Interview] Shikano's new single "Haru ni Tsuite" is now available for download. What is Shikano's new challenge?

The TV anime "Experimental Family - Creature's Family Days" depicts siblings genetically engineered by their scientist parents, who join forces to live together. Shikano sings "Haru ni Falling" as the ending theme. The song is a heartbreaking number with a melody full of tenderness that hints at the harsh fate of the siblings of the "experimental product family". The singer has tried to sing the song in a more mature manner than before, making it one of the songs that fans will be interested in.
This time, the song was released as a digital single from Imperial Records. We interviewed Shikano, who says that this has been a year of change for her.

I was conscious of singing "Haru ni Tsuite" in a mature way.

─ ─ "Haru ni Tsuite" is the first digital single for Shikano, and it is also her first release on Imperial Records.

Shikano: Yes. On a personal note, when the number 3 is involved, it is often a time of change, and I have always been lucky. This year is the third year since my major label debut, and I was excited to see if there would be any changes, and then I was told about a tie-up with "Experimental Family - Creature's Family Days," and then I had the opportunity to release my work through Imperial Records.

─ ─ So it was like you encountered an interesting work in a new environment.

Shikano: That's right. Most of the anime I have sung theme songs for have been serious, but "Experimental Family" has a good balance of serious and comical, and the fact that it is an anime based on a Taiwanese work was also a new encounter for me. Fans from Asian countries came to our events and sent us many messages, so I was happy to be involved in an anime from Asian countries.

─ ─ What did you think of the work "Experimental Family" at first?

Shikano: I thought it was an insect (laughs).

─ ─ Ha-ha-ha-ha (laughs), indeed. The second daughter, Aisuri, is a girl with the genes of a spider companion, right?

Shikano: When I first saw the characters, I thought, "What kind of work is this?　Could it possibly be scary?" I was nervous (laughs). When I read the original webcomic, I was relieved to see that it had some heartwarming elements, but the anime story is gradually getting more serious, so I'm on edge.

───This is a warm work with some heartwarming characters and depicts the bond between brothers, but it is a story about boys and girls who are different from ordinary people, so it also contains a heavy theme.

Shikano: I thought the main character, Tanis, was just an ordinary boy, even though he is a genius, but he also has conflicts that are unique to geniuses and far removed from those of ordinary people. I felt that the family members, all of whom lacked something in some way, complemented each other. But Wan-chan (Snow, the eldest son when he is in dog form) is cute, so I look forward to every broadcast.

─ ─ The ending theme for such a work is "Falling in Spring". How did you go about creating this song?

Shikano: First of all, I asked keeno-san, who I have been working with for a long time, to write the lyrics, compose the music, and arrange the music. I was told by the staff that they envisioned a beautiful ballad, so I thought that if it was to be a ballad, there was no one else but keeno-san.

─ ─ Were there any specific requests that you conveyed to Ms. Shikano for Ms. keno?

Shikano: "Please write a song that is easy to sing, beautiful, and extremely nice. You said, "That's a bit rough (laughs). The song that came out was really easy to sing and beautiful. The song was beautiful and easy to sing. It had a fragility and delicacy to it, which is exactly what I wanted from keeno-san.

─ ─ The song turned out to be exactly what you asked for.

Shikano: I also thought the twisted title "Falling in Spring" was a bit of a hateful twist. All of your songs that I have sung until now have been titled in English, but this was the first time it was titled in Japanese, and I felt that you were very particular about it.

─ I felt that the title "Haru ni Tsuite" (Falling in Spring) has various connotations.

Shikano: It is a title that makes you want to read deeply. The lyrics were also lined with words that made me think, so I was conscious of singing in a more mature way than usual, especially in the A melody and B melody. I was nervous about how the fans would perceive the song, but I am glad to hear that it was well received.

──You consciously changed your singing style from the past, didn't you?

Shikano: Yes. I thought it would be better to sing in a beautiful, inoffensive way rather than in a cute way to match the image of the song.

───What did you feel about the lyrics?

Shikano: I thought the lyrics were unique to keeno's worldview and full of delicate words that I don't have in my mind. It's hard to come up with expressions like "The sky is so cold that it makes me sad. On the other hand, there is also a maidenly line like "Hold me tighter than you think you can". I am glad that we asked keeno to write not only the melody but also the lyrics.

───There are also more than a few disturbing expressions in the opening lines, such as "There was no place for me in this rough and tumble world.

Shikano: I thought that part of the story was also in keeping with the "experimental family. I think that for Tanis and the others, the world around them that is considered normal seems to be a "rough world.

───How was the recording process?

Shikano: The melody went right into my head, so it was easy to sing. Since my major label debut, I have sung energetic, positive, and encouraging songs for singles, but I myself am the type of person who would rather be encouraged than encouraged, so I felt that songs like this one were more suited to my sensibilities.

─ ─ I think the gap between the beautiful melody and harsh lyrics of "Falling in Spring" is one of the charms of this song. Moreover, the expression becomes even heavier in the second verse, which is not used on-air, doesn't it?

Shikano: That's right. The lyrics also become more intense, as if in tune with the seriousness of the story, so I would like you to listen to the full size version of the song.