Interview] Two songs that actively incorporate digital sounds; SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]'s new single "Tranquility/Trollz" shows the future.

Composer Hiroyuki Sawano's vocal project, SawanoHiroyuki[nZk], has released a new single. It is a double A-side single, "Tranquility," the ending theme for the second season of the anime "The Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These" and "Trollz," a non-tie-in single in pursuit of the music he wants to do now.
Each features a vocalist who is participating in [nZk] for the first time, and each looks to the future of the project. We spoke with Hiroyuki Sawano, whose high-quality music continues to captivate fans.

Tranquility" features Anly on vocals, and she sings emotionally.

─ ─ The new song "Tranquility" is a tie-up song for "The Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These," following "Binary Star. This time it is the ending theme for the second season "Hoshiran". What kind of image did you have in mind when creating this song?

Sawano: For "Binary Star," I was asked to include an orchestra-like sound in addition to a live band. So, although we didn't go as far as a full orchestra, we did feature strings in the song. This time, as the ending theme, I was asked to write a ballad, but there were no specific requests for instruments, so I wrote the song with an awareness of my current influences, pop music with digital elements from overseas. While incorporating these elements, I created "Tranquility" as a grand rock ballad linked to the world of "Silver Arrow".

─ It is true that there is no orchestral element this time.

Sawano: No. In that sense, "Binary Star" is different from "Ginden. In that sense, the song has a different impression from "Binary Star.

───You mentioned that you incorporated digital elements, but what were you conscious of in terms of sound?

Sawano: I didn't use a lot of synth sounds, but by adding synth rhythms to the live-recorded drums, I wanted to create a groove that could not be achieved with live instruments alone, and make the sound interesting. Overall, I wanted the song to be a rock ballad with pop elements, like those sung by Western artists these days. The piano was composed in a loop from the beginning, and I think the sound of the piano and the melody of the song matched well with each other. The addition of the cello further added to the mystique of the sound.

─ How did you approach the world of "Ginei Den"?

Sawano: The "Gingaiden" style is largely due to the fact that it is a ballad. One of the words that came up from the anime production side was "diva" (diva). I interpreted this to mean a female vocalist singing emotionally, and I thought it would be a song that expands in grandeur toward the chorus.


─ You mentioned the word "diva," but the vocalist this time is Anly, who is joining SawanoHiroyuki [nZk] for the first time. Could you tell us how you got her to be the vocalist?

Sawano: I had the opportunity to meet Anly at the launch of the second season of "The Seven Deadly Sins" last year, and she gave me her CD at that time. When I listened to the CD, I found that he was making very cool music, so I became interested in him as well. When the label mentioned Anly's name to me this time, I thought it would be great if I could work with her.

─ What was your impression of Anly's singing?

Sawano: She has a wide range of vocal approaches, or rather, she can express her voice in a variety of ways. However, "Tranquility" is a different type of song from the ones she usually sings, so I wasn't sure how well she would fit in. Looking back, Aimer and all the other vocalists we have asked in the past were also unknown to us at first (laughs). (Laughs.) In this production, I was glad that Anly sang the demo so that I could get a better idea of what the vocals would sound like. After she sang a few times, I had a feeling that it was going to be very good, so I officially asked her to sing on it.

─ How did the vocals change from the initial singing stage?

Sawano: As I mentioned earlier, the vocals changed in the direction of having the singer sing emotionally. She was able to match the approach I wanted to take. In her live performances, she sings Ed Sheeran and other Western music covers while using a loop pedal, and when I watched the video, I saw her singing in a powerful way. So, what I asked her to do for "Tranquility" was not so different from what she usually does.

─ So, emotional singing is one of Anly's charms, isn't it?

Sawano: Yes, it is. She is a talented person, and I hope to work with her on various songs in the future. I am also looking forward to seeing how she herself will evolve as a singer-songwriter in the future.

─ ─ The title "Tranquility" is a word that means "stillness" or something like that, isn't it?

Sawano: Yes, the lyrics and title were written by Benjamin and mpi, as usual, and I thought it was a good title the moment I first heard it, both in terms of sound and meaning.