New songs she could sing only after overcoming a serious illness! A long interview with Yumi Matsuzawa in commemoration of the release of her 20th anniversary album "Eien no SEED"!

Yumi Matsuzawa, who made her debut with "YOU GET TO BURNING," the OP theme song for "Mobile Battleship Nadesico" and is known for many anime and game songs, including the theme songs for "Saint Seiya: Pluto Hades Twelve Palace Arc" and "Saint Seiya: Pluto Hades Pluto Arc," celebrated the 20th anniversary of her singing career, album "Eien no SEED" to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her singing career.

For this album, Toshiyuki Omori, who created "YOU GET TO BURNING" and is known for "Zankoku na Tenshi no Thesis" and other songs, provided new songs. In addition, senior anime song singers Hironobu Kageyama and NoB have collaborated with Matsuzawa on their own signature songs, "Saint Myth - Soldier Dream" and "Eien Blue -BLUE FOREVER-". Ms. Matsuzawa is loved by both of them, "Everyone always wants Matsuzawa to be happy" (Kageyama) and "like a little sister, that's how I feel" (NoB). In this article, we will look at the various theme songs and new songs recorded by Ms. Matsuzawa, as well as her own charms.

We asked the two of them to lift us up with their songs.

--As you are releasing your 20th anniversary album, I would like to start by asking you about your musical roots.

Yumi Matsuzawa (Yumi Matsuzawa): I have loved singing since I was a child. I wanted to be a cab driver, a professional wrestler, or Seiko Matsuda (laughs). But even though I wanted to be a singer, I had never been in a band and could not play any instruments, so I tried various things by trial and error, such as joining a ska band (BLUE BEAT PLAYERS) before my debut. But when I sang at an audition, saying "I love Seiko Matsuda," I was told to sing Yumi Matsuzawa instead of Seiko Matsuda, and I thought "Oh! I thought to myself, "I shouldn't be imitating others.

--How did you come to "Mobile Battleship Nadeshiko," which led to your debut as a singer?

Matsuzawa When I was a student, I was approached on the street and became a reader model, and one of the other models introduced me to my first agency. The staff at that agency asked me, "What do you want to be?" I thought I could become a singer if I told them, so I answered, "A singer" (laughs). (Laughs.) I did that, and they gave me a lot of auditions. At the time, under the influence of ZARD's Sensui Sakai, there were many offers for singing auditions for models. However, it was difficult to make my debut. I belonged to a music production office as a kind of a favor and was given lessons every week from the age of 18, but since I was not getting anywhere, they told me that I could audition for other companies as well. That was the audition for "ASAYAN" (an audition program aired from 1995 to 2002 on TV Tokyo) and "Mobile Battleship Nadesico. When I participated in "ASAYAN," I was offered the chance to debut as a member of a group, but I passed the audition for "Mobile Battleship Nadesico" right around that time. Then, a lot of great people gathered around us (laughs).

(laughs) -- Did you have any negative feelings about debuting with an anime song instead of a pop song?

Matsuzawa: Not at all!　In the evening, I watched the opening with a sense of excitement. I was thinking, "My song is playing!　I'm scared" (laughs).

--How did you decide on this album?

Matsuzawa: At first, I was approached by King Records at the "King Super Live" in 2015, and then by 5pb. (a lyricist and composer who co-wrote "Chikyugi" and "Kimi to kimi ditto aozora" with Matsuzawa). That was last year, and about a year has passed since the recording of "Eien no SEED".

--I heard that you wanted to duet with Kageyama-san and NoB-san, is that right?

Matsuzawa Yes. I had always wanted to sing together with Kageyama and NoB on their famous songs. So, even before I decided to release the album, I asked, "Can I do a cover duet with you? I told each of them, "If we can do it together, I want to do a cover duet with you!" I told each of them that I wanted to do a cover duet if we could do it together.

--How did you feel when you actually sang the songs?

