Liyuu, Marika Takano, Yuma Uchida, and Yui Ogura - these are the four new albums by voice-over artists you should listen to now! Seiyu Artists Bulletin March 2022

This month's issue of "Seiyu Artists" is a series of reviews of the latest releases by hot voice actors and singers. In this month's issue, we will review four works by Liyuu, Marika Takano, Yuma Uchida, and Yui Ogura, representing a large number of releases.

Liyuu's1st album "Fo(u)r YuU" (released on February 9)

From a cosplayer from Shanghai, China to a popular Japanese voice actress/artist. If we write about such a career, can we also see the situation surrounding the current anime/seiyuu scene?

Offshore, and discovering new talents from approximate genres. Such is the expectation of Liyuu. She is the creator of the media mix content "Love Live! Super Star! Superstar!", in which she plays the role of Tangka Kau of the school idol group "Liella!

"Kawaii," "CLUB," "ROCK," and "Ballade." Here are the four themes that Liyuu will be taking on in her ......1st album "Fo(u)r YuU". The content is symbolized by the artwork of this album, and as the title suggests, she will deliver the message "FOR YOU=to you" while presenting her expression in these colorful directions.

To give a few excerpts from the songs in the order in which they were recorded, "Metamoru Fuze" has an interesting balance of a generally loose, if not a de-energized, sing-songy flow, with occasional solid raps to raise the vibe. The future-inspired, chill-trap sound is likely to be well received by users of TikTok and other social networking sites.

Colorful Horizon" is a chiptune-like electro-pop song with the first chorus, "Let's fly on the sky-blue sofa, Suerte / Riga, Halajuk, Cotswolds / Tarap, skip, curiosity / Here and there, here and there, where shall we go? The phrases, such as "Where shall we go?" and "Where shall we go?", which list the names of places in the world that actually exist and fly freely around them, seem to reflect her worldwide presence. Above all, the direction of this song is probably influenced by the fact that she even mentions Harajuku, so I guess she really likes Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and listens to her.

In the digi-rock tune "BLUE ROSE," Liyuu's circumstances overlap somewhat with those of the song's protagonist, who has moved from Shanghai to Tokyo to pursue his dreams as an artist. The title "BLUE ROSE," or blue rose, was originally a flower that could not exist in this world. The flower was created by the power of man, and even the language of the flower was changed from "impossible" to "to make the impossible possible. I hope you will enjoy the lyrics of the song while keeping this background in mind.

The last song on the album, "Reply," is a ballad that delves even deeper into Liyuu's own inner life. The song depicts Liyuu's feelings about how she once gave up on her goal of becoming a singer before becoming a cosplayer. Now that she has made her debut as an artist, what will she sing as a message song to her fans? It is a song that reveals the personality of Liyuu, who is a crybaby but never weak.

Liyuu is an accomplished Japanese speaker, but because she is not a native speaker, the contours of her words seem to have a fluffy sound to them, in a good way. This is not a negative point by any means; rather, it gives the listener the impression that her singing voice has been deformed in a certain way. This would be a point that could be sublimated into originality for a voice-over artist.

That is why lyrics like "Colorful Horizon," in which proper nouns with a certain relevance are enumerated while enjoying the rhythmic sound of the words as if they were incantations, look very good. As the common saying goes, "the singing voice is like a musical instrument.

In addition to the aforementioned unique vocal style, her rhythm keeping, the originality of her voice itself, and the lyrics that allow her to show her character...... have all the elements already in place. That is why her musical activities are sure to gain even more support in the future.

In terms of the diverse genres brought together in this work, all 10 songs conveyed the expectations and passion that the production staff had for Liyuu.

■Marika Takano 1st album "Hitotsu" (February 23)

Marika Takano celebrates her birthday on February 22 every year. She has a lot of anniversaries at the end of February, and now her first album "Hitotsubutsu" will be released on February 23.

Included in this album are 10 songs in total. The album contains 10 songs, 8 of which are new songs, all of which are the result of Takano's ideas.

The title track "Hitotsu" was created as "Marika Takano's theme song. There is an anecdote that her manager cried when he heard the song at the time of its completion. Like this song, "Oh my future," which is in the same good-music style that Marika prefers, features a strong, penetrating voice. Other songs in the first half of the album include "Sweet Voice," with its dreamy melody and "ASMR," and "Karisome Hour," a festive "Japanese rock" song.

The second half of the album features the impressive seventh track, "Hide & Seek. The song was written by Hiroaki Suzuki, who also wrote "I tie U," the coupling track for the band's debut single. According to Mr. Takano, "I used Billy Irish as a reference" when recording this horror rock song, which is addictive with its chilling and disturbing atmosphere (Reference: Seiyu Animedia, March 2022 issue).

Following this is "Late Night, 2:00 AM," which challenges the "everyday rock" genre led by YOASOBI. The song kicks off with a depressing and unmotivated feeling of not being able to put all one's energy into one's daily life and keeping one's true feelings in one's heart in a hazy state, as if one were writing about them. In a manner of speaking, this is one song where one can feel the gregarious side of Mr. Takano. In a turnaround, the chill-flavored "Flavored hug" inserts everyday sounds of life as sound effects, such as the chimes at train stations, the ringtone of a smartphone, and the shutter sound of a camera. It is a special poetry purification song based on the theme of "fragrance," which makes you feel closer to your loved one when hugging, rather than your body.

