Happiness and sadness coexist - Interview with Aya Uchida on the occasion of the release of her new single "Sign", the ED theme of "The Bride of the Fifth Estate", which depicts a new world view!

The double A-side third single "Sign/Candy Flavor," which includes "Sign" as the ending theme of the TV anime "The Bride of the Fifth Estate," currently airing, will be released on March 6.

Sign" has a slightly different taste from her previous works, and "Candy Flavor" is a light EDM song. Both title tracks, both of which are alive with her expressive ability, are sure to become new standard songs, suitable for release after the massive 50-song album "AYA UCHIDA Complete Box ~50 Songs~"!

In this issue, we asked Ms. Uchida, who has completed such a single, about various aspects of the song.

My personal favorite is Yotsuba, but the one I want to see tied together is Ichika.

Q: After releasing the 50-track album "AYA UCHIDA Complete Box - 50 Songs", did you feel that you had reached a turning point in your career?

UCHIDA No, I don't have any ...... at all (laughs).

Q: Did you have any requests for the tie-up song "Sign" this time?

Uchida: No, not at all. However, "Sign" was originally a candidate for the coupling of "So Happy" (the previous single). We were talking about how we haven't done a song like this yet, and we agreed that if we could do it someday, it would open a new door for us.

Q: What did you feel was new about it?

Uchida: I guess it was purely the tone of the songs. The lyrics were completely different and the impression I got from the song was completely different, but I thought that if I sang it with my own voice, it would be something new and different, and I would like to do it someday! I had been warming up to the idea of doing it someday!

Q: So it came back as a tie-up song.

Uchida That's right. I thought it would fit well with the work. However, when the lyrics were changed to match the work, the impression changed drastically, so the song ended up being different from what I originally thought it would be. ...... Originally, the song had a more danceable tempo, but when the lyrics were written in Japanese, there were parts where the notes were stretched out, so the atmosphere changed again.

Q: This is a tie-in with "The Bride of the Fifth Class"; did you read the movie beforehand?

Uchida: When I heard that we were going to do a tie-up, I was still unfamiliar with the work and was told that this was the kind of work it was, but I thought that if I was too conscious of it, I might be pulled into the story. Unlike character songs, I sing as Aya Uchida, so if I read the original work, I would get emotionally involved with someone else, or my eyes would be focused on that person, and the song would not be my own. So I didn't read the book until the recording session. Of course, I was aware of the visuals and the synopsis, but this time in particular, there were five sisters and a boy who was the main character, and who would end up with whom? I thought it would be better if I didn't set my sights on anyone. I tried not to include information about the girl's side, because that would probably change the way I approached her.

I tried not to include information about the girl's side of the story.

Uchida: Yes. So, I wanted the song to be about someone who wants to be chosen as one of the girls. Since it is the ending of the song, I wanted it to sound like the song of the girl in the episode about someone else.

Q: Looking at the lyrics alone, it sounds like a wedding song, but when I listened to the song, I thought it had a sadness to it.

Uchida: At first I thought it was a heavy song. I thought the lyrics were heavy, so I wondered how I would sing it. But actually, it is not a sad song, but because of the sad melody, I sang it with a feeling of "we are not together, we are not happy yet. But when the recording reached the climax of the song, I thought, "What?　I might have taken it the wrong way. ...... Could this possibly be a happy song? Mayumi Kaneko, who wrote the lyrics, said, "Yes, it's a happy song" (laughs). But then some of the staff members came in and said, "But this is ......," and each of them had a different take on the song. The director was like, "It's not full of happiness, is it? So I thought about what kind of impression I wanted the audience to have after listening to the song. The way I sang changed depending on that.

Q: It changes a lot, doesn't it? But I think it was an exquisite line that wasn't extremely happy.

Uchida: In the end, I sang the song a few times and settled on the current style. It is not 100% sad, but it is happy, but there is still a bit of sadness in it.

There is a word "marriage blues," too.

Uchida I don't know if I like him!　Don't you really like that girl? I think you really like that girl. (laughs) But in the end, I made it a song that aims for a happy place. I'm glad I realized it along the way (laughs).

Q: The song has already been played in the anime.

