Aikatsu! From singer to solo singer, and with her new project "Re:versed", she sings the theme song of the drama version of "Kaket Keguruii"! Interview with Moena Tomoeyama [Newcomers, welcome! Part 5]

With more and more anime songs being released every day, newcomers who sing anime songs are also appearing on the scene one after another. Akiba Research Institute is pleased to present a series of in-depth interviews with these newcomers!　That is "Newcomers, welcome! The newcomers are "Re Re", "Rei", and "Rei".

This time we have Ms. Mona Tomoyama, who just started her music career under the name "Re:versed. Since her graduation in 2016, she has been actively working as a solo singer, and in December 2017, she announced that she would be working as a vocalist for the sound project unit "Re:versed". She sings the theme song "Ichika Hachika" under the name "Re:versed" in the TV drama "Kake Kegurui" (MBS/TBS Drama-ism), which is currently airing.

We asked Ms. Tomoeyama, who has made a fresh start and started her career in a new way, about her path to becoming a singer and what kind of music she would like to release as Re:versed!

─ This is the first time you have appeared on "Akiba Research Institute". Could you give us a brief self-introduction?

Tomoeyama: It has been two years since I started my activities as a solo singer. Before I started my activities as a solo singer, I was in charge of singing for "Aikatsu! and that was my first singing job. And in 2018, I started my activities as "Re:versed".

─ ─ In "Akiba Research Institute", many people know me as "Aikatsu! Many people know you as Mona-san, but what kind of singer is singer Moena Tomoeyama?

Tomoeyama: As a singer Monna Tomoeyama, I would like to deliver my honest thoughts and feelings as songs that only I can deliver to the people who listen to me. I would like to create new expressions that go beyond Moena Tomoeyama, and to explore more challenging activities.

─ Could you tell us how you became interested in becoming a singer?

Tomoeyama: I have always loved singing since I was a child. The reason I started singing was because my mother enrolled me in a theater company in order to correct my shyness when I was little. There I realized that I enjoyed expressing myself and speaking in front of people, and from then on I spent my school life thinking "I want to sing" and "I want to express myself.

Another trigger was that my younger brother played high school soccer for three years, and I was able to experience "youth" by going to cheer him on. That is when I began to think, "I want to work hard with him," and "I want to learn to sing," and so I began to attend music school.

I think it was too late to start studying music, and because I started late, I was concerned about my friends who were getting jobs and so on. However, I learned from my friends around me who have been doing music together that it is okay to start late if it is for something you want to do. I would like to deliver this song to anyone who has a dream or something they want to do in the future, saying, "Even if you start late, it's not too late if you start now," or "Don't worry about your surroundings, let's do what you want to do.

The world of anime songs, which I learned about through "Aikatsu! I learned about the world of anime songs through "Aikatsu!

─ ─ Before I made my debut as a singer for "Aikatsu! What kind of songs did you sing before your debut as a singer for "Aikatsu!

Tomoeyama: I admired Ayaka's expressiveness and singing ability, and one of the reasons I started singing was because I wanted to sing like her. I practiced at karaoke rather than live performances until I could sing all of Ayaka's songs! I also used to sing a lot of Superfly, Ken Hirai, and Miyuki Nakajima. I sang cover songs of artists who sing beautiful ballads, because I could express my feelings more in ballads.

In addition, I learned to write lyrics and music while I was in music school, and I sang some of my original songs that I wrote during that time at live performances.

─ The songs in "Aikatsu! songs are the exact opposite of ballads, or rather, many of them are energetic songs, aren't they?

Tomoeyama: That's right. That's why, at first, I was like, "I just have to give it a try! That's how I felt. But in "Aikatsu! I was able to learn a lot from the people around me, who taught me about various genres of songs, such as cool songs and sexy songs, as well as singing techniques. I think I was able to sing along with the characters and grow with them, just as I did in the anime.

─ ─ Before I started singing in "Aikatsu! What kind of anime did you watch before you started singing in "Aikatsu!

Tomoeyama: Before I started singing in "Aikatsu! I had never watched any anime at all before I started singing in "Aikatsu! I didn't know any anime songs at all, but after participating in "Aikatsu! I watched a lot of anime and learned about ani-songs from the fans.

─ What was your impression of anime songs from your J-POP background?

