Kitri, the sister piano duet and vocal duo, will release their second major label album, "Secondo," on July 24th.

Kitri, consisting of older sister Mona and younger sister Hina, made their major label debut in January of this year with their first EP, "Primo," as newcomers on the legendary BETTER DAYS label, known for releasing Ryuichi Sakamoto's debut album. Since then, they've been selected as Spotify's "Early Noise Artist 2019" and YouTube's "Artists to Watch." Ohashi Trio was so impressed by their talent that they began producing them even before their major label debut. Despite their gentle personalities, they're an up-and-coming artist who never seems short of topics to talk about.



In this third installment of our interview series, which delves into the modern-day attitudes and mindsets of artists who are shaping a new era of rapid change, we spoke to the two of them. They talked about how they came to start their musical careers, the thoughts behind their new album "Secondo," and their thoughts on today's society. (Editorial Department)

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--Your speaking style and aura are very similar, aren't they?

Mona: That's often said (laughs). We often get mistaken for twins.

Hina: My sister is a little taller, so people can tell us apart when we're standing.

Mona: Hina is more confident. Even when I'm feeling down, she's the type to tell me, "It's okay, it's okay."

Hina: My sister is a sensitive type, and she's serious and hardworking. I think I should learn from that. Even though our personalities are quite opposite, our values are perfect.

--I heard that Mona started playing the piano at age 4. What was the trigger?

Mona: My mother originally learned the piano as a hobby, so I would go along with her lessons and sing along while watching educational programs at home, and I think that's when I realized she was interested in music. The first song she was able to sing was Mayo Okamoto's "TOMORROW," and she was singing it when she was 2 years old (laughs).

--What about Hina?

Hina: I started playing the piano at age 6. My sister would do everything with me, so I thought, "I want to try playing the piano too." I joined the choir club in middle and high school and took a break from piano lessons, where I discovered the joy of playing harmonies. I also admired YUI and learned guitar from my father. But I never imagined I'd form a unit with my sister.

Mona: We both played music we loved. I was a member of the after-school club, so when I got home, all I did was play the piano. It wasn't that my parents were strict, but I just vaguely knew I wanted to make a living from music. When my friends were having fun playing, I believed that it would benefit me someday. I felt inferior for not enjoying my youth, but I used that as energy to work hard.

Hina: I wasn't that good, but we had a few opportunities to play duets together. It was a lot of fun.

Mona: My piano teacher encouraged me to do it, saying it would be a good learning experience. Unlike singing alone, I didn't feel lonely at recitals, and the actual performances were a lot of fun. The songs we played on that occasion were "Circus Suite" and "Let's Play in the Park," and the joy of playing music that could only be expressed through duets using 20 fingers, and working in unison, led to the formation of Kitri.


--Are you a fan of Ohashi Trio, including your parents?

Mona: Yes. About 10 years ago, my family and I were at a cafe eating omelet rice, and this song came on in the background, and we all stopped what we were doing. We were like, "This song and this voice are amazing! Who is this artist?" So when we finished eating, we quickly asked the waiter and it turned out to be Ohashi Trio. It was probably the first and last time that the whole family suddenly met at the same time, so I remember it vividly. It's really amazing that you're producing us now.

--Apart from music, are there any other elements that have shaped who you are today?

Mona: I've always loved drawing, and apparently when I was three I would get up early and draw alone in silence. When I was in elementary school, I would write stories in my notebooks, like fantasy stories about a magic school, or stories where someone from school is the main character. Creating worlds that you come up with in this way may be related to Kitri's expression.




Hina: I love reading, so I think that's reflected in my lyrics. I'm also having fun studying sign language right now, and it's really helped me improve my expressiveness. The importance of using your whole body, not just your facial expressions and hands, has given me some ideas for live performances.




--Kitri is also visually striking, wearing matching red dresses.

Mona: Our unit name is taken from Kitri, a girl who appears in the ballet story "Don Quixote."

Hina: Kitri's classical ballet costumes are often red and black, so we used those colors as our motif. We had different versions of our clothes made to coincide with the new work, and the sleeve pleats on my sister's and my clothes are reversed, with a keyboard-like design that would stand out when we're standing side by side.

Mona: I think our musical style is a little mysterious, like we don't reveal everything, and we kept that in mind in our artist photo.



--Coming from a classical piano background, you might think you'd be drawn to instrumental music, but you ended up as a piano duet and vocal unit.

Mona: There are plenty of people who are good at just piano duets or just singing, so we came up with the idea of doing a duet and singing, something that no one else seems to be doing. Classical music is about accurately reproducing the composer's intentions, but I always enjoy creating my own music, and I thought that if we could use the piano playing and classical influences we've cultivated to convey harmony with our similar voices as sisters, we could make some interesting music. Hina: When my sister told me she wanted to form a unit, I was like, "That's so interesting! Let's do it!" We both had the desire to do something different.

--There are moments in Kitri's songs when you feel an uncontrollable urge.

Mona: That's how we started Kitri. When I was studying for university entrance exams to major in piano, I practiced classical music from morning until night, but it felt like I was just making music for the exam, and I started to wonder, "Is this really the music I want to make?" At times like that, writing my own lyrics, making music, and singing them was a great source of comfort. Since it was before the exams, I was secretly recording myself so my family wouldn't find out, but my mother found it when I'd thrown it in the trash on her computer...

Hina: It was the same computer our parents used. My mother is good at organizing things and always keeps it clean, so I think she just happened to find it (laughs).

Mona: I apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, even though you're a high school student preparing for entrance exams," but instead, she praised me, saying, "I listened to it and it was really good." That made me feel confident that maybe this is what I want to do. My family was my first listener.

Hina: My mother was so excited, she said, "Mona, you made an amazing song!" and played it for me. It was called "Rhythm," and it sounded like nothing I'd ever heard before, and I remember being excited just like her.


--You made your major debut at a time of great change. Is there anything you feel when you look at the world today?

Mona: The development of social media has been huge, hasn't it? While a single word can be well-received, it can also hurt someone. Because we can express ourselves freely, it may seem like we can say anything at first glance, but in reality, we live in a society where people are wary of one another and find it difficult to speak. I think this kind of difficulty in life is reflected in "Awakening" from our second EP, "Seconddo." Hina: In our music, we want to go beyond "reading the air" and express our true selves. Social media can be difficult, but I feel like there's actually a lot we can share when we talk face-to-face. --How did your new EP, "Seconddo," turn out? Mona: With so many different songs, I was worried about whether they would come together, but I was able to reaffirm that Kitri's music can be created when we sing and perform together. Hina: For me, the third track, "Dear," was the most challenging part, as it was my first attempt at writing lyrics. I was able to write lyrics that are very much my own, so I hope you enjoy them along with my sister's.

Mona: I wanted the lead track, "Law of Contradiction," to be compelling even as an instrumental, so I started by arranging it for piano. I then added vocals to create the image of a festival in an unknown country. As the lyrics say, "Let go of familiar rules," I also convey the desire to seek out new perspectives and broaden one's horizons without being bound by preconceptions.




--What would you like to do in the future?

Mona: I'd love to perform live all over the country. I'd also love to go overseas. I'm curious to see how people will react to our style. Apparently, people in the US, Taiwan, and Korea are listening to us on Spotify.

Hina: I want to expand my instrumental repertoire. I'd also like to study arranging.

--If you could go overseas, what place would you dream of going to?

Mona: I'd be happy to go to any country, but since I'm influenced by classical music, I'd like to perform in an old European castle one day.