Shibuya De-chu! Post-Recording Interview - Pre-2001

This is the translation of an interview Kyoy on Maayas.net discovered through...to be honest I am not sure how he stumbled upon it as the interview and webpage are at least eleven years old. Maaya is studying for her university entrance exams which puts her at around 18 years old. She was 32 this year!


View the original interview and photos here.


To put the interview in some sort of context, it looks like this was the post-recording interview from one of Maaya's rare TV broadcasts - they do exist, mostly from her early career. It has only been more recently that she seems to have been on TV more often. So Maaya was on a TV show with a comedy duo (Manzai!) and someone called Ikezawa-san but I can't seem to find any more information about the broadcast on the original website apart from the TV show being called Shibuya De-chu.


However, I DID stumble across the Maaya Sakamoto section of the Seiyuu Collection (Voice Actor Collection) event from 1997! If you do your maths you'll realise Maaya was very, VERY young. I was still in primary school when this was happening, which is weird.


OK! So, with that, here is the translation of the interview Kyoy requested an English summary of. Enjoy!


Note: In the original interview, the interviewer's name is a short-hand version reading Dai but I don't know who this refers to so I have just turned it into 'interviewer' below.

EDIT: Thanks to roxfan, this interview can now be dated to October 17th 1997.


* * *

Interviewer: First of all, can you tell me what you thought of the program?

Sakamoto: I was nervous as this is the first time I’ve recorded a show with an audience like this.

Interviewer: How did it compare with Voice Actor Collection (Seiyuu Collection)?

Sakamoto: Well, Voice Actor Collection didn’t involve TV so I was able to just be normal but…I’m glad that there were others with me!

Interviewer: How are your university entrance exams going?

Sakamoto: I’m studying! But I have to go to bed early tonight as tomorrow’s our sports festival (laugh)

Interviewer: What did you think of Jarhythm? (the comedy duo)

Sakamoto: They were really nice people… Watanabe-san (Atsumu Watanabe) looks like Ken Morita, doesn’t he! (laugh)

Interviewer: Is there anything left you’d like to say?

Sakamoto: No, not really…oh wait, I have an announcement! I’ve been invited to my first university campus festival. On Sunday, November 22nd I will be performing for the Kyushuu Institute of Technology’s Information Technology Department. If you’re nearby please come along!

Interviewer: This is the first time you’re going to a campus festival?

Sakamoto: Yes. I’ve always daydreamed about what campus life would be like. I’m really looking forward to it, I want to have lessons in a big lecture theatre with someone talking into a microphone!

Interviewer: What is the school festival like at your school?

Sakamoto: Each homeroom does things like open coffee shops, or their drama club puts on performances, or we create a haunted house…My class made a pancake stand which was really popular (laugh).

Interviewer: Today you look very grown up with all that makeup.

Sakamoto: Usually I don’t wear make up so when it’s heavy it really stands out! The make-up artist did it for me but to be honest even I’m surprised at how I look! (Laugh)

Interviewer: OK, finally, please give us a message for your fans.

Sakamoto: When I’m talking by myself I can just go at my usual pace but when I am in front of people I get really nervous and can’t really be Maaya Sakamoto. I think I relied on Jyarhythm and Ike-zawa-san too much…

Interviewer: You don’t need to worry about it too much, your good points definitely came across!

Sakamoto: Really?

Interviewer: Definitely! We hope to see you again in future. Thank you very much!

Natalie Power Push Interview 19th October 2011 - Part 2 (End)

Here is the second and final part of the Natalie.mu interview on Maaya's three releases at the end of last year. This part focuses on 'Driving in the silence' and it really gives an in depth view of some of the songs. Particularly 'homemade christmas' and 'chikai'. If you have time to comment, please do. I'd love to hear what you think about Maaya's comments and how you feel about the album and songs in general.


Interview/Text by Masaki Usuki

Original Japanese Text and Interview Natalie.mu Power Push

October 19th 2011 

* * *

I can sing a Christmas song that matches my own idea of Christmas

── Finally, let’s look at the album which brings these three releases to a close: ‘Driving in the Silence’. This is your third concept album, continuing on from 2001’s ‘easy listening’ and 2007’s ’30 minutes night flight’.

Every few years or so there will be something in me that says “it’s about time.” ‘You can’t catch me’ was an adventure, collaborating with lots of different people, so with this CD I wanted to try a different way of working. And if I was going to make a concept album next then I wanted it to be seasonal, to be something that completely fell in line with a certain time of year. And the season I like best is winter.

──So you felt the timing was right.

Yes. I really love Christmas but I’d never sung a proper Christmas song before. Somehow it seemed embarrassing, like, is it really ok for a Japanese person to be singing this happy Christmas song? (laugh) I didn’t know how it would sound because I’m not the type of person to put out a love song or party song ‘just because it’s Christmas.’

──’Fuyu desu ka?’ (from 2005’s ‘Yuunagi LOOP’ album) was a bit of a curve ball, wasn’t it?

I like Christmas albums by other artists and listen to them quite a lot but I never thought about doing one myself. But then I thought, well, I can sing a Christmas song that matches my own idea of Christmas. Just putting one song into an album would be a bit embarrassing so right from the start I liked the idea of a full album that you can only listen to in winter.

An image of a minimalist, indoor winter

──My impression of the album as a whole was that it sounded like winter: each and every note sounded like crisp, winter air.

I kept saying to the arranger Shin Kono that the whole album had to be ‘winter’ and he really expressed that wintriness. Even for a single word like winter or Christmas, everyone has slightly different ideas of what they mean. For example, my image of ‘everyone getting together’ [i.e. in ‘homemade christmas’ lyrics] is not a lot number wise, but being in a small room surrounded by the most important people in my life. It’s a very minimalist, indoor image.

──So it’s not a winter going out and having a wild time with lots of people.

No. And after I said that, the musicians were like “Oh, I see, I see” and “Being at home sounds nice”, playing spoons as percussion instruments (laugh). As everyone got into it and came up with a lot of ideas together I think the sound became really interesting.

──Do you usually have an indoor Christmas? Is that what you prefer? 

Yes, it is. It’s definitely what my image of Christmas, New Year and winter should be. Going a bit off topic now but I can’t imagine ever putting out a summer album.

──Ha, ha, ha.

After explaining that “This album is going to come out in the winter” and “This is a winter song”, when everyone played their instruments they all expressed different ideas of what winter was to them individually. And I think that thanks to that you really can’t tell we recorded it in the middle of summer as it sounds so cold (laugh). I was listening to it on my way here and right from the intro it brings winter to you - to the point where I was thinking, “I want it to get colder soon!”

──Do you have an image of the scenery it matches?

Taking a walk in the cold city on a winter night…In my head it’s Omotesando (laugh). That kind of scenery floats up. Also, there are a lot of hand claps on the album, so it sounds to me like everyone is gathered round the fire having a good time. I think it brings a lot of different things to mind.

── Personally, I think the progression of the keyboard in ‘Sayonara Santa’ really makes me feel like it is winter. This is the first time you’ve worked with Rasmus Faber, isn’t it?

Yes, it is. I originally listened to Rasmus’ cover of my song on his album and that’s how I discovered him. I thought his arrangement was really cool. As I was going to be releasing an album in winter…it was a rough image but I thought ‘Northern Europe!’(laugh). I put in a request to him with the simple thought that if I want something that sounds like Northern Europe I ought to ask someone from Northern Europe to do it. And I got the OK (laugh). When we met I was throwing out all these random things like, “It’s winter,” and “It’s indoor.” He replied with something like, “Well, I’ll make some songs then if you like them you can have them.” He sent three songs a few days later. At first I was planning to choose one but I fell in love with all three so I used all of them!

A lot will happen next year but I’m sure we’ll be OK

──I feel like with this album that your style of singing and the arrangements were quite different to your other works up till now. Did you consciously set out to challenge yourself with something new?