Tomoeyama: People around me often think that it is the same thing to deliver songs to people, but I thought it was something completely different. Anime songs are sung in a very crisp and clear manner, and in J-POP ballads, the words are sung as if the singer is speaking, but in anime songs, the singer is more conscious of the vowels and how they are used to convey the words, rather than the emotion. Of course, I have learned a lot from this experience. Of course, I have learned a lot from this. I am sure that the expressiveness of the songs she sang in "Aikatsu!

─ ─ I have sung on stage at many events related to "Aikatsu! related events, were there any events that left a lasting impression on you?

Tomoeyama: It was a shock to be allowed to perform at Anisama six months after joining the group. I was shocked to be allowed to perform at Anisama six months after joining the group. I didn't know what to expect, but I went out there, stood up, and saw penlights I had never seen before. I was almost intoxicated by the penlights that everyone was waving at me, and it was as if I didn't know where I was standing. I don't think I will ever forget that.

─ ─ You had never heard of the world of anime songs, so how did you feel when you were suddenly standing there?

Tomoeyama: I thought I had entered a new world. It was a world I had never seen before, but I was more excited than anxious. Before performing at Anisama, I had already performed at an event for "Aikatsu! event, I had seen fans cheering hard. I wondered what the point was of everyone waving their penlights. Later, I was told that they were cheering for me, and I learned that this was their way of expressing themselves.

─ ─ After your baptism at Anisama, you graduated from singing and are now challenging yourself to cover anime songs as a solo singer. Do you choose the songs yourself?

Tomoeyama: Fans choose the songs for me. Of course, I studied ani-songs myself, but I don't know a lot of them, so I ask fans to tweet me songs that suit "Moena Tomoeyama" with "#Monarik". 300 or more songs were suggested to me - I am still updating the list, so there are about 400 songs! I think there might be more than 400 songs. I listen to almost all of them from scratch and choose songs that I think would be good to sing live or that I like. It is interesting that there are various genres and characteristics, and there are many songs with good lyrics, so I would like to learn more and more about ani-song.

─ By the way, "MUSIC FESTA in AIKATSU BUDOKAN" was held at Nippon Budokan on February 27 and 28, 2018.

Tomoeyama: I went on the 27th, and from the first song I was already moved to tears. I was moved by the atmosphere of the Budokan, the atmosphere and the fans, and when I saw my friends on stage, I thought, "They are growing up. ...... It has been about two years since I graduated, and I thought that two years is an amazing period of time.

─ ─ It is truly youth, isn't it?

Tomoeyama: I used to be there, but on the 27th I was able to look at the stage very objectively. I was glad that I was able to go and see the show, because I could see how the fans were listening to the lyrics and how they were cheering for the band, and I learned how they felt. I even felt like dancing myself (laughs).

I sang "Ichi or Yoka" with an illustration of Yumeko Snake Plumeko by my side.

───While you are currently singing as a solo artist, you have started a new solo project "Re:versed.

Tomoeyama: When I was asked to write the opening theme for the TV drama "Kette Kegurui-", I had first written "Ichika Hachika" with lyrics by Yonesaki Tsuno of "Akai Koen", and immediately asked Br'z to arrange it and record a demo. When I sent that demo, "Re:versed" had not yet been born, but when I sang it as "Moena Tomoeyama," I heard from the drama director, Tsutomu Ei, that he had requested that I go crazy.

───Did you sing in a more natural way at first?

Tomoeyama Yes, at first it was "Tomoeyama Moena. After hearing that request, I began to think, "How should I go about singing madly? Singing like a mad singer was something I had never done before with "Tomoeyama Moena," so I started by watching the entire anime version of "Kaket Kegurui-Gurui-" and I found that the voice actors were really terrific. Then I watched the entire anime version of "Kette Kegurui-" and was really impressed by the amazing acting of the voice actors. I was impressed by how they were able to use their voices and breaths in such a way.

I used that as a reference to think about how to laugh, how to breathe, and how to use the back of my voice, and recorded a demo again, and it was accepted. However, it was a new expression that didn't fit the "Moena Tomoeyama" of the past, so I decided to sing it as a new "other me," and that's how "Re:versed" was born.

The word "Re:versed" is taken from the tarot card "reversed," where "Re:" means "again" and "versed" means "skilled. The message of the song is "I sing as the other me." It is like the image of myself through a mirror, or if the singer "Moena Tomoeyama" was white, "Re:versed" would be black. If we were to use tarot cards, the singer "Moena Tomoeyama" would be in the positive position, and "Re:versed" would be in the opposite position, and that's how the song was born.

─ ─ I have the impression that Moena Baeyama is known for ballads and gentle songs, so I think everyone was surprised when "Eka Eka" came out.

