Interview] Saori Hayami releases her 2nd album "JUNCTION　Saori Hayami releases her 2nd album "JUNCTION

Saori Hayami has released three singles in the past year: "Yume no Hata de" (To the End of the Dream) and "Asatte" (New Morning), both written and composed by Mariya Takeuchi, and "Jewelry," written and composed by Hayami herself. Each of these singles has an urban yet nostalgic sound, and it seems that her musical orientation is becoming clearer and clearer. Finally, her second album "JUNCTION" was released.
It should be noted that 10 of the 14 songs on the album were written and composed by the artist herself. She was actively involved in all aspects of music production, and this album is filled with the Saori Hayami of today!

The first song, "Let me hear," begins with the sound of a needle being placed on an analog record!

─ I got the impression that your second album "JUNCTION" is full of the music you want to make. How do you feel about it?

Hayami: There were discoveries at every stage of production, and I think I was able to work with a modest vision of what I would like to do. I feel most relieved because we have just completed the project. I worked with the creators and staff that I have worked with for a long time, so there were many things that they came up with without me saying anything, just saying, "You like this kind of feeling, don't you? I did not have to say anything.

─ So everyone around you knew the direction of your music.

Hayami: That's right. For example, Satomi Kawasaki, who wrote the lyrics, composed the music, and arranged the song "Let me hear." I told her, "I want a song with a middle to up tempo that I can enjoy singing live," and she came up with this song. I felt that the creators had created a song that suited my taste in music and my voice.

Hayami: After listening to the whole album, I felt that the synth sound was more prominent in the lighter tempo songs.

Hayami: That may be true. Especially in Tatsuya Kurauchi's arrangements, there seemed to be a lot of synth sounds.

─ I thought the use of synths rather than electric guitars was also typical of Hayami's tone. What was the inspiration behind the title of the album, "JUNCTION"?

Hayami: I came up with the title while working on the album. There are songs that were written a long time ago and songs that were just finished, "To the End of the Dream" and "A New Morning" written by Mariya Takeuchi, and songs written by me, so I felt that the songs were going their own ways. I thought it would be nice to have a title that would tie them all together, and as I was thinking about it, the word "JUNCTION" just sort of came to mind. I decided on this title because I thought it was a confluence of various paths and that it would not end there, but would lead to the future.

───Are there songs that you wrote a long time ago?

Hayami: Yes. The fifth song, "White Room," and the sixth song, "Blessing," are quite old. On the other hand, the most recent songs I wrote are the third song "Natsume to Soroku" and the twelfth song "Bye Bye".

You said that the songs are going their own way, but you wrote lyrics for 10 of the 14 songs, and I felt that this gave a sense of unity to the album. Another thing that symbolizes this album is the way the first song "Let me hear" starts. The sound of a needle being placed on an analog record is added as a sound effect.

Hayami: That part was not there at first, and the song started normally. During recording, I talked with the staff and said, "If this is the first song, I would like to have some kind of phrasing that symbolizes the beginning of the album. As a result, Mr. Kawasaki added that sound, not as a phrase, but as a way to add an analog feel.


─ ─ I think it was a very effective beginning for an album with a tone that would be suitable to listen to on an analog record. The song itself, "Let me hear," has a stylish retro feel to it.

Hayami: "Let me hear" is the only song that has voices other than mine in the chorus, which I think makes it a cool song. I put the needle down on the intro and decided how and when the song would start by trying out various patterns during trackdown.

─ ─ Of course, you were there, too, Mr. Hayami.

Hayami: Yes. This time, I was able to be present during trackdown for most of the songs. It was fun discussing and deciding on the sound with the staff.