The 3rd day of MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON FESTIVAL 2015  in TOKYO (MOSHI FES here on) marked the appearance of MC Itsuka and DJ Gonchi aka electro-rap duo Charisma.com. Their sharp and at times harsh lyricism creates a delectable contrast to their pop visuals keeping the audience up on their feet until the end. We caught the two right after their show, where we spoke about the time they brought a bread up on stage…

――Your performance today was heated!

Itsuka (“I” here on)：Thanks, it seems so.

――I know you two often abroad, but how is the feedback from the audience?

I：Our first show abroad was in Thailand. Oh, not to mention TEMPURA KIDZ were also there with us. They were making the crowd go absolutely wild, and that was when we realized dance is a language without barriers. But I guess we didn’t really have a dance routine to go with our set, and it didn’t help that we didn’t know any words in Thai. The audience didn’t really know what to do with us…

――Really?

I：Yeah. We tried to come up with ways to turn this around on the second day, and remembered a couple of words in Thai. This made the crowd cheer for us like mad! It seemed that the crowd’s hoots and cheers weren’t just dependent on our songs.

――We’ve spoken with a couple of others, and they’ve told us that singing anime songs is a big plus. Do you feel the audience reacts differently when comparing Japan to abroad?

I：The foreign audience is dance more freely once they start getting in to it. It’s not that the Japanese don’t know how to groove, but since they know the songs’ implications, they seem to hesitate to freely enjoy the beats.

Gonchi (“G” here on)：Yeah, they stop and listen to us closely. That’s definitely one defining characteristic of a Japanese audience.

――So you just make them listen when you’re performing in Japan (laughs)?

I：Pretty much. If we did our shows in Japan the way we do them abroad though, we could get a couple giggles (laughs).

――Seems like Charisma’s fans are quite submissive.

G：They really are (laughs).

――I think they idolize you because you’re such a strong woman, Itsuka!

I：Yup. I hope I’ve got demand (laughs).

――How was the MOSHI FES in France?

G：There were a lot of fans who listened to our stuff beforehand, so the crowd was great. They all knew the chorus and everything. So many of them really love Japan, it was a big surprise to actually witness this.

――Any other interesting stories?

G：We performed with bread in our hands (laughs).

I：We were hoping to score laughs but no one really knew how to react…(laughs).

――What did you feel were the differences between MOSHI FES in Tokyo and other festivals in Japan?

I：It seemed like there were more Japanese fans than I thought there would be.

――They may have originally been your fans who made it to the show. How would you like to deliver your music abroad from here on?

I：I think it’s all about the visuals. We’ve obviously kept it to our own ways up until now, but I definitely consider myself as a true Japanese and I know the audience would love it if they can continue to see aspects of Japan through the visuals.

――Any specific place you’d like to perform in the future?

I：I’d love to go to the states. I’m under the impression that they’d be straight up with us. If they don’t like it, they won’t hesitate to show it.

G：I’d like to go to Turkey. I hear a lot of them are friendly to the Japanese.

――It seems like you’re going to be booked more abroad!

G：Do you think so? I hope so.

I：When that happens, I hope we can put our identities out there more, rather than trying to get them to like us.

――What does Japanese pop culture mean to you both?

I：Kawaii, perhaps? It’s easy to imitate and it appears to be in a safe, reachable distance. That goes the same with pop songs because pop songs are songs you can easily sing along to.

G：Right, it’s something you can reach as long as you tip toe a bit.

――Would you ever adapt foreign influences into your music?

I：Hmm, I wonder. There are foreign music that have influenced our music. But we’ve been raised on J-pop. Ask me anything about the J-pop hit charts, I know it all.

――Tell us your future ambitions!

I：As for now, we hope we can provide a place where people can relieve their stress from working in a Japanese society.

G：I’d like to continue taking initiative and perform abroad.

――Thank you for speaking with us, we can’t wait for what’s next in line!

Both：Thanks, we’ll do our best.

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Interview：Atsushi Yamada

Photo：Yuta Mukaiyama, Words：Tanaka Toshinori（SHUTTER）