Radwimps Discuss Their Work on Weathering With You in Exclusive New Interview

Radio in the U.S. might be obsessed with pop music, but there is growing branch of music sounding off these days. In the past five years, music from overseas has surged through western pop culture from Latin to South Korean. Nowadays, it seems like Japanese music is beginning to make its name known, and the band Radwimps is at the forefront of that movement. And thanks to Weathering With You, the group is becoming more popular in the U.S. by the day.

Recently, ComicBook.com got the chance to speak with Radwimps about their involvement with Makoto Shinkai's latest movie. The band first shot to fame overseas thanks to Your Name, the first breakout film which Shinkai oversaw. Your Name has since become the highest-grossing anime film to date, and Weathering With You is tracking even better with U.S. audiences. So if you want to see how Radwimps approached this movie, you can check out our exclusive interview below:

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ComicBook: Firstly, how did the band get involved with Weathering With You? Did your work on Your Name lead to this film in any way?

Yojiro 
Noda: I received the script about a year after Your Name was released. I was asked, "After reading the script, did you think of any music?" A few months later, I handed the director two of the main songs.

ComicBook: The band's work on Your Name elevated your popularity to all-new heights. Was it difficult or challenging to deal with that change?


Noda: Luckily the collaboration with Your Name came about after working in the industry for over 10 years after our major debut. So even if there was a little hesitation with the success, we are still doing the same thing, which is to create the music we like. So our mindset of just continuing what we've been doing for 10 years hasn't changed. In fact, we feel like we got more freedom to do what we like, and we were given more leeway to create our own music.

ComicBook: Weathering With You has some core story elements in common with Your Name, but it is a very different film. How did you all as a band approach making music for this movie?


Yusuke Takeda: We utilized what we learned during the production of Your Name to create the background, which is the music and sound, carefully and meticulously.

ComicBook: It is impossible to pick favorite track from Weathering With You, but what is one song which really stood out in production? For either good or bad reasons?


Takeda: I love "Grand Escape." I think we were able to express the climax of the film right when the chorus part starts.

ComicBook: How do you feel the Weathering With You soundtrack differs from Your Name? What would you say its key features are?


Akira Kuwahara: I think the biggest difference is that Toko Miura's singing is included. It was great because it differentiates from the last film.

ComicBook: In the same way K-pop is gaining popularity in the United States so is Japanese music. Do you take your global fans into account when making music? What message do you have for international fans ahead of Weathering With You's release?


Kuwahara: We haven't gotten the chance to meet the American fans yet, so we'll work hard to be able to have a tour in the United States soon.

ComicBook: Finally, what song are you all most excited for fans in the U.S. to hear from Weathering With You?

Kuwahara: I want them to hear "Is There Still Anything Love Can Do," "Daijobu," and "Grand Escape."

Takeda: "Grand Escape." I think we were able to express the climax of the film right when the chorus part starts.

Have you seen Weathering With You yet? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!