I feel like I'm close to the way I felt when I started i☆Ris! Interview with Yuu Serizawa on the occasion of the release of their 2nd mini album "only you?

Seven months have passed since her first mini-album. With Masatomo Ota (SCREEN mode) as her producer, popular voice actress Yu Serizawa released her 2nd mini-album "only you? only me!

Unlike the previous album, which was filled with "kawaii" (cute), the second album is filled with "the Yuu Serizawa that Yuu Serizawa loves. However, it is also a piece that makes us realize that Seriko's overflowing cuteness cannot be concealed. Let us present you a long interview with Ms. Serizawa, who says that she has spread her will and intention to every corner of the album, as well as her feelings toward "i☆Ris".

I like the fact that I can say, "Just look at Seriko, okay? I like the fact that I can say "Just look at Seriko!

--First of all, please tell us why you chose the title "only you?

Serizawa I wanted to continue using the word "Yu" from the previous "YOU&YOU". Because it is my name and easy to understand. So I simply said, "Just look at Seriko, okay?" (laughs). But it's not like, "I don't want you to support me unless you support me first. It's more like, "You're so cute! It's really hard for me to say that myself (laughs). (laugh) But I thought it would be nice if I could include that kind of selfishness. I wanted to include that kind of selfishness. I really like the part where I can say, "Just look at Yuu," or "Isn't Seri cute, too?

--I feel your strong desire for this album, with "Please Weekend" based on the 80's idol line and "Princess Policy" which reminds me of 90's idol music.

Serizawa: I'm glad to hear that!　I told Masatomo Ota that I was really into Chisato Moritaka this summer. I think that's reflected in the songs.

--What kind of requests did you have for each song?

Serizawa: For the songs, I said, "Please make more songs that get people excited as soon as they hear them. In the previous album, except for "Voice for YOU!" and "Katamari Expansion," the other four songs were mid-tempo ballads, and the album as a whole had a relaxed atmosphere. But for this album, I asked them to make it much more up-tempo. I know I can't do that many (solo) live performances because of my i☆Ris activities, but I still wanted to get excited with my fans. I really like the feeling of togetherness when I shout out loud. I wanted to make a lot of songs that you can tell how to get into the groove at a live concert just by listening to the music.

--You mean, the kind of songs you would play at a live concert?

Serizawa Yes!　It's like, "This is the kind of live performance I want to have.

--What about the lyrics?

Serizawa: For all six songs, I asked the lyrics to be like this, based on the image I had when I heard the songs.

--Do you feel that each of the six songs has this kind of image of Yuu Serizawa?

Serizawa Yes, I do!　Shall I explain briefly?

--Let's see... (laughs).

Serizawa: "PRINCESS POLICY" is just like Yuu Serizawa herself, and I wanted the first song to be a song that everyone could tell was about Yuu Serizawa. The previous song "Voice for YOU!" was also very "the Serizawa" song. Only you..., right?" and "Of course I have to decide which cute one is my favorite? Of course you do!" and "Oh, Serizawa-san". But "Only you...right?" was a line that Mr. Ota was going to cut when we were recording, saying, "Maybe it's okay if you don't have it." But I said, "As a voice actor, I want to include the line," and he did. I was more "happy" with the inclusion of this line. I was able to feel more "I like it!

--In the song, you sing "I want to be praised." What is the second compliment you want to be praised with?

Serizawa What?　Do you mean that the first one would be "kawaii"?

--No, don't you want everyone to find the word you want to be said the most?　It doesn't make sense to have people say the word you said yourself.

Serizawa Ah, indeed. Then the second or ....... Oh, I want people to say, "Nice installation" (laughs).

--Is that okay with you? (laughs).

Serizawa That's fine!　I really hate that I don't get any followers on Instagram. But I don't go to Instagram-worthy places alone, and I don't have any friends to go with. I'm like, "I'm not going to eat cotton candy just to look good on Instagram. But I'm still trying my best to update my Instagram, so please follow me if you like (laughs).

--What kind of Yuu Serizawa can we see in the second song "Please Weekend"?

Serizawa: For "Please Weekend," I asked for the lyrics, "I wish the weekend would come soon! I asked her to sing the lyrics "I wish the weekend would come soon! But when I sang the song, I was thinking about the feelings of the fans who are waiting for the live performance. I think everyone who is saying "Serizawa, Serizawa" at the live show is probably feeling "tired" at work on weekdays, tinkering with their PCs and cell phones. But I think they are really looking forward to the live concert on weekends. I put everyone's feelings and, of course, my own feelings of wanting to see everyone as soon as possible into this song. How? To! Party☆" is a song I wrote so that people can get excited together at the live performance. （I have been working with Yohei Matsui (who wrote the lyrics) since our debut, so he really understands my personal side, and I always think, "The girl in the lyrics sounds like me. The song "Tonari mo Tsuki ga Kirei" was the song with the fewest orders. I wrote very long sentences for the other songs, but for this one I just said, "Please make it a love song. Then I saw the word "moon" in it, and I thought, "Mr. TRUE, you are a genius! I was like, "TRUE, you are a genius! I love a manga called "Full Moon Searching," and that's how I got into the music industry. So, since I love "Full Moon" so much, I thought we had a heart-to-heart talk. This is also sort of me. But I asked TRUE to revise the lyrics once or twice. When I first saw it, I was a little concerned that there were too many "I love you" lyrics. I told him, "I'm sorry, but there are too many "I love you" lyrics. I told him, "I'm sorry, but there are too many 'I love you's.'" He wrote some different lyrics, but they didn't feel right. When I was struggling with "Hmmm ......," Masatomo Ota told me about Soseki Natsume, and I thought, "Oh, that's what "I love you" means.

--I love you" - is it a legend that you told him to translate the English sentence "I love you" as "the moon is beautiful" or something like that?

Serizawa: Yes. When I heard that story, I felt that the words "Tsuki ga Kirei" summed up my feelings of love, so I decided to translate it back to "I love you. In the end, all I could say was "Tsuki ga kirei" (the moon is beautiful), and that made me sad. I sang the song many times during the recording, and it was the song I re-recorded the most.

--What made you re-record the song so much?

Serizawa: I felt that if I put too much feeling into the song, it would make me sound smug instead of sympathetic. Sympathy" is a very important key to liking a song, and the moment you like a song is when you hear the lyrics or melody and think, "I feel the same way. Therefore, I felt that it was not right for me to talk about my passion alone. I felt it was very difficult to find the right level of passion that would easily penetrate into the hearts of the audience.