Building A Community Through Music: An Interview with Survive Said The Prophet

Survive Said The Prophet (often abbreviated as SSTP) are a Japanese rock band that formed in 2011. Their music defies typical genre norms, and includes elements of rock, pop, electro, hip hop, and R&B. Their music is known the world over, and it's very likely you've heard a song or two of their's already. Some of their most popular tracks include “NE:ONE” (CODE GEASS: Lelouch of the Rebellion III -Glorification), “RED” (Banana Fish), “Papersky” (TOKYO TWENTY FOURTH WARD), and most recently, “Paradox” (Vinland Saga). That only names a few, as listing them all would probably take up this entire article. They were recently a Guest of Honor at this year's FanimeCon, and even held their first ever West Coast concert on the second day of the convention. We were lucky enough catch up with them following their show, and conducted an interview that was as fun as it was informative. We discussed everything from their formation, their biggest songs, the then-recent FanimeCon concert, and their hopes for the many upcoming shows and tours that are on the horizon. This interview is sure to delight those who are already fans of Survive Said The Prophet, as well as those who are discovering them for the first time! As always, check out the interview, and be sure to follow them via the social media links at the end!

A-to-J: For those who don’t know you, could you please give us a quick description of yourselves? Such as your sound and how you formed?
Yosh: Yeah! We’re Survive Said The Prophet from Tokyo, Japan. We’ve been trying to simplify our genre as much as possible so we consider ourselves a rock band from Japan, but as time progressed, we incorporated a bunch of sounds into our system.
Ivan: We’ve been a band for 15 years.  
Yosh: Yeah, we’ve been a band for 15 years.
Ivan: Since 2011.
Yosh: A lot of people like to reference us as an emo band from Japan, and I kinda take pride in that as well because that’s the generation I was born and raised in. I don’t really think emo got the chance that it deserves. I know it’s kind of back again, but yeah, we’re an emo rock band from Tokyo, Japan. I don’t know what else to say. [Ivan & Yosh Laugh]

A-to-J: Can you tell us about your formation in 2011? Like when you decided to for sure that you wanted to make a band and make this thing.
Yosh: Yeah, all of us had previous bands prior to being in this band, so I think all of us kinda wanted to pursue music in general. But I think when you’re living in Japan, it’s a little harder to make music a living or a lifestyle. I think a lot of people drop out in the middle of their twenties, and I think when we were given a second chance to do music again though Survive Said the Prophet, we all came together. Ivan and I met working for American Apparel.
Ivan: [Laughs] Yeah!
Yosh: Show was in a different band, and we definitely needed a drummer, so he was like one of the session drummers that came out to play with us, and then he joined our band later on. Then, our guitarist Tatsuya is from Sendai, which is a few hours away from Tokyo, but we asked him to join a few years down the road. He was the last guy to join our band in this lineup. He left Sendai and came through to Tokyo, and here we are.

A-to-J: There was word in April about a West Coast tour that got canceled, and last night during the concert, you mentioned that you were gonna bring that back. Do you have any specifics on the West Coast tour that you’d like to share so we can get more information on that?
[Transcriber’s Note: This interview was recorded in May before the west coast tour resumed.]
Yosh: Specific about the west coast regarding...?  
Ivan: Like dates or..?
A-to-J: Dates. The locations are the same, correct?
Yosh: Yes, the locations are the same. It’s moved over to July. We added east coast dates since the time-frame was different. We got to approach more venues. We’ve kind of solidified it up to...
Ivan: And, we’ll have supporting artists as well. It’s gonna be us with some local bands, and some bands from different cities as well. Friends and people that we wanna meet. People that we’re really looking forward to meeting. I think it’s gonna be cool.
A-to-J: Are there any bands that you’re allowed to share that will be there? Or are they secret?
Ivan: Well, I mean... I guess we’ll give you an update when we get all the lineups together.  
Yosh: Yeah, we do have different acts coming through.
Ivan: I think that’s about all.  
A-to-J: Sorry, I got too excited! [Everyone Laughs]
Ivan: We are too! We are too!

