What was the starting point of the organization of ‘citrusplus’ in 2017?
Fujimoto: Originally we went to same university and we all had a slight connection through band socials of the university yet we did not really hang out by ourselves. Then, it was January last year after we became working adults, I and Mori became like ‘shall we go down to a music studio?’ As we continue to gather around, we gained the number of music we created, so that we came to the conclusion, which is, it would be interesting to do a unit. At that point Mori introduced Yorozu as a vocal then we started the band by three of us.
I see. Then, has the musicality of ‘Citrusplus’ been decided, as you would make the sound or you had an idea of music you would like to make in beforehand?
Fujimoto: There were lots of twist and turns on the way…. At the start we were doing more like pop music but as we work as a band we realised that many audiences who comes to our band performance are interested in culture. So we tried to match into the situation we had.
Do you mean that you intended to make music the audience would like to hear from ‘Citrusplus’?
Mori: Yes, and I was aware of interesting and unique genre at that time. Last year it was the year that future based sound was on the trend but I was thinking that there were not many people who have a vocal in those units or artists. We do not have much aspect of future based sound when people listen to our songs but I put those future elements in the interlude. So that at the beginning, it was that interest the combination of future based sound and female vocal that we were interested and it became a reason to start a band.
I see that you are putting a lot of effort in visuals of the band, is that because you had a connection with fashion-based people?
Mori: Yes, I feel that people captures most of information through the eyes so I think that it is important to express sounds into something people can see. I know that what is important for music is definitely sound. However I also think that in the first place people do not want to hear if they cannot respect what the bands are doing or what they are trying to say is not cool.
▼Collaboration movie with the select shop 「UNFOLLOW」
Do you have any conversation when you are under process of writing lyrics?
Yui Yorozu: Hardly ever.
Then if there is some kind of title, how is it going to be titled?
Yui Yorozu: The title comes at the end. Firstly Fujimaki creates the sound and I chose words by the inspiration I had from listening to it. At that time when I have piles of those words, I label them and as a result of that, the word which is mostly suited to the sound is going to be the title.
Mori: I know that Yorozu likes words. I and Fujimaki’s likeness toward words is less compared to her likeness to words. So that we naturaly lead to that stance she likes words and she is good at it so we are leaving it with her.
When you first start creating sounds, under what kind of image you would start making it?
Fujimaki: I am aware of listeners, those people who are really into relatively core culture and music. But at the same time I am aiming to make something that would make people around us such as my friends from university thinks it is something cool to listen to. Every time when I do a creation I am aware of making beautiful melody to a certain degree and something avant-garde.
Yui Yorozu: Your inspiration doesn’t come from emotion, right?
It is more like you are an engineer. You are constructing it.
Fujimaki: Right. It is rather enjoying the game of making something I and others would think it is cool than sending messages. like sending messages.
Mori: Right. May be that is why Yorozu’s choice of words would be important for the role to add emotions.
Then, you are going to release 「surface」「drawing」「melt」in three weeks in a row, why are they going to be released this timing in December and how come you decided to release them as separately not as an EP in three weeks in a row?
Fujimaki: We are releasing a new song every time at live concerts but those songs are not yet completed. Then since last October we were talking about releasing those existing songs to make people know that our melody are quite various, so that we thought it would be interesting to publish as one by one in each week.
Mori: We also thought that it is the end of year and we wanted to have a proper ending for 2018. We are 27-29 and we are not young in this industry. As we all expected, young generation’s energy is immense and on the other hand we have to really think and do creation more than them. Then we thought that we want five songs we are confident for providing it to the audience. There is a intent of that we push ourselves within the year like one step to the year of 2019.
I know there are many artists like new bands and artist apart from their age but is there any of other artist you think they have a close thing or you respect for?
Yui Yorozu: The most terrific artist I respect now is ‘Superorganism’ and Khruangbin.
Those two are by far the best recently. The another one could be HONNE.
Mori: For me, there is one unit called HVOB and this band is also threesome band like us. Their style is combination of electro and live performance also has a style peculiar to European downer atmosphere. So people doesn’t go nut at the hook but the combination of these styles lead to when the song goes higher, it becomes pop and lower goes really low like our song「fall.」So I am inspired by them.
Fujimaki: Could it be really famous artist like Wednesday Campanella lol. As I talked already before her music is well embodied what we want our music to be, easier to understand yet manic music. Their track is well elaborated and the icon of the band it is amazing how Kom-I is super accepted in the mass market. I would like our band to be like that.
How do you think of a live-performance ike you did at koe in Shibuya, those space which seems like a place for a party. Like I know people there are not always people who came down for listening to music. What do you think of having a performance in those kind of spaces?
