Interview] Kusunoki Tomori's talent is remarkable! All songs written and composed by Kusunoki himself, his 2nd EP "Forced Shutdown" is now available!

Since her voice acting debut in 2017, Tomori Kusunoki has played the role of Ren, the main character in "Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online" and Setsuna Yuuki in "Love Live! In August 2020, Kusunoki made her major debut as a solo artist, once again demonstrating her high singing ability.
Her second EP "Forced Shutdown" is a remarkable work in which she wrote all four songs herself. Not only that, she controlled every aspect of the music, including the direction of the arrangements, the concept of the music videos (MVs), and the design of the CD, creating a work that established her own world. Kusunoki Tomori is a voice actor, singer-songwriter, and live performer who also plays a musical instrument!

I was singing at live houses even before my major debut!

Toward the beginning of this interview, we took a look at your background. You have been familiar with music since you were a child, haven't you?

Kusunoki: Yes, I started piano lessons at the age of three, joined the brass band club in elementary and junior high school, and the light music club in high school, so I was always immersed in music.

─ So you have been familiar with a variety of instruments?

Kusunoki: I can play the piano, and for brass instruments, the trumpet.

─ Which did you decide to pursue first, singing or voice acting?

Kusunoki: The first thing I tried was voice acting, and I entered a project that was not an audition, but rather an amateur competition. But I had not learned the basics of voice acting at all, so I couldn't make a dent. I soon gave up. After that, my dream became a singer, but I felt like I couldn't give up my dream of being a voice actor, so I tried to pursue both.

─ ─ I won a special prize at the 5th "Anistoteles" (a voice actor audition organized by Sony Music Artists) held in 2016, and my actual debut was as a voice actor first.

Kusunoki: "Anistoteles" was an audition in which both dialogue reading and singing were judged. When I won the special award and was accepted by the agency, I told them that I wanted to focus mainly on singing and that I would also like to try voice acting if the opportunity presented itself. But they advised me, "You have a good voice, so maybe voice acting would be better for you. I decided to work as a voice actor. At the same time, I was given the opportunity to perform at acoustic concerts about once a month, so I was able to continue singing. As I was doing both activities at the same time, I realized that acting and singing are the same expression, and I stopped thinking of voice acting and singing separately.

─ ─ What were the contents of your monthly live performances?

Kusunoki: It was a live concert organized by a voice training teacher. I learned a lot from the wide range of content of the live performances, including not only singing but also reciting plays. It was a live show where I had a lot of freedom to do what I wanted to do, so I tried various challenges, such as playing the guitar and singing, and recently, when I performed for a long time, I prepared a script and dared to sing as if I was reciting a song. I am glad that I was given the opportunity to think about how to make the audience interested in listening to my performance.

─ You are not only a singer, but also a songwriter and composer, aren't you? How did you start to write your own lyrics and music?

Kusunoki: I used to sing covers at my monthly live performances, but I started to think that I wanted to deliver my original songs to the audience who comes to listen to my songs, not covers. So I asked my voice training teacher, "I would like to write an original song. I've never done it before. She said, "Please give it a try. She encouraged me to give it a try, and the first song I wrote was "Gazeme no Sora" (included in the first EP "Hamidashimono").

─ So "Gazeme no Sora" was your first work. When you compose music, do you write the score yourself?

Kusunoki: Recently, I have been busy, and I sometimes send the data of the songs as they are, but I think it would be easier for both the arranger and the performers if I have the scores, so I try to write the scores as much as I have time.

─ ─ You have been doing serious musical activities such as singing at live concerts and writing your own songs, and finally you decided to make your major debut as a singer in August 2020. Could you tell us about the time when your major label debut was decided?

Kusunoki: One day, my manager told me that I was going to make my major label debut. That was the first time I was happy (laugh). I couldn't believe that my dream of becoming a voice actor and a singer, which I had been seriously aiming for, had come true, and since I had released two CDs even when I was an independent artist, I wondered what it would be like to make a major label debut.

─ ─ Since your major debut, you have experienced major stages such as "Sony Music AnimeSongs ONLINE" (January 3, 2021) and "ANIMAX MUSIX 2021 ONLINE" (January 30, 2021), both online. LIVE 2021" at Nippon Budokan, which was attended by a large audience.

Kusunoki: "Lisani! LIVE 2021" was an enjoyable experience for me, and I think it was a stage where my past live experience was put to good use.