A-to-J: Your most recent single is “Paradox”, which is the theme song for season two of Vinland Saga. You played that last night and it was absolutely astounding.
Yosh: Thank you.
A-to-J: Could you tell us a little bit about the making of the song?
Yosh: The quarantine time-span is such a blur. I guess it was during that time-frame of quarantine. I think everyone was going through a weird time. I think when we were asked to do “Mukanjyo”, they gave us like a month to finish the track. To me, that was just not enough time, so I feel like the song was rushed a little bit. But, this time around, they were like: “Do what you want. Do however you like it.” We felt the trust of the animation side, and the directors of what we were going to put out on the second season like musically. So, we were really comfortable about that. The last time around, they were like: “Could you please put in some Japanese?” but this time around, they were like: “No, do you. Go ahead and go all out.” It was cool to see a little bit of shift like recognition from the directors and producers knowing that the mass audience is actually in the Western side. I think America like really, really cherished Vinland Saga. Thus, we’re here.
A-to-J: It’s pretty popular over here.
Yosh: [Laughs] It’s been cool. We see it on Netflix, but it’s different from seeing it at a con, you know? Like last night, when you start “Red” [The second ending to Banana Fish.] or “Found & Lost” [The first opening to Banana Fish.] or “Paradox” or “Mukanjyo”, you see the audience go: “That’s the song! That’s the song I was waiting for!”  We can all relate to the feeling because we’ve all been to a show. We’ve all been to movies. It was a really cool moment last night to see people react like that, and I know there were a lot of first-time concert goers. You know what I mean? Going to a rock show like ours, I’m sure it’s a little loud and obnoxious sometimes, but for them to be excited, and for us to mesh cultures together like we did last night, I feel like that’s one of the coolest things that can ever happen in life: A bunch of people coming together for a good purpose.

A-to-J: There was a lot of good energy at the concert. You all had amazing energy, and the audience had amazing energy. Are there any pre-show rituals that you do to get that energy up?
[Ivan Laughs]
Yosh: We’ve been a band for over 10 years so we used to have solid rituals. Not ritual-rituals but just a general like... Prepping.
Ivan: To be honest, we were passing out backstage. All four of us. All on the sofa. Passing out. [Ivan and Tatsuya mock falling asleep in their chairs.] For like an hour before the show.
Yosh: It’s the jetlag. When we’re in America, we don’t have any routines, but I did see Ivan stretching out like usual. But yeah, all of us were passed out. 30 minutes before the show we were like... [Pretends to be asleep in his chair.] [Ivan Laughs]
Ivan: Our manager wanted to come in and tell us something about a show, and then, everyone was just passing out.
A-to-J: That’s amazing that you can switch so quickly then.
Yosh: [Laughs] I think it took us a while to be like: “All right! It’s a show!” Because, like right now, it's two in the morning in Japan.  
Ivan: Yeah, it’s the jetlag and everything.
Yosh: So, I think our brains are kinda going in and out of Japan time and America time.

A-to-J: You’ve provided songs for series like Code Geass, Banana Fish, and Tokyo 24th Ward. Are there any series that you’d like to make songs for in the future?
Yosh: Gantz! I’m a big, big fan of Gantz.  
A-to-J: That would be really cool!
Yosh: I don’t want to go to the whole Evangelion side. I do wanna step more for our underdogs, and for the darker side that I think Japan has to offer. I think that Gantz almost made it to the mainstream, even with its dark aesthetics and its dark themes, and its “everything promised in life is death” kind of vibes. I feel like it deserves a little more attention, and musically, I feel like we can contribute a lot to those series, but I don’t see it coming back unless they decide to do Gantz: E which is like the Edo... [Asks Tatsuya in Japanese if he’s read/seen Gantz: E, and Tatsuya replies that he hasn’t.] So yeah, that’s me but... [Motions to the rest of the band.]
Ivan: Japanese ones too, but I think American ones would be pretty nice too, like Archer or that kind of show. I think that would be...
Yosh: Archer’s old-school as fuck!  Wow! That came out of nowhere!
Ivan: Yeah, but that kind of like American comedy like show. I don’t think any Japanese bands or Japanese artists has ever done it.
Yosh: I kinda see what you’re saying though. Like Cartoon Network vibes.  
Ivan: It’s like, you know, crossing cultures. I kinda notice some of the Japanese animation or production companies started to hire American artists or artists from overseas. I think, as a Japanese artist, it would be nice if we can do something cross-culturally if you know what I mean.
A-to-J: Yeah, I get that. That would be amazing.  
Show: There’s a lot of personal ones I have, but the ones I like are the ones where the voice actor or actress sings the song. It’s probably better for them to do it because they’re the ones in the show. Instead of us doing it, if we could get involved in it in some way.
Yosh: Just not maybe the traditional way. Maybe he wants to get involved as like a drummer or as a songwriter. The stuff that he likes, he’s saying that it’s probably not a fit for Survive.
Ivan: Too many to mention.
Show: Made in Abyss.  
A-to-J: Oh? For like one of the movies or...?
Show: All of it. [Says something in Japanese about reading and loving the manga.]
Tatsuya: Personally, I like Ghost in the Shell.  
A-to-J: They just announced a new series for Ghost in the Shell. You should get on it! [Everyone Laughs]
Tatsuya: But if I had the chance, I’d like to do Godzilla as well. It’s not an anime but anything different would be nice too.
Yosh: You know. We’ve been hearing good things like during my generation, when I was here in the States, it was like Avatar: The Last Airbender where America was trying out these American-based animation, so I know for a fact that that creative side and the direction is becoming stronger and stronger. So, I know there’s like Webtoons and mangas that are doing well. I know Just a Goblin caught my attention. I know... I forgot its name but the dude was like: “Do you think we could have Survive on the track?”, so I think there are crossover points that are being anticipated. It’s not only us wanting to do Japanese anime, but we are open and interested in conveying and crossing over ideas through different, un-traditional animes as well. So, if any Webtoons creators want Survive on your shit. We’re down. Let us know.

