booked it too, but there haven’t been that many acts from Japan. That was a big deal for me.

How do you keep yourself creatively energized after so many years in the industry? How do you stay inspired?

Whenever I play music fests, I feel like there’s still more I can do. I want to work even harder to put on a cooler show than the other bands that appear. I haven’t given up my competitive spirit. That’s my passion. And that leads me to want to write better and better songs.

At this point in your stardom, what’s left for HYDE to accomplish? I guess this could include your future collaboration with Billie Eilish!

It sounds simple, but I haven’t always been able to just do what I love. In reality, it’s hard for a band to just chase after what they want to make. The music has to sell after all. I want to reach a phase where I can just ignore all that.

Looking back on your musical journey, is there anything you would’ve done differently? If you could have a conversation with HYDE from the beginning of your career, what advice would you give him?

A do-over…?

It could be something that you’d approach differently with the knowledge you have now.

Hm… I would tell my younger self to enjoy his nightlife. Go on the prowl. You’re going to be really popular [laughs]! I didn’t get into any of that stuff back then.

Uh, you’re OK if this ends up in the interview article?

Come on, it was such a wasted opportunity [laughs]!

Thanks for your honesty! Coming back into the present, what is the happiest thing you heard an overseas fan say to you?

I’m not sure if it’s a word or phrase, but VAMPS has played several shows in South America. People from so many countries gathered for the concert in Chile. When everyone sang along, I couldn’t even hear myself on stage! It made me so happy to be there.

I’ve heard Chilean fans really embrace Japanese culture and music…

Right. Right! It was incredible.

As an influential figure in Jrock, what is your role in shaping music, culture, and uniting people globally? What legacy do you hope to leave?

Not much that I want to leave behind. It’s just about trying to rock out harder as a band and to bring more fun to everyone at our shows. If we can always push ourselves to our limits for just a bit longer, that would make me feel fulfilled.

I don’t intend to leave anything too grand for the next generation. But maybe looking at some of the things I’ve done as examples will help them brainstorm all the places they can take their careers.

We look forward to what the future holds! Thank you very much for your time today! Please leave a message for our JROCK NEWS readers around the world!

Thank you. Thanks to all our fans, we were able to return to the US on this tour. It’s been a while since my last album, so I packed the record with a bunch of tunes that would hype everyone up in a live setting. Please give them a listen and continue to support us so that we can come back again!

JROCK NEWS thanks HYDE, his staff, and the press relations team at UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN for the interview. Be sure to check out HYDE’s special English video message to his fans worldwide!