Six powerful songs! JUNNA, the youngest diva of the "Macross" series, makes her solo debut with a mini-album!

The tactical music unit "Valkyrie" appears in the TV anime "Macross Delta. JUNNA, who sang as the ace vocalist of the group, Miun Ginneemaire, will finally make her solo debut. The Valkyries have had great success in the real world as well, filling the Yokohama Arena for two days at their second live concert held in January of this year. At the center of this success is 16-year-old songstress JUNNA.
Her solo debut is a mini album of 6 songs (12 songs in total including instrumental) titled "Vai! It is a work packed with JUNNA's own personality while retaining her Miun-like view of the world. We hope you will enjoy her powerful vocals, which are her greatest appeal, and which you would not expect from a teenager!

The first song she sang in "Macross Delta" was "Nai nai borderline

─ I heard from the music producer of "Macross Delta" that JUNNA was found in an audition that had nothing to do with the anime.

JUNNA Yes. It was an audition held by a record company and an office. I had been to various auditions before that, but this was the first time for me to go to a large-scale open audition.

─ That was when you were in the third year of junior high school, wasn't it? When did you start aiming to become a singer in earnest?

JUNNA I loved singing since I was a child, and my mother said, "Well, why don't you try to learn? And I started taking lessons in the 4th grade of elementary school. I started taking lessons in the fourth grade of elementary school, and then I had a chance to sing on stage. I realized how much fun it was to sing in front of an audience, and from there I began to seriously pursue my singing career.

─ ─ What kind of music did you listen to when you were in elementary school?

JUNNA My mother first bought me an album by Superfly, and after listening to it I became a fan and she took me to their concerts. I also loved Ikimono-gakari, and I sang their songs all the time.

─ How did you like anime songs?

JUNNA Actually, I am not familiar with anime. The only thing I watched as a child was "Chibi Maruko-chan.

───That means that you must have been a little bit puzzled when you were approached by a person who makes animation music at an audition?

JUNNA I knew nothing about the world, so I was still anxious. When I talked to my mother about it, she said, "You don't know everything until you try it. If you try something and it doesn't work out, that's fine. That made my mind up.

─ ─ What was the first thing you did?

JUNNA I was given a sound recording of a song I was asked to sing for this work, and later I sang it in front of the animation staff.

─ So that was an audition on the anime production side. What song did you sing at that time?

JUNNA It was "Nai nai borderline. Prior to that, we were told that we could sing one song of our choice. I was able to sing a song I was used to singing first, so I was able to sing "No Borderline" with my nerves relaxed.

───And you were successfully chosen to sing for Migun. What was your favorite song to sing at that time?

JUNNA It was "Slow Ballad" by RC Succession.

─ ─ That's very cool. Wasn't it your parents' taste?

JUNNA I learned it from my mother. It's my favorite song, too.

─ ─ Do you remember the first time you met the members of Valkyrie?

JUNNA I met Minori Suzuki first. we were called together and we tried to sing together in the studio. it was around September 2015, I think. I met Yasuno (Kiono), Higashiyama (Nao), and Nishida (Mochimi) for the first time when I went to observe the recording of "Macross Delta" and greeted them.

─ That was the first time you saw the postrecording of an anime, wasn't it?

JUNNA Yes. Everyone was standing in front of the microphone and talking in turn, and it was very tense. I felt that it was a totally different scene from the recording of a song.

─ ─ What do you think you gained through the activities of Valkyrie?

JUNNA When you sing as a unit, you can do many things that you cannot do alone. My sisters were kind and taught me many things that I didn't know.

─ What is your favorite Valkyrie song in particular?

JUNNA I enjoy singing "Walküre Attack! As for ballads, I like "AXIA~Daisuki de Daikirai~".

─ ─ "AXIA" is a caname song, isn't it?

JUNNA I also like "GIRAFFE BLUES", but "AXIA" is special. The audience cried at the live performance, and I thought it was amazing that the song alone could move them so much.