This is the origin of Mashiro Ayano. A concept album "early days" in which she sings about her feelings back then.

Mashiro Ayano celebrated the first anniversary of her debut last October, and immediately following her successful first solo live concert, her first release for 2016 is "early days," a concept album of songs from her origins. The album features 9 songs in total, including 2 songs from her pre-debut, a song she had been working on before her debut, and even a live recording from her one-man live. The jacket was shot in her hometown, Lake Toya. In this interview, she also shares her bitter memories before her debut. We hope you will enjoy her unadorned and unpretentious personality.

The two songs for her pre-debut were songs that she strongly wanted to sing. I want to sing them!

─ As the title suggests, the concept album "early days" is a collection of songs from before her debut. It is a piece that shows the trajectory of Mashiro Ayano when you listen to it.

Ayano: It has been three years since I met music producer Fumio Yasuda in Sapporo. This album is filled with the time from there to her debut. I came to Sapporo with the idea of doing music, but there was a time when I couldn't find my own direction. Around that time, Eir Aoi made her debut, and I thought it was amazing that someone like her could come out of Sapporo. While I was continuing to sing on my own, I met Yasuda-san, who introduced Eir to the world, and I decided to do my best, feeling that this would be my last chance.

─ That was a great encounter, wasn't it?

Ayano: Yes. Yasuda and I hit it off right away, and we talked about many things. I felt like I was coming out of my shell. Musically, I was gradually searching for the kind of music I liked and the kind of music I wanted to sing, and it was Yasuda-san who took me out of the city after I came to Sapporo by myself.

─ So "early days" is filled with those days. the first song is an introductory instrumental, and the second song "Wingless Diver" and the third song "Setsuna Chronicle" are pre-debut songs that have already been released once.

Ayano: These two songs have become familiar at our live performances, but they were originally recorded on a CD that was included in a supplement to the music information magazine "Lisani! magazine's supplemental CD, so I think there are probably a lot of people who don't have it. I have included this song as the song that started Mashiro Ayano's career.

─ ─ When did you encounter these two songs?

Ayano: I received the songs and recorded the demos right after I met Yasuda-san, so it was almost three years ago. We recorded two songs at about the same time.

After meeting Mr. Yasuda, we listened to various songs and talked about "Wingless Diver" as we agreed that "this song fits" and "this song for another time". I asked him to let me sing this song. Yasuda-san wrote "Setsuna Chronicle" as a song that suited me, and the lyrics are tailored to me. Both songs are very important to me.

─ Are these the two songs that determined your direction as an artist?

Ayano: That's right. I like rock songs that have a strong theme, that have a singing taste, and that are sad rather than bright. I felt strongly that "I want to sing this song!

─ ─ The songs included in "early days" are the same as those on the CD that appeared in the supplemental issue of "Listani! CD supplement?

Ayano: Yes, the recordings were made as they were at the time, and only the mastering was reworked.

───Can you tell us about the worldview of the lyrics of the two songs?

Ayano: "Wingless Diver" starts and ends with the sound of a clock, which is connected to the world of the lyrics. The main character is trying to start something, and the song depicts a moment when he takes a step forward in the midst of conflicting feelings of anxiety and hope. It is very important to have the courage to take a step forward, even a small step, and I hope that people will listen to this song and take that step forward.

─ What do you think of "Setsuna Chronicle"?

Ayano: This song also has the theme of time, and it is a song in which the thoughts of each moment overlap and become the reason for one's existence. I am not good at giving a message of "keep on trying" in a song. Rather, I want to be there for those who are lost, accepting all the negative and positive feelings and moving forward together with them.

─ ─ That is a good title, isn't it? A moment" represents a moment in time, and "Chronicle" represents a long history.

Ayano: It is a combination of two words that are opposites. That's what I like about it, and it's my favorite title. The words sound good, and I think it is a title that broadens the image.