a conversation with Kom-i

In June 2018, Wednesday Campanella released their latest EP "Galapagos," followed by two one-man live performances at the Stella Theatre, an outdoor concert hall in Yamanashi prefecture. During what was a hectic summer of numerous domestic and overseas music festivals, we were lucky enough to pin down vocalist Kom-i for a quick chat.

Your show at the Stella Theatre was one of the most experimental performances I have ever seen... Yeah maybe. Even though I have always been experimental, there are some parts of me that are afraid of the audience's reaction. That sort of feeling is gradually fading away. It is probably because I am getting older and I do not listen to what my ego says [laughing]. I am not fazed by much anymore. For example, I don't care about the fact that we have to sell or that we have to become more popular. Because, your life will end soon, you know. I've started to feel this more so as I get older - especially since I started to appear as “Kom-i" - whereas previously I felt that my life was infinite I turned 26 years old recently and I have more conviction in what I do since I am not so young anymore.

In regard to your recent music video, product packaging, and even your musical approach, there seems to be an impression that things have become more casual. I feel "ICom-i" now seems lighter and more at ease. Yes. Although Wednesday Campanella was known for being full of information, this was no longer the direction I wanted to take as I was conscious of presenting "too much information". I wonder if it is to do with my age or if my metabolism has changed. I am no longer afraid of nothingness in terms of packaging, or the space between time. I am not afraid of them at all. I have felt totally different in myself since my performance at the Budokan in March 2017. While I was actually performing, I didn't think it was bad; however, when I looked back at the video, it was awful. I could see that I was trying to please my audience. There are 3 songs with videos uploaded on the web. I did the best I could and put everything I wanted to do into those 3 videos.

The Stella Theatre gig was quite short as a one-man show, which turned out well because of the consistent direction throughout the performance. I think there is a finite physicality within such one-man shoes - like falling petals from blooming buds. However, I think many people might not understand what Campanella is doing now. I think some who liked Campanella before might not accept what we are now, but it doesn't matter much because life will go on anyway.

Even during this live event, I was performing with a feeling of "goodbye!" On the first day, I started performing from the audience seats and ran around for the first 3 or 4 songs. I might have compromised a bit, but I thought that it was required. I MC'd a little after that, then playing only beats for about an hour. I didn't use a microphone stand but I didn't move too much either. I don't like myself being frightened, so I decided not to look at the audience. I know, I am such a wimp [laughing]. That was the moment when I finally realised that I don't care about what people think of me.

I definitely noticed the change you're talking about. Rap has always been a big part of your music; however, on the "Galapagos" EP, there is no rapping. Also, the latter half of the EP is very quiet, and you have stopped using people's names in the song titles. In terms of packaging, other than the Japanese-style purikura photo, the design has a very stateless feel and looks much different to previous albums. The people that go to the festivals and parties I go to are often older than me, and it is actually quite rare to see anyone younger. Therefore the people creating my sets for my live performances are of the same generation and

have a real 90s feel to their work. The same people who run Bonobo, a bar in Harajuku, do the artwork for my sets and through them, I was introduced to the people who now do my lightning. Until I went to Boredoms and Mangosteen raves I had never been to a club before, but when I saw these gigs I really got into the nightlife and club culture. I only started going to clubs because of Boredoms, but looking back, I don't think it was very "cool" - and it was definitely very different to the clubs young people are going to now [laughing]. That's why my live performances do not really have the feeling of my generation.

Maybe [laughing]. But now that I know your story and its roots, I feel your style is going to become even more open and free. I try not to pretend. I don't want to be praised for pretending to do things that they want me to do. The feeling of incompatibility that I had at the Budokan concert has become much clearer over time. I still don't know what will happen though.

A friend of mine was working at a concert of yours in France recently, and he told me that the crowd were so excited by your performance. Do you think that excitement is a result of your new, "breaking out of my shell" attitude? I think that was the first time that we had received a good reaction in Europe. There was a moment when I thought it might be going really well, like at the Stellar Theatre gig, so that response in France made me extremely happy. I like to be seen by people who are not only interested in Wednesday Campanella. I like the "oh I've been waiting for you" kind of people at our gigs. In France, I had resolved to follow the safest options. No matter how exciting it gets, the feeling of uneasiness, the feeling of rejection still remains [laughing].

Speaking of France, you have also collaborated with French pop band Moodiod. The music videos you made together, Matryoshka and Language, were so interesting because of the extreme polarity between them. The ways of making them were also polar opposites [laughing]. It made me remember the sensation I had when we made Wednesday Campanella's first music video.

Next up is a big tour in October, including dates in Hong Kong and Taiwan. How are you feeling ahead of that? I feel at ease performing in Asia, especially in Taiwan. The crowds are so similar to those in Japan. They also notice every fine detail and sometimes give me their honest opinions. Taipei has a high cultural awareness that I feel very comfortable with. You can safely climb all over the stage during the gig, too they will give me their full support if I want to do more stage preparation. For me though, American crowds tend to be the most difficult. We have played three times in France and for the first two gigs people did not react as much, so for this third time, I decided to go with a live set of "Gorigori" (hard-core) style. People were dancing hard and I liked it!

Oh, by the way, I am interested in "hell" right now. Up until recently, I think I have been presenting "heaven" in my shows, but during the Stellar Theatre gig, there was a part that felt like hell. I recreated Sanzu-no-kawa [in Buddhism, a place where the souls of dead sinners cross a river and enter into the world of darkness) with sound, light and water. That was something I have been wanting to do for some time now. I started to prepare two days before the gig. I mean, the fact that I was allowed to prepare two days before was one of the reasons why I chose this place. We kind of knew from our experience that one day is not going to be enough to prepare.

I sometimes think about something completely irrelevant during the gig. Something like things that I still have not told people around me properly or I think about someone who performed unexpectedly well during the warm-up. I have this part of myself which is strangely calm and able to think these things. It is almost like an out-of-body experience. So I enjoy singing now more than ever before, I think I sing to stay balanced.

It's amazing you can think about so many things during a gig! Anyone can do it, I think. They say, "anything will be fun after five years," and that's exactly right!

Is it though (laughing]?! Do you often get that feeling or sensation? Yeah, I think I do. Well, I feel very drawn to Kudakajima, a holy island in Okinawa, so maybe I have that sense right now. At the Stellar Theater, we divided the stage into half and half, so people had to move accordingly. We even had a carp fish swimming around in water. The carp idea actually came from the staff of that venue. They were just so good to us and we were totally free to do anything. I'd love to perform there again.

Writer _ Naoto Okutomi (BOY)

Kom-i of Wednesday Campanella

a conversation with Kom-i

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