Riho Iida's first new single in 2 years is produced by Satoshi Yaginuma of fripSide! Interview with Riho Iida on the occasion of the release of the new ED "One Wish" for the anime "Kingslade"!

Riho Iida's first new single in almost two years, "One Wish," will be released on February 10, 2021.

The song has already been broadcast as the new ending theme for the TV anime "Kingslade: Successors of the Will" and was written and composed by Satoshi Yaginuma of fripSide. The song, which shows a different Riho Iida, has been the talk of the town.

On the other hand, the coupling song "Won't lie never ever" is a heartbreaking EDM song with lyrics that express her own feelings from last year, making it a single with two powerful songs. In this interview, we asked her to talk a lot about the new songs, which break new ground.

Training for recording is in full swing!

Q: Last year was the 5th anniversary of your artist debut, but with the Corona disaster, you were not able to do as much as you had planned.

Iida: It was not only the 5th anniversary of my artist debut, but also the 20th anniversary of my own entertainment career, so I had prepared a lot of things for 2020 as a year of celebration. I was also planning a fan meeting tour in Hawaii as a closing event. ...... I am not sure if it was worth it for what I had originally planned, but it made me feel like I had created a great bond with my fans. I don't know if it was worth what we originally planned, but I felt like it really created a bond with all the fans.

Q: It feels like you all share the same feelings, doesn't it?

Iida: By doing online live shows, I sometimes learned that people accept me in this way, which I normally don't notice. It was a great feeling to be able to meet everyone in person!　There are times when you get to see more of your fans than your friends. I realized how lonely it was to not see them for such a long period of time, and when I was able to see them again, it was like we were friends who had survived a battle and were able to meet again here in this place! I was very moved.

I was moved by the fact that we were able to see each other again! I think, "How are you alive and well?

Iida That's so true!　I was glad to see everyone's smiling faces (laughs).

Q: Was there a time when you had to take a fresh look at yourself?

Iida That is exactly what the coupling song "Won't lie never ever" is about. During the period of self-restraint last year, I had a lot of time to reflect and think about my 20 years of activities, and the lyrics were born from that.

Let's hear about that later!　First, let's talk about the title track "One Wish" of the single to be released on February 10, which is the new ending theme of the TV anime "Kingslade: Successors to the Will" and is also produced by Satoshi Yaginuma of fripSide. How did you get involved in this song?

Iida: "This time we are doing an anime tie-in!　Here is the song!" I knew everything about the song when I received it. So I didn't think, "What?　Are you sure? I was like, "You don't mind if I sing your song? I was like that (laughs). When I heard the songs, I thought they had Mr. Yaginuma's ism, but at the same time I was worried about whether I could sing them. ......

I wonder if you thought of a song that would suit Mr. Iida as well, since Mr. Yaginuma commented that he created the song with a focus on what kind of music would suit Mr. Iida and "Kingslade.

Iida: I don't know. But the lyrics are very positive and don't look back, which is like me, I guess (laughs). (Laughs) I guess it's a straightness that has a core. I always think about this when I sing, "I'm living today, a day that will never come again.

Q: The second verse in particular is very typical of you, and I thought the lyrics seemed to give you a push. What was it like when you met Mr. Yaginuma?

Iida: I had only said hello to Mr. Yaginuma and hadn't had much opportunity to talk to him, so when he directed the recording session this time, it was the first time I had a chance to have a proper conversation with him. I felt that she probably didn't know me yet, so we talked a lot before recording. I thought it would be better for them to get to know me a little bit before going into the booth.

Q: What was your impression of Mr. Yaginuma?

Iida: I thought he was a cool guy who didn't talk much. I thought he was someone I shouldn't talk to casually because of his visual style as an artist, but he was very friendly and we had a good conversation.

Q: It must be a tough song to sing, how was the recording process?

Iida: First of all, I was afraid that I would be disappointed (laughs). (Laughs) And since we are label mates, there was no way out even if I disappointed them. I remember I was nervous when I sang the first song. But before recording, I went to a private voice training session and prepared well. So I was assured that the first time I sang the song, "It sounds fine," and so I was able to proceed through the takes with a sense of ease.

Q: What was your approach to the vocals?

Iida: First of all, I sang with a strength that would not lose to the intensity and speed of the song. I also thought the song was from the point of view of Frey, the girl who has been following the main character Carsel, so I sang the song with my feelings for Frey in mind. As the title "One Wish" suggests, I tried to give the song the feeling of a wish.

Q: The music video also has a taste that hasn't been seen before.

