The new single is packed with the charm of the current i☆Ris! ～Interview with i☆Ris "Dream Parade

After a successful nationwide tour with their first album "We are i☆Ris ! i☆Ris, who have just finished a very successful national tour with their first album "We are i☆Ris !!!", will release their new single "Dream Parade" on July 8. The title song is also the current OP song of "Pripara," in which the girls star. It is also noteworthy that this single includes SoLaMiDressing's (the unit name of the heroines of "Pripara" played by i☆Ris) version of "Make it!

We interviewed the members of i☆Ris about the songs of the new single and their impressions of the national tour.

Thanks and fulfilling national tour

───First of all, please tell us your impressions of the first national tour.

Yamakita: I think this tour really left a legend. We did our best at every show, but at the same time, I think the content of the tour got better and better with each show. Also, the members were together for a little over a month. Some of the members were sick on certain days, but we were able to make up for it together, so our bond as i☆Ris has deepened. I think it was a very memorable experience for those who have been supporting i☆Ris for a long time. I think it was perfect.

Serizawa The setlist for the tour had the same basic structure. This tour was the only time that we were able to face one setlist over and over again, so it was a lot of fun to finish the tour. I think this tour was the first time for me to be able to push each song so hard, even from a technical standpoint. I was happy to have met so many different people.

Akaneya: As we toured more and more places, I became more and more conscious of the fact that I was standing on stage in a position to show the audience what I was doing, even though I was enjoying myself together with them. Also, I am from Akita, but this time I was able to visit Hokkaido, so I was happy to feel the "northern air" there. There were some hard times while practicing for the tour, but when I saw the smiling faces of the fans at the show, I felt "I'm so glad I did this! I felt a real sense of accomplishment.

WakaiThis tour was a real source of inspiration for i☆Ris. This was the first time for us to perform one live concert after another at our best with almost no interval, so we were able to learn how hard it is. Everyone absorbed a lot of things as the tour went on, and we were able to show the culmination of it at the final show at Zepp Tokyo. I think we have really grown in many aspects, and I am sure we will improve even more in the next tour.

Kubota: This tour has given us a lot of confidence. We did a lot of live performances on this tour. So we were really confident on stage at the last show at Zepp Tokyo, and we were like, "Let's do it! We performed "Dream Parade" for the first time as an encore, and the audience really enjoyed it. We practiced the choreography during the tour, and we had to complete it in a very short period of time. I feel that I was able to challenge myself in such a way and it gave me a lot of confidence.

Shibuya: The Tokyo performance was sold out and I was grateful for that. We also broadcasted it on Nico Live, and the number of visitors was really large. I really felt that there were so many people who were interested in us. That is why I felt that we must aim even higher. I hope to go higher from here and reach a higher level together with the audience.

I recommend "Dream Parade," especially number 2!

─ Now, please tell us what to listen to in "Dream Parade" and the C/W song "Summer Vacation Love".

Yamakita: I find the second verse of "Dream Parade" very moving. The first verse in the anime is something like, "Let's go to the world of Pripara with an easygoing spirit! but the second one is a bit more conflicting, like "If timidity and courage are fighting, come here right now. I'll be waiting for you." There was a bit of a conflict. Then the lyrics are something like, "Come to Pripara and have fun with us. As adults, we often stop and worry, so I hope that the first song is for young people and the second song is for adults. I sing the chorus of "Summer Vacation Love" (......), "Make Love x 2 (mela mela) with you in summer, a stimulating love pattern," but actually I don't usually sing the chorus of the main melody. But for this song, I was very happy that they chose me (as the main melody singer) because they thought, "It's kind of like Saki-sama, isn't it? When I sang it as I wanted in the recording, I got an immediate OK, so I think it is instinctively Saki-sama's song.

The other five members said (in unison), "Instinctively! (laughter)

Yamakita: No, I think I was able to sing that ...... song the best with my true self.　(Laughs) Yamakita: No, I think I sang the best on with my true self. Also, I think "idols are known for summer romance songs. i☆Ris has never had a song like this before, so I think it's a good song along the high road, so please make me melancholy (everyone laughs).

Serizawa I also like to listen to "Dream Parade" because of the part in the second verse that says, "Everyone doesn't always score 100 points, so you should have confidence, too. I thought that by saying that, as a representative of a confident girl, I could cheer everyone up (laughs). (Laughs.) But I understand how you feel, "It's not always 100 points. But I think it is important to be confident and do your best, so I hope you will listen to my words. For "Summer Vacation Love," I'm going on a date with a capo .......