A-to-J: Are you fans of any of the shows you’ve provided music for? Vinland Saga is an obvious one.
Yosh: Yeah, for sure. I think a lot for me, personally, I became a fan of the things we were doing but for stuff I’ve done besides what you mentioned. Final Fantasy, I was definitely a fan of. Attack on Titan, I was a fan of as well.  
A-to-J: What’s your favorite title for Final Fantasy?
Yosh: It’s gotta be VII. It’s gotta be VII.
A-to-J: With the remake recently too?
Yosh: Yeah, I mean I sang on it, so it’s definitely something I’ll never forget. It was like Nobuo Uematsu came to watch us at a show in this tiny island in the middle of nowhere. He was looking for a vocalist for Final Fantasy VII Remake and then, we were all playing a show. And we were like: “Yo! There’s this old man like [Folds His Arms] in the center of the venue judging us. He was like, [Unfolds Arms] ‘Who’s this guy?’” And we all didn’t know who it was, so we were like screaming in his face. Later, we found out it was Nobuo Uematsu, and he loved it, so he’s like: “Let’s get this guy in Final Fantasy VII.” It was a cool moment for sure. [To the rest of the band.] What about you guys?
Show: Code Geass is one I’ve been watching since high school. I didn’t see it in high school when it was airing in real time, but when I knew we were going to get involved, I saw it. I thought it would be famous.
A-to-J: It’s pretty popular over here.
[Tatsuya says something in Japanese talking about Gundam Seed.]
Yosh: That’s true.  
[The group continues to talk in Japanese.]
Tatsuya: Vinland Saga, they saw it after release.
Yosh: We have the manga and everything. It’s just like literally when we were writing the songs, they were writing the animation for it, so like, we literally never got to see it until you guys, we all, got to see it. That’s what it was for us.  
A-to-J: That must have been fun though. Seeing your music at the same time as the first episode is coming out.  
Yosh: You know, I still have teary-eyed moments when you get the first cut of the animation. Because it’s all rough in the beginning, you know? You’re like putting your trust into it. I’m sure it’s the same for both sides, but you’re putting in trust for something you’re blind to, and then, when it finally comes together and you see what they were trying to describe through the sketches, you’re like: “Oooh! Cool!” Like “Paradox” in the very beginning with the sky: “Okay. Okay. Okay. That’s what you guys wanted to do.”