I often say this when I make a concept album but it’s like shooting a short film. There’s a storyline, a cohesiveness that moves in a single direction etc. The direction of the whole thing is set so it is like I am playing a character inside that world. I didn’t really set out to challenge myself with something new specifically but I think because it feels like taking on a role it is possible that I was able to show a side of myself that no one has seen before.

──To give a specific example from a sound angle, I was surprised by ‘homemade christmas’ - it has this retro, electric sound that I don’t think you’ve done before.

Even at the demo stage it was a tricky, interesting song. And Mr. Kono’s approach with it was really unexpected – that he had this side to him, to make such an all over the place arrangement! (laugh) It was really fun singing it.

──The melody and the sound both seem difficult but the lyrics are surprisingly straightforward for you, singing about Christmas.

Well, there was a thought that since I’m saying that this is a ‘winter album’ there has to be at least one Christmas song in it. And as a song coming out for Christmas 2011 I wanted to say that “next year a lot of stuff will happen too, but I am sure it we’ll be OK.” It was a song that I sang for the sake of those final two lines. 

To get married is for one of you to witness the death of the other

──This album also contains your second self-penned composition ‘Chikai’. Your first song ‘everywhere’ (contained on her 15^th anniversary best of album ‘everywhere’) was created while you were traveling alone in Europe. How about this one?

‘everywhere’ taught me the enjoyment that one can find in composing and I wanted to compose more and more but I never really consciously set about doing it and sort of left it going, “It’ll come to me when it comes.” Then my tour which started in the spring was put on hold and my other work was also put off or cancelled completely…I spent the whole time at home, anxious about the tour and about what would happen in the near future; my feelings were all over the place. After a few days I finally went outside and when I was speaking to people at the office who had gathered for the first time in a while I thought, “Why am I such a standstill?” It was replaced by the thought that “I mustn’t stop creating things.” I don’t have a stage now and I can’t go to the studio but I have to do something! It’s times like these that I have to create something! (laugh) At the time it didn’t really have any lyrics but that is how I composed the song.

──I’ve spoken to a lot of artists recently and all of them speak about the effect of the earthquake.

While winter’s fun with Christmas and everything, the nuance is that it is the season that is waiting for spring; winter is the big trial we all must go through before spring comes. I feel like winter brings something out in me. Every year winter will come to an end, seasons that won’t suit my album will come. But next year winter will come again…In that way, no matter how much I want to stop and stand still I will be swept away, as time moves forward steadily there’s no choice but to be swept along with it. In this song what I wanted to express was that there is no way that I can be left in winter forever. Spring will come and I will live in spring, summer will come and I will have to live in summer. Because no matter what happens winter will end. Someday it will be spring, someday it will be summer. I feel like I must experience all this and bring everything to a proper close with my own two hands.   

── Yes, yes.

I think that everyone sings to get across their own message. I also feel like there are things I want to leave behind in tangible form. I got married recently, and I think that it has come home to me that I will witness the death of someone, the deaths of the people closest to me. What’s someone who just got married doing talking like this? I know, I know (laugh) But I really thought about it, you know. Getting married means that one of you will have to be there at the death of the other. I know I shouldn’t be putting the two together but it’s just like when you have a pet (laugh).  

── Ha, ha , ha, it is (laugh).

Pets are very healing for us but the day will come when we realize we have to bring them into the house to nurse them and so we can be with them and send them off in death. I’m not saying marriage is exactly the same (laugh). But when I thought about it and that my parents and their parents have all lived this same cycle, it really became reality to me. No matter how sudden it is, I can’t allow it to stop me going forward; I have a responsibility that after I have seen that person off properly in death I mustn’t allow my own life to be lost. That’s how it should be, that’s what I thought after all the things that happened in this half year and I think it comes out in the lyrics.

That’s the sound of a pencil hitting the corner of the sofa…

──Did you have any problems creating the melody?

Strangely no. But the song I wrote myself ended up being the hardest to sing (laugh) When I tried singing it I was thinking ‘this is hard, where am I supposed to breath?’

──I see (laugh) But maybe that was in itself something special that wouldn’t be found in the work of a more experienced composer?

Well, when I gave the demo to Mr. Kono, as I couldn’t sing and play at the same time, and at home I don’t have anything like Pro Tools, I recorded just the vocals, then just the piano, everything was separate and I just handed it all over, like ‘here you go’. To demonstrate the tempo I hit the corner of the sofa with a pencil while singing. That sound was kept for the intro of the song (laugh).

──That’s a pencil and a sofa?!

Mr. Kono is always like that, he always takes pains to keep little things, like maybe a piano melody I was tinkering with. This time he kept the sound of me hitting the sofa (laugh). When I listened to the final version it sounded like the hands of a clock and I don’t think anyone would have ever known it was someone hitting a sofa.

──I think know I know it will sound completely different when I listen to it.

Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything (laugh).

Summer exists in my iPod

── You said that you couldn’t imagine putting out a summer album but have you really never made something with a summer concept till now?

(Straight away) No. I don’t like summer.

──So you never get into the summer mood after listening to good music?

Of course I have songs which I want to listen to in summer and there’s even a folder on my iPod labeled ‘summer’ (laugh). But my songs aren’t really included. I don’t think they suit summer. I wonder if I need to sing a summer song for all those people with their parasols up.

──2011 has been high pace for you, what with two albums and two singles. Do you have any ideas for what’s coming next?

I have a general idea of what is happening next year. I’ve actually been making a lot of music for some time, just taking my time on each track. I’m not just churning them out all at once (laugh)!

Fin.

Natalie Power Push Interview 19th October 2011 - Part 1

It's been a while since I posted an interview translation, this one from late last year covers both singles and the concept album so I've split it into two: one for the single content and one for the 'driving in the silence' related content. You can expect the next part some time in the near future when I finish translating it. I came back to this interview after discussing 'Driving in the silence' with Frecklegirl and decided I needed Japanese practice anyway so here we are! 

Enjoy!

* * *

Maaya Sakamoto concluded the fifteenth anniversary of her debut with the release of her album ‘You can’t catch me’ in January. Just when we thought she was winding down after the completion of her largest album tour to date, we received news of a new release. Not just that, but that it would be two singles and a concept album consecutively.

This singer and voice actress has created music at a somewhat laid-back pace up to this point but with her fifteenth anniversary has been delighting her fans with a high-pace, aggressive activity schedule. Natalie interviewed her about her current state of mind and what went on behind the scenes of the these three new discs containing thirteen tracks in total.

Interview/Text by Masaki Usuki

Original Japanese Text and Interview Natalie.mu Power Push

October 19th 2011

I wanted to dive into SPF’s world

── The album that you released in January, ‘You can’t catch me’, had so much content that one could say it was like a fifteenth anniversary compilation. With that in mind, I had expected you to leave more of a gap between that album and your next move…but in less than a year we’ve got these two singles and an album – pretty energetic.

Since last year a lot of activities were compiled and pulled together with my fifteenth

anniversary: the concert at Budokan, the release of my best of album. But I didn’t like the thought that this year, this point in time would be the peak and that the next year would be quiet again. We actually decided this year’s schedule about a year in advance and while we were doing it I was thinking, “You all think this is the most exciting year but next year’s going to be even busier!” (laugh)

──Well, I think everyone is surprised (laugh). Today I’d like to talk to you about your three new releases in order. First, let’s look at your single ‘Buddy’. I tried imagining the various directions that you could go, what kind of songs might follow “You Can’t Catch Me”, but collaborating with School Food Punishment (from hereon SPF) was certainly out of the blue.

This was the first time I’d actually met them in person but I’ve always thought that their sound is really cool. I received a request to sing the opening for the anime first, and while we were in the process of talking about what kind of music would be good and how to match it with the world of the anime while expressing how I feel now and I came up with “what about collaborating with SFP, for example?”

──It’s quite an aggressive sound, was that your original image of what you wanted?

Yes, I wanted something with a bit of an impact. I don’t think SFP have done work composing for another artist before so initially I wasn’t sure if they would be interested or not but happily they agreed to take the project on.

──When they were composing the music did you tell them what image you had regarding the world of the anime?