Matsuzawa: First of all, both Kageyama-san and NoB-san said to me, "We have totally different singing styles, so we can't sing together. But I asked them to sing as they were. Both songs were recorded by me after the two of them, and I was pulled up by Kageyama's and NoB's singing. I had a preconceived notion that my singing style was not rock, but when I actually sang the songs, I realized that it was okay to sing with more shout. Like "We Already Know," I made new discoveries on this album, and it made me want to sing more songs.

--What was the reason why you asked Tosh Masuda to be the producer?

Matsuzawa: We have been making sounds together since before our debut, and he also wrote the coupling song for "OTOHA~Sound Wave~" (2nd single released in 1997). We have been doing music together as musical friends every few years, and although he is not from the anisong world, he is a talented person, so I asked him to create something new while respecting the original song.

The thought of being able to make a new flower bloom.

--Could you tell us about the songs on the album?　Let's start with a new song, "Eien no SEED.

Matsuzawa: As this is the 20th anniversary album, my manager at my former office had told me that he wanted to ask Mr. Omori, who wrote the music for "Mobile Battleship Nadesico," which is my origin story, to write a new song. Even though I am active, if I do not have a "form" like a new song, I would be thought of as a person from the past, wouldn't I? Therefore, I wanted to ask Mr. Omori to write a new song and have him see me as I am now. So, even though the release date had not yet been set, I went up to Mr. Omori to ask him to do it.

I also found out that I had breast cancer during the production of this album. The first time I was told that I might have it was one month before I went on a three-week tour of Brazil with "Anime Friends," and I was in a daze for a month. And when I went back to the hospital to have it checked again, they suspected that it had metastasized to the lymphatic system, so my spirits were low. But the surgery was successful and there was no metastasis. It was about one month after the surgery that I went to see Dr. Omori. With this in mind, I told Dr. Omori, "I want to sing songs that make people who listen to them look forward and do their best! I also told him that I wanted to sing a song that would make the listeners feel that way. I told Mr. Omori that I wanted to sing a song that would make people who listen to it feel that they should look forward to it and do their best. He gladly agreed. The title of the song "Eternal Seed" means "no matter how many times it returns to the soil, it will bloom again. It was my thought, "I can live and sing again.

--What was the reason why you asked jam to write the lyrics?

Matsuzawa: Mr. Omori told me to send him an image of the song, even if it was just bullet points. So usually, it is usually done ahead of the song, but for "Eternal SEED" I wrote a kind of original lyrics first. However, we decided to have a third party write the lyrics so that we could include descriptions that would allow us to imagine "YOU GET TO BURNING" and "Nadeshiko" as well. I was happy to see that the lyrics that came out were lyrics that people who knew "YOU GET TO BURNING" would recognize.

--The original version of "YOU GET TO BURNING" is included in the album.

Matsuzawa: Yes. At the time, I was very nervous during the recording, and I remember producer Toshimichi Otsuki (Toshimichi Otsuki) told me that I was accepted because I was a bad singer, so I could leave it as it was. For "Nadesico," they wanted someone new for the voice actors, so maybe it was good that I was so new to it (laughs). Also, the director of this album had the same office at the time and was auditioning. On cassette tape. It brings back memories!

--Please tell us about "Eien Blue," the long-awaited duet with NoB.

Matsuzawa: I like the song because it is a pleasant song to listen to. I listen to it during breaks and during my training sessions to get myself pumped up. When we were discussing the song, Tosh and I were talking about how we wanted to make an arrangement that would be exciting at a live performance, and we ended up with a tropical house EDM arrangement. But I don't know if I can sing it. NoB said, "You can sing it in your key," so I raised the key from the original. NoB said, "You can sing it in your key, Yumi," so I raised the key higher than the original. I think NoB's voice is one of the best three among anime song singers. Even in the vocal practice for the song, his voice had a lot of power from the very first note, and after singing a couple of times, the recording was already OK. Tosh told me to go and experience it because it was a learning experience, and I was listening in the background while NoB was singing.

