BAND-MAID's MIKU Kobato Talks About the Future and How the Band Decides on Album Names

With BAND-MAID taking a break from the middle of a nearly sold-out tour in Japan, Anime News Network had the opportunity to speak with its frontwoman, MIKU Kobato, at Anime Expo 2025.

Formed in 2013, BAND-MAID recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and released its most recent album, Epic Narratives, last year. The band is now gearing up to release a new EP this year, following their latest song "What is justice?," the ending theme for TOUGEN ANKI. This comes after BAND-MAID created songs for other anime, such as “Ready to Rock” for Rock is a Lady's Modesty and “Zen” for ZENSHU, the former of which the band was mo-capped for the show's music sequences.

Known for her quirky online and on-stage persona, MIKU uses a unique speech ending that mimics the sound of a chirping bird, which is “po.” In Japanese, the onomatopoeia, “po,” is commonly associated with pigeons, and she adds the sound to the end of her sentences to play into her maid persona.

During our time with MIKU, we asked her to reflect on her time with BAND-MAID so far, how she has grown personally from the experience, and what to expect next from the band. We also learned a bit about the band's creative process, including how the members come together to decide on album names.

Since your formation in 2013, what have been some of the biggest changes that BAND-MAID have been through?


MIKU KOBATO: Let's see, po, there have been many changes, po, but the first big change would be releasing the song “Thrill,” which set our style into hard rock like we are now, po. That was a big turning point because that song reached our masters and princesses all over the world, po. The next turning point was writing “Alone” as a band and debuting from a major label with that song, po.

The biggest turning point in recent years is COVID. Because of COVID, we had to cancel our tour, po. We are a live band, and our activities centered around touring places, so we had to switch to online shows, po. During that time, we also learned to write songs independently at home, and even when we were apart, we would share our songs online, po. We purchased equipment so that we could record at home, po. By doing that, our songs became more diverse, po. Being able to create music, even when we were apart, was very important, if not the biggest discovery, po. So, even though there were negative elements about COVID, something good came out of it, making it a positive turning point, po.

Going off that, how do you think you've changed as a person?

KOBATO: Before COVID, I didn't really record at home, but during that COVID era, I started looking at equipment that I could keep in my house, po. Additionally, I learned to practice on my own so I could learn more details and become more technical with my guitar playing, po. I purchased more equipment so I can record my guitar at home, po. I also learned to record my vocals at home, po. So in a sense, I was able to power up because of COVID, po.

The song, "What is justice?," was released on July 18. It's been chosen as the ending theme for the TOUGEN ANKI anime. Can you tell us a little bit about the song and what inspired it?

KOBATO: The TOUGEN ANKI's anime team approached BAND-MAID to do the ending song, po. When KANAMI, the guitarist, read the original manga, she felt that there were a lot of battle scenes, very cool battle scenes, po. She was inspired by those battle scenes and wanted to write a song that starts off with an intro full of powerful riffs, po. As for the melody, she wanted [vocalist] SAIKI, the vocalist, to be at an all-time high in every aspect, and that is why the melody is very technical. This song is technical in many ways, so I hope everyone will pay attention to that when listening, po.

BAND-MAID is also set to release a new EP later this year. Can you tell us a little bit more about it? What should we expect? What inspired you to make this particular new project?

KOBATO: Before this EP, we released an album titled Epic Narratives, which we called the new chapter of the band, po. Not only did we gain more things we wanted to show, but we also did three anime tie-in songs in a row after that, resulting in meeting new masters and princesses, po. We want to emphasize showcasing what we can do in 2025, so with this EP, we are focusing on that, po.

We have been doing this for the past 12 years, and within the realm of rock, we have done many genres of music, po. We want to showcase what BAND-MAID "royal road" is in this EP, po. It will be something full of songs that are very much in the BAND-MAID style, a band that has played all sorts of music, po.

Speaking of Epic Narratives, it was released last year. Can you tell me how the album has evolved BAND-MAID's sound from previous albums?


KOBATO: We spent the longest time making Epic Narratives, po. It took about three and a half years to complete all the songs, po. It is a history of our three and a half years, so every song has a story, po. Each song is about our daily life or band activity, and it is deeper than the other albums, po. During those three and a half years, we experienced COVID, returned to the world after COVID, did our U.S. tour for the first time in a long time, etc., a lot is captured in the album, po. Each member's values have changed, and of course, our equipment has changed as well, so it's more diverse than the previous albums, po.

I'm also curious about the names of your albums. If you look at the discography, you'll see that Epic Narratives, Unseen World, and CONQUEROR are very powerful-sounding. And I think that makes sense given the genre of hard rock music, but how do you decide on naming the album? Can I get your process for how you go about naming an album or EP? What is that creative process?

KOBATO: We usually decide the title at the very end, after all the songs are completed, po. We believe the title should have a visual impact, something that sticks with you, po. Additionally, the title effectively brings the theme and the album's image together, so we discuss it frequently, po. I usually come up with 10 or more ideas, po. I discuss the 10 ideas with SAIKI first and narrow them down to about three, po. We present them to the members, and then decide which one is the best title, po.

BAND-MAID has been on several tours globally over the past few years. What were your favorite aspects of touring, and which cities were particularly memorable to you?

KOBATO: When you tour the world, and even within the U.S., the reactions to a song from our masters and princesses are different in each city, po. The vibe of each venue is different, too. We all love experiencing those different reactions and vibes, po. Also, one that sticks out the most is when we did OKYUJI [what BAND-MAID calls their live performances] at Lollapalooza. It was a festival, not our solo show, but being able to perform at Lollapalooza was very memorable, po. The whole town became one big event, and it was our first experience to perform at such a huge festival, so it was an honor, po. We performed for an hour with no MC, during the hottest time of the day, so we were all out of breath, po. However, accomplishing that allowed us to push our limits, po. Because we performed that OKYUJI, it gave us confidence that we could do even harder OKYUJI, po.

If there is any country you have not been on tour where would you like to go?

KOBATO: I would love to go to many places, po. To visit all the places we've never been signifies world domination, so we want to explore the world, po. Personally, I would love to go to Australia, po.

Where do you see BAND-MAID going in the next five…maybe even ten years? 


KOBATO: We've done this for 12 years, so if you're thinking of a five-year and 10-year vision, there's going to be a 15th-year anniversary and a 20th-year anniversary, po. We also have to remember that it's gonna be the 10th anniversary of us as a major recording artist, po. We're always thinking about what we can do to make the masters and princesses happier, po. Also, SAIKI is hoping to host a BAND-MAID festival within the next five years, po.

After you release your new EP, which is coming later this year, would you be open to experimenting with other music? Or, is rock what BAND-MAID is set on?

KOBATO: In people's eyes, BAND-MAID songs are rock, but we are not confined to one genre, po. In fact, we are aiming for something that is BAND-MAID, po. We want to create a genre that is unique to BAND-MAID, so we are not limited to the idea that we have to play rock, po. We might play something in the future that is not considered to be rock in other people's minds. I don't know, po. You see, we do OKYUJI in Japan, where we play our songs all acoustic, so we want to play many different BAND-MAID songs in the future, po.