Rather than telling them about what the anime was about, I asked them to try making music the way they normally would. At the most I asked for something up-tempo, but I wanted to dive into School Food Punishment’s world, you know? Apparently the elaborate strings section in the track was something they added based on the impression they’d got from listening to my back catalogue.

Informal, with a fine balance

── The coupling track “Something Little” was composed by Ryo Tsukamoto, who supports Ohana Youmoto., and the arranger was Ryuuji Yamamoto, who usually composes for Yuko Ando. I felt like this was another brand new chemical reaction.  

What I ordered from Mr. Tsukamoto was something with completely different nuance [to this song]. I wanted something with the feel of an Ohana Youmoto song: slow, acoustic. I got the song that I had imagined but when I thought about what I wanted in an arrangement for a coupling track to “Buddy” I decided that I wanted more of a fine balance in the sound, something relaxed and informal, not forcing itself on the listener…so I asked Mr. Yamamoto for a slightly different arrangement.

──Looking at the credits one might imagine an acoustic track but it’s very fresh. It brings to mind the soft rock approach of the 1960’s and 70’s.

I think Mr. Tsukamoto was also surprised (laugh).

──It’s a real b-side; I like it when you can enjoy the coupling track as a contrast to the main title song. This is pretty much my ideal “B-side track”.

I know exactly what you mean! I also think this is what I think a b-side should be. (laugh).

Maaya Sakamoto x Yumi Matsutoya

──And then one week later will be your second single release “Okaerinasai”. This follows on from your cover of Yumi Matsutoya’s “Yasashisa ni tsusumareta nara” which was the opening theme song of last year’s “Tamayura” anime OVA, and is a number composed by Yumin. How did this collaboration come about?

When it was decided that “Tamayura” would get a television series I was asked if I would sing the opening song and the director’s request and the image that I myself had was of something that was a continuation of “Yasashisa…”. Something sort of nostalgic, that was drawn from that anime’s world view. Something that sounded traditional, that would never age. If Yumi Matsutoya composed it I was sure that it would be the closest we could come to that ideal, and I wondered whether we could make it happen. I knew she was in the middle of a tour and while I knew she was busy I pulled myself together and asked her – and she said yes! When we met she gave me her feedback on my album and really threw herself into it. I was really, really happy.

──It really is a timeless, warm track – it makes you think ‘so this is what a collaboration between Maaya Sakamoto and Yumi Matsutoya would sound like!’ You wrote the lyrics while Ms. Matsutoya composed the song; how exactly did you go about creating the track?

Well, for this song we had a clear request from the director Junichi Sato from that start that: “I want you to make something using the theme ‘welcome home’ (okaerinasai).” And when I first spoke to Ms. Matsutoya she said that “I’m definitely going to write a melody which brings to mind the words ‘welcome home’”. I waited for the melody to arrive, imagining various possibilities about what sort of lyrics I would write and while it sounds strange to say that when I first listened to the track I thought, “this is exactly how I thought it would sound”, it was more that I’d been waiting for this song! Everything came perfectly, it fitted, it was really moving. It was just a piano demo but I wanted to keep the simple, warm arrangement and we made the track to reflect that analogue feeling.

A song I love as a Yumin fan first and foremost

──Did you feel any pressure writing lyrics for a Matsutoya song?

Of course! At the start I felt like “whatever else happens, I’ve got to write good lyrics!” but once I had found what I wanted to write inside me I was able to write the lyrics without worrying too much.

──The coupling track is another cover of Matsutoya’s, “A HAPPY NEW YEAR”.

Last year was the first time I’d challenged myself with a cover so I did want to try it again. And when I thought about what sort of song would fit as a coupling track I thought a Matsutoya song would be best. I didn’t want to ruin the original song’s beautiful vocals and atmosphere so I decided not to change the image of the song too much.

──It’s a New Year song with a unique atmosphere; it doesn’t have the hustle and bustle that’s characteristic of New Year but it’s also not making a grand gesture of the ending year and the coming year, it’s a New Year song which has a very special atmosphere. It starts with that floating melody that doesn’t die down, not progressing from A to B to the chorus. Like it’s quietly touching down. I can’t get enough of this ‘Yumin magic’.

I know, right? Yumin’s…I always called her Yumin, Yumin but now we’ve actually met in person I sort of hesitate to call her that (laugh) But first and foremost I love this song as a Yumin fan.

To be continued...

'Driving in the silence' no.3 on Oricon with 17,590 copies sold

Well done, Maaya! Her new concept album has entered the top three on Oricon to chart on the weekly album ranking with 17,590 copies sold. Excellent news!

Another piece of good news is that Maaya is featured on the cover of CDJournal for December and the picture is super pretty! November is going well so far! Lawson Tickets also have an interview up on their website with a nice photo taken in Ireland.

'Buddy' and photobook released and special Natalie.mu interview

As the title suggests ^^;; there is a special long interview up on Natalie.mu here.

A swift look over, something that caught my eye was that 'homemade Christmas' from the new concept album is apparently electronic. Now that is something interesting to look forward to. I'm not sure if I've said this on the blog but the first Maaya song I ever heard was 'Getsuyoubi no asa' from DIVE. What a way to start my Maaya fandom! I was completely under the impression that she was some kind of indies electronica!

Currently listening to the 'Buddy' single, and 'something little' is a very soft coupling track. Maaya has said it is supposed to balance out the fierceness of 'Buddy' and it certainly is a change of pace. It's sweet. On to the live tracks!

EDIT: the live CD is pretty sweet. Maaya sings so well *_* and the arrangements are great!

October 2011 Yorimo.co.jp Interview Translation

A rush of new songs from Maaya Sakamoto, she opens her heart to us:
"I want to surprise people more. I keep thinking how greedy I am.” 

5th October 2011
Originally published on Yorimo.co.jp

Singer and voice actress Maaya Sakamoto’s (31) steady advance cannot be stopped. This month she will release two new singles, followed by her third concept album on November 9th. Since marking her fifteenth anniversary last year she has increased her activities, and has just finished this year’s tour of the country which ran from spring to summer. Despite announcing her marriage to voice actor Suzumura Kenichi in August, she has no desire to slow down. I asked her just what was going on.

“Life revolving around work hasn’t really changed at all.”

In August of this year Maaya announced her marriage herself through a message on her official website. The marriage between two popular voice actors caught many fans by surprise and immediately after the announcement Twitter and other forums were overflowing with both words of congratulations and surprise.

　── Congratulations! Has anything changed since you announced your marriage?

"Thank you! Before we announced it I was nervous as I didn’t know how everyone would react. But I was glad that I got to tell everyone in my own words [through her official website] and I was really happy as the amount of congratulations and blessings we received exceeded my expectations. I’ve been working everyday and both right before and right after the announcement I was still in the middle of recording so in terms of my daily work life nothing has really changed at all. I didn’t even move until recently and until then I just continued living alone as normal *laugh*. We’re both active as individuals so having a life that revolves around work is something that hasn’t changed at all really."

── Will there be anything different, such as the content of your lyrics, now you’re married?

"The source of energy I use as the basis for my lyrics is the feelings and experiences that make up my everyday life, but I haven’t really written them until now with the intention of making them autobiographical so…I think that by announcing my marriage there are going to be people who will read my life into the lyrics as an autobiography; but whether something you create reflects your own experiences or not, well that’s a different topic altogether. If marriage influences my values then I think that the effects of that will come through naturally but right now I can’t think that there will be much difference. I think that maybe more than me being different it might be the opinion of the person interpreting the lyrics that changes *laugh*. I would like them to be flexible in their interpretations of what I make as it’s not always going to be about me! *laugh* "


Consecutive releases of new songs including a song written by Matsutoya Yumi

Last year she held a successful solo concert at the Budokan and her most recent original album, ‘You can’t catch me’ went to number one on the Oricon chart. She then got married but it seems as if her creative urges have only increased. Both of the new songs unveiled for her two consecutive singles in October are surprising in that they feature very unique collaborations which Maaya herself put forward. For the first release ‘Buddy’ (19th October, theme song to the animation ‘Last Exile: Fam of the Silver Wings’) Maaya collaborated across Record Label boundaries with popular electric rock band School Food Punishment, a band who Maaya says, “I thought were really interesting.” It is a rare Maaya song, reverberating with a fresh, intense electronic beat.