--I was listening in the background while NoB sang.

Matsuzawa: Yes!　I once observed NoB teaching vocals, and his advice to his students was very convincing. I thought, "If I could do all that, I would be a great singer" (laughs). At that time, Mr. NoB and I talked about "what is good singing? We hit it off, and we agreed that "that's exactly what it is.

--May I ask what that is?

Matsuzawa: It's a sense of rhythm. NoB said, "When did we realize that? I guess it happens as we go along.

I guess it will happen as we go along!" -- From the fourth song, "ROSE BUD," the "Nadeshiko" songs "Be Myself" and "I Want to Be Your Number One" followed.

Matsuzawa: Mr. Omori said that "ROSE BUD" was inspired by "Nadeshiko" and Yumi Matsuzawa, who grew up 3 or 4 years after "YOU GET TO BURNING. As you can imagine, I was not as nervous during the recording as I was for "YOU GET TO BURNING," but perhaps I was not thinking about anything at the time. I think I was just singing because I liked singing. I had covered the song before at "Super Robot Soul" (a live event featuring robot anime songs), but this was the first time I recorded it. When I sang it, it had a gentle feel like an 80's idol song, and I thought again, "This is a cute song. The song "I want to be your number one" is by Hoshinoruri (voiced by Naomi Minami), and I had never sung it at a live concert before. But there were requests to hear it, and I really like this kind of song, so I sang it this time.

--I was asked to sing this song, and of course, "Chikyugi," one of my best-known songs, is also included in the album. But this is also the original version. Could you tell us about your memories of that time?

Matsuzawa: Actually, when I auditioned for the ED theme of "Saint Seiya: Hades the Twelve Palaces of the Underworld Arc" and it was decided that I would sing "Kimi to Iu Aozora", the audition for the OP theme was still going on. So I decided to submit mine. But I remember the president of the office at the time was angry with me over the phone. He said, "It doesn't look like 'Saint Seiya' at all. I knew that if I went the same route as "Pegasus Fantasy" and "Soldier Dream," I wouldn't be able to win. I guess there were pros and cons. However, it seems that Mr. Kozo Morishita, the chairman of Toei Animation, pushed through.

--Did you feel confident in your work?

Matsuzawa: When the melody was created in the bathroom, I thought, "I think it's going to sell" (laughs). I called Mr. Takai, who co-wrote the song, from my cell phone and said, "I'll sing it, so write the sheet music! (laughs). (Laughs.) The song was written at a time when I didn't have much work. Twelve years ago, when Mr. Kageyama sent me off to "Anime Friends 2006" in Brazil with Masaaki Endo and Hiroshi Kitadani, as if to say, "You should go, too. Masaaki Endo and Hiroshi Kitadani were also there, and the audience got really excited with "Chikyugi". The audience got really excited with "Chikyugi" and we sang it again as an encore.

Singing ani-songs energizes me, too.

--The "Seiya" songs continued. How do you feel after singing "Soldier Dream" and "To Whom I Trust - My Dear"?

Matsuzawa: I made a cool arrangement for "Soldier Dream," but it was difficult to sing (laughs). But I could imagine Kageyama-san singing it in a cool way, and I thought to myself, "If I could do that, I would like to make a music video of it. The song "To Whom It May Concern" was actually chosen at an audition. When my cell phone's e-mail address stopped working, I contacted various people, including Mr. Kurumada, who said, "The theme song audition for 'Seiya' is not going well, so if you'd like, why don't you try it? He said, "I can't seem to get an audition for the theme song for 'Seiya. I sang the song, and it was chosen.

--Then came the game song corner. First, "Bokutachi no Shinritsu -Story-" (Our Truth -Story-).

