Interview] 12 songs filled with the world of Eri Sasaki. Two years after her debut, her first album "Period" is finally completed!

Eri Sasaki made her debut in 2015 with "Ring of Fortune," the opening theme song for the TV anime "Plastic Memories. She has continued to sing theme songs for games since then, and is finally releasing her first album. The album contains 12 songs. The album is a well-balanced mix of anime and game tie-up songs and new songs that express her true pop sensibility in a straightforward manner. The title "Period" is said to represent a break in her career, as well as a desire to continue moving forward into the future. We spoke with them at length about their history prior to their debut.

I started playing pop music in earnest when I was in college.

─ I heard that you have been familiar with music since you were a child.

Sasaki: I started playing the violin when I was 3 years old and the piano in the third grade of elementary school, so I was a classical musician throughout my childhood. When I entered junior high school, I started listening to Avril Lavigne and other Western pop music, and in high school, I played in a band at the school festival, although we didn't have a light music club.

─ So you got much closer to the world of pop music in your teens.

Sasaki: I didn't really get into pop music until I entered university. I joined a light music circle, and became a vocalist in a band, played the violin, and started composing music. I went to an advanced school in high school and studied 365 days a year, so I felt liberated during my college years and had a lot of fun. I played in a band in a circle and worked part-time at a live music club. I was able to learn various genres of music from my seniors. From jazz to hardcore, there were so many different kinds.

─ What kind of music did you play in your band?

Sasaki: The band was a mix of post-rock and progressive rock (laughs). (laughs) We were writing and performing original songs that had odd time signatures in them. The band hasn't broken up yet, and we continue to play as a hobby. All the members are now working and busy, so we don't get together very often.

─ When did you first become aware that you wanted to become a professional musician?

Sasaki: I first became aware of it when I was in high school. All I really did was study every day, so I wanted to do something I liked when I entered the workforce. Specifically, when I was a university student, I started auditioning as a singer/songwriter. But none of them went well, and I didn't make my debut. Then I found out that there was a job as a writer, and I thought that sounded fun too.

─ Did you go on to become a writer in the music industry after graduating from college?

Sasaki: Yes, I did. I joined a writer's office and worked mainly as a lyricist and composer, but also as a chorus singer and tentative singer.

Sasaki──And then came your chance to debut as an artist, singing "Ring of Fortune," the opening theme song for the TV anime "Plastique Memories," and your CD debut came on May 27, 2015.

Sasaki: Actually, I participated in a competition for the opening theme of "Plastic Memories" as a composer, but the song I submitted was not chosen. After that, I was also asked to audition as a singer, and I was selected there. No one around me, including myself, thought I would be selected, so I was very surprised.

─ Do you know why you were chosen?

Sasaki: I think my voice matched the image. I heard that it was unanimously decided at the selection committee.

─ ─ Considering your musical history, you have not played any anime songs or game songs, have you?

Sasaki: I knew the famous songs that everyone sings at karaoke, and I watched anime with my friends in college, so I had a limited knowledge of anime (laughs). (Laughs.) Among them, I loved "STEINS;GATE," and I participated in the "PLAMEMO" competition because I heard that Naotaka Hayashi, who wrote the scenario for the game "Stave," was involved in the new anime, and I wanted to try my hand at it.

─ After your debut, you sang theme songs for various games, and on October 26, 2016, you released your 2nd single "Recalling/Last Diary". And now you are releasing your first album.

Sasaki: We had been talking about making an album for a long time, but we started working on it in earnest this year.