Idol punk rock infused with visual kei essence

Last year, MAD JAMIE made her international debut in Sweden, and this year she surprised fans by returning to Europe for a full-fledged tour! With her popularity rising both in Japan and abroad, we caught up with Kanjosen Akubi, the creative force behind the solo act “MAD JAMIE”, for a casual talk, ahead of her first solo headlining live show in Japan!

Let’s dive in and learn about MAD JAMIE’s overseas expansion, ambitious goals, and how visual kei music and artists have helped shape her sound!

“Rather than changing, I want to keep evolving, to preserve what’s important.” —Kanjosen Akubi (MAD JAMIE)

How was the European tour?

It’s really actually the first time for me to come to Europe in the form of a tour, where I am staying in various places and venues to perform. Everyone has been so kind and welcoming; it feels like everyone has been eager to have us, and the anticipation has been very high.

I’m really glad to have been able to do this tour and I continue to feel the love and support around me every day [laughs]. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

That’s reassuring to hear, so what new experiences have you encountered now that it’s your second time playing overseas?

Everything has been new, and it’s been great to have been able to experience the environment at venues that many local artists also perform at!

Like being able to enjoy the atmosphere?

Yes! Even though it was a different environment than in Japan, it made me very happy to see all kinds of people enjoying music. Sweden [one of the places I performed at during this tour], also had the indie music festival “Klubbfestivalen” at a campus where everyone worked together to get it up and running. I felt so much excitement, and it definitely ignited my soul [laughs].

That’s lovely to hear. Has there been any stand-out moments during the European tour?

The most memorable thing was when we performed the song “BeroBeroBar”. There were many call-and-response moments in that song [where I sing the phrase “BeroBeroBar”], and the audience truly delivered, with them shouting back [“BeroBeroBar”] in response. I was quite taken aback by that [laughs].

Why is that [laughs]?

Even though all the lyrics are in Japanese, and “BeroBeroBar” isn’t a word that exist in English, it was amazing to experience such a moment. It was like being able to play catch with our feelings [laughs]. It was very moving!

“BeroBeroBar” is such an energetic song, which we think is why the fans were so ignited and enthusiastic.

Since your first overseas performance and your return to Japan, do you feel you’ve changed personally or as a musician? If so, how?

The things that are important to me, such as my beliefs, values, and feelings, as well as the spirit of MAD JAMIE, haven’t changed at all. Having come here last year and now being able to be here again, I feel more and more that I want our presence and fan-base here to become even bigger!

That’s lovely to hear. Looking at it the other way, what would you want to change?

Rather than changing, I want to keep evolving, to preserve what’s important.

That’s a great mindset. So were there things you couldn’t do during your last overseas trip that you’ve been able to do this time around?

I received so much support from lots of people the last time we were here, so I really hope that I was able to communicate better with the locals this time around! At least, I hope that was the case [laughs]!

Got it [laughs]! And when we spoke last year, although your new album wasn’t planned yet, you mentioned how it would be “the coolest, and greatest album for sure”. Now that “This is NONFICTION” is out, does it live up to those expectations?

[Laughs] For me personally, yes! It does live up to those words [laughs].

That’s good to hear [laughs]!

Everything about the album like the production, the songs, and a lot of the details were treated very meticulously—without compromise—right up until the last moment before it was released! So yes, it’s super cool [laughs].

Excellent! Can you share more about the album in general?

As the title “THIS is NONFICTION” suggests, the album is packed with the experiences and memories of MAD JAMIE since its debut. It’s an honest and truthful—without lies—an embodiment of the journey of MAD JAMIE!

With this being your second album, how does it differ from your first album?

This album has become an even deeper, more intense embodiment of the journey of MAD JAMIE. We also re-recorded and included songs from our first album, “FUCK FOREVER”, not with the intention to overwrite the previous work, but to re-affirm the things we felt before, while expressing what we’ve seen since then.

Indeed, we feel that the new album expresses MAD JAMIE in a more solid way, as if the MAD JAMIE is really starting to take shape. Do you agree with this sentiment? What are your thoughts?

Yeah! I feel the same way, and I think we talked about it last time too, with the roster change and all. Since then, I’ve had even more time to really get into the songs, the performances, and the shows. It’s really important to me that I’m able to put everything I’ve got into it. So as I build up more experience, I’m happy to see it all being acknowledged as a part of MAD JAMIE.