A-to-J: We understand that some of the band members are bilingual. Do you think it affects your music at all?
Yosh: Yeah.
Ivan: Yeah, I think so. We kinda talk in both languages, English and Japanese. I do think that we talk about our feelings in English.  
Yosh: More so than in Japanese. But, Show and Tatsuya’s English skills have gone up because of this as well. They can hear and understand what’s going on more than when we first started. I would say I’m more American; Ivan is more European. His education is from Hong Kong.
Ivan: Yeah, I’m from Hong Kong. It’s like under the British System.  
Yosh: [With a slight British accent] A little British. [Normal voice] And then I grew up in an American education, so we both have different perspectives even though we’re both bilinguals technically. So we bump heads the most as well. But, I think in the end we’re bumping heads for a bigger goal. So yeah, it affects us in so many ways, but also it allows us to digest other cultures better. Because, being bilingual, you’re usually in the middle translating and making sure that the idea is being fully “translated” I guess is the only word I could use. So it gives us a time of thought process as you’re translating.
A-to-J: Kind of like a broader sense of...
Yosh: Yeah. It’s really cool. Every country’s different, but I feel like it helped us shape who we are. Definitely American music. Definitely shaped me.

A-to-J: Are there any languages you want to learn?
Yosh: Español. [Spanish for Spanish]
A-to-J: Hey, you’re in a great space for that. [Yosh laughs]
Show and Tatsuya: Rather than English...
Tatsuya: When we went to Brazil, I did not understand anything.  
Yosh: It was hard.  
Show: It was weird because like if you spoke in Japanese, they understood that more than English. I would try to speak English, but it didn’t go through. But if I spoke Japanese, they actually understand more.
Yosh: I think there’s just a big population of Japanese people in Brazil as well. I think it’s one of the common languages there.  
Ivan: I guess I’m kinda just learning as I go to different countries. I do enjoy a lot when I can’t communicate with anyone with like any language. I think that excites me the most. I think, as a band, we kinda want to go to the UK and to Europe. I think that’s what we’re planning if you were to ask me what language do I want to speak in the near future. [Ivan & Yosh Laugh]
Yosh: Yeah, need to speak English a little better maybe.
Ivan: I think like European counties’ languages would be a short-term goal for me, I guess.  
A-to-J: [To Ivan] And you’re trilingual, aren’t you?
Ivan: I speak Chinese. I speak Cantonese. I speak Japanese and English.  
Yosh: Yes, he’s more than bilingual.
Ivan: I’m kinda fortunate because I was born in Hong Kong, so the education is kind of English and Chinese and Mandarin, whatever.

A-to-J: What were your thoughts on your concert performance last night?
Yosh: Obviously, like we said, it was our first time performing in the West Coast. The energy was good, but I also felt like... and this isn’t pointing out something weird, but it was cool to see a lot of people who weren’t concertgoers be there. I think that anime conventions are a great place to expand your views and your horizons of your likes and dislikes. The fact that people in San Jose, and the people at FanimeCon who come through are not afraid to check out it, and aren’t afraid to express themselves however the please, and that’s something cool. There’s a word called “Rockism” coming now that’s going around that’s judging everything that’s coming out apparently. Like: “Ah, this sucks, and that sucks.”  But, when you come to conventions, you’re like: “Ah, that’s wonderful, and this is great!” I’d like to see more of that. And I’m sure there’s opinions everywhere, but the energy I felt last night was that where they’re there with open arms, ready to enjoy the night and accept it. And the people that weren’t walked out, and there weren't any hard feelings about it. It was just like: “Cool. I’m on to the next thing.” I enjoyed every bit of the concert last night, and I was drained out. Like they sucked out all my energy, which means that it was a good show. You know what I mean? I was very happy about last night.  
Ivan: I think it was cool. I think every time we go to an anime con to play is cool ‘cuz you know, everyone is already dressed up. Like you don’t really see that in any other concerts. So at the start, it’s like a party already. Everyone is trying to have fun instead of being there for the music. I mean, that’s cool too, but just at the start, it’s already a party, so it’s always fun. I love the banana guy, you know?  On the second floor. [Ivan & The Interviewer Laugh]
Yosh: [Softly] Peanut Butter Jelly Time! [Normal Volume] My ADHD does go crazy because of everyone dressing up. It’s just like: “Ooh, that guy!" [Points towards the ceiling.] "Ooh, that guy!”
Tatsuya: Thorkell! Thorkell!
Yosh: Yeah, I went up to Tatsuya during the show, and he’s like: “Yo! That guy! That guy knows Vinland Saga! That guy is like hardcore Vinland Saga guy!” He’s got like his little minions in the back and everything. It was sick.
Ivan: It’s really cool, man.
Yosh: Yeah, it was really cool.
Ivan: You don’t see a Goku dancing to Coldplay’s music.
Yosh: Definitely not in Japan.  
Ivan [Laughing]: We’re better! We’re better!
Yosh: Definitely don’t see that in Japan!  Yeah, for sure.
Ivan: Yeah, it’s actually cool. Also, with the parties outside, and you know...
Yosh: The raves!
Ivan: Yeah, the raves!
A-to-J: Right outside too.
Ivan: Yeah.
Yosh: Right outside. It was an after party. Right after the show.
Ivan: Everything is just cool ‘cuz like we are a rock band, like a traditional rock band from Japan, so we’re not like super used to it. I think we’ve come to a point where like we’ve been to several cons, and I think every time it’s getting better.
Yosh: I think so too, yeah.

