The first incarnation known as BAND-MAID® was formed in july 2013 by Singer/guitarist Miku Kobato, a former employee of a Japanese maid café. Via an internet search Kobato found lead guitarist Kanami Tōno, who had performed as a singer-songwriter before. She suggested Akane Hirose for as the drummer for the new band. In return, Hirose suggested bassplayer Misa, which she knew from music school.
Band-Maid's first performance was on24 July 2013 with Kobato on vocals. Shortly after the band decided to add a real singer to their group. After some auditions they decided Saiki Atsumi to be their lead singer.
The group performed as a five-piece for the first time at the Shibuya-AX "P Festival" on 22 August 2013.
Since their formation, Band-Maid has regularly performed live at various venues around the Tokyo area. The group released their debut mini-album "MAID IN JAPAN" in January 2014. Later this year, the band released their single Ai to Jōnetsu no Matador ("Love, Passion, Matador" internationally) and in November 2015 their second mini-album "New Beginning" followed.
In May 2016 Band-Maid released their third mini-album (and first major label album) "Brand New Maid" and in October and November the band went on their first tour which took them to Mexico, Hong Kong, and six countries in Europe.
In January 2017, Band-Maid released their first full-length album "Just Bring It".
In February 2018, Band-Maid released their second album, "WORLD DOMINATION".
Shortly after, in April 2018, Band-Maid made a debut as their side project name, BAND-MAIKO, with the release of the side project's debut single, "secret MAIKO lips". In April 2019, the side project released an album with the title of "BAND-MAIKO", consisting of "secret MAIKO lips", accompanied with 6 other songs.
In December 2019, Band-Maid released their third album, "CONQUEROR".
In January 2021, Band-Maid released their fourth album, "Unseen World", this being their most recent full-length album.
In September 2022, Band-Maid released their fifth album, "Unleash", being their first "mini-album" since "Brand New Maid".
Members:
Miku Kobato (小鳩 ミク) – rhythm guitar, backing vocals, occasional lead vocals (2013–present)
Kanami Tōno (遠乃 歌波) – lead guitar, backing vocals (2013–present)
Akane Hirose (廣瀬 茜) – drums, backing vocals (2013–present)
Misa (ミサ, stylized as MISA) – bass (2013–present)
Saiki Atsumi (厚見 彩姫) – lead and backing vocals (2013–present)
Play
BAND-MAID Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
準備出来たら
let's be playing like a game
始めよう starting
踊らされるくらいなら 全て
to fire 壊して
本能に 逆らうな
Try now !
mine 止められない誰も
I know I can do it きっと
I know I can do it もっと
play ... shout out ...
oh raise your voice!!
(shake body !)
Say
yeah yeah yeah yeah
lalalalalalala
wow wow wow wow lalalalala
(Be more existent !)
狙い定め let's go higher
happiness (there is no way out)
anger (It's gonna be all right)
sadness (let go of your mind)
全部飲み込め
Take off (there is no way out)
Get on (It's gonna be all right)
with life (let go of your mind)
(shake body !)
play me 飛び越えてく暗礁
mine 怖がることなどない
I know I can do it きっと
I know I can do it もっと
play ... shout out ...
oh raise your voice!!
(shake body !)
Say
yeah yeah yeah yeah
lalalalalalala
wow wow wow wow lalalalala
(Be more existent !)
限界まで let's go higher
俯くな mistake yeah !
play me 動き出した感情
mine 止められない誰も
I know I can do it きっと
I know I can do it もっと
play ... shout out ...
oh raise your voice!!
(shake body ! Hands up !)
Say
yeah yeah yeah yeah
lalalalalalala
wow wow wow wow lalalalala
(shake body ! Hands up !)
どんな花だって どんな人だって
永遠じゃない いつか散る
囚われないように
時を刻んでく living
倒れるまで Don't stop fighter
The lyrics of BAND-MAID's song Play are an invitation to let go of inhibitions and embrace life with a playful attitude. The singer encourages the listener to tap into their instincts and not let anyone else dictate their moves, to let their desires and emotions guide them. This is emphasized by the lyrics "踊らされるくらいなら全てto fire壊して" which translates to "If you're going to be danced around, break everything to fire." The idea being that it is better to destroy what is holding you back than to continue living as a pawn. This message is further reiterated with the lines "本能に逆らうなTry now!" which means "Don't go against your instincts, try now!".