Iida: If I told them what I wanted, they would probably create something I liked, but I felt it would be out of place with the music, so I thought it would be best to leave the music video to them. So I thought it would be best to leave the music video to her.

I had shot most of my music videos on location, so this was the first time for me to shoot a music video in a studio alone, and it was also the first time with a backing band, so everything was new to me. I was like, "There is a stand mic, but how do I handle it? I was like, "There is a stand mic, but how am I supposed to handle it? (Laughs) The costumes, worldview, and music were all new to me, so I just tried moving around, checked the footage, and suggested what I thought would work better while shooting.

Q: There was a bit of a surprise in the latter half of the film, wasn't there?

Iida Yes, there was. That person also appeared as a backing band, so please look forward to it. This time, since there is a knight in the anime, I shot the arphotos, jacket, and music video with the image of Jeanne d'Arc, so there are no smiling faces. I removed any smile from this Riho Iida! I think it is a new challenge (laughs).

The coupling song is a message I realized during my 20 years of performing.

Q: The coupling song, "Won't lie never ever," I thought it was a song with a great message.

Iida: This time, PA-NON and I wrote the lyrics together, but I had asked him in advance to let me write the lyrics for the coupling if there would be another single. We ended up co-writing the lyrics due to time constraints, but the title track was strong, so instead of balancing it with the title track, we decided to go with a song that was strong on both sides.

Q: What kind of lyrics were you going to add to the song that came to you?

Iida: I really wrote what I wanted to write at the time, but as I celebrate my 20th anniversary in show business, I am often asked questions like, "What has been your philosophy for 20 years? I was often asked questions like, "What has been your philosophy for 20 years? And they would ask me to pass that on to the children below me. But at first I didn't know what to answer. I thought, "If I had just done it, 20 years would have passed.

But recently the number of children who watch my back has increased, so I felt I had to think about it properly, and I did so last year during the period of self-restraint (under the declaration of the state of emergency). When I gradually became able to work again, the answer suddenly fell into place, and it was "I can't lie, I can't lie.

The entertainment industry is a very glittering world, but it is very real, and if you lie, you are immediately exposed!　For example, if you try to look cool at work, you will be exposed immediately. I wanted to convey to the younger generation that although it is a glittering world, there are no lies in it.

ーーBut it is difficult to show yourself, isn't it?

Iida I feel uneasy when I work as I am. There are so many people around me with strong characters that I feel like I have nothing to offer. It takes a lot of courage to be yourself, but if you lie, you will be exposed.

Q: The lyrics of the song also say, "Have the courage to be yourself without any falsehood. Did it take you a long time to find your "true self" as well?

Iida: I have been doing things in the dark for 20 years, so I recently had some time to think about it, and I realized it all over again.

Q: So you decided to share what you have realized.

Iida That's right. I volunteered to go and watch the classes of the children who came to the office for lessons. I put some of the feelings I developed at that time into the lyrics, and I thought that maybe there was something I could teach them, too. I hope that someday, when you are lost, you will look at these lyrics.

But I wonder how you were able to put so much of what I wanted to say into the lyrics (laughs). I told them what I wanted to say, and PA-NON put it into the song, which would probably have been impossible if we hadn't worked together.

And when the song was finished, I thought it would be a song that would encourage and push people who may have lost their way in various things during the last year.

Q: The song is very groovy, so you can enjoy listening to it and dancing to it, or you can look at the lyrics and find words that stick with you, so there are many ways to enjoy this song. I was especially happy with "I won't lie never ever" at the beginning of the chorus, which is also in the title.

Iida: It was extremely difficult to find this phrase!　I had to ask someone who was familiar with English through PA-NON's contacts. So once I found the words, I think I was able to make it pretty quickly.

Q: The year 2021 will start with the single "One Wish," which contains these two powerful songs.

Iida I would like to sing the newly released song in front of everyone someday. I think that is the wish of every artist. It is fun to sing and see how the songs are created in the audience, so I would like to experience that feeling again.

(Interview and text by Junichi Tsukagoshi)

CD Information

One Wish

Release date: February 10, 2021

Price: <First Limited Edition (CD + DVD)＞ 1,800 yen (tax not included), <Normal Edition (CD)＞ 1,200 yen (tax not included)

Distributed by: NBCUniversal Entertainment Inc.

<Songs on CD

01. One Wish (New ending theme song for TV animation "Kingslade: Successors to the Will")

Words & Music: Satoshi Yaginuma Arrangement: Shinya Saito

02. Won't lie never ever

Lyrics: Riho Iida/PA-NON, Arrangement: Genki Hikota

03．One Wish <instrumental> (arr: Riho Iida/PA-NON)