Feeling a new "beginning" now. May'n releases new single "Dawn Logos

May'n is releasing a new song, "Yoake no Logos," produced by Yoko Kanno, on December 16.　The CD also includes a total of four diverse songs, including the ending theme song "Genuine Voice to You," a collaboration with Haruka Chisuge, and is well worth listening to. We asked May'n, who celebrated her 10th anniversary as an artist, to talk a lot about the single that will close out 2015!

Mr. Kanno told me, "I'm only 10 years old!

─ ─ In the first half of 2015, May'n had a period of inactivity due to a recuperation of her throat. Your new single "Dawn Logos" is the first CD you are releasing after resuming your activities, isn't it?

May'n Yes. I sang this song with the thought that I am going to start singing again from here after the 10th anniversary. I sang this song with the thought that I would start singing again from here.

─ ─ As was the case with your previous song "Yamai Dare Darlin'," what do you feel the significance of producing a new song produced by Yoko Kanno in the year of your 10th anniversary?

May'n For me, meeting Ms. Kanno in "Macross F" was a very big event, and I was more than happy to be able to work with her again after all these years. When I meet him in person, he is a person who gives me power, and he had a very positive influence on my feelings this time as well.

─ ─ What kind of influence?

May'n Since it was my 10th anniversary, I was often told by the staff around me that I was already in the middle of my career. I was happy, but at the same time, I felt pressured that since I had already been doing this for 10 years, I should not be unfamiliar with music, and that it was natural that I should be familiar with all kinds of situations. But during the recording session, Mr. Kanno told me, "A singer's life is still 10 years old. He said, "If you think about it as a human being, 10 years old is the age when you finally understand the world and are able to talk with adults a little bit, right?　So, it's just the beginning. Hearing those words, a weight was lifted off my shoulders, and I was able to feel positive that I have a long way to go.

─ ─ These are the kind of gentle yet persuasive words that are typical of you, Mr. Kanno.

May'n Mr. Kanno treats me with the idea that everything in life is connected to music, so he encourages me to grow as a person, not just in singing technique. He is a friendly person, and I always feel at ease talking with him, but he really pushes me musically (laughs).

He keeps raising the bar for me (laughs).

May'n There has always been pressure on me to say, "You can do it," without saying a word, even when I say, "This part is difficult ......." So I always say, "I'm not going to lose! That is why I have always been thinking, "I will not be defeated! I have always been determined not to be defeated. When we first set the key for "Dawn Logos," I was told, "This one is more difficult, so let's try this one. He always aims for the place where the song shines the brightest, and he takes me there as well. That is the most enjoyable part of working with Mr. Kanno.

I have found a song that I want to sing only because it is now.

─ I think "Dawn Logos" has a very complex melody.

May'n I felt that it is a song with a lot of changes in expression. It is a song about struggling and worrying, somehow getting up, and moving forward step by step while wondering if this is really the right thing to do. I can imagine such a scene from the melody of this song.

The lyrics by Gabriela Robin are also quite serious.

May'n The lyrics are much more serious than the previous song, "Yamai Dare Darlin'," in line with the storyline in the latter half of "AQUARION LOGOS". I felt that the lyrics have the strength of wanting to carve out a future by one's own strength while being exposed to a harsh fate. However, the lyrics are not only painful and sad, but also incorporate a wide variety of emotions of the various characters. In that sense, combined with the complexity of the melody, I think the song is like a musical.

─ ─ What did May'n herself feel most from the lyrics?

May'n I felt that the theme of "AQUARION LOGOS," that the "voice" that utters words is just a "sound" if it does not carry feelings, and that it is important to have a strong desire to deliver words to others, is expressed in the lyrics of "Dawn of Logos. I felt that the lyrics of "Dawn Logo" expressed the theme of "AQUARION LOGOS," which is that it is important to have strong feelings for the other person. I felt that I had found a song that I wanted to sing only now.

─ So, at the same time as being an anime theme song, it is also a song about your "now"?

May'n Yes. I myself have had many conflicts over the past 10 years, but I still wanted to move forward, and I felt that this song was the new starting point that I had arrived at. As I said before, this song is truly a "dawn" song, and it is a song about starting over again from here.

───The lyrics and melody are filled with various feelings, but the chorus is catchy and unforgettable once you hear it.

May'n Yes, the unusual rhythm makes an appearance, and the lyrics also have impressive words like "love, love, passion expression" that keep popping up one after another. I think it is a chorus that can be performed more captivatingly in a live performance.