Throughout the song, the lyrics alternate between Japanese and English, and the refrain encourages the listener to "raise their voice" and "shake their body". These lines inspire the listener to become more present and more alive. The song is a tribute to living in the moment and taking risks. The line "狙い定め let's go higher" which means "Aim higher, let's go!" is an invitation to not settle for the current state of things but to strive for something more.
Line by Line Meaning
Feeling Desire Heartbeat
The person is feeling excited and passionate, with their heart beating faster.
準備出来たら
When you're ready,
let's be playing like a game
Let's approach this like a game.
始めよう starting
Let's get started.
踊らされるくらいなら 全てto fire 壊して
They would rather turn everything to ashes than dance to someone else's tune.
本能に 逆らうな Try now !
Don't fight against your instincts. Try now!
play me 動き出した感情
Their emotions start to move them.
mine 止められない誰も
No one can stop them.
I know I can do it きっと
They know they can do it.
I know I can do it もっと
They know they can do it even more.
play ... shout out ...
They want to play and shout out with joy.
oh raise your voice!!
They encourage others to raise their voices too.
(shake body !)
They want to dance and shake their body!
Say
Say it out loud!
yeah yeah yeah yeah lalalalalalala wow wow wow wow lalalalala(Be more existent !)
They want everyone to exist and be more present with them.
狙い定め let's go higher
They focus and aim high to achieve their goals.
happiness (there is no way out) anger (It's gonna be all right) sadness (let go of your mind) 全部飲み込め
They want to embrace all emotions, including happiness, anger, and sadness.
Take off (there is no way out) Get on (It's gonna be all right) with life (let go of your mind)
They encourage others to take off and get on with life, letting go of their worries and letting their guards down.
(shake body !)
They want to dance and shake their body!
play me 飛び越えてく暗礁
They want to play and jump over the reefs.
mine 怖がることなどない
There's nothing to be afraid of.
限界まで let's go higher
They push themselves to their limits to aim higher.
俯くな mistake yeah !
Don't bow your head down. Even if there's a mistake, it's okay.
play me 動き出した感情
Their emotions start to move them.
mine 止められない誰も
No one can stop them.
I know I can do it きっと
They know they can do it.
I know I can do it もっと
They know they can do it even more.
play ... shout out ...
They want to play and shout out with joy.
oh raise your voice!!
They encourage others to raise their voices too.
(shake body ! Hands up !)
They want to dance and raise their hands up in the air!
Say
Say it out loud!
yeah yeah yeah yeah lalalalalalala wow wow wow wow lalalalala
They want to express themselves and have fun with everyone.
(shake body ! Hands up !)
They want to dance and raise their hands up in the air!
どんな花だって どんな人だって 永遠じゃない いつか散る 囚われないように 時を刻んでく living 倒れるまで Don't stop fighter
They remind themselves and others that nothing is eternal no matter how beautiful or strong it seems. Time keeps moving forward, so they want to live and fight until the end without being trapped by anything. Don't stop fighting!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Kobato Miku
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@exavolta
The trio is no doubt impressive, but they were already well-skilled when band the band started. It's about refinements for them.
But for the other two, we can see how much they have improved.
Miku, who started knowing nothing other than some singing, has become a significant power on the stage (can't forget that she does the heavy-lifting behind the stage).
Saiki, who was pretty robotic early on, and kind of didn't how to show / push her potentials, has become more comfortable with taking over the stage and extracting more of her vocals.
I am happy that I am witnessing their developments.
@rosefaye5850
If anyone is interested in knowing the meaning of the lyrics, I translated this track yesterday in both my native tongues, English and French.
English Translation of Play:
Feeling, desire, heartbeat
Whenever you’re ready
Let’s be, playing, like a game
Let us begin, starting
It’s like being manipulated into dancing
To fire, destroy it!