Tomoeyama: That's right. I was told. But after watching the anime version, I realized that I had learned a lot from the voice actors and the expressive ability I had gained from my work on "Aikatsu! I think I was able to utilize the expressive ability I gained from my past work on "Aikatsu!

─ Were you conscious of the characters when you sang?

Tomoeyama: I was really conscious of Yumeko Jabakuro and Kirari Momogui. I placed illustrations of the two girls next to each other, and while looking at them, I thought, "How would Yumeko sing if she were Yumeko? I had been recording "Aikatsu! I had been singing while imagining the characters by placing character goods beside me since the recording of "Aikatsu!

─ ─ What is the highlight of the song?

Tomoeyama: I did a lot of research while singing. I sang the song while incorporating the girlish and cute parts of Yumeko-chan from the anime.

In the first verse, I intentionally sang in a back voice, and in the beginning of the second verse, I sang in a slightly cute way, so I would be happy if you could listen to the song while finding those other parts.

I try to sing in a way that the various characters come out, and I think about how I can make the audience enjoy the drama. I hope to make the live performance as crazy as the world of the drama.

─ What are the main points in singing the song?

Tomoeyama: The tempo of the first part, "The flames that can't be fully digested" and the second part, "Emotions that seem to be going out of control," were arranged so fast that I could just barely say them, so please sing them as fast as you can!

─ ─ In the opening scene of the drama "Ichika Yoka", there is an image of the actors lip-syncing every time they sing.

Tomoeyama: It makes me happy to think that the cast is singing too. The opening image changes every time, and people who watch the drama say it's interesting. It's a cool video, and I really want them to make a PV using this video!

I think "Re:versed" can take on any challenge!

The coupling song is a cover of Ken Hirai's "LIFE is...". The coupling song is a cover of Ken Hirai's "LIFE is...", which is a bit more nostalgic, isn't it? The image of the song changes drastically from the title track.

Tomoeyama: Yes, both ballads like this and "Ichi or Yaka" are me, so I wanted to link the two. Those who know me from "One or Two" may think that I am a rock artist, but I also want to tell them that I sing this kind of song as a singer Moena Tomoeyama.

─ ─ It is a CD that is exactly like the front and back sides of the same coin.

Tomoeyama: I like Ken Hirai's songs, and I used to sing them when I did street live performances. I thought that if I were to use it as a coupling to "Ichika Hachika" this time, the world view of "LIFE is..." would fit well. I thought the world view of "LIFE is..." would be a good fit for the coupling of the song. I thought it would be wonderful to have a ballad like this after the crazy world of the song.

─ ─ What kind of songs would you like to sing as "Re:versed" in the future?

Tomoeyama: As "Re:versed," I think we can try anything, so we can sing very cute songs, idol-like songs, or sexy songs. It could be a very cute song, or an idol-like song, or a sexy song, or a song inserted into a movie. I would like to use "Re:versed" as a springboard for various activities, and I would like to sing a variety of songs.

─ It seems that your range as an artist will expand.

Tomoeyama: I really want to try everything. Rather than singing my own songs, I would like to sing songs that complement the drama, animation, movies, commercials, and other works. I also sing "Ippanka" from the same standpoint as the person making the drama, with the sense of how I can enliven "the work," and I hope to be able to express myself in that way in "Re:versed.

─ By the way, what do you think is the kind of "song that only you can deliver" that you often talk about?

Tomoeyama: I am not that good at speaking. But if I sing, I feel that I can share what I can relate to and what I can convey. I would like to value the parts that can be conveyed without words, and I hope I can share those parts through songs that only I can deliver.

For example, animals cannot speak, but they can say "Welcome home! or "I'm so happy" or "I want to eat dinner. It's like a tangible emotion.

I also sing with this in mind, but people listening to the CDs may have different feelings. But if you listen to it live, you may be able to share some of the same feelings. I am happy to do so, so I always want to deliver my songs, and even though I have been a shy person in the past, I can still reach my dreams if I have the courage to do so. I want to let everyone know that I may have started singing too late, but I am now in a place where I am having so much fun, and I can deliver the songs I love all the time. I think that is the song that only I can deliver .......

Thank you very much!

CD Information

Re:versed "One or Eight"

Release date: March 14, 2018

・Price: 1,200 yen (tax included)

Item number: UPCH-5937

Label: Universal J

＜Included in the album

M-1. Ichi ka ha haka

LIFE is...

One or Eight (Instrumental)

M-4. LIFE is... (Instrumental)