Back to the G.R.N.D.: An Interview with GARNiDELiA

We've been seeing a lot of GARNiDELiA over the years and have had the joy to catch them live several times in the US, including most recently at A-Kon 2018. We recently got the opportunity to interview this amazing duo and we are very excited to bring it to all of you now! We discussed everything from their formation to their recent releases and heavy emphasis on dance! Be sure to check it out!

GARNiDELiA is a Japanese pop-rock/dance duo, consisting of vocalist MARiA and a composer toku. GARNiDELiA made their major label debut in March 2014 with a smash hit single “ambiguous”. Since then the duo has released nine singles, one digital-single, and three albums to date. In January 2018, GARNiDELiA released their latest single “Error”, which is featured as the theme song of the TV anime series “BEATLESS”, and their latest album entitled “G.R.N.D.” was released on March 28th this year.

A-to-J: Thank you for the interview, can you please introduce yourselves?
MARiA: Hi, I’m MARiA! The vocalist for GARNiDELiA.
toku: Hi, I’m toku! and I am the composer.

A-to-J: Can you tell us a bit about the formation of the group and a little about your history until now?
toku: I come from a producer, arranger, and vocaloid project background and I decided that I wanted to do a project featuring a female vocalist. A friend of mine introduced me to MARiA which is how us creating music together as a duo came about. By doing music as unit with a focus on the video-sharing website, Nico Nico Douga, we became GARNiDELiA.

A-to-J: Can you tell us a little about GARNiDELiA’s music and sound for those that are unfamiliar with you?
toku: Our music can’t be put into one genre or category and I believe the diversity of our music is our strong point. It might be faster if you take a look at us on YouTube or one of those other video sharing websites!

A-to-J: Can each of you tell us a little about how you first got into music?
MARiA: I’ve always loved singing and music since I was a little girl! When I was in elementary school I went to a school that focused around dance, theater, and learning how to sing… Eventually I signed with a management company.
toku: When I was still a student I was aiming to be a chorus singer or an opera singer, but after being introduced to computerized music I began composing and arranging.  

A-to-J: Do you have any musicians or musical artists that you draw inspiration from?
MARiA: We’re influenced by many artists! From Christina Aguilera, to Beyonce, and Madonna! I love really cool and powerful female singers!

A-to-J: What types of songs and dances do you prefer to create and perform? Is there a particular genre of music that you prefer, or do you like a wide range?
MARiA: GARNiDELiA has always made and performed music from various genres so from here on out, we hope to challenge ourselves with even more genres!

A-to-J: When it comes to wardrobe, GARNiDELiA has a unique sense of style. Do you have a hand in picking out or designing what you wear? If so, where do you draw inspirations from?
MARiA: I produce everything from GARNiDELiA’s CD jacket covers to our costumes for live performances! Sometimes I’m inspired by games and anime characters but I also think about what I personally want to wear and make our costumes based on that.

A-to-J: Several of your songs have been used in anime, are you a fan of anime in general? If so, what are some of your favorite shows?
MARiA: NARUTO, Code Geass, Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin), Tokyo Ghoul, etc.!
toku: Macross Frontier, Eden of the East, etc.!

A-to-J: You recently released your third album “G.R.N.D”, can you tell us a bit about it and how it compares to your earlier work?
MARiA: We wanted to create something that would take the place of what our business card would be like so we incorporated everything that we’d want to do in the future in this album!  We also included various genres that derive from our music roots!

GARNiDELiA - Error MV

A-to-J: Prior to this you released “Error” which was used as the opening for the anime “BEATLESS” can you tell us a bit about the concepts behind the song and the MV?
toku:  Because it was the OP to anime BEATLESS, we had a meeting prior to creating the OP song with the director, Seiji Mizushima-san. Director Seiji Mizushima had already heard our song, EXXXTASY, off of our 2nd album, Violet Cry, and asked that we make the OP theme similar to EXXXTASY’s sound but with a more EDM-feel. We were also informed that BEATLESS would be headed in a Sci-Fi direction in the near future, so Mizushima-san requested that the song match that vibe… a digital dance track!
MARiA:  We danced so much in the MV to this song. I think that might’ve been the first time I danced throughout the entire MV. We had two of our female touring dancers plus two male dancers from the dance team SLH, whom I’ve known prior to debuting dance with us in the MV… making it a mixture of male and female dancers. It was our first trial doing this… it will shock you how much we danced… like knuckle cracking-dancing… it would make me happy if you were able to see and enjoy that!

