Interview] Kiyono Anno releases her latest single "Onnaji Kimochi. This song has the "essence of wrinkles"! This song has the "essence of wrinkles!

Kiyono Anno will release her fourth single, "Onnaji Kimochi," the opening theme for the TV anime "Isekai Shokudo 2. The song is about eating and touching the people you care about. Eating and being in touch with the people you love. It is a gentle song that depicts happiness in everyday life. And since she is currently in the midst of her 10th anniversary year as a voice actress, "Act 10 ~Dear My Characters~," a song about her feelings toward the characters she has played, is also included as a coupling track. The Blu-ray on the limited first edition includes "Kiyono Anno Acoustic Live 2021 ~Koisuru Water Colors~ at Hitomi Memorial Auditorium," which was held on April 4 this year, shortly after her 10th anniversary. This is a gorgeous album that is typical of the anniversary year!

As an artist, it is not enough to aim for 100 points for the songs I sing!

──You have already entered your 10th anniversary year as a voice actor, haven't you?

Yasuno: Yes, I have designated one year from March 5, 2021 as my 10th anniversary year. The Osaka concert of "Kiyono Anno Acoustic Live 2021 ~Koisuru Water Colors~" was held on March 6, and I greeted the audience by saying, "It's the day after we entered our 10th anniversary year! I greeted the audience with the words, "This is the day after we entered our 10th anniversary year! This live performance was the first project of the 10th anniversary year.

─ ─ Looking back on your 10 years as a voice actor, how do you feel?

Yasuno: Ever since I was a first-year voice actor, I knew that I was not the type to make a big breakthrough. My ideal image of a voice actor was to stand in front of a microphone and become someone who is needed by the audience and the people on the set. So I feel that I am more outgoing than I thought I would be (laughs).

───It was a little different from what I had initially envisioned (laughs).

Yasuno: If I were to tell my first-year student self what I am doing now, he or she would be surprised and say, "Wow, you're doing that many live performances and events now? I would be surprised and say, "Oh, you're doing that many live performances and events now?

───What do you think was the first turning point for you?

Yasuno: The first time I was asked to do something beyond my capabilities in my work was as Natsuki Kimura in "THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS," a role that took me to a place I could not have reached on my own. I was asked to play the role of Natsuki Kimura, who took me to a place I couldn't get to on my own. I was asked to create an image of myself that I didn't have, and I've been dealing with it for a long time, but I still think of it as my Everest (laughs). I still think of it as an Everest for me (laughs). This role expanded my capacity as an actor to the outside.

───Yasuno-san, before making your debut as an artist, you had a lot of experience singing as a character, didn't you?

Yasuno: Some roles require something different from being a good singer, such as Megumi Kato in "How to Raise a Saerenai Kanojo". For example, Megumi Kato in "Saerenai Kano no Kanoiku Kata". Once, when I asked a non-geek friend to listen to one of Megumi Kato's character songs live, he said, "This character is a great singer. It made me realize that when facing singing as a voice actress, what you need to care about changes depending on the character. Even if I try my best to sing as Kiyono Yasuno, if it is not her song, it is not the right answer. In this way, I have continued to think about singing through the character for the past 10 years.

─ ─ The mini-album "Tears," released on July 26, 2017, is my debut as an artist. is your debut as an artist, so that means you have been singing your own songs while singing character songs for about half of your career.

Yasuno: I made my debut as an artist about six years after my debut as a voice actor. This one is now in its fifth year.

──How do you feel you have grown as an artist?

Yasuno: If there is one area where I feel I have grown, it is in the way I feel when recording. In the beginning, I had a strong feeling that I had to give the right answer or complete the song, but I began to think that if I just aimed for 100 points, the song might end up being boring.

───Aiming for perfection alone is not enough for a song.

Yasuno: That's right. So, once I had recorded a take that I was satisfied with in terms of what I had envisioned and prepared, I began to think of it as a bonus stage where I could try different ways of singing, try new expressions, and throw a variety of pitches on the spot. It was also significant that I had been working with the producer for a long time, so I had confidence that if I threw a good pitch, he would definitely find it.

───This is a big difference from recording character songs.

Yasuno: The tendency to search through trial and error at the recording site for a better expression, something with more individuality, is stronger when you are an artist. I was moved by the fact that not only myself but also the producers and staff members were facing the songs of Kiyono Yasuno. I am very grateful that they always try to bring something new out of Kiyoeno Yasuno. Recording is a time when I feel like I am being cared for (laughs).