A unit of like-minded people? Interview with Kyoco and Liko Sasaki on their new unit, Re-connect's debut single "Koihana Koibo"!

Re-connect made its debut on June 27, 2018 with the single "Koihana Koibo," a newly formed unit with the catchphrase "Kyoco with a devilish cute voice and Liko Sasaki with a sad husky voice," but as their contrasting voices overlap beautifully, the two members The two members of this newly formed unit, with their contrasting voices overlapping each other beautifully, share a number of unexpected similarities.

We would like to take a closer look at the two girls, from their first encounter to their goals as a unit, including their debut song "Koihana Koibo" (which is also on air as the ED theme for the anime "TO BE HEROINE") and its coupling song.

Formation of a unit between two shy girls is a surprise

-On April 29, Kyoco participated as a guest chorus member in "Re-connect ~The Mermaid Princess Who Turned Into Bubbles~," a story live performance expressed through song, piano, and recitation, which was led by Liko Sasaki. Was that the impetus for the formation of the unit?

Liko Sasaki (hereafter referred to as "Sasaki") Yes, it was. We first met around the end of March, and as we practiced singing together during rehearsals, we realized that our voices blended unexpectedly, even though we had completely different voices and tones. We both wanted to sing together more and more, and then I heard that we were going to form a unit.

Kyoco After rehearsals, I was lying on my bed thinking "I'm done" and "Let's go home," when the producer said "I have an interesting story to tell you. I was a little scared and sat on my knees to listen to it. It was a surprise!　During rehearsals, I was thinking about how I should present Liko Sasaki as a guest.

Sasaki: You were so surprised that you exclaimed, "What? (laugh).

--It's hard to believe that you just met, but you are so close to each other. What brought you two together so quickly?

Kyoco: Actually, we both have a sound fetish, and we got really excited when we found out that we had been watching sound fetish videos of the same distributor on YouTube. We got really excited when we found out that we were both watching sound fetish videos on YouTube. We were like, "Yeah, we'll watch it. There was no one else who shared this hobby, so we quickly became friends.

Sasaki: We especially shared a core interest in the sound of chewing. I like the sound of chewing, like "crunching.

Kyoco I was surprised. We also have many other similarities in the way we feel about things.

Sasaki Also, we both share the commonality of "sake. My family is a liquor store.

Kyoco: My father works for a company that sells alcohol. However, I am allergic to alcohol and cannot drink even a drop.

Sasaki I love it (laughs).

(laughs) -- So you two were destined to have a lot in common.

Kyoco But when I was first approached by the producer about "Re-connect: The Mermaid Princess," he told me that "Liko is very shy" and that I should "somehow pull her along" (laughs). (Laughs.) When I'm with someone who is shy, I can go for it. Because I am the same way.

Sasaki Oh, I see.

Kyoco: I tend to be intimidated when someone comes at me from the other side. I had heard that at the beginning, so I had a good first impression. He looked me in the eye more than I expected" (laughs). I was nervous, though.

Sasaki: When we first met in the recording booth, we were both wearing masks and had no makeup on.

Kyoco It was still cold.

Sasaki Kyoco was wearing a lot of "cloth".

Kyoco Hahaha (laughs).

Sasaki She looked like a minnow. At that time, I thought, "Do we look a little alike? I thought. That's how I felt.

Kyoco It was like that.

--I heard that "Koihana Koibo" was originally a song that Kyoco used to sing at her live performances.

Kyoco Yes, I was told that it would be perfect for Re-connect's debut single. I also remembered the lyrics (laugh) and had a clear image of the song, so I thought it would be a great idea. Besides, I was happy to be able to sing it again. I feel like saying to Teruji Yoshizawa, who composed the song, "I can finally put it out there! I want to say to Mr. Teruji Yoshizawa, who composed the song, "I finally got it out there!

--What was your impression of "Koihana Koibo" when you heard it?

Sasaki: My voice fits the world of the song, so I thought I could convey the sadness of the song as a singer with a sad husky voice.

--I heard that you have been copying the lyrics by hand before to grasp the worldview of the song.

Sasaki: Yes. I made notes on the handwritten lyrics, thinking about how I would sing the song, and got into the world of the song before recording it.

--Kyoco: Actually, we recorded the song together with each other.

Kyoco Actually, I thought that if we recorded the song together, our voices would sound too much like each other, so we decided to record the song separately. But I decided how I would sing it based on my image of how I thought Li-ko would sing it. I listened to Li-ko's other songs and remembered her singing voice in practice.

Sasaki: I tried not to listen to tentative songs, and practiced with synth melodies and karaoke versions.

--What did you think of each other's singing voice?

Sasaki: Kyoco's voice is very resonant and spicy. I also like her expressive voice and the way she sings in a way that makes the listeners happy.

Kyoco Thank you very much! (Laughs) I thought "how cool" your singing voice was, including the husky, slightly faint part. I think my own singing voice has a piercing, penetrating impression, so I am envious of that, but I feel like I have found a strong partner who can compensate for what I can't do. We are two people with many differences, so our relationship is one in which we acknowledge and enhance each other by saying, "This is how we are. It's like we can understand each other's good points and move forward with our respective personalities.

--There is a catch to your two singing voices. What did you think when you first heard it?

Kyoco: I was surprised when I heard it when we formed the band. But I thought I would do my best to live up to the catchphrase. Usually I feel like an "old guy's girl" (laughs), but I also feel that way about my voice. Besides, I don't usually act like a little devil, so it's fun to express it in the song. It's like it's raining down on me, and it feels good to change into a little devil and bring out something on stage that I don't usually do.