What I want you to listen to and compare is that throughout the songs, Ms. Takano's singing voice changes as if she were a different person, with different textures. Simply put, this is the result of her skill in singing (or acting) as a voice actor, and I am amazed that she can change the direction of her expression to fit such a wide range of songs and sounds. This is one of the best pop albums by voice actors released in the past few years.

The floor banger "Ready to Go!" is a high-tone voice floor banger that sounds like it has a natural autotune (effect) applied to it, in a good way, as a so-called "Takano-san voice" song. Hide & Seek" and "Flavored hug" as a kind of opposite positioning. If you listen to these three songs first, you will naturally understand what I wrote in the previous paragraph. I am sure that there are some unique personalities that have not yet been revealed in interviews, such as their ages, personalities, occupations, and views on life in the background, which are unique to each song. This is one album full of such possibilities.

■Yuma Uchida 9th single "Good mood" (released on February 9)

Actually, the March 2022 issue marks the second anniversary of this series (thank you so much!!!!). ), and in this issue, for the first time, I would like to write about works by male voice-over artists.

Here we introduce "Good mood," the title track of Yuma Uchida's new single. From a sound standpoint, we felt that this song had a significant connection with the "work" we introduced in the previous month's issue. That work was Azumi Wake's concept album "Ajyuju, Night, and Music," a collection of contemporary R&B songs with "night" as its theme. For more details on this album, please refer to the previous month's issue, but we hope that by taking a look at Ms. Uchida's work, you will discover the similarities between the two works and, hopefully, be inspired to explore similar genres of music outside the realm of voice-over artists.

Good mood" is Uchida's first ballad as the title track. Perhaps this unfulfilled love will work out. But it will never happen. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you realize this, but you are tempted to take a chance on the possibilities that lie ahead. In other words, the "good mood" of the title is a faint and fleeting premonition. The lyrics depict a mature and sad love story that captures such a man's heart.

Uchida says that when recording the song, he was conscious of singing the story like a storyteller, without being too upfront about his emotions, and his smooth, yet passionate, voice leaks out a passionate fire that goes well with the sound described below.

The sound of the songs is on-trend contemporary R&B, although it is slightly different from the songs on Waki's album. After the first number, which is a single piano piece, the song shifts to a beat and an auto-tuned (effected) vocal line from the second number. The most distinctive feature of the song is Uchida's way of rolling the rhythm. The song begins with the title of the song as the hook, "Maybe I'm in a Good Mood," and rhymes lightly with the vowels of "u-u" until the end of the song. The groove is smooth and easy to follow, combining the charms of both pop and rap music. The song is so comfortable that it makes the listener want to repeat it over and over again.

With his second album "Equal," to be released in September 2021, Uchida says he has completed the phase of expressing his positive mentality. The release of "Good mood," which he has been warming up to with careful timing, was meant to be a new challenge.

However, if we note that Uchida has long respected Daichi Miura, an artist who uses this type of music as one of his weapons, the background to the creation of this song will naturally make sense.

Yui Ogura's 4th album "Tarte" (released on February 16)

This July marks the 10th anniversary of Yui Ogura's memorable debut as an artist. Her new album "Tarte" is filled with the solid branding that she has built up over the past 10 years and her insatiable pursuit as an expressive artist that will continue into the future.

This is because "Tarte" is her first self-produced album. In addition to writing lyrics, she has been honing her self-production skills by choreographing dance routines, including formations, and has already produced a number of singles.

It is a natural progression for her to be in charge of directing the music video for the lead song and self-producing the album volume.

That is why the title of the album is "Tart", which is a big play on the "strawberry" from the first album "Strawberry JAM", "cherry" from the second album "Cherry Passport", and "apple" from the third album "Hop Step Apple", all of which have appeared on previous albums. The name "Tart" is also a nod to the fact that the album is a tart that combines all of the above.

The lead song, "ta-ta-ta-tarte♪," is a song that speaks for the album in a nutshell. The song depicts the road not being smooth sailing, as Ogura earnestly strives to achieve her dreams and goals, but in doing so, she encounters negative events. The song seems to trace Ms. Ogura's life and mentality as an artist, or in this case, the completion of her "greedy and cute" tart.

The lyrics of the big chorus, which are catchy and catchy as if they were a spell, are an all-out attack that brings together all of Ms. Ogura's characteristics. This is Yui Ogura.

Cherry Color Rabbines," which closes the album with lyrics written by Ogura herself, is the kind of royal idol pop song that she is known for. The lyrics of this song were inspired by her feelings at the live performance "Yui Ogura LIVE 2021 "#Re♥LOVEcall"" held in July last year. The content of the song can be taken as a continuation of the irreplaceable everyday life that Ogura and her fans spun throughout the live, or as a continuation of the exciting love story depicted in the video between the acts. The lyrics "I want to see you again" sung at the very end of the album is also a very chic souvenir.

In addition, "PRISM BEAT" showcased the evolution of the newly developed "oglap" from "Fightin★Pose," the title track of the 14th single to be released in August 2021. The song is inspired by the career women of her generation, and delivers a stoic message about women's unique concerns and their desire to "stay strong.

The song "CiaoCiao Afternoon," produced by Vocaloid P Junky, was created with "social networking" and "ASMR" in mind. A video using the song has already been posted on Ms. Ogura's TikTok account, so be sure to check it out as well.
⇒ Click here for Yui Ogura's TikTok account.