"It’s difficult because it has a tricky melody but singing it feels amazing. Working together closely with the band during the recording I felt really good and I was able to have fun singing."

And for the second release, ‘Okaerinasai’ is a new song which has been composed by none other than Matsutoya Yumi (on sale 26th October). The compatibility between Yumin’s music and Maaya’s high tone voice has already been proven with Maaya’s previous cover of ‘Yasashisa ni tsutsumareta nara’. Her voice when singing ‘welcome home’ is like a gentle embrace, and I am sure that in these current times that is something which will sink into the hearts of listeners in Japan. It is featured as the opening theme song of the television anime ‘Tamayura –hitotose-‘, set in Hiroshima’s Takehara. (On air from October on AT-X, TOKYO MX)

"So much has happened this year and I think everyone has been thinking hard in their own way about it all. I also have lots of things that I want to tell people through what I create, but rather than putting out something written clearly in strong language I want to sing it in a song like this. I hope that listeners will find something if they listen through the song to the end."

"Matsutoya-san is an artist who I’ve respected and admired ever since I was a child, so I honestly never thought that the day would come when I would get to work with her. But when I plucked up my courage and asked her, she readily agreed to taking on the job and listened to my last album, praising the lyrics. I was so happy. In a meeting we had Yumi-san said, “I would like to live in a way that feels like a ‘welcome home’.” I wrote the lyrics thinking that it is nice that there are so many different kinds of ‘welcome home’, not just the kind when you arrive back at your house."

Popular Northern European DJ Participates in a ‘Winter’ Concept Album

As well as her seven original albums, Maaya has also released concept albums at several intervals in her career. It’s a project that she enjoys: “I work on the album as if I were shooting a short film, overseeing everything.” The third in this series of concept albums is ‘Driving in the silence’, to be released on November 9th. With winter as its theme, this is her first album to take a specific season as its subject matter.

"Winter is my favourite season but I could never get used to the idea of just putting one Christmas song into an album, so I've never sung one until now. But this time I was thinking it would be nice if I could make an album that people could listen to just in winter. My personality is more suited to spending Christmas quietly at home, being thankful for what I have rather than getting excited and being busy. I try to imagine who Santa Claus might long for, what his first love might have been like when he was young."

One thing that stands out in this album is the participation of the globally popular Swedish Producer/Composer/Club DJ Rasmus Faber. Upon his arrival in Japan, Maaya approached him and requested him to write a song for her.

Rasmus is well known by animation fans in Japan and is known for his jazz arrangement album of anime songs. Maaya also encountered him thanks to his jazz arrangement cover of her song ‘Yakusoku ha iranai’.

After agreeing to compose, Rasmus passed on three tracks which had been written together with his friend Frida, saying “You can use any of these you like.” But “I liked all of them” and so Maaya ended up recording all three tracks. Those three new songs, including ‘Sayonara Santa’, are somehow filled with the scent of Northern Europe, with mysterious, lyrical melodies, the beauty of which when combined with Maaya’s bitter-sweet lyrics are sure to knock out any Western music fan.

"I think it was a good collaboration, the melody develops in an interesting way which is somehow different to something a Japanese composer might have come up with."

Why she held concerts after the March 11th Earthquake

In December Maaya will hold an almost daily series of concerts over five days at Tokyo’s Tennozu Isle to present her concept albums. While she has admitted in the past that “I can’t do concerts!”, she is an unbelievable performer.

── Have you ever had a year with so many concerts?

"No, never. I guess I started to like concerts…It’s fun and being up on stage has become really natural to me. I’ve become able to stand on stage while staying true to myself. I feel like I have been able to reduce the space between myself and the audience as much as possible."

The Great Tohoku Earthquake occurred right in the middle of her last tour. March 11th was the day of her concert in Fukuoka. Following unaffected performances in Aichi and Osaka, Maaya wrestled with whether to put the Tokyo Nakano Sun Plaza performances scheduled for the 30th and 31st on hold in the atmosphere of self-restraint [in Japan following the earthquake] but then decided to take action.

This writer was fortunate enough to take part in the concert on the 31st. The large-scale set was cut, and between songs on a simple stage lit with minimum lighting and powered by a mobile electricity generator, Maaya explained why she decided to go ahead with the concert: “On my radio show I received an email from a young listener in Sendai asking me not to talk about sad things, but about happy things instead.” Even if it was only a little, she wanted to help cheer those whose hearts were in pain. Isn’t that what music is for?

Maaya also wrote on her official site: “Like a cook making food, or a florist selling flowers, going on as normal. I think that that will lead us to long term support. Those who can live their lives as normal should continue to do so. My daily life and my work is singing, acting, creating and bringing that to you.” Maaya Sakamoto was probably the first Japanese artist to hold a large concert in Tokyo in the days following March 11.

── You certainly made a big decision.

"Everday the situation was changing from one minute to the next; there were problems with power the power supply and it was a difficult decision as we didn’t know when a big aftershock would come. But the staff really understood that and we shared the responsibility together. We also had the understanding of the people who came to see the concert and had a full house. I really thought there would be more cancellations but in each venue we were met with warm applause. This was a tour that was created from everyone putting their ideas together. We announced that we would put the tour on in this way and that we would return the money of people who could no longer come, and then left it in the hands of those who could still make it to decide for themselves. It must have seemed harsh to request each person to take responsibility for themselves like that. But because each of them asked themselves what they really wanted and found either “I want to listen” or “I can’t right now” and decided upon that I think that it was right move at that time."


　── By coincidence the last stop on the tour was Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture on June 15th.

"I received flowers saying, “Thank you for coming – from all the fans in Senday.” There were lots of messages that were actually encouraging us. I really think that I was really cheered up by that."


“I married him because he doesn’t say that.”

　── It seems like since getting married you’re accelerating your activities more and more.

"I want to challenge myself, even in concerts there is so much I want to try out or haven’t had the chance to do yet. Last year I tried to put my energy into trying out lots of different things because it was my fifteenth anniversary, but since then I don’t really feel like I want to slow down at all. I want to surprise people even more in my sixteenth year, I want to entertain them. I wanted to be busier in my sixteenth year [than my fifteenth]. And that really happened *laugh* I’ve been able to have fun with different ways of presenting myself that people didn’t expect. Though I have a schedule of plays and concerts for this year and for new year I’ve already started thinking about next year. I keep thinking how greedy I am *laugh* I feel like I don’t want to be someone who says “I’ve really calmed down after getting married in my thirties” *laugh* It never runs out, this feeling of wanting to try things I haven’t done before as Maaya Sakamoto, there's still so much…"

　── Does your husband never say, “It would be nice if we could spend a bit more time together?”

"I married him because he doesn’t say that. *laugh*"

（Original Article Research and Text by Yorimo Editorial Desk – Yamato Taro）

Full 'Buddy' PV, new interview and photos of 'J'eanne de Arc' Pamphlet

Bit of a random collection of news, but that's Wednesdays for you!

First up, Ara ma they didn't! has posted up a full version of Maaya's 'Buddy' PV here for your enjoyment. That was a nice surprise! It looks like someone ripped it from a Japanese television broadcast. Check it out! It would have been cool if it had somehow linked to the 'okaerinasai' music video at the end but it's still a pretty ok video. 'Himitsu' was the best Maaya PV so far I think - it had 99% amazing shots.Where as the yellow feathered thing she flaps in the chourus is...well, you can decide for yourselves.

Song is still awesome. 

Secondly, there is a new interview up at Yorimo about the new string of releases (singles, album and photobook!) with some lovely photos - including a very Red Riding Hood-esque shot in front of a castle. Awesome!

