Interviewed+Written by Genius Japan & Isabella Salant | 14 March, 2024Starting off the year with a bang, highly acclaimed Japanese artist Vicke Blanka recently embarked on his very first North American tour, kicking things off with a show in Vancouver and ending in New York City. For this exclusive interview conducted by Genius Japan, Vicke Blanka opens up about meeting international fans, the songwriting process behind his latest EP, Worldfly, and so much more.── Thank you for taking the time to chat with us at Genius Japan! Can we start with a quick introduction?

Vicke Blanka: Hello everybody, my name is Vicke Blanka! I'm a singer-songwriter from Japan. I used to play piano, guitar, and DJ on stage. There's no taboo for me. You can ask everything, and I'm gonna answer every kind of question!

── Just a few days ago, you wrapped up your North American Tour! How did it feel to perform here in the United States and Canada compared to Japan and other countries you have visited before?

Vicke Blanka: There are a lot of brand new feelings that I noticed, and there's a huge difference between the Japanese audience and the North American audience. In Japan, when I start the introduction of a ballad they get totally silent. They concentrate on listening. But in North America, every city when I play a ballad, they start screaming! It's a totally different experience for me, and I loved that so much.
── Even though Japanese is so different from English, so many fans at your concerts in North America knew the words to all of your songs. How do you feel your music bridges the gap and connects with these people, even though they might not speak the original language?

Vicke Blanka: It’s interesting. I’m very grateful because most of them don't understand the meaning, but they try to. They try to understand the meaning of my Japanese lyrics, but not perfectly. Simply the thought they want to sing with me is a very precious feeling. I want to thank all of them.

── A few months before the tour, you released your EP Worldfly and touched upon how songs such as “Sad In Saudi Arabia” and “Luca” were inspired by your travels to Europe and the Middle East - what made you decide on combining a wide array of different styles together into one album?

Vicke Blanka: This is my style. I don't think genre is important when I create music. I've been to Saudi Arabia and Italy, and these two places gave me a lot of inspiration to create music. And yeah, I just hear the idea and follow the idea. So it's simple and it's natural.

── Any chance we’ll hear some American-inspired tracks on your next release?

Vicke Blanka: Yeah. I think this North American tour was very impressive for me. And I already have a lot of ideas to create new music.
── Many fans heard your music for the first time through the popular anime series Black Clover, for which you performed "Black Rover" as Opening 3 and "Black Catcher" for Opening 10. How did these opportunities come about?

Vicke Blanka: I'm going to talk about Opening 3 first. The original author of a manga always tries to find a great artist to write the theme song. And for Black Clover, a person on their team luckily found me on Spotify or somewhere. They connected to my colleague first, my Avex contact, and of course, I wanted to write it because I'm a big fan of the "Shounen Jump” manga! So, it was decided.

Opening 10 is not this kind of story. I heard the news that the team was trying to find an artist for Opening 10. But they didn't talk to me. They tried to find a new artist in the Japanese music industry. But I heard the news, so I called them:

“Hey, you liked "Black Rover," right? Do you know the number of plays on Spotify of that song? If I write the song, it will totally drive to the top of the numbers. So you better pick me.”

So the first one was a very lucky opportunity for me. But for the second opening I grabbed the chance by myself.
── Were you a fan of the original manga series? How did this affect your approach when it came to writing the song?

Vicke Blanka: I try to get into the atmosphere of the anime. For example, Black Clover - there's magic, power and fights. I put myself, my mind into that anime, and I feel. I catch the feeling, I catch the atmosphere, and I try to play. I felt piano, a nostalgic and mysterious sound, and powerful guitars from the Black Clover series. So I wrote in that style.

── Speaking of joint ventures, are there any other artists you would like to collaborate with in the future?

Vicke Blanka: Yeah, I have a lot of respect for all of them in the U.S. and Canada. Honestly, I like Charlie Puth so much, Panic! At The Disco's Brendon Urie, Madeon from France. It's really hard to name every artist. And maybe Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote "In the Heights" - I'm a big fan of In the Heights.
── At Genius Japan, we always like to ask what established artists are listening to these days! Do you have any songs you’ve added to your personal playlist recently?

Vicke Blanka (scrolling on his phone): This song is famous. It’s MAX's "Checklist"

── And what is one song you would recommend to someone wanting to listen to your music for the first time?

Vicke Blanka: Oh, that's really hard. If you like Japanese culture and rock music, you better listen to "Black Catcher" first. But if you like the stylish city sound with a danceable track, you better listen to "Snake" first.

── Finally, is there anything you’d like to say to Genius Japan readers and your international fans?

Vicke Blanka: This North American tour made me more creative and gave me a lot of happiness. So I think I have to thank you. But I’m not a person that can do everything. The only thing I can do is create music. So I'm going to give you my new song, inspired by you, OK? So just wait for the new track, and let's have fun together on the next North American tour!
Photos provided by AVEX ENTERTAINMENT INC. Any unauthorized copying, alteration, reproduction, or distribution is prohibited.

── Thank you for taking some time out of your busy schedules to chat with us, Vicke Blanka!Follow Vicke Blanka's social media to catch up on their latest updates!
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