Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on March 2013
Cat cafes, food and shopping—that’s what’s on the cards for LA’s hottest girlie rock band, Nylon Pink when not busy wowing the crowds across Japan this week. These talented girls aren’t just for show though—they’re real musicians, jewelry designers and fashion models as well. Before take off, the girls found some time to answer some questions about their upcoming tour.
First of all, a short self-introduction, please! Name, part (vocals/bass/etc) and something you’re most looking forward to doing/seeing/eating/buying while you’re in Japan.
Katt: I play bass one thing I am looking forward to doing (besides playing of course) is going shopping at all the cool boutiques and partying with all our friends in Japan hehe!
Jamie: I’m Jamie and I play the drums. Aside from playing shows, I am most excited to go to a cat cafe but Kaila and Kiki will tell you more about that.. and I really really want to go to Disneyland over everything! I’m a huge Disney fan. Lastly, I am going to get my hands on tons and tons of those green tea Kit Kats!
Kaila: I’m Kaila on lead vocals! I am dying to go to the Cat Cafe! I am going to visit them all! I want to see the munchkin cats! Then I am going to eat every kind of food, all day long, visit the ramen alley, have some soba, sushi — rice rice rice. Then I’m going to do shopping for the entire year.
Kiki: My name is Kiki and I am the guitarist of Nylon Pink. I love listening to heavy metal and eating tasty noms with the band. I can’t wait to be able to get some authentic tasty time sushi in Japan! I’ve heard only fantastic things about the food over there!
You launched a Kickstarter campaign to help finance your tour here. Why did you choose this route, and how did it go?
Kaila: Everyone has told us to do crowd funding for the longest time and we have always resisted it. Then we were told that Japan was insanely expensive! Its tough being an independent artist, we actually pay a lot of expenses in order to play in the band!
Kiki: Unlike most touring musicians, we are not signed by a label or have any type of outside funding. All of what we do is self-subsidized. We’ve been able to make it happen on some of our past tours, but Japan in pretty expensive, so we needed the help of our friends, family, and fans to make the tour happen!
You’ve toured in Asia prior to this upcoming Japan tour. How was it? Any interesting or unexpected experiences?
Jamie: Touring Asia was truly the most amazing experience of my life so far. It was my first time out of the county so I was beyond excited and it was even better than I imagined. Everyone was so kind and welcoming and we met so many amazing people.
Kiki: I can’t express how excited I was to find out that we were going to be touring in Asia! I hadn’t been to China before, so it was really a cool feeling to be able to travel there and do what we love. The trip itself was so much fun! The hotel at the Hard Rock in Penang, Malaysia was probably the nicest hotel I’ve ever stepped foot in, and the crowds were so supportive and fun to play to!
Is this the first time for all of you to visit Japan? If not, when were you here last?
Jamie: This is my first time to Japan! I’m so excited because Japan is one of the few places that I have always dreamed of going to and it’s about to happen!
Kaila: Its all of our first times in Japan!! We get to share this amazing experience together.
Kiki: I’ve never been to Japan before, but I’m so stoked to go with Nylon Pink! BANZAI!
Let’s face it: you girls are really hot! You’ve done some great spreads for Rolling Stone magazine, FHM Singapore and FHM Malaysia. Does the modeling part of it come naturally to you, or is it easier to just stick to music?
Jamie: Modeling comes natural to all the other girls! Most of the band were previous models. Me on the other hand, I am kind of getting the hang of it. Sometimes I have Kiki by my side helping me. I used to be super awkward.
Kaila: Modeling seems to come naturally to many of the girls, but we definitely prefer to play music and live our lives out on stage — our first passion is music and performing live!
Kiki: Modeling is a fun way to be girly and show our personalities on camera. However, music is where all of our hearts are! We love to play on stage and interact with our fans!
What influences your musical style? What bands/music inspire you?
Jamie: Personally, I am inspired by all genres of music. There’s not really any music that I just can’t stand. Blink 182 is my biggest inspiration band wise. I became a huge fan when I was in the 5th grade and I am still the biggest fan. They are the reason why I am doing what I am doing now.
Kaila: I have a pretty eclectic set of influences from Guns N Roses, Garbage, Muse, Lady Gaga, Shiny Toy Guns, Semi Precious Weapons.
Katt: I respect all genres of music but I gotta say I love hip hop and especially rappers. (Laughs)
Kiki: I grew up listening to heavy metal, which I probably shouldn’t even try and name the bands since they’re probably so obscure (laughs). I also played years and years of classical piano, so I do have a soft spot for classical music and jazz. But recently, I’ve been completely obsessed with dubstep, woo hoo!
Your K-pop cover of “Gee” was great! Any plans on doing a J-pop cover?
Kaila: Thank you, it was so much fun to make!! Hopefully we will do an Utada Hikaru cover, I have always been a huge fan of hers. First Love?? It would be great if the other band members would agree to it!
What’s the theme or idea behind your jewelry line, Hello Drama? Who do you want to see wearing it?
Katt: Our jewelry line is inspired by our music, lyrics and style. The concept of the line comes from a combination of many things ie. street fashion, all grenres of music, anime and of course, love! We design for those who are trendsetters and those who are not afraid to stand out from the crowd. Like our music all our designs are bold and come from the heart.
Kaila: Hello Drama has been worn by celebrities such as: Destiny’s Child, LMFAO, Far East Movement, Nicki Minaj, The Pussycat Dolls, The Veronicas and more!
And finally, a message to our readers. Why should they go see Nylon Pink?
Jamie: Nylon Pink shows are unlike anything you will normally see. We are the only All female Asian-American band in the USA. We not only sing but we actually play our instruments and rock out. Another thing about us is that we are super friendly! We always meet every single one our fans after every show.
Kaila: Come see us because we can’t wait to meet you!
Katt: We will always give our 100% when we are performing for you guys so know you will have fun! It’s a whole different experience when you watch a show live than listening to the songs on mp3. Hope to see all of you there!
Kiki: We guarantee that if you come to the show, you’ll be begging for more! We can’t make it happen without you all, so thank you so much for all of your support and love. If you haven’t heard us before, please check us out on Facebook and YouTube. Don’t be afraid to friend us! We’d love to meet you all!
For a taste of what they’re like:
[youtube]BUANo6I28fE[/youtube]
Want more? Here’s a list of their upcoming shows:
Mar 26, 7pm, free. Ruby Room. Nearest stn: Shibuya. Ruby Room
Mar 30, 8pm, ¥1,500 +1d. The Juke Joint. Nearest stn: Roppongi. The Juke Joint
Apr 1, 8 & 9pm, free. Hard Rock Cafe Roppongi. Nearest stn: Roppongi. Hard Rock Cafe Roppongi