A-to-J: What are your plans after Fanime?
Ivan: We have a tour in Japan.
Yosh: A short tour in Japan.
Ivan: Like three shows in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya with our friends in Japan, and then I think we’ gonna...
Yosh: Japan domestic tour.
Ivan: No, actually, before that we have China.  
Yosh: Oh yeah, we do.
Ivan: We have China and then we're going to come back to the US.
Yosh: We haven’t announced that yet...
A-to-J: You heard it here first.
Yosh: Yeah, heard it here first. We haven’t announced the Chinese date but we are planning to go.
Ivan: And then, we’ll finish the year with our own domestic tour in Japan. I think 20-26 shows or something.

A-to-J: Do you have a closing message for your fans?
Tatsuya: We’re coming back in July. For the people who saw us this time at the convention, we would love to see them and welcome them to come to the show when we come back here. We’re not scary or anything. It would be nice to see them come to the live house, and we can communicate and mingle there as well. That will be special.  
Show: I think there’s a lot of people that knew us from our anime stuff. That will probably the opportunity for them to recognize us, and come to the show for us. Our identity is not only in that, but in other songs as well. There might be different languages here, but we’re going to bring what we’re doing in Japan over here. We’re going to bring our energy, the real Japanese band energy to the States so we would love people to come feel that as well.
Yosh: We’ve been talking about how we’re coming back, but we do want to create a community for everyone that wants to come through and is looking for a place. I think like Tatsuya mentioned, we may look scary at times but we’re super friendly. We’re not like threatening people. [Ivan jokingly acts menacingly.] Like, you know, the vocalist is a tiny Asian dude. [Yosh turns to Ivan and laughs.  Tatsuya also acts threateningly. Everyone Laughs.]  If there’s anyone out there that’s a little worried or scared, don’t be. We’re here to hang with you. So yeah, Survive Said the Prophet, here to party with you guys. Waiting for you guys at the show.  
A-to-J: Thank you.
Ivan: We’re definitely in the process of writing new music at the moment. We’re gonna come back to the states from July, so I hope we can bring you our new music soon as well as a good tour.
A-to-J: So, we should expect new music in July?
Ivan: Yeah. We’re in the process of it, so I hope we can bring you some brand new stuff as well as some of our good old stuff with the anime or without anime. Just like a good show in general. Everyone is welcome to cosplay at our show.  
Yosh: [Laughs] Yeah!
Ivan: There’s no rules. Just have fun, and we hope to see you guys soon.
Yosh: Best cosplayer at the show gets Tatsuya’s and Ivan’s picks!
A-to-J: That’s a very good way to convince people to cosplay! [Everyone Laughs]
Ivan: And a kiss from Yosh! How’s that? It’s alright! [Yosh shakes his head no.] A big hug from Yosh! [Yosh Laughs]
A-to-J: Thank you so, so much for answering all of our questions!
Survive Said The Prophet: Thank you!
A-to-J: It was a lovely time! Thank you!

We'd like to thank Survive Said The Prophet for the interview, and we strongly encourage everyone to check them out via the links below. As always, keep an eye out for more from them in the future! Also, special thanks to FanimeCon for this opportunity!

For More Information on Survive Said The Prophet:
Website: https://survivesaidtheprophet.com/
X: https://x.com/SSTPofficial
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/survivesaidtheprophet/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/survivesaidtheprophet/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SSTPOFFICIAL
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7zyObVag8rUjItn71SkIrh

The above interview was conducted by Rae. Transcription by Jeffery Kelly. Photography by Ivan Aburto. Additional assistance and editing by Manuel Figueroa.