Ai (Haku.)
Interview (2025)
Let’s start with your background. So you’re from Osaka?No, I was actually born in Tochigi, and then my family moved to Osaka when I was 8. But I guess you could say I grew up in Osaka.
What role did music play in your life as a child?When I was in Tochigi, I lived with someone like an older sister who was in her school’s choir, and she’d often sing whatever choir songs they were working on for me. I remember that I’d memorize them and sing them myself.
So your formative experiences with music were more about singing than listening?
Yeah. Now that I think about it, singing has always felt close to me.
When did you start listening to music for pleasure?I’d say it was in high school. I joined the school’s band club, and through talking with the others about their favorite songs, I started picking up on all kinds of music.
Did you join the band club because you wanted to play an instrument?That was part of it. But I’d actually been in the school’s brass band back in middle school, where I played percussion, drums, and other small instruments. I thought it’d be nice to make use of that experience.
So having your first experiences with music as a singer or player rather than a listener was a big part of it for you.Yeah, definitely. But I wasn’t just playing music back in middle school. I was also listening a lot, like to different compositions, or having my friends tell me about their favorite orchestral and symphonic pieces.
What artists or genres did you enjoy listening to in high school?I started with Japanese music, and the lyrics that struck me the most were from Sakanaction. Later, I got into music from overseas—like indie rock, and then alternative and folk rock.
You’re into that band sound?Yeah, of course. But I also like a lot of singer-songwriters. I enjoy instrumental tracks without lyrics, and hip-hop too. Once I started playing in a band in high school, I began listening to all kinds of music — kind of broad and wide-ranging. But if you asked me what I liked best, I’d say alternative was the easiest for me to connect with.
And what about now?I still go back to songs I used to like, and lately I’ve been listening to Ohzora Kimishima. In the mornings, I usually start with something quiet and minimal — more of a singer-songwriter vibe than a full band.
So does the music you listen to change as the day goes on?Hmm, I’m not sure. But I think I usually end my nights with calm music too
Did you start playing guitar in the band club?That’s when I started playing guitar for real, but I actually got my first acoustic in my third year of middle school. I was really worn out from studying for entrance exams, and on the way home from a trip to the shopping center with my family, we came across this guy selling instruments...
A guy selling instrumentsYeah, kind of like a pop-up store(laughs) ?
I often hear that lots of people give up on guitar because of how difficult it is early on.Yeah, it was tough. But I just ignored the tougher chords and kept playing.
In past interviews you’ve said that you, Mayu (Dr), Kano (Ba/Cho), and Nazuna (Gt) all went to the same school but met in a band club elsewhere. Do you remember what it was like the first time you four jammed together?Honestly, I’d never played with a band outside of the light music club. And since it was basically my first time meeting Nazuna and Kano, we weren’t exactly friends yet. So when we jammed, I was more nervous about how to even talk to them than I was about the music
taken from @haku___official 2020.04.04
So you were anxious.I’m really shy, so that nervousness kind of drowned out everything else in the beginning. Plus, I’d joined right when we had to dive straight into writing an original song for a tournament our club was putting together, so that’s kind of where the conversation slowly started. Still, I remember how raw we were, like how obviously rough we sounded.
What sort of situations made you realize the difference between playing together versus playing as a band?We were surrounded by all kinds of bands — kids our age and older students at school — so I think I probably realized it from watching their live shows. The way they played together, that sense of being one as a band and the warmth and depth of their sound really struck me. Many of them were guitar rock bands, and everything — their playing, their gaze, their words — felt so direct and honest. Seeing those shows left a strong impression on me, and over time that hunch turned into conviction.
When did you start to feel you had your own sound as a band?There’s this old song called Mudai (No Title) that I wrote myself, and when we played it together as a band, I remember thinking, “This feels like Haku.” It just felt right. There was a sense of being able to be at our most natural — not too straightforward, just real — and that feeling really stayed with me.
Mudai (No Title) –Studio Session–
Haku.
2023
Haku.
2023
Honestly, almost as soon as we formed. We all had different tastes in music and hadn’t even talked about what kind of sound we were going for, so our club teacher came up with the name “Haku,” meaning white — the color that can be dyed by anything. Writing it in katakana was our choice, though.
When did you name the band “Haku.”?
It’s pretty incredible that you’ve been going all this time with your full original lineup. And to go on to a major debut...I never would have imagined it. Up until our third or fourth year, I didn’t really realize how special it was that we’d kept going this long. But now, in our seventh year, I finally understand how important that is.
Was there a moment in all that when you decided that music is what you wanted to do with your life?Our manager has been with us every step of the way since the moment we met. He got us signed with Space Shower’s label back before I had a clue about anything. Like, I told myself to “get it together” and take that to heart, but it’s easier said than done. I guess I didn’t know how I should be thinking about things, or where to even start. But each show would leave me with a bunch of things I wasn’t happy about, and those experiences gradually built up into an understanding of those words. So I think it wasn’t one specific turning point — more like I’m the type who picks up on things slowly over time. The rest of the band probably had those kinds of breakthrough moments, like maybe when we got booked at a venue they’d always wanted to play.