Yukikane Nishizawa returns to the world of "Ship. New single "Homecoming" is a gem of a ballad.

Yukikane Nishizawa will soon release "Homecoming," the theme song for the TV animation "Fleet Koko Kushon: The Movie," a song that marks her return to the world of the "ship" after a long absence, having debuted with "Fubuki," the ending theme song for the TV animation "Fleet Koko Kushon. Moreover, this song is a ballad with a mature feel. We interviewed Yukikane Nishizawa, who smiles freshly and says, "I want people to feel that I am different from back then!

It was the first time for me to record a song in which my emotions flowed so naturally.

─ ─ "Homecoming" is a calm ballad, and it is a very nice song.

Nishizawa: When I first heard it, I thought it was a beautiful song, as I could picture the scenery of the sea in my mind. The A melody was especially sad, and I wanted to record it as soon as possible.

─ The lyrics are a mixture of sadness and hope.

Nishizawa: I thought the lyrics expressed the feelings of the shipgirls. As the title suggests, the song conveys a strong message that the girls will surely return from battle, and I feel that the song is filled with girlish feelings of wavering.

─ How did you feel when you sang it?

Nishizawa: When I sang the song, I naturally became the ship's daughter, or rather, I assimilated my feelings. I am a girl of the same generation as the shipgirls, so when I sang the song, thinking about how painful it must be to go into battle, or how heartbreakingly sad it must be, I got more and more involved in the song. It was the first time for me to be so emotionally involved in a recording session.

─ Did you know the story of the movie when you recorded the song?

Nishizawa: No, I sang the song without any information about the story. However, the lyrics and melody conveyed the atmosphere of the movie and the determination of the ship's daughters very well, and I think I was able to record the song with the "ship this" in my heart. When I sang the song, I felt as if I could see the backs of the ship's daughters as they jumped out into the open sea.

─ What did you pay special attention to in the vocals?

Nishizawa: How to sing the A melody in a girlish and gentle way. It was difficult, especially since many of the songs recently have a strong rock flavor, but in the end I was able to sing in a natural voice, quietly and softly, as if I was talking to them.

─ ─ The A melody that begins with the lyric "I want to listen to it someday, but I'm sure I won't be able to," gives the impression that you are speaking softly to the song while suppressing your sadness, doesn't it?

Nishizawa: That's right. It is as if he is speaking gently to her without putting it into words, even though he is actually very anxious inside. The shipgirls are living in a harsh world where they would not be able to survive if they had to express their feelings in any way, and yet they are trying to live powerfully and gently.

─ Toward the chorus, the vocals also become more and more powerful.

Nishizawa: I wanted to express the flow of feelings from the A melody to the chorus. I think the sad A melody makes the chorus stand out and gives the song depth.

─ When you are recording, do your emotions switch on immediately?

Nishizawa: I think I am the type of person who can get into it right away. I love the booth because it is a space that I can have all to myself. At the time of my debut, I was nervous because I thought I was alone in the booth but many people were watching me from outside the booth, but now I feel very relaxed.

─ I understand that some artists sing ballads in the dark inside the booth.

Nishizawa: This was the first time I did that!　The director asked me, "Would you like to darken the booth? At first, I thought, "What is he going to say all of a sudden? (laughs).

(laughs) ─ ─ "What, is it some kind of surprise? (laughs).

Nishizawa: That's not true (laughs). (laughs). I asked him, "Because it creates an atmosphere. In fact, when I sang in the dark, I felt as if I was singing in front of the sea at night. It was an interesting experience. When you talk to people, you open up differently when you talk in a brightly lit room than when you talk in a café with subdued lighting. In the same way, I think that singing in a dark booth allowed me to let my inner self out more. I encourage everyone to darken the room and listen to "Homecoming" (laughs).