Interview With Idol Group Linkstar's At Japan Expo LA 2015

While at Japan Expo A-To-J Connections was lucky enough to sit down with Linkstar's at Japan Expo LA and talk about their experiences in the US and their unique take on the idol music genre.

Linkstar's is an idol group that debuted in 2013 and currently has four members. They specialize in strong performances that get their crowds hyped with their high energy singing and dancing!! Besides their activities as music artists, they also participate in various projects such as TV, film, and magazine appearances, both as a group and as individuals. Their performances at Japan Expo LA mark their first overseas debut. Their recent single "Linkstar" is available through various outlets in two versions. More links can be found at the end of the article.

A-To-J: Thank you for the opportunity for the interview! Please introduce yourselves.
Haru: I’m Linkstar’s oldest member, Haru Ootomo and my emblem is a ribbon! Nice to meet you.
Arisa: I’m Arisa Matsunaga and my emblem is a star! Nice to meet you.
Hinano: I’m Linkstar’s leader, Hinano Ayakawa. My emblem is a strawberry! My throat is a little hoarse but nice to meet you!
Mana: My emblem is wings and I’m the youngest of the group, Mana Haneda! Nice to meet you.
Linkstar's: We are Linkstar's!

A-To-J: How are you liking it in America so far?
Hinano: It's really cool!
Haru: We've been enjoying ourselves!

A-To-J: What did you like most about it here?
Hinano: Everything!
Haru: The food was really big! All of it was really tasty and yummy too!

A-To-J: What is your favorite food here?
Haru: We really liked the candy!

A-To-J: Are there any music artists, Japanese or otherwise, you would like to collaborate with?
Hinano: Taylor Swift!

A-To-J: Can you tell us a little bit about your name “Linkstar’s” and the theme of Linkstar’s?
Arisa: Its very free!
Hinano: “Freestyle”!
Arisa: Yes, “Freestyle”! (Nods)

A-To-J: Can you tell us about your most recent work, music-wise? Such as your recent single or song?
Arisa: We released our new single, “Linkstar” in June! Our group name is “Linkstar’s” and the CD title is “Linkstar”
Hinano: A-type and B-type… theres two types!
A-To-J: What is your favorite song in “Linkstar”?
Hinano: “Linkstar”! (the title song)
Arisa: It’s a masterpiece! The lyrics are great and you get happy and get positive power listening to this song.

A-To-J: What are your thoughts about performing here in the US?
Haru: We were worried at first because of the language barrier… but we used body language and our smiles. It was very fun!
Arisa: Everyone gets hyped easily, so if she say “fuu~!” everyone also says “fuu~!” It was a very fun first overseas live.
Linkstar’s: Thank you very much! [For the fun live]

A-To-J: Can you tell us how all of you came to become Linkstar’s?
Haru: We formed 3 years ago… and she (Mana) is the newest member!
Arisa: She joined in March and we kind of ended up together… yea! (Laughs)
Hinano: We were brought together [by others]. We’re the chosen ones! (Points finger to the sky)

A-To-J: Are you guys fans of anime?
Hinano: (Raises hand) “Me”!
A-To-J: Whats your favorite anime?
Hinano: Rozen Maiden!

A-To-J: Can you tell us more about your time here in LA?
Arisa: Since the language is here is very different from Japan, we gesture a lot and it’s kind of exciting!

A-To-J: What about the fans? How are they different than those in Japan?
Haru: They are all very friendly!
Hinano: Yes! They also all had a lot of energy and moved a lot!
Haru: Yeah, in general all the US fans were very nice and we hope to be able to come back!

A-To-J: Are you fans of any other idol groups?
Arisa: Yea!
A-To-J: Which ones?
Arisa: Momoiro Clover Z!
Haru: I like Passpo.
Hinano: Me? I like myself! (Gestures a thumbs up)
Mana: I like Morning Musume.

A-To-J: Do you have any funny stories of when you were performing?
Hinano: I was trying to do a somersault like move but…
Haru: But she tripped! Bam!
Hinano: Not really tripped, but I fell on my butt!
Haru: We’ve also had times where we bumped into each other.
A-To-J: Were you still able to perform okay after falling?
Hinano: It hurt a lot!
Arisa: Also, when we were performing, my mic flew out of my hands!
Haru: And then her shoe flew off too!
Arisa: It did!

A-To-J: Have you performed in other countries?
Linkstar’s: No!
A-To-J: Where would you like to perform overseas?
Haru: France!
Hinano: Yes!
Haru: And… world tour!!
Linkstar’s: Fuuu!!

A-To-J: Where can we find more information about Linkstar’s?
Hinano: Twitter!
Arisa: We have an official Twitter account, please “follow me”!
Hinano: @LINKS_OnAir! We also have LINE account, so you can message us!
A-To-J: Can we message you and you’ll reply back?
Haru: Yes!

A-To-J: What are you plans after this?
Haru: Since we'll still be here, we plan to go shopping and other fun things!
Arisa: We'll also eat!

A-To-J: Lastly, can you please give us a closing message.
Haru: I’m very happy we were able to come to LA for the first time. We’re going to try hard to be able to come back, so please keep an eye on us!
Arisa: We’ve never done lives outside of Japan but we were able to perform overseas for the first time. I’m very happy that we were able to come here to LA and do our first overseas live, it was fun! Thank you!
Hinano: This was our first overseas live and we got to do it in LA! I was excited before we came here but I ended up with this voice (from her hoarse throat) and I’m disappointed! However, I had a lot of fun and enjoyed it here! “Very happy!” Thank you very much!
Mana: We got to do our first overseas live in LA and I now love LA! Thank you very much!

To find out more about Linstar's visit them at:
Website: linkstar-s.com
Twitter: twitter.com/LINKS_OnAir
Blog: lineblog.me/linkstars

The above interview was conducted by Manuel Figueroa with assistance by Molly Ring and filming by Eunice Wang. Post translation by Tiffany Fujii.

Linkstar 's- Linkstar