Finally, I mentioned that next week Maaya will be on stage again in Tokyo in the Recita Calda production of 'Jeanne d'Arc' and there is a pamphlet available if one orders in advance. You can see a preview of inside the pamphlet here if you scroll down a bit. It looks pretty!

EDIT: Did a quick look over the interview and there is one quote that is really good when she's talking about how marriage hasn't slowed her down and she actually has more and more she wants to do:

Interviewer: Does your husband ever say: "It'd be nice to spend a bit more time just you and me."?

Maaya: "I married him because he doesn't say that *laugh*"

 Aww, it's nice he's supportive of her work!!

'Kara no Kyokai' Interview with Maaya Sakamoto

Roxfan over at Maaya's has posted up a great big translation of an interview that was included in the Kara no Kyokai anime BluRay boxset. It's uploaded to his site here.

The following (P26-29) is an interview between the Garden of sinners Co-creators Takashi Takeuchi (Character Concept) and Kinoko Nasu (Original Story) along with Voice Actress Maaya Sakamoto (Shiki Ryougi). The three provide insight and introspection to the novels and the theatrical chapters, as well as reflect back upon their experiences during the movies' various production stages.

Let's all say thank you!

'Kimi to Boku' PR: Maaya dreams of her hamster...

Just to round off the Kimi to Boku theme this blog has had over the past few entries, the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper website had an interview with Maaya last week on her role as the voice of Ginougo. A lot of it was pretty much in the same vein as all the other pieces I've picked out but this was so sweet I had to post it:

When we ask her about her own memories of keeping a pet she reveals that she had a hamster when she was in primary school, and even now it appears in her dreams at times, such as when she’s tired. “[A pet’s] life is limited but if I think about how they will always be there in your memories, what they leave behind is a sense that they will always be with you because the time that you spent together was so special,” said Sakamoto, revealing that her precious pet lives on in her heart.

Aww...

One of my cat's died a couple of years ago, his sister is still going strong at 18 (that must be something like 100 in cat years!) so that's 18 years of my own 24. Definitely an important part of my life.

Source: Mainichi Shimbun online interview

'Kimi to Boku' PR Event - "I had no worries at all"

As an excuse to post this rather lovely photo of Maaya and Aoi Nakamura together with the Ginougo cats, Takashi Kubota (director of the movie) said the following of casting Maaya in the film:

© ENTAME~TERE

“Regarding Ms. Sakamoto, I had no worries at all. When I heard it for the first time during recording my heart was struck by the purity and innocence of her voice, so I’m glad that she was able to join this production.”

Source: ENTAME-TERE Film News

EDIT: Another report of the interview and photos of the event at CloseUp NetTube.
EDIT no.2: Zenzouren.com report - apparently one of the cats plays Ginougo, the other is that cat's kitten.

'Kimi to Boku' PR event - "I want to take it home!"

More photos and another report of the event have been published on the Movie Collection website, and the report features some really nice pieces that the others missed. The photos are different too, so please go take a look if you have a moment. The kittens look like a handful!

(C)Movie Collection

One question which surfaced during the Q&A was whether Maaya or Nakamura had ever owned a pet. Nakamura replied that his family currently own a dog, and...

When Sakamoto answered, "I had a hamster when I was an elementary school student," it got a laugh from the reporters and Sakamoto's expression was surprised: "Why are you laughing?"

Apparently when she was holding the kitten Maaya also said, "I want to take it home!" Then, regarding the appeal of the film her comment was: "I think you can really empathise with it. Even the author of the original picture book (Yamagara Shigeto) cried during the dubbing session."

Sounds like the kleenex might be needed...

Source: Movie Collection

'Kimi to Boku' Photos and Interviews all over the place

A promotional event was held for 'Kimi to Boku' and accordingly photos and articles have sprung up all over the net. Really, REALLY adorable photos of Maaya and that Nakamura boy who's also in the film holding the Ginougo kittens (*_*) Maaya would look pretty with or without the cat, of course. But with a kitten is always better!

©moca news

Nikkansports.com, has a nice group shot and the portion of the Q&A they chose to focus on was the fact Nakamura and Maaya had never heard of each other before working on the film together! Actually, all of the articles seem to like including this confession!

Nakamura smiled wryly as he said, "Well...this film was the first time [I knew about her]", and Maaya also said apologetically "I didn't know who he was either...sorry. I don't usually watch television that much."

At least they were both honest!

Cinematopics.com also reports this exchange, but also has a different set of photos (similar though) and a slightly longer extract of the Q&A session. Here are some of Maaya's answers:

―――Playing a cat?
Sakamoto: This was my first time to play a cat, and because I got to watch the film while I was performing I had a fun time acting.

Eiga.com has a photo and small report too, as does Cinema Today where the Director comments that Maaya was 'perfect' for Ginougo. Going on, there's a photo and tiny article at Daily Sports Online - just a 'this happened' sort of article.

The voice actor news site MoCa News is the gold mine, really. As not only do they have some of the talk but they also have a variety of photos of Maaya (including the one in this post) which you can enjoy.

―――Regarding the process of making 'Tegami' for the theme song:

Sakamoto: I read the script and the original story book, thinking about what sort of song would linger in the mind after seeing the film. I wrote it as a message from Ginougo to the boy who is the main character. I'm really happy because they included a portion of the lyrics from 'Tegami' in the film itself.

Although, now that I look closely, does anyone else think that the kitten in this photo looks slightly evil? "Yes, world domination!"

And finally, there's a slightly longer interview about the movie with just Maaya on the Walker Plus website here. There's some promo photos from the 'You Can't Catch Me' album (which, amusingly, they've called 'You Can't Touch Me' in the article!) and some photos of Nakamura and the kitten from the film itself.

Enjoy!

EDIT: Another report and more lovely photos of Maaya at the My Comi-Journal website.

Lawson Ticket.com YCCM Tour 03/2011 - Bits and Bobs

The previous interview I posted up from Lawson Ticket.com for the YCCM tour had a little section for interesting bits and pieces from the interview that didn't get included in the main section. It contained a couple of things you guys might like to read. It's just a short one.


One-liners – Interesting bits and bobs from the interview
Original Japanese text here.


“The chorus being over forty different channels was like having to hit 1,000 balls.”

The new album ‘You Can’t Catch Me’ brilliantly landed at no.1 on Oricon’s Weekly Chart.

In fact, the methods when recording twelve tracks with twelve combinations of creators and artists were quite varied: “The way Kano Kaori arranged the chorus was really interesting, I had to record on forty different channels for the outro chorus. Argh, it was like having to bat 1,000 balls in a row! (laugh) Then there was Suzuki Shoko’s track where Shoko, the members of the band and I recorded us playing the castanets using a really analogue method."

There was also the unique Manshin Brothers’ Sakurai Hidetoshi:

“He said to me: “My life depends on getting these wind chimes right!” and I thought that it must be just for this song, but apparently he’s pretty much always like that. He had this towel that was meant to mute the chimes at the end of the note, and he could stop it right on the mark. His seriousness was really quite sweet (laugh)”

There was one more special moment within all the treasured encounters this album brought…

“For Mr. Sakurai’s song, the guitar was played by [Soichiro Yamauchi] the guitarist from Fuji Fabric! I’m a massive fan and when it was time to go home I finally told him so. And that was when I found out that [vocalist Masahiko] Shimura, who sadly passed away, used to listen to my CD’s. It was really heart-breaking to hear that but I’m so grateful that there was that connection between us.”

Fin

Lawson Ticket.com YCCM Tour Interview 03/2011

Lawson (the Japanese convenience store chain) is currently promoting the ticket sales for the final two stops of the YCCM tour next month. They've put together a special little page with an interview, profile etc. Here's the small interview part for your reading pleasure. 'tis rather short...


Maaya Sakamoto Live Tour 2011 - Additional Performances! Interview March 2011
Original text: Ishizumi Yuka here.