Don’t fight your instincts
Try now！
Play me, come alive with emotion
Mine, No one can stop it
I know I can do it surely
I know I can do it more
Play, shout out
Oh, raise your voice (Shake [your] body)
Say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
La, la-la, la-la, la-la
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
La, la-la, la-la (Be more existent)
Aim at the target, let’s go higher
Happiness (There is no way out)
Anger (It’s gonna be alright)
Sadness (Let go of your mind)
Swallow it all together
Take off (there is no way out)
Get on (It’s gonna be alright)
With life (Let go of your mind)
Play me, jump over your limits
Mine, there’s nothing to fear
I know I can do it surely
I know I can do it more
Play shout out
Oh, raise your voice (Shake body)
Say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
La, la-la, la-la, la-la
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
La, la-la, la-la (Be more existent)
Aim at the target, let’s go higher
Don’t look down, [it’s a] mistake, yeah
Play me, come alive with emotion
Mine, No one can stop it
I know I can do it surely
I know I can do it more
Play, shout out
Oh, raise your voice (Shake [your] body, hands up)
Say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
La, la-la, la-la, la-la
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
La, la-la, la-la (Shake [your] body, hands up)
Every flower, every person
Cannot live forever, will wilt someday
It’s like being caught up in the moment,
The clock is ticking away, living
Until you die, Don’t stop, fighter
(I've copy pasted my English translation here [minus my footnotes] just because it is the most spoken language of the two but if anyone is interested in my traduction en Français I have both up on my lyric translation blog: https://rosesjrockandmetaltranslations.wordpress.com/2020/08/12/play-band-maid-english-and-french-lyrics-translation/)
@johnp.johnson1541
@@jamespeterson3460 Increasingly, Bland-Maid sounds like a cover band of themselves. All of the latest tracks like Smile and Corallium sound like do-overs of everything since "Different" was released in late 2020.
Before, and for many years of their short career, Band-Maid were a cover band, but of songs written by professionals. At least then, they had some diversity in songs.
Meanwhile, a slew of all-girls Japanese rock bands have a richness in their respective catalogs and this is owing to far superior musicianship than the girls who dress up in sexualized maid costumes, a gimmick band that is kind of JPop (Kobato, Atsumi) and kind of rock (Hirose, Misa), with an ex-lounge singing acoustic guitarist trying to play rock guitar in a very limited, formulaic way.
To hentai weeaboos, they hear that as "Band-Maid sounds like Band-Maid."
As they are all over 30, they will be done in a few years, thankfully.
@830m7
以前、彼女達を「化け物集団」と評してるコメント見ましたが、それは褒め言葉にしても女性に対して失礼だろうと思ってました。が、【進化】を観てて自分もそう思って来ました。彼女達は「とんでもない才能の化け物集団」だと。メイド服着てると思って油断してたら魂持って行かれました。
@davidcooper8064
I am 57yr old. I need my oxygen bottle for these girls !
@juniorgeorge8033
I'm a 40 yr old homeless punk rocker from California. I'd give anything to see Bandmaid live.
@irenefromredvelvet
U still homeless?
@juniorgeorge8033
@@irenefromredvelvet no I'm in Arkansas now
@sp4cegrl27
@@juniorgeorge8033good for you dude, keep your head up 🩷
@yykimoto
The bass. The bass. The bass. Not boomy not trebly, juuuuust right amount of overdrive giving the rich thick boost, the short slide she uses to go up to the first note of the bar, the spacing between that first note the second and driving for the rest of the bar, like you're gunning your motorcycle engine, making this tune drive drive drive wham into your face. I'm dead.
@blinkger
The simple fact that they start the song with the bass and drums and that you can distinguishly hear the bass almost through the entirety of their songs got me yesterday when I just said "fuck it, let's see what this recommendation I keep getting is about".
@yykimoto
@@blinkger Yeah. It's already like I don't know how many times I've replayed this and different takes / variations of this song, each and every time is like "Damn, that basssss!"
@reyc9192
The only thing that makes this song sounds heavy is because of the bass guitar and drums combo. The other two electric guitars not so much. If you are a fan of a heavy rock band, not necessarily looking for a true heavy metal sound, this band is for you.