June 11, 2009
Warner Music Japan

Translated by Risako

Question: Tell us how this project started and why you thought of taking it.
Mike: When "What I've Done" was featured in "Transformers 1," We'd had a great experience with the director, Michael Bay and he invited and showed us the film (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen). Well, he was not really willing to show us the movie actually. I could understand that because we didn't want him to listen to incomplete songs or songs on the albums, so it's the same thing, but he showed us about 1/3 part of the film and we had to make a song which reflects the film, of course, keeping LP spirit. I hope we've achieved both goals.

Question: You said "LP spirit," but there're tons of fans out there expecting what you guys will do next and how hard is it? Does this reflects Linkin Park's next project in any ways?
Chester: This song can easily fit on any song of our records. It's definitely got a classic Linkin Park feeling to it. We've tried our best to make a great song, worked very hard in arranging and sound making, and even rewrote the lyric over and over.
Mike: Sorry!
Chester: And we've devoted ourselves to making this song like we do to making songs for our album. We spent so much time trying t o make the best song which could become the first single from the next album. It was nothing like "OK, use this song for the film!"

Question: When you make a concept album, it is similar to making a film, but how different is it from making a song for a film? Is there a big difference from making a studio album?
Mike: It something like this. Michael told us the basic idea of the film and it's gotten a little bit darker than the last one. If you like big explosion and CGI robots, you won't be disappointed. But this song reflcts the main character, Sam rather than the film's theme. In the beginning of the film, he goes on to college and experience some personal divide. As the story goes on, he experiences some "divide" which is the reason of the conflict between his past and future. In that part, I could find some connection between good lyric and good song. I could tell something I really think it's true. I'm not telling this for someone else. I'm telling this for myself. If you're honest to yourself, you can make some great song. With this kind of view, I got the idea of this song, "New Divide."

Question: You must have a lot of pressure, haven't you? We haven't heard Linkin Park for a while, so this is going to be the first masterpiece of you guys. Did you have a pressure that you had to make a song which could really become a hit?
Mike: Yes, what we're trying to make was...
Chester: We live under such a pressure every day. People expects you and you won't be able to meet their expectations, but you try your best...that kind of pressure.

Question: Let's talk a little bit more about "New Divide." Have you already shot the video?
Mike: Our DJ, Joe Hahn directed the video and it's a performance video. It's not like something symbolic, but it expresses dynamic collision between organic element and digital element visually. In this film, humans relates with robots, sometimes fight with them and sometimes get together with them. We had the same elements in this song and the synthesizer and sampling sounds are mixed with guitar and drum sounds. I believe this video shows this in the very latest way.