Maaya Sakamoto’s new album ‘You Can’t Catch Me’ sees in the sixteenth year since her debut. Not only does it bring many creators and sound producers on board including Horigome Takaki (KIRINJI), Tomita Keichi, Suneohair, Suemitsu Atsushi and Shibata Jun, the album also has significance within the frequently fragmented J-POP scene as a real and honest pop record. The result of which was probably the favourable reaction to the album, scoring number one on the weekly chart.

Sakamoto: Not producing a summary just because it was my fifteenth anniversary, but taking a chance to do something a little edgy – I wanted to show the people who come something that they can’t imagine, as well as feel that freshness for myself.

Each of the twelve songs has its own surprise but it’s the lead song ‘Himitsu’, within which a woman’s feelings are laid bare, warts and all, that her expressions as a lyricist are particularly fresh.

Sakamoto: That part was a challenge I set myself: I wonder if I can express something about who I am now that I want to hide from others into words?

There’s a part of me that has become able to put up a defensive barrier when I come into contact with the world, but actually at the base of that there’s a me that’s not made-up for others. It’s probably the foundation for a variety of ways I express myself so I thought that from now on it might be ok to show people who I am inside, just as I am, a little muddy.

A work which has a borne a rich harvest, both musically and mentally, is now taken on tour.

Sakamoto: This is surprisingly the first time I’ve done a concert based off a record. So I want to keep the atmosphere of the album.

For this record, from the middle of the recording process I was working on the assumption that there would be a concert and so created the sound with that in mind.

Instead of getting absorbed in performing, I would like a concert where the sound is delivered simply. On top of that, because this is the first tour where I’ve done so many stops I’m interested to see what happens to me, or rather that while I’m doing this tour I’m looking forward to discovering something new!

Fin

Maaya comment for 'Kimi to Boku'

Noticed that COMA had linked to this small article about the movie 'Kimi to Boku' which featured a comment from the main actor and Maaya about the film. Looking at the site it seems the article originally came from the Mainichi Shimbun's digital edition but this was taken from My Comi Journal here.

Kimi = You
Boku = Me

The story is told from the cat's perspective and the characters are thus named 'Me' and 'You' respectively. Anyway, very short comment! Here are the lyrics to 'Tegami' translated.

Maaya on 'Kimi to Boku'
Original Japanese: My Comi Journal

...In the film, popular voice actress Maaya Sakamoto fills the role of ‘Me’, and sings the theme song ‘Tegami’ which was written for the film. Regarding her role as the cat, she said: “I wanted to be able to transmit that trust and love towards the ‘Boy’ through my voice.” And she shed light on the feelings wrapped up in the theme song: “I wrote the lyrics while thinking what if I was going to heaven ahead of someone important to me like ‘Me’ does, what would I want to tell them in my last moments?”

Tower Records - 'You Can't Catch Me' Interview

Another interview from the 'You Can't Catch Me' promotional run up. This interview was apparently originally printed in a magazine but Tower Records Japan have posted it up on their website for all to read. It's quite short but it's a nice little read.


With her new album ‘You Can’t Catch Me’ in hand, woven together with the help of eminent songwriters, her new journey is just beginning!


Interview: Taihei Kubota
Original article: BOUNCE Magazine no.305 25th December 2010
Original Japanese text: Tower Records Japan


It’s been fifteen years since her debut and Maaya Sakamoto has been steadily building her presence, developing her individuality as a singer. It felt like appreciation of the music which brought success to her solo birthday live last year at the Nihon Budokan had reached a new level...but it was the lively preview of the new big-band arrangement of Sugar Babe’s ‘DOWN TOWN’ from her cover single, on top of the information prior to its release which listed a distinguished line-up of artists, that couldn’t help but build anticipation.

“Making [You Can’t Catch Me] was both fun and stimulating…although I wondered how it would turn out because I’d made the album going ‘well if I don’t try then I won’t know’, but when it came together on a single disc it was definitely a Maaya Sakamoto album that I could think of as expressing ‘who I am now’. That’s something I’m really happy about.”

Atsushi Sutemitsu, Jun Shibata, Yoko Kanno, Suneohair, Shintaro Tokita (Sukima Switch), Kaori Kano, Shoko Suzuki, Hidetoshi Sakurai (Manshin Brothers), Takaki Horigome (KIRINJI), Keiichi Tomita, Katsutoshi Kitagawa (ROUNDTABLE), Kana Yabuki: the title of the album which connects all of these songs by different artists together is ‘You Can’t Catch Me’. This diversity is similar to her previous work ‘Kazeyomi’, but this time on top of a large number of male creators being used, the album also features the largest proportion of lyrics written by men [in Maaya’s back catalogue]. Moreover, they are also taking part as performers: it’s another characteristic of this album that for many artists involved the listener will find it easy to picture their individual styles. That those styles can be dyed in a wonderful Maaya colour is because of that true ‘who I am now’, after all the ups and downs she has encountered during the fifteen years since her debut.

“Inside of me ‘Kazeyomi’ was a compilation. My image of an album put out during my fifteenth anniversary year would also probably be something a lot like ‘Kazeyomi’. However, I gained confidence from the fact that I had been able to complete it early, and thought because of that now I will be able to keep my own style even if I collaborate with lots of different people. So I thought for the real fifteen year mark I would make a piece of work that would establish a link with who I will be from now on. Because of that there wasn’t any eagerness that 'oh, I must complete something big', but a feeling that it would be nice if I could become a me that’s a little rough around the edges. Not spend too much time on the plan or the formation of the lyrics or the songs, but make something that I could throw my whole body into.”

The album jacket has is double-decker bus with the title written on it in huge letters. This could be the singer Maaya Sakamoto setting the ambition and excitement hidden within her heart on board and now, let’s start running!...The destination is surely wherever the wind will take her.

“My work has been followed by the key words ‘wind’ and ‘journey’, things that have an image of constant motion. I felt that ‘sense of movement’ especially strongly this time around. All these different people were climbing on board and getting off again, passing lots of different scenery; instead of feeling like I was on a fast vehicle it felt like it was more profound, slowly driving on ahead.

Each time I’ve made an album the number of people I meet increases, the number of things I am able to do increases, and little by little I understand something new, and that leads on to what comes next...that pattern is something I’ve repeated up until now, and it’s an expression of the fact that I’m looking forward to what comes next, to the point of where I’m thinking that I definitely don’t want to go back to who I was a year ago.

I think self-confidence and conviction come naturally with experience, but like with this album, when you want to be stimulated and try something new, even if you jump in with that strong conviction there’ll still be times when you are made a fool of, or feel lost or worried. But I think that being a person who experiences those things is good. This album was made from all the things I didn’t know despite fifteen years in the business and because I was able to improve.”

Fin.

ARTISAN de la MUSIQUE Jan. 2011 Interview Pt.2

Thanks for being so patient for the second half of the interview. This half covers Maaya's upcoming song 'April Fool' amongst other things. I think this part is a lot more interesting than the first half. I also re-discovered how important it is to double-check your translations. Before posting I went through each question one by one to check I'd gotten the point and I came across one or two bloopers, the point was there but it had gotten lost in translation! 'tis certainly not easy.

Anyway, Enjoy!! Or read part one first.


Original Japanese text by Takayuki Hamada here
ARTISAN de la MUSIQUE 2011-01 - Sakamoto Maaya Interview -Part 02.


Did you not have any clashes with the creators over your interpretations of the lyrics?

No, there wasn’t anything like that. With regards to what I was going to write, it felt like they’d left it completely up to me. Speaking of lyrics, one thing that I really appreciated was Mr. Sakurai Hidetoshi praising the lyrics of the songs I’ve sung in the past and he obstinately refused to write lyrics for me this time. He kept saying “It’s better if you write them, Maaya!” But when I insisted, “but getting a man to write the lyrics for me this time is a challenge for me too so…” and he finally relented, saying “Well, I’ll write them, but while I’m doing them I want to there to be an exchange between us.” So the lyrics were produced through lots of discussions with Mr. Sakurai.

Aside from the cover song ‘DOWN TOWN’, you received new lyrics from three male artists. How was it to work with the other two besides Mr. Sakurai?

