I want to create Japanese music that can be heard side by side with music from around the world.

What was the reason for Nabaricchi's start?

Japan Quality AssuranceI have been involved in music as a DJ and track maker for a long time. I have met a lot of musicians, and with some of the people I really clicked with, I said, "Let's do music together someday. At the end of 2015, the timing was right for each of us, and we decided that now was the time to do it. We decided it was the right time. The first thing we made was "Hometown," which was released in June 2016. At first, we didn't even show the characters, we just let them run. Rather than calculating and working out what to do, we just built up what we could do at the time, one by one.

I feel that behind the universality of pop music, there are deep and layered roots. How do you write your music?

Japan Quality AssuranceI control the direction of the music, but the members' performance skills add various elements to it. I have been through a variety of music genres, and I like digging for hip-hop sampling material, but the members of NARUBARICH have each pursued their own favorite genres, which I think gives the sound depth. The common language is black music, so I think that creates a good chemical reaction.

It is fascinating that the essence of roots music is proposed within the flow of Japanese pop music. I think it has the strength to become a world standard.

Japan Quality AssuranceI'm glad to hear that. I want to be an artist who touches the depths of the music and still have it heard by everyone. That is the kind of artist I want to be. Specifically, I want to be in the Billboard Top Ten, the Japanese Oricon chart, and the UK charts. My ultimate goal is Madison Square Garden.

You are looking at the big picture, without distinguishing between Japan and overseas.

Japan Quality AssuranceI think the Japanese music scene is still Galapagosized in some ways, but I think there are some good qualities that are unique to Japan within it. There are melodies and emotions that only Japanese people can write. I would like to transmit these qualities to the world, rather than keeping them within Japan. I want to create Japanese music that can be heard alongside music from around the world.

I feel that there are surprisingly few artists in Japan today who clearly state such goals.

Japan Quality AssuranceI think that's how we all got started in music. You don't start music by saying, "I'm going to change this city, town, or village! I don't think people start music by saying, "I'm going to change this city, town, or village! (Laughs) But we all have the will to change the world, big or small. We have great opportunities in front of us, so we have to aim for big things. We have to aim for something big because we have a great opportunity in front of us. In a sense, we want to accomplish two contradictory things.

The way music is being listened to is changing rapidly, and there may be a tailwind in terms of crossing borders.

Japan Quality AssuranceIn other words, the music is sometimes juxtaposed with foreign music in Apple Music playlists. Hardcore and narbarrich are sometimes listened to without any boundaries. Naturally, the judging is getting tougher and tougher, and we have to create original and appealing music. Just saying "Fat" is not enough to beat the original.

Throats are expendable, but life itself is expendable, so I wanted to use it when I could.

How do you see your own personality in Nalbaric?

Japan Quality AssuranceIt is paradoxical, but I never create something with something in mind. I don't think about what is popular now, and I am never overly conscious of "character. I touch not only the music I like, but also a lot of music that people around the world are listening to, and once I pass it through my own filter, I put everything I feel into the music.

Please tell us about your new album "H.O.T.".

Japan Quality AssuranceI had the opportunity to do so many gigs last year. My first one-man show and my first tour. In between, there were a lot of festivals, and I had the opportunity to be the opening act for Jamiroquai. It goes back to what I was saying earlier, but I had a wealth of input. I wanted to leave it as it was, rather than taking the time to interpret it, so I made this album right away.

I felt that "ain't on the map yet", which has been distributed in advance, has the potential to be widely listened to and the will to compete as a pop song, including the impression of the music video.

Japan Quality Assurance: Thank you very much. When I read the lyrics like this, I see that it's all about greed, "I haven't gotten there yet," or conversely, "I'm fine the way it is. I think the music is messy, in a good way, and not settled. I believe this album will take me to a new landscape.

I was amazed at the perfection of your live performance when I saw you perform before. Can you tell me about the feeling of singing on stage?

Japan Quality AssuranceAnyway, it's a lot of fun. Please try singing. It's not hard, really. The more gigs you do, the more work you have to do. Your throat is expendable, but your life itself is expendable, so you want to use it when you can.

One of the main attractions of Nalbaric is his voice.

Japan Quality AssuranceI have never sung before. As a track maker, I have always considered my voice as part of my sound. Each voice is completely different. If I were to do vocals, I would have no choice but to produce something that only I can sing. That's why I want to sing what I want to sing! I see it as a part of the ensemble of the band's sound and incorporate it into the music.

Cool musicians showed us their dreams, so we admired them and now we are doing music.

Do you have a favorite voice artist?

Japan Quality AssuranceI like: Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, Adam from Maroon, and JK from Jamiroquai. Also, Masami Nagasawa's voice (laughs). I like people who have something unique rather than being a technician. I always hated my own voice, so I guess my favorite voice is pretty clear.

It's surprising that you didn't like your own voice.

Japan Quality AssuranceI really didn't like it because I felt uncomfortable with my voice left in the video of the athletic meet, even though it was totally different from what I heard myself. Maybe I am a person with a complex.

Is there a reason for the complex?

Japan Quality AssuranceI have never been the best properly, or perhaps it is because I have experienced setbacks in the middle of my career. For example, I can run 50 meters reasonably fast, but I will never be a class hero. There was a time when I was really serious about kickboxing, and I was reasonably strong in the gym, but when I went to competitions and fought strong opponents, I lost in no time.

I see.

Japan Quality AssuranceI was not the best at it, but I was not the best at it either. I could never be the best. However, music has always been close to me, regardless of my feelings.

You seem to be passionate about what you do, but at the same time, you seem to be calm in the way you approach your music.

Japan Quality AssuranceI'm not: I'm not calm. I make it so that I can enjoy it the most, so that I can be enthusiastic about it. I have a complex about my voice, so I don't feel like "I want to sing this. It's simply more fun to capture my voice from the perspective of creating a track.

Lastly, please tell us about your future plans for NARVARICH.

Japan Quality AssuranceI'm really happy now, and I'm able to make a living doing what I love, so it's half a dream come true. Cool musicians showed us their dreams, and we admired them, and now we are doing music. Now we want to tell people that music is the most fun thing ever. In fact, we are enjoying music from the bottom of our hearts.