The live concert with the 3rd album "Lyrical Concerto" is now available on Blu-ray & DVD. Ayana Taketatsu talks about her thoughts on the live!

The "Ayana Taketatsu Live 2016-2017 Lyrical Concerto" held on January 15, 2017 at Nakano Sunplaza is now available on Blu-ray & DVD. The 100-minute concert featured popular songs from the 3rd album "Lyrical Concerto," which is based on the theme of a two-dimensional world and filled with dream stories of ideals, fantasies, and illusions. Ayachi, who celebrated the 5th anniversary of her debut as an artist and successfully performed the largest number of songs to date, talked about her thoughts on the live and behind-the-scenes stories from the day of the concert!

Ayachi in Wonderland" was the theme behind the live performance.

─ What was "Ayana Taketatsu LIVE2016-2017 Lyrical Concerto" like for you?

Taketatsu I have a strong impression that there were many songs. I sang all the songs from the new album "Lyrical Concerto". Since the album was based on a two-dimensional theme, I wanted to emphasize the worldview of the album, so I had a lot of ideas for the song order, costumes, and stage set. The motif of the live performance was "Alice in Wonderland" and "Ayachi in Wonderland" became the underlying theme.

─ First, "JUMP AND DASH! was played along with the video, and from the second song, "SWEETS is CIRCUS," Taketatsu-san appeared on stage and the live performance began in earnest.

Taketatsu: "SWEETS is CIRCUS" is a song inspired by the image of a night circus, and for this set list, I was conscious of the passage of time from night to morning and then to day. I created a flow of the entire live performance, in which I enter a mysterious world, meet various people, have adventures, and come to a happy ending. The first costume I wore was a coat, because it was nighttime.

─ It was a purple coat, wasn't it?

Taketatsu: The color is the same, and I paid attention to every detail of the costumes. The coat had different collars on the left and right sides to make the audience feel as if they were in the mysterious world of the circus, and when they took it off, Alice came out.

─ That's the light blue apron dress in the third song "Alice in Wonderland", isn't it?

Taketatsu: I had never had an image of light blue before, so I thought it would look fresh, and after consulting with the staff, we decided on it. I also wear a skirt that looks like a birdcage. Like the armor in "MonHun" (laughs).

─ ─ Yes, it was like a piece of armor, and it looked hard. Wasn't it difficult to handle those costumes?

Taketatsu: First of all, it was difficult to carry them to the concert venue. It could not be folded, so we needed a cardboard box that could hold the skirt completely. Of course, we didn't have cardboard boxes that big, so we had to have several of them pasted together. The costumes are now sitting in Pony Canyon's warehouse, but I imagine they must have taken up a lot of space (laughs). (Laughs) But they were made so cute that I would like to wear them again if I have the chance.


──Costumes are a major highlight of live performances, aren't they? There was a quick costume change on stage, and I thought, "Oh, wow! I thought.

Taketatsu: We rehearsed carefully for the quick costume change. We were instructed to "open your clothes with the hand that is not holding the microphone and take them off like this," and "Yes, the song will start at this timing," and we were flapping our hands around.

─ ─ The rehearsals must have been very detailed, as the performance was very elaborate.

Taketatsu: We all worked hard. But while we were preparing, we were desperate to make something good in the limited time we had, so after everything was over, we would say to each other, "That was a lot of work. I am so frantic that I am quite preoccupied during rehearsals. I would say, "Oh, my God, yada yada" over something trivial (laughs).

─ ─ You try to say what you want to say without suppressing your feelings.

I 'm the type of person who wants to show all my feelings. I want to tell them right then and there, "This is how I feel. I want to tell them on the spot. Especially at live performances, I have to be more firm in what I say because I am the one who is making the music. When I look back over time, there are actually parts that I reflect on, saying, "I may have said too much. I don't think my fans know me like this (laughs).

─ ─ It is a serious competition as a creator. I think it would be better for the staff if you made your feelings clear.

TAKETATSU (turning toward the staff) That's not true, is it?　You're taking it easy on them, aren't you? (laughs)

(Staff member) We let each other do things without being wrapped up in it (laughs).

(laughs) ─ So you are working with people who know each other well. On stage, I could feel how close you are with the band members.

Taketatsu: I have regular communication with the band members, such as inviting them to Christmas parties and New Year's parties. Shuntaro-san (Shuntaro Kobayashi, keyboardist and banjo player), even when we don't see each other, when I look at the TV, I see him participating in other people's performances, and I am often surprised to see "Oh, Shuntaro-san! I was often surprised to see him. Even though it has been a long time since I have seen him in person, I don't feel that way at all.

─ ─ The bass player, Chiaki Ito, was the first member of the backing band.

Taketatsu: Chucky was a new member. She was a girl who was very outgoing, and although it was the first time for me and all the other members except Shuntaro-san to meet each other, she immediately blended in with the group. I was very happy to make friends with her. Chucky, guitarist Shimizukun (Kohei Shimizu) and I were a trio of the same age, and we had a lot of fun together.