J-Pop Summit 2017 Interview – Babyraids JAPAN

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Babyraids JAPAN September 10, 2017, San Francisco, California, USA

Babyraids JAPAN is a 5-member Japanese idol group that debuted in 2012. The name of their group comes from the words “baby” to show their cute side and “raids” to indicate a surprise attack. The members of the group are:

  • Denya Erika (Leader)
  • Hayashi Manatsu
  • Ooya Rikako
  • Takami Nao
  • Watanabe Rio

In early 2015 Babyraids “levelled up” and changed their group name to Babyraids JAPAN after reaching their goal of performing at Nippon Budokan. In July 2016, they reached another milestone by attending Japan Expo in Paris Nord Villepinte, France making their European debut and first overseas appearance.

This year they have come to J-Pop Summit in San Francisco to make their US debut. Nihongogo had the opportunity to sit down and chat with them on the second day of the event to discuss their concert, impressions of American fans and their future goals.

Thank you for taking the time to sit down and chat with us. Please take a moment to introduce yourselves.

(The group does their stage introduction)

This is your first appearance in America; how has your San Francisco experience been so far?

Denya: Besides filming, we have been to many touristy places, such as the Golden Gate Bridge. We also got to eat clam chowder and visit the Painted Ladies featured in Full House. It has been really fun.

Last night was your first performance in America. Did it meet your expectations, and were there any memorable moments that stood out for you?

Denya: The audience was very energetic. We received a lot of power from them.

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Takami: The audience members in front of me were wearing Babyraids JAPAN t-shirts, and one person yelled, “NAOSUKE!!!!”. I felt a lot of support from the fans because of that.

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Ooya: I don’t speak much English but wanted to connect with the audience and hear them respond. I kept saying “Say, say, say” since that was the only word I remembered.

Nihongogo: Say.

Ooya: Say. (laughing)

What did you think of the American fans? Were there any differences you noticed between European and Japanese fans?

Hayashi: I found the fans in America to be very responsive. Whereas in France, the audience is more relaxed; in Shanghai, the audience is aggressive and energetic. In San Francisco, I enjoyed being easily connected with everyone during our performance.

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Now that you have visited Paris and San Francisco, where would you like to travel next?

Watanabe: Paris was my first time visiting a foreign country and was memorable. Now I want to visit many other countries, especially Greece and Italy. I want to see beautiful cathedrals in Italy, and Greece, I would like to see the ocean.

You have been together for 5 years. Which member has changed the most since your debut? Conversely, who has changed the least?

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(The group gets excited at the potential answers for this question and starts discussing amongst themselves before answering.)

Hayashi: Naosuke is the one who I believe has changed the most. She has always had a shortcut, but recently, she went even shorter and shaved some of her hair.

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(Takami takes off her hat and starts showing where she had her hair cut shorter.)

Also, since we changed our name to Babyraids JAPAN, I see Naosuke has become more boyish and has gained more female fans.

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Denya: I think Ricopin has not changed much regarding her hairstyle. I am impressed that she can maintain the twin-tail look even though she has changed how she performs on stage.

Can you recommend a few songs to those that best represent Babyraids JAPAN to those unfamiliar with your group?

Hayashi: We have many songs, but I recommend 2 in particular. The first is Yoake Brand New Days. An English-subtitled live version was recently uploaded to our YouTube channel that will help new fans understand the feelings conveyed in the song.

The second song is Bokura wa Koko ni iru. The song is translated into English as “We are here.” This song delivers all the emotions and feelings from the five years that Babyraids JAPAN has been together.

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You have faced two major challenges in your career so far (holding a live performance within 2 years of debuting and collecting 10,000 signatures to hold a concert at Nippon Budokan). What do you believe your next major challenge will be?

Denya: Since the Budokan concert and our name change to Babyraids JAPAN, we have tried our best to represent Japanese pop culture and pop groups. Our next challenges are performing at Budokan once more and eventually performing on NHK’s Kohaku Uta Gassen program.

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Do you have a message you would like to share with all your fans?

Denya: We had a lot of fun in San Francisco and hope to have this experience again, visiting other foreign countries. Please continue to support Babyraids JAPAN. Thank you.

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