Interview With MIREI
Location: Anime Expo 2023
Interview Date: 7/3/2023
Anime Herald: Do you have time to read manga or watch anime?
MIREI: Yes! Just recently. During the pandemic, I started reading it and watching. I’m so into it right now.
Anime Herald: What are your favorites?
MIREI: I first fell in love with Naruto, then Evangelion, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and now I’m into Oshi No Ko.
Anime Herald: Let’s start with your origin story, from karaoke at three to Garage Band at twelve. How would you describe your origin story?
MIREI: So musical! My parents really love music. They are not professional musicians, but they gave me an elite music education. Especially about Western music. My dad is hugely into R&B and hip-hop music. My mom loves J-Rock. They gave me so much input about their music. I learned it naturally.
Anime Herald: Who did you like growing up?
MIREI: I liked Britney Spears first, because she was the pop star. I used to watch a lot of MTV in Japan. Back then, when I was three years old, it was the era of her releasing Toxic. There was a clip of the making of the Toxic video. I recorded the clip on VHS and watched it hundreds of times. She was my favorite.
Anime Herald: Let’s talk about some of your songs. On Take Me Away you talk about anxiety and depression. Was that a personal thing that you were dealing with or just something you wanted to sing about?
MIREI: I think it was a personal thing. I write my songs as an expression. It’s a message for my fans, for sure, but at the same time, it can also be a message to myself or a personal diary. Take Me Away was that kind of moment I wanted to share what I personally think. Also, that was when I met Zak Leever and DJ Shiftee. We made our songs together. To be honest, it’s so hard to talk about those mental issues to people who you just met. I took a step forward because I wanted to make it more personal and deep. This was something I had never done in my Japanese releases. I stepped forward to them. Luckily, they really understood. We had a good discussion. We put those emotions, how we explode, into the music. I really enjoyed it and I’m glad we were able to do that.
Anime Herald: That’s pretty cool. I’m happy you were able to do that. Another song you did was Lonely Tokyo. Same question.
MIREI: Like with Take Me Away, I wanted to do something I had never done in my Japanese releases. At the time, I was so frustrated with the Japanese entertainment industry. We couldn’t do anything because the power imbalance is so strong. At the same time, in the Western culture, there was the #MeToo movement going on. It was crazy, changing the world so fast! It was on the internet, it was out in the world. I was so impressed watching it. I had a chance to write and release my songs in English. I thought this was the time to talk about it. Actually, when I talked about it, they knew about that kind of situation, with the #MeToo movement, and the Hollywood thing. It’s a global problem, but at that time, Asia didn’t really notice the problem. So we made a storytelling song. I put in some real stories from my friends.
Luckily, I’m in a safe environment as I debuted in when I was fourteen or fifteen years old, and I grew up in that safe environment. But, my friends aren’t, obviously. I put those stories into it. I made it as real as possible. I think it has a strong message and I appreciate that people love it so much.
Anime Herald: You just talked about Not A Number, and certainly Idol, a couple of your other songs. You mentioned your interactions with the Japanese music industry. Is that something you want to talk about, or would you rather steer away from it?
MIREI: I want to talk about. I’ve been in that industry since I was so young. I released my first CD when I was fifteen years old. But, even before that, I was attending a performing arts school and dance studio. I learned singing and dancing, but also, how to live in the industry, to be honest. I was in that environment since I was in second grade. All of my friends are also like that. It was not about school anymore, once I got into that.
It was too natural for me to fit into those… crazy standards that they have. Once you grow, you start to notice how it’s so weird and so tilted. There are some people who drop out of the industry because they want to have a normal life, but they don’t. It’s like a companion industry. They go from one area of the entertainment industry to another part of the entertainment industry. It’s really connected in Japan.
Anime Herald: Were some of the people who dropped out your friends?
MIREI: Yes. Since they dropped out, I’ve had less contact with them. There’s nothing I can do. All I can do is sing about it and talk about it. Nothing can change. I can’t force them to return, because I don’t know what their goals are or what will make them happy. I’ve had no contact with them since then.
Anime Herald: This clearly is not an easy road. What gave you the strength to make it through to the end?
