photo: Sophia BSC. Thank you so much!
Since Blood Stain Child sadly had to cancel their shows in Germany last November, lovely Sophia, BSC’s vocalist since 2010, took some time to answer our questions via email! Thank you so much!
☆⌒(*＾-ﾟ)v Thanks!!
So, here you go…
Q: How would you describe the musical development from Mozaiq to Epsilon? To which extend does the album carry your handwriting?
Sophia: I believe the band focused on its best elements and expanded them. I was not there to see it, but I was familiar with their music even before I joined. For Epsilon, I wrote the lyrics for my parts and RYU wrote RYO’s parts.
Q: When you joined BSC, you only knew Ryu personally and we imagine a band to be a well- rehearsed team. Was it difficult for you in the beginning? Do you think Gami being new to the band as well made it easier for you in a way? Do the band members consider themselves colleagues or friends?
Sophia: Well, joining a band that has such a long history is not an easy task to accomplish. RYU made it look easy in the beginning, though…that guy!! *laughs* It’s a great responsibility and a huge challenge, especially for somebody that never had any band experience, save for the management/promotion part. I was very familiar with the behind-the-scenes part, but I had no idea what happens on stage, in the studio, working with a team and so on. I’ve always worked alone and I’m not fond of team work, to be honest. I like to be independent and do everything on my own if possible. Adapting to a totally different environment, far away from home and whatever I knew until that moment, with 5 people I didn’t really know, or spoke the same language with…was and is considerably difficult sometimes.
GAMI was new to the band, but not new to the scene. He used to be in YOUTHQUAKE, so he was familiar with all the procedures.
The members…hmmm…we don’t really hang out, because they say they’re busy all the time, but we talk a lot when we meet eventually. It’s like going on a school trip. Everybody’s jumping around like crazy and I’m trying to keep things civilised. *laughs*
Q: You becoming a member of BSC and performing as lead vocalist must have brought you a lot of new experiences and impressions. Still, is there a concert which was most memorable to you?
Sophia: My favourite concert to day was Dallas, last June, when we played at A-KON. Everything about it was just perfect. It was also my first time with the band abroad and it was the biggest crowd we ever saw. Approximately 4000 screaming people is not something you easily forget, right?
Q: You said in another interview that you get asked a lot to re-record old Blood Stain Child songs. Which one is your personal favourite and which one would you find most challenging to interpret with your voice?
Sophia: Hmmm…I generally don’t like to touch old material, out of respect for the band’s history and the fans who love those songs. But since a lot of voices keep asking for new versions and we perform them live anyway, I’d like to re-record Metropolis. It’s a truly beautiful song.
Q: In the past, Blood Stain Child has worked with several international artists such as Anssi Kippo or Tue Madsen, for example. You yourself are Greek, do you think that this internationality influences and maybe broadens the bands’ musical horizon?
Sophia: Yes, the band always aimed towards a more international audience, but the fact that they were unable to communicate sufficiently with the outside, kept them away from what they wanted, I think. I have a completely different mentality and background though, so all this changed as soon as I joined. I’d feel too restricted if we were active only in Japan.
Q: Are there any musicians/ producers you would love to work with?
Sophia: I usually avoid dreaming of this and that, I prefer to work and see what happens on the way. Dreaming only brings disappointment, from my experience, cos usually nothing happens the way you want it eventually. I’ll do my best and see what the future brings me!
Q: You once mentioned that you would love to do an anime or games soundtrack. If you had free choice, which anime or game would that be?
Sophia: If it was an anime, I’d like it to be one of those intellectual-style anime, with a deep social message, that scar you forever. If it was a game, I’d like it to be something scary and mysterious, horror maybe.
Q: The song „Stargazer“ mirrors three different points of view: the one of an alien, of God and your own. And it also reads the line „I want to believe“ and you’ve also outed yourself as X- Phile. Is this just a reference to Mulder or would you consider yourself a spiritual person? If so, does it influence your work as an artist?
Sophia: I’m really glad you asked about this, actually. I appreciate people who value the lyrics of the songs and not just the music. X-files and what they represent and talk about, is a very big part of myself and my life. I’ve been attracted to “spooky” stuff, ever since I can remember myself. So I’d buy any book or magazine that seemed interesting at the time, write, do my own small researches, and study a bit of practical Psychology on the side.