For Mr. Tokita and Suneohair, I gave them some of my thoughts but after that I left it all to them and their work went really smoothly. After deciding this time that I was going to entrust things to others, I took a step back and tried not to interfere too much while working with them. Both parties discover something through doing a song together, so I’d like to work together with them again.

As for the lyrics I’ve written myself, I don’t think what I’ve been saying has changed that much over fifteen years. However, this time I struggled with the fact that I’d write and write but wouldn’t come up with anything that was different to what I’d said before now. Then I’d worry about worrying, and one day I thought ‘there must be something that I haven’t written about yet.’ My feelings and what I want to say haven’t changed but I realised that maybe up until now I’ve tried to clean up my expressions, written them with the purpose of showing them to someone else. That’s why this time I wrote them thinking that it would be fine to leave them as they are, without dressing them up, trying to pull them together or trying to produce some kind of conclusion. Putting the reality that dreams don’t always come true, love doesn’t always turn out ok into words, but not despairing because of that –because we live in that kind of world I wanted to paint a realistic picture of it: despite of all that are we living and finding beautiful things, having experiences or making goals?

The world I created in ‘Kazeyomi’ was actually a utopia I thought up. But it wasn’t a lie. Because of the point in time I created it in, ‘Kazeyomi’ became an album that only showed the world’s most beautiful things, so this time round I wanted it to be a little more at ground level, that is to say, I wanted to see how it felt to feel the earth.

In this album, were there any songs in particular that mean a lot to you?

Well, they all mean a lot to me, but I do like ‘Topia’. Of course, ‘Himitsu’ too. Argh, I can’t choose (laugh). I’m also keen on ‘Moonlight’ because I really like the composer and arranger. Yubuki Kana who wrote ‘Topia’ is younger than me, and I think it’s another interesting detail of the album that within all these well-known artists there’s a young newcomer in there, you know? If I get another chance I’d really like to work with her again.

While you were making the album, at what stage did you see how the album was taking shape over all?

‘Himitsu’ was the last song to be finished, and when that was done I thought: ah, it’s all going to be OK. The day after we finished mixing ‘Himitsu’ we started mastering. Up until that point we’d been making several songs all at the same time, and they’d be completed when I was satisfied with them, but probably I don’t think that anyone amongst the staff really knew how the whole thing would turn out until the songs were all lined up to be mastered.

It was through meeting on this album that you came to participate in the new song ‘April Fool’ on Tomita Lab’s best album ‘WORKS BEST ~beautiful songs to remember’, wasn’t it?

That’s right. The song’s atmosphere is quite different, very fresh, and the world view of the lyrics is a change from what I usually sing. After recording the song for my album, I got the sense that Mr. Tomita really understood my voice, it feels like he’s very familiar with it. I think it’s a really good track.

What kind of person is Mr. Tomita?

Before I met him, I was wondering what would happen if he turned out to be scary, but he’s someone who really took the time to make sure I wasn’t nervous, right from the start he was very talkative, chatting away (laugh) Experiencing the way he records and his song choice, I thought ‘we’re really compatible’.

It would be nice if there were further developments on that in future, wouldn’t it? By the way, do you have any anecdotes regarding the artwork for this album?

An image of ‘riding together on a bus’ came to me because lots of different types of artists gathered together from various genres. An image of lots of people riding on a bus that’s heading towards some far-off destination, and I felt like it matched the album because of that difference between when you get on and when you get off the bus. A bus isn’t what you would call a high-speed means of travel so you can really take in the scenery, and I like the way that you can pass through lots of different towns while leisurely travel the earth.

Recently a lot of people saying that software won’t sell, but what do you personally feel about the current trend?

Translators note: I think he means selling music as data like iTunes or on a memory stick like Ayumi Hamasaki’s most recent albums.

I can’t imagine myself listening to music without buying a CD so it’s a bit like ‘is it really ok for things to go like that?’ Because you can delete data in one push of a button, it’s sad that it would just go bye-bye like that. I guess that the day will come when that’s normal but it’s kind of depressing, isn’t it? Even on the level of making a CD’s booklet, there’s a lot of time and effort and thought that goes into each and every page of the paper and everything. I really think that if an album is put on sale I always want people to be able to touch and feel it with their own hands. Although of course I want the songs to be heard by a lot of people, but more than that I want it to be an album that people think ‘I want to own it’.

And within all that ‘DOWN TOWN’ was released as vinyl, wasn’t it?

I’m not part of the generation which listened to records but when I heard about the vinyl going on sale I was simply put very happy; I found out for the first time that covers get a lot of interest from DJs. As a vocalist doing a cover of an old song has its difficulties but I was surprised when it went on sale that the reaction was completely different to what I’m used to. Moreover, as it was a big deal, and that it was people who were fans of Mr. Yamashita Tatsurou and of a different generation to those who’ve listened to my music up until now, I realised that covers really have a wide appeal. It was an unexpected development.

The flow from your cover of ‘DOWN TOWN” to this album has an impression of being from the eighties, that so-called ‘city pop’, was that something that you had planned?

One of my intentions with the cover single was to accept the covers as a new challenge, and while you can say that it is a single, I made it with the intention of being a three-track album and so inside my head it’s complete just as it is. Because of that I really struggled over whether to put ‘DOWN TOWN’ on the album or not. When I thought of the single as a three-track album, then it was fine not to put any of the tracks on [You Can’t Catch Me] at all. But when I think about how it was included, I feel like it was all connected somehow.

Each part of your fifteenth anniversary campaign seems like it will have a lot of different effects on what you do in the future, doesn’t it.

I remember a substantial feeling of satisfaction when we finished ‘Kazeyomi’, like ‘aah, we did it!’ Even though I could have retired happy at that point in time, because of that feeling I thought ‘what meaning could there be in making anything new after this?’ I really pondered over this and that in my mind, but in the end I didn’t have any choice but to make something new. That’s why this time I really do feel think that it was good that I dived right into something new without fear. I think that because I dived in like that I have to continue on now until I arrive somewhere in the future, so the moment I finished this I already started thinking about what comes next. I’ve already started talking about different things to do next.

OK then, let’s finish by hearing your enthusiasm for your upcoming concerts.

This is actually the first time I’ve done a concert from a record, concentrating on songs from a single album. I’m happy because after fifteen year’s there are still ‘first times’ to come, and I feel like there are going to be lots and lots of things I can gain so I’m really looking forward to it.

Fin

ARTISAN de la MUSIQUE Jan. 2011 Interview Pt.1

The Japanese website MUSIC SHELF has put up a new interview with Maaya which is divided up into two parts, here is the first. It's quite a nice interview about 'You Can't Catch Me' and worth a read. I'll try to have the second part up as soon as I can. Enjoy!

Original Japanese text by Takayuki Hamada here
ARTISAN de la MUSIQUE 2011-01 - Sakamoto Maaya Interview -Part 01.


As soon as it went on sale your new album ‘You Can’t Catch Me’ went to number one in the charts. How did you feel when the album was finished?

It was like “Finally!” as it took about a year to make.

It’s the sixth wave of your fifteenth anniversary campaign that began last March; looking at the creators listed in the album credits, it’s a very diverse group.

I didn’t want it to be a summary of everything I’ve done in the past fifteen years, I wanted it to be an album that would make not only me, but also my listeners, look forward to how I’ll develop from my sixteenth year onwards. There’s a part of me that wanted to go on the offensive. That’s why I took the initiative to work with new people. However, with that sort of venture, you won’t know how it will work out until you do it, right? The longer your career the more you become afraid of trying something new, so I decided to overcome that by diving straight in.

Because I worked with a lot of different people this time it always comes up as a topic in interviews, and I’ve had a lot of chances to talk about it, but I’m actually really curious to hear how someone who hadn’t seen the credits or read any information about the album beforehand listened to the songs, how they made that person feel, how each song sounded to them.

Did you not have the idea to make a continuation of your previous album ‘Kazeyomi’ (January 2009)?

