Starmarie – Interview (2013)

Interviews J-Pop

Starmarie
Interview by David Cirone
September 9, 2013

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Can you please introduce yourselves?

Shino: I’m Shinohamu aka Shino Takamori!

Nozomi: I’m Nonchan aka Nozomi Kinoshita!

Shiori: I’m Shiorin aka Shiori Aoki!

You call yourselves a “fantasy unit”. What is the meaning of that?

Shino: Our songs’ lyrics always have different kinds of fantasy story-like elements. We sing songs like no other idols would sing. For example, “a story about a restaurant that invite only those who will die tomorrow,” or “a story about a poor man who fell in love with a woman in the mirror,” or “a sad story about a murder because of deep love”. We want you to feel welcome in our fantasy world and get totally lost in it.

Starmarie performed their first America live at Anime Expo. What were you thinking about when you got on the plane to Los Angeles?

Shino: I kept thinking over and over, “My first time in America!” I was so nervous.

Nozomi: I watched a lot of movies!

Shiori: I read a book to calm myself. I think we were all so excited!

Starmarie made a lot of new fans at Anime Expo. Fans were chanting and cheering during the live. How did you feel about the audience’s response to your performance?

Nozomi: I got the impression that everyone was a kind of quiet during our first song. Maybe it was their first time to see Japanese idols or to see Starmarie, but after the first song, they cheered us up and that really made me happy!

You each do a lot of fun dance moves and vocal harmonies during the performance. How do you keep up your energy and concentration?

Shino: Thank you! It’s one of Starmarie’s characteristics that our dance has a unique style!

Nozomi: It’s been 5 years since we started Starmarie but our style hasn’t changed at all!

Shiori: Starmarie keeps dancing without doing any MC. It was hard at first, but I think we just got used to it.

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Your video for “Professor Honda’s Dying Message” is like a movie, and your look is very dramatic. How did you feel about getting dressed up in those costumes and makeup?

Shino: We shot this video after we got invited to Anime Expo. So we wanted to show more of our Japanese sides such as Oiran costumes or Japanese-style makeup for our international fans. It was our first time trying this kind of stuff, too, and it took a lot of time to shoot but we really had a good time!

What was your favorite sightseeing experience in Los Angeles?

Shiori: We went to Hollywood and Santa Monica Beach for interview! I’ve seen those places on TV so many times so it was really nice to actually visit there.

What new goals do you have after your experience in America?

Shino: Our first show in a foreign country was very inspiring! We would love to perform in other countries too!

Shiori: It was like the moment where my dream came true to have a show where we could meet fans from other countries. We’ll keep trying harder and moving forward until our fans all over the world will enjoy our concerts! And for our Japanese fans, I want them to think “Starmarie got much bigger with their overseas experiences!”

Nozomi: I want to be on a world tour with Starmarie! Let;s get started right now!

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Starmarie Anime Expo Set List:

Day 1:
1. The Three-starred Restaurant – Paul’s invitation
2. A mimic “Nero”
3. Professor Honda’s dying message

Day 2:
1. The Three-starred Restaurant – Paul’s invitation
2. Professor Honda’s dying message
3. Beautiful Leona’s Portraits

Starmarie website: http://starmarie.syncl.jp
Starmarie Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Starmarie