Conveying Genuine Emotions Through Rock and Metal
Composer Division Pandora-P Interview ｜ Creating powerful music driven by emotion
Hello, it's nice to meet you! I'm Pandora-P, a music producer and arranger mainly focused on J-Rock and metal.
My music is built around energetic, heavy instrumentals with strong emotional intensity. Through my compositions, I hope listeners can truly connect with the emotions behind every song.
The moment music became my reason to move forward
I've been surrounded by music since childhood. I started taking drum lessons at the age of six, returned to playing drums during my teenage years, and later picked up the guitar in 2014. Around that same time, I also began composing.
In 2015, I went through a life-threatening experience that completely changed my perspective. It made me realize just how important music had always been in my life and gave me the determination to keep moving forward, even during the hardest moments.
Since then, I've wanted to share my passion with others, hoping my music can inspire someone else to discover their own love for music.
Songs that tell my own story
Two songs immediately come to mind.
The first is "Kaleidoscope." I wrote it as a way of confronting and accepting a part of myself that I had avoided for a long time. Although it was frightening, accepting that side of myself was necessary in order to become who I truly am.
另一首則是 《夢のレクイエム》，
The second is "夢のレクイエム" composed for the 2025 Honkai: Star Rail Multiverse Vistas contest.
The song portrays the profound sorrow of the character Castorice,
and both vocalists, AQUA+ and Reoni, delivered such heartfelt performances
that I still get goosebumps whenever I hear it.
Rediscovering creativity through enjoyment
Absolutely. Creative block—as well as impostor syndrome—is something I believe every musician experiences at some point.
Whenever I feel stuck, I stop focusing on specific goals and simply create music for fun. Removing expectations helps me reconnect with the joy of composing and naturally restores my creativity.
I also end up discarding roughly one out of every four songs I write. Not because they fail to meet my standards, but because I don't yet feel an emotional connection with them. Perhaps someday, they'll find the right time to be completed.
Sharing emotions beyond the sound
I hope listeners can truly feel the emotional weight carried by my music.
Although my instrumentals are energetic and powerful, the heart of each song is deeply emotional. I believe the lyrics play an equally important role in expressing those feelings.
If listeners can empathize with those emotions, then I've accomplished exactly what I hoped to achieve.
Creativity belongs to humanity
Personally, I think it's practically impossible for AI to truly replace human creativity.
AI follows patterns, rules, and prompts, which naturally makes its output more structured and predictable. Humans, on the other hand, have the unique ability to create harmony from chaos and aren't afraid to break established rules.
That willingness to experiment, combined with our emotions and life experiences, is what makes human music so rich, expressive, and impossible to fully replicate.
Great collaboration begins with communication
I always prioritize communication throughout the production process.
From the beginning, I try to be transparent about my strengths and limitations while maintaining mutual respect and responsibility. At the same time, I'm always willing to take on new challenges that help me grow as a musician.
My clients' satisfaction is extremely important to me, which is why clear communication and honesty are essential in every collaboration.
Fortunately, I've been lucky enough to work with clients who share similar creative visions, so conflicts have been relatively rare.
Every voice has its own strengths
Whenever I work with a live vocalist, I always ask for their vocal range first so I can support the best possible performance.
That said, I often prioritize creating an interesting and memorable topline over staying strictly within a comfortable range. To me, the topline is one of the most important elements of any vocal-driven song.
Virtual singers offer complete freedom without vocal limitations, while live singers sometimes require adjustments for practical performance. If needed, I'm always happy to modify the melody so it better suits the vocalist.
Creating something special together
My next major milestone is completing the compilation album I'm currently producing together with my group of friends.
The album will feature both brand-new original songs and some of our existing works.
As for everything else... that's still a secret. I hope it'll be a wonderful surprise for everyone. 😉
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