J-Pop supergroup fhána have had an incredible rise over their brief career thus far. Their work for Celestial Method, Witch Craft Works and Prisma Ilya drew attention to their music, and their catchy melodies and upbeat arrangement made sure that attention stayed. As the band prepares for their first American appearance – and a special edition of their debut album on Lantis for American audiences – we interviewed Junichi Sato about their origins, their career so far, and making the leap to a new audience.

fhana_5thSGNerdspan: How did you first come together?

Junichi:At first, the band got together with just yuxuki, kevin, and me. Until then, the three of us had been working on music individually, but we all had something in common: the Internet was where we would show our creations. I debuted in 2006 with the band FLEET. The chance for debut came along because I had been posting full versions of original songs on my own website, before posting things on Niconico or Myspace. yuxuki, who is of the following generation, would post VOCALOID numbers on Niconico. kevin, who is from an even newer generation, was active in the culture of “net label.” We first met each other through the Internet, when yuxuki sent me a message on Twitter. yuxuki was a big fan of my old band FLEET when he was still in school. It also turned out to be that the Internet was not our only common interest. The fact that we all like anime and games as hobbies allowed us to hit it off with each other. I wanted to create a group with individuals from three different generations of the Internet, and make music with a feeling similar to the emotional stories of the anime and games we enjoy. I brought this idea to the others, and this is how we got together. At first, we had a style of inviting a guest vocal for each song. towana sang as a guest vocal for two numbers in our independent album “New World Line.” Her voice really matched our songs, so she naturally became an official member, leading us to become the band we are today.

Nerdspan: All of you were making music on the Internet before you met. How has collaborating influenced your style? Do you write differently as a band than separately?

Junichi:I actually feel more freedom when composing as a band, rather than as a solo act. You tend to limit yourself on your own when working solo, so working as a band is much more at ease, in a good way. It allows me to think that it’s okay to create music under any genre.

Nerdspan: There are a lot of interesting things happening in your music harmonically. I know that you all have a lot of do-it-yourself music experience, but do you also have formal music education, as well, or are you self-taught?

Junichi:We are all self-taught.

Nerdspan: Who are your biggest influences as a band? As soloists?

Junichi:As a band, I would choose Yellow Magic Orchestra. As a solo artist, there are many, but I would emphasize game music such as those from Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, along with computer games such as Ys and Sorcerian. I have received influence from Shibuya-styled acts like FLIPPER’S GUITAR, along with American alternative rock bands The Smashing Pumpkins and Foo Fighters, and the artistic Northern European electronic singer Björk.

Nerdspan: It seems like you all share a love of anime and visual novels, and you almost immediately found success with your music being used in anime themes. Did you write specifically for that purpose, or did it just work out that way?

fhana_live32A9178Junichi:In most cases, we receive the request for a tie-up and then begin to create the song. When we receive a request for a tie-up song and there is an original work, we read the original manga or novel to immerse ourselves into the story’s atmosphere. For anime without an original work, we read the screenplay or proposals, and see the writer’s past works to grasp the perspective. From there, we begin the song-making process. There are cases where the creators of the anime have special requests. We answer such requests, but don’t dedicate our music solely to “client work.” We take in what we want to do at that time and what we personally enjoy into our music. Through this process, ideas that we never would’ve thought of are brought in, creating a great synergy. There are also times where we imagine the actual footage of the anime openings and endings to make the songs.

Nerdspan: At least two of you have written a lot of criticism for film, manga, and music. Does that critical background inform the way that you compose?

Junichi:I’m not sure whether it lends a helping hand in the composing process or not, but it does have an impact. It is common for me to receive inspiration from something other than music, and having it feedback into my own music. I receive great influence from films, manga, and anime. As I analyze and interpret such stories on my own, these stories affect my musical compositions.

fhana PicNerdspan: Your music falls heavily into the J-Pop and vocaloid tradition, but as you prepare for your first American show, are there any American or Western artists that you consider to be inspirational?

Junichi:American alternative rock bands The Smashing Pumpkins and Foo Fighters, Northern European electronic singer Björk, English bands Radiohead and Oasis, shoegazer-styled My Bloody Valentine, and trip hop-styled Massive Attack all have left a large impact.

Nerdspan: What excites you most about your first American concert?

Junichi:The audience comes from a language and background entirely different from ours. I will directly be able to see how such listeners interpret fhána’s music at the concert, which I am very excited for.

Fhana’s first appearance is this Saturday, Sept. 26th at Anime Weekend Atlanta. You can check out their music videos at Lantis’s YouTube page, and pick up their album at Kawaii Kakkoii Sugoi starting on the 28th.