Matsuzawa This was the theme song for the game "L no Kisetsu 2" released by 5pb. at the time, and although it was only included in the soundtrack album, it is a classic song. The song was composed by Mr. Sakimoto (Hitoshi Sakimoto).

--He is famous for the "Ogre Battle" series and "Final Fantasy Tactics.

Matsuzawa: Yes. So it's a fantastic, fantastic song.

--I heard that you were inspired to sing "Our Truth" by "Nanairo no wish" from "Amaneka of the Dawn and the Blue God.

Matsuzawa That's right. Nanairo no wish" has not been released as a CD, so I think this is the first time you can hear it in full size. We only sang it once at an event. I didn't have the soundtrack at the time, so I listened to it for the first time in a long time and thought, "How cute! The music producer at the time, Kotaro Muroi, said that the image of the song was "like something you would hear in an evening girls' anime," and I think the atmosphere of the song is similar to that of "Just Like Me," but since I rarely sing songs with this taste, I think there is quite a variety on this album. I can't wait to hear what people who have listened to it think of it.

--I can't wait to hear what people think of it.

Matsuzawa: There are so many people who like this song. The reason why we decided to sing it was because the staff of the manufacturer was a fan of the game, and they contacted our office. Since it is an adult-oriented work, at first there was talk of using a name other than Yumi Matsuzawa, but the song was so good that I said, "I want to sing it under my own name. Also, the recording was actually done in Hokkaido.

--In I've's studio?

Matsuzawa: Yes. Kazuya Takase didn't want to leave Hokkaido (laughs). (Laughs.) I have such strange memories.

--And three times, the song "Nadeshiko" was used. What memories do you have of "Dearest," the theme song for the movie version?

Matsuzawa: I can only guess, but I feel that Mr. Omori listened to various songs I had written after "Nadesico" and wrote the song with "Yumi Matsuzawa singing" in mind. The movie version of "Nadesico" is also set three years after the TV series.

--The last song is the latest tie-in song, "Bokutachi ha Moukoukou" (We already know), the theme song for the Nintendo DS game "Higurashi When They Cry".

Matsuzawa: This was my first time to sing a song by Chiyomaru Shikura (Chiyomaru Shikura) in connection with the release of his 20th anniversary album with MAGES. It was very difficult for me because it was a song that I had never sung before. The studio staff said it was one of the top three most difficult songs they had ever heard in the past few years. But it is a cool song. The words come in like a rush. It broke new ground for us.

--Why did you decide to sing the song in Portuguese?

Matsuzawa: I know the pronunciation is very poor (laughs). Actually, I sang it once in Brazil 10 years ago, and the video is still on YouTube. I myself have been to Brazil many times, so when I thought about what I could do for my fans, I thought it was very important to sing in the original language, and I also felt like going back to my roots and "challenging" myself, so I did it. It was more difficult than I thought it would be (laughs). But I think I was able to sing it naturally, in a good way.

--How much do you feel that you are celebrating your 20th anniversary?

Matsuzawa: I guess it feels like "when I realize it. However, I realize once again how much I love singing. I feel that singing ani-song songs energizes me, and I hope to express that in the future as well. I have said this many times, but I want to keep challenging myself.

--How do you feel about yourself as an "anime song singer"?

Matsuzawa: The other day, I went to see a live performance in a genre different from my own style, and what I felt there was that being in the genre of "anime song singer" is easy to express and easy for people to understand as one story. So it's good because it's easy for me to set a target value for myself. And they love me enough to let me go abroad to sing.

--So, is it a good fit for you?

Matsuzawa: Yes, I guess it suits me. I can do it naturally. At the time of my debut, I was told by a friend of mine who was a diva-type artist that "it must be tough," but I don't feel that way at all. I don't feel that way at all.　Why?" Like that.　I would like to continue to be particular about "creating the real thing," not only in ani-songs, but in anything else. That is why I can continue to sing with pride.

(Interview and text by Koji Shimizu)