Uchida: There was definitely a lot of pressure because it was a new song after releasing a 50-song best-of album, but I was happy to hear people say, "It's a great song" or "It's new. But I am very nervous about the fact that it will be played in the ending of the anime. The previous song "So Happy" was my first anime tie-up. At that time, I had read the original story, and it was an anime about Gunma Prefecture, where I am from, and I was cast as the heroine, so it was a work that I was quite close to. But this time, I was asked to be in charge of the ending of a work that is a bit far away, and I felt very strange about it. That is why I was a little anxious, but I was relieved to hear that many people said they liked it. I thought, "The opening song is about the characters, so why Aya Uchida's song for the ending? But I was relieved to hear people say, "It's a wonderful song that fits with the ending image.

Q: The atmosphere of the song matched the video.

Uchida: I thought that since it was the ending, it would not be right if the song left too strong an impression, but I am glad that the pictures matched the atmosphere of the song. I was glad that the pictures matched the atmosphere of the song. The pictures were more subdued than moving with gusto. The story has a strong sense of slapstick comedy, but I wondered how they really feel about it. I wonder how they really feel about each other. I hoped that the song and the video would convey that, so I am happy that the ending is so wonderful.

I'm glad to hear that, too.

Uchida: Yes, I did!

Q: Who would you like to see the two of you get married?　Mikku seems to be the most popular.

Uchida Oh, Mikku (Ito Mirai) plays Sanku. She's cute, that's for sure. （It's like the budding of love. But my personal favorite is Yotsuba. She's bright and cute, so I like her, but if I want her to get married, it would be Ichika. I'm the eldest, so I think, "Go for it! I think "Go for it!

Q: Do you like cheerful characters like Yotsuba?

Uchida I don't know how to put it. I think she is strong, funny, and courageous, but I really like that I can see the weakness in her. So I personally like Ichika and Yotsuba, but I think it's Sanju that makes the viewer visibly think, "Ahhh....

Q: What is the music video like?

Uchida: At first, I had an idea for a wedding-like music video, but I thought it was wrong. I was hoping it would end up looking like that, but that's about it. The song was at the stage where I was longing for that, so I didn't want it to have a straight wedding-like feel to it, and I didn't want any romantic elements at all. As a result, it ended up sounding like I was singing alone in a room. The tone of the song is wistful, so it is like I am singing about my inner feelings. I asked the singer to make me feel the presence of the other person rather than to show it.

Q: The EDM song "Candy Flavor," which is the coupling track, has a happy feeling to it, and is rather similar to the previous songs in the series.

Uchida: The tune is a standard one that I like, and it was a safe and stable song. But the lyrics are pretty cute. So if I sang it as it was, I felt like I would sound like a cute little pretender, so I tried to keep the mood mature and not overdo it.

Q: I thought the song would look great live.

Uchida: I didn't have a live performance in mind, but when we were saving "Sign", we were talking about how it would be nice to add a full dance to this song. The song was left as a dance song, but the atmosphere of the song changed drastically when it became a tie-up song, so we thought why not add choreography to the coupling song? I wondered if we could do that in the live performance. I'm not sure if we can do that in the live performance.

Q: Since this is a double A-side, both songs will have music videos, right? The jackets and visual images are different for each song.

Uchida For "Sign," I was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, which I was personally very embarrassed about (embarrassing), but for "Candy Flavor," I was wearing a bright red outfit that looked more like me. For "Sign," I had paper craft objects made that look like diamonds, and they are pastel colors of pink, silver, and blue. That is also a wedding! It's not so much that it's a wedding, but rather that it looks like a ring to the viewer. It's more like a ring, if you look at it.

Q: And you have a live concert coming up, "AYA UCHIDA LIVE 2019 ~Take it easy~"?

Uchida The title of the concert is "Take it easy" and it will be held on March 8 (Friday) at Zepp Tokyo and March 30 (Saturday) at Zepp Namba Osaka. Actually, we had to announce the title last Christmas, and I was like, "I don't know what to do with the title yet! I was like, "I don't know what to do with the title yet! I was having a hard time choosing a title for the single because it was a double-A side, but the producer, Mr. Kudo, saw me worrying too much and suggested "Take it easy" and I said, "That's good! (laughs). Instead of the current situation where I am worrying too much, next year I will relax my shoulders! So I think the theme of the live show will be "Let's relax and go easy.

Q: What kind of live show do you think it will be?

Uchida: I think there will be people who will come to the concert for the first time after learning about us through this CD, so I hope those people will enjoy the concert, and also, this will be the first concert of the year and the last one-man concert in the Heisei era, but, well, I don't know about that (laughs). I would like to make it a relaxing live. Please look forward to it.

(Interview by Junichi Tsukagoshi)