Bonjour Suzuki & RinRin Doll Share Their Message Through Lolita Fashion Billboard

SAKU no TORIDORI

Bonjour Suzuki is a singer-songwriter who has sung and produced music for anime, video games, films and more, showing his wide-ranging talents. RinRin Doll is a Japanese lolita fashion model and YouTuber who is active all over the world. Together, they form the unit Bonjour Suzuki & RinRin Doll.

On June 30, the duo released their debut single Carnival Dolls, featuring Bonjour Suzuki’s music production and RinRin Dolls’ lyrics and direction, placing the unit at the top of the list. The two separately enjoyed immense popularity in Japan and overseas in Japanese pop culture, and now they are combining their fields of music and fashion, opening new doors to the world. What message should these two share?

What made you two decide to form this unit?

Bonjour Suzuki: When I appeared at the Angelic Pretty (popular lolita brand) fashion show, I found myself drawn to these cute models with an irresistible allure. When I took a closer look, I realized that it was RinRin, who had modeled for several magazines and brands, so I was too nervous to talk to her. But I had another opportunity to know him through friends and we became close. I knew he could dance and perform, but when I heard him sing, his voice was so cute and charming, I immediately said, Hey! Let’s do something together! It’s natural for us to create units.

Can you talk a little bit about your roots and what you do?

Suzuki: I started studying classical piano when I was three years old. I also studied the koto, shamisen, harp and viola, among many instruments. My mom sang jazz, so I grew up listening to soul, jazz, Bossa Nova, and motown. I also have relatives in France so I also listened to a lot of French music growing up. I eventually learned French through music, film and anime, then went abroad to study language and music in the south of France. There, I had a vocal teacher who inspired me so much with her words that I still, to this day, reflect on her advice. After that, I started listening to more Icelandic, French and similar songs and discovered a new vocal style which is now reflected in my current style.

You do everything, not just vocals, but writing lyrics and music, performing music, and mixing?

Suzuki: Sometimes I have someone else do some of it, but usually I do everything myself. I’m a huge fan of French artist Emilie Simon, so I wanted to do everything myself too, and I started learning how to do it.

RinRin, when did you get into music?

RinRin: Since childhood I learned to play the piano and the guzheng (Chinese zither). I also like to listen to all kinds of music and studied music theory at school too.

Did you start modeling and posting on YouTube after coming to Japan?

RinRin: Yes. I started modeling for a famous lolita fashion brand called Angelic Pretty in 2009 for their catalog and fashion shows. I am also a dokusha model (influencer for print media) modeling lolita and street fashion in iconic subculture magazines such as KERA and Gothic Lolita Bible, among others. Starting around 2013, lolita’s popularity grew overseas and I was frequently invited as a guest to lolita fashion events and anime conventions around the world such as the Netherlands, France, Germany, Mexico, Canada, USA, Chile, Korea, China, Australia and so on. I noticed I often get a lot of questions about Lolita fashion and beauty, so I started a YouTube channel to answer frequently asked questions and post content that I hope people will like.

What kind of reactions did the two of you get from overseas audiences?

Suzuki: I sang, composed, arranged, and wrote the lyrics for the opening theme to the anime Yurikuma Arashi directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara, who is well known for his work. Sailor Moon R: Movies, and he has many fans around the world who listen to the song. People from countries like Germany, Russia, Spain, China, and Indonesia even covered the song in their own language! I’ve been making rap and electro songs with friends overseas, but when I started working as a soloist, I wanted to make songs that mix Japan’s unique kawaii culture with a more mysterious aesthetic to create a distinct feel. I was looking for a female artist that I could make this music with, so I happened to meet RinRin. I’d love for the two of us to come up with more songs that could be used to create a cute atmosphere for events like lolita tea parties.

RinRin: I get a lot of comments online asking about how I got into lolita fashion, what it’s like to work in Japan, what the latest fashion and beauty trends are in Harajuku. I found a lot of people who are interested in Japanese fashion and culture, just don’t know how to approach it and participate. I hope to inspire more people who want to try kawaii subculture fashion to be comfortable in expressing themselves. When I host lolita fashion tea parties (where everyone wears lolita fashion and drinks tea) overseas in person, I have the opportunity to talk to everyone face to face and find that usually everyone has an open and positive reaction. I also always ask to play Bon-chan’s music at these tea parties. It suits the atmosphere perfectly and everyone falls in love with it.

What’s the atmosphere like at this tea party?

RinRin: Depending on the show, it can be anything like a fashion show or a talk show, but I also make it a point to go table to table to have one-on-one chats with people about themselves and lolita fashion. No matter the country, people who attend tea parties see lolita fashion as a way to express themselves. They say that whatever hardships they may face, when they wear Lolita clothes, it makes them feel strong. Everyone loves having the chance to wear cute outfits in the reception area at a lolita fashion tea party, and there’s a tight-knit community every place I go. It makes me want to create more opportunities and safe spaces like this and support people who love cute style. Through our unit, I want to connect Japan and the rest of the world and show everyone how confident Lolita fashion can give.

What was the idea behind your debut song, Carnival Dolls?

RinRin: When I first heard the part of the song that Bon-chan composed, it immediately reminded me of fairy rings from European folklore. The story goes that if humans see a fairy ring dancing they will be lured into the ring to dance with the fairy and before they know it, two decades will have passed. I feel there is a connection between this story and today’s social media, where everyone seems to be having so much fun that the audience gets drawn into it and loses track of time. However, I also feel like there’s a momentary quality to staying in the moment and feeling like when we’re all together, let’s have fun and dance!

For music videos, we knew exactly who to bring in to produce the music video. Our friend, SAKUnoTORIDORI, who is an art director, set producer, photographer, and brand creator, is perfect for the image we are aiming for. He has a fairytale-like vision with all of his work and we are thrilled to come together as a trio to make this vision a reality.

Suzuki: In writing music, I was inspired by RinRin’s charming and fairy-like aura. When she told me about the fairy rings, I reworked the track to include a picture of the fairy rings. The song begins with the overture to JS Bachs Fugue in G minor, layering over classical baroque instruments. I brought my harp into the studio to play the track, and violinist Asuka Mochizuki played fiddle and viola, which we layered over the programmed track. We used our instruments to depict the image of RinRin dancing, like a fairy, in the forest, and arranged the song as such a sonic representation of the feeling the fairy rings gave her.

The lyrics are in several different languages, right?

RinRin: Yes, because we wrote the lyrics together, we used experience and language that we know. We hope people around the world have it. Oh, hey! the moment when the words they understood suddenly appeared.

Suzuki: French has a mysterious sound that creates a beautiful atmosphere, so we sprinkle it all over the room. Even one word is enough to create a vivid image. Just like how I learned French from listening to songs, I looked for words from RinRin’s English lyrics to use in my daily life, and I thought it would be great if people in English-speaking countries could learn some new Japanese words from the song.

What activities do you plan for this unit?

RinRin: I plan to continue doing lolita fashion tea parties, fashion shows, concerts and other events in Japan and overseas, in the hope that our music can create a safe space where we can enjoy community together. I also hope to work hard to become a bridge between Japan and overseas; and for more people to know about lolita fashion and kawaii culture.

Suzuki: I want to go with RinRin and perform at overseas events. I will also do my best so that one day our music will be used in anime or games.

This interview by Takayuki Okamoto first appeared on Billboard Japan