Broken By The Scream debuts with newest member at Anime Los Angeles

Metal idols Broken By The Scream performed at Anime Los Angeles on both January 5 and 6, thrilling international fans with their death metal screams and adorable idol vocals. JROCK NEWS had the privilege of not only viewing their January 6 concert but also sitting down with them for an interview.

Broken By The Scream’s Anime Los Angeles appearance marked the first international performance with their newest member, Shizuku Mikogami. Along with growler Io Nodukidaira and vocalist Tsubaki Nanaougi, Broken By The Scream took the stage and enthralled the crowd with their endearing singing, energetic choreography, and soul-piercing metal screams.

The performance itself drew a large audience of fans and casual convention-goers alike, some wearing their Broken By The Scream T-shirts and some in full cosplay. A couple of inflatable Pikachu costumes were notably included among the crowd.

Towards the end of their set, Tsubaki announced that they would be returning to Los Angeles as part of their 2024 international tour. She spoke to the crowd in English, but was adorably very obvious about the fact that she was referring to some sort of notes on the back of her hand. While the group only knew a little bit of English, their efforts to communicate with their fans were easy to see!

From left to right: New member Shizuku, growler Io, and vocalist Tsubaki.Chaotic Harmony Imports

Saturday evening they appeared at a Q&A panel to let their international fans get to know them a little better, where they talked about everything from their favorite anime (Tsubaki named 2023’s idol anime Oshi no Ko), where they draw inspiration from (Io likes watching Ru Paul’s Drag Race on Netflix), and the first thing they do when they get home after a tour (Shizuku eats a big bowl of Japanese rice).

Towards the end of the weekend, they managed to squeeze some time into their busy schedule to join JROCK NEWS for a quick interview.

I hope you’ve been enjoying Anime Los Angeles! To start, could you please introduce yourselves?

Tsubaki: I’m Tsubaki!

Shizuku: I’m Shizuku.

Io: I’m Io! Nice to meet you!

Your lineup has changed, with Shizuku joining recently. How did you all meet and how did Shizuku become the third member?

Shizuku: I was part of an audition.

Tsubaki: She auditioned, and the company and members all watched her audition, such as her dancing, and after that, it was decided to have her join the group.

This next question is for Shizuku since you joined fairly recently. How was it learning all of the songs and choreography for a new group?

Shizuku: Before coming to America for today’s performance, I was able to learn 14 of the songs. I would go to the studio by myself to practice. But there are actually around 50 Broken By The Scream songs, so I still have a long way to go!

You previously had four members in total. Are you planning to continue searching for a fourth member, or do you think you’ve found the right combination already?

Io: We will get a fourth member!

Broken By The Scream is known for mixing clean Jpop vocals with death metal screams and growls. What made you decide to explore this mix of genres?

Io: It was our producer electro sonar who likes metal and also likes idols, and he wanted to do something new that hadn’t been done before, so it was his idea.

Tsubaki: That was where the concept of mixing cute and screaming vocals came in.

Considering the fact that you have such different vocal techniques, do you each have your own habits when performing live? Such as vocal warm-ups, for example.

Io: About ten minutes before, I’ll try to let out some big growls, but sometimes it can be awkward if I’m in a dressing room with other people there. You can’t be too loud, but I do try to find somewhere or go into the bathroom to do it, but people who hear me in there probably think I’m throwing up [laughs].

Shizuku: I’ll also do vocal warm-ups about ten minutes before. I start by practicing singing in my head voice and also practice using a set list of songs to warm up.

Tsubaki: Since I do the clean vocals, I will try to practice hitting higher notes to get a cute idol voice, because if you don’t practice beforehand it can come out kind of weird.

Broken By The Scream poses with fans at Anime Los Angeles.Chaotic Harmony Imports

Is there anything new you’d like to try in your music in the future?

Io: I’d like to try a super long breakdown (where the tempo changes) like the ones that are common in deathcore.

Tsubaki: We have some songs that are only “death voice” like Phoenix. But I would like to have one song that is more idol-like.

Shizuku: We have a song where the juxtaposition of the death voice and clean vocals is very extreme. It would be cool to have something with that really extreme transition.

You performed both Friday and Saturday at Anime Los Angeles. Can you please share your experience? Any special memories that stand out?

Io: The first day of the show, some people started moshing and there was only a little bit of space between the stage and the chairs that were set up, so it was kind of chaotic. But the second day, the staff had moved the chairs back so there was more room by the stage and the audience was able to get really into it, which was great.

Shizuku: Idols in Japan have certain call-and-response that the fans know to do, but there were some international fans here who also knew the calls, so that made an impression on me.

Tsubaki: Some people were moshing, there were people using pen lights, and some people head-banging, so it was really cool seeing everyone doing their own thing.

Do you notice any differences between performing in Japan and performing internationally? What do you think of the international audiences?

Shizuku: Compared to Japan, people in America are so much more free with shouting and cheering like “Woo!” to show their emotions. Like, “Wow, they’re really enjoying themselves.”

Io: Yeah, and then other people outside would hear the cheering and come in just to see what’s going on, and then they get into it too. That made me happy.

You also have an international tour lined up for 2024, with locations in both North and South America. What can fans expect from these shows?

Shizuku: It’s the first overseas tour, so even we aren’t totally sure what to expect.

Io: There are many songs we haven’t performed abroad yet, so they can look forward to that. We may also play some new songs.

Tsubaki: Yes, there are a lot of songs we haven’t played before, so we hope the people coming will listen to our songs and learn the calls, that would be amazing.

How has your experience at Anime Los Angeles been so far? Do you get the opportunity to look around the convention or are there any other places you’d like to visit while you’re here? Maybe foods you want to try?

Io: I heard there’s a LoveLive! Onigiri booth. I’m really interested in that. There are a lot of recognizable anime characters around, so it’s exciting just walking around seeing them.

Shizuku: Some of the fans speak some Japanese and they are saying how much they like Japanese culture, so that made me really happy.

Tsubaki: Seeing all the cosplayers makes me want to cosplay too. Maybe next time, we can bring an anime cosplay or something like a maid uniform, so we can join in the fun.

Aside from the live shows, do you have any other projects lined up? Perhaps some plans for new music? Or anything else you can hint at?

Tsubaki: Yes, we have a new song and a new music video that will be coming out, so please look forward to it!

Any final message you’d like to share with your fans?

Tsubaki: We will be coming back to LA in April and we will be going on tour in North and South America. We will visit a lot of places on our tour, so we look forward to seeing everyone in person, and if you can’t come in person, we look forward to seeing you on social media and just hope that people enjoy our music.

Shizuku: I’m a new member, so I would like to show everyone the new Broken By The Scream.

Io: A lot of the bands I like are from America, so going to America is amazing for me, and I’m also looking forward to the tour and all the places we’ll be going. I’d also be happy if they enjoyed our new songs.

JROCK NEWS thanks Chaotic Harmony Imports and Anime Los Angeles for making this interview possible.

Broken By The Scream embarks on their US and South American tour this April, with five shows across two continents. Tickets are on sale now, so make sure you don’t miss out!

The group also has plans to release a new music video in mid-March, and on March 29 they will be re-starting activities as a four-member group with their newest member Yayoi. We’ll be sure to announce all the details as they become available.