You might have seen the announcement through Mikaru’s own social media accounts already, but in case you haven’t…
This upcoming Saturday, March 27, at 10 PM Japanese time Mikaru will do his very first radio show on G.L.A.M.S’ YouTube channel! (For people living in the Central European Time zone this will be at 14:00/2 PM local time.)
Hearing about this I of course had some questions for Mikaru, and I’m sure some of these were questions you were wondering about yourself. Since a lot of us overseas fans don’t speak (enough) Japanese to follow what is going on in most of the livestreams artists do on YouTube and TwitCasting nowadays. And this is something Mikaru knows too, so he’s going out of his way to accommodate both Japanese and overseas fans in this dual-language broadcast.
But we’ll get to all the important information about where to be and what else you can do in a moment. Let’s see what Mikaru has to say about this new project of his first!
Let’s chat!
The very first question seems pretty obvious doesn’t it? Why did you decide to do a radio show?
Mikaru: It’s for a special plan. It will be revealed in the radio show itself. So please come and check it out! Hohoho♪
You’ve chosen YouTube as your broadcasting platform, but TwitCasting is a lot more popular in Japan. Why did you choose YouTube? Did you want to make it easier to access for overseas fans?
Mikaru: I think there are many people who aren’t familiar with Twitter or TwitCasting. YouTube on the other hand is used all over the world, so I think this would be easier for everyone.
Let’s talk a bit about the broadcast itself, since I think a lot of people want to know if you’re going to do the show in full English, full Japanese, or a mixture of both?
Mikaru: I will do it in both English and Japanese. I’m sure my brain is going to be very confused and explode… Help me.
You’ve asked fans to send you questions to answer during the show, but are you planning on doing anything else too?
Mikaru: Is there anything you want me to do? I can kiss you through the radio waves. I have that magical power…
While fans could send you questions in advance, there’s also a chat next to a live broadcast. Can they ask questions or give you feedback via the chat too (as in, will you read the chat?), or is it more intended for fans to talk with each other during the broadcast?
Mikaru: I will read the chat. So please write a lot! But the main thing will be my talk. I recommend listening with headphones.
Is your broadcast really going to be “radio only”, or will you be showing yourself through a so-called facecam as well?
Mikaru: This time it really will be “radio only”. I might do video (facecam) on another occasion. It’s because I’m shy! It’s true!
Do you have any idea already how long you want this first show to be? Since it’s going to be quite a challenge for you, especially since you’re doing it in both Japanese and English simultaneously!
Mikaru: This is the very first time. So I plan for it to be around an hour. Please listen while drinking coffee with sweets.
Future plans – “We Want More!”
Do you already have more radio shows planned for the future, or is this first show a test to see how it is received, and will future shows be decided based on how much interest you get from fans?
Mikaru: After this radio broadcast I will think about any future broadcasts. If everyone (and especially me, myself) enjoyed it I would like to continue to do one every once and a while.
Assume you’re going to make fans very happy with this radio broadcast and it will be enough to make you decide you’ll do more in the future, how often would you like to do them? Once a month maybe?
Mikaru: If I do more it will be once a month.
For this first episode you’ve asked your fans for feedback: what would they like you to do?. Will you continue this format in the future, like having fans make requests for the content of your radio show?
Mikaru: For now I have nothing planned for any future shows. So I want to hear from all of you! What would you like me to do? I accept questions, requests, consultations, etc. Everything really. Everyone can make a suggestion for the show!
Are you planning on keeping any possible future broadcast a “one-man-show” like you are planning on doing this first broadcast, or would you like to invite other musicians on the show as guests as well?
Mikaru: Yeah! That would be nice! Who do you want me to invite? Lily?
(* Mikaru has two pet rabbits, Lily and Mimi. He’s referring to one of his rabbits here.)
YouTube Membership – Welcome to the G.L.A.M.S family!
With this very first radio show you’re also opening YouTube Membership for G.L.A.M.S’ YouTube Channel. What made you decide to open Membership? Does this mean you’re planning on using YouTube more often for updates?
Mikaru: That’s exactly it. I’m thinking of using YouTube more from now on. Membership is, so to speak, the G.L.A.M.S family. Would you like to join my family too? My name is Don Mikaru Corleone. I’m waiting for your participation!
When fans join the G.L.A.M.S YouTube channel and become part of the G.L.A.M.S family they will of course get a cool badge, but what else can they expect from membership?
Mikaru: I would like to upload a lot of photos and videos that can only be viewed by members. If I come up with something else in the future there will be more members-only content.
These were all my questions about your new project for now… So to end the interview, do you have anything you’d like to share with the readers as a final message?
Mikaru: Thank you for this interview that supports my new activity! I hope to see you all at my radio broadcast this upcoming Saturday, March 27!
When, where, how?
Like I already mentioned earlier, Mikaru’s radio show is going to be on Saturday, March 27 2021 at 10 PM Japanese time on G.L.A.M.S’ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQT3Dw6azDJBxkqaVdNzTdg
(10 PM is 14:00/2 PM in Central European Time, since this is just before we switch to Daylight Savings Time.)
But now to the fun part: this is where you come in. Literally.
Mikaru already mentioned it various times in his interview, but he’s looking for any questions you have for him that he can answer during the show, but also other suggestions and requests on what you would like him to do. Instead of making a schedule all by himself he’s really looking for the feedback from his audience to get an idea of what they like and what they well, don’t like.
Any questions, suggestions, requests or ideas can be sent to this email address: glamsofficial@gmail.com (And yes, you can send them in English!)
* There’s of course no guarantee that your question or idea will be picked, but if he plans on doing any radio shows in the future he’ll definitely keep them in mind for those broadcasts.
G.L.A.M.S family
Membership for the G.L.A.M.S YouTube channel will be opened at the same time as the radio broadcast. Mikaru plans to use the YouTube channel for exclusive updates that won’t be available on his other social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). So for unique, exclusive photos and videos turn your attention to the YouTube channel.
Of course he’ll continue to use his familiar social media channels too, don’t worry!
Follow Mikaru and G.L.A.M.S on social media
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雪 (Yuki) is the owner and driving force behind Arlequin.
She originally started the project in 2009 as a photographer under the name of Arlequin Photography, but developed an interest in journalism and translation ever since. Because of these interests interviews and reviews were added to the project, until it eventually hit the limits as a "photographer" in 2021, and Arlequin Magazine was added to the mix.
雪 (Yuki) is a native Dutch speaker with a graphic design degree, which means she is also the main person behind Arlequin Creations.
After all these years she is still the main person who does interviews the interviews and live photos that you see on Arlequin, but also a large chunk of the reviews and behind-the-scenes work and communication goes through her.
She speaks Dutch and English on a native level, but also understands Japanese and German.