Not at all, really. Because I was completely satisfied with how that album came out, I guess you could say I’m fine with having just one disc like that, or rather that I’d like everyone to savour listening to [Kazeyomi]. On top of that I think that trying to imitate something just because it went well the first time can backfire. That’s something I experienced while doing extended runs on stage: even if you are saying the same lines and wearing the same costume every day, what you pull out from within yourself is a little different depending on the day. Defying the flow of time and trying to be who you were yesterday is unnatural. A lot of time has passed since ‘Kazeyomi’, and I had a firm belief that ‘what I make now is going to be something different.’

Did you feel you were you able to hold your own when working with the different personalities of the artists you were given music by?

Up until ‘Kazeyomi’ I don’t think I had the confidence to, but after that I felt like I had touched upon what it was to be ‘Maaya Sakamoto-like’, and then when I did my cover single last year I experienced what it was to get to grips with different pieces of music as a singer. So instead of feeling any pressure, I was simply looking forward to making an album with my favourite artists.

Who did you think of first when you were choosing people to work with?

Kirinji’s Takaki Horigome and Suneohair. Then it was Sukima Switch’s Shintaro Tokita, I think. I’ve been a fan of Kirinji and Suneohair since I was a teenager, I have quite a strong emotional attachment to their music and I’ve really wanted to work with them for a long time. On the other hand, I’ve only started to listen to Sukima Switch recently. I listened to their best album first, and I felt quite one-sidedly: ah, the music that Sukima Switch makes somehow has a lot in common with mine. Using a lot of strings, for example, singing a lot of ballads and medium-slow songs, how they take a lot of care over what words they use. More than anything else I like their lyrics. So I thought how great it would be if I someday got to work with them.

So how was it working with Kirinji Takaki Horigome after wanting to for so long?

I remember saying to Mr. Horigome: “ I’d like a ballad. But not some huge-scale thing, a minimalist ballad…” That was right when we started making the album, more than a year ago now, but I said at the time: “the image I have for this album is kind of like a library”. The song [Moonlight –mata wa kimi ga nemuru tame no ongaku-] came out of me going “picture all these different books stuffed onto bookshelves that go riiight up to a really high ceiling.”

Translation note: Tomita Keiichi produced the track

You’ve worked with Kano Kaori, who wrote ‘Mizuumi’, and Suzuki Shoko, who wrote ‘stand up, girls!’ before, haven’t you?

Yes, but this is only the second song that I’ve done with Ms. Kano. However, it feels like we’ve worked together many times because before now she’s come to my concerts and I’ve had the chance to meet her on many other occasions too. Last time we worked together (‘Ame ga furu’) I asked someone else to arrange the track, so this time I thought I’d like to try arranging it together with Ms. Kano.

I always want Shoko to write for me, but for this album I had a very definite ‘this is the type of song I want’ clear vision for what I was after and Shoko was the person I asked to make it a reality.

How did you approach everyone with your requests?

Because I was asking different people to make one track each, the only one who could see the overall balance was me. I ordered the songs while looking at the entire balance, dividing it up into pieces: I’ll ask for a ballad from this person, an up-tempo track from that person… Once the demos came back, I’d be like ‘Oh, it came out like that?’ and then go about fine-tuning it all as we went along.

Within all that, only Ms. Shibata Jun’s ‘Himitsu’ was a song originally written for her to sing herself. But I was allowed to hear the demo and I stuck up my hand and said “I want to sing this”, she kindly permitted me to do so. For everyone else, I would meet them in person and had them write for me once they had an idea of what kind of person I am. First we’d have a meeting, then they’d create a demo for me, then there’d be another meeting, and then a meeting to arrange it…and repeat, kind of thing.

Since everyone put their hearts and souls into each track, each song is incredibly powerful; it feels like all of them could have been made to release as a single.

Despite that balancing act, each artist’s individuality clearly comes through, doesn’t it? It seems like they didn’t go easy on you, as if they whacked a straight ball right at you [baseball]. Despite that, I think you melded well with all of them, you turned to face what they threw at you without flinching.

Well, ‘Kimi no sei’ for example, was very interesting because the sound and lyrics were something that I think Suneohair could have just made for himself and it wouldn’t have sounded odd, but I had no idea whether it would be a good match for me until I tried singing it myself with my own voice, and I was surprised at how well we fitted together when I sang it.

When the album was finished did you find yourself at a loss over what order to place the songs in?

I did. The first song ‘eternal return’ and the last song ‘topia’ were decided right away, but I was really perplexed by the songs in the middle. I had a meetings with all the staff as well. By the way, everyone seems to have this impression of Mr. Suemitsu (Atsushi) who wrote ‘eternal return’ being like a butterfly, but I have this image of him bashing away on a piano. So right from the start I asked for a song with that image.

The flow from track ten ‘Moonlight’ to ‘Tegami’ and then on to ‘Topia’ is really nice. I think listening to it in the middle of the night makes this section even resonate even more.

Thank you very much. I think it actually took a lot of courage to put three ballads back-to-back. I found where to put ‘Utsukushii Hito’ and those last three songs the most difficult: ‘is it OK to put these three ballads together?’ I also knew that however you looked at it ‘Utsukushii hito’ really didn’t fit with the album at all (laugh) but I felt certain that I had to put ‘Utsukushii hito’ onto this album. However, I knew that wherever I put it, it would be out of place.
The beginning of the album has songs with a lot of personality coming out; bang, bang, bang! Then inside I felt that there was something about ‘Kimi no sei’ onwards, like ‘…there’s been a lot going on but now here’s the main event!’ kind of thing. At any rate, the first half of the album has a lot of different types of songs crammed in but then it’s ‘now please pay attention to what you’re listening to’.

Honestly, for this album I didn’t really have any overall theme or story to tell, or an idea of the overall flow while I was making it. Even the song order, in the end it’s something that I put together myself, you could say it’s a question of the listener’s tastes, but in other words I had confidence that whatever order the songs were put in it would turn out ok. In fact, I thought it was fine that the song styles were all over the place; I don’t mind if people think it has different patterns or is goes off in different directions when they look at the whole thing. Even if they say I “wandered off course”, I’d like to ask what’s wrong with that? (laugh) This is the beginning of a new journey to the next destination. I guess I’ll part with them like that.

Although saying that, I did worry about the unknown. But because I put everything into making the album, rather than worrying about how it’s received by others or by what people say, I’m looking forward to hearing the reactions of people who are listening for the first time.

Having a lot of different creators is something similar to your album ‘Yuunagi LOOP’, isn’t it?

I’ve also thought myself that the way I went about making this album was a little like when I did ‘Yuunagi LOOP’, but there’s definitely something different between then and now. Because what I gained over the several years between ‘Yuunagi LOOP’ and ‘Kazeyomi’ was huge. And now there’s the joy of being able to watch the new seeds I’ve planted grow.

What are the pros and cons of having such a large number of creators?

There’s quite a few but more than anything the pro is that you feel that you are being improved by the process. There aren’t a lot of opportunities to have that kind of experience, and when you request a song you have to make sure the person you are working with understands who you are, you have to explain everything from the beginning. And while you’re explaining it all, you end up feeling like you also want to know more, so those talks were actually a good chance to look at myself anew. Because of that new encounters and meeting lots of new people also has a sense of going back to the beginning.

Also, well this isn’t a con, but having different engineers each time was difficult. For me, having different engineers was a bigger ordeal than working with different composers and arrangers. I discovered personally that one engineer’s method can make that world inside a song sound completely different [to another’s].

So you must have had a lot of discussions with the engineers.

Yes. The most difficult task was that I would have to explain everything each time if I thought they were interpreted my voice in the wrong way. Because there was only me who could survey the whole project I was the commander and it was hard to always make sure that ‘this part should be like this’. But doing it this way I feel like I was continually being asked ‘who is Maaya Sakamoto as a vocalist?’ and it came out well because of the timing and the style of working. These things make it my fifteenth year anniversary, after all.

Go to part two…