I don't want to let you be alone. Interview with XAI, singer of the theme song for Anigoji's second chapter "GODZILLA: Crusade in Mobile Cities

Singer XAI won the first artist award at the 8th "Toho Cinderella" audition. She made her debut with the theme song "WHITE OUT" for "GODZILLA: Planet of the Monsters," the first chapter of the animated "Godzilla" series, and also sang the theme song for the second chapter, "GODZILLA: Cessation Mobile City," released on May 18, 2018 On May 9, 2018, her second single "THE SKY FALLS" was released. This song is filled with a different kind of strength from the enveloping music of the previous song.

We asked her to tell us about her profile and her latest single, which is still shrouded in mystery.

Your musical roots were in ani-songs, vocaloids, and singers.

When I was researching what kind of music she liked, I found out that she liked the songs from "Macross F." What attracted you to the songs? What attracted you to it?

XAI I am a big fan of Yoko Kanno, but I did not watch the series in real time. I was attracted to the "Macross" series because the battles and the songs are so closely related. As someone like myself who has been saved by music and songs, it was very appealing and touching to me that there are songs that care for others and fight together with them in the midst of battle.

─ ─ Both Ranka Lee and Sheryl Nome, who are called divas in the show, sing good songs, don't they?

XAI They are all my favorite songs!　And at both ends of the spectrum, with Ranka, there are songs that cheer people up, and with Sheryl, there are songs that make you fight. I really like the scene where Cheryl sings "Diamond Crevasse" in the shelter with the line "If you are the diva of hope, I will sing in despair", and I was asked to sing this song at the "Toho Cinderella" audition. At that time, for the first time in my life, I had the experience of really singing for someone. ...... It is a song that means a lot to me, and seeing the way Cheryl lives her life made me want to become a singer like her and help others. Macross F" is the work that made me think that way.

─ So you even remember the lines. And you were a fan of Ms. Kanno? Did you listen to any other albums?

XAI I really like the song "Cloe Chloe" from "Earth Girl Arjuna". Right?

─ ─ It is great and a masterpiece!　When I sing it, I don't really understand it because of the language, though. By the way, what was your favorite song in "Macross F"?

XAI I can't choose one, but I really like Cheryl's "Obelisk" too. Those eyes of Cheryl. I think Cheryl's determination and her way of life are all in that look as she runs, changes her costume, and starts to sing. I want to love you to death, too.

─ That's a line from Northern Cross!　I can feel the love coming through (laughs). Your last album "WHITE OUT" was a little quieter, but you have sung some intense songs. What other songs do you like?

XAI I like Yuki Kajiura's "a song of storm and fire" and songs that are a mixture of electro and folk music. My family was a music lover, so I have listened to many kinds of music. I also like Vocaloids, and I listened to them a lot. I also listen to Joe Hisaishi's soundtracks.

─ So you yourself are rather fond of anime and Vocaloids?

XAI There were many people who were like stars in the sky. When Hachitaro (Yonezu Genshi) came out, it was a great moment for me, and I also like DECO*27. There is no end to the list. I think people who were around in real time would understand the feeling, but that's how hooked I was and I listened to a lot of music!　In fact, I even went to the BOMAS (*note) once.

(*Note: "VOC@LOi". (*Note: "VOMAS" stands for "THE VOC@LOiD M@STER," a coterie magazine exhibition specializing in VOCALOID).

I want to sing a song that can help someone.

─ ─ Naturally, you had a longing to be a singer, but you also wanted to be a singer. But then you made your debut with "WHITE OUT," and did you have any new impressions from your contact with professionals?

XAI My first recording session was with Masayuki Nakano of "BOOM BOOM SATELLITES," so it was the first time for me to face an adult, or ...... an adult (laughs). (laughs) Furthermore, Mr. Nakano has been deeply involved in music and is a truly stoic musician, so just being able to talk with him and spend time with him was a very big change for me.

XAI──It seems that you can feel the depth of his music just by talking with him.

XAI I would say it has a depth, or perhaps an elegance. The same goes for Ms. Sachiko Aoyama (Negoto) who wrote the lyrics. I had liked Ms. Negoto's lyrics since "Karon," a song from an au LISMO (now Recochoku) commercial, and I told her that I liked her lyrics. I was very happy.

─ Did you have any talks with Mr. Aoyama?

XAI I was recording at Mr. Nakano's studio as I did for the previous album, and Mr. Aoyama came to see me there. Mr. Aoyama came to my studio and wrote the lyrics for "WHITE OUT". So I think we had a chance to talk and share our feelings.