The other five members: (MOUTHING) Kapow! (Laughs)

Serizawa: I hope couples will listen to this song!　I think it would be fun to have you listen to it before you go out for the summer.

Akaneya: My favorite part of "Dream Parade" is number 2. When I saw the audience's psyllium while singing at Zepp Tokyo, I really felt that this was the scenery I had always wanted to see. Also, "Rainbow-colored shimmering dreams are different for each person". The theme of "Pripara" is the dreams and aspirations of girls, and not only is it linked to those dreams, but dreams themselves are held by all kinds of people. I hope that many people will listen to this song and take the first step forward. Summer Vacation Love" is a song about girls' feelings in the first part and boys' feelings in the second part, and my part is in the second part, "Imagine, the mountains in summer are nice. I have always wanted to show a little bit of my masculine side. So I sang the song with my pre-Chinese side in mind (laughs).

Yamakita "Hanzen" sounds strong! (laugh).

Wakai: I think "Dream Parade" is very catchy. I performed it in front of little kids at an event the other day, and they listened to it with smiles on their faces. I realized once again that it is a good song that is easy to understand and remember. Since this is the first OP for the second season of "Pripara," the lyrics include "I'll be waiting for you" and "Let's go together," as if we are welcoming them as our seniors who have been with them for a year. Summer Vacation Love" ...... is short for "Summer Vacation"?　I think we are able to sing the first part as a girl and the second part as a boy because we are voice actors. It's a fun song to listen to. And I also like the song's slightly sing-songy feel. It was very fresh for me to separate the lyrics of No. 1 and No. 2 from a girl's and a boy's point of view. I learned a lot from it.

Kubota "Dream Parade" is also used in the "Pripara" game, but in the game as in the TV show, the second verse is like the first verse and the last verse, so I thought that people don't have much chance to hear the second verse unless they buy the i☆Ris CD.　I was thinking about it. The other day, when I sang the song in front of children, some of them were surprised to hear the second part of the song and said, "So this is what the song is about. ...... So I wanted them to buy the CD and listen to it in full size. I think you will understand the meaning of the lyrics as a whole because you have heard it in full size. My personal favorite part of the song is number 2 (laughs), where the chorus says, "I don't want it to end as a dream. This part doesn't appear in the "Pripara" OP, but we can relate to this phrase and feel the same way about the characters in "Pripara. Summer Vacation Love" is really like a shoujo manga (laughs). The lyrics are like "the summer vacation of youth that everyone longs for," aren't they? I think if girls listen to it, they can feel "how boys feel like this" and if boys listen to it, they can feel "how girls think like this".

Shibuya: In "Dream Parade", I only have the chorus and the second verse, so I can listen to how everyone is singing calmly during the live performance. What I found out there is that the way of expression is changing more and more, probably because we have been working on "Pripara" for a year. ......I'm sorry to sound so superior (laughs). I felt again that I shouldn't let my guard down just because I am a "hamori" singer. I can hear in their voices how they sing the lyrics or how their facial expressions change depending on the audience's reaction at a live performance, so it is fun to listen to the songs and imagine how they (the members) sang.　I thought it would be fun to listen to the song while imagining how they sang it, and I also hoped that the audience would enjoy hearing the expressions on their faces while they were singing live. As for "Summer Vacation Love," I really thought, "This is Yamakita's song.

Yamakita That's not true!　It's i☆Ris's song!

Serizawa, Akaneya, Wakai, Kubota (all together) You said earlier that it was your song! (Laughs)

Yamakita I told you that, but I still have to say that (laugh).

Shibuya: But after all, there is such a thing for each song. If it is "§Rainbow", it is mainly Yu Serizawa!　It's a kind of song. So this song is Yamakita!　I can think of it in my mind.

Yamakita Well, please write down "Saki Summer Vacation Love".

Shibuya: It's my turn now, sorry!

Yamakita Oh, sorry! (All laugh)

Shibuya: I have always wanted to play the role of a boy, so I thought "Okay, I'll become the handsome guy I imagine in the song" and sang it. (Laughs) I also fantasized about what would happen if I made the first girl and the second boy lovers (Laughs).　(Laughs). (Laughs.) So when you sing karaoke, I want you to imagine what kind of man and woman these two would be. That's why it's important to be imaginative!　That's what this song is about (laughs).

Other 5 members (lost their laughter at the delusional remark)

Shibuya: Wait!　What are you laughing at?

Serizawa, Yamakita No, I think it's good! (All laugh)