MIREI: Because that’s all I can do. I’m an over-thinker. Like with Take Me Away… I had a tough time, but I couldn’t get away from music. When I get anxious, I listen to music. When I can’t sleep because I’m too lonely, I listen to music. When I get stressed out, I sing at karaoke. Every moment of my life, there is music. That’s the only way I can express my feelings. I’m not good at talking. I just want to put it all into music. That’s all I can do. When I look back at the path that I’m on, I’m glad I didn’t leave music. It’s the one thing I most love in my life.
Anime Herald: You mentioned that you dance as well. You studied under Rhapsody James. Would you like to talk about that?
MIREI: Wow! That was such a long time ago! I knew nothing about the Western industry. How big it was! It was an exciting moment. I was getting THE thing. It was a huge mission to accomplish. It was so skillful. I didn’t have much time. I had just flown in from Tokyo. It was definitely one of my biggest influences. I still remember the power of the dancing, and her passion.
Anime Herald: You mentioned your father was a R&B fan. How did he react to “MIREI, live at the Apollo?”
MIREI: He said it was unbelievable. We love Western music and culture, but my parents didn’t have a passport before I came to America. In fact, they’ve still never been to another country. They’ve stayed in Japan. So, me singing at the Apollo was unreal to them. They always talk about it. They don’t even speak English.
On the first day of Anime Expo, I was talking on the phone with my parents. When I talked about the closing ceremony, they thought it was a cruising ceremony. My dad is that bad at English! (Laughs)
They thought there was some luxury cruise ceremony because it’s America. All they know is that America is some big, luxurious country. I thought, “Stop! It’s ‘closing!’”
I am so glad I can virtually take them to The Apollo or LA. It’s such an honor. I’m proud of myself, and of them, for letting me do this.
Anime Herald: You mentioned you’re following Oshi No Ko. I bet it’s a different experience for you than it is for a regular person. What are your takeaways from it?
MIREI: That’s super interesting. It’s so accurate, all of the tea that they are spilling. From my perspective, as someone who is in the industry, it’s so accurate. One of my friends is an idol. Sometimes, they’re banned from being in relationships, or restricted from having a regular life.
At the same time, I’m impressed at how they illustrate it, as a beautiful and precious thing. I think that’s how art should be. I think Oshi No Ko’s balance between that is super awesome.
Anime Herald: One of the things you talked about is figuring out how to make a plan. What are your plans going forward?
MIREI: I performed at Anime Expo’s Summer Festival. That was the first set I’ve done performing Japanese and English songs together. I wasn’t sure how it would go with the audience. I’m so happy that it was powerful and the audience loved it. I enjoyed it too. Now I’m planning on doing more US tours. Also, I will be touring other countries outside of Japan. I’m so excited about it. Also, I’m recording a new album in Japan. For an English release, I’ve already recorded a full album’s worth of songs. I’m just looking for the right time to release it. So, I think exciting things are coming worldwide for MIREI.
Anime Herald: I’ve noticed you’ve talked a bit about traveling. You’ve visited a lot of countries. Are there any places you haven’t been to yet that you’d like to visit?
MIREI: Italy is a country I’d like to go to because the food is awesome. I love the UK music culture, so I really want to go there. For Asia, I’d like to go to Vietnam for the phở. I love phở so much! I’m sorry it’s all about food. That’s what I enjoy when I go abroad.
Anime Herald: How has the food experience been at Anime Expo?
MIREI: I was impressed by the sushi restaurant near Anime Expo. It’s all rolls in California. The California roll is famous in Japan as American food. I really love how they do the American style of sushi. When we asked, “What sushi can you make crunchy?” they said, “We could make any sushi crunchy.” It was the most exciting line I could hear in a sushi restaurant. You could never hear that in a traditional Japanese sushi restaurant. They just do traditional things. I love how American sushi restaurants have evolved. That was the most exciting moment in the Anime Expo food experience so far. And also In-N-Out.
Anime Herald: Of course. It’s a good burger. Is there anything you’d like to say to our readers?
MIREI: I am so glad my listeners and fans are… my music is so broad. My Japanese songs include relatable heartbreaking love stories. If it’s in English, it’s going to be super deep. I am so appreciative that my fans are able to love both of them. I feel like they are loving my whole personality. I feel so precious. I am going to be releasing more love songs in Japan, and deep songs in English. Look forward to it.