─ ─ XAI, you also write lyrics.

XAI When Mr. Aoyama writes lyrics, he writes them with his own personality in mind. In the song "THE SKY FALLS," there is a lyric "vivid blue" in the chorus, which may seem pop when you look at the words. But he told me that he chose this phrase because he thought it would sound sad when I sang it. I was really impressed by the way he wrote the song, thinking about how it would sound when he sang it with his voice. Once again, I am very happy to be able to sing your songs.

─ I see that there are words that match the melody and words that match the voice. What did you think when you heard that you could work with Mr. Nakano and Ms. Aoyama again on "THE SKY FALLS"?

XAI "WHITE OUT" is a very special song for me, so I was very happy and excited to be able to work with the two of you again. The more time I spent with the two of you, the more I could feel your sincerity in the atmosphere. The air around both of them is so clear. There was a distance between us that I couldn't catch up even if I ran, but I knew I had to try my best to struggle and keep up with them. That is how I felt I had to approach this project.

─ ─ How did you feel when you heard "THE SKY FALLS" for the first time?

XAI I think that Mr. Nakano's songs have a special power that makes them immediately recognizable as his own. It is music of hope that can definitely help someone. When I listened to the demo, I was very moved, thinking that I had to take a different approach from "WHITE OUT".

─ How was the recording of the vocals?

XAI If "WHITE OUT" was a song that enveloped me and helped me, this time it was more like I was fighting on the battlefield. I thought the song would be like singing with my feet firmly planted on the ground, so I wanted to convey that kind of feeling. I also received a lot of advice about singing. I can sing with all my might, but he also gave me more technical advice on how I should sing.

─ How did you feel when you listened to the song together with the movie "GODZILLA: CASE MULTIPLE CITY"?

XAI The first movie, "GODZILLA: Planet of the Monsters," had a tremendous storyline, but this time it was even more serious and more emotional. The expressions on each character's face and the lives and lifestyles that emerge from them are much stronger than before. There is a lyric, "I won't let you be alone," and I thought that message would be delivered even more clearly.

─ ─ I was wondering about "I won't let you be alone," and at the very end, although it is not on the lyric card, you sing, "I won't let you be alone. I really liked the sense of the song's intensity.

XAI I think the message of "I won't let you be alone" is very strong in this song and in the lyrics. Music has saved me a lot in my life, so I think the power of music is really contained in this song. I am a singer because I want to sing songs that can help others. Including that, I strongly feel that I must sing this song with all my soul.

Let me free" is an image of "escape" in a positive sense

─ ─ The coupling song "Let me free" has a very beautiful melody. The lyrics were about freedom. What made you decide to sing about this theme?

XAI I have been living in a very small world, as is the case with music, so the time I spend talking with Ms. Nakano is a time for me to learn that "life is hard, but the world is so big and so beautiful.

I have many opportunities to do release events and to be in front of people, but I am so nervous about talking to my friends whom I have not seen for a week that I am a bit nervous about what kind of reaction I will get from everyone. I am so nervous about talking to friends I haven't seen in a week that I wonder what kind of reactions I will get from everyone. Sometimes I wish I could be freer from that. I want to concentrate on music and sharpen my spirit. I wrote this song with that in mind.

Also, when I listened to Mr. Nakano's demo, I got the image of running in the dark toward the light, escaping, in a positive way, so I put those feelings into it. So the content of the song is introspective, but it is about how we all have times when we have to fight, but it is not the only time. I think it is very important to escape in life, so I hope you will join me in escaping, even if it is only for a few minutes while listening to this song. I would be more than happy if you listen to this song in that way.

─ ─ Your songs have the power to make me feel very positive, so I feel that your message that it is okay to escape is very persuasive. We are heading toward the light. Finally, do you have a message for those who are looking forward to "GODZILLA: CASE MULTIPLE CITY"?

XAI Like the previous film, I think this film is so serious that it will leave you breathless. I feel as if I were in the film, but I don't think I have many chances to feel "I am alive right now! I don't think there are many opportunities in life to feel "I'm alive right now! I think you can feel even that kind of feeling when you watch the film, and I think it contains a message that we should not leave to others. The way each person lives his or her life and the way each fights for justice, putting his or her life on the line, is a highlight of the film.

And if you listen to my song after watching it, I think you will hear it in a new way. If the previous song was about salvation, I would be happy to play the role of a song of survival this time.

(Interview, text, and photography by Junichi Tsukagoshi)