I’m sure I sounded weird in Junior High-school and people used to give me the “what the hell” look, but it’s nothing that troubled me. I always had lots of loving friends, but at the same time I felt a distance from everybody, due to the fact that they could not understand or sympathise with what I was saying. The first magazine about paranormal phenomena, aliens and conspiracy theories who became mainstream in Greece, came out around 1994 I think. About the same time that the X-files started playing at 21:00 instead of after midnight. Some years after this, more and more people in Greece started educating themselves about this subject.
I still keep contact with everything and expand whenever I get the chance, but I don’t study as much as I’d like to. Internet is consuming most of my time, I can’t deny it *laughs* I don’t know if I deserve the title “spiritual” yet, but I’m definitely not the most usual person you will meet on the street.
Oh and Mr. Chris Carter, please don’t sue me for borrowing your famous line! *laughs* It’s just that I see many parts of me in Mulder. Spooky Sophia! *laughs*
Q: Ryu and you wear Lolita costumes on stage. You also have a collaboration with the Gothic& Lolita clothing brand „Chantilly/ATELIER-PIERROT“. Would you tell us more about it?
Sophia: I was friends with the designer of the brand and she offered to create original costumes for me and RYU. I wear Lolita in real life a lot too, so I was fascinated with the idea.
Q: By the way, how and at what age did you get into Japanese music and visual kei? How did you end up as promoter/ manager/ agent? Do you prefer acting on or behind the stage?
Sophia: I got into Japanese music watching anime at a very early age. I discovered Visual Kei when I was around 21-22 years old. I liked the music and I wanted to do something about it, so I started organizing events in the form of parties or concerts in Greece. They were the first of their kind, so you could say that these events were the official introduction of Visual Kei to the Greek audience. Of course, all this created a reference point and meeting place for J-pop culture enthusiasts, anime fans, cosplayers etc, so the events were embraced warmheartedly by people around Greece and they’re still going strong. I still throw a party when I’m home, because I know everybody’s waiting for it.
Around the same time I started with those events, I came in contact with the Visual Kei band, BLOOD. I worked as Agent for them and subsequently for Darkest Labyrinth/Starwave Records, as well as several other VK bands and record labels over the years. I spent most of my life behind the scenes, planning, working, studying, mostly because I was too embarrassed to claim the spotlight of the stage. I have no problem being the front-person in real life, but the stage looked like a monster to me, so I preferred helping others do what I thought I could not do. A few negative experiences helped me realize that I’d better invest in myself more, so this changed the way I view things, cos it made me redefine my value as a person and the position of others in my mind. I still help my friends’ bands whenever I have the time, but I can’t do it full time anymore.
Q: You currently spend most of your time in Japan, is there something you miss about Greece? Or something you miss about Japan when you’re in Greece?
Sophia: When I’m away from Greece for more than a month, I feel kinda dead inside. I’m a very family-orientated person, so I get depressed if we’re apart for a long time, even though we fight every day when we’re together *laughs*. I also miss The King of Cats (his name is Voulis, pronounced Voo-lis). I’m sure he thinks I betrayed him and left him behind, but I know he’s much happier in our big house with the garden, than he would be the miniscule, bunny-hole of an “apartment” I usually stay in, here in Japan.
I also miss the food. Greek food is the best food on the planet for me. Greece has fresh and cheap produce and lots of local farmers and small industries, who offer high quality products, rich in taste and nutrients. You don’t actually realise this until you travel abroad, to bigger countries and bigger, more industrialized cities. I will never forget the first time I saw the fluorescent Belgian peppers and the photocopy-looking bread *laughs*. I also can’t enjoy my favourite fruit and vegetables in Japan, they’re far too expensive and even if you buy them, they don’t taste as good.
However, when I’m in Greece, I miss the good stuff about Japan. The beauty of Tokyo, my favourite places to walk and shop and party, the 24hr convenience stores *laughs* and of course the people that I hold dear.
Thanks again, Sophia, that was interesting to read indeed! We’re absolutely looking forward to seeing you in Germany next year!
shosenningen 
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