Sasaki: I have never had a chance to be given a catchphrase before, so I was a little embarrassed. But I was happy that it was a phrase that I thought expressed my singing voice in one word. If I were to give myself a catchphrase, I am sure it would have been "negative girl" or "nega-onna" for short (laughs). (laughs) I think we both got good catchphrases.

Kyoco: It's easy to understand because it's symmetrical.

I think the two of us can bring out the best in both singing and choreography.

--Kyoco I like the last line of the song "Yumehana Koibo".

Kyoco My favorite part is the last line, "As dreaming buds". When we play this part live, Li-ko joins in with the harmony. I think it is pleasant and makes the audience feel that "Re-connect is a group of kids who can sing well. I think this is the part where the instruments are quiet and the singing is heard.

Sasaki: I like the harmony of "Fuwari Kokoro wa Madoromi" at the end of the chorus and the part where they sing "Haru, Natsu, Autumn, Winter, etc." I hope you can listen to the quality of the song because it is sung by two people.

--How did you like "Koihana Koibo" as the ED of "TO BE HEROINE"?

Sasaki: I was glad to see the light and dark parts of the story and the worldview of "Koihana Koibo" linked to the "ephemeral love song of a girl who dreams of being united even if her love is not fruitful".

Kyoco I remember when the commercial for "Koihana Koibo" aired during the broadcast and we both said "Thank you, thank you, thank you" (laughs). (Laughs) But when the ED came on, I felt as if I was a stranger, thinking, "I'm involved in an amazing work. I couldn't really feel it.

Sasaki: Sure, it's nice to have your voice on TV, but it's an itchy feeling. But I am happy to be able to share that kind of feeling with the unit.

--I heard that the choreography is also elaborate this time.

Kyoco: The choreography is not so much intense, but rather soft and expressive.

Sasaki The choreography is like petals dancing in the air. Also, I think the chorus "1, 10, 100~" is easy to remember. When I sang it at a live performance ("DEAR KISS Weekend-Supplement"), some people were already dancing along with me. （I sometimes give choreography lectures on SHOWROOM (a video streaming service application), so I would like you to dance the chorus with me.

Kyoco The "Fuwari-" part, for example, is choreographed in line with the lyrics, so it brings out the best of the song, and I want to express that properly. The teacher who came up with this choreography is really amazing!　I started out not knowing the fundamentals of dance, so I tried not to drag my feet, and I was very conscious of following the choreography that I was taught. Having said that, I fell down at the live performance as well (laughs).

--(laughs) - Do you sometimes ask for advice from Mr. Sasaki, who has experience in musicals?

Sasaki: Yes, I do. The choreography is so beautiful that it needs both of us to be together to make it look good. I used to dance before, so I have no problem with the choreography itself, but I am not very good at expressing facial expressions and conveying nuances through them.

Kyoco: We are good rivals and partners, compensating for each other and pointing out things to each other.

--Could you tell us about the coupling song, "Checkmate~Ame to Muchi wo Zote de"?

Kyoco This is another song I used to sing as a solo artist. Since "Koihana Koibo" is a quiet song, I wanted to show that we can sing a wide range of songs, and after having several songs picked out, we decided that this song was the one we wanted. I had written some of the second half of the lyrics, so I had a strong emotional attachment to it, so (when the decision was made) I thought, "Oh my God!　This song! I was so emotional (when the decision was made).

Sasaki: But I really thought, "This song is the one! I really thought, "This is the one song I have never sung before. It was a song in a genre we had never sung before, and I thought it would suit us. Most of the other songs were cute, but I could easily imagine the devilish atmosphere and the choreography.

--How do you feel after singing the song?

Sasaki: I am a shy person, and I was worried about whether I would be able to be this kind of "superior girl" (laugh), but when Kyoco instructed me on how to perform, she said, "This is good, right? (laugh). But after Kyoco guided me on how to perform, I enjoyed singing the song. The recording session didn't take long once I became the main character of the song, and at the live performance, I sang while looking the audience in the eye.

Kyoco: I was worried about the choreography. I was confident that the song would improve when we sang it together, and when I heard the finished version, I thought it was great, but I didn't want to ruin the dance. So, I asked Li-ko to watch the dance, and she said, "Straighten it up! or "Make your movements more jerky and snappy! (laugh), and she focused on the sharpness of the dance. (Laughs) I sang and wrote the lyrics to the songs, so I told them how I wanted them to be sung.

-I am very much looking forward to the future of the two of you, who are mutually enhancing each other's skills. Lastly, please tell us about the future goals of Re-connect.

Sasaki: "Re-connect" means to reconnect, so we would like to actively connect with the audience at release events, etc., and make them want to go to our shows again. Kyoco said that she would like to make bracelets as merchandise to help people feel connected to each other in connection with "Re-connect".

Kyoco That's true. I would like to have a one-man live concert in my hometown.

--You are from Aichi Prefecture, right? Like at Nippon Gaishi Hall?

Kyoco That sounds nice!　But first I would like to go to Diamond Hall. I've never been to Akita, Li-ko's hometown, so I'd like to go there. Also, if I have the chance, I would like to go to China.

Sasaki Indeed. I want to sing "Koihana Koibo.

--I would like to sing "Koihana Koiho" (Love and Love for Flowers).

Kyoco Yes. Chinese pronunciation is cute, and I think it would be interesting to sing in various languages.

Sasaki It would be nice to sing it for distribution!

Kyoco Yes, that's true. Also, we recently decided that we would aim to have 1,000 followers on the Re-connect Twitter account (https://twitter.com/Re_connect2) by the release date of "Koihana Koibo". We are working hard together, one step at a time.

--Thank you very much!

(Reporting by Koji Shimizu, Text by Yuri Harasawa)

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