A-to-J: You all are a huge inspiration to many with a large overseas following! Did you ever imagine GARNiDELiA touring the world as you have?
MARiA: When I first debuted, I never thought that I’d receive so much love from fans overseas or even get the opportunity to perform live overseas! Haha! Majority of our fans overseas are warm and fun! Love them!

A-to-J: What has been your favorite performance location so far and what did you like about it?
GARNiDELiA: Everywhere was great! Can’t choose!

A-to-J: What is your favorite song to perform live and why?
MARiA: “G.R.N.D” and “Paradise”! It’s so much fun to dance with everyone and even interacting with everyone! The call and response is so much fun!
toku: I love performing both “SPEED STAR” “MIRAI” but I think you can see the difference in the crowd’s reaction the most with these two songs.

​A-to-J: If you had to pick a song to introduce new listeners to GARNiDELiA’s music, what would you pick?
MARiA + toku: “G.R.N.D”!  Is a song that’s packed with everything GARNiDELiA wants to say right at this moment!]

A-to-J: Do you follow any other musical groups? If so, who are some of your favorites?
MARiA: Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Madonna!

A-to-J: Maria, you are so incredibly talented between dancing, vocals, and performance skill! Have you always been a good dancer and singer, or were there obstacles you had to face while beginning your career?
MARiA: Since I was very little, my days were always singing, dance, and soaking in music. I never really got to hang out with my friends or do school club activities… I was encompassed in taking lessons and doing rehearsals. I had some lonely moments during that time but now, I’m happy I worked so hard back then because now I am of use!
 
A-to-J: It is so amazing that you film dance shots of some of your songs! Why is this important to you, and how did you choose the other two dancers to dance alongside of you?
MARiA: I originally met MIUME at an event and we became close! I brought her the idea of doing the dance video for my first song, “Girls”, made for the Vol 1. Edition of “Odottemichatta” dance-video series. From here, I was introduced to 217 through MIUME and that’s how the three of us ended up dancing together!

A-to-J: Do you have any tips or advice to people interested in odottemita and performing when it comes to practicing to film a dance shot?
MARiA: For me, I think about the costumes while making our “Odottemita” videos so I would say to try thinking about your look or costume that fits your song the best!

A-to-J: Do you have any strange or unique secret talents? (Such as licking your elbow, or balancing a spoon on your nose!)
toku: I think that’s more of a fetish thing more so than a special skill-ha!

A-to-J: Do you happen to have any funny stories to share that occurred while performing?
MARiA: There’s always something happening-ha!
toku: Haha!

A-to-J: What’s next for GARNiDELiA? What are your upcoming plans?
MARiA: We’re already in the process of creating a new song!  So create new music, go to rehearsals!  Looking forward to it!

A-to-J: Lastly, can you leave us with a closing message for your fans?
MARiA: I’m so happy to know that our music has crossed the seas and reached so many people! I’m looking forward to more live shows! Let’s all have a great time!
toku: We can always listen to music right away with a laptop or smartphone but I think you’ll have an even better time sharing that given moment, that space with us!

We thank GARNiDELiA for this interview and hope that you check out more about them via the links below!

For More on GARNiDELiA:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GARNiDELiA/
MARiA’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/MARiA_GRND
toku’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/toku_grnd
Staff Twitter: https://twitter.com/garnidelia
Vevo: https://www.vevo.com/artist/garnidelia

Original Interview by Sara Wittenzellner. Initial Translation by Eri Watanabe. All pictures courtesy of Sony Music.