Lisa13, The Luckiest Chick in Music
Lisa13 is a stylish Harajuku girl, and guitarist of all-female alternative metal band BAD BABY BOMB. When she’s not writing songs or playing guitar, you’ll find her roaming the streets of Harajuku looking for inspiration in her surroundings. Although she was born without a right hand, that hasn’t stopped Lisa13 from pursuing her dream as a musician. From fashion, to music and birds, read on to find out more about this punk chick who calls 13 her lucky number!
Please introduce yourself.
I’m Lisa13, a songwriter from the band BAD BABY BOMB (BBB), and a guitar player who was born without a right hand. I love birds!
Can you tell us about your band BAD BABY BOMB?
We are a 4 member band that came together in November 2019 in Tokyo. We are the evil princesses of the Japanese girl band world. Nicky is our lead vocalist, she’s half Japanese and half Pakistani. NaluchaRos is our leader and bass guitarist, and Kuro is our drummer.
Your stage name is Lisa13. What is significant about the number 13?
I was born 5 January in Heisei 7 (1995). Add up the date numbers (5 + 7) and you get 13. Plus, the artists and brands I like have 13 in their name, so I named myself after them. My name is also a combination of the number 1 which is the kanji used to spell the name of my high school guitar teacher, Ichiro Tanaka, and the number 3 which has the same reading as the kanji used to spell Bow Wow member Mitsuhiro Saito’s name.
Image courtesy of @zoigraph.
You are a guitarist and you write songs. How did you get into making music?
I started writing songs when I was in a band called Moth in Lilac. (It was before BBB.) My grandfather played the guitar in a band back in the day, my mother went to music school, and my father played the saxophone, so I have always been surrounded by music. I discovered X Japan and Tomoyasu Hotei in primary school and that’s when I knew I wanted to be in a band.
What inspires you when it comes to the music you make?
I love birds, so I’m inspired by the mated birds around the city when I write love songs. But when I feel like writing anything other than love songs, I take inspiration from what’s happening around me, and whatever music or movie I’m into at the time.
Who do you look up to in the music industry?
Hide, Tomoyasu Hotei, Ichiro Tanaka, and Mitsuhiro Saito.
What are some of the challenges you have faced as a female guitarist?
Honestly, I think men and women are on an equal footing when it comes to music so I haven’t really faced any challenges as a female guitarist. The challenge, if anything, has been standing out from the crowd on the day.
Image courtesy of Lisa13.
What do you want to convey with your music?
Sometimes I write deep lyrics that tell people to be confident and that they are the best. But other times I just write lyrics that are meant to be a bit of fun. I don’t want to make you feel one way or another with my music because I’m the kind of person who likes to figure things out for myself, so I make “aesthetic” or “mood” music that you can interpret however you want.
How would you describe your personal style?
My personal style is basically black. I like cute and scary things. I try to be flexible with my music, fashion and relationships so that I can broaden my horizons. When I incorporate something that’s in fashion, I add a lot of my own touches to put my own spin on it.
Top 5 fashion must-haves?
Artificial hand picks, sunscreen, vitamins, birds, and black clothes.
Image courtesy of Lisa13.
What are your future goals and dreams?
In terms of the band and music, I think BBB is something Japan has never seen before so we just want to take it to a higher level. I have met athletes, musicians and models who have lost a limb like me, but I have yet to meet someone who has my style or musicality and is doing what I do.
The media seems to be doing a pretty good job at covering the sports world. But I think it would be great if we could give people with disabilities, including their family members and carers, opportunities besides being paralympians, models and so on. So, I’m going to do my best, [as an amputee working] in the music and entertainment industry, to bring some attention my way.
Any last words?
To our fans and all of the people who have learnt a bit about BAD BABY BOMB because of this interview, please stay healthy and watch out for COVID-19. Please don’t chase the pigeons on the street, eat well and I hope to see you soon! Thank you very much!
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Introduction and questions by Choom, interview translated by Anna.
Featured image courtesy of Takashi Yoshida.