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.
