The following interview is submitted by Hyde-Chan. Thanks a lot~ ^_^

This just happens to be an Interview with Hyde that I found in my favorite shojo manga magazine called Shojo Beat. It’s around the time when he released his third (?) solo album FAITH. It’s a somewhat short interview so enjoy!
SB: Shojo Beat
H: Hyde
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SB: You are a well-known member of the band L’Arc~en~Ciel. What made you decide to persue a solo career?

H: In a band, all the members work together to complete songs, and by working together, they make the song change form. I believe that’s what band magic is. But after a while, I wanted to make music from my own world perspective. It took a while to come to fruition after I started thinking that way, though.

SB: Your new album is titled FAITH. How did you come up with that title?

H: When I put the ten songs together for this album, I thought the best way to summarize them was with the word faith. There are a lot of religious expressions in this album, so I thought the word that represented those things should be chosen.

SB: So faith is the message you want to convey with your album?

H: No, you have to look at each song individually. Faith can be understood in so many ways, and that alone will not lead you to the core of the songs. You actually have to listen to each of the songs to understand.

SB: How is FAITH different from your previous solo albums, such as 666 and Roentgen?

H: the atmosphere, the pleasure, of performing heavy songs, the enjoyment of a slow song, the feeling of missing an emotion such as passion, sweat, and so on—I put all the things I felt during my last solo tour, 666, and all of the things that were missing then, into making this new album. For the new album, I incorporated what kind of performance I wanted to give this time around.

SB: Your group L’Arc~en~Ciel (okay, first of all I got to get this point across even though I know u guys already know its not Hyde’s group first of all it’s Tetsu’s. He started the band from ground zero and they owe him A LOT) has performed in the United States, China, and Korea. How has your international recognition affected your work with L`Arc? How about a solo performer?

H: When our music reached out to foreign audiences, it was big deal for me to have the music transcend to borders…to have people from different countries learning our Japanese songs and singing along with us. I felt as if we became one through music overseas. I saved up each of those emotions within me. I don’t actually know how that has affected my new album, but I’m certain it had an effect (oh, it had an effect all right…).

SB: What made you decide to perform concerts in California this summer?

H: I think it’s because I’m confident about the sound I create. I really feel that Americans will connect with my hard rock sound…so if there is a chance and a place for me to perform, I’ll gladly be there.

SB: Will your performances in the states vary from those you’ve done in other countries? If so, how?

H: I usually listen to English songs, so naturally, I thought about writing songs that you can listen to alongside other English songs. It would be ideal to have you listen to have you to one of my songs on your Ipod, along the kind of music that you usually listen to, and have it feel completely natural. In parts where Japanese will flow better, although I prefer to use Japanese (What? That kinda didn’t make any sense…>_>). But overall, English just sounds better to me, with a flow that comes naturally.

SB: Do you read manga or any books?

H: I like the Harry Potter series (Haido, NO!), and I like NANA, Death Note, and manga like that.

SB: Is there anything else that you would like to share with your American fans?

H: For the first time, I recorded in Los Angeles and created a sound I really like. I can’t wait to do that album live in the states. Please come enjoy the show.

Courtesy of Shojo Beat