Yui Yorozu: I interpreted those spaces reflect the age of today’s character. It is rather changing into supplying things within all mixed like lifestyles than selling things or selling music. The same with its consumption, people are coming to spend the big view of it. On the other hand like us, we started as a music unit but I also think that we don’t really have to stick to it. It can be a video work or music, it could also be some kind of word document unless we stay as a platform, the basis of sharing part of us.
Fujimaki: I don’t think I would hardly ever went to a party if I wasn’t doing a unit but I recently think that there are not many music as before, that kind of music which made to be listened. It is now more like music stand as BGM, and I feel that now music has to achieve a unique status in there, the music that is not nagging yet which melody would stuck in people’s head.
▼a scene from the live concert at hotel koé tokyo
Mori: We have songs like we can do at the lounge like koe but we have other songs that is not like that. I think this is really important for us. I think it is quite boring if we always stick to making songs like groovy musics. Like no, no, no, there are times people would like to shake our head in life lol When it comes may be we can offer rock songs like 「drawing.」
I see, thank you. Then I understand 「drawing」as hard core, and 「melt」is more chill and calm tone and「surface」has a quite catchy sound.
Fujimaki: Yeah, we could offer three exactly different types of music.
Mori: Personally, I think it is quite good thing that people thought about us as ‘are same people really making those song?’ I personally like that surprising feeling like tofubeats and Ringo Sheena create different kind of sound every time but still there are part of their character in the songs. Those completely different songs are born from the same person without they are intending to be so, and they cannot really separate their characters from the song. In a good ways, I would like to explore that point with this members who like more than one kind of music and play many different genres.
Fujimaki: Right. As for the making songs, I am aware of any kind of instruments would stand out for either situations of like orchestra or piano. Sometimes we play a little game at the studio like doing it as a band but it unexpectedly works.
Yui Yorozu: Yeah, it is pretty exciting.
Mori: Besides, artist like HONNE has also released a song in orchestra version. Through that I felt it is quite lovely to explore hit single in different versions in a bunch of times.
I know that you are going to release a music video of 「fall」but what was the point you decided put a dancer, Rina Mizumura?
Mori: I simply liked a MV of dancing at downtown. It is something we often see at MV but I couldn’t stop liking it. I believe downtown as somewhere everyone would cross so. I thought it is simply a lovely thing to dance on a place we often use or we are based at. So that it is one thing to show our sense of our foothold. The other thing is that I thought 「fall」would suit contemporary dance. Not break-dance, not rock but some dance that has a movement of flow.
Fujimaki: The dancer Mizumura is really good at that expression of balance in sensitiveness and powerfulness. In the calm scenes her move is calm and in dynamic scenes, she goes really dynamic. That way of expression really suits the song.
Who is bacter involved in this production?
Mori: bacter is an owned media run by video production industry called ELEPHANTSTONE and ELEPHANTSTONE stand both as a media and team. There was a chance I get to know Mr Yamabe from there who is sophisticated eye for film and skill for creation therefore I got to ask for him for MV of 「fall」
I know that you are going to wrap up the year by releasing three songs and a music video but do you already have a schedule and a goal for 2019?
Mori: For live-concert, we have one within the year at BATICA in Ebisu.
Fujimaki: We have lots of stocks but we do not have much songs as we still haven’t released much of them. So from the beginning of the new year we would like to release songs in every month. Also we would like to do an event run by us.
Mori: Yeah, right.
Fujimaki: So far, we only been perform at events as a guest but it made a connection with other people and thankfully we have many fans of Citrusplus who could enjoy our live together than before. So this time we would like to held a event by us.
Mori: There are also another connections we had through putting an effort into the visuals so there could be an occasion one day.
Fujimaki: We could also produce more goods of Citrusplus.
▼Collaboration t-shirts with photographer Yuta Matuyama
Mori: One another thing is we would like to publish more music videos. First one took time as we became careful about it’s first creation. But from now on as we have a member who has knowledge about making a video we can be smooth in creating in a team in a good way.
Fujimaki: Right, and we would like to work hard to be in music festivals.
Yui Yorozu: Yeah, summer festivals.
Mori: I believe 2019 is going to be a year of making a decisive move so we will look for that.
I can feel that there are momentum shift for Citrusplus in 2019.
■About “ citrusplus “
Started in January 2017. A future-pop unit based in Shibuya and Harajuku by Yorozu Yui(Vo.), Sotaro Fujimaki(Track Maker/Key.) and Jumpei Mori(VJ/Dr.).
They are supported by not only a fan of music but also those who into culture and fashion.
Their sound is characterized as danceable and catchy.
They released two tracks called “fall” and “CP6” in June 2018.
In November they plan to release “drawing”, “surface” and “melt”, and a music video of the first single “fall”.
