Kanon Wakeshima will release her new album "luminescence Q.E.D." on November 30, her first album in one year and nine months. With a total of 10 songs, including 3 anime tie-up songs, this album "proves" her musicality to the fullest. In this issue, we asked her to talk about the appeal of "luminescence Q.E.D." in a "general discussion" of the album as a whole and "individual discussions" of each song.
It is an album that proves itself as much as it shines a light on someone else!
─ Your new album "luminescence Q.E.D." is about to be released. First of all, could you tell us the meaning of this title?
Wakeshima The "luminescence" we use here refers to a luminescence phenomenon called "frictional luminescence. It refers to a phenomenon in which light is produced in a non-luminescent object when it is subjected to an impact.
Q.E.D." is an abbreviation used in mathematics and philosophy to mean "the end of proof," and I added it with the thought that music can be a proof of oneself. By combining these two words, it means that this album will be a light for someone else, and at the same time, it will be self-proof.
─ I was surprised to see the jacket photo of you riding on a motorcycle, which is different from the image I have seen of you in the past.
Wakeshima: This album has a rock-oriented song as the lead track, so I wanted to emphasize the solid impression in the visual aspect as well. The background is pink, and there are some cute parts. Also, the envelopes scattered on the floor have a meaning.
─ ─ What is the meaning of the envelopes?
Wakeshima: It is connected to the word "Q.E.D." I came up with the motif of "letter" associating it with "writing" from a paper that proved something. It is an image of me (a postman) delivering my music to you all on a motorcycle.
─ I see, each item on the jacket has its own meaning.
Wakeshima: I like to play with words and associations to connect images. As has been the case in the past, my CD jacket photos often contain a variety of meanings.
─ You mentioned earlier that many of the songs have a rock flavor, but what kind of album do you think this time around?
I have always loved school food punishment. I wanted to incorporate that sound into my own songs, so I asked Mr. Eguchi to arrange "world's end, girl's rondo. Since then, we have been friends, and I asked Mr. Eguchi to participate in this album because I knew that he would be the one to play rock music.
─ ─ I felt that the album was a diverse one, with new songs for the album and the three singles you released after the "Tsukinami" album.
Wakeshima: This time, we also recorded for the first time some songs that we have sung live for a long time and that our fans have been asking us to release on CD. So, there is an element of this album being made with live performances in mind.
─ ─ It is truly a piece of self-proof that contains all of your music.
Wakeshima: That's right. My music has a foundation in classical music, with jazz and rock on both sides, and it is well balanced, and I think you can fully enjoy this in this album.
─ ─ Specifically, what kind of music is on the album? Please explain each song.