“KNOTman is originally a huge proponent of visual kei […] he’s taken a lot of influence from that, and from artists and groups such as SuG, THE KIDDIE, and ViViD.” —Kanjosen Akubi (MAD JAMIE)

As MAD JAMIE has transitioned from being a group to a solo project, what is the current direction?

From here on out, more and more works will be released in which I’ll have greater control over the direction! I think you’ll see even more of the emotion and intensity that I love being brought out!

Would you consider this being a new direction for MAD JAMIE?

Rather than being a completely new direction, it’s more like the culmination of everything we’ve done up until this last album is becoming clearer, allowing us to refine and advance our current path.

Considering your deep connection to the Shibuya music scene, how has your growing international audience influenced your current direction?

Having been active in Tokyo and born and raised in Shibuya, I’ve always loved the lifestyle and the culture that we created here. Now that there are more and more listeners internationally, I hope I can continue to teach them about all the things that I love [laughs]!

As a musician, what aspects of your artistry are you focusing on the most right now?

Right… As I’ve said before, the most important thing to me right now is our performances.

Like the way you express yourself on stage?

Yes, I’m very conscious of delivering the best performance I can on stage and ensuring that every aspect is totally on point!

We noticed the new album has KNOTman collaborating with lots of musicians. What was the idea behind working with so many different composers?

There are many songs and styles that are unique to certain artists, and our music compositions have centered around KNOTman, yuji, Nana Hatori, and Almond.

Through collaboration, we can create music that represents and expresses the many sides of MAD JAMIE!

Notably, in the song “BeroBeroBar”, we see KNOTman collaborate with yuji (former SuG guitarist). Can you tell us more about this collaboration?

KNOTman is originally a huge proponent of visual kei, and it’s the reason he even started music. Naturally, he’s taken a lot of influence from that, and from artists and groups such as SuG, THE KIDDIE, and ViViD.

Now, being able to compose and create music on equal terms with the artists he had always admired, it was natural for him to extend the offer to collaborate as a sign of respect. When we have a band playing live with us, it’s actually yuji who is on guitar!

Will we perhaps see even more visual kei-related collaborations in the future?

There are many visual kei artists who are actually fans and acquaintances of MAD JAMIE, so I definitely think we can expect to see more collaborations of this nature.

Can you tell us more about your latest music videos “BeroBeroBar“, “Fight For Freedom“, and “FXXK YOU VERY MUCH“? Compared to your previous music videos, these are much more rebellious in our opinion.

As our music has inevitably starting to become more aggressive, and as we went into the process of wanting to draw out that world, that is just how the videos materialized [laughs]. My hope is that they were able to leave a lasting impression and impact on the viewers!

That makes sense! On your spare time, is there anything you’re into right now?

I’ve always enjoyed listening to the radio and shows such as “All Night Nippon”, and comedians such as Audrey [the duo consisting of Kasuga Toshiaki and Wakabayashi Masayasu]. I also started getting into collecting POP MART figurines, especially from the POP MART Hirono series!

What are the next steps in MAD JAMIE’s journey?

The number one goal is to become a superstar! I know I have to work even harder to achieve that. Even though the Europe tour we did was relatively simple, I was still in awe at just how huge the world really is!

At the same time, I also got to experience how music connects us globally, and how it can give us joy no matter who we are. I hope to be able to share this feeling with more and more people!

I’ve also recently learned about Eurovision, so to be able to participate, I’ll secure a spot by competing in the Swedish music competition “Melodifestivalen” [laughs]!

We love the enthusiasm, and this sounds like it will be a long journey [laughs]. What about any short term goals that you have planned?

As for that, we have a solo show coming up on October 7 at Zepp Shinjuku, which will be our biggest show to date, so I am definitely focused on making this the best show ever!

We look forward to that! With that, please leave a message to your fans worldwide!

I want to keep making music for you that’s full of passion and energy, so please keep on listening, and please come out and have fun at our shows whenever you have the chance [laughs]! We’ll be waiting for you!

If you ever have the chance to catch MAD JAMIE’s performance, especially in Japan, we’d encourage you to give it a go, as the shows are always so high-spirited. We want to thank Kanjosen Akubi of MAD JAMIE for taking the time to share her insightful experience, and SJPA for making the interview possible.

You can find more information about her upcoming first solo headlining show here, which will take place in Zepp Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, on October 7!