Interview] Aki Toyosaki releases her 4th album "caravan! The second chapter beyond the best album.

Voice actress/artist Toyosaki Aki will release her 4th album "caravan! This is her first original album in about 5 years and 3 months. It has been 5 years and 3 months since her last original album, with a best album "love your Best" and a cover album "AT living" in between.
What they aimed for with this album was a sense of euphoria. The theme of the album is to live in the present while feeling happiness, and the songs have a universality that is not limited by time. As the title "caravan!" suggests, the album also includes several songs that evoke a sense of travel. The band was conscious of the fact that they had gone beyond a best-of album and stepped into a new phase as an artist.
Aio Toyosaki's music is gentle and soft, with a tone that is familiar to anyone's ears, but also has a high quality as pop music, and even includes some maniacal parts. The variety of artists who contributed songs to this album makes it another album worth listening to!

caravan!" is the album that marks the beginning of my new journey!

─ ─ It's been about 5 years and 3 months since your last original album, "all time Lovin'" in March 2016, hasn't it?

Toyosaki That's right. We had a best album ("love your Best," released July 19, 2017) and a cover album ("AT living," released October 24, 2018), but it's been a long time for an original album. Moreover, we released two singles during that time, so we only had four existing songs, including coupling songs. More than half of the songs on the album are new, which I think makes it a fresh album for the fans.

─ So you were able to create a lot of new songs for the album.

Toyosaki: Some of the new songs were written about two years ago and kept warm until the timing of the album, but most of them were written and recorded over the past year. Production began in the spring of 2020, so it is truly an album created in the midst of the Corona Disaster. Rather than taking a negative view of the situation in the world and the drastic changes in my lifestyle, I wanted to create an album that would cheer people up by collecting songs about happiness from various angles, from the small happiness that is right in front of us to world peace.

─ ─ Every song is full of positive messages, which I thought was wonderful.

Toyosaki: As a result, I believe that this album could not have been made except at this time of year, but there is actually not a single song that limits its theme to the present. In the past year, many songs have been written about the loneliness of not being able to see people or the uncertainty of not being able to see the future, and I have felt empathy for these songs and have been saved by them, but if I were to make an album, I wanted to sing positively about what is possible now, rather than leaning in that way.

─ The title of the album is "caravan! I felt that this gave me a kind of hope.

Toyosaki For me, the image of "journey" overlaps with my own musical activities; with the release of my best album in 2017, I had the impression that I had reached a certain point and had reached a break in my musical activities. Now, I would like this album to convey to everyone that I have departed from that point and am heading toward a new destination. caravan!" is the start of the second chapter for Aio Toyosaki, and I consider it to be her second debut album.

─ So a new journey has begun here.

Toyosaki: I made this album with the hope that even at my age, I would still be able to enjoy and fully affirm the new encounters and discoveries that I am making. We stopped using the word "love" in the album title, which we had always used, and came up with the word "caravan! I wondered if those who have been listening to the album since its debut would be surprised. I thought it would be a surprise to those who have been listening to the song since its debut, but on the contrary, I decided to go all out and add it because it would be a statement of intent that this is a new start.

─ Where did you get the idea for the title "caravan!

Toyosaki: The first song on the album, "Sore mo Hoshi-shiteiru neruda," was the first song we recorded, and we decided early on that it would be the lead song on the album. The song is about the life force and power of playing music, and the album title "caravan!" was largely inspired by the image of this song. Caravans were originally merchant teams that traveled through the desert with camels, and I wanted to emulate that style of traveling at this time of the year. I felt a sense of hope in the fact that they would continue their journey, filling their hearts with songs and instrumental sounds, even in the midst of the current situation where they suddenly find themselves unable to see the road in front of them and wondering how far the desert continues to be.

─ ─ In keeping with the album title, you are pictured with a camel on the jacket. It's humorous, and I got the sense that this is a new Toyosaki.

Toyosaki: When I first started out, I never thought I would be seen on a jacket with a camel (laughs). I had always wanted to go to the desert someday, so wearing a caravan-style outfit and having my picture taken with a camel made me feel like my dream had come true just a little.


─ ─ Caravans travel with family and friends. I thought that this is something that is common to the songs on this album, as they are about living with the people you care about.

Toyosaki That's right. I mentioned earlier that I want to affirm my changing self and environment, but I don't intend to throw away all my baggage and walk away. I think I can take on new challenges now because of the fans I have met over the past 12 years, the artists who have provided me with songs, and the music. Everything we have done up to this point is a precious treasure, and I hope that everyone who has walked with us will listen to the album with the feeling that they are part of the caravan. There are many tricks in the album for you to participate in the live performance, such as songs where you and Lalala can sing together, songs that include claps, and songs that make you jump up and down together.

─ ─ Throughout the album, the instruments used are diverse and the tone is very grounded. I got the feeling that the music was made by people gathered on the ground and playing together.

Toyosaki: I am glad to hear you say so. The song "Sore mo Hoshitteiru Neruda" in particular expresses the power of primitive music with a sense of euphoria. Music is fun! I love this song because it conveys the feeling of "music is fun!