A Song for Two

Taka and Toru: are bandmates and are in love

Taka:

My name is Takahiro Moriuchi. I am the singer of the band One Ok Rock.

I started singing at a very young age, I can't even remember how old I exactly was at that time. Both of my parents are famous singers and I guess this is why I got the talent. I am brought up in a music environment which is the reason why I can play a few instruments growing up. I can play the piano, guitar and drums.

Toru:

I'm Toru Yamashita, the leader and guitarist of One Ok Rock. When I formed this band, I didn't even know how to play the guitar, which probably explains why I was the rhythm guitarist during the early years of the band until our lead guitarist left, I became the lead and only guitarist.

I have to admit that the transition from rhythm to lead is difficult, especially during live performances, but that's something that I enjoy doing.

How did you two met each other?

Toru:

After I formed One Ok Rock, which at that time was still a nameless band, I was looking for a vocalist at the same age as I. Then it happened that Taka was singing in a cover band. I met him in the live house he was singing in that night. He has a really beautiful voice and is very talented in singing but he was staring at the ground all the time during his performance.

Taka:

I was in a band that time when Toru approached me, that was after one of my performances in the live house. He told me that I have a beautiful voice and he was looking for a vocalist for his band, he then asked me to join his band. I was thinking, how can he just say something like that so bluntly and the fact that was the first time we met each other! So I told him I was uninterested with it. I was uncomfortable with his presence and didn't want to see him again. But he kept stalking and asking me, he even went to the restaurant I was working in and sat there all day until I agreed to go to their rehearsal. How annoying he was! (Laughs)

Toru:

Our relationship when we first met was never even close to the current relationship we are having right now. Our relationship was stormy, Taka was hostile towards me probably he was annoyed that I kept stalking him and asking him the same question over and over again. But things didn't change much after he went to our first band rehearsal. The members didn't have a good impression towards him, I was the one tearing apart between the members and him. It was tiring. As the leader I should be the one bringing everyone together but I didn't know it was so much tougher than I expected.

Because Taka was not close with any of the members, during the early years of the band he was with me quite a lot of times. One of the reason is that him and I are the main songwriters which explains why we spend a lot of time together writing lyrics, composing and arranging songs. He is the closest with me in the band and I can see he trusts me a lot. I know the reason why the members didn't like him at first, but if you get to know him well, deep inside he's a very caring person. He's one of the kindest person I've ever met, and I guess at that time it was only me among the other members who understands him well.

Who fell in love first? And why?

Toru:

I was absolutely devastated when I realised I had fallen for him, not because he is a man but because I know he will never feel the same way towards me. It's obvious that Taka is interested in girls and it hurts me seeing him hugging his female fans or even when he was only talking to them in a casual way.

II don't really remember when was the exact time that I actually fell for him, but I know I have been liking him quite a lot. I like the way he is cute and he can get extremely focused when he is doing something he really likes. His voice is so beautiful and I wanna listen to him sing again and again. That was all the crazy feelings that drowned me in, that got me so emotional thinking about it. I never felt that emotional in my life, and that was when I know, I'm truly in love.